Hello, everyone!
I feel like I've been run over by a truck. No, make that a very long train. Yesterday I was walking from my room to the bathroom and my right leg just gave out on me and down to the floor I went. I bumped my head on the wall and wrenched out my shoulder. My right leg, which I landed on when I fell, hurts so bad I'm considering amputation!!! Last night I've been doing the heating pad thing, but I've got so many areas that hurt and not enough heating pad!!
It's scary that my right leg is getting weaker and going out like that, with no warning. I'm wondering if it's related to the pinched nerves from my back doing it. When I go through with that bariatric surgery, maybe it will relieve a lot of tension on those nerve roots. We can ONLY pray!! :0)
I've been working on the blog again. Last post I told you I moved the side bar stuff over to the right. No, your eyes are NOT deceiving you, I moved everything back to the left again. I'm a lefty, and I just couldn't get use to using the right side. So it's gonna stay on the left.
I also was playing around with Photobucket and made a really neat slide show that is a TV and on the screen are all my pictures! It's really cool. Check it out...it's down towards the end of the blog. You can do all kinds of amazing things at Photobucket, so I recommend you try it out. It's at www.photobucket.com.
That pretty much is it on this end of the world. It's still HOT here and won't get cooler probably until October. Gotta love Arizona around summertime!! Nothing new to report on the hubby, he is doing OK, although his pain has returned from the Gleevec he must take to keep his tumor killed. He also has had some nausea and vomiting if he doesn't take it right after his meals. I was hoping he wouldn't have the pain this time around, but I was wrong. Thank goodness he is going to the pain specialist.
Hope you all have a great middle of the week day!
Love ya all!
God bless,
Missy
PS...As you might have noticed, Google FINALLY approved my site for advertising!! So now I'm like everyone else with google ads on their blog. I know, I know, what can I say? The strangest things excite me!!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
YIPEE KI YAY!
Howdy! Just a real quick update about my bariatric appointment. After calling my doctor and leaving a message about needing a referral to the bariatric doctor, a letter of medical necessity for the surgery and my medical records faxed over to his office, I called the bariatric center and scheduled an appointment to see the surgeon October 14th. It seems like a million years away, but time will go fast. I always does!! I mean, who would believe that in three short days it's October already!
I am soooo excited about this and want everything to go perfect, since the last time the appointment was a huge let down. I'm so cautious every time I go to an appointment now. I'm taking my support "team" with me - my husband and mother- in- law. So far everything looks good and they do take my unsurance, so I think everything will work out okay. :0)
Al right, I'll write another post again in a few days. Hope you all have sweet dreams and wake up feeling refreshed....then you can tell ME how you managed that! :0)
Big hugs,
Missy
I am soooo excited about this and want everything to go perfect, since the last time the appointment was a huge let down. I'm so cautious every time I go to an appointment now. I'm taking my support "team" with me - my husband and mother- in- law. So far everything looks good and they do take my unsurance, so I think everything will work out okay. :0)
Al right, I'll write another post again in a few days. Hope you all have sweet dreams and wake up feeling refreshed....then you can tell ME how you managed that! :0)
Big hugs,
Missy
Losing Ground
Hello, peoples!
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods! It's been so incredibly HOT around here that I think someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that it is supposed to be FALL!! Yesterday in Phoenix we hit 104 and today I think it's supposed to be 106. We'll be cooling down over next weekend, I think. Thank goodness! I'm so tired of being a "sweat pool!!" LOL!!
I'm sure you've noticed I made a few minor changes to the blog. Hope you like it. I changed the main image to a beautiful sunset shot I got at the lifeguard station on Mission Beach, CA. I moved all the sidebar items over to the right hand side of the screen and took a lot of stuff off of it that wasn't working...the Amazon stuff, for instance. I never made one lousy sale. They even wrote me and said that they noticed I hadn't made a sale. Well, how can I in this crappy economy? Nobody is buying anything anymore!! So off you go Amazon. I just checked the status of my Google Adsense and it is still awaiting approval. What, are they reading one line per WEEK?!!! It's been like that for about two months now. So I give up. Both services can go where the sun don't shine!!!
I also switched out a picture in the post "Down Memory Lane Part II." It was the one with Santa Claus. I thought it was me, but my Aunt Penny wrote and told me actually that was my cousin Jenny! So I have a new picture that I know is me for sure.
I've been in quite a mood. It just seems like I'm losing ground here. When my mom died and we very first came to Phoenix, I could walk around the block with my dad (without a walker...I didn't even have one until later in the year 2009) and with Carol, my mother-in-law. Now I'm lucky if I can walk from my bedroom to the bathroom, which is only a few feet away. Thank God the house is all one level or I would never make it. I didn't have the problems with neuropathy when I very first came here. Now, I've got it so bad it keeps me awake at night. I wish the person with the fire torch would cut it out down there!! I also get that "pins and needles" sensation that goes with neuropathy. I think I'm on the maximum of Neurontin and can't take anymore. So I just suffer with each agonizing step I take. I keep my feet elevated a lot, which means I don't use the computer as much as I used to. :( I miss it. It's just another thing this disease has taken away from me!!
I guess I'm just scared that I will never have a "normal" life again. It's gonna be ruled by medications, doctor visits, specialists and tests. Do you worry about that, too? That your life will never be the same again? It's scary, isn't it? I feel like the fibro has chosen for me which road I take in the game of life....and I hate being told what to do!!! And all the things I used to do, I was HEAVIER than what I am now! It just doesn't make sense.
NOTHING about any of this makes sense!! I just want my life back again, no matter how much I complained about it then about silly things...I'd give anything to have those silly things back again!!
I hope this post finds you in a better state of mind than I am. I'm just going through a low period and it helps to blog about it. So thanks for listening and being there for me, dear friends. I don't know what I'd do without you!!
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods! It's been so incredibly HOT around here that I think someone forgot to tell Mother Nature that it is supposed to be FALL!! Yesterday in Phoenix we hit 104 and today I think it's supposed to be 106. We'll be cooling down over next weekend, I think. Thank goodness! I'm so tired of being a "sweat pool!!" LOL!!
I'm sure you've noticed I made a few minor changes to the blog. Hope you like it. I changed the main image to a beautiful sunset shot I got at the lifeguard station on Mission Beach, CA. I moved all the sidebar items over to the right hand side of the screen and took a lot of stuff off of it that wasn't working...the Amazon stuff, for instance. I never made one lousy sale. They even wrote me and said that they noticed I hadn't made a sale. Well, how can I in this crappy economy? Nobody is buying anything anymore!! So off you go Amazon. I just checked the status of my Google Adsense and it is still awaiting approval. What, are they reading one line per WEEK?!!! It's been like that for about two months now. So I give up. Both services can go where the sun don't shine!!!
I also switched out a picture in the post "Down Memory Lane Part II." It was the one with Santa Claus. I thought it was me, but my Aunt Penny wrote and told me actually that was my cousin Jenny! So I have a new picture that I know is me for sure.
I've been in quite a mood. It just seems like I'm losing ground here. When my mom died and we very first came to Phoenix, I could walk around the block with my dad (without a walker...I didn't even have one until later in the year 2009) and with Carol, my mother-in-law. Now I'm lucky if I can walk from my bedroom to the bathroom, which is only a few feet away. Thank God the house is all one level or I would never make it. I didn't have the problems with neuropathy when I very first came here. Now, I've got it so bad it keeps me awake at night. I wish the person with the fire torch would cut it out down there!! I also get that "pins and needles" sensation that goes with neuropathy. I think I'm on the maximum of Neurontin and can't take anymore. So I just suffer with each agonizing step I take. I keep my feet elevated a lot, which means I don't use the computer as much as I used to. :( I miss it. It's just another thing this disease has taken away from me!!
I guess I'm just scared that I will never have a "normal" life again. It's gonna be ruled by medications, doctor visits, specialists and tests. Do you worry about that, too? That your life will never be the same again? It's scary, isn't it? I feel like the fibro has chosen for me which road I take in the game of life....and I hate being told what to do!!! And all the things I used to do, I was HEAVIER than what I am now! It just doesn't make sense.
NOTHING about any of this makes sense!! I just want my life back again, no matter how much I complained about it then about silly things...I'd give anything to have those silly things back again!!
I hope this post finds you in a better state of mind than I am. I'm just going through a low period and it helps to blog about it. So thanks for listening and being there for me, dear friends. I don't know what I'd do without you!!
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Down Memory Lane, Part II
Good Sunday, everyone!
Since I got so many positive responses to my "down memory lane" photos, I thought I'd do a part 2, this time with photos that go waaaay back to my childhood. Before I get those out, let me reflect a little bit on what I've been thinking about recently.
I've been so much more reflective about my youth since turning 40 this past June. Almost half of my life has slipped away and I still haven't done what I set out to do. That was to be a nurse. Sure, I've worked as a nurse for 14 years, but that just is not long enough to justify the torture we all go through in nursing school. I'm sure you nurses out there agree with me....nursing school was hell! You had to be on top of your game every second or risk looking like a fool. I remember those days of driving to clinical at the hospital in a car with no brakes with snow up to my armpits at 6am to get to a 7am shift. I always left in plenty of time because with our junker cars, you never knew when they could finally bite the big one on ya! My mom worked her heart out, but we did fall on very hard times in my childhood. Money just wasn't flowing in fast enough and we did, unfortunately, go without food for a while. I remember going by the hot dog stand at college and my stomach would let out a big grumble. Or going to school on "empty" and having my stomach growl in a quiet classroom! My mom got paid every week, but it just wasn't enough. She would get paid on Thursdays, then by Sunday we would have nothing left after she paid bills. So that would mean we'd had nothing from Monday-Wednesday. I'm not sure the details why my dad didn't work. I know he did work and set records at where he worked at a die cast factory when I was a baby and little girl. I remember offering to my mom that I could get a job AND go to college, but she wouldn't hear anything of it. She kept saying, "do your best in nursing school and get out of this situation." So she continued working her little heart off. I remember one three month span when the answering service that she worked for was short of staff and she and her co-worker, Shirley, split 12 hour shifts everyday, NO day off for three months!
Anyway, graduation of nursing school was like a turning point for me. I then took the boards and then applied at a few local hospitals, who weren't employing RN's at that time...just LPN's and nursing assistants. :( So my grandma told me to come on down to sunny Yuma, AZ and see if the hospital there was hiring. So I packed up my bags and said a very tearful good bye to my mom and dad and Toby, my kitty and took the big steel bird all the way to Las Vegas, Nevada, where grandma and a friend of hers picked me up. Grandma thought it would be fun to check out Vegas before going home to Yuma.
I worked 10 years at that small community hospital in Yuma. They taught me everything I knew. Then something called fibromyalgia had to come and ruin it all for me. Work just became harder and harder until finally, I could no longer do it. That is where I'm at now. I can barely walk across the house, let alone a busy hospital ward. I haven't worked for two years now, and it bugs me to have my nurse's license, just freshly renewed this year at a whopping $160.00, burn a hole in my wallet from non-use. If I am off for three more years, I'll have to take a refresher course. God, I hope I can lose lots of weight and be back to work within that time frame. I miss it so badly!!!
OK, now for my chuckle of the day. Last night I had one of those very involved dreams that seemed like it took all night to have. I even woke myself up talking....here's the funny part....my husband answered me in HIS sleep!! I was talking about buying a notebook and he said, "how much do they cost?" That's a sure sign you are right for your spouse...when you can sleep talk and he answers you right back in HIS sleep!! LOL....
OK, here are some photos from my past:
Yep, here is me on my very first birthday...June 24th, 1970. My mom told me that her OB doctor said her due date was June 24th and I must have been listening because that is when I was born!!
Here I am on my 2nd birthday (I think!) and I don't look too happy about the layout in front of me! Maybe the camera just caught me on a "bad hair day." From my viewpoint, the cake sure looks yummy!
I was BIG TIME DADDY'S GIRL for sure! Mom said that I'd always get this kind of a grin when I was near my daddy!
Ahhhh...I much preferred Christmas at home with my mom and dad and our beloved Christmas tree!! :0) Even if my dad is showing my underpants for the camera!!!
Just like Mommy! I was wearing her shoes (barely!) and had her purse inside the stroller for one of my dolls. I just loved playing dress up!!
Here I am with my two great-grandpa's Paul and Earl.
Here is our family portrait. Notice I have NO two front teeth? Those little buggars took forever to come in, and then when they did finally come, there was a big ole' space between them that would haunt me to this day!! Dental care was very expensive and even with insurance, we still couldn't afford it. I knew we weren't alone, though. Even to this day, many Americans have to go without proper dental care. Isn't that sad?
My ONE and ONLY favorite picture of myself...my high school senior year photo in 1989. I thought I was so fat in it....geez, wish I could go back to being "fat" like that!!!
Here I am, holding my high school graduation cake. Looks yummy, doesn't it? We had my party out at Pitcher Lake in Dowagiac, MI. It was a pretty good turn out from both my parents' sides. My dad, for some reason, didn't come to it. He missed a good party!!
And, last, but not least....my pinning ceremony from nursing school in May, 1993! My initial class started out with 80 people and ended with 44. Lake Michigan College School of Nursing was a tough program. I'm glad I was one that survived the cut-offs and wasn't booted to the curb like some of my unfortunate friends.
Well, that will do it for our trip down memory lane. Hope you enjoyed it. I hope you all have a great Sunday and a wonderful week ahead.
God bless you all!
Until next post,
Missy
Since I got so many positive responses to my "down memory lane" photos, I thought I'd do a part 2, this time with photos that go waaaay back to my childhood. Before I get those out, let me reflect a little bit on what I've been thinking about recently.
I've been so much more reflective about my youth since turning 40 this past June. Almost half of my life has slipped away and I still haven't done what I set out to do. That was to be a nurse. Sure, I've worked as a nurse for 14 years, but that just is not long enough to justify the torture we all go through in nursing school. I'm sure you nurses out there agree with me....nursing school was hell! You had to be on top of your game every second or risk looking like a fool. I remember those days of driving to clinical at the hospital in a car with no brakes with snow up to my armpits at 6am to get to a 7am shift. I always left in plenty of time because with our junker cars, you never knew when they could finally bite the big one on ya! My mom worked her heart out, but we did fall on very hard times in my childhood. Money just wasn't flowing in fast enough and we did, unfortunately, go without food for a while. I remember going by the hot dog stand at college and my stomach would let out a big grumble. Or going to school on "empty" and having my stomach growl in a quiet classroom! My mom got paid every week, but it just wasn't enough. She would get paid on Thursdays, then by Sunday we would have nothing left after she paid bills. So that would mean we'd had nothing from Monday-Wednesday. I'm not sure the details why my dad didn't work. I know he did work and set records at where he worked at a die cast factory when I was a baby and little girl. I remember offering to my mom that I could get a job AND go to college, but she wouldn't hear anything of it. She kept saying, "do your best in nursing school and get out of this situation." So she continued working her little heart off. I remember one three month span when the answering service that she worked for was short of staff and she and her co-worker, Shirley, split 12 hour shifts everyday, NO day off for three months!
Anyway, graduation of nursing school was like a turning point for me. I then took the boards and then applied at a few local hospitals, who weren't employing RN's at that time...just LPN's and nursing assistants. :( So my grandma told me to come on down to sunny Yuma, AZ and see if the hospital there was hiring. So I packed up my bags and said a very tearful good bye to my mom and dad and Toby, my kitty and took the big steel bird all the way to Las Vegas, Nevada, where grandma and a friend of hers picked me up. Grandma thought it would be fun to check out Vegas before going home to Yuma.
I worked 10 years at that small community hospital in Yuma. They taught me everything I knew. Then something called fibromyalgia had to come and ruin it all for me. Work just became harder and harder until finally, I could no longer do it. That is where I'm at now. I can barely walk across the house, let alone a busy hospital ward. I haven't worked for two years now, and it bugs me to have my nurse's license, just freshly renewed this year at a whopping $160.00, burn a hole in my wallet from non-use. If I am off for three more years, I'll have to take a refresher course. God, I hope I can lose lots of weight and be back to work within that time frame. I miss it so badly!!!
OK, now for my chuckle of the day. Last night I had one of those very involved dreams that seemed like it took all night to have. I even woke myself up talking....here's the funny part....my husband answered me in HIS sleep!! I was talking about buying a notebook and he said, "how much do they cost?" That's a sure sign you are right for your spouse...when you can sleep talk and he answers you right back in HIS sleep!! LOL....
OK, here are some photos from my past:
Well, that will do it for our trip down memory lane. Hope you enjoyed it. I hope you all have a great Sunday and a wonderful week ahead.
God bless you all!
Until next post,
Missy
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Down Memory Lane
Hi, everyone!
I'm back after taking a "computer holiday" yesterday. I'm sorry about posting today instead of yesterday, but when I got up yesterday, I felt just absolutely horrible. The ultimate of flare-ups. My low back was acting up and it felt like somebody had lit a torch on my right foot and was just going to town with it, so to speak! Lately I've been having a lot of problems with neuropathy in my feet. They just burn and shoot "electrical" type pains down to my very tippy toes. The only cure for it is to keep my feet elevated and take my neurontin....or nine of them! (Just joking...I only took an extra one...honest!) So I spent the day reading my Janet Evanovich book. If you've never read her books, you are certainly missing something....she's a scream! I love her characters and the plots are wild and zany.
Okay, now on to the bariatric seminar my husband, me and mother-in-law attended on Thursday. We got there in plenty of time and had NO problems with parking. Isn't that something? The thing you worry about the MOST turns out to be nothing? My husband dropped his mom and me off at the lobby and he proceeded to park the car in the parking garage of the hospital. We got to the conference room very slowly. I'm losing ground with my legs everyday and even with the walker, I can't walk very far anymore without severe pain. I had to stop twice on the way to the conference room. We finally get there and I plopped myself down into an aisle seat up front. I never would sit up front in the past, because it seems the presenter interacts more with those up front and I was very shy (because of my speech problem) but I figured I'm venturing on a new life, so why not sit up front?
Anyway, the doctor that was going to lead the seminar was late, so his nurse began without him. She was nice and friendly and did a good job of explaining things. There's a new (within the past 6 or so years) procedure out called a "gastric sleeve" that I wasn't aware of. It's where they cut about 75-80% of your stomach and then sew it back up. So what's left is a banana shaped pouch and you can only eat about a cup of food and feel full.
She also explained about the after care program with support groups, visits with the nutritionist & exercise physiologist, AND there are NO extra program fees! You can't beat that!
The doctor showed up about 45 minutes late. He instantly apologized and took over where the nurse left off. I immediately liked him. He was warm, personable and a good public speaker. He didn't make us feel bad because we were overly fat and he was very specific describing the other procedures - the gastric banding and gastric bypass. I learned that now, the gastric bypass is done with a laprascrope! This means no long incision lines, shorter hospital stays and shorter recovery times. I know I said that I wasn't going to get the gastric bypass, but he made it sound like a piece of cake....oops, no cake. Make it....a piece of wheat bread!! LOL! So whatever procedure he decides for me, I think I will do. I just want to feel better. And I think getting this excess weight off me will do a lot of good! My poor legs and feet will thank me, for sure.
The seminar was about an hour long and then we left. There were only about three other people there like me and they brought their spouses along, too. I'm glad I went and could meet the doctor. And they are not out for money like the other group I went to. I'm glad I persisted in my search for the seminar I was supposed to go to in the first place. The next step now is waiting for them to call and set up the initial appointment. The nurse said that would take about an hour and I'd meet the whole team-surgeon, nutritionist, exercise therapist and psychologist. And, they take my insurance....whooo-hooo! My hubby called the insurance and they DO cover bariatric surgery, as long as it's for medical reasons and not cosmetic. No prob! My medical chart will speak for itself!! So I can't wait until they call and we can get started.
I was going through the pictures on the computer and taking a trip down memory lane. It's nice to do that every once and awhile. I originally came from Michigan and looking at those old pictures brought back so many memories. I will share with you some of my photos of my family and me and life in Michigan. I hope I don't bore you!! Here we go:
My mom and me with our first kitty, Boots.
My best friend, Denise and me - Denise is holding our 2nd kitty, Toby and I am holding Boots. Boots wasn't a very friendly cat-he bit everyone!! Just look at those glowing eyes!!
My mom with our sweet kitty, Toby. He loved hugging!!
Me, trying to be sexy by my alluring pose, with Toby.
Me, up close and personal, with Toby. He shared my room with me as we had to separate Toby and Boots as Boots wasn't very cooperative. So Toby and I were very close. He was called my "study buddy" as he laid on top of whatever school book I had open. We think he was a Maine Coon cat as he was BIG and weighed 25 pounds. I miss him so!
Me (what did I do to my hair?!) and my dad at Pitcher Lake in Dowagiac, Michigan. We were camping for the weekend in my grandma's trailer. We had a blast!!
My mom and I at Pitcher Lake. I remember her trying to start a fire in the fire ring and it turned out to be a "smoke out" instead of a fire. Mom worked so hard to get that ignited and we teased her about her fire for years to come!! We were bad!!
And, to end the show, here is Pitcher Lake at dusk. I remember the sights, sounds and smells of that lake as if it were just yesterday.
Thank you so much for coming along with me down memory lane. I hope I didn't bore you too much.....
Alrighty, that will do it for this post. I hope you all are happy and flare-up free. And enjoying the beginnings of fall, my favorite season. I sure do miss the trees changing colors and the smell of burning leaves. So those of you that actually have seasons, enjoy them!!!
God bless you all.
Until next post,
Missy
I'm back after taking a "computer holiday" yesterday. I'm sorry about posting today instead of yesterday, but when I got up yesterday, I felt just absolutely horrible. The ultimate of flare-ups. My low back was acting up and it felt like somebody had lit a torch on my right foot and was just going to town with it, so to speak! Lately I've been having a lot of problems with neuropathy in my feet. They just burn and shoot "electrical" type pains down to my very tippy toes. The only cure for it is to keep my feet elevated and take my neurontin....or nine of them! (Just joking...I only took an extra one...honest!) So I spent the day reading my Janet Evanovich book. If you've never read her books, you are certainly missing something....she's a scream! I love her characters and the plots are wild and zany.
Okay, now on to the bariatric seminar my husband, me and mother-in-law attended on Thursday. We got there in plenty of time and had NO problems with parking. Isn't that something? The thing you worry about the MOST turns out to be nothing? My husband dropped his mom and me off at the lobby and he proceeded to park the car in the parking garage of the hospital. We got to the conference room very slowly. I'm losing ground with my legs everyday and even with the walker, I can't walk very far anymore without severe pain. I had to stop twice on the way to the conference room. We finally get there and I plopped myself down into an aisle seat up front. I never would sit up front in the past, because it seems the presenter interacts more with those up front and I was very shy (because of my speech problem) but I figured I'm venturing on a new life, so why not sit up front?
Anyway, the doctor that was going to lead the seminar was late, so his nurse began without him. She was nice and friendly and did a good job of explaining things. There's a new (within the past 6 or so years) procedure out called a "gastric sleeve" that I wasn't aware of. It's where they cut about 75-80% of your stomach and then sew it back up. So what's left is a banana shaped pouch and you can only eat about a cup of food and feel full.
She also explained about the after care program with support groups, visits with the nutritionist & exercise physiologist, AND there are NO extra program fees! You can't beat that!
The doctor showed up about 45 minutes late. He instantly apologized and took over where the nurse left off. I immediately liked him. He was warm, personable and a good public speaker. He didn't make us feel bad because we were overly fat and he was very specific describing the other procedures - the gastric banding and gastric bypass. I learned that now, the gastric bypass is done with a laprascrope! This means no long incision lines, shorter hospital stays and shorter recovery times. I know I said that I wasn't going to get the gastric bypass, but he made it sound like a piece of cake....oops, no cake. Make it....a piece of wheat bread!! LOL! So whatever procedure he decides for me, I think I will do. I just want to feel better. And I think getting this excess weight off me will do a lot of good! My poor legs and feet will thank me, for sure.
The seminar was about an hour long and then we left. There were only about three other people there like me and they brought their spouses along, too. I'm glad I went and could meet the doctor. And they are not out for money like the other group I went to. I'm glad I persisted in my search for the seminar I was supposed to go to in the first place. The next step now is waiting for them to call and set up the initial appointment. The nurse said that would take about an hour and I'd meet the whole team-surgeon, nutritionist, exercise therapist and psychologist. And, they take my insurance....whooo-hooo! My hubby called the insurance and they DO cover bariatric surgery, as long as it's for medical reasons and not cosmetic. No prob! My medical chart will speak for itself!! So I can't wait until they call and we can get started.
I was going through the pictures on the computer and taking a trip down memory lane. It's nice to do that every once and awhile. I originally came from Michigan and looking at those old pictures brought back so many memories. I will share with you some of my photos of my family and me and life in Michigan. I hope I don't bore you!! Here we go:
Thank you so much for coming along with me down memory lane. I hope I didn't bore you too much.....
Alrighty, that will do it for this post. I hope you all are happy and flare-up free. And enjoying the beginnings of fall, my favorite season. I sure do miss the trees changing colors and the smell of burning leaves. So those of you that actually have seasons, enjoy them!!!
God bless you all.
Until next post,
Missy
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Familiar Feelings
Howdy, everyone!
As the title of this post reads, I definitely have "familiar feelings" today as this is the day I have to go to yet ANOTHER seminar about the Lap-band or Realize band procedure. And they couldn't have picked a busier hospital than Good Sam in downtown Phoenix! I'm worried about parking and how far I will have to walk to even get to the conference room. I've had MAJOR problems with walking lately. My right leg has just been incredibly painful with "pins and needles" in my foot, muscle spasms in my calf and thighs, and let's not forget that lovely "shooting" pain I get from my lower back. This morning it took me about 15 minutes (and me having to stop and lean against the wall to work out severe cramps in my thigh) to walk down the short hall to the bathroom. And then back into the bedroom so I could take my morning cocktail of medications. Please work fast!!!
Yesterday I went to the podiatrist and he gave me a clean bill of health - for just my left foot! The pain I was having in the arch is completely gone. So either that lovely moon boot or the steroid shot I had a month ago has finally started to kick in. But I haven't had pain there all week now. Praise the Lord!! Now if only the REST of me would get the picture and follow suit. I'm really glad my foot really cleared up, because as of October 1st, my insurance will no longer be paying for podiatry care. Our state's government is bankrupt (or close to it!) and that is how they see fit to fix it...take away even more health care benefits to the poor or the elderly. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it????!!!
I talked with my dad, who now lives in Michigan in his own apartment, on Monday and he sounded fantastic! He has met a new friend online, her name is Gina and I spoke with her, too, on Monday. She set up a three way phone call. Pretty neat....I would have absolutely NO idea of how to do such things. I'm glad my dad is happy. It's been a long recovery process, and I didn't know how I'd feel seeing him with other women, but I know it's what Mom would have wanted for him. And it isn't really so hard seeing him with someone else (or "hearing" him with someone else, for that matter!). She sounded very nice and sweet and perfect for my zany and crazy dad!! LOL....couldn't help myself there for a moment.
AND, I've saved the best news for last. MY GRANDMA IS COMING TO SEE ME IN DECEMBER!! My grandma (on my mom's side) who moved to Texas shortly before we started our move out there too, decided that two years is too long of a time for us to see each other. I agree! And the last time I saw her, I was in shock and grief over mom's recent death. If it hadn't been for her there with me (as she came from College Station to San Antonio in record time when she heard how bad mom was and that she wouldn't make it for long), I don't think I would have made it. I love my grandma soooo much and have missed her equally so, that I'm thrilled that my in-laws have warmly welcomed her to stay in their home and my aunt and uncle (grandma's son with whom she lives with now) already bought her ticket. When I saw my grandma's name on the ticketless travel receipt in the email, it just tickled me so! OK, so I'm a little giddy....LOL!!! She will be arriving Dec. 8th and staying until after Christmas on Dec. 28th. Three solid, whole weeks!!!
Nothing much else to report. Please pray that I can get to the conference room tonight for that bariatric seminar and please pray I can have the procedure. My husband called up my insurance and verified again they cover this procedure and they said yes, as long as it is for medical purposes and NOT cosmetic. No prob there...all they gotta do is look at my charts and they'll see all my medical problems that could very possibly be corrected by having this procedure. And hopefully this place is the RIGHT place this time!!
I'll be sure to post again tomorrow and let you know how it went. You all have a wonderful day....may it be without too much pain!! We can only hope.
God bless you all,
Until next post,
Missy
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
As many of you know, I have a support group on Facebook that used to be called the same name as my blog. Well, I met a new friend, Sally, and she set up a beautiful forum based on my support group. She worked day and night on it and didn't find the error until the forum was complete. And that was, she left the MY out of the title. But that's not the important news, just a tid-bit. :0) The notice is please accept our sincere apologies about how Facebook kept sending out duplicate messages this past week. We have been in contact with FB, but have not received any response. So I completely understand if you wish to not be part of the FB support group....but please DO come over to our forum. There are NO problems like that over there. We've love to see you all that signed up in the FB group and we would love to meet new people, too. So click on the purple butterflies at the top of this page. See ya there!!
As the title of this post reads, I definitely have "familiar feelings" today as this is the day I have to go to yet ANOTHER seminar about the Lap-band or Realize band procedure. And they couldn't have picked a busier hospital than Good Sam in downtown Phoenix! I'm worried about parking and how far I will have to walk to even get to the conference room. I've had MAJOR problems with walking lately. My right leg has just been incredibly painful with "pins and needles" in my foot, muscle spasms in my calf and thighs, and let's not forget that lovely "shooting" pain I get from my lower back. This morning it took me about 15 minutes (and me having to stop and lean against the wall to work out severe cramps in my thigh) to walk down the short hall to the bathroom. And then back into the bedroom so I could take my morning cocktail of medications. Please work fast!!!
Yesterday I went to the podiatrist and he gave me a clean bill of health - for just my left foot! The pain I was having in the arch is completely gone. So either that lovely moon boot or the steroid shot I had a month ago has finally started to kick in. But I haven't had pain there all week now. Praise the Lord!! Now if only the REST of me would get the picture and follow suit. I'm really glad my foot really cleared up, because as of October 1st, my insurance will no longer be paying for podiatry care. Our state's government is bankrupt (or close to it!) and that is how they see fit to fix it...take away even more health care benefits to the poor or the elderly. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it????!!!
I talked with my dad, who now lives in Michigan in his own apartment, on Monday and he sounded fantastic! He has met a new friend online, her name is Gina and I spoke with her, too, on Monday. She set up a three way phone call. Pretty neat....I would have absolutely NO idea of how to do such things. I'm glad my dad is happy. It's been a long recovery process, and I didn't know how I'd feel seeing him with other women, but I know it's what Mom would have wanted for him. And it isn't really so hard seeing him with someone else (or "hearing" him with someone else, for that matter!). She sounded very nice and sweet and perfect for my zany and crazy dad!! LOL....couldn't help myself there for a moment.
AND, I've saved the best news for last. MY GRANDMA IS COMING TO SEE ME IN DECEMBER!! My grandma (on my mom's side) who moved to Texas shortly before we started our move out there too, decided that two years is too long of a time for us to see each other. I agree! And the last time I saw her, I was in shock and grief over mom's recent death. If it hadn't been for her there with me (as she came from College Station to San Antonio in record time when she heard how bad mom was and that she wouldn't make it for long), I don't think I would have made it. I love my grandma soooo much and have missed her equally so, that I'm thrilled that my in-laws have warmly welcomed her to stay in their home and my aunt and uncle (grandma's son with whom she lives with now) already bought her ticket. When I saw my grandma's name on the ticketless travel receipt in the email, it just tickled me so! OK, so I'm a little giddy....LOL!!! She will be arriving Dec. 8th and staying until after Christmas on Dec. 28th. Three solid, whole weeks!!!
Nothing much else to report. Please pray that I can get to the conference room tonight for that bariatric seminar and please pray I can have the procedure. My husband called up my insurance and verified again they cover this procedure and they said yes, as long as it is for medical purposes and NOT cosmetic. No prob there...all they gotta do is look at my charts and they'll see all my medical problems that could very possibly be corrected by having this procedure. And hopefully this place is the RIGHT place this time!!
I'll be sure to post again tomorrow and let you know how it went. You all have a wonderful day....may it be without too much pain!! We can only hope.
God bless you all,
Until next post,
Missy
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
As many of you know, I have a support group on Facebook that used to be called the same name as my blog. Well, I met a new friend, Sally, and she set up a beautiful forum based on my support group. She worked day and night on it and didn't find the error until the forum was complete. And that was, she left the MY out of the title. But that's not the important news, just a tid-bit. :0) The notice is please accept our sincere apologies about how Facebook kept sending out duplicate messages this past week. We have been in contact with FB, but have not received any response. So I completely understand if you wish to not be part of the FB support group....but please DO come over to our forum. There are NO problems like that over there. We've love to see you all that signed up in the FB group and we would love to meet new people, too. So click on the purple butterflies at the top of this page. See ya there!!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Remembering Mom
Hello, my good friends and family! I hope this post finds you happy and healthy and in NO pain (or, minimal pain! We "fibromytes" know it's nearly impossible to have NO pain.) I am doing OK, just tired and achy. This summer with my husband's surgery really took it out of me. And trying to put it back in is like trying to squeeze a fat lady into a girdle!! LOL... And I know really how hard that is, too, me being way over what I should on the scales!
I've really been extremely nostalgic lately for my mom. I know I talk about her a lot, but she meant a lot to me. No getting over that. People would think we were twins or sisters. Now, I could read that in a good way....my mom looks YOUNGER than her age or I can read it in a bad way....being that I look OLDER than my age!!! Mom loved it, nonetheless. The picture above is of my mom and I. I had taken diet pills in the late 1990's for a few years, and lost a lot of weight. Then I had to quit the pills as they were raising my BP too high and the weight just piled back on. I didn't learn anything when I was taking the pills, so I had no skills to hone in on after I stopped the pills. This is why that surgery and after-care will be very important for me. Maybe I can keep the weight off for life!!
I remember the last meal my mom fixed for me. We were in the extended stay Motel 6 in San Antonio, TX and I was going through the orientation period that lasted two weeks. Anyway, she fixed us both scrambled eggs (my favorite!), bacon and hash brown potatoes. She fixed too much and we couldn't finish it all, but I'll always remember that meal as it was the last one I shared with my mom. I didn't know it then, but when I think about it now, the lesson I learned is to treat every meal as if it were your last. You just don't know!! The picture above was the last picture ever taken of my mom. We were still in the motel and she was making funny faces and doing her crossword puzzle books. She loved those! She probably would KILL ME if she knew I was posting pics of her in her nightgown, but oh well. I love living on the fine line of danger!!! As you can see on her left arm, she has a burn mark from when she fell in the parking lot of Walmart, trying to get into the van. The pavement was so hot, she got little burns like that all over her body. And it seemed like the ambulance was taking FOREVER! I knew she had dislocated her artificial hip by the way she was sprawled out on the pavement.
Okay, now I will end my trip down memory lane by ending this post with a poem that I dedicate not only to my mom, but to all those people out there that have lost someone in their life. May we all find peace in our hearts when we think of loved ones gone forever.
Keep My Memory Alive
Sometimes life is different
Than what we had expected.
Sometimes things turn
Out not the way we had planned,
But we must go on.
We must travel ahead in time.
And sometimes you can't look back,
The memories are still too strong
The time too new.
Sometimes people must leave the road
To travel another.
Or sometimes they have come to the end.
I have come to the end,
But don't be saddened,
For you must come to an end, too.
And I will see you again then.
But now you must travel on
Even though I can't be there
To travel with you.
I can't be there to wipe away your pain
Or be a shoulder to cry on.
But I am in your heart now and forever.
All you have to do is look only a little
And you will find me, waiting.
Waiting to give you my love.
When I left my ended road,
I chose to live in a safer place,
My soul sought out a new home.
And if you wish to feel it in your heart,
It is there,
I am there.
So remember me,
But not with tears;
I am not a sorry and sad person.
Remember me with fondness,
And happiness and laughter,
All of these I had lived for.
Yes, sometimes we must leave
To travel another road.
I have been placed on that road away from you
But someday I will see you there, too.
We will hug, laugh,
And shed tears only of happiness.
Until then,
I want you to look back
And remember me like I was
And with a smile in your heart,
For that is where I am.
Be strong
And go on your road, your life
Living it for all it's worth,
Like I had.
Think of me often
And the times, places, and memories
Buried in your heart and mind.
That you know; and I know
Will keep my memory alive
And in all those who love me.
This is one of my favorite poems that I wrote. I can see my mom saying those things to me and it gives me comfort. I hope it does the same for you and the loved ones you have lost and miss so dearly.
The picture above is of my mom, on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, outside of Norfolk, Virginia. My grandma, mom and I went to Virginia for that intensive speech program for stutterers. That would be me! That seminar was so worth it, though. I lead a more productive life now, knowing that I can say my OWN name in public, or order what I REALLY want to eat, instead of what was the easiest to say. The life of a stutterer is NOT fun, I tell you that. But this course was a miracle for me. And we had so much fun driving cross country and having our little "adventures."
Okay, that'll do it for now. I wish you all a blessed week. I hope you all get everything in life you ever dreamed of.....or at least a close second choice! LOL....
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
Okay, now I will end my trip down memory lane by ending this post with a poem that I dedicate not only to my mom, but to all those people out there that have lost someone in their life. May we all find peace in our hearts when we think of loved ones gone forever.
Keep My Memory Alive
Sometimes life is different
Than what we had expected.
Sometimes things turn
Out not the way we had planned,
But we must go on.
We must travel ahead in time.
And sometimes you can't look back,
The memories are still too strong
The time too new.
Sometimes people must leave the road
To travel another.
Or sometimes they have come to the end.
I have come to the end,
But don't be saddened,
For you must come to an end, too.
And I will see you again then.
But now you must travel on
Even though I can't be there
To travel with you.
I can't be there to wipe away your pain
Or be a shoulder to cry on.
But I am in your heart now and forever.
All you have to do is look only a little
And you will find me, waiting.
Waiting to give you my love.
When I left my ended road,
I chose to live in a safer place,
My soul sought out a new home.
And if you wish to feel it in your heart,
It is there,
I am there.
So remember me,
But not with tears;
I am not a sorry and sad person.
Remember me with fondness,
And happiness and laughter,
All of these I had lived for.
Yes, sometimes we must leave
To travel another road.
I have been placed on that road away from you
But someday I will see you there, too.
We will hug, laugh,
And shed tears only of happiness.
Until then,
I want you to look back
And remember me like I was
And with a smile in your heart,
For that is where I am.
Be strong
And go on your road, your life
Living it for all it's worth,
Like I had.
Think of me often
And the times, places, and memories
Buried in your heart and mind.
That you know; and I know
Will keep my memory alive
And in all those who love me.
The picture above is of my mom, on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, outside of Norfolk, Virginia. My grandma, mom and I went to Virginia for that intensive speech program for stutterers. That would be me! That seminar was so worth it, though. I lead a more productive life now, knowing that I can say my OWN name in public, or order what I REALLY want to eat, instead of what was the easiest to say. The life of a stutterer is NOT fun, I tell you that. But this course was a miracle for me. And we had so much fun driving cross country and having our little "adventures."
Okay, that'll do it for now. I wish you all a blessed week. I hope you all get everything in life you ever dreamed of.....or at least a close second choice! LOL....
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Hope On Hold
Howdy, everyone!
Well, I'm doing better than my last post. I am so sorry about that post, I must have seemed like a wild woman or something! My thoughts were all scattered all over the place and I just felt out of control of EVERYTHING. I just couldn't believe what had happened...and just like when I went to the neurosurgeon all excited because he said he could "fix me" and then he rejected me and called me a "poor surgical risk" until I lose weight. I learned one very big lesson through all of this.....DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP UNTIL IT'S WRITTEN IN STONE!! And that's what I plan to do.
Over the past few days, I've been researching bariatric clinics and that one surgeon my insurance referred me to....that was NOT part of the seminar I went to last month. I should have put two and two together and questioned if I was at the right seminar. Oh, well. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20. Anyway, what I found out about the surgeon my insurance will cover is that he is very popular with his patients. He had something like 28 reviews by past and current patients and not a negative word about him anywhere. He comes highly recommended by his patients. And he works out of Banner Gateway hospital instead of that one in Scottsdale where I went to. I truly believe that I was shunted to the wrong surgeon by that seminar. Because they called me bright and early the following morning to set up an appointment. I had even asked her if my insurance covered their program and she lied and said "yes." Then, I wasted two weeks of my time waiting for the disastrous appointment to find out they DON'T take my insurance!
Well, I can't go back in time and fix things. Don't ya wish you could? Yesterday I called the bariatric clinic in Gilbert and unfortunately, I have to take ANOTHER seminar, but luckily this one is this coming Thursday. So I don't have to wait as long. The surgeon I signed up for does the "Realize" band, NOT the Lap-band. They are similar products, just different names, from what I understand. So I can see why I need to go to their seminar as I don't know too much about this "Realize" band. Then after I go to the seminar, I can set up an appointment with the surgeon. Hopefully that appointment will go a lot better!! But I'm not going to get my hopes up yet, or expect anything until AFTER the fact. It just hurts too much when things don't go your way and you were sooooo excited about it, like I was about the Lap-band. I have learned, unfortunately, the hard way about hoping too much.
I am in such flare-up. My right hip hurts so bad every time I put weight on it. I can't remember injuring it in any way. I think it's because the muscles in my back and legs are so tight because of the fibro. I'm on two muscle relaxers that work pretty well....when I'm laying down and using my wedge pillow, I am out like a light within minutes. I've been trying to finish my Janet Evanovich book for a week now, and can't because I keep falling asleep!! And it's an excellent book. If you like mysteries and funny characters, you will LOVE Janet Evanovich. Her books are just a scream with all the hilarious plots and characters. Her main character, Stephanie Plum, is a bounty hunter that isn't every good and her side-kick, Lula, was a former 'ho on the streets. These two gals get themselves into trouble each and every time. Once you read one of her books, you are hooked!! Here is the title of the book I'm reading now. You can buy it right from my favorite store, Amazon! (Yes, I'm part of their affiliate program and for everyone that goes to Amazon through one of MY links, I get paid!)
Alrighty, enough said on that. My hubby is doing fantastic! He is back to his "usual" self. I almost was going to say normal, but WHO really is normal? LOL... He started the Gleevec again last week and is on the full strength dosage now, like what he took before his surgery. Hopefully he won't get that awful leg pain back again as a side-effect from the Gleevec. But if he does, then his pain management doctor is only a phone call away. He still is on the Duragesic patch and that seems to be keeping the pain at bay really well.
His appetite is great, no more nausea or vomiting, and no more diarrhea. I think we have weathered the storm. Whew, what a summer we all had!! I'm soooo glad it's finally over with. Now if only our weather would reflect fall and get out of the triple digits!! I hear by next week, though, we'll be in the 90's. Wooo-hooo!! Major cool wave, huh? LOL!!!!
I hope you all are doing happy and well. God bless you all!
Until next post,
Missy
Well, I'm doing better than my last post. I am so sorry about that post, I must have seemed like a wild woman or something! My thoughts were all scattered all over the place and I just felt out of control of EVERYTHING. I just couldn't believe what had happened...and just like when I went to the neurosurgeon all excited because he said he could "fix me" and then he rejected me and called me a "poor surgical risk" until I lose weight. I learned one very big lesson through all of this.....DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP UNTIL IT'S WRITTEN IN STONE!! And that's what I plan to do.
Over the past few days, I've been researching bariatric clinics and that one surgeon my insurance referred me to....that was NOT part of the seminar I went to last month. I should have put two and two together and questioned if I was at the right seminar. Oh, well. Hindsight is ALWAYS 20/20. Anyway, what I found out about the surgeon my insurance will cover is that he is very popular with his patients. He had something like 28 reviews by past and current patients and not a negative word about him anywhere. He comes highly recommended by his patients. And he works out of Banner Gateway hospital instead of that one in Scottsdale where I went to. I truly believe that I was shunted to the wrong surgeon by that seminar. Because they called me bright and early the following morning to set up an appointment. I had even asked her if my insurance covered their program and she lied and said "yes." Then, I wasted two weeks of my time waiting for the disastrous appointment to find out they DON'T take my insurance!
Well, I can't go back in time and fix things. Don't ya wish you could? Yesterday I called the bariatric clinic in Gilbert and unfortunately, I have to take ANOTHER seminar, but luckily this one is this coming Thursday. So I don't have to wait as long. The surgeon I signed up for does the "Realize" band, NOT the Lap-band. They are similar products, just different names, from what I understand. So I can see why I need to go to their seminar as I don't know too much about this "Realize" band. Then after I go to the seminar, I can set up an appointment with the surgeon. Hopefully that appointment will go a lot better!! But I'm not going to get my hopes up yet, or expect anything until AFTER the fact. It just hurts too much when things don't go your way and you were sooooo excited about it, like I was about the Lap-band. I have learned, unfortunately, the hard way about hoping too much.
I am in such flare-up. My right hip hurts so bad every time I put weight on it. I can't remember injuring it in any way. I think it's because the muscles in my back and legs are so tight because of the fibro. I'm on two muscle relaxers that work pretty well....when I'm laying down and using my wedge pillow, I am out like a light within minutes. I've been trying to finish my Janet Evanovich book for a week now, and can't because I keep falling asleep!! And it's an excellent book. If you like mysteries and funny characters, you will LOVE Janet Evanovich. Her books are just a scream with all the hilarious plots and characters. Her main character, Stephanie Plum, is a bounty hunter that isn't every good and her side-kick, Lula, was a former 'ho on the streets. These two gals get themselves into trouble each and every time. Once you read one of her books, you are hooked!! Here is the title of the book I'm reading now. You can buy it right from my favorite store, Amazon! (Yes, I'm part of their affiliate program and for everyone that goes to Amazon through one of MY links, I get paid!)
Alrighty, enough said on that. My hubby is doing fantastic! He is back to his "usual" self. I almost was going to say normal, but WHO really is normal? LOL... He started the Gleevec again last week and is on the full strength dosage now, like what he took before his surgery. Hopefully he won't get that awful leg pain back again as a side-effect from the Gleevec. But if he does, then his pain management doctor is only a phone call away. He still is on the Duragesic patch and that seems to be keeping the pain at bay really well.
His appetite is great, no more nausea or vomiting, and no more diarrhea. I think we have weathered the storm. Whew, what a summer we all had!! I'm soooo glad it's finally over with. Now if only our weather would reflect fall and get out of the triple digits!! I hear by next week, though, we'll be in the 90's. Wooo-hooo!! Major cool wave, huh? LOL!!!!
I hope you all are doing happy and well. God bless you all!
Until next post,
Missy
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Hopes Dashed
Howdy, friends!
I am sooooo disappointed! You all know that today was the day I went for the initial appointment for the Lap-band system/program. I was so terribly excited to get started on hopefully, turning my life around and starting anew. The whole family was excited! We (me, my husband and mother-in-law) headed out this morning at 8am as my appointment was at 9am. We had no problems with getting there, as we used our handy-dandy Garmin GPS. I just love Garmin, they are easy to use, the voices easy to understand and it has never steered us wrong. It takes away the "nervous element" of driving because if you don't know where you are going, that IS nerve wracking! My husband will rarely stop at gas stations to ask for directions, so we wander around, yelling at each other, because we can't find where we are going. And those fold-up maps are for the birds! The print is so small, you need a magnifier glass to see it. Anyway, that was my lil' sales pitch of the day. I LOVE Garmin GPS and Amazon....so if you need a GPS, why not check out the link to the left of your screen. Amazon has a wide variety there to pick from.
Okay, on with my story. We get to the place and park. I waddle into the building because my back and right leg are killing me this morning. Morning is NOT my best time. I'm stiff as a board and feel like hell. This morning was no exception, except I was excited to start my new life. We get to the right office and check in and I start filling out the paperwork. Before I could finish, we were called back to the exam room. The financial lady came in first and introduced herself. She had a piece of paper in her hand. She sat down and started to explain the program and what it would cost. Then, she drops the bombshell that they DON'T ACCEPT AHCCCS, MY INSURANCE! I couldn't believe it! My insurance was the one that referred me to them in the first place!! We told the lady that, and she couldn't believe it. There was absolutely NO way that I could afford this program without insurance. The total price was $11,000!!
I just was completely floored. I started to cry, I couldn't hold it back in any longer. Why does this stuff always happen to ME? The lady was very nice, she got me some water and said that she was calling one of the surgeons to come and talk with me. I didn't want that, as I didn't want to hear about a procedure I couldn't have. That was just pure torture. But then she said that she would fax all the information to another office that she thought took AHCCCS. The doctor came in and said that he knew of some surgeons out of a hospital-based clinic that could help me. So he took my information (name, phone, address) and said that they would call me to set up an appointment. We then left the office, our heads hung, our hearts broken. What a let down! Now I have to go through another waiting period! It just sucks!
So that was how my appointment went. I wanted so badly to report a different story...like when my surgery was going to be. Now I've got to go through everything again and wait for an appointment, wait for them to call me. I'm so depressed! Why does this crap always happen to me???
Okay, on to more cheerful stuff. The new Fibro Forum is going extremely well. Last time I checked the membership list, we were at 119 members and counting. I hope that everyone that belonged to my fibro group on Facebook will join the forum, too. It's really cool and fun. I've met a lot of neat folks over there. And all the forums cover such a wide variety of topics, it will make your head swim! So please join....it's free and easy to do. But if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
That pretty much is it for this post. I think it's enough! Oh....I've also got some new blog award winners to announce and on the brand new page set up JUST for the winners!! So head on over to the winner's page and check out some excellent blogs. :0)
I hope you all have a blessed day!
Until next post,
Missy
I am sooooo disappointed! You all know that today was the day I went for the initial appointment for the Lap-band system/program. I was so terribly excited to get started on hopefully, turning my life around and starting anew. The whole family was excited! We (me, my husband and mother-in-law) headed out this morning at 8am as my appointment was at 9am. We had no problems with getting there, as we used our handy-dandy Garmin GPS. I just love Garmin, they are easy to use, the voices easy to understand and it has never steered us wrong. It takes away the "nervous element" of driving because if you don't know where you are going, that IS nerve wracking! My husband will rarely stop at gas stations to ask for directions, so we wander around, yelling at each other, because we can't find where we are going. And those fold-up maps are for the birds! The print is so small, you need a magnifier glass to see it. Anyway, that was my lil' sales pitch of the day. I LOVE Garmin GPS and Amazon....so if you need a GPS, why not check out the link to the left of your screen. Amazon has a wide variety there to pick from.
Okay, on with my story. We get to the place and park. I waddle into the building because my back and right leg are killing me this morning. Morning is NOT my best time. I'm stiff as a board and feel like hell. This morning was no exception, except I was excited to start my new life. We get to the right office and check in and I start filling out the paperwork. Before I could finish, we were called back to the exam room. The financial lady came in first and introduced herself. She had a piece of paper in her hand. She sat down and started to explain the program and what it would cost. Then, she drops the bombshell that they DON'T ACCEPT AHCCCS, MY INSURANCE! I couldn't believe it! My insurance was the one that referred me to them in the first place!! We told the lady that, and she couldn't believe it. There was absolutely NO way that I could afford this program without insurance. The total price was $11,000!!
I just was completely floored. I started to cry, I couldn't hold it back in any longer. Why does this stuff always happen to ME? The lady was very nice, she got me some water and said that she was calling one of the surgeons to come and talk with me. I didn't want that, as I didn't want to hear about a procedure I couldn't have. That was just pure torture. But then she said that she would fax all the information to another office that she thought took AHCCCS. The doctor came in and said that he knew of some surgeons out of a hospital-based clinic that could help me. So he took my information (name, phone, address) and said that they would call me to set up an appointment. We then left the office, our heads hung, our hearts broken. What a let down! Now I have to go through another waiting period! It just sucks!
So that was how my appointment went. I wanted so badly to report a different story...like when my surgery was going to be. Now I've got to go through everything again and wait for an appointment, wait for them to call me. I'm so depressed! Why does this crap always happen to me???
Okay, on to more cheerful stuff. The new Fibro Forum is going extremely well. Last time I checked the membership list, we were at 119 members and counting. I hope that everyone that belonged to my fibro group on Facebook will join the forum, too. It's really cool and fun. I've met a lot of neat folks over there. And all the forums cover such a wide variety of topics, it will make your head swim! So please join....it's free and easy to do. But if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
That pretty much is it for this post. I think it's enough! Oh....I've also got some new blog award winners to announce and on the brand new page set up JUST for the winners!! So head on over to the winner's page and check out some excellent blogs. :0)
I hope you all have a blessed day!
Until next post,
Missy
Sunday, September 12, 2010
BRAND NEW FIBRO FORUM!!
Howdy, friends and family!
I hope everyone is having a good Sunday. I can actually say that today is one of my rare "good days." So I'm takin' it for everything it's got!!!! I'm still having pain (I will ALWAYS have pain, I think) and at my doctor appointment, she raised my morphine long-acting to 100mg every 12 hours, which is finally now starting to kick in so I don't need as much as the break-through medicine, Lortab. I know that in most people, those doses would choke a horse. But my pain in my lower back just eats it up the second it hits my system. To look at me, you wouldn't see me slurring my words or acting goofy, and I'm definitely NOT "high", I take the meds purely for pain relief. Yet I always am nervous to turn in my prescriptions because I think the pharmacist must think, "Geez, this lady is a junkie." It's horrible to have to think like that, but that is how society is today. Just a shame. The people who really need the medication have to go through hell and high water, whereas the "junkies" have no problems at all. I better not get started on this subject....I have too strong opinions about it!!!!
OK, here's the big news of the day: I met a fabulous new friend named Sally on Facebook and she offered to help me with my support group - to give it a boost or a "face lift," shall we say. She set up a beautiful forum for people with fibro and other invisible diseases to go to and write posts about anything: how you are feeling, medications, vent about something that is bothering you, ANYTHING! And not only that, she included educational items like "what is fibromyalgia" and symptoms, medications, ect. The color scheme is, of course, purple as that is fibro's "color." We are still using that beautiful butterfly of Eileen McKarthy-Keddy (thanks again, Eileen!) as our forum's "logo." Both she and Sally did an absolutely fantastic job of helping me out with this huge project. I am so fortunate to have so many fantastic people in my life - both on AND off line. I am so excited to see you guys over there. So if you are joined in at my support group, PLEASE go over to the forum and register. The forum is CLOSED to the public, but anyone can join after being "screened" by the webmasters, which are Sally and myself.
You can get there by clicking on this post's title, our forum logo button on the top left side-bar (which will always remain there) or down below.
OK, folks, I hope this weekend was good for you and you are not in flare-up. I hate those! And if you are, you are not alone. Gentle hugs and prayers for all who read this blog. I love you all! :0) OK...you can go to the forum by clicking here:
TAKE ME TO THE NEWLY RENOVATED FIBROWHAT FORUM!!!!
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
PS....I've added yet another brilliant blog to the awards page. Check it out!
I hope everyone is having a good Sunday. I can actually say that today is one of my rare "good days." So I'm takin' it for everything it's got!!!! I'm still having pain (I will ALWAYS have pain, I think) and at my doctor appointment, she raised my morphine long-acting to 100mg every 12 hours, which is finally now starting to kick in so I don't need as much as the break-through medicine, Lortab. I know that in most people, those doses would choke a horse. But my pain in my lower back just eats it up the second it hits my system. To look at me, you wouldn't see me slurring my words or acting goofy, and I'm definitely NOT "high", I take the meds purely for pain relief. Yet I always am nervous to turn in my prescriptions because I think the pharmacist must think, "Geez, this lady is a junkie." It's horrible to have to think like that, but that is how society is today. Just a shame. The people who really need the medication have to go through hell and high water, whereas the "junkies" have no problems at all. I better not get started on this subject....I have too strong opinions about it!!!!
OK, here's the big news of the day: I met a fabulous new friend named Sally on Facebook and she offered to help me with my support group - to give it a boost or a "face lift," shall we say. She set up a beautiful forum for people with fibro and other invisible diseases to go to and write posts about anything: how you are feeling, medications, vent about something that is bothering you, ANYTHING! And not only that, she included educational items like "what is fibromyalgia" and symptoms, medications, ect. The color scheme is, of course, purple as that is fibro's "color." We are still using that beautiful butterfly of Eileen McKarthy-Keddy (thanks again, Eileen!) as our forum's "logo." Both she and Sally did an absolutely fantastic job of helping me out with this huge project. I am so fortunate to have so many fantastic people in my life - both on AND off line. I am so excited to see you guys over there. So if you are joined in at my support group, PLEASE go over to the forum and register. The forum is CLOSED to the public, but anyone can join after being "screened" by the webmasters, which are Sally and myself.
You can get there by clicking on this post's title, our forum logo button on the top left side-bar (which will always remain there) or down below.
OK, folks, I hope this weekend was good for you and you are not in flare-up. I hate those! And if you are, you are not alone. Gentle hugs and prayers for all who read this blog. I love you all! :0) OK...you can go to the forum by clicking here:
TAKE ME TO THE NEWLY RENOVATED FIBROWHAT FORUM!!!!
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
PS....I've added yet another brilliant blog to the awards page. Check it out!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
NEVER FORGET
Howdy, everyone!
I couldn't seem to get my act together today and make my post earlier regarding Sept. 11, 2001. It may be the 12th that you all read this, but please know that I will NEVER forget that awful day 9 years ago. I remember it vividly, as if no time at all has passed. I remember my husband waking me up at about 6:30am or so telling me that the World Trade Center was on fire and people were jumping out their windows, at a loss for what else to do. At first I was peeved. Why is he waking me up to tell me about some movie he's watching on TV? He was getting ready to go to work and would watch TV for a spell to "wake up." He kept telling me it WASN'T a movie, it was REAL. I remember racing into my parents' bedroom and waking up my mom and telling her. She had the same reaction as me at first, until it clicked in her brain that it was real. She was on her feet as fast as she could go (she had arthritis and Lupus) and went out to the big TV in the living room and clicked on CNN. And there is was....the twin towers all aflame and falling to the ground into a pile of rubble.
Nobody was the same again. Even still, we remember and are very security-oriented these days. Unfortunately, you have to be. You can't even walk your loved ones back to the boarding area in an airport, to catch their plane. We would always say a rushed good-bye at security check-point when my grandma would fly to Texas for Christmas. In later years, we'd just drop her and her luggage out front and she would check in by herself because security would be all beefed up. I remember her saying they confiscated her expensive body lotion. My mom said, "What? Did they they think ma was going to lotion the pilots down?" It's a sad state of affairs the lengths we go today to remain safe.
Anyway, it's getting late and my vision is so blurry tonight. I'm just tired....and I've had 2 naps today!! My muscles feel tight and my joints stiff. I'm just gonna go to bed and forget about everything.....if I can!!!
Before I go, I'll insert one of my poems that I wrote in high school (back in the 80's.) The results of my poll show you guys like my poems, so here one is! And thank you!!!
It’s Okay To Cry
Just let the tears fall,
Empty your heart of all life's burdens
Cry, cry...
For love
For hurt
Or "my best friend is gone"
Or "I love you"
Soon you will find you are
Happy and you can go on
With life
And when it happens again...
It's okay to cry-
Believe me...I know.
God bless you all!
Until next post,
Missy
I couldn't seem to get my act together today and make my post earlier regarding Sept. 11, 2001. It may be the 12th that you all read this, but please know that I will NEVER forget that awful day 9 years ago. I remember it vividly, as if no time at all has passed. I remember my husband waking me up at about 6:30am or so telling me that the World Trade Center was on fire and people were jumping out their windows, at a loss for what else to do. At first I was peeved. Why is he waking me up to tell me about some movie he's watching on TV? He was getting ready to go to work and would watch TV for a spell to "wake up." He kept telling me it WASN'T a movie, it was REAL. I remember racing into my parents' bedroom and waking up my mom and telling her. She had the same reaction as me at first, until it clicked in her brain that it was real. She was on her feet as fast as she could go (she had arthritis and Lupus) and went out to the big TV in the living room and clicked on CNN. And there is was....the twin towers all aflame and falling to the ground into a pile of rubble.
Nobody was the same again. Even still, we remember and are very security-oriented these days. Unfortunately, you have to be. You can't even walk your loved ones back to the boarding area in an airport, to catch their plane. We would always say a rushed good-bye at security check-point when my grandma would fly to Texas for Christmas. In later years, we'd just drop her and her luggage out front and she would check in by herself because security would be all beefed up. I remember her saying they confiscated her expensive body lotion. My mom said, "What? Did they they think ma was going to lotion the pilots down?" It's a sad state of affairs the lengths we go today to remain safe.
Anyway, it's getting late and my vision is so blurry tonight. I'm just tired....and I've had 2 naps today!! My muscles feel tight and my joints stiff. I'm just gonna go to bed and forget about everything.....if I can!!!
Before I go, I'll insert one of my poems that I wrote in high school (back in the 80's.) The results of my poll show you guys like my poems, so here one is! And thank you!!!
It’s Okay To Cry
Just let the tears fall,
Empty your heart of all life's burdens
Cry, cry...
For love
For hurt
Or "my best friend is gone"
Or "I love you"
Soon you will find you are
Happy and you can go on
With life
And when it happens again...
It's okay to cry-
Believe me...I know.
God bless you all!
Until next post,
Missy
Friday, September 10, 2010
Back To...Normal?
Woo-hoo! Yippee!! Can I officially say that we are back to "normal?" What the heck IS normal, anyway? Frankie is doing fabulous. Even his pain levels have decreased some - he remains on the Duragesic patch, however, and Percocet for breakthrough pain. He resumed the Gleevec (for the GIST cancer that he has) two days ago after a 2 month hold due to the surgery and all the complications that ensued. Now that he is back on the Gleevec, the leg pain will resume full force. I hope not - I truly do. But that side-effect is one he has always had with Gleevec. But I'd rather him be alive than to stop the Gleevec all together and have the cancer return. He feels the same way, although it was nice to have that little pill "vacation" for awhile!!! It's like returning to work after a vacation. You don't really want to be there, but you have to because if you don't, how will the bills get paid?
I took a two photos of Frankie just about 10 minutes ago to show you how he's coming along. The first one is of him sitting in his favorite spot on the couch, eating a bowl of cereal. The second one is of his drain-free belly! All that's left is the incision (which is all healed up) and a band-aid over the drain site. I'm keeping it there because he's a "picker" and always picks or peels scabs off before they are ready to come off. He even has scars from old scabs he's picked years ago. I told him if he even remotely touches the scab over that hole, that I will personally cut every one of his fingers off! I'm mean, aren't I? It's just that hole goes down into ultimately his intestines. I don't want any repeat of infection or ANYTHING to land us back at square one again!! Here's the pics for your viewing pleasure:
NO DRAIN!! Do ya like the neon green band-aid? :0)
Doesn't he look good, though? He's pale, still, but his red blood cell count went from 8.2 to 10. My mother-in-law's cooking is great AND very healing, since he is on NO iron supplements. The only thing I have him on are Vitamin B Complex, Multivitamin, and his regular medications. He can't really go out in the sun too much because of the medications he takes don't mesh well with sunlight. If he sweats too much, his pain patches fall off or even worse, his body absorbs all the medication from it and he gets a little "loopy." Luckily, that has happened only once. He sounded absolutely drunk that day and slept all day and all night! So we try to keep him nice and cool. Which sometimes is very hard in steamy Arizona!!
Jackie feels left out, so I took a picture of him, too. He is in his "house" which REALLY is his carrier. (Shhhh...don't tell him that!)) He loves his "house" and is in it quite frequently. That or his little cat bed that I have right next to his "house." He only wishes he could put the bed INSIDE the house....then he'd have it made! But his bed is too big. :-(
Isn't he just adorable? He knows it, too. Silly kitty!!! He has both me AND my husband wrapped around his fuzzy tail!! I just love his new "house", too. It's rugged and has rods inside that keep the ceiling up and the sides. His last carrier was awful....it was too soft and kept collapsing on him. I've picked out from Amazon what looks closest to what Jack has now and the same price I paid for it, too. I highly recommend it to any pet-owner!
Well, that pretty much is it. I'm in a flare-up mode (when am I NOT is a better question!) and just so exhausted. Like I can't ever make up sleep. My limbs feel like heavy sand bags and when I get to my feet, all my weight just drops and my knees sometimes will buckle underneath me. I cannot WAIT to start this Lap-band "journey" as they call it in their brochure. Next Wednesday is the initial appointment where they tell me what insurance will pay and what we will pay. I hope it's not too much....so please pray for me that it won't be bigger than the national debt! LOL!
Tim, the visiting nurse is coming over one last time to discharge Frankie off home health services. I will miss him! He's funny, nice and easy to talk to. Very helpful, too. And then I have a doctor's appt. at 12:30. Much to do yet I sit here playing on the computer.....
Be sure to check out my blog award page. I've entered more blog sites you MUST see...they are fantastic! If you have a blog, leave the URL in my comments section and I will come visit your blog. I love blog-hopping!
And PLEASE, please vote in my poll up above, to the left in the side bar. You can't miss it...it's the first item there. I would greatly appreciate it!
You all have a fabulous Friday and a great weekend. I hope you don't have flare-ups or pain of any kind, my friends.
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
I took a two photos of Frankie just about 10 minutes ago to show you how he's coming along. The first one is of him sitting in his favorite spot on the couch, eating a bowl of cereal. The second one is of his drain-free belly! All that's left is the incision (which is all healed up) and a band-aid over the drain site. I'm keeping it there because he's a "picker" and always picks or peels scabs off before they are ready to come off. He even has scars from old scabs he's picked years ago. I told him if he even remotely touches the scab over that hole, that I will personally cut every one of his fingers off! I'm mean, aren't I? It's just that hole goes down into ultimately his intestines. I don't want any repeat of infection or ANYTHING to land us back at square one again!! Here's the pics for your viewing pleasure:
Doesn't he look good, though? He's pale, still, but his red blood cell count went from 8.2 to 10. My mother-in-law's cooking is great AND very healing, since he is on NO iron supplements. The only thing I have him on are Vitamin B Complex, Multivitamin, and his regular medications. He can't really go out in the sun too much because of the medications he takes don't mesh well with sunlight. If he sweats too much, his pain patches fall off or even worse, his body absorbs all the medication from it and he gets a little "loopy." Luckily, that has happened only once. He sounded absolutely drunk that day and slept all day and all night! So we try to keep him nice and cool. Which sometimes is very hard in steamy Arizona!!
Jackie feels left out, so I took a picture of him, too. He is in his "house" which REALLY is his carrier. (Shhhh...don't tell him that!)) He loves his "house" and is in it quite frequently. That or his little cat bed that I have right next to his "house." He only wishes he could put the bed INSIDE the house....then he'd have it made! But his bed is too big. :-(
Well, that pretty much is it. I'm in a flare-up mode (when am I NOT is a better question!) and just so exhausted. Like I can't ever make up sleep. My limbs feel like heavy sand bags and when I get to my feet, all my weight just drops and my knees sometimes will buckle underneath me. I cannot WAIT to start this Lap-band "journey" as they call it in their brochure. Next Wednesday is the initial appointment where they tell me what insurance will pay and what we will pay. I hope it's not too much....so please pray for me that it won't be bigger than the national debt! LOL!
Tim, the visiting nurse is coming over one last time to discharge Frankie off home health services. I will miss him! He's funny, nice and easy to talk to. Very helpful, too. And then I have a doctor's appt. at 12:30. Much to do yet I sit here playing on the computer.....
Be sure to check out my blog award page. I've entered more blog sites you MUST see...they are fantastic! If you have a blog, leave the URL in my comments section and I will come visit your blog. I love blog-hopping!
And PLEASE, please vote in my poll up above, to the left in the side bar. You can't miss it...it's the first item there. I would greatly appreciate it!
You all have a fabulous Friday and a great weekend. I hope you don't have flare-ups or pain of any kind, my friends.
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Today WAS The Day!
Well, today my hubby is a very happy man. He is, at this moment in time, absolutely & completely DRAIN FREE!!! The surgeon came in, looked at the output in the bulb (which wasn't much indeed!) and said, "are you ready to have the drain out?" Duh! Do bears crap in the woods? Of course he wants that drain out! He wanted it out the day they put it in. So now all he has on his belly is some antibiotic ointment and some gauze with tape. The surgeon showed me the little hole he has left (where the drain was) and told me that tomorrow, he can change the gauze and just wear a band-aid until healed. He wished us well and pretty much signed off the case. Whew! We finally completed THAT chapter in our life!! Frankie called to make an appointment with his allergy specialist to resume his weekly shots. We thought it best to get a professional opinion before starting the shots. They are hard on the body as they are giving you stuff you are allergic to and he just is getting back on his feet. I'd hate for a relapse!! So he sees the allergist this Thursday.
Boy, we are almost "normal" again!! :0) Hopefully nothing else will happen and we will go years and years without this thing bearing its ugly head. Frankie will start back on the Gleevec at half strength starting tonight with dinner and then after a week, start full dosage again.
Be sure to check out the awards page. I've added two more terrific blogs onto it. Be sure to stop by and visit them....tell 'em Missy sent ya! :0) And if you have your own blog, please let me know in the comment section of this post. And please vote in the poetry poll....I need lots more votes to keep the poems coming, if you want that.
My feet have swollen so much, I couldn't wear that boot out to the second appointment today. The velcro straps wouldn't stay on, my toes kept sticking out and I couldn't ever get the heel back far enough. So now my arch is killing me on top of everything else. So I'm gonna go put them up and take a nap, I think.
I hope this post finds you happy and well and as pain free as possible.
Hugs,
Until next post,
Missy
Boy, we are almost "normal" again!! :0) Hopefully nothing else will happen and we will go years and years without this thing bearing its ugly head. Frankie will start back on the Gleevec at half strength starting tonight with dinner and then after a week, start full dosage again.
Be sure to check out the awards page. I've added two more terrific blogs onto it. Be sure to stop by and visit them....tell 'em Missy sent ya! :0) And if you have your own blog, please let me know in the comment section of this post. And please vote in the poetry poll....I need lots more votes to keep the poems coming, if you want that.
My feet have swollen so much, I couldn't wear that boot out to the second appointment today. The velcro straps wouldn't stay on, my toes kept sticking out and I couldn't ever get the heel back far enough. So now my arch is killing me on top of everything else. So I'm gonna go put them up and take a nap, I think.
I hope this post finds you happy and well and as pain free as possible.
Hugs,
Until next post,
Missy
Today Is Hopefully THE DAY...
that Frankie gets his drain removed! I can't see how they would keep it in, since half of it is out of where it should be. I can't even flush the darn thing anymore! And the drainage has dwindled down to a mere fraction of what it used to be. His belly looks so incredibly sore. What with having that drain tube sticking out and some bruising (although every faint by this time) and his incision line through his abdomen. Hopefully this will be the LAST surgery ever. One can live in hope, can't they?? He's doing well otherwise. Vitals good, done with antibiotic course, no foul odor with drainage, appetite WAY good and NO nausea or vomiting in over a week. I think we are finally out of the woods. Of course, now I've just jinxed the whole thing by saying that!!!
Today will be very busy for Frankie & I. He has his oncologist appt this morning at 10am and we'll be talking about the future of the Gleevec medication and what he will be restarted on if that's the decision made. I would be way more comfortable having him on at least half the dosage to make sure the residual tumor that couldn't be removed stays dead. I don't trust this tumor....no sirree....not as far as I can throw it! LOL! I think the doctor is in agreement with that as he said at the last appointment that he would be restarted on half a dose once they restart it. So is today the day for that, too, I wonder? We shall see.
Then we go for my lab work. Hard to believe that 6 weeks have passed. I have a standing order at the lab for it every 6 weeks. Actually, I'm a day late, but I'm sure that won't be a problem.
After that, we go to Frankie's surgeon to have the drain removed. YAY! That's at 2pm or thereabouts. So we'll have a busy day. It'll feel good to get back home again.
I've been having a blast handing out my blog awards to various favorite blogs, but either the emails are getting lost or people are confused about what to do with them. And NOBODY has left a comment so I can visit their blog. Nobody like awards anymore? When my mom and I were doing our website umpteen years ago, web awards were the rage and people collected them or had whole pages devoted JUST for their awards. Maybe I'm out of the loop again with these awards. Anyway, if you get an award from me, please put it on your blog (in blogger, you would add it in just like a picture or slideshow on the sidebar). Or, you can write a new post about your award and add it on like you would a picture. Hope this clears some confusion. If you can add a link to my site, I'd appreciate it. That's all I ask.
I've gotten only 5 votes in my poll about if you like my original poems in the blog. The poll is up for two weeks, so PLEASE cast your vote. I won't add any poems in until the poll closes. It's completely annonymous, I won't know who voted what....I promise! So please just vote. :0)
That pretty much is it. I'm getting around with my boot - boy, it sure is a conversation starter. Everyone has asked what happened to my foot. It really does help with that arch pain, though, so I can't complain about it. I just wonder how I sprained my foot! My back has been killing me, as usual, so I applied my TENS unit and it is better. I find if I wear it one day on, one day off, my skin doesn't get near as irritated or itchy. And I no longer use the conductive gel. If you are interested in TENS units, check out Amazon:
OK, that's my sales pitch for TENS. Get one today...they are really great for back pain. I'm living testimony!
Hope you all have a great Labor Day and now it's back to work and school. Yuck! :-( Although, I'd love it to work again and feel useful to society, instead of a leech, which is how I feel now. So to those of you with jobs and can work, good for you....keep it up!! The saying is definitely true: you truly don't know what you lost until it's gone.
God bless!
Until next post,
Missy
PS...I've added a new slideshow with a bunch of new pics and my family. If you are interested, you can find it by scrolling down on the sidebar. It's called "Down Memory Lane." Hope you enjoy it!!
Today will be very busy for Frankie & I. He has his oncologist appt this morning at 10am and we'll be talking about the future of the Gleevec medication and what he will be restarted on if that's the decision made. I would be way more comfortable having him on at least half the dosage to make sure the residual tumor that couldn't be removed stays dead. I don't trust this tumor....no sirree....not as far as I can throw it! LOL! I think the doctor is in agreement with that as he said at the last appointment that he would be restarted on half a dose once they restart it. So is today the day for that, too, I wonder? We shall see.
Then we go for my lab work. Hard to believe that 6 weeks have passed. I have a standing order at the lab for it every 6 weeks. Actually, I'm a day late, but I'm sure that won't be a problem.
After that, we go to Frankie's surgeon to have the drain removed. YAY! That's at 2pm or thereabouts. So we'll have a busy day. It'll feel good to get back home again.
I've been having a blast handing out my blog awards to various favorite blogs, but either the emails are getting lost or people are confused about what to do with them. And NOBODY has left a comment so I can visit their blog. Nobody like awards anymore? When my mom and I were doing our website umpteen years ago, web awards were the rage and people collected them or had whole pages devoted JUST for their awards. Maybe I'm out of the loop again with these awards. Anyway, if you get an award from me, please put it on your blog (in blogger, you would add it in just like a picture or slideshow on the sidebar). Or, you can write a new post about your award and add it on like you would a picture. Hope this clears some confusion. If you can add a link to my site, I'd appreciate it. That's all I ask.
I've gotten only 5 votes in my poll about if you like my original poems in the blog. The poll is up for two weeks, so PLEASE cast your vote. I won't add any poems in until the poll closes. It's completely annonymous, I won't know who voted what....I promise! So please just vote. :0)
That pretty much is it. I'm getting around with my boot - boy, it sure is a conversation starter. Everyone has asked what happened to my foot. It really does help with that arch pain, though, so I can't complain about it. I just wonder how I sprained my foot! My back has been killing me, as usual, so I applied my TENS unit and it is better. I find if I wear it one day on, one day off, my skin doesn't get near as irritated or itchy. And I no longer use the conductive gel. If you are interested in TENS units, check out Amazon:
OK, that's my sales pitch for TENS. Get one today...they are really great for back pain. I'm living testimony!
Hope you all have a great Labor Day and now it's back to work and school. Yuck! :-( Although, I'd love it to work again and feel useful to society, instead of a leech, which is how I feel now. So to those of you with jobs and can work, good for you....keep it up!! The saying is definitely true: you truly don't know what you lost until it's gone.
God bless!
Until next post,
Missy
PS...I've added a new slideshow with a bunch of new pics and my family. If you are interested, you can find it by scrolling down on the sidebar. It's called "Down Memory Lane." Hope you enjoy it!!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
A Time To Change
Howdy, everyone!
I'm so sorry I haven't updated the blog in a few days. I have been working ON the blog, though, with decorating it for fall. I decorated all my blog's pages (about me, my mom, ect.) with adorable fall critters from Helena of Graphic Garden. She is my all time favorite graphic artist and I spent a good chunk of change to get the graphics when mom and I had the desktop theme website. Then we stopped it and I worried about how I could utilize the graphics still. Now I have this blog and it works out beautifully again!! Yay! So make sure to take a peak at those pages all decorated up! :0)
I have that new page, "Blog Awards" up and running. I haven't received any comments, though, regarding your blog's URL so I can visit. Don't be shy - I love a wide variety of blogs and would love to see YOURS! I also put new awards up. I think I kept just one of the "old" awards. I just didn't like how they looked. So to those sites I just awarded with the old awards and you like the newer ones better, just let me know and you can have one of the new ones. The new ones are soooo much cuter!
On the health front, nothing much going on here. I think I told you in the last post that Frankie's drain moved out of where it should be, and we have no clue where it's at now! So Tim, the home health nurse, talked with the doctor and they discontinued the flushes. It figures. We worked so hard to get the flushes (insurance won't pay for them) and now that I have a whole jug of normal saline, we can quit the flushes!!! ARGH!!! Life is so frustrating sometimes!! Of course, he has his appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday, who will probably pull the drain anyway AND his oncologist and I have my rheumatology appt. on Wednesday. So we have a busy week ahead of us.
Frankie is doing much better since we knocked back on the Savella. I only give him 50mg at bedtime and that's it. I think it was just too sedating for him and made him act like a "zombie." Now he's talking more, laughing and interacting with the family. I love it again!! :0-) Of course, it could have NOTHING to do with he is having his drain removed on Tuesday, now, could it? LOL! He hates that drain and I can't say I blame him. I hate it, too!
I'm not doing so great. My legs hurt so bad I'm on the border of just wanting to let out a primal scream of sheer pain and swollen beyond recognition feet!!! I've been wearing that special boot on my left foot and it does help a lot to the regards that I no longer have that searing arch pain. The calf on my right leg hurts so much, though, and it radiates to my whole leg. I think the ridiculopathy is getting to me!!! I've been using this neat gel called "Polar Frost." and it works even better than "Bio-Freeze" in my opinion. It's not messy or smelly like some creams. Here is a link to Amazon if you are interested in it. I highly recommend it! You can buy it in small tubes, large pump bottles or a roll-on.
I also use a cream called "myoflex." which is excellent, too. It really IS odorless and non-messy, not like some other creams can be. I really loathe smelling like a pharaceutical plant after I've rubbed on the smelly creams. I tried 'em all and this one gets my two thumbs up. The same with the "Polar Frost"...two thumbs up! Here is a link for the "myoflex" cream.
That will about do it for this post. I've been so exhausted, I'm falling asleep everywhere again, especially at the computer! I've got to find a way to get back into that deep, restorative sleep again. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? I've totally exhausted all my ideas (PUN intended!)
Oh, one more last thing. Way at the top of this page, in the left-hand side bar, I have a poll there I'd like you to partake in. It is asking if you like it when I put my poetry in the blog. I haven't gotten any "yay or nay" on it, and it does take work to convert the poem out of the word processing program into notepad so I can copy and paste it to the post. If you guys like them, it's worth the effort. If you don't, vote no and I won't waste the effort. Effort is gold these days!! The poll is annonymous, so don't worry about hurting my feelings. I won't know who says yes or no. Just say something and help me out. Thank you!!!
Hope you all have a blessed week ahead.
Love ya all!
Until next post,
Missys
I'm so sorry I haven't updated the blog in a few days. I have been working ON the blog, though, with decorating it for fall. I decorated all my blog's pages (about me, my mom, ect.) with adorable fall critters from Helena of Graphic Garden. She is my all time favorite graphic artist and I spent a good chunk of change to get the graphics when mom and I had the desktop theme website. Then we stopped it and I worried about how I could utilize the graphics still. Now I have this blog and it works out beautifully again!! Yay! So make sure to take a peak at those pages all decorated up! :0)
I have that new page, "Blog Awards" up and running. I haven't received any comments, though, regarding your blog's URL so I can visit. Don't be shy - I love a wide variety of blogs and would love to see YOURS! I also put new awards up. I think I kept just one of the "old" awards. I just didn't like how they looked. So to those sites I just awarded with the old awards and you like the newer ones better, just let me know and you can have one of the new ones. The new ones are soooo much cuter!
On the health front, nothing much going on here. I think I told you in the last post that Frankie's drain moved out of where it should be, and we have no clue where it's at now! So Tim, the home health nurse, talked with the doctor and they discontinued the flushes. It figures. We worked so hard to get the flushes (insurance won't pay for them) and now that I have a whole jug of normal saline, we can quit the flushes!!! ARGH!!! Life is so frustrating sometimes!! Of course, he has his appointment with the surgeon on Tuesday, who will probably pull the drain anyway AND his oncologist and I have my rheumatology appt. on Wednesday. So we have a busy week ahead of us.
Frankie is doing much better since we knocked back on the Savella. I only give him 50mg at bedtime and that's it. I think it was just too sedating for him and made him act like a "zombie." Now he's talking more, laughing and interacting with the family. I love it again!! :0-) Of course, it could have NOTHING to do with he is having his drain removed on Tuesday, now, could it? LOL! He hates that drain and I can't say I blame him. I hate it, too!
I'm not doing so great. My legs hurt so bad I'm on the border of just wanting to let out a primal scream of sheer pain and swollen beyond recognition feet!!! I've been wearing that special boot on my left foot and it does help a lot to the regards that I no longer have that searing arch pain. The calf on my right leg hurts so much, though, and it radiates to my whole leg. I think the ridiculopathy is getting to me!!! I've been using this neat gel called "Polar Frost." and it works even better than "Bio-Freeze" in my opinion. It's not messy or smelly like some creams. Here is a link to Amazon if you are interested in it. I highly recommend it! You can buy it in small tubes, large pump bottles or a roll-on.
I also use a cream called "myoflex." which is excellent, too. It really IS odorless and non-messy, not like some other creams can be. I really loathe smelling like a pharaceutical plant after I've rubbed on the smelly creams. I tried 'em all and this one gets my two thumbs up. The same with the "Polar Frost"...two thumbs up! Here is a link for the "myoflex" cream.
That will about do it for this post. I've been so exhausted, I'm falling asleep everywhere again, especially at the computer! I've got to find a way to get back into that deep, restorative sleep again. Anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? I've totally exhausted all my ideas (PUN intended!)
Oh, one more last thing. Way at the top of this page, in the left-hand side bar, I have a poll there I'd like you to partake in. It is asking if you like it when I put my poetry in the blog. I haven't gotten any "yay or nay" on it, and it does take work to convert the poem out of the word processing program into notepad so I can copy and paste it to the post. If you guys like them, it's worth the effort. If you don't, vote no and I won't waste the effort. Effort is gold these days!! The poll is annonymous, so don't worry about hurting my feelings. I won't know who says yes or no. Just say something and help me out. Thank you!!!
Hope you all have a blessed week ahead.
Love ya all!
Until next post,
Missys
Thursday, September 2, 2010
My Big Foot
Hello, folks!
Well, as you know, yesterday I went to the foot doctor because my left foot has been hurting me something awful. The arch part especially. Every time I would stand and put full weight on it, it would hurt so much I would see explosions of stars going off in my brain-it hurt that much! And everyone knows that when your feet hurt, your WHOLE body hurts!!
Anyway, I told the doctor that the steroid shot he gave me last time didn't do a thing. So he said, "those shots ALWAYS work, which means your problem is different." Of course. I'd hate to follow the same road everyone else does! So he examined my foot and pressed on all the right places where I'd wince in pain or pull back. He then took a look at my x-rays that I had taken when I was there two weeks ago and he said they looked good, even the "bad foot." So he is saying I sprained the arch of my foot. Which is entirely possible with all the moving we've done over the past year and then Mom and I trying to do the travel nursing circuit....I could have sprained it anywhere!
So the "cure" for this is a "moon boot" or "air cast" boot which I wear when I'm walking. I can take it off to sleep and shower. At first, I thought I'd NEVER get used to it and I was afraid of falling because it set my center of balance off. But then, today, I'm walking around the house wearing it and it isn't that bad. I don't have that searing pain I used to get in that arch area. So they may look goofy, but they are working against ONE of my painful areas!! I took two pics of my new "boot."
Well, one thing I can say for it is that hopefully it will help keep my swelling down in that leg. You can see the build-up of fluids in my calf region of my left foot. And walking around is a lot easier and it gives that arch a rest so it can heal. The doctor says it can take anytime to heal from two to three weeks to a month. Everyone is different. So I can expect to wear my special boot for a month! At least it's nothing that requires surgery or anything like that to fix it.
The rest of me is so incredibly sore. My right hip region is giving me such fits of pain that I could just scream. The humidity is up there and I think that is why I'm in such agony. I see a lot of other "fibromytes" are having problems, too. So it definitely is something in the air!!!
I don't know if you've seen it yet, but I added a new page to my blog called "New-Blog Awards." I've seen a few sites that have awards on them and they are so cute and it recognizes to the owners how very hard it can be to get a blog up and running and have it be of quality work. So every blog I see that fits my requirements, I will give them an award for their hard work. So please check out the new page and leave me a comment with your blog's URL and you could be the next person I give an award to!!!
That pretty much is all the news around here. Frankie's drain is draining more on the outside.....on his dressing instead of in the drain. The visiting nurse thinks the tube has migrated outside of the wound. So I'm not to flush it until he has spoken to the doctor. If I haven't heard from him by 5pm, I'm to give him a call. It would be such as a shame to have to have it re-insterted and then removed on the 7th! The wound looks good: no redness, swelling or unusual pain. It's just not draining to well inside the bulb like it should. Complications, complications! That's our middle name, think!
You all have a great day and God bless you all,
Until next post,
Missy
Well, as you know, yesterday I went to the foot doctor because my left foot has been hurting me something awful. The arch part especially. Every time I would stand and put full weight on it, it would hurt so much I would see explosions of stars going off in my brain-it hurt that much! And everyone knows that when your feet hurt, your WHOLE body hurts!!
Anyway, I told the doctor that the steroid shot he gave me last time didn't do a thing. So he said, "those shots ALWAYS work, which means your problem is different." Of course. I'd hate to follow the same road everyone else does! So he examined my foot and pressed on all the right places where I'd wince in pain or pull back. He then took a look at my x-rays that I had taken when I was there two weeks ago and he said they looked good, even the "bad foot." So he is saying I sprained the arch of my foot. Which is entirely possible with all the moving we've done over the past year and then Mom and I trying to do the travel nursing circuit....I could have sprained it anywhere!
So the "cure" for this is a "moon boot" or "air cast" boot which I wear when I'm walking. I can take it off to sleep and shower. At first, I thought I'd NEVER get used to it and I was afraid of falling because it set my center of balance off. But then, today, I'm walking around the house wearing it and it isn't that bad. I don't have that searing pain I used to get in that arch area. So they may look goofy, but they are working against ONE of my painful areas!! I took two pics of my new "boot."
Well, one thing I can say for it is that hopefully it will help keep my swelling down in that leg. You can see the build-up of fluids in my calf region of my left foot. And walking around is a lot easier and it gives that arch a rest so it can heal. The doctor says it can take anytime to heal from two to three weeks to a month. Everyone is different. So I can expect to wear my special boot for a month! At least it's nothing that requires surgery or anything like that to fix it.
The rest of me is so incredibly sore. My right hip region is giving me such fits of pain that I could just scream. The humidity is up there and I think that is why I'm in such agony. I see a lot of other "fibromytes" are having problems, too. So it definitely is something in the air!!!
I don't know if you've seen it yet, but I added a new page to my blog called "New-Blog Awards." I've seen a few sites that have awards on them and they are so cute and it recognizes to the owners how very hard it can be to get a blog up and running and have it be of quality work. So every blog I see that fits my requirements, I will give them an award for their hard work. So please check out the new page and leave me a comment with your blog's URL and you could be the next person I give an award to!!!
That pretty much is all the news around here. Frankie's drain is draining more on the outside.....on his dressing instead of in the drain. The visiting nurse thinks the tube has migrated outside of the wound. So I'm not to flush it until he has spoken to the doctor. If I haven't heard from him by 5pm, I'm to give him a call. It would be such as a shame to have to have it re-insterted and then removed on the 7th! The wound looks good: no redness, swelling or unusual pain. It's just not draining to well inside the bulb like it should. Complications, complications! That's our middle name, think!
You all have a great day and God bless you all,
Until next post,
Missy
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Happy September!!
Good day, my fine friends!
Happy September 1st! I thought I'd start the day/month out with a blog post. Can you believe it's already September 1st? Where has the time gone? I'll bet the kiddos are happy to be back in school....NOT. I remember when I was a kid (a long time ago!) I didn't like summer to be over and then having to trot back to school for another year of carrying heavy books and listening to your teachers drone on and on about things that happened way before you were even born! As you can see, I'm NOT a historical buff!
I don't feel too badly today, of course I had my morning cocktail of pills, pills and more pills. I wonder if I will ever have a day again where I don't have to take pills all day? Maybe after the lap-band surgery I can drop some of my pain meds, blood pressure meds, and the diabetes pill. We shall see. I'm so excited because this is the month I go for the initial appointment for the lap-band and since I've already had the cardiology clearance, it should save a lot of time and we can move forward.
Well, today is the day I go back to the foot doctor. I plan on holding up my grossly swollen feet and saying, "fix me!" If anything, my foot is even worse than when I went in the first place. The shot he gave me did nothing. He also said something about getting insurance authorization to take care of my ingrown toenail. Sounds fun! He better hurry. I got a letter from my insurance stating that due to the state's bad budget, more people are going onto the state insurance so they are cutting back on things for people over 21 yrs. old. One of them is podiatry care! Great! I've only got one month until this takes effect, so hopefully everything will be done in that time. They ALWAYS take away from people over 21 yrs old, while if I were a kid, I could get everything - dental care, even. As it stands, I can't take care of my teeth issues because I have no insurance and my other health issues kind of trump the dentist. All in due time, as my dad always said.
I'm sure you've noticed all my Amazon ads on my blog. I signed up with their Amazon Associates program and they approved my blog almost immediately! Makes me feel better, since Google adsense rejected it (after looking at the WRONG blog) and then went on to say I have broken links, under construction signs, ect. I appealed my application and still haven't heard anything back. They are soooo way over the estimated "week" they told me a month ago! Anyway, I just LOVE Amazon and have been ordering from them for years. You can get all kinds of stuff there and I've included a "search" Amazon widget near the bottom of the page for your shopping convenience. Everything you order off of my blog, I get commission for. So if you love Amazon, too and order a lot, please do so off of my blog, please. :0)
You remember me talking about that pillow wedge that I use? Well, on Amazon it is even cheaper than what I got at ActiveForever.com! And it works so well and takes pressure off my lumbar spine. If I didn't have that pillow, I'd have to sleep sitting up because I can't lay on either side. Here is the pillow wedge link in the sidebar if you are interested:
I find it helps very much if your ankles swell, too. It keeps them raised while you sleep. While my ankles are always swollen, they are a lot less so in the morning when I get up from having them raised all night. I also keep them raised while reading, too. It's soooooo very comfy, if I don't say so myself!! :0)
Another product that I highly recommend if you have a sore neck is "the neck pillow." So much more than a regular pillow, it centers your head and neck in a cradle of comfort! I love mine! Here is the link for that in the sidebar:
One product that I use on a daily basis is a pillbox organizer. I take so many things, I'd be lost without it!! Here is just one of many types/designs. This is the one that I use:
Hmmm.....I see they have a 31 day organizer out now that I may have to buy myself!
One more product that I just can't live WITHOUT is my TENS machine. And Amazon has a number of them, both new and used, that will do the trick. They even have the electrodes and conductive gel, if you need that. Here is the link to a similar machine to what I have and love:
I hope you all have a great day and the start of another week. Joy, health and peace I wish for all!!!
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
Happy September 1st! I thought I'd start the day/month out with a blog post. Can you believe it's already September 1st? Where has the time gone? I'll bet the kiddos are happy to be back in school....NOT. I remember when I was a kid (a long time ago!) I didn't like summer to be over and then having to trot back to school for another year of carrying heavy books and listening to your teachers drone on and on about things that happened way before you were even born! As you can see, I'm NOT a historical buff!
I don't feel too badly today, of course I had my morning cocktail of pills, pills and more pills. I wonder if I will ever have a day again where I don't have to take pills all day? Maybe after the lap-band surgery I can drop some of my pain meds, blood pressure meds, and the diabetes pill. We shall see. I'm so excited because this is the month I go for the initial appointment for the lap-band and since I've already had the cardiology clearance, it should save a lot of time and we can move forward.
Well, today is the day I go back to the foot doctor. I plan on holding up my grossly swollen feet and saying, "fix me!" If anything, my foot is even worse than when I went in the first place. The shot he gave me did nothing. He also said something about getting insurance authorization to take care of my ingrown toenail. Sounds fun! He better hurry. I got a letter from my insurance stating that due to the state's bad budget, more people are going onto the state insurance so they are cutting back on things for people over 21 yrs. old. One of them is podiatry care! Great! I've only got one month until this takes effect, so hopefully everything will be done in that time. They ALWAYS take away from people over 21 yrs old, while if I were a kid, I could get everything - dental care, even. As it stands, I can't take care of my teeth issues because I have no insurance and my other health issues kind of trump the dentist. All in due time, as my dad always said.
I'm sure you've noticed all my Amazon ads on my blog. I signed up with their Amazon Associates program and they approved my blog almost immediately! Makes me feel better, since Google adsense rejected it (after looking at the WRONG blog) and then went on to say I have broken links, under construction signs, ect. I appealed my application and still haven't heard anything back. They are soooo way over the estimated "week" they told me a month ago! Anyway, I just LOVE Amazon and have been ordering from them for years. You can get all kinds of stuff there and I've included a "search" Amazon widget near the bottom of the page for your shopping convenience. Everything you order off of my blog, I get commission for. So if you love Amazon, too and order a lot, please do so off of my blog, please. :0)
You remember me talking about that pillow wedge that I use? Well, on Amazon it is even cheaper than what I got at ActiveForever.com! And it works so well and takes pressure off my lumbar spine. If I didn't have that pillow, I'd have to sleep sitting up because I can't lay on either side. Here is the pillow wedge link in the sidebar if you are interested:
I find it helps very much if your ankles swell, too. It keeps them raised while you sleep. While my ankles are always swollen, they are a lot less so in the morning when I get up from having them raised all night. I also keep them raised while reading, too. It's soooooo very comfy, if I don't say so myself!! :0)
Another product that I highly recommend if you have a sore neck is "the neck pillow." So much more than a regular pillow, it centers your head and neck in a cradle of comfort! I love mine! Here is the link for that in the sidebar:
One product that I use on a daily basis is a pillbox organizer. I take so many things, I'd be lost without it!! Here is just one of many types/designs. This is the one that I use:
Hmmm.....I see they have a 31 day organizer out now that I may have to buy myself!
One more product that I just can't live WITHOUT is my TENS machine. And Amazon has a number of them, both new and used, that will do the trick. They even have the electrodes and conductive gel, if you need that. Here is the link to a similar machine to what I have and love:
I hope you all have a great day and the start of another week. Joy, health and peace I wish for all!!!
God bless,
Until next post,
Missy
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FibromyWHAT? by Melissa Schranz is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.