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

62c4d810-2ab6-4f75-b394-bfadfb2c3c7e

1.03.01

Early Morning Rising

Good morning, everyone!

I remember when I would be working nights, I would always take about ten-fifteen minutes right around sunrise time.  The Arizona sky would light up into a brilliant spectrum of colors....red, orange and blue.  Of course, after my little break, I'd have to go back to work and it would start the busy time: patients getting up, moving around, washing up, getting ready for breakfast.  We would be running around like chickens with our heads cut off until report time.  But I still remember that one brief period of quiet time and watching the sunrise and thinking back over my life (to see if I forgot anything!) and thinking ahead to see where I'm going.  It's a great time to reflect on life.

I'm no longer working, but I still love the sunrise.  I get up at 5am and everyone is still asleep, so it's so nice and quiet and peaceful.   This is when I do my emails and blogging most of the time because it's easier to think and not be interrupted.  Unfortunately, this early time is when I miss my mom the most.  I remember her picking me up from work and we'd get breakfast and watch "Charmed" reruns while we ate.  The guys would be alseep, still and we could talk about anything.  Now I'm missing my early morning buddy more than anything in the world!!  You'd think after 2 years, I wouldn't be so nostalgic all the time, but if anything, I think as time passes I'm even MORE nostalgic about my mom.  Does it ever end?  I know I'll never forget her (I think of her everyday), but will it get easier and not hurt as much when I think of her?  I can only wonder.

Nothing much else to report. Frankie is doing well, drain and all.  When I empty his abdominal drain, I get anywhere from 5cc-20cc's out.  Hopefully he can have that removed when he sees the surgeon Sept. 7th.  Every time when the visiting nurse comes out, he says the drain site is looking really good and Frankie's vitals are in normal range.  I check them periodically, too, and they have been normal for me, too.  I'm just glad that the hospital ordeal seems to be over with!  Knock on wood....such as my hard head! LOL!

I'm still in the fibro flare-up I had all last week, although I think it has lifted somewhat.  I am still so very stiff (especially upon waking) and my left foot is still very sore. I go back to the podiatrist on Tuesday so I'll mention that the shot he gave me didn't help at all.  Speaking of fibro, I want to mention a very good book called "Fibromyalgia For Dummies."  It is very informative and educational.  Check it out on Amazon.com.  I've made it very easy - just click on the link to the left and it'll take you right there. You can buy it either new or used.  I've bought a lot of stuff from Amazon and think they are the BEST on the 'net. I've also got a "ferris wheel" of fibro books from Amazon at the top of my blog that you can take a look at.  Or, you can do your own search using the widget below to look for Amazon merchandise.  Am I just a shop-a-holic's dream? LOL....

I don't know if I've blogged this yet, and if I have, bear with me.  I will be seeing the bariatric surgeon on Sept. 15th and have a conference with him (or her), the nutritionist, the physical therapist and case manager.  It's a whole team and program that I will be involved in.  They ran my insurance and I DO have benefits and they will go over that on the 15th.  My mother-in-law will come with.  BOTH my in-laws are so sweet as they will be helping me with what my insurance WON'T cover, so I can go through with the surgery and program. I am soooo very happy and grateful and ecstatic!  (Am I something else or what...being excited over SURGERY! LOL!)  Of course, I will owe them until kingdom come, but if it gets my life back or an even better one where I can move around a lot easier because I won't have all this weight holding me down, it'll be more than worth it.  So I will be undergoing this program and I will keep everyone updated on my progress with pictures.  This way, I'll have to stay on the program as I won't want to look like a fool in front of everybody!

Alrighty, that pretty much is it. To end this post, I'll include a video I took in San Diego of my mom and grandma walking through the surf on Mission Beach.  I'm so glad I have these videos, even though they have no sound, I can see her moving again.  I cherish each video and picture I have.  I hope that you cherish your family's members and heritage. You only have ONE shot in this life to make a difference, so make it a good one!!  That's my "pearl" of wisdom for the day.  Whew...it tuckered me out, might have to take a nap.....

God bless ya!
Until next post,
Missy

He's Baaaaack!

Howdy, fine friends!

A real familiar feeling is starting to come over me. One where I get into the car and go get my husband from the hospital, only to turn around and take him back in after one week.  Hopefully this was the LAST time we have to to do this.  Frankie's WHOLE summer was basically spent in the hospital!  So now he still has the same drain in, but I insisted on more than two flushes to flush it. I mean, really. They want me to flush it every four hours....with what, air?!!  I already spoke with Tim, the home health nurse, and he was receiving orders about the flushes, too.  Maybe with the order being that specific, we'll get the supplies he needs.  The day shift nurse that did the discharge was such a sweetie that she gave me 10 flushes and a stack of alcohol pads.  So when he came home, we ate and then I fiddled with the drain. I irrigated it and it went in nice and smooth. Nothing much came out, but I know it's patent or it wouldn't have flushed as easily as it did. I'm just going to keep a hawk's eye out on it!!!  I guess it's that inner nurse inside me again, bursting to come out!!!

Now that all has been said and done with Frankie and he is finally on the mend, it's my turn for treatment.  I can't begin to tell you which foot hurts worse-my right or my left.  My right has been hurting for quite some time with muscle spasms in the calf.  I upped the magnesium and it seemed to help for awhile, but I don't know if all the driving I've been doing has irritated it even more.  Could very well be.  And now I've got a NEW problem with my left foot where it is killing me! I can't even stand to bear weight on it hardly.  I must look a drastic sight waddling with my walker down the sidewalk outside the hospital!!  A few years back, I had plantar fascitis in my right foot and I received a cortisone injection there and it actually took all the pain away within a day or two and I could go back to work.  So tomorrow, I have an appointment with a foot doctor about my ingrown toenail on my right foot (which is why the appointment was made in the first place) and I will be mentioning the new, much worse pain in my left foot.  I tell ya, my body is falling apart on me and I can't seem to keep it together!!  Maybe some superglue will do.........LOL!

And then, to top things off, we were getting out of the car to get my hubby's prescriptions filled and he noticed that our wheel hubcap was off on the passenger side.  I know it was there at the hospital, so we think someone ripped it off!  Isn't that just too much?  We are on stress over load that it's gonna take a YEAR to get over this past summer!!!   But, at least Frankie is back home and hopefully to stay this time.  Must be his labs were OK and no more anemia, or we would have heard about it, I'm sure.  I was so fixated on making sure I get supplies for the drain that I forgot to ask about his lab numbers.

Well, that is it for now, folks.  I am so tired I can barely keep my peepers open.  Frankie is already in bed, TV on, fast asleep.  God bless him, I hope his ordeal is over with finally.

And God bless you all, my friends and family. Thank you for your love and support.  I couldn't have done it without ya!!!

Until next post,
Hugs,
Missy                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Down Day

Good morning (or evening-depending on where you are) my dear friends!

It's kind of funny in the way that I had started this post a few days ago and had it interrupted by my husband's medical crisis and readmission to the hospital.  I put it on hold and can just now finally come back to it and finish it.

I have had such a wide array of emotions lately. The biggest of them being depression.  I'm on two anti-depressants for the fibro and yet I still am depressed! Go figure.  When I look back on my life, in my eyes, I just don't see much that I've accomplished.  I'm not world famous for some invention, I'm not Mother Theresa (not even close!) nor have I written that New York Times Bestseller novel I always promised myself I'd do.  I love writing and it is my main mode of communication.  Growing up with a speech impediment, you find anyway to express yourself - without speaking - and my mode was written word.  Now, I HAVE written a lot of poems, but that's about it. And now just recently, I've started this blog.  Hard to believe I've been blogging for almost three months now.  So much has happened in those three months, it's hard to believe!

My husband and I have had such a hard time of it these past few years.  We've never lived alone - just him and I.  We lived with my parents for ten years because they couldn't afford rent AND to eat, and we couldn't afford our rent, their food bill AND our own bills, so we decided to consolidate households and we lived together until my mom died in 2008.  Now my dad is living in a senior apartment complex in Michigan and my hubby and I are living with HIS parents now, because I can't work due to my low back issues and the fibro and my husband can't work because of his cancer and the medication to treat it causes severe bone and joint pain. He is on disability - they approved him the first time.  Me-I've applied, been rejected, filed an appeal, been rejected again, and am now waiting for a hearing.  I don't know if my lawyer is real or not, I've never seen her face-to-face.  She only does business over the phone.  What's up with that? Do I know how to pick 'em or what?  I haven't heard from her in months and with all the drama going on with first my dad and then my hubby, I've let things slip a little.  If only the folks at Social Security could see me and how I function....or DON'T function....it would be a different story.  I don't know what hurts worse on me - my left foot or right calf - and I have this pain on a daily basis, regardless of all the medications I take.  It just seems like pain, lack of good sleep and keeping my husband OUT of the hospital are all my life is made up to do.  Anyone ever feel like that sometimes?

OK, I'll knock it off now.  We have a roof over our head, and a very nice one, too. I even have something I've wanted my whole life....an awesome sister-in-law and brother-in-law!!  I thank Frankie for sharing them with me. :0)  Even if I were to be approved for disability, it would make my life HARDER (yes, you read right) as then I'd lose my state health benefits because we would be over the limit on earnings.  So my disability check would go for doctor's appointments, labs and medications.  I just feel so bad for being a "leech" on my in-laws for two years now.  I wish I could contribute in some way. I can't even do housework with how bad my back is and now my feet with the plantar fascitis.  Every time I stand, it takes my breath away!  I know my in-laws are itchin' to get into their Winnebago and hit the high road, but with my hubby in and out of the hospital so often now, they are afraid to go and leave us for any period of time.  It just is so unfair! When will we get a break? ARGH!!!!!!!

OK, sorry. I really will knock it off now!  On Thursday I go to the foot doctor to see what can be done about my in-grown toenail on my right foot and the severe pain in my left foot.  So we'll take care of that.  My hubby is doing better, no more fever, but he is on potent IV antibiotics.  Last night they took him down to radiology to look at the drain and possibly replace it, but it didn't need replacement.  They injected it with a clot buster medication and it's working fine.  I flushed it once a day when he was home....that's all I could do with the limited amount of flushes I had.  Even Tim was having a hard time getting them at the home health agency!  He said they only gave out flushes to patients with PICC lines or other IV ports. NOT drains.  What kind of crazy, stupid arrangements is THAT?  If insurance companies would just listen to how stupid their rules are, I'll bet they would change some of them!

Now I'm worried that my state insurance plan won't cover the LapBand procedure I want to undergo.  I go to that seminar Aug. 24th and then make an appt. with the bariatric surgeon.  I read on the LapBand website that some insurances won't cover it and they have these financial plans you can apply for.  But with our credit history, nobody is crazy enough to approve our application!  And I just feel like this is my final hope. I've quit losing weight, in fact now I'm gaining again!  The last few doc appointments I've had shown an upward rise on the weight scales!  And I'm not doing anything differently or cheating by eating a whole Sara Lee cake!  I think it's water retention, as my feet are still very swollen.  If I could have this LapBand surgery, I believe it would help in so many ways.  With the water retention, my back (maybe I could even work again!) and it would take a lot of weight off of my legs and feet.  I'm almost afraid to get my hopes up when I see the surgeon because I'm fearful they will just come crashing back down around my swollen ankles!  But nothing ventured, nothing gained as the saying goes.  Just pray that my insurance covers this operation!!

I guess I'll close this post and get on with the day and see where it takes me.  I'll see my hubby around noon, as I noticed that the chances of getting a good parking space is right around then.  I've had ample opportunity to study the parking lot, that's for sure!  I have it memorized by now.  My husband just HAS to get better and stay out of that place for longer than a week!!

Thank you for reading this and listening to me blather on about my problems. Hope I didn't bore you too much.  I really appreciate all my followers and all my friends.  If not for you and my family & the Good Lord above, I would have given up long ago.

Have a good day and remember to have some fun, too.  Life isn't all worries and work....THANK GOD!!!  I keep telling myself this over & over....

Love ya all,
Until next post,
Missy

When Will This Misery End?

Howdy, folks!

I bet with a post title like that you are guessing that something major is up. And you would be very correct!  I hate to say this, but FRANKIE IS BACK IN THE HOSPITAL AGAIN!!  

Let me start the story out by saying that we think he has an infection in the JP drain in his abdomen.  A few days ago, he standing up by me and I noticed that his drain looked funny to me.  It hanging almost upside down.  I started to feel the tubing when I realized that the drain had come apart and the tubing connector was loose enough to not be able to hold the other end of the tubing in place.  So, he was walking around for God knows how long with the drain open like that!  Any germ could crawl around in there!!  I swabbed it with alcohol really good and reconnected it.  But I still worried about it and unfortunately, I think my worries have come true about the infection part.

Anyway, a few days ago he started sweating profusely in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday night.  That is so UNLIKE him to sweat. I'm the one who sweats like a pig and looks like I just came from a water fight!  So, my mother-in-law and I made him drink, drink, drink....and Powerade, no less, which he doesn't like but drank it anyway.  With two women standing over him, he had no choice in the matter!!  He couldn't go back to bed until he drank the proper amount of fluids.

And then yesterday, he replaced the sweating profusely with the shaking chills.  He shook the whole bed, like one of those beds in some motels where you put the quarter in and it will "massage" you.  I kept checking his temp and it would read 97.3 one time and then 96.3 the other time.  His blood pressure was OK, but his heart rate was 150.  I looked at him closely and he was still very pale with deep, dark circles until his eyes.  His eyes looked sunken in his head.  My poor baby. I just feel so damn helpless!!  WHEN WILL THIS MISERY END???????????

I called my mother-in-law first, who was over at a friend's house having pizza.  She suggested to call the visiting nurse first, which was my thinking too.  Tim, the visiting nurse, can get to the doctors better than a "lay person" that goes through the answering service and gets absolutely no where.  Been there, done that, don't want to do it again!  So I called Tim and told him the situation.  I told him that for a day now I have noticed a foul odor from the drainage when I'd empty the drain.  It had a "mildewy" smell to it and was very strong.  I thought it looked cloudy, too, but mixed with blood, it's hard to tell.  The drainage didn't look like it did before when he first came home from the hospital.  He also was having some brown crusty drainage from the exit site on the drain on his abdomen.  And he only had out 10cc's the past two days.  I don't know if that's a good thing (meaning the hematoma has resolved itself) or a bad thing (meaning it's clogged and needs to be replaced again).  It flushed beautifully and fluid would return right back out like it was supposed to.  Tim thought I should take him to the Urgent Care because of the drainage issue and probably a high temp would be coming on very soon.  I agreed and took Frankie to the Urgent Care.

The doctor at the Urgent Care was very nice and said, "he's had a big surgery and a complicated case. He should go back to the facility where all this happened and have them work it up."  He asked Frankie if he was OK to go by private vehicle and Frankie was.  The doctor said he would call ahead to the hospital and let them know we are coming.  So back into the car we went to the friendly neighborhood ER.  I was hoping to stay away from the ER, but no doing.  At the ER, his temp had climbed to 101.6.  They gave him some Tylenol, did two EKG's (because his heart rate persisted in the 150's range - probably because of the temperature.)  They cultured his blood and the fluid in the drain. They gave him 2 liters of IV fluids to rehydrate him. And he had yet ANOTHER CT scan of his abdomen to look for "pockets of pus" that would indicate abdominal infection.

By the time he a room on the 5th floor, it was nearing midnight and I was exhausted.  My right leg was cramping every five minutes and I think I have plantar fascitis forming in my left foot.  I had it a few years back in my other foot and they gave me a cortisone shot with lidocaine and it worked like a charm.  It even went away and I haven't had a problem with it since.  I'm not looking forward to needles in my heel, but you "gotta do what you gotta do" is my new motto!!!  And when I think about my hubby going through all he's gone through this summer, that problem just pales in comparison!  But yet he is always thinking and worrying about me.  He asks a million times how I am holding up with all this.  Anyway, as I was leaving the emergency room, I went the wrong way and had to re-route myself the right way.  By that time, my feet were just absolutely screaming!  I had tears in my eyes it hurt so bad.  Finally I got to the car and plopped down in the driver's seat - after I wrangled my walker into the trunk.

I still just feel positively exhausted, and I did manage to sleep a little last night.  I hope he won't be in the hospital for too long. You should have seen his face when the ER doc said he should stay, just to be on the safe side.  But what can you do?  That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. LOL! A little humor among all the bleakness!!!

I should get ready to go to the hospital. Hope you all are well. I will keep you posted on the situation just I know it.  Thank you for all your kind thoughts & prayers.  We really appreciate it.

Until next post,
Missy

No News Is....No News

Howdy, friends!

Well, it's been almost one week since Frankie has been home from the hospital.  It's soooo good to have him home! And he is finally beginning to heal and catch up on much needed sleep.  You just can't sleep in hospitals...I've worked in and been a patient in a hospital and with all the blood pressure readings and lab coming in at 3am to get blood...how can ANYONE rest with all the activity? 

Frankie had his CT scan on Thursday; he could finally take the contrast and keep it down.  No nausea or vomiting with it, either.  It was fruit punch in color, but he said it tasted like crap and was glad to get the three cups down.  I told him, (because he hates fruit) he would drink contrast that was "fruit flavored" but he wouldn't want to try the real thing with a real glass of fruit juice.  It's good!!!  I just don't get how someone can pass over a whole food group like he does with fruits!   Anyway, we haven't heard a thing from either the surgeon or the oncologist about the CT results.  So I figure everything is OK or someone would be on the horn with us!!

Frankie's home visits with the nurse are coming a long very well. I really like Tim. He is so funny and puts you right at ease.  He never seems rushed and we can ask questions and he always gives us a complete answer. He doesn't even answer his cell phone when he is with a client. He has voice mail that he uses when he is between visits, then he can call back whomever called while he was with us.  He gave me a whole bunch of dressing supplies in case the gauze dressing comes off from showering or whatever- I can just change it and not have to bother him and have to come back for a simple dressing change.  The fluid is getting less and less and it irrigates well. No clots in the tubing, thank goodness!  I suspect that Frankie will be losing the drain this coming week.  That would be so nice, as Frankie has had a period of depression with everything that went on.  The poor guy went through quite an ordeal - who wouldn't be a little depressed?  I figured that driving again would cheer him up and it did.  So I turned the driving back over to my hubby, the cab driver! LOL!  And not a moment too soon!

I think the driving is what really has my leg in an uproar.  It hurts so bad and all the time, it's driving me nuts.  I've increased my magnesium, hoping that would help. And I'm using my myoflex cream and polar frost gel like it's going out of style.  They all help a little, but not too much.  Last night I could finally use my TENS unit again, the rash on my back has totally cleared up.  This time, I tried a new experiment and just put the electrodes on as is-with NO conductive gel.  And so far, so good. NO rashes or itchy skin....yet.  Wouldn't be nice if that's all that rash was, just an irritation from the conductive gel? And I have to say, the unit works even better without the gel!

I am in such flare-up from everything that has happened. No surprise there.  The daily drill of going to the hospital, finding a parking space within a 5 mile radius, getting the walker out and plodding up to the room for 30 days plus can really wear a person out!!  But I love my hubby dearly and he is worth every visit I paid him and more.  I would do it all again if need be, but hopefully NOT anytime too soon!!  Frankie definitely would like that too!!

Nothing much else to report. It's been so hot here, they have an "excessive heat warning" on until Monday.  Temps up to 115 expected.  Luckily, we don't have much planned for the coming week, except for my podiatrist appt on Thursday for an ingrown toenail.  I'm also diabetic and it's time for my yearly foot check, too.  Oh, joy, oh bliss!  The more one can stay inside during this weather, the better.  You could fry an egg on the roof of your car!  I keep reminding myself, "I live here because the winters are beautiful. No snow, no ice."  And it works...especially if I'm in front of a nice big fan with air conditioning pouring down on me!

It's been awhile since I've put a poem in my post, so I will do that this time. I hope you enjoy it.  All poems are the creations of my imagination and completely original.  :0)

I See A Jesus                       

When I look
At the picture on my wall
I see a Jesus in a way
I've always imagined.
I see a Jesus with a carefree smile
And eyes that say "I love you".
I see a Jesus
With a ready-to-go look
A look that doesn't suggest tiredness,
A look that doesn't suggest hate.
I love that old picture
On the wall and
I look to it when feeling low
And I just need a friend.
I look to it when I want to feel love.
Or when I feel the need to forgive.
I look to that picture on my wall
And know that the same picture
Is engraved in my soul.
And it's the same Jesus
I've always imagined.

The picture this poem is referring to is a picture of Jesus my mom got at the county fair when I was still in high school.  She loved that picture (we all did) and hung it up in every apartment we moved to.  That picture, unfortunately, is in San Antonio, home of the rest of our stuff that we need to save money for to bring back to Arizona.  Hopefully by the winter we can do that, when the rental trucks aren't too expensive.  I'd rather move that stuff when it's cooler out anyway.

Hope everyone has a good weekend and coming week. 

Love ya all!

Until next post,

Missy

Oh, I added a photo slideshow below.  A lot of the pictures are of my mom & dad. I miss them so!  Even with all we've been through, I still love them with all my heart and I miss the good times we had.  So these pictures show the good times.  :0)

Surgeon's Appointment

Howdy, everyone!

This is just a quick post to let you know how things went at the appointment with Frankie's surgeon today.  He examined Frankie's abdomen and is aware of all the problems Frankie is having with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.  His suggestions were to get some Gatorade or anything with electrolytes in it and drink it on down!  And he was keeping the drain in, much to Frankie's disappointment.  The doc said maybe for another two weeks.  He wants Frankie to have a CT scan next week and he'll go from there.  He reported to us that Frankie's bowels were just "a huge mess" of scar tissue & adhesions. That is why he is having so many complications.  And the drain is actually the reason why Frankie is OUT of the hospital.  It helps to keep the bowel open by draining that hematoma that is inside there.

The visiting nurse, Tim, will come by tomorrow and hopefully set me up with some supplies for the drain.  Flushes, dressings, that sort of thing. I feel in my element and my nursing skills are coming back and becoming sharper.  I miss my job so badly I could scream!!  When my husband was in the hospital, I'd see the nurses work and it took me back to when I could do that.  Maybe I still can one day.

I signed up for the lap band seminar on August 24th.  After that, I'll make an appointment with a bariatric surgeon and proceed ahead.  Please pray that my insurance will pay for it as that is the only way I can do it.  It definitely is of medical necessity.  I read some of their success stories and this one lady lost 150 pounds over nine months. That would be FANTASTIC if I could do that!!  I could return to work, hopefully.  So wish me luck!!

Alrighty, that is all my news. Hope things are going well in your neck of the woods.  :0)

God bless you all!
Missy

Like Clockwork

Howdy-ho, everyone!

My poor husband!  Every morning, like clockwork, he wakes up nauseated and vomits.  Sometimes a lot, other times not so much. But it happens only in the morning and like clockwork. I've joked with him and told him maybe he is pregnant.  LOL!  I can't figure it out, though. It's not like he has a seven course meal before bed!  Tonight I'll try giving him one of his nausea pills and a Prilosec and see what that does for the morning time vomit episodes.  Other than the above, he is doing really well.  He eats and drinks regular food now, no more pureed stuff of the hospital.  He's been playing on the computer and watching TV. Last night he even smashed soda cans for the recycle...but, I told him to NOT do the whole bag quite yet or he might get sick. It's really hot out in the garage and that's where the "smasher" is, so I told him to take it easy. And he actually listened to me! Wow! :0)

Yesterday the home health nurse, Tim, came to do the initial visit. He's a really nice guy, very funny.  He was ordered to come over for wound care (the abdominal drain and dressings), but today we see the surgeon and he probably will remove the drain.  I hated to see Tim go through the mountains of paperwork (whoever works in Medicare must get paid by the word...those documents Tim filled out were endless!!) if he was going to get rid of the drain today, but orders are orders.  Tim said that if the drain was removed, great. He would stop by on Friday to make sure we were OK and then he would come some time next week.  That sounded like a good plan.  Tim said that everything looked great. The abdominal drain is only draining about 20cc's of bloody fluid a day and the dressing is still intact. No signs of infection.  Tim couldn't believe Frankie had been through so much....and he really is a pretty healthy guy. Not like me, who has a whole compilation of medical problems!  Before the surgery, he only had the GIST and seasonal allergies.  That's it.  You need a whole notebook to record my issues!!!

On Monday we go to the oncologist to discuss what we do next. Go back on the Gleevec? Full dose or half dose? Or NO dose?  I feel really uncomfortable with him going off it completely. It's kind of like a security blanket that the tumor they couldn't get seven years ago will stay dead if he continues the Gleevec.  But it WOULD be nice if he didn't have to take it, his legs wouldn't hurt so badly and he wouldn't need the narcotics, probably. He hasn't taken it since before the surgery and his legs are great. No more pain there - it's all in the abdomen from the surgery.  And even that is lessening now.  BUT, when we lived in Tucson and saw a GIST specialist from the U of A, he said that when he took a patient off Gleevec, the tumor not only returned, but returned with a vengeance! So we definitely don't need that!  So it will be interesting on Monday to see what the oncologist has to say about this.

Well, I should start getting ready to take my hubby to the surgeon. I'm doing OK, not the greatest, but OK.  My right knee is giving me problems now and the fibro is in its element inside my body, with all the drama of my life!  It literally feeds off of stress and little sleep.  Even though NOW is OK, I'm paying for the past month of no sleep and worry over my husband.  Hopefully, I'm at the end of the flare-up.  God, I really hope!!!
I'm glad the appointment is early, so we get get out and get back before the bad heat starts rolling in.  We've had "excessive" heat warnings all week and daily temps of 105-110's.  The sun is like a hot little orb in the sky, beaming down on all of us, sharing its warmth and misery!! LOL!

Hope you all have a great day and weekend.  Another week has rolled around....where does the time go?

God bless you all!!
Until next post,
Missy