May 7: updates: foot, Martha and lots of medical stuff
Just a quick note, overdue to go to bed and lots to accomplish over the next three days.
Thank you to the three who posted. I didn't know that Kary was still checking in, so that's nice to know. Please, others, speak up! Kevan, I don't know who that person was that you mentioned.
I just went back and read over my earliest postings, which were August 2006, and then through the next few months. Man, did I go easy on you guys!! Brenda 'didn't want to worry people' by posting the really bad stuff, so there was a very watered-down version related of what was truly going on in the hospital. And there wasn't anything leading up to it, which I had confused with what lead up to the July 2007 surgery.
Saw ortho about the foot: healing, very slowly. It's coming up on eleven weeks now. Still painful every day, although it is improving. It's flattering the number of people who think I look fit and athletic enough to assume that it was injured while I was skiing. That's the overwhelming guess from patients. My M.A. at work, Natalie, has been coming up with more creative excuses: water skiing, ballroom dancing, sky diving, para sailing. People are so disappointed when they hear it was something as plebeian as falling on the basement stairs.
Still waiting to hear what decision was made about Martha and chemo. The choices were between a 'general cancer' regimen and one more tailored to lung cancer. But the problem with the more tailored one was that it required more of a work-up and therefore a longer wait until treatment started, so they were leaning towards the 'general' regimen. The surgery will depend on response to chemo, after 6 or 12 weeks.
The last couple "Gray's Anatomy" shows have been somewhat reminiscent for me as Izzy deals with dying. It's reminding me of a lot of emotions and feelings--they are doing a good job. And I hope that you all watched Michael Fox's special after that. Boy, he has an incredible attitude. Of course it probably helps that he doesn't have to work for a living and can spend time doing things that are very upbeat. I feel better when I meditate, but only get to do so a couple times a week with working and trying to care for the house, errands, etc. And I would refer to my outlook as realistic and pragmatic with occasional forays into pessimistic or optimistic depending on the situation. With a strong dose of black humor as frequently as possible!
The chest still hurts daily. Probably not helped by the use of the cane. I still sleep with a wedge because it's uncomfortable to lie too flat. But I can push up with much less pain than before. And last weekend while shopping I actually lifted a grocery bag up and into the cart with my right arm--very exciting! It's still tiring to wash my hair or do anything with my arms raised. I still push in on my chest when I laugh, that little bit of support seems to help. And sneezing is still oddly painful, worse than coughing because of the suddenness of the chest movement. And the knuckle on my right hand that got knocked and then bled into the capsule is still discolored. But the laceration across the two lower knuckles healed perfectly.
My INR (bleeding time on the coumadin) is still wacky. The vitamin K they used to reverse the critically high number should be out of my system by now. I sometimes can't get enough blood out of my fingers--the home machine needs more blood than the ones checking for blood sugar do--so sometimes I use my toes. They seem to bleed much better, but it can be difficult getting them to stop. Picture trying to hold pressure on the side of your third toe while elevating at the same time. It's an interesting challenge and probably a good thing that there is no one around with a camera to document who strange I look!
I got more blood work done than usual this week at the lab, and included a magnesium level. It was a little low, which explains the extra beats I've been feeling. Probably a little more v tach. Tonight I ate some of the nuts and seeds tonight that are high in magnesium, so it should improve.
OK, gotta get to bed so that great things can be accomplished this weekend. I'm working up another philosophical posting. Thanks for checking in, Laurie
Thank you to the three who posted. I didn't know that Kary was still checking in, so that's nice to know. Please, others, speak up! Kevan, I don't know who that person was that you mentioned.
I just went back and read over my earliest postings, which were August 2006, and then through the next few months. Man, did I go easy on you guys!! Brenda 'didn't want to worry people' by posting the really bad stuff, so there was a very watered-down version related of what was truly going on in the hospital. And there wasn't anything leading up to it, which I had confused with what lead up to the July 2007 surgery.
Saw ortho about the foot: healing, very slowly. It's coming up on eleven weeks now. Still painful every day, although it is improving. It's flattering the number of people who think I look fit and athletic enough to assume that it was injured while I was skiing. That's the overwhelming guess from patients. My M.A. at work, Natalie, has been coming up with more creative excuses: water skiing, ballroom dancing, sky diving, para sailing. People are so disappointed when they hear it was something as plebeian as falling on the basement stairs.
Still waiting to hear what decision was made about Martha and chemo. The choices were between a 'general cancer' regimen and one more tailored to lung cancer. But the problem with the more tailored one was that it required more of a work-up and therefore a longer wait until treatment started, so they were leaning towards the 'general' regimen. The surgery will depend on response to chemo, after 6 or 12 weeks.
The last couple "Gray's Anatomy" shows have been somewhat reminiscent for me as Izzy deals with dying. It's reminding me of a lot of emotions and feelings--they are doing a good job. And I hope that you all watched Michael Fox's special after that. Boy, he has an incredible attitude. Of course it probably helps that he doesn't have to work for a living and can spend time doing things that are very upbeat. I feel better when I meditate, but only get to do so a couple times a week with working and trying to care for the house, errands, etc. And I would refer to my outlook as realistic and pragmatic with occasional forays into pessimistic or optimistic depending on the situation. With a strong dose of black humor as frequently as possible!
The chest still hurts daily. Probably not helped by the use of the cane. I still sleep with a wedge because it's uncomfortable to lie too flat. But I can push up with much less pain than before. And last weekend while shopping I actually lifted a grocery bag up and into the cart with my right arm--very exciting! It's still tiring to wash my hair or do anything with my arms raised. I still push in on my chest when I laugh, that little bit of support seems to help. And sneezing is still oddly painful, worse than coughing because of the suddenness of the chest movement. And the knuckle on my right hand that got knocked and then bled into the capsule is still discolored. But the laceration across the two lower knuckles healed perfectly.
My INR (bleeding time on the coumadin) is still wacky. The vitamin K they used to reverse the critically high number should be out of my system by now. I sometimes can't get enough blood out of my fingers--the home machine needs more blood than the ones checking for blood sugar do--so sometimes I use my toes. They seem to bleed much better, but it can be difficult getting them to stop. Picture trying to hold pressure on the side of your third toe while elevating at the same time. It's an interesting challenge and probably a good thing that there is no one around with a camera to document who strange I look!
I got more blood work done than usual this week at the lab, and included a magnesium level. It was a little low, which explains the extra beats I've been feeling. Probably a little more v tach. Tonight I ate some of the nuts and seeds tonight that are high in magnesium, so it should improve.
OK, gotta get to bed so that great things can be accomplished this weekend. I'm working up another philosophical posting. Thanks for checking in, Laurie
3 Comments:
At 10:29 AM,
Anonymous said…
Laurie,
Martha's still in my prayers hope you hear soon! tell her we are pulling for her, so she can feel our energy.
Deneen
At 8:44 PM,
Katie said…
Miss you!
At 9:04 AM,
J.T. said…
Grey's has been good... But Michael Fox has been awesome on Rescue Me. Funny stuff on that show. Hope all is well. Well, the baby is up and off to dad duty. Tah Tah for now.
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