Well, it's not going to kill you

I finally shared my idea today

The idea that I've periodically mentioned since I've been seeing Dr. Sanity.  It came about because I started a program last night sponsored by the Integrative Health program at the Women's Health Center.  Hence forth to be known as the IH program and the WHC.

It's a program for women who have finished treatment and are sort of hanging there saying "where do I go from here?".  The program explores music, sound, art and spirituality as a way of healing.  The instructor has battled tongue cancer not once but twice.  As you can imagine she is quite inspiring.

To make things even better Dr. Sanity has changed her schedule so I can see her after class in case anything comes up in class that I have trouble dealing with - love that woman!

After I got home I emailed both Amy and Pam who is the director of the IH program to congratulate them.  I also explained that I have a small kernel of an idea for an after care program.  Pam responded and asked me to call her because she's currently putting a grant together.  First I explained that it was not a fully developed plan but my idea is to at some point be able to have a group a therapists with experience helping breast care patients make that step through "what now".  I told her I see this as a long term goal for the program because there will be quite a bit of upfront research and work needed.  I explained that I would be thrilled to do it but I'm not ready at this point.

Right now it's enough to have the seed planted in her mind and transferred to Amy's.  Pam has so many spectacular plans for the program, it's such a joy after all these years of raising money to see the IH program blossom.

She had another wonderful idea.  Every few years my dear friend Carol donates to her friend's favorite charity in lieu of a gift.  If you ask me, that is one hell of a gift in its self.  I asked that she donate to the IH program.  Because of the timing and the amount Pam thought is was to cover my fee for the class.  I said no it was my Christmas gift but if I could use it to cover my fee it would be wonderful.  For legal reasons Pam needed to talk to Carol about what her intentions were for the donation.  She said whatever you want as long as it benefits the program as I requested.  Pam and I talked about it and she suggested I use half the money to cover part of my fee and the other half become seed money for a scholarship for future Crossroads classes - Simply Brilliant in my mind.

The day Larry tried to make the Gator fly

This is a Gator It was not entirely successful.  It did in fact fly but only because it was totally out of control.  He landed sideways across the drive way and flew down the hill, hit a redwood tree and was tossed out.  Fortunately there was a wire fence that stopped him from rolling to the bottom of the hill.

One of our tenants and a friend noticed smoke (live in the forest, smoke REALLY gets your attention) and went to check it out.  She found the Gator still running thus the smoke.   They also discovered Larry.  He'd been done there for about an hour before they discovered him.  That was a very good thing because I'm used to him running around the property all  day so I wouldn't have gone looking for him until  about 6 pm. 

They called 911 and then came and got me.  The paramedics and firefighters arrived, got his neck safely contained, got him on a backboard, up the hill to the ambulance and across to our neighbors property which was the only place the helicopter had to land and flew him off to the local trauma center.

There it was determined that he broke his left hip, pulled the ball from the socket The femoral head is the ball, the acetabulum is the socket, and had a partial fracture of the left knee.  The trauma surgeon put a pin (really used a drill and shot a bolt, I was told I could stay but when they showed up with an actual drill I decided to leave the room.  On one hand I was fascinated on the other they were doing it to my husband) through his knee and added weights to it in the hopes it would pull the ball back into the socket.  He was then sent to ICU.  As it happens one of my cousins is a nurse in that very ICU.  By a twist of fate Sue was working a half day the next day.  She spent time talking to Larry and discovered I wouldn't arrive until after she left.  Incredibly wonderful person that she is, she waited 1 1/2 hours after her shift was over just so she could talk to me and assure me Larry was doing fine, explain what the coming processes would be and told me to call if I had any questions.  She's so adorable she said "I've been a nurse for 23 years (wait how in the hell did THAT happen) if I can't answer your medical questions by now I can find some one who can."

I'm fast running out of steam and this could get REALLY long so I'll finish it up tomorrow - sorry to leave you hanging but the ultimate result is that he'll eventually be ok.

HOORAY, a little late

I saw Dr. Ng on Tuesday.  My colonoscopy results were perfect.  I'm healing, a bit slowly, but healing.  I don't have to see her again for 7 years!  What a relief!  No ugly disease, no cancer only scar tissue.

Ugh

I've been nauseous that past 2 days.  Ok, I was a bit decadent last weekend but not that bad.  I'm trying to convince myself it's all in my head (or rather my stomach) and not that what ever is going on with my colon is acting up.

Please think positive thoughts.  The idea of having surgery again just terrifies me.  Not the surgery so much but the recovery.

Will update on the wonderful weekend when I'm feeling a wee bit better.

Oh goody

Another colonoscopy.  Yep, that's the word from Dr. Ng.  She offered me the option of a colonoscopy or a barium enema...  At least with the colonoscopy you get happy drugs.
Just waiting to hear from her office on scheduling.

In the meantime we're heading to the City Thursday to see Jersey Boys.  Then a slow trip Friday down the peninsula to Gilroy.  Garlic Capital of the World Gilroy where our niece, The Dancing Queen, is in her annual recital.  She's 15 and has been dancing since she was 3.  As a result we've sat through countless endless recitals because her dance school goes from 3 & 4 years olds to teens.  Oh the unending joy!  And every. fricking. recital. for the last 7 years has ended with the entire school singing and signing  "Proud to be an American".  Not that I'm not proud, but for God's sake enough is enough.  Time for a new song already.

GOOD NEWS and not so good news

I just heard from Dr. Fun about my PET/CT scan.  The good news is my bones are fine (what a relief!), the not so good news is that is shows something going on in my bowel.  She doesn't know if it's new or just a continuation of the inflammation that was a result of the rupture.  So she's faxing a copy of the results to Dr. Ng and I'll call her office tomorrow to see what she has to say.  Yes I know that's a confusing sentence but all my docs expect the surgeon are female.

Dr. Fun is repeating the PET/CT in 6 months just to verify things are still fine.  She fully expects them to be but wants to err on the side of caution.  I'll all for caution in medical situations!

So the sage continues...

Ya baby I've got it

I got my Bipap machine today.  At the company where I got it  they thought I was pretty funny because I was so excited.  They said most people aren't really excited to  have to get a machine.  I kept telling them that with only 2 hours on the machine at the sleep clinic I awoke more refreshed than I have in years!

In other news, I spent a few hours today in the quest for the perfect pair of pink pj's.  I'm volunteering at Jean's pj party next week, a fund raiser for the Breast Care Center, and the attire is pink pj's.  I got a lovely pair of hot pink Crocs to go with my pink polka dot pj's.

No Wonder I'm so fricking tired all the time

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd had a sleep study done.  I am a champion snorer, LR has been using earplugs for years.  After I had the breathing issue in ICU they asked me if I'd ever been tested for sleep apnea, no it had been suggested in the past.

I finally got around to getting it done.  You go to a sleep clinic where they wire you up to look like Frankenstein's wife then give you this nice relaxing room and sleep while they record a ton of different things.  You can bring your own pillow and something to read and even your teddy bear should you desire.  They let you sleep for a couple of hours to gage your normal sleep.  If you're having breathing episodes they try different masks hooked up to a cpap machine.  They woke me three different times to change masks and pressures on the machine.

I started off having 1 -2 episodes every minute, they hooked me up to cpap and it got better then hooked me up to bipap and it got even better.  Bipap has one pressure when you inhale and a different pressure when you exhale, cpap has both pressures the same.

The end result was with the bipap machine I had 2 solid hours of REM sleep.  Usually you cycle in and out of REM with 20 - 30 minutes of REM sleep at a time.  I'm currently getting little to no REM sleep.  Rem is the really deep restful sleep that your body needs to function.  As I said no wonder I'm so fricking tired all the time!

I should be getting my machine in a couple of days! YEAH.  I can't wait.  Even though I only got 2 hours of REM sleep at the sleep center I've never felt so rested in my life.

Mostly good news

I saw Dr. Serious yesterday.  The consensus is mostly what it's not - diverticulitis, colitis, Chrone's.  Since I'm slowly getting better she's leaning toward it being some sort of super infection.  There are 2 treatment options.  The first being do nothing, the second add some antibiotics.  She recommended the wait and watch option and I agreed.  One of the side effects if it is a super infection is that the infection could get worse - not going there, thank you.

I may or may not be able to eat some of the things I love, raw veggies for example, but you never know.  I'll continue on has I have been experimenting with a single food at a time to see if it works. 

At least I'm finally feeling better body and soul.  It seems as if it's taken forever.

Off to cook something I can eat!

Finally!!!!

Dr. Fun called this morning.  Apparently every radiologist in Sonoma Co has now looked at my cat scans.  The general consensus is that it's sort of suspicious but no one is willing to say it's not cancer at this point.  The scans from December are interpreted to look the same as the one I had in March so I'll have a Pet scan in June to see how things are doing.

Dr. Fun says the spots really don't look like cancer, more like someone took whiteout and put dots down my spine and on my hips.  Fortunately she doesn't sound really worried so I've elected to just chill about the whole thing until the Pet scan.

So that's where the bone issue stands.  Tomorrow I have an appt with Dr. Serious about the bowel issue.  I'm feeling better and able to eat much more variety than I have in the past few weeks with little or no problem.  It will be interesting to hear what she has to say.

Now in caring for others category a dear friend of mine referred her friend to my blog as she was recently diagnosed and will be starting chemo tomorrow.  Please keep her in your kind thoughts and prayers.