March 26, 2009

• A Slow Down?

  Surely things will slow down next week!!!  This has been a roller coaster of a week and has no potential of ending before next Monday!

  I'll highlight what went on yesterday, since Rissy has a 10:30am physical therapy appointment.

  1)    There was some confusion about what was to be done to me yesterday.  Some orders from the surgeon's office where not right.  It was finally straightened out and the two tests were ordered, as planned.

  2)     A gal brought out some barium liquid for about 5 of us to drink as we sat in the waiting room.  I heard two people moaning, one girl gagging and swearing she was about to throw up, and the lady across from me tried her best to drink the stuff but curled her lip after every swallow.  I asked her what made it so hard to drink and she just said, "It's the most vile stuff you could ever imagine."  I had cotton mouth from eating sausage (dumb) and not drinking for the past 4 hours.  I told her, "I'm so thirsty, it would have to be pretty bad for me not to drink it."  She assured me it was that bad.

       I went to the restroom before opening "my bottle" and while I was in there I prayed,   "You know, Lord, you turned water into wine and I believe you can do it again if I ask.  So, I'm asking you to turn this into something I can drink easily."  I went back to the waiting area, opened my bottle and, immediately, drank two cups of the stuff.  IT TASTED SO GOOD - I kid you not!!!  The woman across from me (the one drinking but curling her lip) looked at me in amazement.  It tasted like a berry flavored smoothie to me!

  3)     Next, I went to have an IV put in.  The stuck me 5 or 6 times (last year nursing students) before calling a "seasoned" nurse to help.  They DID say my being dehydrated had a lot to do with finding their way into my veins.  Apologies were profusely offered and I explained they hadn't hurt me at all.  We got the IV in , via the "seasoned" nurse, and they put the contrast into the IV site. 

  4)     I went to my chest and abdominal CT scan and again, found VERY nice people.  They allowed me to change my headcovering to one that I can lay on my back without smashing.  VERY PATIENT.   They told me what to expect and I heard the machine doing its thing.  A women came to me and said, "We're seeing something really strange in your abdomen."  (Yes!  I immediately felt fear and then prayed God would take it away.  He did.)  She asked me, "Do you have some sort of pins?"  I'm thinking, "Now who would have put pins in my abdomen - pins go in the bones, right?"  Suddenly, I remembered . . . On my first visit for the mammogram I must have worn the same dress and had clipped 2 safety pins inside my dress in case the skirt of the dress wouldn't stay up around my waist when the top of my dress was removed.  Sure enough - two safety pins were taken from my waist band in the dress!

  5)     I went from their back to the waiting room and read while I waited for the bone scan.  After almost an hour, I was called.  Super nice guy - I'd met him earlier when he took me back to have my IV inserted.  We went to the bone scan room, and I began to remove my headcovering to change into the other one.  He actually TURNED HIS HEAD, as if I were undressing, while I changed.  SUCH RESPCT from all of the hosptial personnel - amazing!!!  I told him my left knee was bothering me (usually when it rains) and asked if he'd mind paying special attention to that.  Not only did my knee look good, but everything looked fine.  He commented, "You back looks great for someone your age!"  I had to explain that I had been healed of a severe degenerative disc disease several years back.  I told him how my x-rays showed my spine collapsing, vertebrae on top of vertebrae and that I was send to a specialist.  That day, at orthopedic ward of this huge hospital, doctors scratched their heads and finally called in the head of the orthopedic wing to look at my new x-rays.  The head Orth. guy said he couldn't explain the difference and my spine was youthful for a person my age.  (I had had back problems for over a year and had been told I soon be in a wheel chair and most likely die by age 60!)  Yesterday's bone scan guy looked at my scan again and said I was a walking miracle.  Praise God!  I told him that was why I wasn't too worried about this cancer diagnosis.  I changed caps again and he turned away again. 

  6)     I got home and there had been a call from the state insurance people.  The woman had left a message and when I returned her call she was as nice as she could be.  I was approved for state insurance under a cancer grant (or something) and they would follow me all the way through including reconstructive surgery if I chose.  I've never been impressed with state insurance people, but this gal was WONDERFUL!

  7)     We've been looking for someone to care for my family and house while I'm down and Jesse's sister (JoAnn) called to say she would be able to come for a month.  She's done home health care for years, her best friend had a double mastectomy, AND I'm so very comfortable with her.  We only have to buy her ticket.  THEN, his borther (James) said he would come too if need be.  I thought, perhaps when I start chemo, he would be helpful if I have a nauseaus or tired couple of days.  I think chemo lasts about a month, too.  So, I have a call out to the surgeon's office to asked about dates and we will book Jesse's sister on a flight for sure.

  This was way longer than it needed to be and I'm not going to take the time to proof read or spell check.  Just wanted everyone to know how things went and that I'm doing well and God is continuing to open doors and carry me with no effort on my part.

  Today's To Do List:
  *  Rissy's appointment
  *  Grocery store (we're expecting snow this week end)
  *  Laundry

  That's about it.  I'll continue to make sense of junk piles as I find the time!

  Be Blessed  ~

  • 10:32 am
  • 9 Comments