I worked a half day today and spent the other half seeing my chemo doc, eating way too much and gambling at Pittsburgh's new casino.
Work went well. I wasn't too tired though I did wake up at 4:30 a.m. and tossed and turned until the alarm went off at 6:45 a.m. It was like the first day of school. Don't forget this..this..etc. I did forget my computer glasses. I need to put them by my keys tonight. Of course, I only worked until 1:30 p.m. so it wasn't a true test to see how tired I'd get. I was told by the director and a VP to not push it and to not set myself back. Tomorrow my goal is to work at least 6 hours. We'll see.
I ran home and took a quick shower to clean the wound and then left for Oakland and Magee-Women's Hospital. I hadn't seen Dr. L. since my last chemo on June 15th. He congratulated me on conquering the cancer. I still have radiation but that's just a follow-up. He noted that my left breast was significantly smaller (1 3/4 pounds smaller!) The cancer is gone from my body, hopefully forever. He said that this was a new lease on life and to not waste it.
I asked him what I could do to help ensure that it didn 't come back. He said a diet that was super low in fat. I asked him "Dean Ornish kind of super low fat?" He said "yes". I looked at his diet once. It's pretty hard and no fun at all. Maybe I can compromise a little. One of the diets that I was successful with (for the 6 months and 50 pounds lost) lets me eat potatoes and rice but no flour, fat, sugar or salt. I would make my own turkey sausage for breakfast and turkey chili for lunch. I would have to eat every 2 hours or so in strict amounts and kinds of food at certain times of the day. Typical menu would be:
Breakfast
2 0z turkey sausage
1/3 cup oatmeal (before cooking)
Mid-morning snack
2 oz chicken or turkey or fish
1/2 cup berries
Lunch
2 oz protein
1/2 cup carb (potato or rice)
salad
Mid-afternoon snack
2 oz chicken or turkey or fish
1 small apple
Dinner
2 oz protein
1/2 cup carb
salad
I can follow that and I know it works for me. It would also probably be a good diet to control diabetes. He also said that I needed to exercise. Treadmill and bicycle here I come!
I asked him about the chances of it coming back. He said that since my cancer was not caused by estrogen (Triple negative and HER-2 negative), if I were to go three years without a recurrence, the chances of it coming back after that would be low. He said we started the countdown on 7/20/2009. So my target date is 7/20/2012. There's going to be some kind of celebration on that day.
I can also dye my hair if and when I want and that would not affect anything. I'm to have a mammogram once a year (believe me, I will not give up again on those) and see him every three months for the next two years. I've been planning a thank-you gift for him. It's going to be a wooden box covered in stained glass mosaics. I'm still "creating it" in my head. I hope to have it completed for real by the next time I see him in November.
After the appointment, BDHA and I went to The Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. It opened on August 9th. I had heard a commercial where the buffet was 2 for 1 Mon-Thur. We joined the Player's club, played a few slots, had dinner (ate way too much...Dr. L would not be happy) and played a few more slots. I bet a total of $30 and walked out with $28.95. Not bad! I do not think I will ever eat again. I also will not weigh myself tomorrow as I don't want to see if I gained. I had been staying within a pound of 40-pounds lost (up one day, down another) and I don't want to get discouraged.
Well, it's 8:45 p.m. and I'm yawning like it's 1:00 a.m. Time to head upstairs to bed.
Good news today and good night peoples!
-Suesan
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
I did get the corrected release to return to work faxed to me. I forwarded it to HR. Let's hope that's all I need.
I made 10 lbs of potato salad this morning for the VFW picnic. It's my mother's recipe and is a variation of german potato salad. BDHA calls it potatoes in a bacon grease dressing. It's served warm to room temperature. It's pretty good as long as you don't eat too much of it. I'm sure your heart is protesting every bite while your tastebuds are loving it.
I'm also making dinner tomorrow night. A mexican dish from Rick Bayless's cookbook, MEXICAN KITCHEN. The dish is called Smoky Shredded Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Tomatoes. I've decided it's my turn to cook since BDHA has been doing it all for the past year. He left on a trip this morning and will return tomorrow afternoon. This dish is better when the ingredients have a chance to meld so I may make it tonight and reheat tomorrow. When I have an interest in cooking, I must be better!
If I have the energy I would also like to make some cookies tomorrow. The recipe makes about 5 dozen Oatmeal/Chocolate Chip cookies. I'd like to take some in to Dr. L's office on Monday for my appointment. I have an appointment on September 28th to get fitted for my prosthesis, bras and camisoles.
One of the questions that I want to ask Dr. L is when do you start counting yourself as a cancer survivor? Does it start the day you find out you have cancer (you've survived since then) or when you have the surgery to remove the cancer? I've read it both ways. My 1-year anniversary of finding the lump is 9/23. So am I a 1-year survivor on that date or on 7/20/2010 which would be 1 year since my surgery? The goal is to make it 5 years without it coming back. Your chances of being cancer-free the rest of your life would be pretty good.
One of my fitness goals is to get comfortable riding a bicycle. I used to have one that BDHA gave me for Christmas when we lived in Kingsville, TX. MFS was in "Sound of Music" at OLSH during his sophomore year and they used the bike as a prop. The musical was held at Robert Morris' theater as OLSH was being renovated. I never did get the bike back along with a few other props so I'm in need of one. I saw one I really liked, a Schwinn. It's pink and is called Roxie. Target has it in stock. I stopped at the Schwinn dealer in Coraopolis today and asked if he had the bike or could get it. He said he was no longer a Schwinn dealer and the sign was coming down soon. BDHA, I tried to shop local! Really!
The bikes he carries now are fairly expensive, in the $300-$400 range for serious bike riders. The Roxie is $150.00. If I could do it, I'd like to ride the bike on the Montour Trail with Mr. Whacko on a leash. I would have to be pretty comfortable in riding a bike before I could handle both the bike and the dog. I could wear him out on the days BDHA was out of town and couldn't take him on a walk.
Well, it's time to feed Mr. Whacko. He's been pretty patient with me. That's because I bought him a new chew toy today. Gumby! Then I think I might go to 4th Avenue Grill for an appetizer in place of dinner. MFD works there once in a while to help out. She's there tonight. They have these handmade potato chips. They're really good but the cook hates to make them. I warned her to warn him.
Go STEELERS!
-Suesan
I made 10 lbs of potato salad this morning for the VFW picnic. It's my mother's recipe and is a variation of german potato salad. BDHA calls it potatoes in a bacon grease dressing. It's served warm to room temperature. It's pretty good as long as you don't eat too much of it. I'm sure your heart is protesting every bite while your tastebuds are loving it.
I'm also making dinner tomorrow night. A mexican dish from Rick Bayless's cookbook, MEXICAN KITCHEN. The dish is called Smoky Shredded Chicken and Potatoes with Roasted Tomatoes. I've decided it's my turn to cook since BDHA has been doing it all for the past year. He left on a trip this morning and will return tomorrow afternoon. This dish is better when the ingredients have a chance to meld so I may make it tonight and reheat tomorrow. When I have an interest in cooking, I must be better!
If I have the energy I would also like to make some cookies tomorrow. The recipe makes about 5 dozen Oatmeal/Chocolate Chip cookies. I'd like to take some in to Dr. L's office on Monday for my appointment. I have an appointment on September 28th to get fitted for my prosthesis, bras and camisoles.
One of the questions that I want to ask Dr. L is when do you start counting yourself as a cancer survivor? Does it start the day you find out you have cancer (you've survived since then) or when you have the surgery to remove the cancer? I've read it both ways. My 1-year anniversary of finding the lump is 9/23. So am I a 1-year survivor on that date or on 7/20/2010 which would be 1 year since my surgery? The goal is to make it 5 years without it coming back. Your chances of being cancer-free the rest of your life would be pretty good.
One of my fitness goals is to get comfortable riding a bicycle. I used to have one that BDHA gave me for Christmas when we lived in Kingsville, TX. MFS was in "Sound of Music" at OLSH during his sophomore year and they used the bike as a prop. The musical was held at Robert Morris' theater as OLSH was being renovated. I never did get the bike back along with a few other props so I'm in need of one. I saw one I really liked, a Schwinn. It's pink and is called Roxie. Target has it in stock. I stopped at the Schwinn dealer in Coraopolis today and asked if he had the bike or could get it. He said he was no longer a Schwinn dealer and the sign was coming down soon. BDHA, I tried to shop local! Really!
The bikes he carries now are fairly expensive, in the $300-$400 range for serious bike riders. The Roxie is $150.00. If I could do it, I'd like to ride the bike on the Montour Trail with Mr. Whacko on a leash. I would have to be pretty comfortable in riding a bike before I could handle both the bike and the dog. I could wear him out on the days BDHA was out of town and couldn't take him on a walk.
Well, it's time to feed Mr. Whacko. He's been pretty patient with me. That's because I bought him a new chew toy today. Gumby! Then I think I might go to 4th Avenue Grill for an appetizer in place of dinner. MFD works there once in a while to help out. She's there tonight. They have these handmade potato chips. They're really good but the cook hates to make them. I warned her to warn him.
Go STEELERS!
-Suesan
Friday, August 28, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
I finally received the fax from DR. B with the authorization to return to work....only he put the date 9/30/2009 instead of 8/31/2009. I called and they're going to refax. Hopefully it won't take too long.
Yesterday I spent a few hours at Barnes & Noble. They now have free wi-fi if anyone cares. I find that place peaceful. Besides they have the best unsweetened black iced tea, along with Starbucks. I used to work at this particular Barnes & Noble and helped them set up the store when they first opened in 1997. We had Starbucks come in and give us a lecture on coffee. We had to watch a film about how it was harvested, roasted, etc. After being on our feet for hours that day, lifiting and moving boxes filled with books, the film put everyone to sleep.
The rep then went around to each of us and asked us what we liked about coffee and to name our favorite book. Anyone who knows me, knows I can be very cranky...especially when I feel my time is being wasted. When she got to me, I said "I've never had coffee, I will never have coffee and you can't make me have coffee. Other than that, I do like it's smell. My favorite book is "The Last Temptation of Christ". She moved on pretty quickly after that....and I've still never had coffee. I worked there to feed my reading habit. When all was said and done, I think I spent more than I earned. I did go back to work the holiday season a few years ago while working full time. I guess I'm older than I thought cause after awhile I couldn't handle working 40+ hours a week at my regular job then on my feet on Saturday and Sunday at the store. I still had a good time though. I could sit in that place for hours.
I did get the first disk of Season 1 for NCIS yesterday. There were 4 episodes. Two I had already seen so I skipped over those. It's going back today. Gotta get my money's worth out of Netflix by getting/sending back as quickly as possible.
On my way home from B&N yesterday, I stopped in at the Moon building of work. We have three buildings in the Pittsburgh area. Two in Hopewell, where I work, and one in Moon which is really close to home. That's where HR is located and also my old boss in Risk Management. She just moved from the Hopewell building to Moon. I hadn't seen her since before the surgery. I also got to see a few others I used to talk to all the time before they moved. One was even kind enough to notice that I had lost weight. I hadn't seen her in about 8 months though we had communicated by email.
Today is my last week day before I go back to work. What to do...what to do...laundry...cleaning...naaah. Reading, I think.
-Suesan
Yesterday I spent a few hours at Barnes & Noble. They now have free wi-fi if anyone cares. I find that place peaceful. Besides they have the best unsweetened black iced tea, along with Starbucks. I used to work at this particular Barnes & Noble and helped them set up the store when they first opened in 1997. We had Starbucks come in and give us a lecture on coffee. We had to watch a film about how it was harvested, roasted, etc. After being on our feet for hours that day, lifiting and moving boxes filled with books, the film put everyone to sleep.
The rep then went around to each of us and asked us what we liked about coffee and to name our favorite book. Anyone who knows me, knows I can be very cranky...especially when I feel my time is being wasted. When she got to me, I said "I've never had coffee, I will never have coffee and you can't make me have coffee. Other than that, I do like it's smell. My favorite book is "The Last Temptation of Christ". She moved on pretty quickly after that....and I've still never had coffee. I worked there to feed my reading habit. When all was said and done, I think I spent more than I earned. I did go back to work the holiday season a few years ago while working full time. I guess I'm older than I thought cause after awhile I couldn't handle working 40+ hours a week at my regular job then on my feet on Saturday and Sunday at the store. I still had a good time though. I could sit in that place for hours.
I did get the first disk of Season 1 for NCIS yesterday. There were 4 episodes. Two I had already seen so I skipped over those. It's going back today. Gotta get my money's worth out of Netflix by getting/sending back as quickly as possible.
On my way home from B&N yesterday, I stopped in at the Moon building of work. We have three buildings in the Pittsburgh area. Two in Hopewell, where I work, and one in Moon which is really close to home. That's where HR is located and also my old boss in Risk Management. She just moved from the Hopewell building to Moon. I hadn't seen her since before the surgery. I also got to see a few others I used to talk to all the time before they moved. One was even kind enough to notice that I had lost weight. I hadn't seen her in about 8 months though we had communicated by email.
Today is my last week day before I go back to work. What to do...what to do...laundry...cleaning...naaah. Reading, I think.
-Suesan
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Wednesday/Thursday
I'm hooked on reruns of "NCIS". USA runs a marathon every few days and I get sucked in and am unable to accomplish anything else. Another reason I need to go back to work. I even ordered Season 1 from Netflix. It should arrive here tomorrow. Another day wasted.
I found out from HR today that I have to have a "release to work" form signed by my doctor before I start back to work. I had no clue. Hopefully they can fax me the form tomorrow and I can get it to my PCP tomorrow. Then he'll need to fax it to me by Friday so that I can get it to HR by Monday morning. Paperwork!
It's after midnight and "You Only Live Twice" is on. Time to turn off the tv before I get sucked into that.
My wound seems to be healing slowly. My arm still hurts and I have a hard time falling asleep. I can't get comfortable. It also feels like a vise is strapped around my side. Dr. Z said that that feeling should go away with time. If I'm doing something, it doesn't bother me at all; I don't even notice it. It's when I'm trying to relax that it flares up. Oh well. This too shall pass.
Since I don't want to sleep half the day away tomorrow, I'd best get myself to bed.
Good night all!
-Suesan
I found out from HR today that I have to have a "release to work" form signed by my doctor before I start back to work. I had no clue. Hopefully they can fax me the form tomorrow and I can get it to my PCP tomorrow. Then he'll need to fax it to me by Friday so that I can get it to HR by Monday morning. Paperwork!
It's after midnight and "You Only Live Twice" is on. Time to turn off the tv before I get sucked into that.
My wound seems to be healing slowly. My arm still hurts and I have a hard time falling asleep. I can't get comfortable. It also feels like a vise is strapped around my side. Dr. Z said that that feeling should go away with time. If I'm doing something, it doesn't bother me at all; I don't even notice it. It's when I'm trying to relax that it flares up. Oh well. This too shall pass.
Since I don't want to sleep half the day away tomorrow, I'd best get myself to bed.
Good night all!
-Suesan
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Countdown to "W" day...
Only 9 more days before I head back to work. I want to go back but then again I've been enjoying the time off. That is when I wasn't in pain, gunk oozing down my side, curing infections and an arm that no longer wants to work.
I saw Dr. Z yesterday. He said the healing was coming along nicely. He said to keep changing the dressing and adding the cream every 12 hours. He said wounds like that heal faster if they're moist which is why he's having me use the cream instead of a saline solution. He said the saline would dry out and require a change every 2 hours. The cream pretty much stays wet all the time.
He was surprised that I was driving and cautioned me to remember that I didn't have full movement in my right arm. I know this and have alawys been one to drive before I was supposed to (2 C-sections).
I'm not to see him for another 2 weeks. He's out of the office next week. I forgot to ask him where he was going, if anywhere. I had a bunch of appointments to make plus I wanted to get to work by 1:00 p.m. for a training class, if possible, so I was in a hurry.
I have an appointment on the 23rd of September to get fitted for a compression sleeve. I would need this in case I wanted to fly and also in case I ever came down with lymphedema. The insurance should cover this. I had looked online and there were many to choose from. I'm glad I asked my friend, R, in Chicago who has already taken this journey before me. She's given me some good suggestions. She said that I would want to get a prescription for one and not buy one off the web as they don't fit as well nor last as long. Thanks R!.
I also have to make an appointment to get fitted for a prosthesis. It's funny how bras won't fit you right if one of the pockets is empty. That part tends to ride up and shows at the neckline. It's most annoying. The clinical coordinator at Dr. Z's office said that the insurance should pay for that also. They're going to try for the full line of bras, camisoles and prosthesis. I did buy some bras last week. I've gone down one chest size. I've lost 40 pounds since January. We know that 1.75 pounds of it was boob. I've also gone down a couple of cup sizes. The plastic surgeon said I was now a full "B" and maybe a "C". The bra I bought was a "B" and it's still a little poofy but I'm wearing it.
I had a scare a few weeks ago and didn't tell anyone till yesterday when I told BDHA. I received an Explanation of Benefits from the insurance company and it said that since I did not get prior approval, I would have to pay for the surgeries on my own. Talk about an immediate stomach ache. I called my nurse caseworker at BCBS and left her a voice mail. I said, "we talked about the surgeries before they happened and after. It was in the system. I would have assumed it was approved. Please let me know what's going on. "
She finally called me back yesterday to see how I was doing and I asked her about it. She said she remembered getting my message but the system said everything was taken care of. She said the hospital probably sent in the wrong "CODE" which is why I got that message. Whew! Talk about heart failure!
I left Dr. Z's office at Magee at 12:32 p.m. I made it to work in the Hopewell Industrial Park, found a parking space and made it to the training room by 1:02 p.m. I think I went over the speed limit a little....(for those who don't know, if you follow posted speeds, it's probably a 45-minute drive). They didn't know I was coming so it was a surprise. I also spent a few hours moving my stuff from one cubicle to another. I took my time and made more trips so that I wouldn't lift anything too heavy. I want to say "hi" to Sarah here who was in the training room. I didn't get a chance to say hi to her then.
I will work a half day on my first day back, the 31st, because I have a follow-up appointment with Dr. L, my medical oncologist. He wanted to see me about a month after surgery and he'd been on vacation the past two weeks. I haven't seen him since my last chemo which was June 15th. I have lots of questions for him, such as diet (recommend a good nutritionist), chances of cancer coming back, what can I do to lower those chances and the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION of all. "WHEN CAN I DYE MY HAIR?!" If he says never, I can live with that. However, BDHA will have to promise to only mention once a year, on my birthday, how gray I am, if I can't dye it anymore.
Speaking of hair, it's now about an inch long and covers my entire head. No more hats unless I'm out in the sun. I also discovered that I have enough eyelashes to wear mascara. I've started at least wearing that and earrings. Earrings? I hadn't worn any since my hospital stay in April. You have to understand that I would go without make-up before I went out without earrings. I didn't even wear any to MFD's wedding because I was just too tired to decide which pair and to put them on. That's pretty darned tired. Mostly mentally exhausted. I'm starting to feel like my old self again and am pushing myself a little further each day so that I won't be exhausted going back to work.
I bought myself a netbook (teeny laptop) the other day. It's nice to be able to sit out on the back patio and surf the web or take it to the library with me and research books. It weighs hardly anything. I took the sd card out of my digital camera and copied the pictures to the computer. Below are a few for your viewing pleasure. One of these days I'll get the hang on posting them.
What a lovely bunch of coco...
errrr..homegrown tomatoes!
He really does sleep...we call this
"recharging the lasers".
I saw Dr. Z yesterday. He said the healing was coming along nicely. He said to keep changing the dressing and adding the cream every 12 hours. He said wounds like that heal faster if they're moist which is why he's having me use the cream instead of a saline solution. He said the saline would dry out and require a change every 2 hours. The cream pretty much stays wet all the time.
He was surprised that I was driving and cautioned me to remember that I didn't have full movement in my right arm. I know this and have alawys been one to drive before I was supposed to (2 C-sections).
I'm not to see him for another 2 weeks. He's out of the office next week. I forgot to ask him where he was going, if anywhere. I had a bunch of appointments to make plus I wanted to get to work by 1:00 p.m. for a training class, if possible, so I was in a hurry.
I have an appointment on the 23rd of September to get fitted for a compression sleeve. I would need this in case I wanted to fly and also in case I ever came down with lymphedema. The insurance should cover this. I had looked online and there were many to choose from. I'm glad I asked my friend, R, in Chicago who has already taken this journey before me. She's given me some good suggestions. She said that I would want to get a prescription for one and not buy one off the web as they don't fit as well nor last as long. Thanks R!.
I also have to make an appointment to get fitted for a prosthesis. It's funny how bras won't fit you right if one of the pockets is empty. That part tends to ride up and shows at the neckline. It's most annoying. The clinical coordinator at Dr. Z's office said that the insurance should pay for that also. They're going to try for the full line of bras, camisoles and prosthesis. I did buy some bras last week. I've gone down one chest size. I've lost 40 pounds since January. We know that 1.75 pounds of it was boob. I've also gone down a couple of cup sizes. The plastic surgeon said I was now a full "B" and maybe a "C". The bra I bought was a "B" and it's still a little poofy but I'm wearing it.
I had a scare a few weeks ago and didn't tell anyone till yesterday when I told BDHA. I received an Explanation of Benefits from the insurance company and it said that since I did not get prior approval, I would have to pay for the surgeries on my own. Talk about an immediate stomach ache. I called my nurse caseworker at BCBS and left her a voice mail. I said, "we talked about the surgeries before they happened and after. It was in the system. I would have assumed it was approved. Please let me know what's going on. "
She finally called me back yesterday to see how I was doing and I asked her about it. She said she remembered getting my message but the system said everything was taken care of. She said the hospital probably sent in the wrong "CODE" which is why I got that message. Whew! Talk about heart failure!
I left Dr. Z's office at Magee at 12:32 p.m. I made it to work in the Hopewell Industrial Park, found a parking space and made it to the training room by 1:02 p.m. I think I went over the speed limit a little....(for those who don't know, if you follow posted speeds, it's probably a 45-minute drive). They didn't know I was coming so it was a surprise. I also spent a few hours moving my stuff from one cubicle to another. I took my time and made more trips so that I wouldn't lift anything too heavy. I want to say "hi" to Sarah here who was in the training room. I didn't get a chance to say hi to her then.
I will work a half day on my first day back, the 31st, because I have a follow-up appointment with Dr. L, my medical oncologist. He wanted to see me about a month after surgery and he'd been on vacation the past two weeks. I haven't seen him since my last chemo which was June 15th. I have lots of questions for him, such as diet (recommend a good nutritionist), chances of cancer coming back, what can I do to lower those chances and the MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION of all. "WHEN CAN I DYE MY HAIR?!" If he says never, I can live with that. However, BDHA will have to promise to only mention once a year, on my birthday, how gray I am, if I can't dye it anymore.
Speaking of hair, it's now about an inch long and covers my entire head. No more hats unless I'm out in the sun. I also discovered that I have enough eyelashes to wear mascara. I've started at least wearing that and earrings. Earrings? I hadn't worn any since my hospital stay in April. You have to understand that I would go without make-up before I went out without earrings. I didn't even wear any to MFD's wedding because I was just too tired to decide which pair and to put them on. That's pretty darned tired. Mostly mentally exhausted. I'm starting to feel like my old self again and am pushing myself a little further each day so that I won't be exhausted going back to work.
I bought myself a netbook (teeny laptop) the other day. It's nice to be able to sit out on the back patio and surf the web or take it to the library with me and research books. It weighs hardly anything. I took the sd card out of my digital camera and copied the pictures to the computer. Below are a few for your viewing pleasure. One of these days I'll get the hang on posting them.
What a lovely bunch of coco...errrr..homegrown tomatoes!
He really does sleep...we call this
"recharging the lasers".
MFS & MFD at Phipps on Mother's Day a few years ago.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
I saw Dr. Z today. He ended up cutting off the dead skin around the triangular-shaped wound under my arm. I didn't feel any pain but I could feel the scissors snipping away. It was a strange icky feeling. There was blood but I didn't know that until he took the bandages to throw away.
He gave me another three days' worth of antibiotics (total of 10) and also a prescription for an antibiotic cream that I'm supposed to smear on the area twice a day and cover with a gauze. It's a huge tub of cream. Hope I get my money's worth. He said to me "This will end". I said "You promise?" The nurse replied "We don't make promises". Arrgh. I have another appointment next Friday. He should just put me on his schedule automatically.
BDHA and MFD and Kristin (friend of MFD) are hosting a hash on Sunday. To be exact, the Pittsburgh Hash House Harriers (http://www.pgh-h3.com/). It's an international beer drinking club with a running problem. The "hare" lays the trail using flour. They mark false trails and the real trail. The others (harriers) try to follow the trail and not get lost or go too long on the false trail. They have a beer stop every mile or so. Then there is an "apres" party at the host's house or a designated bar. This time it's at our house. They do this all over Pittsburgh at least once a week. They also do it on full moons and holidays. Many of the members are professionals (lawyers, doctors) and they do this to blow off steam. You have to earn your nickname. BDHA is Mr. Balltapper, MFD is Gooey Decimal and Kristin is Hot Soxx. I have no desire to join this group. I just make sure there's enough food when it's our turn. All I have to do is make an eggplant pasta dish. The rest is up to the other three.
Hopefully Mr. Whacko will take this in stride. He's funny in that he barks all mean at the first 4-5 people who come in but after that he either loses interest or that there are so many people (30-40) that he loses track of who is new. He also suffers from doggy dementia. The people will come in between 2-2:30 and then leave to run the trail. They'll come back a few hours later and he'll have forgotten they were there before and will start all over again. He even does that when we have guests. He'll leave the room and when he comes back in, he runs at them, barking "Where the heck did you come from?!" even though they hadn't moved off the couch and he was out of the room less than 5 minutes.
Below is a picture of Mr. Whacko being my best buddy when BDHA is out of town. Otherwise, I don't exist.
He gave me another three days' worth of antibiotics (total of 10) and also a prescription for an antibiotic cream that I'm supposed to smear on the area twice a day and cover with a gauze. It's a huge tub of cream. Hope I get my money's worth. He said to me "This will end". I said "You promise?" The nurse replied "We don't make promises". Arrgh. I have another appointment next Friday. He should just put me on his schedule automatically.
BDHA and MFD and Kristin (friend of MFD) are hosting a hash on Sunday. To be exact, the Pittsburgh Hash House Harriers (http://www.pgh-h3.com/). It's an international beer drinking club with a running problem. The "hare" lays the trail using flour. They mark false trails and the real trail. The others (harriers) try to follow the trail and not get lost or go too long on the false trail. They have a beer stop every mile or so. Then there is an "apres" party at the host's house or a designated bar. This time it's at our house. They do this all over Pittsburgh at least once a week. They also do it on full moons and holidays. Many of the members are professionals (lawyers, doctors) and they do this to blow off steam. You have to earn your nickname. BDHA is Mr. Balltapper, MFD is Gooey Decimal and Kristin is Hot Soxx. I have no desire to join this group. I just make sure there's enough food when it's our turn. All I have to do is make an eggplant pasta dish. The rest is up to the other three.
Hopefully Mr. Whacko will take this in stride. He's funny in that he barks all mean at the first 4-5 people who come in but after that he either loses interest or that there are so many people (30-40) that he loses track of who is new. He also suffers from doggy dementia. The people will come in between 2-2:30 and then leave to run the trail. They'll come back a few hours later and he'll have forgotten they were there before and will start all over again. He even does that when we have guests. He'll leave the room and when he comes back in, he runs at them, barking "Where the heck did you come from?!" even though they hadn't moved off the couch and he was out of the room less than 5 minutes.
Below is a picture of Mr. Whacko being my best buddy when BDHA is out of town. Otherwise, I don't exist.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
I came into the Sewickley Library this morning to request some books and decided to post here. Of course, this is the SECOND post I've started. The library lost power for a few minutes and I lost everything I had previously typed.
Dr. Z called me on Tuesday to tell me that the lab culture showed a staph infection in my arm. He said that the antibiotic I was on was "sensitive" to that strain and it should work fine. I haven't had a fever since the weekend and the red part on my arm is getting smaller. It seems to be draining from underneath my arm (arm pit) and not where the drains were. There is a small hard section underneath my arm and I'm hoping that if it needs to be drained, I don't feel it. It's still pretty numb in that area.
I've been spending the last few days sitting with a towel wrapped around my side letting it drain. It's too annoying to keep changing dressings, bras and shirts as they get soaked. I put a dressing on myself this morning to make it to the library and we'll see how long it lasts.
I have another appointment with him tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. MFD is taking me downtown. He'll probably prescribe another round of antibiotics as it's still red. This has got to be the most annoying part yet. I'm hoping that I'm done draining by the 31st as that's the day I want to go back to work. If it's still draining, I'll have to postpone. It wouldn't be any fun to be at work with that mess.
I tried to upload a picture of Mr. Whacko (my best buddy when BDHA is out of town) but it's taking forever to come through. Maybe from home later.
-Suesan
Dr. Z called me on Tuesday to tell me that the lab culture showed a staph infection in my arm. He said that the antibiotic I was on was "sensitive" to that strain and it should work fine. I haven't had a fever since the weekend and the red part on my arm is getting smaller. It seems to be draining from underneath my arm (arm pit) and not where the drains were. There is a small hard section underneath my arm and I'm hoping that if it needs to be drained, I don't feel it. It's still pretty numb in that area.
I've been spending the last few days sitting with a towel wrapped around my side letting it drain. It's too annoying to keep changing dressings, bras and shirts as they get soaked. I put a dressing on myself this morning to make it to the library and we'll see how long it lasts.
I have another appointment with him tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. MFD is taking me downtown. He'll probably prescribe another round of antibiotics as it's still red. This has got to be the most annoying part yet. I'm hoping that I'm done draining by the 31st as that's the day I want to go back to work. If it's still draining, I'll have to postpone. It wouldn't be any fun to be at work with that mess.
I tried to upload a picture of Mr. Whacko (my best buddy when BDHA is out of town) but it's taking forever to come through. Maybe from home later.
-Suesan
Friday, August 7, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
When I woke up this morning, my temp was 98.7. Not too bad.
BDHA and I went down to Dr. Z's office. I do have an infection in my arm. It was red and swollen. He ended up taking out the drains because he said foreign objects and infections don't get along. It was surprising but I didn't feel a thing when he pulled them out. I was all prepared for massive pain because they hurt in the hospital jabbing me when I moved wrong. It was a nice surprise.
He took a swab for the lab to check on the infection. He also gave me an antibiotic. BDHA and I will go later to get it filled. He put a bandage over the incisions. Just need to change them once a day. He said to call if it gets worse. I have an appointment for next Friday. I'm glad I no longer have the drains, I just hope it doesn't cause more problems as I was still draining a lot.
We stopped for lunch at Jimmy Tsangs on Centre Avenue. It's a Korean restaurant. You get quite a lot of food for less than $7. We also stopped at Trader Joe's. Don't tell MFD but I picked up some chocolate cat cookies (chocolate cookies in shape of kittehs). She'll come steal them all.
I feel much better today. Let's hope that the antibiotic takes care of the infection and there aren't any other complications.
-Suesan
BDHA and I went down to Dr. Z's office. I do have an infection in my arm. It was red and swollen. He ended up taking out the drains because he said foreign objects and infections don't get along. It was surprising but I didn't feel a thing when he pulled them out. I was all prepared for massive pain because they hurt in the hospital jabbing me when I moved wrong. It was a nice surprise.
He took a swab for the lab to check on the infection. He also gave me an antibiotic. BDHA and I will go later to get it filled. He put a bandage over the incisions. Just need to change them once a day. He said to call if it gets worse. I have an appointment for next Friday. I'm glad I no longer have the drains, I just hope it doesn't cause more problems as I was still draining a lot.
We stopped for lunch at Jimmy Tsangs on Centre Avenue. It's a Korean restaurant. You get quite a lot of food for less than $7. We also stopped at Trader Joe's. Don't tell MFD but I picked up some chocolate cat cookies (chocolate cookies in shape of kittehs). She'll come steal them all.
I feel much better today. Let's hope that the antibiotic takes care of the infection and there aren't any other complications.
-Suesan
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Setback
I've had a setback. Yesterday afternoon my throat started feeling gunkier than usual (allergies). I also had a cough. Last night I had a temp of 99.9. This morning at 6:00 a.m. it was 101.4. my usual morning temp is 97.something. I just checked it now at noon and it's over 102. Unfortunately I have no way of getting to the doctor. I'd try to drive myself but the only car available is MFS's and I can't get into/out of it. I have an appointment tomorrow morning at 10:15 a.m. BDHA comes in tonight around 7:00 p.m. I'll take Tylenol and it will have to wait until then. I started taking Advair last night and this morning and the cough isn't as bad.
One of the drains has also started to pull out of my body. I see the white perforated part sticking out about an inch. The bulbs keep suction as long as I keep my arm tight to my body. Otherwise it drips down my side. I have a towel placed there for now.
Why can't this be easy?
-Suesan
One of the drains has also started to pull out of my body. I see the white perforated part sticking out about an inch. The bulbs keep suction as long as I keep my arm tight to my body. Otherwise it drips down my side. I have a towel placed there for now.
Why can't this be easy?
-Suesan
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