What is it?

What is it?

Today we went on a short outing, of course in my scooter. One guess at the grocery store was that I hurt my wrist and it was by a person who is NOT at all medically savvy, another neighbor I bumped into. Who appears to be perturbed by whatever you tell her that whatever anything is medically is actually, like any illness is your fault. (This is just my theory by her body-facial expressions and language, but I am not that smart…)
Any-who, the reaction was that it did become a conversation piece with many people especially while in the produce department, and I was in my glory explaining but also discussing veggies my pet love too.
I feel, as many may know being the center of attraction/attention is a lost art to us of the obese disabled persuasion. Used to be a pretty nice perk for my slimmer healthier me…
At the register a manager helped to pack our groceries and asked and I found out that her 33 year old daughter had been diagnosed two years ago with MS and so we chatted and I was able to hook her up with some other organizations to help her, I so do love to do that even though she did mention that her daughter was fortunate to have great insurance through her husband's work...Any-way, back to what the heck is that strange thing on my arm, some may have guessed, but let me tell you for a definitive answer it is a sock to hide the real not so beautiful items below…

yep, my IV infusion system set up. Many who have gone through chemo have had such things installed too, but a different location, chests and stomachs usually, not as obvious.
And so many with unrestrained curiosity did ask which I truly did love; remember us illies, another Tobi-ism, love being asked instead of being stared at, which is interpreted as just plain rude by most of us.

When we arrived home we seemed to have some more action going on here, six patrol cars, yes Sheriff Office cars were across the street from my home!
It turns out that there was a theft of someone’s cash rental money and drugs were involved and a car was confiscated and two women were put into handcuffs. We only know why due to Hubby’s diligence in asking a young corporal what was going on, at first he said that they were cleaning up the neighborhood, great but a bit too much of TV cop shows me thinks in his diet, anyway Hubby got down to brass tacks and asked him for more details and that is when he said the rest. See you gotta ask…
Here’s the PICS of that incident, scary when its so close…

That’s it for tonight, and I hope I gained a bit of your attention…
Now keep informed and aware and love thy neighbor, but watch out for the thieves and possible druggies in that same neighborhood, and take it all back too, as the young deputy said…
Be happy, be careful, be well and share all your blessings and peace to you and yours…


And I would be amiss not to ask you kindly to be here next time or be square, OK?

In case anyone is interested…

Today, the Matrix arrived around ten A.M.; yep that’s the name of the nurse’s homecare company, kinda rolls off your lips with an ooze of déjà vu, a where did I hear that name before? Kidding!
Well, nothing of that went on here this morning.
Although, I must admit our RN, registered nurse for those not in the know, kept telling me how she was hyper active and had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD, but you all knew that. I said than she must be a multi tasker, and she admitted that she does get distracted easily, oh well…
She took a few minutes debating with herself on which side the IV for the 1000 MG Solumedrol infusion should go, and she kept saying since she was right handed that she felt for ease of delivery that it should be put in my right side. Only problem was and I did tell her that I too was right handed and that she was only there to install it and that I would be taking over for the next two days. And so it is now where I can do it for myself on my left side on my wrist. You see last August that was how we did it.
But this was a subcontractor nurse; mine from last summer was on vacation this week, and I did like her. Don’t get me wrong this one too was quite capable and likeable as well, and mentioned to call if I needed anything; even just questions answered.

Before we got started I took a couple of glucose levels, one was rather high at 152, but I had had oatmeal with brown sugar for breakfast, one of those prepackaged jobbies, and it was not two hours after that, and so I took it just before the infusion and it was 104, manageable and normal by many standards.
It took about an hour for the meds IV infusion to go in, and not until around four-ish did I feel anything different from my several days of weird unrelenting numbies, shockies and pain; this was a distant familiarity of warmth and fullness in my head and the side of my neck.
For the heck of it I took my glucose again and sure enough it had risen to 251, and thankfully, we did have the insulin in the frig. I was not sure of the loading process into the syringe. The other nurse did set that up for me last year and so now I would have to have Hubby read the instructions since I was insistent on doing it myself, and so I loaded it to the 4 number. You see, it was only one increment higher for the next larger dose and I felt to err on the theory that less is better since you can always go more but not take away what you already did, got that?
Any-who, I had recalled that last time the nurse waited a half an hour last year to check it again, last year is when it went all the way that time to 323, and so I waited about a half an hour for a re-check, like she did.
By four thirty it went up a bit to 252.
I got concerned but not enough to call anyone and resigned myself to wait another half hour and take it again, and that helped since by five it was going in the right direction to 181!
Hubby was out picking up dinner, since we were out of everything and we decided to hold off on the grocery shopping till perhaps tomorrow.
Now by the rules of this diabetic checking game, if I got it correct I am only a part-time participator due to steroids installation yearly so it appears, one is to wait two hour after meals to check the numbers again, correct?
To be honest I had been given a booklet when this all started two years ago in the hospital back in April of 2009.

Wow, I have been sitting here about a half an hour, could the steroids be working already?
The pain and other explained above sensations are sporadic and still come and go but with a bit longer gaps.
One can only hope that perhaps I got lucky and relief will be soon forthcoming.

Sadly while reading some literature on the Solumedrol I did find a literal source of my humungous increase in size over these last few years … my cure.
Another anomaly in the obesity wars; if you do not take it many of the deficits that are created with the exacerbation will endure, although they could anyway with it, what would you do?
Last summer I took this same cure for my optic neuritis and sadly it did not work, as many of you know I am legally blond in my right eye, oops that should be legally blind in my right eye!

As the saying goes if you laugh than you won’t cry, or is it I laughed so I wouldn’t cry or some such silly idiom or idiot?

Any-how, so far I did get that bubble out of the insulin syringe, I think…
Gosh that was nearly three hours ago, if I didn’t would I still be here?
Who knows and that is why we must all think positive thoughts and try new things like being your own advocate and doing everything for yourself to get a head in life!
Uh oh, am I babbling?
Is that a symptom of air in your line?
Nah… I always babble and so there you go!
I’m Okay; are you?

On that wild and severe trying of lightening your load and mine with silliness please dear friends be here or be square and count all those blessings and share the extra ones… And take care; be well and peace to you and all of yours too!

Just remember we can do this together!
What, you ask?
Oops, I forgot, but you know, right?

Night, night sleep tight and don’t let anything bite that is unless you want them too…ha you get the idea… nah I am fine don’t worry…or not!

Cure?

Temporary; till next time...
This evening they delivered my infusion equipment and medicine, 1000 MG of Solu Medrol, enough for three days and ten insulin shots; sure hope I don’t need all of those!
I also have more this and that’s that won’t get used but I was informed I was charged for them whether I use them or not; not unlike last years supplies which I still have quite a few left of too.
An ‘aha’ went off in my overly sleep deprived brain that they, that is whatever is left and last years extra supplies can be dropped off at the local Red Cross office for use for the tornado or flood victims. They should take them right? Hope so, don’t know unless you try, right?
By the time this is all done with on Friday, since the nurse is not coming until tomorrow, yep that’s right one more sleepless night… And gosh I was doing so well I have had all of six hours of sleep since Friday; or was that Thursday?
You see, although I called the doc first thing this morning 8:30 ish when her office opened, SHE/ her nurse did not send the FAX to order everything until 2 P.M., what can I say, for neurologists her price is right…Huh? But seriously I am between a rock and hard place; most neuros want your first born for payment and since mine is well grown into manhood at nearly forty (next year), I doubt if he would be a willing participant to be bartered with, nah…definitely NOT!

To the good the pharmacist at Walgreen’s Option Care did make it happen within very little time, you see they were also short on nursing staff, but they used a service for a few bucks more but the meds were less so now I am actually $51.28 less than last year, amazing and what a bargain… for this?
I rather have diner and a movie or go dancing or more like a short weekend cruise to an exotic place, yep it’s still $373.72 compared to $425!
But we live in an exotic place and it’s still too hot for me to even to go into my own backyard!

Well, see I still got it, got what you ask?
The power to complain…but of course!

On that ridiculous follow-up to my life on how it really is…
you asked, oh no you didn't!
Have some sweet dreams for me, since I won’t get any, sleep that is!
Night, night sleep tight don’t let the bedbugs bite…ooops well don’t stay at any hotels and you won’t, since we never have any of them in our sterile homes! Well, we don’t…
Have had everything else but not bedbugs yet…who would have thunk that cute little expression would become a nasty possibility?

Be happy, take care and may peace be with you and yours… a new ending, what do you think?
Remember I am sleep deprived and in a gnawing nasty, electric shocks, numbies painful martyr-ism situation here…
Sympathy please?

One more time

It looks like I was wrong again. Tobi is still in a lot of pain again today and she only slept for a few hours last night. She hopes to be back tomorrow.

Hubby

Switch the sequel

It looks like I was wrong Tobi is still in a lot of pain again today. She has been having trouble sitting and standing. We are thinking it could be her MS. She hopes to be back tomorrow.

Hubby

Switch

Tobi is having a lot of back pain all day today. She has been having trouble sitting and standing. She hopes to be back tomorrow.

Hubby

Posting quickly!

Tonight Hubby is experiencing a bit of distress, but we are in close communication with his doctor. And he has changed his dosages of his medication and the monitoring of his blood pressure a bit more often.
Hubby is currently lying in bed trying to let the medication work.
Since his blood pressure seems to be fluctuating like a heart monitor chart, up and down.
I am waiting the half hour before I must take it again and allowing him to try and rest in bed with our loyal companion Skipper kissing him lovingly.
It should help, has before with our other boy + dogs our bogs usually have in the past.
Doing this seems to have a calming affect on me too.
And so thanks for that, otherwise I would be just staring at him while he tried to rest and that wouldn’t be too good I think.
He definitely has hypertension and tonight he was shaking and had tingling and no appetite thus the phone call to the doctor.
PS his renal ultrasound was good, no problems there.
As I mentioned more tests to follow, echo cardiogram next week and more blood work.
His doctor is determined to get to the bottom of this, and said don’t hesitate to call.
Gosh, he is like a reincarnate of Marcus Welby M.D., do any of you remember that show? It ran from 1969-1976, with Robert Young as the title character and James Brolin as Dr. Kiley, what a dreamboat! Well, Dr. Welby was no Greg House; his patients survived his scrutiny and seemed to be all miraculous cured within the hour. Although to be fair House seems that this season he has had a bit better outcome with his averages.
Dr. Welby would do whatever it took to find out why something was off kilter with his children/patients and his fatherly medical proficient know-how, wow, what a guy!
There was not one woman that didn’t want their doctor to be just like him and he even would make house calls!

Moving on…
Just checked on Hubby and the shaking has stopped, he had me call his doctor since he was shaking so much he couldn’t hold the phone, that was bad!
Any-who it does appear that his medicine may very well be working… and shortly it will be time to know for sure when I take his blood pressure again.
Yes, we have our own automatic cuff; we got it when I was diagnosed five years ago. It was quite reasonable at Wal-Mart, if I recall under twenty-five dollars then.
And worth every penny it has helped us both in keeping aware of ups and downs literarily.
I have three minutes until I have to take his blood pressure again so I will close for this evening by wishing you all a very happy good night and asking you to count those blessings and share those overages and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, OK?

PS his pressure went down, hooray!