I realize it has been a long time since I updated. However, I have been feeling really bad and needed to take the time to just rest. The PICC line has been bothering me greatly since the last changing and it appears that I am massively allergic to the tape they used this time. Blistery pus filled things are popping up around the tegaderm layer. Hopefully it was ease with time. Or, at least by Thursday, when the tegaderm is due to change again. Sigh!
The Rocephin was extended from the original 28 days to 35 days to now 42 days. My last day currently is set for this coming up Friday (the 12th). Jane and I are getting along well with the infusion at home. But, man oh man, will I be glad when it is done and over with. Then again, I would give anything to have the fatigue, headache, and achy joints and muscle end.
We have arranged to have a second opinion on the doctor front. Dr. Shah, when I went on home infusion, said she would see me in a week. I called the VERY next day to set up the appointment. She said, "I'll get back with you." Two days later, nothing. I waited the weekend since she doesn't come in on weekends. Monday, I started calling again. No response. I decided to up the ante a little (since I only had a couple more days on IV fluids) and faxed them. Two days in a row I faxed them. No response. The IV pharmacy attempted to call her to find out if they were continuing the IV. No response. Then, on my last day, we finally got in touch with her office. "She is totally booked! No appointments for 2 weeks," says the receptionist. Jane got her to squeeze us in on Wednesday. But, in the meantime, I had decided too many "questionable" things had happened. I will be seeing a doctor at University of Maryland who deals a lot with Lyme patients on the 25th. Hopefully this doctor will have some answers. Dr. Shah certainly has none.
For those who asked, classes are going well. I very much enjoy my 3 hour class on Contracts. Dr. Green makes the three hours entertaining and very enjoyable. I am hoping he continues to teach Torts and Criminal Law because I really could get used to his teaching style very easily. I just have to get used to the time difference between California and Maryland. My class meets on Wednesday evenings from 9:30 p. to 12:30 a. ! I am totally worn out by the end of class. But this is all worth it. When I take that FYLX in October of 2009, I aim to pass. More on that at a later date.
Well... my energy is just about gone. Will have to write more at a later date. My closing thought, however, is about Chad Johnson. What was that idiot thinking? Changing his name to "Chad Ocho Cinco"? Doesn't he know that Ocho Cinco is not eighty-five... just eight and five? Idiot!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
Have You Ever Just Wanted To Sit Down So You Could Just Cry?
Yesterday was one of those days that I absolutely hate. No matter what you personally do, it seems to either (a) go wrong, (b) offend someone else, (c) become totally misunderstood, (d) crushes the last bit of restraint you normally have not to go running off in a puddle of tears. Yesterday, it seems like every bit of a,b,c, and d happened. Stephen, good guy he is, neglected to tell me that he had a massive headache. So, he was really out of sorts. Whereas I was having a agreeable day despite my headache and aches. We went to the store with his mother, and when it came time to purchase dessert, he just wanted to act pouty because his choice was not chosen. I tried to make other suggestions (like buy some cookies I know he likes... or a box of the pie slices I know he likes). But, my suggestions were not taken well. He was still upset as we got to the check out. One of the cashiers was trying to get us to move lines. I was paying attention to that and trying to get him to move, but missed his mother trying to get our attention. So, I got blasted on that one while I probably was being a jerk about the cashier wanting us to move (which he didn't notice until I pointed it out).
Upon getting home, I just wanted to chill out a little and not deal with anything. I marinated the meat for the cookout very early so it could have about 6 hours of soak time. And, I then JUST crashed. In the back of my mind, I knew that I was going to have to do something about the propane tank for the grill. You see, every time we've had a cookout recently, we run out of propane since we grill a lot of things for long periods of time (ie: Potato/Corn) and it is always a safe thing to have our backup tank filled. I had forgotten we were using the backup tank and needed to get an exchange. When I asked Stephen if he could do it before people got there at 6 pm (it was now a quarter til 2), he refused to commit. He said he might or might not be able to do that because "he was tired". If only he'd also said, "And I have a headache and don't feel good", I might not have taken offense. You see, during my chill time, I had dusted Jane's living room, cleaned a snake tank, hauled Stephen's stuff all over the house to their rightful locations, cleaned up downstairs to make it appear livable, worked on the chicken to prepare it for grilling, been infused with my medication (and that was one HARD infusion), and listened to my niece talk about some things she needed to get out of her head. Making the house presentable for the cookout was Jane's goal and she needed help. Having gas for the cookout was my goal... and I didn't get help. I got my keys and prepared to go get the tank myself... which got vetoed and Jane ended up driving me. I cried a good portion of the way there... and was majorly disoriented because of my headache by the time we got there. I will say, I got it together quickly and we got home within 15 minutes.
Having already started the crying jag, I decided to just cool off. I washed a kitchen knife, glass, and spoon in the sink. My reasoning? I figured get out of the way now is something I don't have to wash later! I thought it made sense. Not 10 minutes later, I looked over and I noticed Jane was cutting up something. I thought, "Is that the same knife I just cleaned?" I was just amazed that, out of all the knives in the drawer, that one keeps reappearing. Jane seemed to misunderstand my amazement and think I was trying to make some side point ranging from she was using a dirty knife (I cleaned it. I should know it ISN'T dirty!) to there was something wrong with her having used that knife (I don't care what knife gets used... I just found some humor that the turn around was THAT quickly. It must REALLY be her favorite knife!). That's when the waterworks really began to flow. I didn't know where I could go and just cry myself out. I thought about the bathroom... but the dog was taking up residence next to the toilet. I thought about Stephen's and my bedroom. But, I wanted to make sure not to bother Stephen and his area (hence avoided our bedroom). I decided to sit in the living room, tears streaming down my face, red-faced, facing the windows in the back. i figured my MIL and niece would be busy in the kitchen long enough for me to cry it out, get over it, and I'd be fine. When do plans ever work THAT neatly? They joined me in the living room after about 5 minutes and whereas I might have "fooled" my niece for awhile that I was crying, I didn't fool Jane. Then again, she didn't get up and walk away, either. She kept an eye on me to make sure I was "ok" and just kept talking with Katie while the cat and I cried and tried to get under control. Stephen came up and kissed the top of my head and said he loved me, which got me crying all over again. Poor cat ended up sopping wet and probably is the best crying towel in the world. But, she never left my side the whole crying jag. Silly cat! After 50 minutes, I finally got my emotions in check and was able to get up and finish pre-grilling prep. work. The result. We had a really good family cook-out. Just Jane, Bill, Stephen, Kristen, Mark, Katie, Betty Jane, and myself. We had two kinds of grilled chicken (Lemon Pepper and Southwest marinades), baked beans, macaroni salad, potato salad, a salad, deviled eggs, and mashed potatoes. For dessert, we had a key lime pie. Everyone except Stephen enjoyed their slice of pie. Later that night, as we were trying to drift off to sleep, Stephen apologized for being less than helpful and THEN explained he had a headache and didn't want to complain because it could possibly be as bad as the one I have been living with, in his opinion. I felt bad for him. I told him, all he needed to say was headache. There is not a person in this house who doesn't know how a headache makes you feel. We would have suggested he just chill out and to let us know if we could get him something to make his head feel better. But, no. My silly husband has to make it into a "Your headache is worse than mine, so I won't say anything about it." SIGH!
achy Power Picc User totally exhausted and OUT!
Upon getting home, I just wanted to chill out a little and not deal with anything. I marinated the meat for the cookout very early so it could have about 6 hours of soak time. And, I then JUST crashed. In the back of my mind, I knew that I was going to have to do something about the propane tank for the grill. You see, every time we've had a cookout recently, we run out of propane since we grill a lot of things for long periods of time (ie: Potato/Corn) and it is always a safe thing to have our backup tank filled. I had forgotten we were using the backup tank and needed to get an exchange. When I asked Stephen if he could do it before people got there at 6 pm (it was now a quarter til 2), he refused to commit. He said he might or might not be able to do that because "he was tired". If only he'd also said, "And I have a headache and don't feel good", I might not have taken offense. You see, during my chill time, I had dusted Jane's living room, cleaned a snake tank, hauled Stephen's stuff all over the house to their rightful locations, cleaned up downstairs to make it appear livable, worked on the chicken to prepare it for grilling, been infused with my medication (and that was one HARD infusion), and listened to my niece talk about some things she needed to get out of her head. Making the house presentable for the cookout was Jane's goal and she needed help. Having gas for the cookout was my goal... and I didn't get help. I got my keys and prepared to go get the tank myself... which got vetoed and Jane ended up driving me. I cried a good portion of the way there... and was majorly disoriented because of my headache by the time we got there. I will say, I got it together quickly and we got home within 15 minutes.
Having already started the crying jag, I decided to just cool off. I washed a kitchen knife, glass, and spoon in the sink. My reasoning? I figured get out of the way now is something I don't have to wash later! I thought it made sense. Not 10 minutes later, I looked over and I noticed Jane was cutting up something. I thought, "Is that the same knife I just cleaned?" I was just amazed that, out of all the knives in the drawer, that one keeps reappearing. Jane seemed to misunderstand my amazement and think I was trying to make some side point ranging from she was using a dirty knife (I cleaned it. I should know it ISN'T dirty!) to there was something wrong with her having used that knife (I don't care what knife gets used... I just found some humor that the turn around was THAT quickly. It must REALLY be her favorite knife!). That's when the waterworks really began to flow. I didn't know where I could go and just cry myself out. I thought about the bathroom... but the dog was taking up residence next to the toilet. I thought about Stephen's and my bedroom. But, I wanted to make sure not to bother Stephen and his area (hence avoided our bedroom). I decided to sit in the living room, tears streaming down my face, red-faced, facing the windows in the back. i figured my MIL and niece would be busy in the kitchen long enough for me to cry it out, get over it, and I'd be fine. When do plans ever work THAT neatly? They joined me in the living room after about 5 minutes and whereas I might have "fooled" my niece for awhile that I was crying, I didn't fool Jane. Then again, she didn't get up and walk away, either. She kept an eye on me to make sure I was "ok" and just kept talking with Katie while the cat and I cried and tried to get under control. Stephen came up and kissed the top of my head and said he loved me, which got me crying all over again. Poor cat ended up sopping wet and probably is the best crying towel in the world. But, she never left my side the whole crying jag. Silly cat! After 50 minutes, I finally got my emotions in check and was able to get up and finish pre-grilling prep. work. The result. We had a really good family cook-out. Just Jane, Bill, Stephen, Kristen, Mark, Katie, Betty Jane, and myself. We had two kinds of grilled chicken (Lemon Pepper and Southwest marinades), baked beans, macaroni salad, potato salad, a salad, deviled eggs, and mashed potatoes. For dessert, we had a key lime pie. Everyone except Stephen enjoyed their slice of pie. Later that night, as we were trying to drift off to sleep, Stephen apologized for being less than helpful and THEN explained he had a headache and didn't want to complain because it could possibly be as bad as the one I have been living with, in his opinion. I felt bad for him. I told him, all he needed to say was headache. There is not a person in this house who doesn't know how a headache makes you feel. We would have suggested he just chill out and to let us know if we could get him something to make his head feel better. But, no. My silly husband has to make it into a "Your headache is worse than mine, so I won't say anything about it." SIGH!
achy Power Picc User totally exhausted and OUT!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Today... Right Now... Hi!
The highlight of my day today was getting home from several errands and being able to sit down and look at my cousin Ashli's blog. I love being able to sit down and read what is happening back there... especially when I feel as bad as I feel. I am glad things are working out for them and hope that things work out for Nathan and crew.
Today started out with having to run over to Dr. McClain's office. Aetna is obnoxious about referrals. Dr. Shah cannot refer me to another person (no specialist to specialist referrals). So, Dr. McClain requires 48 hours to change referrals to him. So, we had to go over there and deal with that. It just really is a hassle to have to explain why Dr. Shah is doing things and why Dr. McClain should care at all. So, after a brief explaination, a lot of eye rolling, and pulling my file, I was told I could come and get it in 48 hours. I asked which day that exactly would be BECAUSE 48 hours would be Sunday (they are not open Sunday) and they are closed Monday for the holiday. All I got was "Come back in 48 hours!" I guess I'll go back on Tuesday.
After that, we went over to my ex-bank to try to clear up a mess about service fees after I closed all my accounts and changed banks (because I was being service charged to death). They kept charging me service fees for two months after closing the account EVEN when there was no money in said account. Idiots! Got that taken care of without owing them any money. Wasted 30-45 minutes getting it straightened out, though.
We then went to WalMart so Jane could get socks. I enjoyed that trip... but I really was starting to wear out. I'm glad it was a short trip to WalMart.
When we got home, the new neurologist called and scheduled an appointment. I was really glad that this was scheduled and I'm ready to move on.
I keep getting asked about how I feel. In general, I feel very tired and headache-y. I'm just glad that we can do treatments at home.
Today started out with having to run over to Dr. McClain's office. Aetna is obnoxious about referrals. Dr. Shah cannot refer me to another person (no specialist to specialist referrals). So, Dr. McClain requires 48 hours to change referrals to him. So, we had to go over there and deal with that. It just really is a hassle to have to explain why Dr. Shah is doing things and why Dr. McClain should care at all. So, after a brief explaination, a lot of eye rolling, and pulling my file, I was told I could come and get it in 48 hours. I asked which day that exactly would be BECAUSE 48 hours would be Sunday (they are not open Sunday) and they are closed Monday for the holiday. All I got was "Come back in 48 hours!" I guess I'll go back on Tuesday.
After that, we went over to my ex-bank to try to clear up a mess about service fees after I closed all my accounts and changed banks (because I was being service charged to death). They kept charging me service fees for two months after closing the account EVEN when there was no money in said account. Idiots! Got that taken care of without owing them any money. Wasted 30-45 minutes getting it straightened out, though.
We then went to WalMart so Jane could get socks. I enjoyed that trip... but I really was starting to wear out. I'm glad it was a short trip to WalMart.
When we got home, the new neurologist called and scheduled an appointment. I was really glad that this was scheduled and I'm ready to move on.
I keep getting asked about how I feel. In general, I feel very tired and headache-y. I'm just glad that we can do treatments at home.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Today's Lunch and an Update
Today Stephen and went out to lunch at Mimi's Cafe. We very much enjoyed our experience. When we got home, I found out that I will be receiving treatments at home for the next 17 days. I am so happy. Hopefully it will work well.
Update: A Little Bit of Good News... A Little Bit of BLAH
Today was day 25 (according to the baggy) of the IV medication. Because of my frustration with Dr. Shah, I decided to write everything down so I could get everything out and just hand it to the nurses to pass on to her. I think Dr. Shah liked it better to have the written questions. She answered them all. The short term? We are going to go an additional two weeks (14 days) on the Rocephin. We are also arranging to do the treatments at home since I should be starting my "new job" as soon as the drug screen clears. The liver levels? The levels are still too high, but are slowly going down. She is hoping that I start to feel better soon. I still have little confidence in her... but I am hoping (long term) that things clear up soon.
Fatigued PICC user out!
Fatigued PICC user out!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Eight More Treatments in THIS Cycle To Go... Plus Playing Catch Up
Today's treatment, as well as the ones I have not gotten to blog about have been very non-eventful. I have been absolutely worn out and am feeling a tad bit sick... the nurses tell me that this is to be expected from the Rocephin. The guess among the neurologist and nurses is that the treatment will continue another round. Or, at least that is what they are hinting. Yesterday, a very long morning indeed, saw Jane and I traveling to Towson, MD (had to be there at 7 am - took almost an hour to get there from here) - luckily the doctor took us early (at 6:40). Our next stop was to go to Greenbelt, MD (which is on the total opposite side of Laurel) by 8:45 to see the Neurologist. We JUST made it because it took almost an hour and 20 minutes to get there from Towson. After that, we had to rush to make it to Laurel Regional. It was 9:45 by the time we got there and we got "chided" by the office manager for not making it to infusion sooner. But, she backed off as we explained we'd been all over the greater metro area already this morning. Anyway... after about 35 minutes of treatment, we left to get a birthday cake for his birthday boy-ness, Stephen and picked up some steak for me to grill for dinner. I was thinking... ahhhh... now I can rest. No such luck. At 11:30, I get a phone call to tell me that the "Home" improvement place has offered me a full time job (plus benefits). So, they required forms to be filled out immediately (ran over there after lunch) and a drug screening to be accomplished YESTERDAY. So, we got into the car to GO BACK to Greenbelt (where the Drug Screening Lab was), which -round trip plus lab time- took approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes! About 60-70 minutes of that was driving time. Then we came home and I could relax for about three hours before grilling dinner for the birthday dinner. We enjoyed dinner and then I finally got to crash. Cake was eaten around 7:45 and then I could honestly say I don't remember the rest of the evening because I just could not concentrate with my head acting up and I might as well have gone to bed. BUSY, BUSY day!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Today?
Today was a rather non-eventful day. I went with Jane to Ikea where I had their 99 cent breakfast of eggs, bacon, and potatoes. It was quite good... but I hate having to pay 1.35 for a drink. Oh, well.
I got Stephen's birthday gift while we were there. I got him a CD stand and I hope he likes it. He really needs a secure place to put his CDs.
When we got home, I worked on databasing my briefs and typed my lecture notes from last Sunday. Boooooooooooooring.
I got Stephen's birthday gift while we were there. I got him a CD stand and I hope he likes it. He really needs a secure place to put his CDs.
When we got home, I worked on databasing my briefs and typed my lecture notes from last Sunday. Boooooooooooooring.
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