I have been remiss on filling everyone in; I have been too busy basking in ‘relief’.
For the first time in the last five years, my bladder biopsies came back negative! All four previous procedures came back: Transitional Cell Carcinoma T1G3 – one ‘stage’ short of total removal of my bladder.
I was absolutely blown away. (Even my doc was surprised!) I had been dreading further treatment, been making plans for such though. Suddenly, all the worry and planning was moot!
Now, I have the next 6 months of summer to actually enjoy in ‘freedom’ before I have to go in for another office ‘poke & peek’ (cystoscopy), and whatever may then follow. I intend to take advantage of it. I have to admit that for me, the unusual feelings of calm and ‘normalcy’ is more than rare.
This does not mean that I will slack up on my health issues. NO! In fact, this ‘breather’ from cancer will provide the chance I need to better tend to health issues like diabetes, weight loss, keeping that Hemoglobin down to make sure my liver isn’t further damaged by Hereditary Hemochromatosis. And I will continue the ‘program’ I’ve developed for myself (and with my docs approval) to deal with the bladder cancer.
Basking is great! Basking is good! And I’m gonna do just that, including swimming, reading some good books (mysteries, poetry, memoirs), listening to some of my favorite music (modern classical & classic rock), and going to the pier! Just as soon as I pick the next project to work on (the mystery I think) and set a date to start writing again...
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Same Day Surgery Perks?
Speaking of same day surgery, wouldn't you think in this day & age, when you are discharged from a Same Day Surgery Unit, you would be given a video of your procedure as a 'keepsake'? (I did get to watch some of it on the monitor as it was happening-but was a little drugged at the time.)
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Post TURB #5
Today I finally found the strength to shower, order some groceries for delivery tomorrow, and get on the computer to bitch and moan to cyberpals a bit. This was all done between a lot of sitting and napping.
Though in reality, I am at that 'weepy' stage of stress recovery and am just feeling that I would like to get off this merry-go-round.
All this stuff is so hard to do when you live alone, when you do not even have anyone close by (or far away for that matter) that gives a damn. The only person who will make you a cuppa or hand you a Tylenol, or feed the cats, is you...
Makes that cup of coffee you managed to make, and sitting in your chair, in your own living room in front of the TV you managed to turn on, and trying to keep the cats off your sore belly, and letting that x-tra strength Tylenol and Xanax have time to work, seem like real miracles.
And bless the neighbor, Mary, who picked me up in her wheelchair van to bring me home last night, then bought me over some dinner.
Though in reality, I am at that 'weepy' stage of stress recovery and am just feeling that I would like to get off this merry-go-round.
All this stuff is so hard to do when you live alone, when you do not even have anyone close by (or far away for that matter) that gives a damn. The only person who will make you a cuppa or hand you a Tylenol, or feed the cats, is you...
Makes that cup of coffee you managed to make, and sitting in your chair, in your own living room in front of the TV you managed to turn on, and trying to keep the cats off your sore belly, and letting that x-tra strength Tylenol and Xanax have time to work, seem like real miracles.
And bless the neighbor, Mary, who picked me up in her wheelchair van to bring me home last night, then bought me over some dinner.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Bladder Cancer
Yesterday I had a Same Day Surgery; a TURB, or Cystoscopy with biopsies (2). That makes the fifth in 5 years, but it has been almost 4 years since the last one. I’ve been lucky.
Of course, I have to wait for the results. Lurking deep in my mind is the unthinkable thought that perhaps NOW there is ‘muscle invasion’ where before there had been none. My Bladder Cancer has remained, so far, T1G3, which has meant that I have gotten to retain my bladder.
Still, waiting is not as difficult as it used to be, did not think it would ever happen, but I have gotten used to waiting, in a whole lot of life areas.
In fact, the waiting is a lot easier than going through these procedures. They always knock me for a loop! You would think that because its ‘same day’ that it would be something really, really, easy on you in every way; kind of like going to the dentist.
Not!
First of all it takes a couple of days for all the drugs they gave me to leave my system (They always give me too much, too big of doses, of just about everything, as if I were a 6ft 30 year old male!).
Then getting over the 'stress' of the whole 'same day' thing; the fasting, (I think the lack of salt & fluids causes a lot of my physical discomfort-because of my strange endo probs) arranging transit, no smoking, the 'hurry up & wait', etc takes me a few days to recover from.
And NOW they don't want me to take insulin the morning of, or oral diabetics for 24 hrs prior to the surgery, so I go in with a high blood sugar, (which definitely adds to my discomfort) and it takes me a couple days, at least, afterwards to stabilize THAT. (For one thing, you can’t be suffering brain fog to do this!)
This time I had an extra special treat! The anesthetist that administered the spinal gave me a drug that was supposed to be shorter acting; I was supposed to be able to start moving my legs after just an hour or two. (It did not work that way, legs just barely started working 4 hrs later.) On top of which, he gave me (I found out the day after when he called to check on me) Lidocaine to accomplish this goal.
Well, turns out Lidocaine is KNOWN for causing "Transient Radicular Irritation.” You can do a Google on it, but what it mean is PAIN, sometimes severe (I can vouch for that) in the lower back and legs. It starts several hours after the spinal wears off and can last a couple of days or a week, tapering off all the while. Oh, and then there's the pins & needles effect. Well, this HIT me as I was sitting outside in the dusk (8pm or so) waiting for my ride home. And I still have some intermittent pain/pins & needles in both legs.
So goes the fun...
Of course, I have to wait for the results. Lurking deep in my mind is the unthinkable thought that perhaps NOW there is ‘muscle invasion’ where before there had been none. My Bladder Cancer has remained, so far, T1G3, which has meant that I have gotten to retain my bladder.
Still, waiting is not as difficult as it used to be, did not think it would ever happen, but I have gotten used to waiting, in a whole lot of life areas.
In fact, the waiting is a lot easier than going through these procedures. They always knock me for a loop! You would think that because its ‘same day’ that it would be something really, really, easy on you in every way; kind of like going to the dentist.
Not!
First of all it takes a couple of days for all the drugs they gave me to leave my system (They always give me too much, too big of doses, of just about everything, as if I were a 6ft 30 year old male!).
Then getting over the 'stress' of the whole 'same day' thing; the fasting, (I think the lack of salt & fluids causes a lot of my physical discomfort-because of my strange endo probs) arranging transit, no smoking, the 'hurry up & wait', etc takes me a few days to recover from.
And NOW they don't want me to take insulin the morning of, or oral diabetics for 24 hrs prior to the surgery, so I go in with a high blood sugar, (which definitely adds to my discomfort) and it takes me a couple days, at least, afterwards to stabilize THAT. (For one thing, you can’t be suffering brain fog to do this!)
This time I had an extra special treat! The anesthetist that administered the spinal gave me a drug that was supposed to be shorter acting; I was supposed to be able to start moving my legs after just an hour or two. (It did not work that way, legs just barely started working 4 hrs later.) On top of which, he gave me (I found out the day after when he called to check on me) Lidocaine to accomplish this goal.
Well, turns out Lidocaine is KNOWN for causing "Transient Radicular Irritation.” You can do a Google on it, but what it mean is PAIN, sometimes severe (I can vouch for that) in the lower back and legs. It starts several hours after the spinal wears off and can last a couple of days or a week, tapering off all the while. Oh, and then there's the pins & needles effect. Well, this HIT me as I was sitting outside in the dusk (8pm or so) waiting for my ride home. And I still have some intermittent pain/pins & needles in both legs.
So goes the fun...
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Family Pictures Done!
I cannot believe it! I finally, finally, finished scanning all the family pictures, over 1000 of them! I scanned them, labeled them, and sorted them into subjects and family surnames (Garrett, Estes, Suydam, Harris, etc.).
After I relax for a bit, will start scanning what documents I have!
After I relax for a bit, will start scanning what documents I have!
Friday, June 02, 2006
Byetta Reaction?
From the first injection of Byetta, I felt as if I were having a very minor allergic reaction. With each injection (and I took it for 7.5 months), I would feel exactly as I do when I eat an only an egg on an empty stomach – yucky. Twice a day for months, I felt as if I needed to take some Benadryl, though I did not.
I spoke to my doc about it several times. I called Byetta a couple of times; asking if Byetta was made, or derived from, eggs or egg products, each time I inquired, I got a negative reply.
Other Byetta users were reporting a ‘yucky’ feeling after taking an injection of Byetta. Because of these ‘other’ reports, I just considered it one more mild side effect and I ignored this little problem in the excitement of seeing lower blood glucose numbers and weight loss.
About halfway through the 7.5 months I took Byetta, my back started itching. And I mean itching, intensely. I eventually ended up with a backscratcher in each room. Still, I did not think too much of it, as it was ONLY my back itching. The itching was bad enough however, that I did report it to my doc.
About this same time, my eyes (I suffer from dry ‘eyes’ anyway) became irritated and itchy. I went to the Ophthalmologist, was diagnosed with ‘allergic conjunctivitis’ and put on twice daily eye drops.
After I had stopped taking Byetta, I again reported my intensely itching back to my doc, this time I was referred to a Dermatologist where I was diagnosed with chronic Urticaria. I am now taking several anti-histamines and Atarax for the itching.
No one sees the connection between taking Byetta and the Chronic Urticaria, or the general allergic condition I seem to be suffering from now, but me! Indeed, there may not even be a connection, except in my own head.
I have been an ‘allergic’ person all my life; it has taken many forms, from anaphylactic shock to small rashes. I personally believe that this is just another one. That I had a low-level allergic reaction to Byetta and that it became chronic over the time I used Byetta. I should have listened to my own body!
I spoke to my doc about it several times. I called Byetta a couple of times; asking if Byetta was made, or derived from, eggs or egg products, each time I inquired, I got a negative reply.
Other Byetta users were reporting a ‘yucky’ feeling after taking an injection of Byetta. Because of these ‘other’ reports, I just considered it one more mild side effect and I ignored this little problem in the excitement of seeing lower blood glucose numbers and weight loss.
About halfway through the 7.5 months I took Byetta, my back started itching. And I mean itching, intensely. I eventually ended up with a backscratcher in each room. Still, I did not think too much of it, as it was ONLY my back itching. The itching was bad enough however, that I did report it to my doc.
About this same time, my eyes (I suffer from dry ‘eyes’ anyway) became irritated and itchy. I went to the Ophthalmologist, was diagnosed with ‘allergic conjunctivitis’ and put on twice daily eye drops.
After I had stopped taking Byetta, I again reported my intensely itching back to my doc, this time I was referred to a Dermatologist where I was diagnosed with chronic Urticaria. I am now taking several anti-histamines and Atarax for the itching.
No one sees the connection between taking Byetta and the Chronic Urticaria, or the general allergic condition I seem to be suffering from now, but me! Indeed, there may not even be a connection, except in my own head.
I have been an ‘allergic’ person all my life; it has taken many forms, from anaphylactic shock to small rashes. I personally believe that this is just another one. That I had a low-level allergic reaction to Byetta and that it became chronic over the time I used Byetta. I should have listened to my own body!
Monday, May 08, 2006
Hanging Shoes
There are things that I just do not yet understand, I admit it. A pair of shoes, tied together by the laces, and flung over some telephone wire is one of them.
I watched just such a pair of shoes, about a block down the street from my apartment. Those shoes remained dangling from that high wire during sun and storm, fog and mist, month after month. Maybe even year after year.
Then one day, with a start, I noticed they were gone. Where they went, who or how they were removed remains just as much of a mystery as to why they were there in the first place, or who put them there. It was odd, but I actually seemed to miss them.
Recently while watching a T.V. movie, there was just such a pair of shoes, hanging from a high wire, in one scene. It reminded me that this ‘shoe’ phenomenon seems to have faded into the past, and that the movie I was watching was not a new production.
But it also reminded me that I didn’t have a clue as to what the ‘hanging shoe thing’ was all about to being with. I wanna know!
I watched just such a pair of shoes, about a block down the street from my apartment. Those shoes remained dangling from that high wire during sun and storm, fog and mist, month after month. Maybe even year after year.
Then one day, with a start, I noticed they were gone. Where they went, who or how they were removed remains just as much of a mystery as to why they were there in the first place, or who put them there. It was odd, but I actually seemed to miss them.
Recently while watching a T.V. movie, there was just such a pair of shoes, hanging from a high wire, in one scene. It reminded me that this ‘shoe’ phenomenon seems to have faded into the past, and that the movie I was watching was not a new production.
But it also reminded me that I didn’t have a clue as to what the ‘hanging shoe thing’ was all about to being with. I wanna know!
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