THE NEWS ISN'T BAD BUT IT ISN'T GOOD

I got "the call" yesterday but I couldn't call her back before they closed. Yes, for those of you following my blog, the call about my breast MRI. Breast cancer runs in my family and a few years ago I had a minor scare (didn't seem minor at the time) when I got "the call" after a mammogram. "The call" consists of a woman telling you she got the results of your ____test and there was a spot, abnormality, etc. that made the radiologist/doctor want you to come in for another test. Can you come in as soon as possible? We need to do a biopsy, ultrasound, MRI, etc.

The message she left seemed benign enough so I didn't think too much about it. I have been free and clear for a few years now. I wore the tiara. I had The Power of the Tiara.

This morning I called her back and got news I was not expecting. They found something. A small something but something. Probably nothing, maybe a shadow but something. Could be fibrous matter but something. It is so small the radiologist said if I wanted to skip the testing I could but something. 

The radiologist saw that last time I had three ultrasound guided biopsies in one day and said I had already gone through a lot so if I wanted to wait and see I could. NO! I don't care. I want it tested. The doctor agreed with me. 

So on the 10th I get to lie flat on my stomach while in a MRI machine while they do a needle biopsy.  And they will find nothing like last time and I will go on with my life. 

Thank you for your kind thoughts.  The 10th can't come soon enough!

Until tomorrow...

TONY SOPRANO RIP

Wow! James Gandolfini has passed away.  That was shocking.  Not because he died, people die.  But because he seemed like such a powerful force.   He is Tony Soprano.  It is a sad day.

Until tomorrow...

SORE TEETH

Poor little Lucky had a tough night.  She shivered and shaked.  She would not take the pain killers so she is "white knuckling" it.  The doctor says the liquid medicine is bitter and probably bothers her gums.  I tried the pill form today but she doesn't like that either.  She is taking another pain killer but the better one, she just won't take it.

Today I tried to give it to her by hiding it in cheese, chicken, green bean, broth all with no luck.  She turned her nose up to it all.  This time it was the pill form.  The nose knows!  She can sniff out that pill.  Too bad I can't give her coffee.  You can hide most things in coffee.

She does look better.  She ate like a champ this morning.  We will see how she eats this evening.  Poor baby!

Until tomorrow...

POOR LITTLE LUCKY AND HER BAD TEETH

Today was teeth cleaning day for Lucky.  Poor baby.  She has such bad teeth.  Gingivitis, bad gums, bad teeth.  Yikes.

They had to remove four teeth and scrape plaque off the rest.  Since Lucky is so growly, I can't brush her teeth.  Now I have some food that is supposed to help keep her teeth clean.  I have also been told about some stuff you can put in her water. 

I had to make a big decision about one tooth.  The tooth still has a live nerve so they could leave it and see what happened to it or they could pull it today.  They weren't thrilled about pulling a tooth with a live nerve.  They said it would be very painful.  The flip side is that it could last years or it could go bad sooner.  I decided to leave the tooth and see what happened.  No unnecessary pain.  I am glad I made that decision now that I see how much pain she is in.

Lucky is so unhappy.  She is having a hard time getting over the anesthesia. She was shaking like crazy and I actually called the vet to make sure she is okay.  I tried to give her the pain meds but she doesn't like it.  I think it stings her mouth or something.  She was actually foaming at the mouth when I gave it to her.  Then I put it in her food and she turned up her nose to the food.  Turned her nose up to chicken and rice?!  What is this world coming to?

I hope she feels better tomorrow.  I will call the vet in the morning and find out what to do about the pain meds.

Until tomorrow...

BREAST MRI TODAY

This morning I had my yearly breast MRI.   The only appointment they had available for a couple of weeks was 7:45 am this morning. That was tough and required a nap this afternoon!

(A few years ago they found something and they did a biopsy and it was nothing. They put in markers to keep an eye on the spots since breast cancer runs in my family.  Now I get mammograms and MRIs on the frequent flier program.)

I got up and took a shower. With my new shorter hair (I got my hair cut finally yesterday) my morning routine went quickly. I put on my tiara and went to have my MRI.  The Power of the Tiara has been good to me so far.

I spent one hour in the big loud MRI machine. I tried to fall sleep and I think I dozed off for a bit but then the tech had to shoot me up with dye. This tech had no sense of humor. come on, i show up wearing a tiara and you don't say anything?  Okay once he called t a crown.  Definitely a straight man tech!

Now, I wait until the results later this week. These days are always a little stressful. So, keep me in your thoughts.

Until tomorrow...

PARTY OR NOT

Tonight we went to a neighbors party. I was happy to go but not over the moon. To be honest I have a lot to do and I have to be somewhere at 7:45 am tomorrow. So the thought of being out late was not enticing. I got dressed and we went. I spoke to some folks, including an old boss, who I had not seen in a while as well as new folks. Then it happened. My feet began to ache. Really bad. Like I could not stand up anymore. 

At that time the performances began and everyone stood up to watch. There was no way I could stand up. Brenda kept asking if I was okay. My sucky feet!  I stayed for cake and then bugged out. Brenda is still there dancing.

Until tomorrow...

THERAPY HURTS

This weeks physical therapy hurt. They tried not to make it hurt.  It would probably help if I did the exercises but I don't find time for them. I am trying to get my own personal tens machine to use during the week. I am yawning and it hurts. Should go to sleep.

Until tomorrow...

IN PERSON OR OVER THE PHONE

Have you ever spoken to someone on the phone and they seem one way and then when you meet them in person they are another way?  I had that experience today.

I spoke to this woman on the phone and she sounded so warm and motherly. Really focused.  Today I met her and I would have thought it was another person.   She was so unfocused and negative. So glass half empty.  It was so strange. Maybe she was having a bad day? I don't know but it really threw me. Who knows what makes people change like that.

Until tomorrow...

GENIUS!

Did you ever think someone is just a genius?  Just so smart because they thought of something that you didn't?  It doesn't have to be anything big but just something to solve a problem or an issue.  Something you didn't think of.

Last night I was talking to my brother about something and I brought up how my computer keeps revving it's engine.  It is quite annoying and I think it is going to blow up or die.  It sounds like a car at a stop light when the engine runs.  He asked me when was the last time I cleaned out my CPU.  Uh, like never or at least a LONG time ago.  He told me to go buy some canned air and blow that thing out.

Today I did and it is like a miracle.  The computer is moving faster, the wirrring noise seems to be gone and all seems right in the world.  There was less dust than I expected considering my computer is in the same room as the dog cages (we like to call them "houses") but I guess just a little bit of dander will mess up computer mother boards. (or is it motherboards?) 

We are now dust free and moving along at a snappy pace.  I will remember to do this periodically.  Thanks Chris!

Until tomorrow...

IT'S FIXED!

I am SO happy.  My tooth is fixed.  The dentist was able to glue my partial crown back on.  Turns out the glue came undone.  Underneath there was just some glue on my tooth.  He scraped it off and cleaned it off and stuck the crown back on!  I asked and he said there was no decay underneath.  I guess my teeth grinding is causing my crowns to fall out. 

Anyway, I am happy and my mouth is happy.  I can eat again.

Until tomorrow...

BROKEN TOOTH

Okay, it isn't a broken tooth actually.  It is a broken crown. 

You see, I was eating oatmeal.  Yes, oatmeal.  With bananas and strawberries.  Oatmeal, bananas and strawberries.  When I felt something weird in my mouth.  Like my teeth weren't meeting.  I felt in my mouth and my partial crown came off in my hand.  Ugh!  I waited to see if it hurt, hmm, no pain.  That is good.  Or is it?  No pain means dead root, right?  Can they glue this back on?  I look at it and it doesn't look good.  I am not too sure this is going to go well.  But it doesn't hurt so that can't be so bad.

It is the weekend so I have to wait until Monday to get an appointment.  At least it doesn't hurt.  It is a bit rough and it is cutting up my tongue and cheek.  Better than if it hurt.  Got an appointment for Tuesday morning.  Phew!  I can last until Tuesday.  I will wait until I see what the dentist has to say.  Maybe it won't be too bad.

Until tomorrow...

SHOE SHOPPING AGAIN

Today a friend and I went shoe shopping.  I am tired of wearing sneakers and I don't feel comfortable wearing my clog type shoes.  The bottoms are hard and it is easy to twist my ankle.  Since my ankle surgery and year long rehab, I am cautious about anything that could set me back.

Today I went looking for a pair of shoes that looked like dress shoes but have a soft bottom like a sneaker and still have a really good arch support.  I found a really good pair of Naturalizers! They are so comfortable I feel like I could walk for a long time in them.  They look smart enough that I can wear them with slacks at work.

Now I can stop wearing sneakers!  Yeah!  I already have a brown pair of shoes like this.  The sneakers will be put aside unless I am wearing jeans or shorts for now.  I also looked for shorts but all I could find were shorts for $49.99.  I am not buying $50 shorts.  Shorts that cost more than pants?  That doesn't seem right to me. Does it seem right to anyone else?  We were at a high-end shopping center.  We saw some crazy prices.  I am shocked that people pay those prices.  I like some of the clothes but who pays those prices?  $129 for a T-shirt.  I was happy that these shoes were not that expensive and then the sales clerk told me that they were 20% off.  I liked them even better!

I just want to thank my friend for going with me.  It was a big help having some to go with.  I had a good time.

Until tomorrow...

CLOTHES SIZES

Today we went clothes shopping.  I wanted to buy a pair of shorts.  I have this great pair of blue shorts that I love but something happened to the zipper and it no longer works.  I will be walking along and the zipper just opens.  Suddenly air comes in in all the wrong places.

So we went to the store and I tried on a few pairs of shorts.  I like to wear guys shorts sometimes because they are longer and have way more pockets.  The blue shorts I have are size 30.  I picked out two pairs of shorts in sizes 30 and 32.  I went into the changing room and neither pair fit.  Like really didn't fit.  What is up with the sizes these days?  I know I fit in a size 30.  I have three pairs of shorts in size 30 at home.  I could not even get them on today.  Did the size 30 suddenly shrink?  I thought men's clothes were all the same like cookie cutters.  I thought only women's clothes were different depending on where you were.  I know a size 12 doesn't mean the same thing from designer to designer.

Last week I bought two pairs of capris from the same designer/company.  The same style in two different colors.  The jean pair fits fine but the corral color is too small.  I had to return it and get the next size larger.

I will shop again tomorrow.  Blue shorts.

Welcome to my 30th follower!  Yeah!

Until tomorrow...

VISIT TO THE DERMATOLOGIST

Today I went to the dermatologist.  She had a few things to look at. 

First, my red spots on my chest.  She thinks it is an infection of some sort.  So she gave me some antibiotic cream.  I am to try it out and see if it does anything.  If it fails, I am to go back and she will biopsy and see what it is.

Second, my foot.  I have a corn.  I guess the sneakers that I have been wearing for one year straight are wearing on me (ha)!  So she cut some of the corn off and I am to wear a corn pad and get some gels.

Third, my legs.  She looked at my legs to see if I have erythema nodosum. She said I most likely have it.  But I may not.  To find out if I have it, she would have to do a biopsy.  That would leave a pea sized hole in my leg.  She was worried that with my history of infections leaving me with a hole in my leg is not a good idea.  So she gave me a cream to put on it to see if that does anything.  Then in a month I will call her and let her know how it looks.  If it looks worse, I get the biopsy.  If it looks better, then we wait it out.  I asked her what the treatment is if I have it.  She replied Prednisone.  I told her I am not going back up on the Prednisone.  It has taken me years to start going down on the Prednisone and there is nothing (short of a debilitating flare) that would make me go back up! 

Erythema nodosum is not life threatening, it is just ugly.  I can live with ugly.  I have not worn a skirt in years.  If I cared about what others thought I would have given up wearing a swimsuit altogether.  Between the bruises on my thighs from my Enbrel and B12 shots and the ugly scar on my shin from my accident, heck my legs are no longer beautiful.  Now they have lumps and bumps and perpetual bruises.  More character I say!

So I came away from the appointment with two creams.

Until tomorrow...

LAB RESULTS

When I get a lab test done I have the lab send me a copy of the report.  I get to see what the doctors see. I look up the tests where I am low or high. Sometimes the tests are just marginally high or low and when I read the description I realize it is not important. Other times I am way out of wack and it is important that the doctor talks to me about it. 

This time it calcium and vitamin D which isn't surprising considering I have Crohn's Disease. Also my Lymphocytes are very low. So I looked it up and it is not surprising considering my auto immune issues.  Once again my urine is "junkie". Not quite sure what that means but I feel fine. 

I find it interesting to look up the tests to see what each of the tests show.  Will it effect my kidneys, my heart, my liver?  It is a great education.

Until tomorrow...

RESULTS

I got my tests results back from my doctor.  Last week I went in for blood tests. They were checking my blood in general and checking for lupus markers.  Turns out there are no signs of lupus but I have extremely low calcium and vitamin D.  So I am put back on high doses of calcium. 

I went down to 9 mg of prednisone another a week. Now I am down to 9 mg three days a week. Soon I will be down to 9 mg all week long. Then I can go to a few days a week at 8.5 mg then 8 mg. at this rate I will take me a year to get down to 5 mg.  But I will be down to 5 mg!  Yeah! 

Until tomorrow...

SUCK IT UP AND READ THE BOOK

I started a bookclub a number of years ago. There was a group of women from the neighborhood that got together every six weeks to discuss a book. At first it was a lot of fun. Then last year I got sick and busy and the bookclub fell apart. Almost everyone said they wanted to restart it, so we did. 

I had a great time at the Christmas pot luck. I just don't have a great time with the book selections. I don't think I have read the last four book selections. Maybe more. The selections just aren't books that interest me. I understand that in bookclubs you are supposed to suck it up and read the book the group chooses. But I am just not interested in the type of books some of the remaining members enjoy. Since we use democratic vote, many times the book I like is out voted. 

Tonight I sat at bookclub and realized I am not happy anymore. They picked my book but only because I was the only person who brought a book to nominate. It seemed like they begrudgingly chose the book. Even taking the time to web search for other options. 

I am hosting the next time but I think after that I am going to drop out.  If I am not going to read the books and be happy, then what is the point?  I can read my own books. Or join an online bookclub. Or one with the library.   Any suggestions?

Until tomorrow...

RATS 0, ME 5

I know you are tired of hearing about my rat problem.  It sounds so disgusting.  Believe me!  I am tired of hearing about it!  It is much better.  Clearing out the ivy in the backyard is going to be a big help.  That was their home and their transportation.  Now that it is almost gone, they have no where (in my yard) to go.  Completely worth the money to have it removed!

Two days ago I my dogs were behind the hot tub and I could not figure out why.  They were taking turns going behind the tub. Finally I went down to see what was so fascinating.  It was a dead rat.  It was DEAD.  I can't say I was happy HAPPY it was dead but I was happy.  Another one gone.  I guess he got into my neighbors rat bait and came over to get some water.  Not water from the hot tub.  From the pond.  They do not want to drink from the hot tub, too much chlorine.

So, another one gone.  I figure I am knocking them off one about every three months.  At the rate they multiply I will never catch up.  Oh, well.

Until tomorrow...

SHOPPING

Today I went shopping. Now some people like shopping. I am not one of those people.  Especially clothes shopping. 

Clothes shopping was very traumatic for me as a child. I was tall and lanky. Clothes in the seventies were not made for people who were tall and lanky. It was easier for me to wear boys clothes than girls clothes. But it wasn't socially acceptable like it is now.  Shopping was a horrible experience for me. It is amazing how 20 years later just walking into a dressing room brings all that back.

Today was a good shopping day. I needed to get some pants for work.  When I lost the weight I got rid of all the fat pants. Then I hurt my ankle and put some of the weight back on. I only have three pairs of wok pants: 2 black pairs and 1 brown pair. I wear them over and over. Of course I don't work at clients offices every day so I wear jeans and T-shirts the other days. Today I bought three pairs of pants: navy, tan, gray. Then I bought two pairs of  Capri crop pants: one in sand blasted jeans and the other is a coral color.   I also needed pajamas that matched. I usually wear men's lounge pants with an XL T-shirt. I decided a matching set might be nice. So I bought two: T-shirt and lounge pants in gray and tan with an extra gray pair of shorts and gray robe. 

I then went to Whole Foods and bought vegan chicken strips. I came home and made vegan chicken salad. It is so good.

Until tomorrow...