Monday check-in

This is Monday check-in where we meet up to talk about your weekend,your week ahead and anything else you have on the agenda,upcoming appointments,procedures,tests,surgeries,what have you.

Want to welcome all new members and please stop in and say hi and meet everyone.

Yesterday was a awesome gorgeous spring day here in the first weekend of the Daytona beach bike week 2015 with temperatures reaching 86. I was out all day with my father and walked far more than I normally do over fair grounds and sandy areas but the sunshine and David Allen Coe performance made it well worth it. Today I will surely pay for the free festivities but I am not going to let pain rob me of another day.

Hope everyone has a good week and low pain issues.

My pelvic pain has improved significantly since having the endometriosis removed, plus removing the paragard and starting depo provera. But of course now I managed to fracture a bone in my hand a couple days ago. I'm about to call to schedule an appointment with an ortho.

Our internet has been down for days (heavy rain broke a fiber optic cable, then snow prevented repairs, then our line in particular needed work). Yuck! So a two-week summary...

My shortness of breath started going away a couple days before I finally got in to see the doctor last week (again, thanks to snow) and a CT scan showed no blood clots and lungs were same as always, mostly clear, and now my shortness of breath has entirely gone, so I'm wondering if it was a tiny blood clot that the new blood thinner minimized, and by the time of the CT scan, it was going away on its own and too small to see.

Anyway, good to be back to normal, and the CT scan also showed my targeted cancer drug had reduced the main tumor 10% in two months and the other nodules were stable or shrinking. I was able to get my arms above my head, pain free, for the CT scan for the first time since last summer, and that's even without morphine. The chemo drug won't cure the cancer, but it's supposed to keep it from growing and maybe shrink it, until the cancer becomes immune.

My palliative care doctor ran out of ideas for my post herpatic shingles pain, so he referred me to a regular PM doctor, who's going to try a nerve block. I go in for the test block next Friday, just an anesthetic and steroid injected. He thinks I need intercostal nerves blocked higher than the ones blocked for my cancer pain last fall, as the shingles pain is higher on my back. He said the injection next week might even be enough to calm the pain due to the steroid, and if not, we can try a full radiofrequency block.

It's probably overdetermined for typical shingles pain that might resolve in a couple more months to a year, but I'm glad he seems to get the point that I need something more quick and aggressive, because I may not have a lot of pain-free time left from the cancer.

Otherwise, the good news is the snow is melting, and we bought a new house closer to everything, a cute little 1930s bungalow type that's been totally modernized. So lots of packing of boxes in the next few weeks.

Hope spring is finally here or on its way soon for everyone.

Hope everyone had a great weekend, less pain and warmer weather!!

I am feeling really good right now as far as my SI/hip/back pain - wow, those injections really did help me. I am having trouble sleeping at night, just can't seem to drift off.

I wanted to put on this post what happened to me last week, the night home from having my injections w/ sedation. I went to bed and stayed in bed all day and night, soooooo.... I had a tall glass of ice water on my nightstand that I kept getting sips of water from.

about 2am, the next thing I know is I was awakened screaming at the top of my lungs and my heart beating a mile a minute. Apparently when I was drinking the water, I kept the nice tall glass of ice cubes and water right in front of me balanced on my chest and drifted off for a bit. SPLASH!!!!! A whole glass of ice cold water/ice cubes all over me, my sheets, blankets and pillows! I literally scared my poor hubby so bad when I screamed he pounced off his side of the bed.

It is so funny to think about now, was not funny then. I know I am not the only one that this could have happened to!

This week, my daughter is defending her dissertation on Wednesday and if all goes well, she will walk out of the auditorium A DOCTOR (her PhD in education) - I am so very proud of her, I know she will do it the 1st time.

I have my monthly PM doc appointment Friday to go over my injection procedure last week and refill my meds. I am also scheduled on Monday for another set of bilateral injections, no problem for the procedure but I could pass on the side effects. Realistically, a small price to pay for pain free days!

The rainy weather is ending after 7 straight days, on Thursday we will begin a nice stretch of warm sunny skies (low 70's), can't wait to get out in the sun and play with my furbabies!

I hope everyone has a painless as possible week and that your weather also gets warmer and brighter!

With hugs from Texas,

Pam

Hey Y'all...I enjoy reading your posts of "GOOD TIMES".  It soothes my tattered soul=) 

Alcie, I love the visual of you with your grands.  While others dislike the cold and snow, my DH and I LOVE cold weather and the rare snow that we get here in MS. Of course, we'd feel differently if we had to shovel or plow our way out.  No danger of that in Dixie, though we had 6 inches a week ago.  We were ELATED!

Vickie, your weekend fun takes me back (DAC).  I'm not a tropics gal, but I do love an occasional stroll in the sugar white sand, collecting shells and splashing in the warm tides.  We crave the bounty of the ocean from raw oysters (a no-no for me now) to crab legs. Thank you for that visual...good stuff.  I posted a message to you (Vickie) in my (Fentanyl) thread, but I don't know if you saw it.  I won't take up more space here, but please take a moment to read it. Reading of your move with family touched my heart...more good stuff=)

GOOD MEMORIES sustain us, and carry us through the hard times.  We cannot change the past, but we can create wonderful new memories.

CRPS...Kudos on your fun vaca!

HT...Sorry to hear Deb's sick. I'm sending healing thoughts right back atcha!

WhatX2...I'm ecstatic that your pelvic pain has eased somewhat.  I'd love to hear from you.  I'm sorry about the hand, though.

JamesBW, I'm so sorry that you are still struggling with the Shingles.  I am too @ 9+ months now.  I mistakenly posted on an old thread about PHN.  I don't know if there's anything helpful for you there, but maybe?  I LOVE reading about you and your wife moving into a new bungalow.  I don't envy the move, but I like the idea of downsizing with a fresh start.  You have such a positive and UPLIFTING ATTITUDE...Who knows?  You may beat this thing and live happily ever after.  That is my prayer for you.

SisterPam...I understand the OOPS! with the ice water.  I'm sorry but I had to giggle...not laughing "at" you, but with you.  I'm so sedated with this Fentanyl start up, that I fell asleep with my coffee cup in my hand.  Also...We had 5-6" snow last week (rare here).  It was preceded by ice/sleet.  We refused to sleep in our bedroom because of a monstrous pine tree that looms overhead.  Fastforward to Sunday night...We returned to sleep in our room because everything had melted and the tree stands firm.  However, in the middle of the night, the roller shade on the french doors CRASHED to the floor.  Our bed linens needed changing too;)

I won't belabor my medical issues, because they're scattered about in recent threads/posts.  If anyone has thoughts and/or experiences with Fentanyl patches, please share with me.

Hope everyone has a week of well-managed pain, mixed in with some laughter along the way!

~~Dixie

Had my thyroid ultrasound today. No cancer! Yippee! Radiologist said that the findings were consistent with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is autoimmune, but highly treatable. So really good news, there!

See my PM on Wednesday for my 1 wk follow-up since starting the butrans patch. Really hope he changes me to something else. Patches don't seem to be helping at all, even at the maximum dose (PM told me to add a second patch after 2-3d if the first wasn't helping). Pain is definitely worse since starting the patch, not better!! And I also seem to be sensitive to the adhesive in this patch, same as I was with the fentanyl patch. So the patches burn like crazy -- super uncomfortable!

Finally starting to see some signs of spring here. Was sunny, and got up into the 40's for the first time today. Felt so nice! But now all the snow is starting to melt -- what a mess.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Skeye

A good belly laugh can be more curative than a medicine sometimes...There's more stories where those came from.  I have a feeling SP could contribute quite a few more, too.

~~Dixie

Laura can't wait for the pics and it sounds like you had a great vacation.

By the way I was out with family NOT my father whom would be a 100 although I would love to have spent a day with him!! Gotta love spellchecker when it decides it knows what you want to say.

I'm loving the ice water catastrophe probably because it's something I would do and it happened to someone else?? Lol

Dixie I will go back and read.

Seems everyone's ready for some sunshine!!

Friday, we got the diagnosis for my daughter, Cushings Syndrome. Now, more testing.
Saturday, did a lot of shopping which always leads to pain meds.
Sunday, more shopping, found a slipcover for the thrift store sofa! On clearance! $15!!!
Monday, temps were in the upper 50's!!!!! Finally able to shed the snow pants!
Today, have to deal with government red tape to get energy assistance, yeah, after winter! What a hassle! Don't have everything they want, all my stuff is in but daughter hasn't gotten everything together that they require from her. I'm very frustrated. I am also out of meds and have to get an appointment with the doc.