Monday - January 21, 2013

I haven't been home much this month.  I've spent some time with Charlie and had some other things claiming my attention.

I'm going to take some time now to gripe.  I try not to do this but I need to put this "out there" so I can quit fretting about it.  It's actually several things. 

Number One:  I wish the money situation would just clear up and go away.  Wishful thinking, but something that will eventually work itself out.  Perseverance!

Number Two:  When I ask for my egg to be cooked "hard" I don't want to bite into it and get liquid yellow running out of it!  The person who cooked this egg had the heat up too high.  I had even said "Poke the yellow with a fork so it will cook to the right hardness".  It didn't happen.

Number Three:  Charlie is too nosy about how things are at home including my financial situation.  He is not a family person and does not understand that because of the dynamics here at home that I need to be here on a regular basis.  He came to my dobutamine IV and questioned the nurses about everything.  He might be showing his concern for my care but we're only in the early stages of our relationship.

Number Four:  I'm tired of being sick and old.  I plan on going to the rec/gym center once the doctor tells us what I can and cannot do.  I will have restrictions.  No upper arm exercises that pull muscles that are across the chest, because of the separated sternum.  Walking and the recumbent bike should be okay.  I would like to go at least two times a week up to four times a week if possible.  Charlie will not like that.

I, also, have been thinking a lot about assisted living quarters.  I'm tired of where I am.  I've been in this spot for 35 years.  I'm tired of yard work...lol!

I'll quit for now.   

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Happy New Year's everyone!

It's been a while since I've posted here.  It's been pretty quiet around here.  We had a lovely, peaceful, Christmas and spent time with some wonderful friends.  One of my osmosis daughter's, Roberta and her family, hosted her usual Christmas dinner and we participated with them on Christmas Day.  Heather, Kent, and I celebrated our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve day and opened presents on Christmas Day morning.  We took a dish that Kent prepared:  ratatouille.  It was pretty tasty and was well received by all.

My PCINR has been running low now for about a month.  It fluctuates between 1.4 and 1.8 and they want it at 2.5 or 3.0.  I will be getting my blood drawn every Thursday until we get it under control.

Outside of having flu like symptoms and a sore swollen left foot I've managed to stay out of the hospital.

In November I met a nice man named Charlie Probst.  We have been seeing each other on a regular basis.  He's quiet, attentive, and we share a lot of likes and dislikes.  At this point we are just friends although we kiss and hug like boyfriend/girlfriend.

Still planning on getting a book submitted to a e-book publisher.  Need to get a synopsis together and read through the novel to make sure its formatted the way they want it.

Hope all of you have a terrific 2013!   

November 15, 2012 - Thursday

My day started very early.  I was up at 6 a.m. so Heather could go to her dental appointment at 8:30  a.m.and get me to my dobutamine IV clinic at 10 a.m.  They took me early at the clinic since they a small break in patient's.  I was on the IV by 9:30 a.m. which meant I would be done at 1:30-1:45 time frame.
I sent a text to Heather to let her know when I was ready to leave.  She was on her way.  She called me to tell me she'd meet me halfway to the patient labs, because I needed to get blood drawn for my INR level.  We were there a little longer than normal due to paperwork.  We left there and swung by Tim Horton's for an iced cappuccino for the both of us and headed home.  Once at home we had salads and grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch.  After that I went to bed since I was wiped out and Heather prepared for work and to spend the night at Mark's.

Kent started putting up the Christmas decorations outdoors.  A little early for my liking but it is close to Thanksgiving.  Kent will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner for us now that we have the menu nailed down.

As Thanksgiving is on Thursday (as usual) they had to schedule my dobutamine on Wednesday.

I have a dinner date coming up on this coming Sunday with Charlie.  I am looking forward to this.

October 30, 2012 - Tuesday

Well...I'm back with the Heart Failure Clinic.  I should have been with them all along, but due to my earlier hospitalization in the first of the year we lost touch with each other.  My appointment today was with Mike.  He was happy with my progress and told me to keep up the good work.  We discussed my PIC line issues and he was aware of them.  He said "When this one fails (which it looks like it is) we will discuss a port."  They like to hold off as much as possible with that because they don't like to cut people if they don't have to and a surgeon needs to do it.  He scheduled my next appointment for Nov. 29 during my dobutamine IV session since he'll be there anyway.

I had a lunch date Saturday with a very nice man.  We went to Bob Evan's and sat there through lunch and afterward talking for two hours.  We plan on getting together again for dinner soon.

The hurricane that hit has gifted us with wind, rain mixed with snow and chilly temperatures.  It's as if winter has arrived early.  Brrrrr.  Fortunately we don't have issues with loss of electricity.   

Sunday - October 21, 2012

Two weeks ago Heather was ill with dizzyness, nausea, and ringing in her ears.  Her friends, Roberta, Mark, and Em saw to it that she and the car got home okay.  This was a Friday afternoon (Oct. 5).  That evening she was still feeling rough so she called her boyfriend to take her to the ER.  Long story short she was diagnosed with vertigo and prescribed a pill for the verdigo and one for the nausea.  She really didn't start feeling back to normal until early last week.  Needless to say I was more concerned that she was having a heart problem.  It was nice to find out differently.

Working on revising one of my novels to e-book form.  It seems that every publisher that I've dealt with wants a certain format and it is never the same format from one publisher to the other.   Uggg!

I'm feeling pretty good.  The cardiologist gave me a good review.  Thursday at my dobutimine session they had trouble getting it to work, but after flushing it several times it started working.  They called the doctor to let him know.  Hope all goes well next Thursday.

This week I have appointments with the kidney doctor and my primary care doctor.  The primary care doctor will be going over my CT scan, which showed a small hernia....I don't know if its a new one or an existing one acting up, as well as review my blood work up for sugar, cholesterol, and other things.

My life seems to be an endless circle of doctors and tests.  Well that has caught us up here for the time being.    

Wednesday - October 10, 2012

Heather and I had a lovely time up at Marblehead, Ohio for three days.  It was cold as all get out but we still had fun.  The sky was filled with gray clouds the first two days but we didn't get any rain.  The third day was still cold but filled with beautiful sunshine.  The first day there we drove to the Marblehead lighthouse and it was lovely.  Then we picked up some groceries at WalMart and headed to the cottage we were going to be staying at.

Mark my home nurse's mother-in-law had a place that she lets out for the summer.  She offered it to us free of charge because it was off season and we weren't going to be there long.   The cottage was a five bedroom, two story, home and was appointed quite well.

The next day we booked a round trip ride on the Miller Boat ferry over to Bass Island.  Once on Bass Island we rented a golf cart to get around.  We went to the Perry Monument.  Heather climbed up the inside of the monument while I stayed at the museum and watched a movie about Olive Hazard Perry and why he meritted a monument.  Then we went to the Butterfly House and walked among hundreds of imported butterflies.  Heather got some nice pictures.  Next we went to Mossbacks for dinner.  I wanted to see what a place called Jane's Trail was all about.  By the time we got there it was closed and it was a nature trail that I probably could not navigate.  Then we returned the golf cart and waited for the ferry back to the mainland.

We had dinner and watched some TV.  I fell asleep in my chair just like I did the night before.  This night I was ill most of the night with diarrhea and vomiting.  No fun at all.  I finally did get to sleep and Heather let me sleep until one in the afternoon.  We packed up and headed out.  We were headed to the African Safari Park.  Once there we drove through the park and fed the animals from the car, then we walked through the walking zoo.  We left there headed home and looking for a place to eat dinner.  We found Gus's Grill and Grog and had a very down home dinner.

Still have a little diarrhea going on. 

Tomorrow is my dobutamine IV treatment and then when it's over we're off to Pittsburg to pick up Brian for the week-end.  He has something going on in town here with a group (like boy scouts).

Will be back some other day for what news I might have.

Sunday - Swptember 30, 2012

Thursday morning I got up and could barely walk.  My tailbone and both hips ached like crazy.  I went to my dobutamine appointment, then went home, took an Tylenol, and went to bed.  I was still in a lot of pain when I got up and took another Tylenol.  When bedtime rolled around another Tylenol.

Friday morning I was still in pain but it was improving.  Tylenol got me through the day and at bedtime I took half a oxycodine.  Saturday most of the pain was gone.  Only one hip hurt just a little.

I belived that the neuropathy medicine I'm on was the reason I was in pain.  I was told there would be a lot of pain in any spot where the nerves were dying.  This medicine helps restore them.  I have a nerve issue in my lower back for several years.  I had surgery on my back that corrected the issue, but then I bent funny and re-injured it.

This week is filled with dobutimine IV, mammogram, and an eye appointment.

So that's it for now.