INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours

Anonymous

JunieB ~ Sounds like you're having a Carolina intro to Summer! Do ya'll all have central AC like we do here? I would still like to dress like the Southern Belle that I am - I'd clip some little fans to the hoops in my skirt though! I'm such a tech junkie....I carry a separate tote for my "toys" for all my doc visits. For an extended stay I'd need a little suitcase! I'll hold on to FartFace's charge card just in case Let us know about the rehab.

Here's Mya the Pomsky, she looks like a fox!

I totally do not condone the mixing...........but I totally would love to have one of these babies!

Wren44

You never know which traits they'll have from each breed. We fostered a Pit Bull - Basenji mix once. Hard-headed but sweet. And we found her a great adopter. They wanted a medium sized, crate trained dog to take on their private airplane.

Anonymous

Basenjis are tough little buggers. Must have gotten the sweetness from the Pitt side! Pitties get a bad rap. All my years of training I never came across a mean or aggressive one. All were big mushes. Funniest one was a little pup that was totally doted on by her parents. They brought her to each class wearing her pink jacket and little pink bows in her "hair". Wish I had taken pictures!

One of the prettiest mixes I've ever seen was a Chow/German Shepherd. She had the Shepherd markings, the round Chow face and the pouffiest, softest fur. She was like a big teddy bear! Nice temperament too.

Berners are such lovely creatures but so genetically flawed. They really shouldn't be bred at all, it's too cruel. I have a neighbor that had one. Sweet dog, ass of a owner. She was seen as an investment. The owner spent thousands of dollars to have the dog repeatably artificially inseminated. The poor girl suffered many miscarriages and stillbirths. The one pup born alive only lived a few days. Heartless, heartless owner. Berners only live for 7 or 8 years.......so sad.

Anonymous

Here's Boo and Buddy to make us smile again.......

Anonymous

Sas ~ Oh No! Is Donnie sleeping in the car tonight? So sorry it was one of your "specials" that got broke How bad is the storm down there? SC is supposed to get it in the wee hours tomorrow morning. We've been lucky and haven't had a major storm since Floyd in '99. Charleston will get nailed sometimes but the way the coastline shifts, along with the way the gulf stream flows, Myrtle Beach will miss a lot of the bad stuff. The storms will skirt by us and then wallop Cape Hatteras.

I've been laying kinda low the past few days processing my latest turn of events. I saw the new RO Wednesday. I really like him. He gave DS and me a thorough "tour" of my spine on his big computer screen. Excellent at explanations and very easy to talk to. He spent about an hour with us. My spine is falling apart again and I need to have surgery. Maybe within the next 2 weeks. Still waiting to hear from the scheduler. I have two vertebrae that each need radiofrequency ablation and kyphoplasty procedures. One of the vertebra is the one that had the oops with the broken metal thingy last year. There wasn't enough cement injected into one side and now it has shifted. The top of L3 now has a Schmorl's node, which looks like a scoop has been taken out of the vertebra. This was caused by the downward pressure of the L2. L2 is quite damaged. Some of this is from progression of mets. Progression of mets in L5 has resulted in the vertebral body being mostly filled by cancer. Untreated my spine will collapse. Cement is my only option - nothing to bolt rods or pins to. Lots of other really f'd up stuff in the rest of my spine and neck; taking it one step at a time.

I've had a large area of redness on my defective breast along with pain and swelling since about February. I had an ultrasound, mammogram and a punch biopsy which showed nothing to indicate IBC. I had two rounds of antibiotics, which reduced most of the pain. My auxiliary nodes are still sore and a little bit swollen. The redness is still there but has faded some. Ugh. MO is following up in July and will decide then if the Femara is failing. Seeing all the shite in my spine has me nervous and worried that I need to switch to a different AI now. Wait and see, wait and see.....lots of that going around lately. Thppppp.

DS is going for an ultrasound this week to see if his gallbladder needs to come out. No one on my side of the family still has theirs. Poor kid Bad timing for my upcoming back stuff. Much prefer to have him with me for my med stuff than FFH. Oh well.....maybe we can bunk together during our recoveries......

Okay, enough of this "stuff". Here's my other FaceBook fave posing with her Dude:

Lil Bub!

Lookforward

Wren thinking of you and wishing your niece a full recovery.

Shep cute dog pictures, your knowledge is admirable. What dog breeds do you recommend, I prefer smaller breeds, especially since I'm still carrying my dog up and down stairs Glad you are enjoying your tablet, I love my tablets, I download books and movies from hoopla and overdrive. I also have zinio for magazines. I never thought I would become so tecky my family is amazed.

Junie we had 30c here today, but compared to you that is cool. I haven't read David baldacchino, he is my husbands favorite author .

Sas did the storm miss you.

Mamma Ray hope you are feeling better.

Anonymous

Hey Lookie!

Your baby looks like she would be heavy to tote up and down the stairs! We do what we have to for them though Little dogs, hmmm....they really become more of a personal choice than the big ones. I like Pomeranians, Shelties, Shiba Inus. King Charles Cavaliers are nice too. I also really like Australian Shepherds - compared to my giantess, they are small breed!

Neuropathy......hate it. I'v got in in my left arm and lower left leg and foot. My foot will get so numb it feels like frostbite and hurts! My leg is caused by pinched nerves in my spine. My upcoming kyphoplasty may relieve it somewhat. My arm is a combo of nerves being pinched by my neck and lymph nodes. Does your doctor know about your legs? Some meds and chemos can cause the numbness. Or it could be a pinched nerve somewhere in your back. Some people get relief from Neurontin, Lyrica or Cymbalta. Fingers crossed you will find an easy fix. With numb feet you have to be so careful where you step and not to loose your balance. I keep stepping on the kitty and dog.....you'd think they would'a figured out to move by now! Smart pup you have - being carried on the stairs is the best way to stay from underfoot

Did your baby's bloody diarrhea stop? Did you find the cause? (DOG poop Sas - not people lol ) Hope you had a nice getaway. Are you a "traveler"? I love getting away and exploring, even if it's just a day trip. I get antsy if I stay put too long. Haven't done much adventuring in a long while. I have lots of ants in my pants. (not really!)

Off to put my ants and other critters to bed.

Good Night!

Edited to say complain away - it's nice to have someone to commiserate with. Lil Bub is a sweetie. She is a famous internet cat who was a special care rescue. Her owner refers to himself as Lil Bub's Dude. He is an incredible person with a huge heart. He and Bub make personal appearances for charity and have donated thousands of dollars to animals in need. http://lilbub.com/ and her FaceBook page are happy places to visit

Loveroflife

Yuck!!! Everyone is falling apart. I just hate seeing you ladies facing so many challenges.

ShepK, wish this was a nightmare and we will wake up from this. Adding you to the my list of prayers. Hugs

Regarding the convoy of military vehicles, they were there to make sure DH got us to our destination safely. He has a habit of driving like a maniac, changing lanes like a madman because he can't help it with his type A personality. I usually get to practice the art of back seat driving when I am in the car with him. I am driving home this Thursday. Hate not being in control.

JunieB

Oh Shep, so sorry you're struggling so much with your spine. Sometimes when we get to talking/sharing here it's easy to forget why we are here. Especially since most of your posts sound quite upbeat. How do you do it? I really hope that the kyphoplasty procedure will give you relief. Will you also be having radiation treatments to slow the progression of the BC?

When I was at Palliative Care last week there was a patient leaving from her appt. and the last thing the doctor said to her was that the new pain regimen would hopefully keep her more comfortable with less medication. It just struck home with me that while I have the fibromyalgia & osteoarthritis exacerbation from treatments, I think I have been quite fortunate thus far. However, I am allergic to Morphine & Dilaudid, and it scares me to think what the doctors will do to control my pain in the future. But I try not to linger on those thoughts, since it doesn't serve any good purpose.

You are right that those little Pom mixes are quite cute.

Good night & sleep well all.

M0mmyof3

Can't wait, less than a week to go and hubby's cast comes off (hopefully for good)

feelingfeline

Mommy best wishes for that. Time to go waltzing.

Shep best wishes with your spinal surgery. Hope you get a date very quickly and that they can get you fixed up Six Million Dollar Woman style. XXX

M0mmyof3

Thanks. He is really looking forward to being able to help me out more.

sas-schatzi

Shep, DS is waiting on us to send the materials. He tried to say no, that he didn't have the experience. I said nope sweetie not this time, won't fly and you don't have a choice. I'm pulling the Mom card. Problem I'll be doing all the work. Donnie is oblivious to the importance. Not that he doesn't care, if it's not HVAC stuff it's not on his radar....... I'm going to look into the flex tab. ........Silly, a small part of me is still working through the broken glass. Donnie said "well, you can just find another one". I could order one from Replacements.com, but I forgot write down it's name. Oh Vey......Silly

It is so sad about Bernies. All from inbreeding. I've never seen any other breed with such horrible maladies. To bad they're is a required training to breed animals. Those folks were clueless and cruel.

WOW the knew RO sounds like a keeper for sure. How did you find him? Is there an equally as good ortho surgeon?

Have son ask how good imaging is at showing sludge. I've been gone long enough that things may have changed. Has he passed any stones? It sounds to me that he has, if the surgery is being pushed. Did anyone explain why it's being pushed. If need be I can explain.

Love Bub, Boo, and Buddy. What's the cross again?

Smaarty

wrench, your pillow will be in the mail today, waiting for the mailman to pick it up. Hope you like butterflies. I also included Pink Pockets someone gave me. Didn't use them after the first sx. Use them or not. If staff haven't told you yet, get a lanyard for showering. Docs are funny creatures, some will let you shower a couple days after sx, some don't care when, others say not until the drains are out. Had one set of drains for 4-5 weeks but could shower after the first visit with him. The pillows also make it easy to sleep on your side even with the drains still in but not until about 1-2 weeks after sx. Hope you have some kind of recliner, it will make it easier. Don't forget to ask for your meds without safety lids. You won't be able to get the lids off. Do you have little ones around?

Someone said they never are awake when they go into the surgery suite. If you want to be alert and know what's going on, tell them you don't want Versed. This drug wipes your memory, before and a short while after. It depends on your conform level and how anxious/nervous you are. I like seeing my doc and joking with the staff. The only time I ask for Versed was when I had to swallow a camera, didn't want to be there for that.

Good luck to both of you. We will be in your pocket! 😵

sas-schatzi

Shep if you have cultures done, ask for a specimen to be sent away for mycobacterium testing. It's not routinely done. Takes weeks for the culture to grow. Consider an infectious disease doc(ID). To have a low level infection like that is very suspicious. GP's PCP, FM docs aren't trained in Bugs as well. Did you read my explanation of my coined phrase "Paintball Therapy" on the 2D6 thread? Your PCP is doing paintball therapy which, frankly, is dangerous and or debilitating to the immune system. It's just this type of thing that I made the phrase up decades ago. But it fits even better now b/c of the accepted phrase "Targeted Therapy".

WenchLori

Thank you so much Smaarty! I love butterflies! My PS won't allow me to shower until after the drains are out. Boo! I do have a recliner and my couch and love seat are also recliners so I'm set there. Hubby checked to make sure my new huge 50" tv works in my "recovery room". I love that man!

I'm taking notes from all the advice I'm getting and I can't explain how much I appreciate everyone's help! I can't believe how calm, cool and collected I am today compared to last week!

Thank you everyone!

M0mmyof3

Will be thinking of you Lori. Good Luck! The first shower after the drains come out is something to look forward to. It felt like Heaven to me!!!!

Smaarty

Crap, lost a post.

Wrench, plan on at least 10-12 days. If you like dry hair shampoo try this. Very nice.

Bautiste from Utla.com. Comes in different hair colors.

There's a tip thread if you haven't looked at it yet. Hasn't been active. Lots of info from lots of people.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/6/topics/...

I see you've been on TE for beginners, lots of help there too. Remember, you control how much and how fast you want to fill. There's no reason to be miserable when you start tofill the TEs.

sas-schatzi

Wenchie, It sounds like you will mostly be in chairs. But when you go back to the bed. Leave a basket with sheets and pillowcases in the room. Take off the fitted sheet apply the top flat sheet just laid over the bed. Covered with another flat sheet or quilt. Have a couple spare flat sheets. How to use? If you sweat in the middle of the night it's only seconds changing the sheets. I did this with my DH when he had fevers and they'd break. The sheets were drenched. Lickity split I'd have them changed. I still cover the bed this same way 6 years later. No pulling, tugging or tucking. Now I keep each rooms sheets in a drawer in each room. Works best if the sheets are one size bigger. But will work with the same size of the bed. Freed up space in the linen closet for glass. LOL. Seriously, I wish I figured this out from the beginning.

Smaarty

this was the post I lost.

WenchLori

Thank you M0mmyof2!

Thank you again Smaarty, I'll have to order some of that shampoo, do they have the color grey? lol My DH came and sat with me to go over some things that he wanted to make sure I knew that he knew about. Like helping me with washing my hair, getting washed up, changing my dressings, helping with my drains and making sure I eat to keep my strength up etc. I looked at him and said "You have been listening" I've been lurking on TE for beginners and TE trouble. I'm just getting ideas as how things work and what possible problems can come up. I hope I don't have to use it but I know where to go if I do!

Thank you Sas, great idea for the sheets. I love it! I will make sure my bed is set up for when I'm ready to sleep laying down. I also got myself a memory body pillow to help position myself if needed and tons of other pillows. My DH called me a pillow hoarder. I told him to keep a good hold on his as I may need it too. He gave me his cc and told me to get as many as I want.

I know I'll be sitting out on the deck in the cooler mornings when I'm up to it so I got some cushions for the rockers we have out there.

I don't have little children to look after but my elderly Mom lives with us. All our friends from church have signed up to drop food off and check on mom and I both. They will also sit and pray with us, take Mom or I to dr appts if DH can't get off work etc. I'm so blessed to have them all! Pastor Jeff and his wife Christy said they are only a phone call away if I feel I need a little extra prayers and to let them know when I'm up to coming to church and they'll pick us up on their way by our house.

Thank you all!I think I'm ready!

Loveroflife

Lori

Ms. Smarty, I found the post you lost:

WenchLori

WOWZA! Lover, they can get lost in my backyard anytime!

M0mmyof3

You are very welcome Lori!

Just sitting here enjoying my coffee and planning my day.

feelingfeline

Very Best wishes Wenchie.

So great you have food help. Say YES and AMEN!

When the drains are coming out you can ask the nurse or doctor to work with you so that you firstly take a great big breath in, and then they only pull the drain out as you do a long exhale. A nurse told me to do this and it was mighty, hardly felt anything at all. Not everyone gets told this useful info.

XXX

WenchLori

Thank you feelingfeline for the tip! I'll try to remember it. I wonder if it's anything like having the drain removed from my abdomin a few years ago? I took a deep breath but as I was trying to let it out slowly I started to laugh as it tickled as the tube came out. The nurse was caught off guard as she'd never had anyone laugh about it before. I told her I could start crying if it made her feel better?

WenchLori

M0mmyof2, is live a cup of coffee right now but I'm headed to have my pre-op blood work etc done. COFFEEEEE!

Smaarty

wrench, yes, very much the same feeling. I've had drains remove 5 times. None of them ever hurt. Felt really weird but no pain. Don't forget to have small size containers to use, like quart size for milk, not gallon size. Have everything around waist height, no reaching or bending over. A nurse or someone should be going through all this with you before sx. And how to cLear the drains. You probably know that one since you had drains before. Thinking about you. Enjoy your coffee. 😝

feelingfeline

Ha Great story Wench!

sas-schatzi

Wenchie, This is a link to a wound care thread I did a lot of work on. It has a post on how to evaluate skin for changes i.e.infection, how to set up a dressing station, and how to shower. Much more, but scan through and see what applies for surgery. As time went on I just used it for storage.

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/44/topics/754935?page=4#idx_113

Range of motion. There is no literature on how much range of motion to do. Docs vary from none to some. Based on my research at the time I had mine(2009). The limited range of motion was based on old practice that wasn't evidenced based. The only connecting dot was fear of armpit drain displacement. It again was not based on science.

Since there is no science it's a tough call. Since the outcome of immobility is a disability of the frozen shoulder, I chose to do very gentle full range of motion of each shoulder. I had each arm up at 12:00 o'clock position the morning after surgery and then swung back to the 8-9 o'clock position. Doing this a few times a day will keep the shoulder from freezing.

Again no current EBR which totally sucks.

My research conclusion is the immobility was a hold over from the early 1900's. Sounds bizarre, but it's true.