Charleston Bound, part 2

Just returned from Charleston and the first "Flapper Reunion" of hopefully many! Such beautiful weather for most of the time there, and the view from the B and B (the Battery) was awesome! Thanks to Pinkheart for steering us to Peninsula for a great dinner the first night, to Drs Kline, Craigie and Baron for a delightful dinner with both Gail, Chris and Kim and the biggest boatload of sushi. So fun to sit with the most awesome Drs and staff and laugh and chat! Talks of doing this annualy, so hoping more of our flapper sisters can join us!

Sewaneegirl took the most awesome photos!!!

Cascader, we all wished you were able to make it - next year for sure? The dinner with the Drs was the second night. Other than the dinners, It was so special to sit with people who have been there and done that with the reconstruction process and how it has affected our lives so far. Truly memorable.

Hopefully next year we can plan it better to make sure more can come and join us!

Hugs

Catie

wish I could have made the reunion. sitting here on pins and needles waiting for my new grandson to arrive.

Just back from Charleston, saw Dr. Baron's new PA (he was overbooked) and had an ultrasound. I'd not had a check-up since my MX in Jan 12. Insurance is picking up 100% for the rest of the year, so I figured it was time to check out and check up. Met with Dr. K, he agreed that I'd been through enough this year and taking a year off and getting back on my feet good was a good plan. So, we will finish this up in early 2016.

We stayed at Mainstay Suites. That is where we stayed when I had the emergency surgery in July. They offer a medical rate of $69 for a 1 bedroom studio, $89 for a 2 bedroom. They also have a breakfast each morning. SO this might be a good option for those traveling and staying in the area. Previously, I'd stayed at Wild Dunes after stage 1, thanks to a friend's father who rented me his beachfront condo very cheap. Of course, that was my favorite place to stay and we stayed for 3 weeks then. The other surgeries, we rented a 2 bedroom patio home at Sandpiper Retirement. It was fine, but basic. The rate was the same as Mainstay. Mainstay is a Choice hotel and you get points for free night with them. If I'd known that before, I'd have a lot of free nights!! Mainstay is on your left once you get off Ravenel bridge. It is not as upscale as the Residence Inn or Homewood (granite countertops vs Formica & that sort), but it was very nice & clean, plus half the price! The set up & layout is the same as Residence Inn. The staff was really great to us in June when this was an unplanned trip; they were accommodating this time, as well. I've not seen this place mentioned much when discussing places to stay, but others might want to check it out when the need arises.

I do not plan to go to Charleston for 14 more months....gonna stay out of that place for a while!!

Ketch, I have the points card for them, so i will look into staying there in the future.  i'm sure it will be nicer than econolodge, lol.

Lbrewer, Congrats on your new bundle of JOY!!!!

Pinkheart, thought I sent them to you? Will send again this week, have kidlets here for the week to help me get ready for Christmas

Hi all, It's been a while since I've been here. My BM and DIEP was July 16. I've been in and out of the hospital most of November. I've had high liver and pancreatic enzymes with lots of extreme pain. After finally seeing a GI specialist, they ruled out pancreatitis, but think it's a sphincter of oddi dysfunction. I'm having and ERCP on Monday to hopefully correct this. The will go in with a tube a cut the small muscle leading out of the pancreas. Very precise procedure that can lead to acute pancreatitis if done incorrectly or if they nick the pancreas. Dr thinks we need to do this and I agree, I haven't had a meal since Nov 8 due to pain with eating, been in a clear liquid diet and have lost 15 pound since Nov 1. What's worse.... My stage 2 is scheduled for December 12!!!! Plane tickets bought, hotel booked. I can't have my surgery unless liver enzymes come down. Please say a prayer that this ERCP works. I would be so devastated to cancel Stage 2. Incidentally, they found a spot on my lung in the mri they did for my GI tract. Sigh.... Hopefully not another carcinoid tumor (had one in my colon in 09)

Tamiami, I noticed you mentioned getting drains out before leaving Charleston. I had Craigie not Kline, but he was adamant about keeping the hip drains in for 4 weeks. Breast drains came out after 2 weeks. I hope that helps, I would ask directly - they are great about answering questions. :-)

I hope ya'll had a good Thanksgiving.

Thank you Tamiami, Pinkheart and Philomene! I had my ERCP and I'm home. No complication of pancreatitis. My high enzymes are coming down so I think I'll be able to go through with stage 2. However, I'm extremely week and just not in overall good health from this GI disturbance. I'm super sore from the ERCP, I need to snap out of this fast and muster up the strength for this stage 2 surgery 8 days away!!!

Hi,everyone.Thank you for your kind words,they really do help me more than I can say.So I almost passed out and was taken to ER..again..this time by ambulance..with shortness of breath,chest pain,nausea....they kept me overnight to monitor my heart.The doctor I saw that evening assured me I would not be sent home until they had some answers..the doctor I saw the next day told me I was depressed and needed to get out in the fresh air and exercise..........I asked him if the depression was causing the numbness in my feet...he threw up his hands and left...so I was once again sent home....I saw my primary doctor...now I love this doctor,but despite my telling him I felt horrid in the morning but as I forced myself to eat through the day I felt somewhat better in the evening....he too insisted it was depression and wanted me to sign myself into the psych hospital.........my husband backed me up that this was nutrition(or lack of) and I made an appointment to see a nutritionist..not one doctor ever suggested this,even when I told them I was barely eating...I saw the nutritionist the day before Thanksgiving and I was so thankful that I saw her....she said I was slowly starving to death from lack of fat and protein and that was at the root of the depression(I always drink skim milk,no fat yogurt,etc)......plus she said no matter what the blood tests showed( I was a little low on RBC and my cells were enlarged,but not technically anemic) she felt I was also deficient in iron,all the B Vitamins and magnesium.......and because of my loss of taste,zinc.....I have not been sleeping and she said that is also from the protein and fat deficiency.....my goal is get up to 80 grams of protein,I am almost to 60....because of the muscle loss I will be weak for quite a while....but finally feel I am on the road to recovery..last night I took zinc,B6 and magnesium and for the first time in months slept well...through all this I had little pain from the surgery,but now I am,since I am moving around and using muscles.....Davy,I was never constipated! Mainly because I was existing on applesauce and mashed potatoes..and those were the days I was eating anything solid..LAstar...I took lots of probiotics through this and I know they helped,my issues were with my upper GI.....pain and heartburn..which I never have..but the nausea was the worst..it is still there off and on....any of you with upcoming surgery...BE SURE AND EAT PROTEIN during recovery.....when this hit,I was still not eating as much as usual.....TAKE probiotics before you start the antibiotics and for a while after....listen to your body.