Re: I think I need to write a book! (very long!!!)

Oh my word! What an experience with that cat! I'm sorry you are having so many difficulties and pain - I will keep you in my prayers.

Leslie

"Donna G." <DKGBeeker@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:25704-489075E5-9@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Date: Wed, Jul 30, 2008, 3:47 a.m.

Subject: I think I need to write a book!



So, most of last week and through the weekend, I wasn't feeling all that
well, but that was kind of expected since I had had numerous infusions
last week (ivig & rituxan).

Well, on friday, I was having a particularly bad day with nausea,
diarrhea, horrible migraine like headache, etc. Was really a miserable
day.

At about 9:00 p.m. friday night, there was a knock at my door and it was
the lady that lives 4 doors down from me and she wanted to know if a cat
that was sitting in the hall was my cat. I said no, I don't have any
pets. She then asked if I knew who the cat belonged to, and I again said
no. During this discussion, the lady who lives directly across the hall
from me opened her door and her cat came to the door also. Well, the
stray cat out in the hall saw the other cat and freaked out and
literally flew into my apartment and into my closet that is directly
behind the door! Great, I thought! Now I have this strange cat that no
one knows who it belongs to in my closet and literally buried itself in
the farthest corner under all my christmas stuff. So, here I am
feeling not well at all, and trying to coax this strange cat out of my
closet. I ended up having to literally take out about half of the stuff
in the closet to even get to the cat, and it wasn't going any where.
Every time I tried to pick it up out of the closet, it scratched at me
and moved further behind the boxes and such. Just perfect. In the mean
time, I close my bedroom door, close the bathroom door, and took several
boxes and tried to block off the living room in case the cat decided to
relocate its hiding place and got perhaps behind the couch or something
where I would have a very difficult time getting to. So, there I am,
standing in the entrance way of my apartment looking at this cat and
trying to figure out what to do next, when all I really want to do is
just go back and lay down in my bed! Finally about an hour after this
all started, there was another knock at my door, and it was actually the
lady who owned the cat, but the cat was so freaked out by then, it
wouldn't even come out of the closet for her. She literally had to crawl
into the closet and pick the cat up and the cat had its claws firmly
embedded in the carpeting and didn't come out without a bit of
resistance. While trying to coax her cat out of the closet, the lady
said to me "how come you have this big heavy box in your closet?" Now
mind you, I wasn't feeling particularly neighborly at that point so
really had to bite my tongue to keep from responding that I wasn't
planning on having to dig a stray cat out of my closet or apartment at
10:00 at night! I don't remember what exactly I did say to her, but I do
remember later that night feeling quite guilty for being rather short
and not exactly neighborly like at all with her. Saw her tonight and was
able to apologize and she was apologizing to me and then we both had a
good chuckle over the whole thing. Oy!!!

OK, so that was my weekend. Surely this week would turn out to be a bit
smoother!

Today (tues) I had an appointment with the hand specialist as I have
been having a horrible time with my hands, most specifically my left
hand. The thumb in particular has been extremely tender for the last 2
months and was getting worse and worse. I was to the point of barely
being able to pick up a cup or anything because of the pain and it would
throb something fierce at night often either keeping me up or waking me
up during the night. So, he (the orthopedic doctor) examines my hand and
is a bit mystified that the pain had come on so quickly without overuse
and without any type of injury, so decided to do some x-rays. Well, he
then came back in the room after the x-rays and said after looking at
your x-rays, wow, I don't know how you have stood the pain you must be
in as long as you have. He put the xrays up on that lighted box
thing in the room and pointed to two of the three joints in the thumb of
the hand that had been giving me so much grief and said you see all
those white dots? I said yes, and he said, those dots aren't supposed to
be there. Ok, so what does that mean? He said, well we don't see this
type of thing very often (of course!) but you have a rather severe case
of calcifying tenosynovitis. I guess they see plenty of tenosynovitis,
but not with the calcification, especially to the degree I had developed
in such a short period of time. He said it usually comes on very
quickly like what you described and can be exquisitely painful. Yep,
I'm shaking my head.

He said you're not going to be really happy with me, but in order to try
to calm this down and try to avoid surgical repair, I am going to have
to inject it and then put you in a cast for 4 weeks! Say what???
I beg him not to put me in a cast as it is way too hot to have to be in
a cast, but he says no, you have to have a cast to totally immobilize
that thumb and wrist. He also said that even after 4 weeks he couldn't
guarantee that things would be calmed down enough. Groan!!!

So, I am now sporting a cast on my left hand/wrist for the next 4 weeks,
am in even more pain, and not a happy camper.
Ever try to hang on to a walker with a cast on your hand/arm?

OK, OK, so I know it could be a lot worse!!!

Then I fly out to brighton to make my appointment with the lung doctor.
That was a 2 hour appointment (I was his last appointment of the day, so
he didn't have to rush!) as we had tons of things to discuss. But, it
was soooo hot and humid today and by the time I walked in from the
parking lot and then they put me in a room at the very end of the hall,
I was really a puffing and my oxygen levels were down to 79-80 and that
was with my oxygen on! Yikes!!!

So we waited a bit and then he came in and we talked for a while, then
they walked me around the hall to see what my oxygen levels were doing
at that point. They dropped to 86 but that was better than when I
first came in.

Turned up the oxygen for the rest of the day, adjusted meds a bit, wrote
out prescriptions that were needed, talked about the knee replacement I
need, but he said he won't approve that surgery until I can go 4-6 weeks
without being sick! We're hoping by fall that will happen once this heat
and humidity let up a bit. He also wants me to consult with the
orthopedic guys at the U of M as he would prefer that I have the knee
surgery over there so that he can be right there to monitor my lung
stuff during the whole process. So, will go see the ortho docs at the U,
and then decide what to do from there.

I stop on the way home to fill some prescriptions, get some copies made
of the prescriptions he gave me for my oxygen and for a new nebulizer
(so that I have copies on file), made a few other quick stops and
finally made it home by about 9:00 p.m. Exhausted, in pain, and
ready to just flop into bed!!!

Actually, took something for pain and did lay down for a couple of
hours, but am now up and just getting something to drink and catching up
on emails a bit.

Honestly, you really do have to laugh sometimes just to keep yourself
from crying!!! LOLOLOL!!!

Heading back to bed and hoping for a half way decent nights rest and no
knocks at the door with strange happenings!!!! heee heeee heeeeee

Anyone want to write my book for me?

Please pray that this cast can come off in 4 weeks and that things will
be treatable without surgery on the hand!

Sending you all prayers that your week is smoother than mine!!!

Despite it all, I do realize just how extremely blessed I truly am!!!



Hugs,

..
..
..
..

Donna
..
..
..
..
1.) ANGELS EXIST, but some times, since they don't all have wings, we
call them FRIENDS......


2.) J.K.M.A.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: I think I need to write a book! (very long!!!)
    ... hopefully the cast (pain as it is) will help. ... At about 9:00 p.m. friday night, there was a knock at my door and it was ... that was sitting in the hall was my cat. ... literally flew into my apartment and into my closet that is directly ...
    (alt.support.arthritis)
  • I think I need to write a book! (very long!!!)
    ... At about 9:00 p.m. friday night, there was a knock at my door and it was ... that was sitting in the hall was my cat. ... literally flew into my apartment and into my closet that is directly ...   So, here I am ...
    (alt.support.arthritis)
  • Re: I think I need to write a book! (very long!!!)
    ... At about 9:00 p.m. friday night, there was a knock at my door and it was ... that was sitting in the hall was my cat. ... literally flew into my apartment and into my closet that is directly ...   So, here I am ...
    (alt.support.arthritis)
  • Re: I think I need to write a book! (very long!!!)
    ... At about 9:00 p.m. friday night, there was a knock at my door and it was ... that was sitting in the hall was my cat. ... literally flew into my apartment and into my closet that is directly ... to inject it and then put you in a cast for 4 weeks! ...
    (alt.support.arthritis)
  • Re: I think I need to write a book! (very long!!!)
    ... So - your cast will come off in 4 weeks and your thumb area will be devoid ... At about 9:00 p.m. friday night, there was a knock at my door and it was ... that was sitting in the hall was my cat. ... literally flew into my apartment and into my closet that is directly ...
    (alt.support.arthritis)