Monday, May 27, 2013

ANOTHER DAY - ANOTHER HOSPITAL WAITING ROOM:((

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I didn’t make it out for our morning walk but Pheebs & Kelly made it all the way around the trail.  Kelly was again worn out by the time they got back.  A short rest & she was on the go again.  One little thing I would like to clear up over there in the Shout Box.  Kelly did not throw her meds away.  She became sooooo sick to her stomach Friday night she just couldn’t handle taking any more of the Ibuprofen & Colchicine.  She still has the meds but has not been able to stomach the prescribed doses.  Despite not taking them she has slowly been making progress.  While washing our sunroom windows this morning I was very heartened to see Kelly inside regaining some energy.  She had her cleaning hat on straightening things up under the kitchen sink.

CAUGHT THIS LITTLE HUMMER PERCHED OUTSIDE OUR SUNROOM WINDOW THIS MORNING >>>

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It was high noon when we rolled out of Bayfield heading for the Stratford Hospital.  It is a nice quiet peaceful drive to the hospital with 97% of the journey being through rural farmlands.  We were early & it wasn’t long before Doctor Haffner’s assistant in training, Dr. Saffie was going over Kelly’s case.  A preliminary examination & he slipped out to confer with Dr.  Haffner.  They were both soon back in the room.  Possibilities were talked about, medical words discussed between the 2 Doctors, questions asked & answers given.  Heard the words ‘auto immune system’ mentioned.  At one point Dr. Haffner turned to Kelly & said, “ you definitely have something cooking in there.” (meaning her chest cavity)  Also suspects the intestines may be involved in the problem as well.  He also said the two previous diagnostic results of Pericarditis & Pleural Effusion were correct but there is still something else going on somewhere & they have to get to the bottom of what it is.   

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KELLY HAS A LIST WITH HER SO AS NOT TO FORGET TO TELL THE DOCTOR ANYTHING

We have to be back at the Stratford Hospital Thursday morning whereupon fluid from around Kelly’s lungs will be drawn & analyzed.  This procedure is called a THORANCENTESIS.   Kelly also left behind 5 vials of blood at the hospital today for specialized testing.  And ‘Valley Fever’ is not off the table yet.  We are still awaiting test results for that from the Goderich Hospital.  We brought it up again today & Doctor Haffner had a much longer medical term for it.  The Valley Fever test results will be another week or so.  We were home by 5 o’clock this afternoon & I could tell Kelly was feeling better.  Neither of today’s Doctors said she had to go back onto her Ibuprofen/Colchicine meds & Kelly was very, very, happy about that.

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It was one year ago tomorrow (Tuesday) that I had my kidney stone procedure & coincidentally it was a the same Stratford Hospital we were at today.  No word on my hip problem yet so Kelly called my Nurse Practitioner this morning & I have an appointment Tuesday afternoon to see if there is any way we can speed this whole thing up.  The pain is more frequent now & lasting longer preventing me from getting the daily exercise I so desperately need.  If my appetite would drop with my disability that would be a good thing, but no such luck.  Guess if it wasn’t for all this medical stuff going on all of a sudden I would be hard pressed for things to write about.  Just hope readers can hang in until we get ourselves beyond these med problems & back into some semblance of daily interests.  We had talked about getting away with the RV for a few days awhile back but that was before all these med problems cropped up for both of us.  We have had to shift those plans to a back burner for now until we can get all this straightened out.

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FIRST PAIR OF AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES ON OUR NEW NIGER SEED FEEDER TODAY

I’ll be the first one to admit I do not know much when it comes to cell phones. That whirling technology left me in the dust a long time ago & I have never gathered together enough interest in it to try & catch up. But for you folks on the move & on the look-out for cheaper cell phone service I think Nina over at WHEELING IT just might have something for you.  I remember writing this paragraph a week ago but I think I may have forgot to post it.

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Ever notice how the world keeps growing younger all around us.  Saw ourselves another good of example of that today.  Both male Doctors this afternoon looked just like a couple of high school guys who for a lark jumped class, threw some stethoscopes around their necks & headed off to the local hospital to play Doctor.   Kelly said her own Doctor in Bayfield looks like she just graduated from high school as well.  I am amazed at  how young some of these medical people are & doubly amazed at how much they have accomplished with their lives in such a short period of time.   For a Doctor to become a Specialist one has to first become a Doctor.  I’m sure the schooling alone takes years & the only logical conclusion I can come to is that many of these professional people had to have started their medical journeys about the age of 3.  How in the heck can someone get sooooo smart sooooo fast??  Boggles my mind……..& I do still have enough of a mind left to boggle!!

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  (think I might have posted this joke once before but not sure) A 6-year-old and a 4-year-old are upstairs in their bedroom. "You know what?" says the 6-year-old. "I think it's about time we start cussing." The 4-year-old nods his head in approval. The 6-year-old continues. "When we go downstairs for breakfast I'm going to say hell and you say ass."

"OK!" The 4 year old agrees with enthusiasm.

Their mother walks into the kitchen and asks the 6-year-old what he wants for breakfast. "Aw hell, Mom, I guess I'll have some Cheerios."

WHACK! He flies out of his chair, tumbles across the kitchen floor, gets up, and runs upstairs crying his eyes out, with his mother in hot pursuit, slapping his rear every step. The mom locks him in his room and shouts "You can just stay there till I let you out!"

She then comes back downstairs, looks at the 4-year-old, and asks with a stern voice, "And what do YOU want for breakfast young man?

"I don't know," he blubbers, "But you can bet your ass it won't be Cheerios!"

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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

21 comments:

  1. Love the butterfly photo. We will keep Kelly in our thoughts and prayers!

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  2. My Dad used to say "When the cops look like Boy Scouts, you my friend, are getting old." Think that goes for doctors too. Here's hoping you get all this medical stuff out of the way soon!

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  3. Love the bird and butterfly photos - it helps brighten our rainy day. I agree, doctors are getting younger all the time. I hope the doctor's get to the bottom of Kelly's diagnosis and she gets better soon.

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  4. I hope Kelly continues to feel better each day, and that her doctor figures out what is wrong with her. Your pictures are wonderful as usual.

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  5. Sounds like a day of progress to me. Hang in there Kelly. As to Al.... you have to have your surgery by end of August so you can head south west. I had my pre op stuff done today and I am good to go...sometime in the next 4 -6 months. How come my neighbor was there with me on May 1 and has a surgery date of June 7th. Is her Dr. less busy or ???

    Thanks for the mention in your blog re travel to the USA.

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  6. I'm glad you eplained why Kelly didn't want to take th meds. I know she also likes to consider alternative and natural treatments, which can be good, but it always disturbs me when people disregard Dr.s istructions. I had a good friend who died of breast cancer because she ws a Christin Scientist and tried to pray it away. I wa so mad at her!

    I like Nan's approach. She thanks God for everything, but consults good doctors!

    I know many pain meds and anti inflamatories can really do a number on your tummy.

    I hope Kelly continue to get better, and they find the cause is something treatable. I didn't know it can take weeks to get results for a Valley Fever test.

    At least it is treatable!

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  7. Sometimes the medical issues of our lives color our days. It sucks, but that's the way it is. Hope you both find relief soon.

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  8. I am real sorry Kelly is going through this. It's all too familiar to me. I have many autoimmune diseases and last August came down with West Nile Virus on top of it all. Getting enough rest is real important. I hope things go well for both of you. I share hip pain, too. OUCH!!! Will be thinking of you....

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  9. hope that the procedure tomorrow goes well! sending good thoughts for you both, tomorrow!

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  10. I feel so sorry for Kelly...she looks so tired. Any meds will do a number on you if you are not used to taking them. I'm not sure but I think valley fever is more prevelant during the summer months. I hope they come up with a better diagnosis on Thursday other than "there is something cooking in there"...good gosh!

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  11. I had to take an anti-inflammatory a few years ago after my fall off a friend's old gray mare (Yes, I fell OFF!). My doctor told me they wouldn't affect 99/100 patients. GUESS WHO was the 1%? Yup. You got it. They gave me really bad diarrhea so I threw them away (he wanted to put me on other ones and I said no)...time healed it. I also once got an antibiotic mixed with something else for my bronchitis which made me throw up. After going BACK to "urgent care" (HA~That's a LAUGH~), they told me to take just half a pill. Well, that made me throw up in twice the time!~ Really! Now I just try to not take meds unless I have to...
    ~~Cheryl Ann~~

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  12. thinking of you two. Verrryyyyy slow internet here in the boonies, but had to check in. Glad to see things are at least getting looked at. Good luck with the hip thing, and hopefully you can get it all taken care of soon and be back to your old selves.

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  13. Al your life is your real life don't worry about not "entertaining" your followers. They are just interested in you and Kelly and how you are doing. Your pictures and the groaners (I LOVED today's) are worth the price of admission.

    We've been down the road of nothing going on in life but medical with David's terminal illness and that's what I wrote about. My followers concern was a highlight in our dreary life at that point. May it be so for you too.

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  14. I think that in the long run ibuprofen is pure disaster on the stomach, especially if you have to take large doses or over a long period of time. Glad they didn't tell her to go back on it.

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  15. Seems doctors prescribe the same amount of meds whether you are a big person or little. I tend to half them quite often. Sure hope they can figure out what's really wrong. And good luck with the hip. You are both in my prayers.

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  16. Keep uo the doctors visits eventually they will get to the cause of all this.
    And you both bet brand new!

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  17. I'm just relieved that we don't look any older.

    Best of good vibes to Kelly. I get hivey just holding a prescription in my hand.

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  18. Since the vast majority of us are getting older - medical issues are a part of our lives and I, for one, am grateful you are letting us know what is happening with both you and Kelly. We become very attached to our blog friends - not just their fantastic blogs. So thank you for keeping us in the loop. I think most of these doctors look about 12.

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  19. Well, we can't help with all your medical issues (except to sent you heart-felt wishes), but at least we can wish you a happy anniversary of the kidney stone procedure!

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  20. Cheers so much for the referral. I've been following all your blogs & Kelly's visits to the hospital, but can't always seem to comment (something weird on my side). I'm glad Kelly is finally getting some answers although it's no fun to go through. We're thinking of you!
    Nina & Paul

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  21. Having myself a bit of a Merry Medical Memorial Day here, but not as much as you two...Sending the calmness of Yoga and good Karma to both of you...Repeat after me ..mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Darn it, Al, get into the Lotus position!!

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