Re: HELL AGAIN OR STILL THERE!!

[Guest guest]

Hi Larry,

Boy, you sure are having a rough time lately. I'll be praying for you. Just

for the record, I had a very good experience with the Rheumatology Dept at

Duke, but that was 11 years ago. If Dr. Shanahan is still there, he was

fantastic.

But I'm sure Chapel Hill is great too. Hope you feel better.

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[Guest guest]

Larry darling! I'm so sorry! I realize I'm probably speaking out of

turn but has anyone tested you for brittle bone? Maybe I'm just not

getting the picture here but how does that keep happening to you?

I'm sending you a gentle cyber (((((((((HUGS)))))))))). Please feel

better. I'll call the Rabbi right now and put you on the Misha Barach

(prayer list).

Take care and be well.

Ellen

[Guest guest]

Larry,

Oh man, all I can say is I'm so sorry. Remembering back to the first few

weeks and the pain related to broken ribs makes me cringe at the thought. I

even remember times at the ER when I wanted to jump out of my body (so to

speak). Anyway, I'm saying a prayer for you right now. If there is

anything that I can do other than that, please let me know. I feel horrible

for you that you are going through this. Hang in there, that's all I can

say other than I truly understand and all I could do was take one day at a

time, sometimes, one-hour at a time - so try to do that when you can't take

it - and remember we are here for you.

On the lighter side, I had my husband get me some charms lollipops - sounds

weird, but sometimes a good lollipop can take your mind off of pain.

Hang in there.

-- HELL AGAIN OR STILL THERE!!

Hey My Family!

First off, you guys are the greatest! I really appreciate the responses to

my last.....Kirk, I do like your approach of putting the idiot up against

the wall!! You are a wild man! But I love you brother and will stand by your

side in this fight!! I think that day in the ER, i was stunned to be in the

presence of such stupidity!! And , yes I would like to meet you as

well....but until.....hang on and in there.....this is the best damn group

and family on the planet!!!!!!

Last Monday, i visited my GP who has practically taken over all areas of my

care due to the incompetence of others...he truly is a godsend.....i have

had this foul cough since early December.....my broken ribs have not been

able to heal because of it.....well, he listened and diagnosed me with a

nasty case of Pneumonia.

Just damn! Apparently, I have had it since early December.....actually,

Patty had told me several times that she thought that was what i had....so i

get shot in the butta and then doc gives me some same high power antibiotics

to take....OK fast forward to yesterday.....I was up less than an hour...

had some breakfast.....my meds......you guys know the daily routine.....i

went to open the front inner door so i could enjoy the view and sunshine

through the glass outer door.....BAM...crack, crack crack! Yeah. more BROKEN

RIBS....just Damn!!! And all i did was open the door with my left hand and

nearly went to my freakin knees from the pain....no kidding, i nearly threw

up it hurt so damn bad.....front left side.....the three ribs still broken

from mid-December are on the back left side, beneath my scapula.....my body

needed a freakin matching set i guess.....so, anyway, i managed to get

myself into my recliner.....got the phone and called my doc's nurse....she

said to go to the ER right now......so, i hung up....called Patty who was

already at work an hour and a half away.....bless her heart...she does not

have any time left to take off because she has already used it all for

things in the past few weeks for me....in fact she had to borrow comp time

from this month already to use in December.....anyway, i call my Dad who

comes to take me to the local ER.....Patty calling me and texting me every

10-15 minutes to check progress.....after all is said and done with xrays

taken and consult with the ER doc (this dude is truly awesome....he was

familiar with Stills and my meds. especially dear old Prednisone)......

after a look at the xrays, he came into my little room, sat down on the

gurny beside me and said he saw " Multiple Fractures " .....just Damn again!!!

He said the Pneumonia was not effusing and it appeared the antibiotic is

doing it's job......but, in the new area on my left anterior and

anterolateral chest, he said I had several fractures....in fact one rib was

caloused from where I had broken it before....and it broke in the same place

....under " ordinary " circumstances, a healed fracture is stronger than the

surrounding bone, so that it is very difficult to break a break.....well,

hell not for me it isn " t........he asked if i had tried tapering the

prednisone....yes, and every time I go below 30mg., this damn wicked

inflammation sets in and causes fractures like in mid December...when i said

that it looked like 30mg was my " functional " level, you should have seen the

look on his face....it was like a big " oh shit!! " ........so, that is where i

am today.....my left rib cage pretty much all broken up....on 60mg of Pred..

...on Oxycontin 20mg. and Oxy IR 5mg PRN and BOTH are not touching the pain..

....and the Pneumonia cough is truly excruciating....it feels as if the ribs

are sometimes cutting away the tissue around them....i'm just worried they

may puncture something really important.....ah hell....so that's my story

this week..........again, if i offend anyway with my language....forgive me.

..i am just soooooo damn freakin frustrated that i seem to be breaking and

there does not seem to be a solution in sight....i am going back to my PCP

next week and ask for a referal to the RD dept at either Duke or North

Carolina, Chapel Hill.....I am about at the end of my freakin rope....

Thanks for " listening " to me ramble on!

I truly love all you guys and you are very special to me!

Take Care everyone!!!

Larry B.