Re: Back from the Hospital-Cary

[Guest guest]

Hi Cary,

Thank you SO much for your note of love and concern. Right now, they are

MOST needed and welcomed. The pain medicine " cocktail " that the Pain Management

MD has me on is 80 mg Oxycontin (2 pills three times a day); flexeril 10 mg (1

pill every 8 hours); Xanax .50 mg (1 pill 3 times a day) and finally Percocet

7.5 mg (1-2 tablets every 6 hours for break thru pain). These drugs barely

touch the pain and when I get washed up or change to go out, a good portion of

my time spent is screaming and crying. However, I do push myself to go out

to dinner with friends, go to church late service and of course, my beloved MD

appts.

Now yesterday, I had an ortho appt that had to be cx'd due to family problems

and the fact that I cannot drive. Don't know that I will ever be able to do

that again.

And as of today, SS still has NOT made a decision on my case. Talk to my

attorney once a week and I think he is getting annoyed with me. So, at this

time, I will wait for him to call me if and when he gets an answer. This whole

thing is ridiculous. We are trying to figure out that " computer camera " and

maybe a picture would convince them one way or another.

Once again, thanks for you note and I will keep in touch and please drop me a

note to let me know how you are doing!

Gentle, tender, angel hugs,

Debs in FL

[Guest guest]

Debs

Jeez, I sure wish you were closer! Some of us could come over and try to

perk you up, and I could maybe join in a ninja-doctor beating session.

Please keep us posted on what happens. I'm sure an amputation is such a scary

thing to even have to consider. I'll keep you in my thoughts. Cary

[Guest guest]

Hi, Debs + Carol + everyone

Just wanted to say Hi and to give you and everyone on the site a hug. Even when

I don't post I do try to follow what is going on and you are in my thoughts and

prayers constantly. Staying busy. Remicade seems to be working. I am still

splitting time between Saginaw and Port Huron and every place in between. Thank

God my sister Sharon lives just outside of PH so I have somewhere to stay when I

am tired and/or weather is lousy. My Legal Services employer is looking at

potential budget cuts and I found out last week by chance ( and I am told,

regrettably)I am on the short list for lay off - so pretty stressful time. Who

wants an almost 50 year old (April) lawyer with a chronic illness? Oh well

probably won't happen until just before my birthday of course. LOOOONG

story...always is.

I have not reached the stage where I want to apply for RSDI- don't think I would

even be considered. I get so tired of everyone who thinks that is the easy

answer to these things. The drive and size of caseload and responsbility is

wearing though and I know that I can't and I don't want to do this forever.

HMMMM.

On the upside I am putting together a poetry manuscript for the Writers

Conference at Indiana U at Bloomington in June. I was accepted last year into

their poetry workshop but had to bow out because of pneumonia. This illness is a

bugger particularly when Remicade and MTX are thrown in. I am going to try

again- maybe get it in time to get a scholarship. I belong to a local writers

group and belong to Poetry Society of Michigan. I actually won a second in their

premier open last fall for a villanelle I wrote. That and my kitties and some

church work keep me san LOL.

Just thought I'd pop by and say hi to new and old friends. Haven't forgotten

you.

Hugs, - Michigan

> Hi Cary,

>

> Thank you SO much for your note of love and concern. Right now, they are

> MOST needed and welcomed. The pain medicine " cocktail " that the Pain

Management

> MD has me on is 80 mg Oxycontin (2 pills three times a day); flexeril 10 mg (1

> pill every 8 hours); Xanax .50 mg (1 pill 3 times a day) and finally Percocet

> 7.5 mg (1-2 tablets every 6 hours for break thru pain). These drugs barely

> touch the pain and when I get washed up or change to go out, a good portion of

> my time spent is screaming and crying. However, I do push myself to go out

> to dinner with friends, go to church late service and of course, my beloved MD

> appts.

> Now yesterday, I had an ortho appt that had to be cx'd due to family problems

> and the fact that I cannot drive. Don't know that I will ever be able to do

> that again.

>

> And as of today, SS still has NOT made a decision on my case. Talk to my

> attorney once a week and I think he is getting annoyed with me. So, at this

> time, I will wait for him to call me if and when he gets an answer. This

whole

> thing is ridiculous. We are trying to figure out that " computer camera " and

> maybe a picture would convince them one way or another.

>

> Once again, thanks for you note and I will keep in touch and please drop me a

> note to let me know how you are doing!

>

> Gentle, tender, angel hugs,

>

>

> Debs in FL

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

LOL, Cary! I wish we were closer to Debs, too.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Re: [ ] Back from the Hospital-Cary

> Debs

>

> Jeez, I sure wish you were closer! Some of us could come over and try

to

> perk you up, and I could maybe join in a ninja-doctor beating

session.

> Please keep us posted on what happens. I'm sure an amputation is such

a scary

> thing to even have to consider. I'll keep you in my thoughts. Cary

[Guest guest]

Hugs back, ! Thanks for the update.

I'm very sorry about the stressful situation regarding your job. I hope

you can find a good solution. It's got to be very difficult for you.

That's great about your writing. Maybe that's something you should do

more of. Congratulations on your winning poem!

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

Re: [ ] Back from the Hospital-Cary

> Hi, Debs + Carol + everyone

>

> Just wanted to say Hi and to give you and everyone on the site a hug.

Even when I don't post I do try to follow what is going on and you are

in my thoughts and prayers constantly. Staying busy. Remicade seems to

be working. I am still splitting time between Saginaw and Port Huron and

every place in between. Thank God my sister Sharon lives just outside of

PH so I have somewhere to stay when I am tired and/or weather is lousy.

My Legal Services employer is looking at potential budget cuts and I

found out last week by chance ( and I am told, regrettably)I am on the

short list for lay off - so pretty stressful time. Who wants an almost

50 year old (April) lawyer with a chronic illness? Oh well probably

won't happen until just before my birthday of course. LOOOONG

story...always is.

> I have not reached the stage where I want to apply for RSDI- don't

think I would even be considered. I get so tired of everyone who thinks

that is the easy answer to these things. The drive and size of caseload

and responsbility is wearing though and I know that I can't and I don't

want to do this forever. HMMMM.

>

> On the upside I am putting together a poetry manuscript for the

Writers Conference at Indiana U at Bloomington in June. I was accepted

last year into their poetry workshop but had to bow out because of

pneumonia. This illness is a bugger particularly when Remicade and MTX

are thrown in. I am going to try again- maybe get it in time to get a

scholarship. I belong to a local writers group and belong to Poetry

Society of Michigan. I actually won a second in their premier open last

fall for a villanelle I wrote. That and my kitties and some church work

keep me san LOL.

>

> Just thought I'd pop by and say hi to new and old friends. Haven't

forgotten you.

>

> Hugs, - Michigan

[Guest guest]

I can't figure out how the SS system works. How can they deny that someone

with so much pain and knee problems is disabled? Doesn't make sense to me.

In our local paper, last Sunday, there was an article about a woman who is a

district judge. She has RA, and was granted a disablity by the governer of

Minnesota. Also her husband is CEO for the health system that owns, among many

other places, the clinic I work at. Just recently his salary was rated highest

in Minnesota for health sytem CEO's. Now I understand the lady judge has RA,

and is in pain, but how come she was able to get disability with barely any

fight, when others who truly need the money, can't get it? Makes me angry.

I wish you well Deb, and I hope you can finally get some relief from the pain,

and from the idiot doctors you've had to deal with over time.

Noreen