Re: AWOL

[Guest guest]

Greetings, my dear sweet friend...

I am so sorry for you, feel so bad for you that it aches !!!! It

just doesn't seem fair, does it?

You've done nothing to deserve it,you, who has devoted a major

part of your life to comfort those who were in pain.!

Marina, my forever friend, I don't pretend to " know everything " ,

and, at my age and on the down hill chute, haha,

I have often asked " Why ? Why me, Lord? " ............and the only answer I

recieved is this: " " " He wouldn't give this to some weak, poor soul,who's

strength was not able to bear it, and yet still live....instead he gave it to We

strong of spirit , who just won't lay down and take it!! I mean, " look " around

at us all...(I know we can't " see " each other, yet, we do see each other so

clearly, thru our words! And what do we hear from each other? Words of care,

words of love, of keepin' on rolling, ....jokes..my goodness, there are some

mornings that I wake up, and spend the next 20 minutes laughing! Even among your

own family, (pray it never happens, of course) you know that some of them really

could not bear what you're going thru! I hurt so bad for you, Marina...But Why?

Why us? Maybe so other people could see us suffering so much, yet still keep

going, with a smile on our face, .......to His glory " ......

And that is the " messege " I " recieved " , the thoughts that

kept barging into my head, whether I wanted them ,or not!

Marina? Another group of people would never be like us all....like a

family.They would have been at each other's throat!

Instead, the greatest thing which has aided my steps back to where they were

before......are the people here that are like YOU!!!!

Maybe that is why we, among other, not-understanding-'nor

wanting- to people were selected to this challenge....and boy, what a challenge

it is, huh?

I hope and will Pray that you start feeling better quick! And I

hurt for you that you are so much in pain! Now, I am going to write you a nice

letter in a few days...and Marina? DON'T YOU DARE SIT DOWN AND TRY TO WRITE ONE

BACK!!!!!

I KNOW what pain can develope in the hands , trying to do just

ordinary things, and I really don't want you to hurt, just for me! O.K.? I love

ya, kiddo! Be on the look out for your " snail Mail.......

All my love to you....ken

marina_troi <marina_troi@...> wrote: Hello,

all. I can't believe how many new people that are in this

group!! To all of you, I wish to welcome you. You couldn't have

found a more supportive family on the whole web!!

For those who are old friends, hello again. Sorry I've been AWOL

for a while, again. It's been difficult to keep up with all the

posts. I've been fighting this pyelonephritis, still, for six and a

half months now. We think the stones in my kidneys are finally

sterile, but they are still stuck. But, I'm still running fevers.

Don't know where it's coming from. I've been back in the hospital,

which makes a total of 7 visits since December. I was sent to OSU-

east. My Infectious Disease doc sent me there since he works out of

there more. I will never go back there again. You know, being in

the medical field, there are certain little things that are noticed

that a lay person may not see. Well, even my dad, whom I love very

much but is a bit on the dense side, was able to see the

incompetence there. Especially from the doctors. I now understand

why other hospitals in the area do not use " hospitalists " for their

primary doctors. Not a good thing!! I left feeling worse than when

I went in and even ended up in the ER 2 days later. Now, the ER at

OSU-east was great. The rest of the visit was something else

entirely!!

Well, I'm still hanging in there. Not doing as well as I would

like. I, thankfully, have LTD income, though it's only half of what

I would be making if I were working. That hurts. Especially since

I won't be able to afford my mortgage, my car payment, my utilities,

and the COBRA premium for my health insurance. My sister said she

would pay for it. I can't ask that of her, though. It's gonna be

nearly $400 a month!!

I hope to go back to work sometime, though I still swing with the

emotions of the possibility of not being able to. That is the

hardest thing for me.

I saw my rheumatologist and he wants to send me out for a second

opinion as to what is going on with me. Not just any second

opinion, either. I will either be going to the Cleveland Clinic or

the Mayo Clinic. Seeing as how he and I both originate from

Cleveland, my bet is that I will be going there. He is going to set

me up with an internal medicine specialist and let this doc decide

what course I should take. My PCP is an internist, but I think 10

years with him has made him a push over. I really like him, but I

go see him and he says " ok, come back in 6 months " . He lets the

other doctors do all the work and he doesn't direct well.

So, as of March, I've been off ALL my RA meds. No more Enbrel, MTX,

Plaquinal, and Prednisone. He keeps me stocked with pain meds so I

continue to take Vicodine ES and Percocet along with Neurotine. My

pain levels are unbelievable. My orthopedist is trying to set me up

with a pain managment doc, at my request. He is willing to give me

what ever pain med I want, but that isn't fair on him or my rheumy.

I know that, I told him that. I also thanked him for helping me out

and trying to keep me pain free. I've known him for a long time, as

well. Worked with him for over 14 years!! So, he knows me well

enough to know that when I ask for help, I mean it.

So, I'm just waiting to hear from his office. They will call me as

soon as this pain doc gets in touch with him. If things continue to

get as bad as it has been, I may end up going to the ER again.

Only, I will go to the ER at the hospital where this pain doc is and

see if I can't get it taken care of there. I usually end up being

admitted when I go to the ER because I let things get too bad. So

bad that I'm dehydrated. The pain gets so bad I get sick from it.

I'm gradually getting there now. I have Phenergan to help with it,

but even that doesn't do much when it's caused by the pain. I try

to keep fluids down. When I get this bad, I try drinking Gatoraide

to keep my electrolytes up. I stopped taking my hydrothiachlorazide

because I dehydrate so easily now as it is. It's only for

prevention of kidney stones, and heck, I've got a handfull of those

already in each kidney!!

Well, I think it's time to stop this novel before it becomes an

epic!! Thanks for listening. Hugs and Prayers to all, Marina

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

(((Marina)))

I am glad to see you posting. I have been worried about you, and

hoping you were feeling better. You have went through too much, far

too long, its time for some healing. I will keep you in my prayers,

and keep us posted, Tawny

[Guest guest]

Marina,

So sorry to hear that your sad saga continues. That is no good!

It's great that you will be getting a second opinion at either the Cleveland

Clinic or Mayo. With any luck, a team of physicians will mull over your

situation and come up with a good solution for you.

Your financial situation must be very stressful. I am sorry about that, too.

I'm praying that you get relief and are back to a more normal life very

soon.

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] AWOL

> Hello, all. I can't believe how many new people that are in this

> group!! To all of you, I wish to welcome you. You couldn't have

> found a more supportive family on the whole web!!

>

> For those who are old friends, hello again. Sorry I've been AWOL

> for a while, again. It's been difficult to keep up with all the

> posts. I've been fighting this pyelonephritis, still, for six and a

> half months now. We think the stones in my kidneys are finally

> sterile, but they are still stuck. But, I'm still running fevers.

> Don't know where it's coming from. I've been back in the hospital,

> which makes a total of 7 visits since December. I was sent to OSU-

> east. My Infectious Disease doc sent me there since he works out of

> there more. I will never go back there again. You know, being in

> the medical field, there are certain little things that are noticed

> that a lay person may not see. Well, even my dad, whom I love very

> much but is a bit on the dense side, was able to see the

> incompetence there. Especially from the doctors. I now understand

> why other hospitals in the area do not use " hospitalists " for their

> primary doctors. Not a good thing!! I left feeling worse than when

> I went in and even ended up in the ER 2 days later. Now, the ER at

> OSU-east was great. The rest of the visit was something else

> entirely!!

>

> Well, I'm still hanging in there. Not doing as well as I would

> like. I, thankfully, have LTD income, though it's only half of what

> I would be making if I were working. That hurts. Especially since

> I won't be able to afford my mortgage, my car payment, my utilities,

> and the COBRA premium for my health insurance. My sister said she

> would pay for it. I can't ask that of her, though. It's gonna be

> nearly $400 a month!!

>

> I hope to go back to work sometime, though I still swing with the

> emotions of the possibility of not being able to. That is the

> hardest thing for me.

>

> I saw my rheumatologist and he wants to send me out for a second

> opinion as to what is going on with me. Not just any second

> opinion, either. I will either be going to the Cleveland Clinic or

> the Mayo Clinic. Seeing as how he and I both originate from

> Cleveland, my bet is that I will be going there. He is going to set

> me up with an internal medicine specialist and let this doc decide

> what course I should take. My PCP is an internist, but I think 10

> years with him has made him a push over. I really like him, but I

> go see him and he says " ok, come back in 6 months " . He lets the

> other doctors do all the work and he doesn't direct well.

>

> So, as of March, I've been off ALL my RA meds. No more Enbrel, MTX,

> Plaquinal, and Prednisone. He keeps me stocked with pain meds so I

> continue to take Vicodine ES and Percocet along with Neurotine. My

> pain levels are unbelievable. My orthopedist is trying to set me up

> with a pain managment doc, at my request. He is willing to give me

> what ever pain med I want, but that isn't fair on him or my rheumy.

> I know that, I told him that. I also thanked him for helping me out

> and trying to keep me pain free. I've known him for a long time, as

> well. Worked with him for over 14 years!! So, he knows me well

> enough to know that when I ask for help, I mean it.

>

> So, I'm just waiting to hear from his office. They will call me as

> soon as this pain doc gets in touch with him. If things continue to

> get as bad as it has been, I may end up going to the ER again.

> Only, I will go to the ER at the hospital where this pain doc is and

> see if I can't get it taken care of there. I usually end up being

> admitted when I go to the ER because I let things get too bad. So

> bad that I'm dehydrated. The pain gets so bad I get sick from it.

> I'm gradually getting there now. I have Phenergan to help with it,

> but even that doesn't do much when it's caused by the pain. I try

> to keep fluids down. When I get this bad, I try drinking Gatoraide

> to keep my electrolytes up. I stopped taking my hydrothiachlorazide

> because I dehydrate so easily now as it is. It's only for

> prevention of kidney stones, and heck, I've got a handfull of those

> already in each kidney!!

>

> Well, I think it's time to stop this novel before it becomes an

> epic!! Thanks for listening. Hugs and Prayers to all, Marina

[Guest guest]

Hi Barbara, I'm glad you're back and feeling okay. It must be rough

having a surgery on wrists... seeing as how they're connected to the

hands and all.

Jen

>

> Sorry I've been AWOL for a bit. I had carpal tunnel surgery Thursday

morning and was able to finally remove the dressing today. And I can

type!!! :-D

>

> Barbara

>

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks Jen! It wasn't near as bad as I thought it would be and the

recovery is going much quicker too. It's amazing how quickly one

learns to use their left hand! ;-)

Barbara

>

>

> Hi Barbara, I'm glad you're back and feeling okay. It must be rough

> having a surgery on wrists... seeing as how they're connected to the

> hands and all.

>

> Jen

[Guest guest]

I have some carpal tunnel. Is the surgery worth it? I

read that sometimes it's not.

ak

--- Barbara <bjarrett@...> wrote:

> Sorry I've been AWOL for a bit. I had carpal tunnel

> surgery Thursday morning and was able to finally

> remove the dressing today. And I can type!!! :-D

>

> Barbara

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

[Guest guest]

I learned that if you have permanent damage from the carpal tunnel then the

surgery is of limited value. Carpal tunnel can cause permanent nerve and muscle

damage.

For me the surgery has been a miracle. The morning after surgery was the first

time in many, many years I woke up with no numbess, tingling or pain in my right

hand. In fact the pain from the surgery itself has been less than the carpal

tunnel pain at it's worst. I'll be getting my left hand done in a few weeks.

A neurologist can tell if there's permanent damage. They'll be up front about

the surgery as well. I was a good candidate simply because I have no damage.

Thank goodness.

Plus I have a really good surgeon. :-)

Barbara

Re: AWOL

I have some carpal tunnel. Is the surgery worth it? I

read that sometimes it's not.

ak

--- Barbara <bjarrett@...> wrote:

> Sorry I've been AWOL for a bit. I had carpal tunnel

> surgery Thursday morning and was able to finally

> remove the dressing today. And I can type!!! :-D

>

> Barbara

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

[Guest guest]

good for you :0)

ak

--- Barbara <bjarrett@...> wrote:

> I learned that if you have permanent damage from the

> carpal tunnel then the surgery is of limited value.

> Carpal tunnel can cause permanent nerve and muscle

> damage.

>

> For me the surgery has been a miracle. The morning

> after surgery was the first time in many, many years

> I woke up with no numbess, tingling or pain in my

> right hand. In fact the pain from the surgery itself

> has been less than the carpal tunnel pain at it's

> worst. I'll be getting my left hand done in a few

> weeks.

>

> A neurologist can tell if there's permanent damage.

> They'll be up front about the surgery as well. I was

> a good candidate simply because I have no damage.

> Thank goodness.

>

> Plus I have a really good surgeon. :-)

>

> Barbara

>

>

> Re: AWOL

>

>

> I have some carpal tunnel. Is the surgery worth

> it? I

> read that sometimes it's not.

> ak

>

> --- Barbara <bjarrett@...> wrote:

>

> > Sorry I've been AWOL for a bit. I had carpal

> tunnel

> > surgery Thursday morning and was able to finally

> > remove the dressing today. And I can type!!!

> :-D

> >

> > Barbara

> >

> > [Non-text portions of this message have been

> > removed]

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

>