Tag Archives: diverticulitis

04.25.15
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Losing a picc line

CT scan Wednesday was the best one yet…diverticulitis has cleared – lets get that picc line out and schedule the kidney surgery!  June 9th has been penciled in for the removal of the left kidney.  When cancer has invaded your body and hangs there in the back of your mind, it seems like a long time to wait…but the scheduler assured me that kidney cancer is a slow grower…I hope she’s right.  Keeping that in mind, since March 9th, I’ve been asking the question…so at what point is the cancer contained and not spread and no longer contained and spread.  No one seems to be able to answer that…so I’m putting my life in the hands of professionals who believe that waiting 6 weeks to take it out won’t have a negative effect on my life.

The picc line removal was about as exciting as having a regular IV removed.  My nurse, Angie, obviously didn’t know that I was a goul and liked to watch medical procedures up close and personal so she told me to look away while she pulled it out…bummer.  Reminded me of how Jenny distracts Jaxon when she’s putting syrup on her pancakes…look over there, Jax.

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Just for the record, I’m officially old.  1 tsp every morning.

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I have an issue with my left upper back teeth so I’m having to go for a cleaning every 3 months this year…ya…nothing says old like the sound of a cleaning instrument!

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This tree is outside my bedroom window.  I love it…I’ve always wanted to have one of these trees in my yard.

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The one thing that is going to keep me young…here we are paying the game…Nina…and I turn around and he giggles.

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and the best part of last night – we finally made it back to Ice House Auction after being gone for almost 2 months.

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Until next time….

04.12.15
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The real reason that we should not worry about tomorrow….

It’s been a long process from the days when I panicked because I didn’t have something on my mind to worry about – to where I’m starting to find some peace…the kind of peace that begins the day with It’s a beautiful day, what am I going to enjoy today.  Okay…that may be a little too pollyanna for those of you who really know me…but suffice it to say, I’ve come a long way.

When I retired back in February of 2014, I wasn’t the least bit concerned that my health insurance coverage was pretty much only going to pay the best using Iowa Providers…I was healthy…I weighed a ton too much but I knew that was a problem I was going to solve.  Now his health insurance worried me.  Also Iowa provider based but I was able to up his coverage thru Wellmark, pay a little bit out of pocket and he would have some reasonably good coverage down here…I mean seriously…he was only a 1/4 ton overweight but he did have some health issues.

Damn….I had that all backwards and seriously had a lot to worry about, I just didn’t know it.  Proving the point that it does no good to worry and if you are a worrier…you are no doubt worrying about the wrong thing.

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I threw in this picture because all the crap I’ve been through in the last month…this one made me feel the oldest.  I have taken my share of falls in the past – not medically related…but when the hospital who doesn’t know your history slaps one of these on your wrist the day you turn 59, ugh.  Just the frosting on the cake for you have an abscessed diverticulitis and kidney cancer.

As of this week, I’m starting on my third week of iv antibiotics…the abscess is improved but not quite gone yet.  Infectious disease doctor is hoping to talk to the urologist in Des Moines sometime this week and assist in getting a plan to finally cut out this left kidney.  That is good news.  This diverticulitis treatment is depressing because it seems to be never ending.  The pain isn’t so bad now…in fact it is very mild intermittent pain.  The antibiotic is very strong and not conducive to an active life.  I have a few good hours in me.  I infuse my self every evening through a picc line in my left arm.

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It is a totally amazing little system

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The party ball (of which it has been affectionally named) is pressurized – I attach it and 35 minutes later, I flush with saline – shoot up a heparin lock and wait to feel groggy.

I’m very fortunate.  Doctors think my cancer is still contained within the membrane of the kidney.  I have an amazing man who waits on me hand and foot – my girls attempt to keeping me laughing with the weird humor they learned from he and me and I have my good friends who check in on me when i’ve been quiet for awhile.

It’s pretty cloudy here today, I’m going to enjoy it.

Until next time…..

03.30.15
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I’m drinking a cup of coffee….

This is the first coffee I have had for a week…I did the caffeine withdrawal in the hospital…the killer headache…the ask someone different for a cup of coffee and maybe they will say yes…then they told me I was on a caffeine free floor.  Curses.

I was in the hospital last week for my second round of diverticulitis…I truly believe the doctor who sent me home with oral meds the week before didn’t really have the medical knowledge to treat my ailment and unfortunately I had to suffer for it.  My care was taken over by an infection disease doctor…who I must add is the best doctor I have ever had in my life…it almost makes me tear up to think about how much time he spent with me discussing what I should and shouldn’t eat, his plan of action for me to cure the diverticulitis and get on with my kidney surgery.  He sent me up with a Picc line and sent me home with IV antibiotics and I have total confidence that he is going to get me through this.  Total confidence is something I’ve never had in a doctor before and it peaceful.

I’m also eating contrary to the healthy eating I’ve been doing for the last year.  I’m eating white bread, I’m eating peanut butter, I’m eating soda crackers, I’m eating ice cream – I’m to eat soft and low fiber…only water, apple juice and grape juice – no coffee although one cup occasionally will not kill me…no onions, no green peppers…I no longer have pain but know that I still have heaping amount of infection in a 4cm abscess.

This too shall pass.

Took a short walk in the sun this afternoon and talked flowers with my neighbor Robbien and did I mention drinking a cup of coffee.

Going out to the deck to bask in this beautiful sun.

Until next time….