July 10, 2013

I went to the doctor's again yesterday.  I was scheduled to actually see her nurse practitioner but was soon switched over to the other side of the office and had to see the doctor.  I guess I had questions that the nurse couldn't or wouldn't answer.  Like, was I still going to be approved for surgery.  Like, what was happening with my kidneys and why wasn't I told.  

Of course, I remained cool, calm and collected.  It is better that way.  The doctor would not approve me for surgery.  And yes, there is problems with my hemoglobin and kidneys that need to be cleared up.  I think she waited until she got the cardiologist's report before she made that decision.  So now I have to have a gastroscopy and and a colonoscopy to see where I am losing blood...I don't think I am but obviously they do.  So next Tuesday that is on my agenda.  Today I had an echo-cardiogram ..by the time they are finished they will know me inside and out!

After I went to the doctor's I stopped by my apartment and actually had to lay down for a while.  I was exhausted.  I was out like a light.  
I know it wasn't for long because I was watching a recording of Joel Osteen and it was still on when I woke.  Maybe twenty minutes.  But when I looked out my balcony door the scene had changed....a big storm had started.  I thought about just waiting a couple hours before heading back to my daughter's but then I thought that maybe it would get worse...so I headed out right away.  

On the way back the weather seemed to clear up but there sure was a lot of water on the road.  At one point almost all the road was covered and luckily the car ahead of me saw it and slowed and we were able to drive around it on the other side of the road.  

So I reach my daughter's house and this is what I saw....

 

this gazebo was set up just before 
my daughter left on vacation...they were
so proud of it and it looked quite cute sitting there with four chairs and a table with a potted plant on it.  She also had hung the Chinese lanterns that we bought at the Christmas tree shop.  Of course, I hated to call them and ruin their vacation...especially since this was their last day...but I thought it better than for them to come home to a nasty surprise.
The gazebo had been staked down but with all the rain we have been having the stakes didn't or couldn't grip the soil good enough.  She asked me to just put the chairs in the garage and they would do the rest when they get home tomorrow night.  

I will be glad to get back home.  It has been nice getting away from the apartment...but having pets..is a great responsibility...especially a puppy.  

Well the sun is back out now...maybe I will sit on the deck for a while.  Have a great afternoon!

Housesitting

This morning I packed up my car and headed out to my oldest daughter's.  They have left on vacation and I am house/pet sitting.  

Here are the pets...
   the black cat is Isis....the puppy loves to tease her.

she didn't want her picture taken!

This is the puppy...Sophia

Some of you might remember Sambi...he use to be my cat...now my daughter's.

and a tank of fish....

it was raining...and raining...

the patio is wet....I will enjoy it on a better day.

Remember my tomato plant....the first tomato fell off the kids saved it for me....I enjoyed it at lunch.

My excitement of the day.  The one thing my daughter told me was to be careful that Sophia didn't get outside without her lease.  Well, I had let Sambi out and wanted him in and while I was calling him, guess who dashed out the door.  I chased and chased and finally got a hold of Sambi and Sophia came over and I reached for her and missed...so I tried again and slipped on the wet grass but caught her all the same.  I am thankful that nothing broke.  I brought her inside and put her in the cage for 15 minutes...until I gave in to her whining.  I hope it never happens again.  I must be more careful!

It should prove to be an exciting week.  Tuesday I will be visiting my doctor again and hope to make a decision about the upcoming surgery on my knee.  I am almost ready just to postpone it.  

Anyway have a nice evening.

Updating

Yesterday I visited my cardiologist.  I expected a stress test but he didn't think it was necessary at this time.  As we were talking he shocked me by saying that he doesn't think I should have surgery until I get my other issues straightened out.  I told him that I had already talked to the surgeon's office about my iron problem and they didn't have a problem with it....then he said something strange..."did they address the issue with your kidneys?"

"My kidneys?"  I asked disbelievingly.  It turns out that my kidneys aren't functioning properly.  So now I have an appointment back with my regular doctor's office to get to the root of my kidney and iron problem.  I can't believe that no one told me about my kidney problem!  Could it have something to do with my iron deficiency?  Then he ordered a thyroid test and an echo cardiogram to be done...
I hope I'm not falling apart.

Last night I still went to my Joint 201 class held at the hospital where I am getting surgery.  The nurse answered a lot of questions and we were able to see our future rooms.  One lady was having surgery tomorrow..which is today....which surprises me because they said their unit was closed until after the holiday.  I guess the doctors need a vacation/holiday too. 

After our class my daughter took me shopping at The Christmas Tree Shop.  Have you been to one?  I didn't even want to go in because by this time I was tired.  I thought it only had Christmas things and wasn't in the mood for that.  Instead....it had a lot of neat things.  I got a fish that lights up, a personal chip-n-dip plate, and two Chinese lanterns.  (I didn't even see one Christmas item.) My daughter treated me so it was cost free.  
Here is a picture of my treats....

   

I will be putting the fish and lanterns on my balcony (probably after surgery).  The chip plate I might use tonight!

If I don't make it on tomorrow I wish everyone a happy 4th of July!!

The Battle has begun

Hi folks,

If you have read my previous blog you will know that I have tried to take the iron supplement that the doctor prescribed for me.  Well, I emailed the doctor about the problem of them making me physically sick and have heard nothing back.  So I decided to wage my own war so to speak.

I purchased the items in the picture below to help me:

I was reading on the Internet that cast iron cookware will actually
disperse iron into food.  So I bought a grilling pan and a large skillet.  I think I will be able to cook almost anything in at least one of them.  Please note that they are made in the USA!  I bought some Lima beans, dark chocolate trail mix with nuts and raisins, and Total cereal which seemed to have the most iron.  Of course I also read that there are some food one cannot eat because they cause your body to not absorb iron.  I need to go back and write down that information and tack it on my refrigerator.  If anyone has any other information, please let me know.

Next, some have asked about my tomatoes....so I took a picture of my plant...you will see that it is making progress and still has the two tomatoes and now has some blossoms too.  Oh yes, my neighbor did give me a small tomato from her plant and it was delicious!

 

 

I had my grand daughter Hailey here for a couple of days.

 

 



Here she is with Arlene.

While here I taught her a basic crochet stitch....she was quite proud of herself for finally catching on.  She took her small practice square and the needle with her.  I told her next we would work on a scarf.  We will see if she remembers for next time.

Any plans for the 4th of July?  I was hoping for someone to invite me to spend the 4th with them....maybe a day trip and seeing fireworks at night.  It hasn't happened....so I'm not sure what I will be doing, I guess I still have a few days for something to pop up.

Have a good night....tomorrow is July!

Good Saturday Morning everyone!

I sound chipper...but I'm not.  I decided last night that I would try my new iron pill first thing in the morning. So I did and 15 minutes later I was in the bathroom throwing up.  Uck!  I am feeling better now.  My son and grand daughter spent the night and he was so kind to make me toast and my grand daughter went downstairs to buy me a coke...it seems to settle my stomach.  I sent an email to my doctor and told her I was not going to put myself through it anymore and we need to find a better solution.  Hope she comes up with something.

Yesterday our local YMCA put on a community party.  Free food and free activities...which seemed mostly for kids but I took myself and my grand daughter.  As we were standing in the rain (again) in line for food I saw my grandson Kobe!  I was excited.   Got a picture of him to share.

As you can see...he has grown a lot since my last photo....and notice how muddy and wet it was.  Every afternoon we have been having storms and today it looks like the same again.  Maybe if I close my eyes at 3 I can pretend I am in Florida.

Have a great weekend all...

Thursday was test day

Today was my day for tests for my upcoming knee replacement surgery.  I had to fast last night and get to the hospital early.  There were lots of people in the waiting room so it took a while before I went in.  I was lucky and my poke was very light.  I had a whole battery of blood work to be done and a chest x-ray.  The other tests were done at the doctor's office and turned out fine.

So this afternoon I was surprised to get the results so soon.  The chest x-ray was fine but they did find a glitch in my blood work.  Seems my hemoglobin count is low.  So the doctor prescribed some pills to correct this before surgery.  I wish I hadn't read the side effects because after twenty minutes of taking the first pill I got nauseous...of course I had read that was a side effect...so I am wondering now if it is mental or real.  Thank goodness that only lasted a few hours and I am fine now.  I don't look forward to being nauseous every day for a month so I am hoping that my body will adjust and be fine.  Now I know why I am always tired and have no energy.  Also if could be the cause of my leg cramps...I am hoping to see all these symptoms disappear.

My stress test is schedule for July 2....same day that I go to the hospital for a Joint 201 class that will go over my procedure and recovery options.  I think this class will ease my mind a little about the surgery.  And some of your comments have also helped with that.

My school teacher just had her surgery and is doing well.  She had lost a lot of weight...maybe over 200 lbs and was getting a skin job and stomach stapling.  It will be interesting to see how she looks in the fall.

I just want to apologize about my earlier blog.  I wrote a blog this morning regarding the recent Supreme Court decision and some other things and decided that it was just too controversial and took it down.  I forgot about google and didn't take it from there so some people were getting a blank page.  Sorry about that.

We had a lot of rain here in my town today again.  The streets were flooded and one person had to be rescued by the fire department and taken to safety.  I watched from my balcony window....personally I love storms as long as all are safe.

Well it is late and past my bedtime.  Everyone have a good night.

Tuesday, June 26, 2013

Today is my grandson Kobe's birthday.  Here is a picture of Kobe...

This is when he was 4 years old....today he is 7.  Real sad that I don't have an up-to-date photo of him.  He is my youngest son's child.  When he was three my son and his mother split up and I barely get a chance to see him.  He lives here in town but my son lives in Las Vegas....so time goes by and I miss him.  I guess I will have to make a greater effort to see him....what has held me back was that I hate to remind him (by seeing him) that his dad is so far away.  The last time my son came home from Vegas he begged Kobe's mom for a visit and the answer was no!  So sad.

Change of subject....

Today was my doctor's appointment to get my surgical clearance from my family doctor.  Yesterday I expected a reminder call about my appointment and didn't get one...so I had that gut feeling that something was amiss.   So it didn't hardly surprise me that when I got to the doctor's they had no record of my appointment!  The doctor was very nice and took me anyway even though her waiting room was full.  So I had my EKG and Urinalysis and tonight I need to fast so I can get my blood work and chest x-ray tomorrow.  I also have to visit a cardiologist for a stress test.   Before I left the doctor made me promise to come back after surgery and have some other routine tests that I haven't attended to.  She also explained that they had to let one employee go from their employ and kind of thought she might have been the one who messed up my appointment.

I am nervous about the surgery.  I am trying to think positive or not think about it at all too much.  My stomach is all in knots when I think of it.  So today I thought I am going to start a journal and document all my experience with this surgery...maybe it might help someone who is considering it....or maybe I will just use it to relieve my own stress.

What do you think about the new ruling concerning marriage?
I was shocked at first.  I never thought I would see a day that this country would lower their beliefs to make this ruling.  I thought our country was based on Christian principles...but we seem to be drifting far from Christianity.  I am concerned that God might not continue to bless us as a country.... I am concerned that someday this won't even be a Christian nation.  Here is a you tube video...tell me what you think of it.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/6-3X5hIFXYU


try to have a nice day!