Life Updates

There has been a really long gap in my updates postings. Other stuff has, of course, been updated in the meantime, but I’m embarrassed to not have posted life stuff since February.

My semi-annual oncologist check-up came and went and was mostly uneventful. My cancer is still in remission. Of course, that brings much needed relief. But I was told I need to resort to more drastic measures to get sleep…namely meds. OTC is the recommendation for now, and prescription if it does not help. (And since the appointment, the OTC ones I have tried are not helping.) But the good news is after the new appointment I “graduate” to yearly appointments! This is a big step!

I visited my surgeon because of a suspected hernia. After a CT scan and exam, he has determined that it is NOT a hernia, although one is probably going to happen in the near future because of the compromised mesh because of the gallbladder surgery last year. It seems like, instead, it is a bad growth of scar tissue as a result of that surgery. I will get a follow-up soon to figure out my steps.

Added to everything else, my knees starting having issues a week and a half ago…ones different from my normal Fibromyalgia pain. It started in my left knee with pain, and eventually that same day it started swelling with what feels like fluid. It is hard to bend as the fluid seems to build a resistance to moving it. Two days later, the same thing “spread” to my right knee. And then shortly after that, my left elbow started having the same issue. I am trying to rest it, but the primary care doctor thinks the stairs are making my knees worse (my bedroom is on the third floor in my house.) I met with a sports doctor…or well the physician’s assistant, as the doctor never actually saw me…and I’m not sure they’re diagnosing my properly. I guess time will tell, as I go back in three weeks after following their exercises and ice massages.

The family has been overall busy preparing for the upcoming local Relay For Life! I hope to update my blog soon with more crafty stuff we are making: bracelets, a few necklaces, greeting cards, gift tags, and perhaps some bookmarks to sell at our fundraising table Also, we will be printing t-shirts for Freedom HS’s Theatre Company Relay team. As I am on  the committee, my life has been a flurry of website updates and trips to our local American Cancer Society office. Please donate to either Sierra‘s, Buddy‘s. or Kenzie‘s fundraising pages. We need all the support we can get! and anyone who wants to join us, we will be having the event on June 8th and 9th.

Brian: Well, surprisingly, they found the source of the blood loss. He went in to have a hemorrhoid removal surgery. The doctor said that it would be simple, and that there was no possible way for someone to have the level of blood loss Brian did by just having hemorrhoids. After the surgery, she officially declared the six she removed the worst she has seen in over 20 years. And she changed her original diagnosis, saying that with the severity that his were, she had no doubts they were what was causing the blood loss. He was back to work in less than a week.

Buddy: His school year is pretty much over. We are all looking forward to his graduation! His back pain recently got worse, but we found this is because the fusion is actively taking hold. It will still take about another 6 months.

Sierra: She still has most of the same issues. No changes, really. But she has thrown herself into  Relay this year, taking over as a team Co-Captain. Whereas Brian typically is the team captain, her theatre friends have stepped up to the plate to help so Brian has not had to get involved much at all, and actually was able to willingly demote himself as captain and devote himself more to the committee. (He is the next Logistics chair – in training.) They have helped to raise more money and have more team members than our team has ever had in the past! And they already are working out a system to have new people to take over the Captain position every year…like a mentor-ship.

Kenzie: She is, as usual, my healthy one. She has been really enjoying karate lately, and it has been helping her emotionally.

I hope to be making some more posts soon…both life and craft related.