An Overdue Health Update

Hi all,

I've been lazy about updating (as usual).

Let's see...I've been doing acupuncture and adjustments with my chirpractor. That's been awesome. I always feel better when I leave.

I went to get my port flushed and get my blood drawn from it today. I had my two week aniversary with the port on Wednesday. I needed a blood test and I figured getting it flushed at 2 weeks was better than the recommended 4. No such luck. I've already developed a clot. So I'll be going in to get that taken care of soon (they just put a blood thinner in the port and let it sit for awhile).

I've been sleeping a lot lately and not eating a whole lot. Still, I've gained 4 lbs. At least, we think so. It could just be stuff sitting in my system.

Breathing has continued to be a big problem and I'm on a new inhaler. So far...well, it's better. But there's still room for improvement.

Been suffering hot flashes while my insurance gives the gyno the permission to continue giving me my injections with coverage. Obviously my insurance is run by a man...

Insomina has been really bad lately. Normally I don't mind because it means I can just stay up and read. This time around it's been like trying to fall asleep on caffine. You're SO sleepy but nothing happens. And I don't drink caffine except the occasional cup of green tea upon waking. Restless leg isn't helping, either. Unfortunately this means I've been having to take Ambien every night. I really don't like taking that stuff, but if it's what I have to do to stop the torturous nights, I'll do it.

I survived my sister's graduation weekend.

In other news:
*My car has a new battery so I can DRIVE!
*I got a new iPod. It's purple.
*I'm attempting to learn Japanese.
*I'm eating an almost completely asian diet. This does not mean I eat asians, contrary to popular belief. In truth it has a lot to do with rice, noodles, seaweed and coconut milk. My stomach has been rejecting European/American food.
*I've been getting my butt kicked by 6 personal rats, 15 baby rats and 2 mother rats.
*I've been taking bellydancing and doing restorative yoga. Nothing cures constipation like bellydancing
*I'm threatening to stay in bed and not eat if my loyal friends make good on their plans to move east. Wait, don't I do that anyway?

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A Vacation Well Slept

Picture, left to right: Me, Scott, Katy, Rayne, Michelle.
I really should have blogged over the week, but I was either sick and/or sleeping or out seeing the sights. Or often chasing rats and bothering Rayne.

Tuesday the 20th I had a few pre-op tests at UNMC (University of Nebraska Medical Center) to prepare for my port placement the following Tuesday.

After the tests were done and some lunch was eaten I was dropped off at Rayne's house for a week of vacational bliss. True, I was sicker than usual, but that was why I needed the vacation. And there's no better place for someone like me to vacation than Rayne's house. My friend Staci commented that she was sure Rayne and I were breaking out the tequilla and playing poker. I replied by saying no, it was more along the lines of syncronised napping and the swallowing of prescription drugs. That kinda sums it up.

Rayne, like me, suffers from a bowel disease and chronic pain. We share many of the same medical woes, not to mention our shared love of writting, art, rats and spirituality. Needless to say, I'm very comfortable at the Mazur household. There's everything I need from cats to rice milk to padded toilet seats. Did I mention all the awesome books?

I spend a lot of time shopping with Nathan and Michelle. I chatted online with Katy while she sat three feet in front of me. I made Scott go pick me up a prescription. I terrorized the animals.

I ended up sleeping quite a bit. I could have slept a lot more but I just couldn't let myself when my friends were in the other room doing interesting things. Still, I managed to complete most of the projects I had intended to do like burning CDs for Rayne, making Scott an origami turtle garland and playing with Rayne's art things. I made a couple pictures which Rayne then photoshopped into what you see above. Isn't it beautiful? I mean, my paintings were okay but she made them look really cool.

I got to go to Ren Faire twice. Once with Michelle and Nathan and once with Rayne, Scott and Katy. The fresh squeezed lemonade was divine. I bought a skirt, raw honey, a wooden bowl, wood roses and a bunch of my favorite soaps.

All too soon my vacation came to an end. I usually get very homesick but this time, had I been a toddler, I would have thrown and tantrum and begged to stay longer. However, I had surgery scheduled early today so my mom came to get me yesterday and we got a room at the Lied Transplant Center so we would just have to walk a short way (indoors) to the admissions desk in the morning. Like, the early morning when God isn't even up yet.

Our room was beautiful. It has a living room and kitchenette suite, a large bathroom, two TVs, huge windows and lots of storage. I had a horrible time trying to sleep, though, and so did my mom. Luckily, neither of us get too cranky in the morning.

My surgery went fine. Apparently they had to poke around quite a bit. So now I have a lovely port, which feels really weird. It goes up into my neck so I can't move my head that well right now. Rayne assures me this will pass. I am now just like my three sick friends who also have ports. I gotta keep up with the trends, you know?

To see some more pictures of my trip click here.
Videos to be posted on my YouTube account soon.

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"Blood and Guts Stuff"

My nose has been bleeding all day. This does not make me happy because now I have one of those little raw, stinging spots on my nostril.

I went and got a blood test today after consulting Rayne, a brainless phlebotomist and my mother as to whether I could still go even though I had taken Imitrex. Obviously, I went. And apparently they're still taking ammonia levels on me because the guy put one of the tubes in a bad of ice. The ammonia levels tell them how badly my brain is working. And it's usually bad. At least I can still blog, right? And I know who my family is.

Oh, and outside the lab they had a cart with two boxes of masks on them and signs saying you had to wear one if you had any of the symptoms listed. Well, I had just about every symptom on there so...I wore the stupid mask. At least it kept my face warm...

I'm keeping my mask to wear when I go to the doctor's tomorrow. This is for purely selfish reasons. I don't want any of the crap other people are bringing into that office. Plus, they'd probably make me wear it anyway.

But hey, I look downright sexy in those masks. I do. Really.

After a long nap I put in another load of laundry, emptied my trash bin and puttered around on Facebook before I made a couple of medical phone calls. One was to UNMC to alert them to my incoming blood test results and also to ask them about the progress of the port issue.

You see, all of my sick friends have ports and love them. It's like an IV under the skin that you can keep for years. Hello convinence, goodbye IV pokes! I've begged and pleaded for one and now it looks like it's actually happening. The nurse at UNMC is going to email my doctor about it and then set up the surgery date.

Now, it will be risky since I'm in a pretty fragile state to go into surgery and the port has the possibility of infection, but my sick friends are either as sick as me or more so and they haven't had any problems. So I'm pretty confident about the whole thing. This port will get me through my waiting time, transplant and beyond!

I plan to spend the rest of my day doing more laundry and reading.

P.S. The title is one of Jo's lines from 'Little Women'

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