Just thought while I have time, I should let you know DS surgery went very well. They were able to pin instead of using screws. This didn't trigger any seizures. He was a handful after. It took him a couple of days to start acting normal again. He gets the pin taken out next thursday. He will be put in another cast for a couple more weeks. This should all be over just in time for school to start.
Michelle

Big, big hugs to those who are posting. I keep you all in my thoughts and prayers...

Judy-good to know your mom has been diagnosed(probably not what you wanted to hear but I'm sure expected). I hope all goes well w/the new meds and with your sister's surgery.

Linda-wow-good thing you went to get that checked! Do they know how long it's been broken? Hope you heal quickly so you can back to that new bike!

D-I'm sorry to hear about your pets. Does the company you work for, or the military provide any re-acclimation training or support? I'm sure it will take some time to get back into the swing of your regular routine and life. Hang in there!

Jill

Judy,

What a relief to know that you found someone compassionate and competent for your mom. I hope that road continues smoothly.

A side comment. when I went to the GP Monday he not only sent me for X-rays, but also prescribed an arthritis medicine and explained how to take it. I took my first pill at 7 a.m. yesterday morning. By 9:30 a.m. I was running to the bathroom (and changing my clothes). The doctor has rescinded that script!

lmj

OMG ladies! So much going on with so many people!

Diana - Big hugs to you! I can't imagine how difficult it must be to re-acclimate. Are there support services that you can tap into to help?

Judy - I'm glad that you finally have a dx for your mom but it's really hard! Keep a close watch on your mom as she starts taking the new meds. Aricept made my grandma worse and apparently in a small % of people that can happen. If your parents find out you knew about your sister's surgery, you can tell them that you were respecting her wishes by not telling them and worrying them unnecessarily.

Linda - huge bummer about the fracture! Hopefully it will heal quickly and you won't be down and out for too long.

I'll be keeping you all in my prayers.

quote:

Originally posted by johnbol:
[...]

Judy, what happened with your mom's Dr. appt.

Linda

The appointment was at 1:30 so, since she was a new patient, I got us there by 1 in order to do all the paperwork required of a new patient. In this case there waas about 3 times as much as even I expected.
Along about 2:30 or 3 they put us in a room and the nurse did some prelimenary testing. Mother said it was Tuesday (it was monday) and that we were going into the Fall season. She also said it was September. It took her several minutes but she finally decided it is 2009. We finally saw the doctor about 4:30. I should have been ticked off but I wasn't. Even mother was very patient (highly unusual for her). I guess it didn't bother me so much because he seems to be a very compassionate and caring person and he "understood" mother immediately. He says, based on the test the nurse gave, that mother has "moderate" dementia and gave us a 10 week sample of Aricept to be taking while he is doing other testing.
Today we went back for an eeg. Tomorrow we are going for a fasting blood test and a P300 memory test. There is also an MRI in the works but that appointment has not been made yet. I just hope she doesn't get fed up with so many appointments that she refuses to keep going.
I took him some notes I have started making about the things she says and does but I stapled it shut and put a note on the outside about what it was and left it up to him as to if he wanted to read them before or after he met with mother the first time. When the nurse came in she looked at me and said, "He decided later." and I understood what she meant. Thankfully it went completely over mother's head and she did not even ask what she was talking about.

As for my sister; her surgery is scheduled for Aug 11th and she has decided not to tell the parents anything about it. I said, OK.
I hope I don't wind up having to answer "what did you know, and when did you know it?"
I guess I could claim that she didn't tell me either.
Actually, SHE didn't. Our mutual "sister" told me.

Hugs to you D, I have lost a few pets and I know how you feel.
I think when you work in close quarters with other people under great stress it must be very difficult to relax and get comfortable when you get back to your "normal" life. I don't remember how long you said you were over there but give youself time to re-find yourself.

Hugs, D.

Judy, what happened with your mom's Dr. appt.

Now, I don't believe this myself: I found out this afternoon that I have a fracture in my left fibula. My knee started bothering me a month ago when I had a marathon drive to and from the Antique Road Show in Raleigh. The knee has been swollen since then - which isn't completely abnormal for me. I finally made an appointment and had X-rays yesterday which showed minor arthritis in the knee and the break in the fibula.

I see the orthopedist on Thursday, but until then no biking, no morning walks, keep the leg raised and go from the cane to crutches.

Good news, son has discovered the joys of mom's new bike. He never learned to ride a bike - with cycling parents, no less.

Linda

Things are hard, I won't lie. I'd gotten so used to vagueness when talking to the people I love about what I was doing, and so used to NOT talking to them about anything important (because there, all I really wanted to hear was about everyday stuff that I missed) that it's really hard to talk about those things again.

My kitty (12 years old) passed away while I was gone, and the beagle (8 years old) had to be put to sleep just a few days after I got back. The beagle, apparently, deteriorated a lot after the kitty died, and the vets were kind enough to understand how important it was to the boyfriend that the beagle be kept comfortable and happy as possible until I got home. It was heartbreaking, and it's still such a tender spot in my heart. It's so quiet in the house without them.

It was such an alien environment to me, working and eating and at times, sleeping in the same room with the same people for months on end. There was no small talk, really, but lots of collaboration on things that would make the world a better place, and I never realized, honestly, how deeply a friendship could run. I feel like I've lost a lot of my social skills, since I was encouraged to simply say what I was thinking, if I thought it was even nominally important. I find myself chiming in to conversations oddly...I suppose it'll get better, but it's difficult right now. And I sorely miss several of the people I met there, in a way that isn't romantic, but seems to cut as deeply...I sat next to one guy for months, for 16 and 18 hours a day, traveled with him, cooed over pictures of his children when he got them, helped him pick out gifts for his wife...and wow, I really miss him. He was a comforting, solid, trustworthy presence in my life for quite a while, and missing that has been really difficult.

Sorry for rambling. I'm sure I'll have more, and I apologize if it's weird or socially awkward...I have enough self-awareness to know it's gonna happen...

Judy, I hope everything goes okay for y'all tomorrow, and that your sister's surgery goes well.

We have an appointment with a neurologist tomorrow for mother.
She does not know it is with a neurologist, just that she has another doctor's appointment (we have had a lot lately). I hope she will go in after she sees the name on the door.

My sister is going to have to have surgery for her anyurisms (there are two of them now) and mother and daddy still have not been told. I think she has decided to tell them that she has had this really really terrifically bad migraine for days (which is true) and that she is going in the hospital to try to get rid of it and just not mention the "a" word.
I know my parents; daddy will quietly worry about her and mother will drive me nuts wanting to go to the hospital and asking me if I have heard anything every 5 minutes.

Cate, sorry to hear you're sick. Hope you feel better soon.

quote:

Originally posted by Sheltieguy:
Last friday I (blush) injured my lower back with a violent sneeze.

Sheltie,
Don't blush. I did the same thing an hour ago and thought I was going to pass out. That sneeze sent me right back to square one in terms of pain.

Cate - I'm sorry to hear about your mom. I just saw your original post. I hope you'll be feeling better soon and get get to NY to support your mom.

Good luck tomorrow Puck. I hope you get some relief soon.

No relief from my lower back pain, so it looks like a trip to the dr come Monday. I have an acupuncture session scheduled for Monday pm but don't really know how much that will help. I've never had it this bad (can't stand, walk, or sit) so I'm scared there's some new injury there that I don't know about.

Last time was 2 years ago and I SWORE I'd turn a new leaf and start exercising. Yeah, right.

Funny thing happened today. I got dressed and walked very stiffly to the coffee shop on the next block (I go there almost daily). One of the other regulars asked me if I had been dieting and I said no. He said I looked somewhat slimmer of late Truth is, I'm not slimmer, but it was nice to hear since I was feeling like death warmed over. Then I sat down, spent half an hour trying to find a painless sitting position, drank my coffee and vowed to turn a new page in my sedentary life if only something would make the pain go away...

Couch potatoes pay a high price, it would seem.

Urgh. I'm sick. I'm supposed to go to New York tomorrow, for Mom's first chemo, and I wanted to go to an audition this afternoon, but I feel like hammered crud.

And the house is a mess... *sigh*

That sucks Puck! I hope that your back starts to feel better very quickly and that it doesn't ruin your weekend.

Sheltieguy and Coaster Girl

I don't know if if really works or not but I have heard that if you rub Tabasco Sauce on the place that hurts it will dull the pain (has to do with the capsaisin(sp?)in the sauce).

Just be sure you don't get it in any cracks or crevices

quote:

Originally posted by Nbox:
...aggravated my old, chronic lower back pain, so now I'm still in agony, but in a different place...

My condolences.

Last friday I (blush) injured my lower back with a violent sneeze. I had two days of severe pain, but now just have annoying pain. Hopefully I will be able to mow the lawn next week.

quote:

Originally posted by Nbox:
How not to diet - the sequel:



Sigh. It's the weekend and no real pain relief in sight before Monday.

Oh, that sucks. Hang in there!

How not to diet - the sequel:

Acupuncture gave me marvelous relief from my neck pain - YAY! However, by that time the whole neck business had aggravated my old, chronic lower back pain, so now I'm still in agony, but in a different place... and not eating very well at all.

Sigh. It's the weekend and no real pain relief in sight before Monday.