So my sister is mad at me. I just want to say, "I have friggin' cancer, could you leave me out of your personal drama for this once??" Sometimes living 1000 miles apart can be a bonus.
The best part of my moving 10 years ago was leaving my 3 remaining siblings in my rear view mirror. The Geographic Cure may or may not be a permanent fix.
Today my husband was over at his mom's clearing the fence line on her property. This practically guarantees a case of poison ivy in his near future. ♪ Gonna take an ocean... ♫ of calamine lotion...♪♫ So while he was gone I got it in my head to trim the red tip bushes in our front yard. Well that was a bigger job than I anticipated and man was it hot and humid out there. I had my goofy little cancer hat on (no, it's not officially a 'cancer hat' but I wouldn't be caught dead in it if I had hair)... see what I mean? (Imagine pic w/o hair.) I was picking up the trimmings as I cut them and was totally sweated down within 30 minutes. My hat wilted and so did my enthusiasm for yard work. Came back inside and swooned onto the sofa for a few minutes. I won't be doing that again. Tomorrow's exciting schedule... cleaning bathrooms. But at least it's air conditioned in there.
Today is the first anniversary of my brother's death. I can't believe it's been a year since I last heard his voice.
Thanks, Marci. I love hugs. Today I was busy; got a lot of routine housework done and kept my mind off of Monday. Tomorrow I'll do laundry, change sheets, etc. I only had one emo episode today but I have been testy and short-tempered. Weird how fast this year has flown by; August is almost over already. Most of 2021 has been a blur for me.
So today's my last day of being a whole person. To top off the day, I have another gout flare... this time in my right foot. It's pretty bad; it woke me about 6 a.m. and I can hardly walk. I'm only allowed to have Tylenol for pain which is basically useless. I soaked the foot in warm water and epsom salts which felt good but didn't really help anything. I need Naproxin and a steroid dose-pak!! I got the bed stripped and the linens in the wash. While I was downstairs my hubby put the clean sheets on; unfortunately the mattress pad was still downstairs in the dryer. I didn't have the heart to tell him so when he left to go to his mom's I took the sheets off and re-made the bed. I have to give him credit for trying to help me. So I have a few more things I want to get done today. I hope this stupid gout will settle down by tomorrow morning or I will need a wheelchair to get around in the gigantic maze of the medical center.
I think that stress seems to make gout worse, or is maybe even a cause of it sometimes. I have had it happen even when I was not stressed; but when I had it when I was stressed (moving), it seemed like it lasted forever. I was trying to move while on crutches because i could not walk without them. You have all my sympathy for the gout, @Beth Gallagher and sending special prayers for that and for your surgery tomorrow. I think that it is good that you are first on the list, and will have the rest of the day to recuperate. Do you know how long they are apt to keep you in the hospital ?
I don't know if it's stress or a side effect of the chemo... or both. I had a flare in my left big toe joint a couple of weeks ago and now it's my right foot. Usually a couple of days of Naproxin or a steroid dose-pak will knock it down but I'm not allowed to have those prior to surgery so I'm having to tough it out. I'm not sure how long I'll be at the hospital. The surgery is outpatient which I assume is subject to the 23-hour rule of Medicare. Of course if there are complications they will admit me to the hospital so at this point I just don't know. My surgeon said I'd stay overnight but I don't think billing and insurance rules are her area of expertise. Thanks so much for the prayers and well-wishes, Yvonne. I appreciate it.
Yes, stress makes gout flare. Lord knows you don't need that right now. My thoughts are with you for tomorrow and every day. It is a scary feeling, feeling weak before surgery, but just know so many will be there with you in spirit. Here is a big hug for you. Getting your housework done to your specifications is a good thing. Please let us know as soon as possible how you are doing. My special thoughts and meditation will be for you in the morning. I am not surprised it is an outpatient. Even my critical neck surgery was outpatient. My cancer surgery recovery was 3 days in the hospital because of them messing about in my abdomen and the need for bodily functions to be restored before release. If surgery doesn't affect bodily functions and no secondary illness arises, they have you out the door fast as they can.
Thanks, Faye. I'm mostly just doing "busy work" to keep my mind occupied. We are tidy people so there's never a lot of deep cleaning to do. I don't fear the surgery so much as dread it, and wonder how the recovery will go. Most people say the mastectomy was the "easiest" part of treatment except for the emotions of it. I will report in as soon as I can, and thanks again for your support through this mess.
I am a super tidy person also and a fanatic about how everything is arranged. Just one of many many reasons I am single hahaha! Keeping busy is a great thing in times of stress. I would agree that the surgery will be easy enough, but the mental part will be the tough part and also the worry about lymphedema but find some peace in that you have researched and done everything you can to achieve the best possible outcome. I am watching pro bull riding on TV now and thinking hang on there Beth, you almost have it.
Dang. I just dragged our crutches out of the depths of the spare room closet. The underarm pad things are disintegrating so that won't do me any good. I wish I had one of those "knee scooter" things so I could move around without putting my weight on that stupid gouty foot. I could probably get one here by tomorrow from Amazon, but unfortunately I'll be otherwise occupied tomorrow. (And when I return home I won't be able to use my right arm so poop on that idea.)
Depending on when your "admission" is logged, you can stay overnight and still leave within 23 hours. That is a trick hospitals have had to develop to get around some of the Medicare rules. Do you have any insurance other than Medicare? Also, you could ask whoever prescribes for you gout issues about colchicine. It works wonders for the very onset of an attack but is not for long-term use. Some doctors are using it for Covid treatment now I understand. Of course, you may not be able to use it for some time after the surgery.
Yes, we have Aetna Medicare Advantage. I "assume" they will use the 23 hour rule. I really would prefer to come home as long as there are no complications to deal with. Right now the only medications I'm allowed are tylenol, tramadol and my blood pressure med that I'm not supposed to take in the morning. I'm not sure how long this restriction will be in effect but they are going to have to give me something for this gout; it is misery.