ok time for another update - I am moving - well my family is moving - don't know where to yet - but the house is on the market and we are hoping it sells quickly, we have a general idea of where we would like to end up, but of course there are no guarentees.

in the meantime I have been very sick for the last 2 weeks - I have barely eaten - and only gotten out of bed for the basic necessities and house showings - and even then it is for as little time as possible - I have been sleeping a lot and in a great amount of pain - my migraines are in full force on top of this - so yes here it is - I am behind on site work again - I owe apologies to one person in particular they should know who they are - ( I really am sorry - I know I promised but I was hoping this would pass sooner than it is) and I will get caught up again as soon as I am able.

all my love to all of you

Karen

Sorry to hear about it Karen. We hope you feel better soon. And best of luck with the move!

I am one awaiting Karen to set up ads, and as it has been a fortnight of hell, I cannot be the only one. But I hope the rest will be like me and say, " we can wait, we understand when you feel this ill trying to sort out ads can be an iffy process and "blonde moments" as a formerly blonde fellow WM calls them are bound to happen." It is best for you to wait until you are feeling a tad better before you try and set up ads."

As to the house move, I wish you well, I consider such things as a necessary evil. Hopefully your parents will find the right house just when they find a buyer for yours. Sadly that does not always happen.

So glad you have your house, hope the move goes smoothly and is easy for you and your family!

Thanks everyone - I think we will need all the luck we can get - we are trying to get the new house to close mid month - around my mom's birthday - that way we have a couple weeks to get the work done that needs to be done befreo we move in - with my asthma and allergies it could be very hard to get a lot of stuff done after the move - so all the painting and construction will hopefully be done.

oh Brenna - I am so sorry - please keep after me to get those ads done - I will do my best to get the ones left done this weekend - I'd promise but right now my track record isn't that great - lol

big hugs to you all

Karen

I think you will find all my ads are now up to date, Karen. Great news about the sale, hope you find the right house PGQ and all goes smoothly.

ok - a bit of an update - I have developed serious pain in the joints of hands - mainly my thumbs, pointer, and middle fingers - the other 2 on each hand appear to ok at this time - I have had x-rays (which came back normal) and blood tests (which haven't come back yet) done to test for arthritis - but I have no idea how a blood test would work since i already have arthritis in both hips - the right hip being the worst - although I am told that its because of the nerve damage exasperating(sp?) the issue I have to go back to see the doc about it next week - I also see the spe##Spam##t on Monday to check on my lovely tremours and my med doseages - they have me on the same dose as last time when it didn't work - I have no idea why they think it would work this time at the same dose - however the drug nurse can't understand why the meds work whenb I first start a new dose then within a week or 2 stop working - well duh - anytime you add to the strength of something it is going to have an effect - the idea is to keep adding until the effect lasts - according to what the spe##Spam##t in rehab told me - you are supposed to increase it at the first sign it is not working and there are no outside factors - sthey said it averages out to an increase a week until stabilized - obviously going 3 months between increases is NOT working. and they can't understand why I am sooo frustrated. all I want is something that works with out a ton of side effects. and the last increase they did happened at the same time as my shots surgery which helps my leg for about 2 months out of the 6 it is supposed too. so no wonder the new dose worked longer than usual - but do they make that connection? - nope not even when it is drawn on a 2 point map for them.

I am just really hoping that I can get thru to my spe##Spam##t this time that I need either a higher dose - or a new med - I understand that this is challenging for him - but ALL the studies have shown that people in my situation vary in what will actually work - and that some of us require a much higher dose than others - I am still at a relatively low dose. they have proven that this condition does NOT improve over time - however it doesn't worsen either - so once you find a med that works at a dose that works - there is no need to change it - unless another condition appears that contraindicates the drug.


ok - enough whiming - I will let you know what he says on monday. and what my gp says about my hands whever I can get in to see her.



love and hugs to you all

Kaer

kaerbaer I understand your frustration, doctors think nothing is connected and I believe they are wrong! I hope and pray everything will get sorted out for you and soon, so that you'll feel better! Take care!

Thanks Anomaly, I am really hoping that the doctor listens to me tomorrow - but I guess I just have to wait and see - I will post an update when I get home if I am not in too bad a shape - these appointments really take a lot out of me.

Love and prayers heading your way.

Do not get me started on Doctors. Arthritic knees for example: Friend one comes home from working in America (her ex husband was American so she qualifies to work there). Not enough in her insurance pot to have new knees done in America but she has lived and worked in her home country of England for many years. So the good old NHS will do them for free. Well no, her local hospital is trying to save money. You are too fat to have your knees done they say and give her no help in trying to lose the weight.

Well she has saved hard to go back to Africa where her Mum was born and she lived part of her childhood. So this summer she is off "home with her 2 adult children. She has no cartilege in her knees so when her friend (lives in a nearby town) is skipping around after being in such pain she learns you can have cortisone injections that will ease the pain for a few months. Can I have them she asks her Doctor, not before the holiday she is told due to a waiting list. But after checking her paperwork my friend gets a letter saying she can have it done before the trip to Africa.

Friend 2 lives opposite me but is in a different Surgery (group of Doctors) to me and is sent for an xray and is offered a cortisone injection by her spe##Spam##t.

I was sent for physiotherapy, no Xray to see how bad they are. Thankfully the exercises I was given have strengthed the muscles in my legs and the anti arthritis diet I am on has helped enormously. But I am going to ask for an Xray next time I see the Doctor. I know how bad my spine is, I want to know how bad my knees are.

Friend 2 lives opposite me but is in a different Surgery (group of Doctors) to me and is sent for an xray and is offered a cortisone injection by her spe##Spam##t.



I am very curious as to what the original word could have been that it got spammed right in the middle - lol that is the problem with most filters - they only look for a seuence of characters - giving no care to context.


anyway - it really is difficult to getg a consensus about the severity of a situation - my pain specia list (I think I found the word - lol) thinks I am in enough pain to warrent hip replacement - the surgeon doesn't think I am in nearly enough pain to get a hip replacement. although he did say that I had very bad artritis - it just wasn't bad enouugh to warrent surgery.

ok - a quick update - I went to my appointment yesterday - and I am now on 4 full doses of my medication a day - in place of 3 doses and a quarter dose. although the last dose is optional - depending on whther or not I am awake at the time of the dose - and since I have an alarm set - I am always awake - lol.
I asked him about the pain and swelling in my fingers and he thinks it is a reaction to one of my migraine meds. so now I need to go back to my gp and get my med changed -

as soon as I can get to my gp to get my meds changed the sooner my hands will get cleared up - I hope - and I will be able to get back to getting everything done on the site at one time instead of having to put things off becasue it hurts too much.


I really hope this new dose works

hugs,

Karen

Sure hope your new dose works as we all want you to do better!

thanks anomaly,

so far it isn't helping much - in fact things have been getting pretty bad again - but of course this is a very stressful time with packing and moving and having to get an apartment built and trying to figure out where to put all my stuff - figuring out what stuff I need to get - like a stove, possibly a fridge (there is one there but it is awful so we are considering replacing it, a desk for my computer becasue right now it is on a bedside stand so I can still have access during bad periods, and we have to figure out what colour to paint everything - oh and I need furniture - lol or else the paprtment is going to be extremely empty - lol. and while some of this stuff is fun and exciting, when you are on a budget and trying to make sure that everything goes as planned - it gets rather stressful - the plans and layout for the apartment keep changing as they discover new challenges. definately keeping us on our toes - lol


hopefully once things settle down they will improve a great deal - and i am having my next nerve block surgery in Aug - and this time they are doing an abdominal block as well to see if they can improve on the current way those nerves are being treated.

Check out thrift stores, lol I've found some great furniture for a lot less than new or even wal-wart! Sending all kinds of positive energy your way!
Hugs!

thanks again - I need all the positive energy I can get - lol

and I will check oout the thrift stores - there aren't to many around here - there used to be - but they all seem to have closed down except for the salvation army - and they don't accept large items - at least the one near me doesn't - but I will look in the town we are moving to as well - they might have more. that was a great idea



Karen

Also check out consignment stores, antique stores, furniture stores going out of business, garage sales etc. I found a wonderful solid wood (oak) table and 4 chairs at a antique store, paid $45.00 for it and my little town is probably smaller than yours lol. Hang in there all will work out! Some of my best stuff was made with wood and cinder blocks lol!

Hi - I haven't given an update since I moved - so much has been happening that I never knew what to say - the last surgery for the pain blocks was a complete disaster that was in Aug - I am trying to schedule the next one - and if it doesn't work either - it will be the last one - I see no point in going thru all the pain and hassle of surgery if there is no benefit from it.
I also have a kidney cyst - it was originally discovered at the same time as the gallbladder issue that led to all this - but at that time - it was so tiny they had to try three times to get a measurement it was barely 1 mm at that point - now it is 9 cm's I have been told this is a rapid rate of growth for a cyst and that it should be removed. I have to see yet another spe##Spam##t to see what he says about it - but the emergency dr I saw , my family dr, and my current spe##Spam##t all have said to expect surgery to have it removed. the final decision is up to the urologist - that appointment is next week.
the kidney cyst was re-found this time as I have a rather unique issue - both of my feet and lower legs are swollen - at one point they were so swollen I couldn't even fit into my dad's shoes - and normally his shoes fall off me even when tied as tight as possible - don't ask why I know this - its a long embarrassing story - lol - well ok - not so long - but it is embarrassing - lol. anyway - they have not yet found a cause for this - and it has been since early november.
they have also tried to increase my meds which caused fun side effects like narcolepsy and memory loss as well as a large weight gain of 20 lbs
so they are now taking me off one of those meds completely - and reducing the other - which is also having fun side effects - this time - it is nightmares, night terrors, increased pain - and severe migraines - the migraines have been almost constant since we started reducing the dose on the med I am going completely off of. I have to be weaned off it as it is a very strong med and cold turkey could be fatal - ain't that lovely? - I am on a med that can be fatal - loving it.
not sure what the med is that is going to replace this one - dr hasn't decided yet - I am seeing him tomorrow tho - and maybe I can get an answer then.

on the bright side - I love my new "apartment" yes it is just the basement of my parents new house - but it is all mine - (not including the furnace room) and I have my own kitchen - bathroom - living area - a pantry area and a even a storage room (which I refuse to go into and in fact call the "scary" room - yes I am a big wimp - lol)
as well - my sisters second cat died (not so good for her or my nephew - but good for me) so now I can actually go to my sisters house - which also means I can now babysit my nephew again - he is 14 so doesn't really need a babysitter but when my sister goes out of town or out for the night - someone needs to be at the house with him - he is allowed to be home alone for a while - just not over night. so I am now at my sisters every other week for her trips to the head office and for sometimes a bit more frequently when she has to go to a conference or to see a client. I am loving the time I get to spend with him - he is a great kid.

anyway - that is a brief summary of what is happening with me. I am very upset about Ron right now - but I am trying to be happy for him that he is now out of pain and is no longer suffering.

hugs everyone

K

Hi Karen,

Welcome back! Sorry to hear about Ron. I didn't know about it till I read your post.

Hi - he actually died on the 9th of January - I only just found out - I have been messaging him and emailing him for a couple months with no response - he last logged into tesas on the 16th of Dec - however it is normal for him to not respond to messages or emails - and to not login - so while I was concerned for him - I wasn't concerned that he wasn't responding.

I was asked by someone else if I knew what was going on with him - so I did a bit of checking into things and found his obituary. it was a very big shock to me - I know it shouldn't have been - but it was - he has been thru so much and I guess I just wanted to believe that he was getting better - last time I talked to him he was telling me about how he had lost a lot of weight and the tumor was shrinking and he was feeling so much better - he was even starting to be able to get some sleep as he was in less pain with the tumor shrinking - I just wanted to believe that he was going to be OK - I knew it wouldn't ever go completely away - but I was hopeful that these all were signs that he was actually improving - I guess I was just deluding myself. He means so much to me - he was basically was like a father to me - so I really do feel like my Dad has died - not a friend.

anyway - I am crying again - so am going to stop here - I am happy he is out of pain - but am so sad that he is gone.

Still praying for our favourite bear.

ok - quick update - I was at the spe##Spam##ts on Wed and we had a long talk about the side effects I am having from my meds - and the withdrawal systems and all that fun stuff - so NOW I get to do what is called a Halter Test. this is a 24-hr test - they attach a device to your chest and run wires from it to a recording/battery pack that you wear around your waist - this monitors your heart for 24 hrs - it tells them what your heart is doing at all times - like sleeping - or moving around or watching a scary movie - you get the idea.

I will be getting this thing next week - I also see the spe##Spam##t for my kidney cyst on the same day - so I guess I will have an eventful day that day - lol

no idea when I would get the results of this test - but I am sure if they find anything to weird they would let me know. - I am not expecting them to find anything - the test is just to make sure that my heart is not damaged in anyway from all the meds I have been taking thru the last 6 years.

anyway - if the kidney guy has anything interesting to say - I will let you know. I am hoping for more than "intriguing" but less than an "ut-oh" preferably an "it's fine" but who knows

until next time - lol

K

Hope all goes well and we hear good news! Take care and remember that you are in lots of peoples prayers!