Southern Porch Extension

[Edy]

Can't help it, have to share (found on facebook):

In one small town the Sheriff was also the Veterinarian.

One night an agitated citizen phoned him: "We need you right away!"

"Do you need me as the sheriff or the vet?"

"Both! We can't get our dog's mouth open, and there's a burglar in it!"

[Laurie]

Cute, Edy.

Mariane, I'm sorry to hear you'll need surgery and that you'll have to go so far for it. Goodness, I hope there's a more comfortable transportation option available to you. That's just so long for you to be stuck in a car, and I realize you'll have to make the trip a number of times. Hugs to you dear lady.

Don, how is Carol doing? Still having a hard time with her numbers (blood sugar, etc.) and having weekly doc visits?

I saw the podiatrist yesterday. She recommends doing my foot surgeries one at a time (as opposed to both in the same day). I have some things to hear back on and to coordinate, but I'm thinking of having the first surgery in about six to eight weeks. Depending on how I heal (I'm an incredibly slow healer) I'll have the second surgery about three months after the first one. Then I'll deal with my hand, whatever will be needed there. I'll discuss it with my doc when I see him next month. I don't know if we'll be talking shots, surgery, therapy or what. I just know it needs to be FIXED in order for me to even think of working. Plus I need to take care of whatever I need on this year's deductible. I have a TON of things to think about and take care of in the upcoming weeks to prepare for being laid up. I lived alone when I had my last foot surgery, but it's sure challenging when you're by yourself. My mom will come over and help, but she can't be here all the time.

[Carole L]

After spending 4 hours and $200 at Walmart clinic and pharmacy, diagnosis: acute bronchitis, round 2.

Sigh! So tired of coughing.

[ready2go]

The test at the gastroenterologist was over in an hour and the pictures he took inside my throat show a very large "pocket" which will have to be surgically repaired. He said the only place in North Carolina where one that large can be done is Duke University Medical Center in Durham which is 200 miles from our house and takes about 3 1/2 hours each way. As soon as we can work out a date, I'll have to go there for a consult, then return for the surgery as soon as it can be arranged. Riding in a car or any vehicle is very hard on my crippled back so as usual, I'm praying for Jesus to come back so I can avoid having it done.

Kind of sleepy, so I'll say goodnight...

Mariane, I'm so sorry you need to have surgery to repair the "pocket." And, it's so far away from from home too. Riding in a car for 3 1/2 hours with back pain will be no picnic.

Is there any possibility you could use a van which would allow you to lay flat on a soft mattress during the trip? A friend of mine and his wife did that while they traveled from MN to FL to their annual five-month winter hideaway. At the time she was one week out from her double knee implant surgery, and could not have her knees bent for the 23 hour driving trip.

Although that would seem to be a workable solution, Jesus' return for us first would be a much better one.

Don

[ready2go]

Don, how is Carol doing? Still having a hard time with her numbers (blood sugar, etc.) and having weekly doc visits?

How is Carol doing?...not good, not good at all.

Her blood sugar readings are like a yo-yo...from dangerous lows to very high and back again no matter what is done or consumed. Her doctor is frustrated as well...not knowing what to try next.

After 4+ years of cardiologists, tests, surgeries, and meds without improvement in her serious heart condition, it instead is steadily growing worse. And now with the recent unmanageable diabetes issues added to the mix, Carol is more than ready to give up on all of those things...including all doctors. She feels absolutely rotten and helpless all of the time, and is simply sick of being sick.

More weekly doctor visits?...I doubt she will be willing to do that. I can't force her to do it.

Don

[Laurie]

Don, I'm so sorry. I know from what you've said over the last few years that her health just continues to decline, so I was afraid she was probably still having major trouble with her diabetes. It's understandable that she feels as she does. Who wouldn't if they felt as awful as she does day after day. Hugs to you, Don. This has to be so hard for you.

[Allison]

:( Praying for all of you.

I'd love some prayers too. If you haven't seen my recent post in the prayer request forum, the basic gist of it is it's one month until my surgery and I'm kind of freaking out about everything. Again. But today was much better.

Also, I apologize if it feels like I only come on here to post personal prayer requests or when I need something, or to gripe/complain about something, because it feels that way sometimes.

Maybe I'll have to share another "getting hit on by an ex-con at work" story soon...

[Verna]

Prayer is greatly needed by so many of my porch friends, I'm glad that our Lord knows about and cares about every situation. I pray for each of you with upcoming surgeries that God will give you grace and strength and healing and give your doctors wisdom. Don, my heart breaks for Carol and the burdens she has carried, and you have carried, too, for so long. Mariane, I pray for a solution to your travel. I have a congenital hiatal hernia that has grown through the years--to the point that before one of my surgeries, a doctor, looking at an x-ray, told me that my "heart was not in the right place" because of it. (And here I'd always thought my heart was IN the right place!) Laury, I pray for your discouragement to be lifted before your surgeries, and Allison that you will have a peace about yours. Carole, I hope this is the final round for the acute bronchites. I had bronchites last month, but I don't think mine was a-cute one. (Sorry--couldn't help myself)

If you have a Kindle, just for today (Jan. 18), you can order a Kindle version of my book Don't Frighten the Pansies at Amazon for free. Several have told me they have found encouragement in the inspirational section--and some in the nature section. I particularly like the reminders in "Your God Has Not Forsaken You."

You all have been in my daily prayers and will continue to be there. Hugs to all.
Verna

[BeachGrandma]

I feel like writing a Praise Report in Red ! When I had my CT scan of my throat, the doctor then ordered an MRI of my abdomen for what he termed was "a mass on the left side." The word "mass" always has a negative connotation so naturally I was more than just a little concerned.

I had the MRI night before last and somehow the note to the technicians got waylaid or ignored because they put dye in the MRI IV, something I found I'm very allergic to when I had the CT scan the day before Christmas. Anyway, 6 hours after the MRI, I became deathly sick, just like before only 10 times worse. John called the MRI office at the hospital, got a recording and asked them to return his call immediately or sooner because I was so ill. They didn't call back. All my arthritis points decided to scream as well as all the destroyed disks in my back. The pain was unbearable and I took every pill I had and then some. I kept asking God to lay me on someone's heart during the night so pray for me. It was a full-fledged nightmare of pain, nausea, the works.
Anyway this morning I felt better, praise the Lord.

I received a call from the gastroenterologist (sp?) saying he'd just heard from the MRI and the mass turned out to be nothing at all unusual, that everything was normal. PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW! What a roller coaster, though. I've been praising the Lord ever since because I had bladder cancer years ago and I know how frightening that can be.

So I returned the call from Duke University Medical Center about my throat and I have a consult appointment on the 29th of January. The surgery will be sometime after that. You talk about a BUSY PLACE. That one ENT department took 20 minutes to get me on the queue for appointments!
It's so hard to get an appointment there since they're so well-known.

Then I called my primary care doctor to see if I could get my cortisone shots a month early since I was in so much pain everywhere and he saw me today at 1 and gave me the shots. Another big "Thank You, Lord!"

See why I'm writing in red? I'm one happy camper this afternoon!

[Edy]

Whew, Mariane! I don't know why some have so much to suffer, but thank the Lord for His mercies to see you (and the rest on the porch going through miserable trials and tribulations) through to relief and release. Praying one for another!

[Verna]

Edy, I forgot to tell you I loved your little story!

And Mariane, I'm so thankful for God's blessing on your life with the second test and pray the surgery for the first test will be blessed as well.

[ready2go]

Wow, Mariane! What an ordeal you went through during the past two days!

I will be praying for you as you have your consult meeting on the 29th, and for the follow-up surgery.

Don

[Ms. Barbie]

How scary for you Mariane! That allergy needs to be in big red letters in your chart.

[BeachGrandma]

When I told my primary care doctor about it yesterday when I got my cortisone shot, he was furious and said "MRI people are notorious for not telling patients of the potential dangers of the IV dye. So many people have not had MRIs before and the technicians don't want to put ideas in their heads. Statistically, many people have bad reactions to the dye and and get very sick and in some cases patients have died. It's imperative that the techs get a true picture and sometimes that can only be done with contrasting dye injections. But you had told them ahead that the earlier CT scan dye made you so sick and they promised to put that on your chart for the MRI."

I was hoping he'd pick up the phone and raise all kinds of heck but he didn't. He said he would write a fax to them and ask that they make an important addition to my allergy list and put the dye at the top of the list. We don't live in a big city so don't have the options of multiple hospitals with open MRIs which I prefer. I'll likely need more MRIs on my back for the progressive degenerative disease of the spine which I have so I don't want them mad at me and shove me in a closed MRI, forget me and go on vacation.

[Joanney]

Mariane, was it on your chart already that you are allergic to the dye? Sometimes it is on the medical chart and they STILL miss it. That happened to my mom at Mayo (of all places.) Her chart said that she was allergic to Vaseline (and similar products) and they put it on an open wound. She went from being at Mayo for a follow-up visit to being in the ICU. You may need to verbally remind them at each MRI.

I am glad that you are feeling better.