Nick turned 22 today on April 22. I told him this morning we both feel better today than we did 22 years ago. He was born C-section & had swallowed a lot of blood. He was one sick little baby & I was one sick mama.
I had an MRI today. Debbie Reese took me to Logan. Debbie works with Don & I in the ward library. She is a nurse at the local hospital & can only be to church every other week. She works this weekend, but she was willing to take me to Logan on one of her days off. She sat with me through the harrowing financial interview. I was told I could apply for financial assistance from IHC, then after I got home I got a message from the financial counselor, or whatever her title is, guess I could look on her business card & see what it actually says. She left a message saying I would have to apply for Medicaid & be denied before I could apply for financial assistance, sigh.
So, this MRI was better than the one I had in the fall of 2000 at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden. That was in a metal tube & they stuck me in this wall, like a morgue. It was closed off at the bottom & the top. The one today was hard plastic & was open at both ends of the tube. I was wiggling my feet & the tech said the image was blurry was I moving? I said yes I'd been wiggling my toes. The noise wasn't nearly as loud as last time. I think it's because last time I was enclosed in this metal tube. Could be my hearing is so much worse this time than it was 8 years ago. I almost fell asleep today. Last time I was so rattled I couldn't eve remember the first Article of Faith, which is probably the easiest one of all. No, all I could do was recite the 13th Article of Faith over & over. That's the hardest one.
Today they had to inject a contrast in my veins. I told the tech that I could not have it in my left arm & that I only have one good vein in my right arm. He thought he found one on the outside & tried, no luck. He said my one good vein is tough as old leather from scar tissue. He tried lower down. I have 3 pokes, not sure where he finally got it in, but I could feel it as it flowed into my vein, just like the chemo. I had a bad headache the rest of the day. Sure glad I had someone to drive me.
Now, we wait for the results. The tech was walking us down the hall & he asked me how long I'd had this pain in my back. I said I didn't have a pain in my back. The lesion was found through an abdominal x-ray at Instacare because of intense stomach pain. I have had a hard time standing on my feet for years because I'd get a back ache. I've always thought it was bad posture & it could very well be. We'll see.
I was also supposed to have an endoscopy today, but because of the cost & the expectation of paying $150 up front before I could have it, I said no. I already pay almost $300 a month in medical bills from my breast cancer surgeries. I have stopped taking some prescriptions because I cannot afford $322 a month for a script.
We ate at Pizza Villa tonight for Nick's birthday. Mother has such a hard time getting in & out of Don-Mike's new pick up. We took her home & left her in tears because she was hurtng so bad. Don-Mike didn't stay long here. Of course, he'd had the day off & worked really hard in the yard. Nick said Don-Mike had mowed the back yard. I hope he had the riding lawn mower fixed. Last week he tilled the garden. Anyway, Don-Mike said he'd go home & play some games on his X-Box & sit with Nana.
Last birthday until June. Still haven't bought presents for our April birthday people, but hey, we've spent quite a bit on dinners & gas to get to the restaurants the last 2 weeks.
Showing posts with label x-ray. Show all posts
Showing posts with label x-ray. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Lent, Day 37
Just a few more days of the Lenten season & then I'll have to come up with new titles for my subject line. I have had trouble trying to figure out what day of Lent it is. I hope I've numbered them all correctly.
Don made it to bed before I did last night. I had to fill the humidifier of my CPAP machine & then put it in after the lights were out - grrrr. So, it must have been about midnight again.
I spent the morning trying to figure out why the bank wouldn't let Luana cash Mother's rent check on Monday. I still don't know the answer to that, but she got it cashed. Then I checked on the vet charge account to see if there would be enough available credit to pay for both cats & saw only $23 available. So, I spent the morning, what was left of it after I got up at 10:30, working on finances. I was supposed to be to work at noon & didn't make it. I was going to have a piece of toast & take my meds before I took the cats to the vet.
But Nick has been obsessing about Daddy's little red jeep. How he wants to get rid of it & nobody will let him. I told him I did not want to get into an argument about the jeep. I didn't have time.
Nick & Don-Mike did put Brackin & Prissy in the carriers & carried them out to the car for me. By then, I was running late, still had to go up to the Citizen & tell them I'd be later than I was, but I'd still come in.
Prissy's eye has been gray, like Boots' was when I took him to the vet. Dr. Larry, the older, retired vet, was working today, I didn't ask where Dr. Cliff was. I like Dr. Larry better. He looked closely at Prissy's eye. He wanted to see if there was a "foreign body" in it. He found a ripped 3rd eye lid. He said, "Huh, I thought so." Somebody had swatted at Prissy & scratched her in the eye. We all know who did that. Miss Marsha Lu thinks she is God's gift to the Bartlomé family. She's always swiping at the other cats, especially Prissy. And poor little Prissy has been the pariah since the boys (Boots & Astro) died. Astro was the pariah before. Prissy has never fit in, but she & Boots seemed to have a rapport.
I think I know now how Boots died. Nick told me that Sam had run Boots off. We found him out under the lilac tree, so weak, he couldn't stand up. So, I'll bet his gray eye was the result of a swipe from Sam & it got infected.
Anyway, while I was explaining to Becca, the receptionist at the vet's office, that I didn't know how I was going to pay for this because I couldn't find Mother's credit card, I had a sudden, extreme gut ache. OMG, it felt like someone had taken my gut & was twisting it. It hurt SOOOOOOO bad. Becca & Marie, the vet's assistant, gave me a lollipop, they got some Ensure for diabetics, but I could only drink 3 swallows of the Ensure, then I tried throwing up, sticking my finger down my throat & gagging myself, in the bathroom, of course.
I had not had anything to eat before I left, the appt. was at 2 & I was about 5 minutes late. So, we wondered if it was low blood sugar. I hadn't had any of my pills either. I handed Becca my cell phone & she called Don-Mike, but I didn't know I had Big J's programmed as his default number. I always just use the speed dial. So, we tried his speed dial, it went to his voice mail, so she left a message. Then she called Nick. Luckily Don-Mike was at Big J's in Richmond & came back & got me. He called Nick to tell him not to come, but he was already in Franklin. Nick opted to keep coming. Don-Mike stopped at Big J's & picked up his food & while he was in getting it, I swiped 3 big swallows of his drink, still thinking it might be low blood sugar.
I curled up in the fetal position, trying to get some relief from the pain. He asked me what side of the road Instacare was on & I finally sat up. He was on 1400 North, headed for the hospital. I told him I wanted Instacare, but we could go to the hospital, if he wanted. He said ERs are so stinking expensive. I said Instacare was on 4th North & 2nd East. He took 4th East & wended his way to Instacare. OMG, those roads are bumpy. I'm so glad he had his new truck. I could stretch out in the back seat, not that I did.
Nick pulled in right behind us. I think he went directly to Instacare though. I am so glad Nick was there. He stayed right by my side. Don-Mike went right back out to the truck to eat his lunch. Nick helped me at the registration desk, stood by me through the triage room, helped me to the examining room & sat there with me. He left when I told him to go out to the truck & get the cell phone to call Jessi, my supervisor. Don-Mike came in then with Nick. Don-Mike had called Don, so he came up after work. The boys left when Don came & stopped in Richmond to pick up the cats.
The doctor examined me. By that time the pain had let up & I was able to straighten out. I told Nick by the time the doctor came, I was going to be better. Still tender & still having some pain. My urine sample was good, my blood work was good, slightly anemic, no surprise, but my potassium level was up, woo hoo!! My sugar level was 125, slightly elevated, but good considering I hadn't had anything to eat. They took an x-ray & found that there was a lot of stool backed up. I KNOW that wasn't a blocked bowel. The doctor suspects a gall bladder attack. They had to send that blood work to Logan Regional's lab, oh groan, more medical bills.
Anyway, the doctor told me to drink lots of water & they would call in the morning with the results of the blood work they sent to LRH.
Don stopped at the vet's for me to pick up the car. It was 10 to 6 & I told him I was going to go in & tell them I was ok. Whoever went in to pick up the cats told Becca & Marie it was gall stones. I told Nick to tell them the doctor thought it was gall bladder.
Don made it to bed before I did last night. I had to fill the humidifier of my CPAP machine & then put it in after the lights were out - grrrr. So, it must have been about midnight again.
I spent the morning trying to figure out why the bank wouldn't let Luana cash Mother's rent check on Monday. I still don't know the answer to that, but she got it cashed. Then I checked on the vet charge account to see if there would be enough available credit to pay for both cats & saw only $23 available. So, I spent the morning, what was left of it after I got up at 10:30, working on finances. I was supposed to be to work at noon & didn't make it. I was going to have a piece of toast & take my meds before I took the cats to the vet.
But Nick has been obsessing about Daddy's little red jeep. How he wants to get rid of it & nobody will let him. I told him I did not want to get into an argument about the jeep. I didn't have time.
Nick & Don-Mike did put Brackin & Prissy in the carriers & carried them out to the car for me. By then, I was running late, still had to go up to the Citizen & tell them I'd be later than I was, but I'd still come in.
Prissy's eye has been gray, like Boots' was when I took him to the vet. Dr. Larry, the older, retired vet, was working today, I didn't ask where Dr. Cliff was. I like Dr. Larry better. He looked closely at Prissy's eye. He wanted to see if there was a "foreign body" in it. He found a ripped 3rd eye lid. He said, "Huh, I thought so." Somebody had swatted at Prissy & scratched her in the eye. We all know who did that. Miss Marsha Lu thinks she is God's gift to the Bartlomé family. She's always swiping at the other cats, especially Prissy. And poor little Prissy has been the pariah since the boys (Boots & Astro) died. Astro was the pariah before. Prissy has never fit in, but she & Boots seemed to have a rapport.
I think I know now how Boots died. Nick told me that Sam had run Boots off. We found him out under the lilac tree, so weak, he couldn't stand up. So, I'll bet his gray eye was the result of a swipe from Sam & it got infected.
Anyway, while I was explaining to Becca, the receptionist at the vet's office, that I didn't know how I was going to pay for this because I couldn't find Mother's credit card, I had a sudden, extreme gut ache. OMG, it felt like someone had taken my gut & was twisting it. It hurt SOOOOOOO bad. Becca & Marie, the vet's assistant, gave me a lollipop, they got some Ensure for diabetics, but I could only drink 3 swallows of the Ensure, then I tried throwing up, sticking my finger down my throat & gagging myself, in the bathroom, of course.
I had not had anything to eat before I left, the appt. was at 2 & I was about 5 minutes late. So, we wondered if it was low blood sugar. I hadn't had any of my pills either. I handed Becca my cell phone & she called Don-Mike, but I didn't know I had Big J's programmed as his default number. I always just use the speed dial. So, we tried his speed dial, it went to his voice mail, so she left a message. Then she called Nick. Luckily Don-Mike was at Big J's in Richmond & came back & got me. He called Nick to tell him not to come, but he was already in Franklin. Nick opted to keep coming. Don-Mike stopped at Big J's & picked up his food & while he was in getting it, I swiped 3 big swallows of his drink, still thinking it might be low blood sugar.
I curled up in the fetal position, trying to get some relief from the pain. He asked me what side of the road Instacare was on & I finally sat up. He was on 1400 North, headed for the hospital. I told him I wanted Instacare, but we could go to the hospital, if he wanted. He said ERs are so stinking expensive. I said Instacare was on 4th North & 2nd East. He took 4th East & wended his way to Instacare. OMG, those roads are bumpy. I'm so glad he had his new truck. I could stretch out in the back seat, not that I did.
Nick pulled in right behind us. I think he went directly to Instacare though. I am so glad Nick was there. He stayed right by my side. Don-Mike went right back out to the truck to eat his lunch. Nick helped me at the registration desk, stood by me through the triage room, helped me to the examining room & sat there with me. He left when I told him to go out to the truck & get the cell phone to call Jessi, my supervisor. Don-Mike came in then with Nick. Don-Mike had called Don, so he came up after work. The boys left when Don came & stopped in Richmond to pick up the cats.
The doctor examined me. By that time the pain had let up & I was able to straighten out. I told Nick by the time the doctor came, I was going to be better. Still tender & still having some pain. My urine sample was good, my blood work was good, slightly anemic, no surprise, but my potassium level was up, woo hoo!! My sugar level was 125, slightly elevated, but good considering I hadn't had anything to eat. They took an x-ray & found that there was a lot of stool backed up. I KNOW that wasn't a blocked bowel. The doctor suspects a gall bladder attack. They had to send that blood work to Logan Regional's lab, oh groan, more medical bills.
Anyway, the doctor told me to drink lots of water & they would call in the morning with the results of the blood work they sent to LRH.
Don stopped at the vet's for me to pick up the car. It was 10 to 6 & I told him I was going to go in & tell them I was ok. Whoever went in to pick up the cats told Becca & Marie it was gall stones. I told Nick to tell them the doctor thought it was gall bladder.
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