First - I have changed my mind and decided that my 100th post is actually going to be my journey to eds-ville as I realized that since I have moved to this blog (did post before on a different blog site) I haven't really delved into anything in my past. I will soon put up links though from my followers so if you haven't replied or emailed please do so if you want your link posted. If you are a follower who has a blog, I don't feel comfortable just automatically putting up your link and would like to have your permission before I link you. I know that seems kind of odd as you can just click on a persons name, but that is how I feel more cofortable in doing things (it's the computer programmer in me lol).
Things have been pretty good around here for the most part. No big issues or anything like that which is nice for a change. Also it seems like we avoided what could have been a MAJOR problem! My brother's fiance's daughter (I guess my step-neice? call her 'J') is sick. My nephew was at their house for about 30 minutes last tuesday and also had a visitation at their place on sunday for about 4 hours. Thankfully, for some reason, J was not at home while K was there on sunday. I say thankfully because we got a frantic call sunday night saying that they had just got home from the ER with J and she was diagnosed with........ Scarlet Fever!!! Thankfully she isn't too sick and they gave her antibiotics and had her fever gone by the time they left. Apparently it is not a serious disease anymore and is in the same range as strep throat which we found out is going around our community (my family and my brother's family live in the same small town of about 7000 people, but K and J go to different schools). As we read that it can take between 12 - 72 hours for signs to start showing and since K was home from school on friday with a sore thorat and no rash or fever has appeared on K (or me!) we seem to have avoided it completely! No visits will be done though until she is completly off of all antibiotics as my immune system is so low and I can get real sick, they know that we have to take more precautions than most (like no visits here during any chicken pox outbreaks in town).
Medically I have been having a lot of problems with two of my joints. My right shoulder is not feeling stable at all and in quite a bit of pain, but nothing compared to my right hip. I can not sit or lay down in a comfortable position. Late at night when I can't sleep because of it, it is bad enough that I get tears in my eyes. I have been doing breakthrough meds a lot more regularly that normal but thankfully have a GP appointment on thursday so I can get my medications switched over as it seems I am reaching my tolerance levels (I usually try not to change long-acting and breakthrough meds at the same time but I don't think it can be helped this time). Unfortnatly, as he is just my GP and I have no rheumy or joint doctor, nothing will be done unless I can convince him to do some scans or think about cortisone shots in one (or both) areas.
I did get bloodwork taken last week which was absolutely shocking. For the first time in many many years it only took one nurse, one stick, in my left elbow (normally only hands work) and no digging! They know me there and groaned when they saw how many vials they would need (did a complete autoimmune work up, even the tests that insurance doesnt cover!, my iron, B12 and vitamin D levels - total of 6 vials!). Originally it was only going to be for the autoimmune stuff but on the day I went to the office to ask for the other three tests and since I didn't know I decided to fast that night just in case. The lady took me into the room, joking away with me and my mom and got me settled in and the vials out. Now, for those who dont know me generally I have to have a heat pack on my hand before hand, butterfly needle into a vein on my hand between my fingers, two nurses basically using gravity to get the blood out, using a syringe because changing vials tends to make the vein collapse, lots of painful digging and anywhere from 1 - 3 attempts to get the blood. She has even told me that I am to always tell her to stick to my hand and not attempt the arm because she always feels a good vein but after digging she loses it and ends up going to my hand. So, like normal she starts feeling around and checks my arm and says she feels a really big vein there. After a few words exchanged I told her she could try the arm if she felt confident in it, which she did. She took the needle, stuck it straight in and as I was waiting for the digging to start I hear a noise. I opened my eyes and see that she wasn't digging because she was changing the vial to fill up # 2!! She got all six vials done in half the time it usually takes to just get a half full syringe! With no pain (and no bruising!). We were all very very shocked at how well it worked and mom joked that we should head right to the tattoo parlor and get a bullseye on it!!
Well I have a doctor's appointment on thursday where we will be discussing a LOT of different topics so I will post this weekend with what goes on.
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