Tag Archives: Doctor

Holiday Doldrums

17 Wednesday Dec 2025

Posted by in Depression, Pets, Family

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Christmas is a little over a week away and as usual I’m struggling to get everything bought. This year I’ve decided to make several of my gives to my friends and family. I may end up being that person that no one wants a gift from next year but it is what it is. I made my wife and kids Christmas ornaments honoring my cat that just recently passed. I’m really hoping that everyone likes them.

My wife and I are still dealing with the loss. We’ve also noticed that our other cat, Sophie, has started acting differently. I think it’s her way of dealing with his absence and the solitude she experiences when we’re not here. We’ve talked and I’d like to go ahead and get another little kitten but we’re not sure how Sophie will respond. She “tolerated” Clyde and was not really the best of friends but they got along for the most part. I think my wife will eventually agree but it will take some time for her to come around.

This will be Clyde’s marker for his resting place. I’ve been real busy and haven’t took the time time to get the marker done. If the truth is known, every time I sat down to work on it I got upset and couldn’t bare to think about it. There is currently a little wooden cross that my wife placed there until I could get this made. Once I have the marker in place I think this will be the closure that I will need. I will place the marker tomorrow after I get home from my oncologist appointment tomorrow afternoon. Maybe the rains will have moved out by then.

I’m sure I’ll post again but in case I don’t, I hope everyone has a happy holiday and a Merry Christmas.

Four Month Post Op

24 Saturday Aug 2024

Posted by in bariatric-surgery, Diabetic, diet, Disability, Leukemia, Retirement, Weight Loss

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July 24th 2024 226lbs
August 24th 216 lbs

Lost ten pounds this month. Everything is progressing nicely. The doctor wants me to lose thirty more pounds. If this keeps going the way they have, that should take another three months. I’m in no hurry. Just as long as I lose what I need to lose to get my BMI to a healthy range.

I go to my orthopedic Dr on Monday. I should know more when I get this boot off and in a regular shoe. Hope it will be in the next six weeks or so. The first thing I’m going to do is get my kayak out and go fishing.

Update: April 2nd

02 Tuesday Apr 2024

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It’s been a while I know.  A lot has been going on so hold on to your hat.

Monday, April 1st marks the 10th week that I’ve either been in a splint or a cast.  This is my third hard cast since I was put in one.  I have a problem with either the cast getting wet, broke or both.  I’ve had several x-rays and I’ve been told each time that my foot is healing but has a long way to go.  My foot is still swollen a little and it looks like a lizard with all that dead skin just hanging there.  I did speak to the doctor and if everything continues as it has, I should be able to be put in a Crow Boot in about two months.  At least with a Crow Boot I should be able to walk on it some.

It’s like I’m a prisoner in my own home.  I live in a split foyer home.  When you walk in the front door you must either go up or go downstairs.  Seven of them to be exact. Going downstairs is not a problem.  I simply grab ahold of the banister and the handrail and hop down the stairs.  Going up is another issue. Right now, the solution is to use a walker with the front legs adjusted to the step above and hop up the stairs.  I’m exhausted by the time I make it up the stairs.  This is the reason I don’t go anywhere other than for doctor appointments. 

My gastric bypass surgery has been approved and my surgery is scheduled for the 17th of April.  I have to start my liver shrink diet on the 10th and my 2-day liquid diet starts on the 15th. If I told you th.at I wasn’t worried I’d be lying.  There’s a lot to consider even after the surgery. Just my doctors and my immediate family know about it.  None of my friends or even my parents don’t know about it. The reason?  I have a couple of family members that have had this surgery and they are bigger now than before they had the surgery.  Simply put, they gave up on themselves.  I have a point to make.  I’ll eventually tell them after I lose about 100 lbs.

Another reason I’m doing the surgery is my health.  If everything goes well, I will no longer be a diabetic and I will no longer have to use a Bipap machine to sleep.  The money I’ll save no longer using insulin will more than pay for the vitamins that I’ll have to take.

Stay tuned for updates after the surgery.

January 28th A Huge Setback

28 Sunday Jan 2024

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I’ve had neuropathy in both of my feet for several years. I can stump my toe and never know it.  It is a blessing and a curse.  I’ve had blisters on my toes and feet so bad that it would take months to heal. The bad part is that I never knew I had these blisters until it was too late.  I have tried to check my feet several times a day since then.  I wasn’t too surprised when they told me that I had broken a bone in my foot as well as having several fractures on the top of my foot.  The scary part is that I don’t know how I did it.

Two weeks ago, I woke up to get ready to go to church and noticed my right foot had swelled badly. I first thought of gout.  I treated my foot for gout for a couple of days and when it didn’t get any better, I made an appointment to see a doctor.

The doctor took X-rays and took bloodwork. The doctor told me that I had osteomyelitis, an infection in the bones of my foot, and that I needed to go straight to the ER.  Fortunately, I live on the way to my hospital, so I stopped and packed a bag grabbed my wife, and went to the ER. Nine hours later I was finally seen by a doctor. A CAT scan and more bloodwork were performed.  I was seen by no less than five different doctors, and all speculated the same thing. It all depended on a scheduled MRI that didn’t happen for another two days.  Yes, I was finally admitted and had to wait until an MRI was performed.

I had an orthopedic surgeon come see me and he was the only one who offered another scenario.  All the other doctors were saying the only way to stop the infection was to amputate my leg. The orthopedic surgeon suggested that I had Charcot Midfoot, a rare occurrence that diabetics with severe neuropathy can get.  Basically, it makes your bones brittle and if not treated can cause amputation of a limb or two. If the MRI showed infection that would mean several months of heavy antibiotics with the possibility of amputation of my foot to start off with.  If the MRI showed no infection, my foot would be put in a splint and I could go home and schedule an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for follow-up appointments.

At approximately 11 am I was wheeled off for my MRI.  At approximately 2 pm I was told that there was no infection, and I was cleared to go home once my foot was put in a brace. At that time I was told that transport had been called and should be there within the hour. At 8:15 pm the transport finally arrived but not after my daughter called the hospital and complained.

Once home there had to be several changes.  A knee scooter, a shower stool, and a toilet rail had to be ordered to make my life a little easier.  I’ll be laid up for at least six weeks, maybe longer.  I’ve called and left a message with one of the doctors.  Hopefully, they’ll call me tomorrow to set up a follow-up appointment.  I’ve also got several other doctors to call tomorrow to reschedule appointments.  Oh, one other thing.  I live in a house with stairs leading to my living area.  I’ll have to call the fire department to get me in and out of my house.  This should be fun.

New Year equals New Beginnings

22 Friday Dec 2023

Posted by in Weight Loss

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I had to wait until I got paid this month before I was able to but I signed my wife and myself up to the required class for the bariatric surgery. I also called my primary doctor and I’ve set up the first of three appointments that are also a requirement for the surgery. These appointments are to monitor how well I’m doing to adjust to my new lifestyle. The doctor will have to fill out paperwork to be turned in to the surgen after the three months. I still have no clue as to what my cost will be.

I had a visit with my phuminologist the other day and the nurse that did my trioge mentioned to me that she had the surgery about a year ago and she had lost over sixty pounds. I would be extremely happy with sixty pounds. As just so happens, my daughter worked at the same school that she did so they know each other. My daughter told me she looked huge. She still has some weight to lose but she doesn’t look nothing like she did sixty pounds ago.

I suspect April or May if I’m approved. That’s my goal.

Step Two Complete

08 Friday Dec 2023

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The above moon shot is this month’s Beaver Moon.

Today’s appointment was with a Shrink. Supposedly, after all the weight loss, there might some be behavioral issues and they wanted to find out if I already had some issues that might need to be addressed. I had seen a shrink a couple of years ago when I was trying to get on dissability so I sort of knew what to expect. She said I passed. I had 26 out of 30 possible points. My next step is to get a chest x-ray sometime next week. I’m going to have to schedule a special class sometime in Januairy, Then it’s on to three months with my primary doctor. I have to proove to him that I can stay on some sort of program for three months before they invest in their time,

Step One Complete

07 Thursday Dec 2023

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I spoke with the Bariatric surgeon on Monday and discussed my options. We both concluded that the gastric bypass was the way to go. She was a young doctor and my wife questioned her ability. I think she was just jealous of her looks. We talked about the class that I am going to have to take and the three visits I have to have with my general practitioner. Those will all have to be scheduled. I think I’m going to wait until the first of the year to start this because of the temptations with all the Christmas foods.

My next appointment was with my Gastrologist on the same day. I found out that my stomach ulcer had healed and I can now reduce the meds that I am taking. That’s good news because that was one of the concerns I had with the Bariatric surgery. I also found out that I had a Hiatal Hernia. This can also be taken care of during the Bariatric surgery.

The doctor visits will take three months. If I start in January, that would mean that the surgery would not be until April of next year. There is no mention of any amount of weight that has to be lost but there are several things that I have to do these three months. I have to keep a record of my meals, which I already have an app for that. I have to go to the gym or somehow show that I’m at least trying to exercise every day.

This is going to be a long drawn-out process but I’m ready for it. I’m tired of looking the way I do and feeling the way I do.

YAG Surgery

22 Tuesday Dec 2020

Posted by in Retirement

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Who would have thought. I’ve never heard such a thing. YAG? Evedently it’s a thing. I had cateract surgery a couple of years ago and it seems that the pocket that the new lense fits in, well, the bottom had become cloudy and the doctor needed to go in there and trim off the edges so my vision ca could be corrected.

It’s a simple process really. The waiting was the most difficlut part. I had to be there at 7:30 am but wasn’t called back until after 10:30 am. The proceedure was simple; just looking at a light for a couple of seconds and it was over. I have several floaters but they said that it will go away in a few days. I have a followup appointment this Wednesday so maybe he can get me a new script for new glasses.

3/16/2018 Oncologist Update

18 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by in Cancer, Family, Leukemia, Photography

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Oncologist Update: Because of some miscommunications with the insurance company, go figure, I have not been approved to be on my new medicine yet. I may end up walking the paperwork to the department myself if they keep losing it. Anyway, it’s been six weeks or more since I’ve had any CML meds and we, more so me than the doctor it seems, are starting to get a little concerned that my numbers might get a little high. If the insurance company approves the meds, it could take up to three weeks before my meds arrive. Nothing to do but wait. But, as luck would have it, the representative for the new drug was there in his office. He gave my doctor a card for a free 30 day supply which should arrive by Tuesday of next week. This should give my insurance company time to process my approval for this drug.

Bloodwork. It’s been six weeks since my last lab. My last one wasn’t good at all. Every one of my numbers was either very high or very low. Yesterday’s numbers were normal for the most part. This was in large part the effect of the drug I was on. The side effects just made my daily life impossible to deal with.

New Drug: Bosulif is the name of the new drug. Right now I’ve been on two of the most common and there are only a few left that is approved by the FDA. Thanks to Karen Davis-Hudson she eased my mind about some of the side effects that were mentioned in the insert. However, Karen, I think you mentioned that 1/10 developed fluid retention, my doctor said 4/10. Not that much of a difference. The other side effects I think I can handle.

The Good News: The doctor and I both agree that the fluid in my lungs is gone and we’re going to have a positive attitude that it will not return and that this medicine will be the last one I have to be on because this one will work. I can breathe, my color is back and most importantly, I feel good. So much so, that if the weather holds, I’m going to try to get my bicycle out one day this weekend.

This is all due to all the prayers that have been lifted up for me and my family. Thank you so much.

Improving? Not so Much.

28 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by in Cancer, Family, Leukemia, Photography

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I started back on my CML meds last Monday and to be honest I think my breathing has gotten a little worse. I’ve started climbing the steps at work a little more and trying to maintain at least 10,000 steps in a day. I spoke at length to my oncologist last Monday the day I started back on my Sprycell and he told me that the majority of the people who end up with water retention will do better at a lower dosage.  I’m now at 80 mg instead of the 100mg that I was once on.

I’ve decided not to just sit at home waiting to see if my lungs will fill back up with fluid.  I don’t really feel like getting out and doing anything but I feel that I’ve at least got to try  and get what little exercise that I can get.  I think it could only help matters if I get off the couch and do something.

Yesterday, my wife and I met our son at the university where my daughters are attending.  They’re both in the band, one plays the sax and the other is a band manager.  Yesterday was their parent preview show.  It was awesome seeing my daughter’s perform. I got to meet one of their roommates and enjoyed going out to dinner afterwards.  As usual it was hard for us to leave after visiting with them.

Today I went to my parents house to check on them as well as my bees.  It’s been at least two months since I’ve done either one.  The bee yard was grown up with weeds and it took everything I had to use my weedeater to chop down the weeds just so I could get to the beehive.  After about an hour of cleaning up I went and sat with my parents for a couple of hours.

It was hard to leave my parents. They are both getting up in age and their health is not as good as it used to be.  My mom had to have more surgery a couple of weeks ago on her diaphragm due to finding a hole where her colon and her intestine were coming through.  The doctors seem to think that this was caused by the accident they had back in February.

The above picture is of the band managers.  The young lady is my daughter.  What a  trooper.