Monthly check-in

Hi, all! I just wanted to pop in and say happy holidays. Life here is still busy and weird, but parts of it are getting better. My grandmother has been getting worse so we've decided to take her home and do hospice and let her go peacefully versus doing the hospital bit every other week for the congestive heart failure and COPD. By my professional nursing judgement, I say we'll be lucky if she makes it two weeks. My mom goes in for thyroid removal tomorrow morning. They had been monitoring a spot for over a year and it finally came back as follicular neoplasm. My 15 year old neice flipped my SUV last Sunday. I was trying to be a good aunt and let the kid with a learner's permit get some driving time under her belt. She, I, her sister, and my two youngest daughters were on our way to church and flipped as she turned to go into the parking lot. Noone was hurt but it totaled the car; so YEAH, new car for me. We bought a used dodge avenger and paid cash as I was tired of paying payments every month. It's a 5 speed and I haven't driven one in years but the hubby says I did okay today when I drove to wallyworld and back. My biggest joy is that the other two daughters are coming up tommorow after school and will be here until Sunday. I haven't seen the oldest except in passing for the last few months as she got a job and her boss schedules her at least one day every weekend, hence killing visiting mom every other weekend. The liquid pain meds are working marvelously. It's almost like having a new lease on life since I am not in constant pain anymore. The MS still makes me tire really easily, but my pain is bearable now. PLEASE don't ever think being far out from GBS makes medicine absorption easier. If you are on any kind of meds and they just aint working, then talk to your doc about taking them in other forms. Well, that's it for me. Even with the decrease in pain, I have yet to really start exercising as I have been logging so many hours sitting with my grandmother at the hospital, but it's gonna be a serious priority very, very soon. I gots me about 50-60 more pounds to lose. Love to you all and I wish you the safest, brighest, most marvelous holiday of all. Kelly

Hi Kelly, sorry to hear about your grandma, your family are in my prayers, that goes for your mom's surgery tomorrow too. Keep us informed. Liquid medicine and my pouch don't agree. Never did before surgery and even more so now. I just have to get this one lymph node in my neck removed as it causes me to choke on everything including fluids. It's pressing on my esophagus (sp), other wise, the cancer is eating at the excess flab, making me look gaunt, and very pale. My face and hands remind me of the mortgue. Death bed warmed over. I kid you not. I look fragile in my wrists and face. Just call me bones, cause I can sure feel them even in my back where the ribs are. I don't have enough padding on my butt, even sitting on a cushioned chair with an extra pillow and my left butt bone hurts. I need a butt lift. I'll be leaving here Dec. 21 heading for Nashville, I'll be there at least until after the first. Come home pay the bills, and go right back over there as I have an appointment with a plastic surgeon at the VA on Jan. 8, come home on the 9th and see my gastric surgeon on the 10th for my 1 yr followup. I'll be looking for a place during that time as well. You hang in there, and know God is with you always. Love ya and Happy Thanksgiving. Kathy