What A Week !

First I want to thank all of you that are praying for me ... and have written . It means so much . Well , I am learning so much about my illness. Going through tons of test . Some that drain me to every inch of me .. some that leave me in pain but it is all for the good of finding out what this tumor is doing . NIH is an awesome place . The nurses here are great .. and very caring . The one thing they do not get is my surgery and my absorbtion . I have had to constantly go over my vitamin needs and nutrician and how each works hand in hand .. The timing of it all .. For a couple days they would bring in my vitamins with my calcium .. or my iron and my calium .. They took my vitamins away from me and will only give me their formulas . But I checked all the formulas and the liquid multi I am taking is better than the prenatal I am taking .. but all in all it is working out . OK .. what I have learned so far . My tumor has ruptured at one point recently . They are telling me that after surgery , I will be on what is called Adrenal Replacement . I will have to give myself shots and meds to regulate my cortisol and my hormones . I may not have to be on this forever , but until my adrenal gland wakes up from being suffocated from the tumor , I will have to do this for a while . No stress they are telling me .. ok .. now what LOL ... I have a barage of test coming up this week . Some that are pretty gruling .. others that just require blood work or urine test . Then ... off to surgery on November 14th . I am so excited to finally being able to get this done so i can move on . The other great thing about this hospital is that they have internet in my room . I have my own pc that has a flat screen .. and is available to me 24 hours .. so I can update and post as I feel up to it . I did want to mention this . Calcium , I learned today just how important it is to get it in .. not only does calcuim support our bones but it also supports our endocrine system and if we do not get enough , your body will go to other stores to get it and can cause other health issues . So Ladies and Gents .. Please get your calcium in .. my levels are good , but the calcuim that I need to function comes from my cells and that is a level that is hard to check . Well enough from me .. Kathy Hall and Patty S are coming up to see me today . I can not wait to see them . I miss you all , and cannot thank you all enough for your thoughts and prayers . Love ya , Tink

Hey Nat! Great to hear from you! It sounds like it has been one long week! I am glad you are in a great place with the best care there is to offer. Information is power...you know that...and it sounds like you are armed and dangerous...LOL Keep those nurses straight on the vits! Check in when you can. I am praying for you! Hugs, Stephanie

Nat, It is soo good to see you posting! You have been in my thoughts and prayers daily and it is good to see you are feeling ok. I wish I could come and see you! There are not enough hours in the day. I am working seven days a week and usually about 19 hours by the time I am done with both jobs. It is stressful, but something that I have to do right now. I am getting ready to post my update in a little while. Please let me know if I can do anything for you or Alan. My thoughts and prayers will continue to come your way. {hugs} Tammy

Hey there lady, Glad to see your on the web. Been wondering how you were doing. Sounds like they are keeping you there for a while, ugh. But I am happy for you that you can all this behind you soon and move on with you life. Gotta get you up and running, (dancing at least) before the winter ball. What a treat you have internet access in your room. My how things are changing in this world. Thanks for keeping us posted. Have fun visiting with girls today. Susan

So glad to hear from you finally, Nat. glad to know you are happy and enthustiastic and learning about your body. And that you have internet! Lois

Hey Nat, So cool that your room has internet access, what a nice thing! I'm glad you are in good hands. Also, thankful that you are well-versed on your needs as a WLS patient. I'm taking my calcium NOW due to your reminder, thanks sweet thing! Miss ya, and hope everything turns out well. I'm thinking of you often. Wendy

Hi Nat, So glad you are doing well, especially that the nurses are so great (I haven't met many that really care in my own experiences!)..... I have kept up with your posts, prayed for you, and worried too. You are so positive, and I know that goes a LONG way towards healing and recovery, in all its various forms - physical, emotional, spiritual, psychological, etc. You are so loved on this board. Know that, and feel it in your heart. Love ya, Crystal

It's good to hear from you Tink. I am sorry that you have to experience more pain though. I am keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us posted. (((hugs))) Anna

Tink, Hang in there girl!!! You have been in my thoughts and prayers everyday.. Joann has kept me very updated on you... miss you and can't wait until you are better.. take care sweetie... hugs, holly

Hi Natalie, Thanks for the update! I haven't been on line much lately, but frequently check for updates on you... been keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help with the January Event. I know we had a get together planned for next weekend... if you send me notes, we can still work on it while you are getting better! Lauren's surgery is 11/30 and we are busy focusing on getting her ready. She is getting excited, not any nervousness that I've noticed... I'm so happy and proud for her! Hugs and Kisses Tammy -125/25 to goal 11 months post-op