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Cat, that obit was hilarious. When it said she had a T-shirt that said, "I know what is right for everyone" (and that she was right) it made me think of a t-shirt I wear occasionally that says "I live in my own little world, but it's okay, they know me here." It's Ute red, so I have worn it to UofU football games. My sister bought me a plaque with that same saying and said that it reminds her of me. I have to admit, it is me.:ytongue:
The women's group has come and gone, and I had to resort to buying Marie Callendar pies. (Thanks Doug for getting them.) It actually worked out well.
I managed to slip and fall with a big splat on our new floor (mostly fell on my knee, Kirsty, and wrenched my back a little) about 45 minutes before they got here.
Bear story coming later tonight. I need to recuperate and have a nap first. Also had physical therapy this morning. They are really pushing me there lately. The meanies.
 
Sandy, ouch, I hope your knee is okay after that fall! Hopefully the physical therapy is doing you good even if it's exhausting you. I can't wait to hear the bear story! :)

Dave, I've heard of body farms, but I didn't know they charged money to get in! I do watch a lot of "Ask a Mortician" videos on youtube, though, and she brought up a good point recently - she said that most of us don't get to decompose naturally, so that creates a big appeal for places like body farms. At a body farm you're not cremated, you're not embalmed, and you're not even buried, so you get to decompose out in the elements like nature intended, and some people want that. Personally I still want to be a cool scary skeleton though. :) I don't need this flesh, most of it is prednisone flab at this point anyway. :p
 
I actually have two bears stories I'll share for now. (I know of at least two more involving family, and one more involving former foster son's brother.) The first one was while I was probably only six or seven. My family went on a vacation to Yellowstone National Park, where, back in the old days, it was quite common to see bear, sometimes right off the road. (Now they try to keep the bear separated from the general population.) If somebody spotted a bear in a vehicle it could cause a massive traffic jam as people stopped to gawk. Some people even feed the bear out of their windows, though it was against the rules and very dangerous. On one such occasion a whole lineup of cars stopped to admire a mama bear and her cubs (several cars ahead) just off the road. I had been asleep so started to sit up to see what was going on. Unbeknownst to anyone in our family vehicle, a big grizzly had wandered up to the side of our vehicle and just as I sat up to look out the window I was next to (a rare privilege to get a window seat in those days), the grizzly put his huge paws up on the window not more two inches from my face, with just the sheet of glass separating us. The car rocked. I think I screamed.
Fast forward many, many years. Doug and I were now taking a vacation at Yellowstone (and I believe Oto). We were staying in some cabins by Yellowstone Lake. One of the officials from the park told us the story about how the night before he had to wake up some people who decided to sleep in sleeping bags on the beach of the lake to tell them it was not allowed. They were grumbling about the rules until he pointed out huge bear tracks in the sand that wandered up to where they were sleeping in their sleeping bags, and then veered around them and wandered on. I think they understood then.
 
Sandy, wow, holy cow! I think I'd have bear nightmares for life if I'd had your car experience! And I'm not much of a camper, but if I had been camping and saw bear footprints, I'd never camp again. :p I have a magnet on my filing cabinet at work, it has a picture of a lady lounging in bed and it says, "I love not camping." So it wouldn't take much anyway to get me to not go camping, ha ha. I like hiking in the forest very much, but I also like going home afterwards and showering and sleeping in my own bed. :)
 
Between that incident and the fact that my sister eight years my senior continuously liked to scare me about bears (and other animals) she claimed were in the area (usually not) when ever we stopped on long (multi day) road trips to sleep under the stars before we got on the road again, I've been scared of bears since. Thinking back, we must have looked like the Beverly Hillbillies.

But I still like camping (with a trailer). Go figure.
 
SandyUte said:
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omg Sandy i wouldnt want pay for his shoes :rof:
 
Where is everyone? I promise I'll be good and let everyone else talk for a change. (For a while at least.) :biggrin:
 
Hello, how's everyone?

Just had a flare up without warning a couple of hours ago. This is my worst one since I've been on Modulen. Crohn's is such a shitty disease at times. And I mean that both literally and figuratively XD

But, no worries, after taking a dose of Debridat, I'm feeling much better now :)

Here's sending everyone a hug of encouragement, and wishing that you all will have a better day than me. (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

(Hope the Entyvio does wonders for you Doug!)
 
Good morning/ evening/night....oops,I've just noticed the sun's made an appearance,that's nice. Might have to change our plans for the day.Back later.
 
Hello CYY
Sorry to hear you are under the weather...hurry up and get back to recovery mode soon
Carol I can send you some snow if you like...it's back on our doorstep againDoug..that is good news and hope it works well for you
Have a good day Everyone....
 
dave13 so did you free your dog dobby with a sock....ROFL..:rof:.ok you have to be a Harry Potter fan.....just flashed back with his name....oooh good series to watch in hospital bed.

I miss my wolf/malamute he was 15 when passed years ago. Really wanting another dog lately....service dog trained for my balance issues.
 
G.I. Jane, in another thread you talked about not having a heating pad in the hospital. My wife has a service dog. Sometimes, if my stomach is feeling really bad, I will have Alex just up on the couch and put his head on my stomach.
 
I thought it was special. For the Super Bowl, they brought out Bush 41 and his wife for the coin toss
 
ronroush7 said:
I thought it was special. For the Super Bowl, they brought out Bush 41 and his wife for the coin toss
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Those who do not share Barbara Bush's political affiliation have to applaud the donations for the work she supports,medically,in Portland Maine. Particularly for children.

Go Pats!
 
GI Jane said:
dave13 so did you free your dog dobby with a sock....ROFL..:rof:.ok you have to be a Harry Potter fan.....just flashed back with his name....oooh good series to watch in hospital bed.

I miss my wolf/malamute he was 15 when passed years ago. Really wanting another dog lately....service dog trained for my balance issues.
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Our Dobby is just as mischievous as JK's Dobby. She is a sweet girl. When she was a puppy she would like to chew on my boot laces.So,i wouldn't let her grab my boots. She would take a 'legal' toy and drop it into one of my boots and then take the boot/toy away. Thinking the boot with the added legal toy was now o.k. to take away because it now has the toy in it.I hope you hook up with another dog soon.
 
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I have to give up my crown as being the most klutzy person ever - my hubby is now the most klutzy. This weekend, we decided to paint the craft room as it really needed it. So hubby was standing on a stool and painting the ceiling, when all of a sudden he lost his balance and fell. As he fell, he knocked over a full gallon of paint onto the floor (thank goodness we had a plastic drop cloth on the floor!) and he fell with such momentum that he fell completely out of the room! Now that's some impressive klutziness, ha ha. He was fine and the mess was contained by the plastic, so all was okay in the end.

I loved Lady Gaga's performance at the Superbowl last night! She's such a fantastic performer and has an amazing voice.
 
Oh Cat,hahaha. We've just finished our decorating today (for now) so I've decided to cancel the divorce papers (for now).Happy days.
 
Carol, we're done for now as well. There's still plenty more to do, there always is, but we're trying not to spend money right now, so there's only so much we can do on a $0 budget (we already had the paint and brushes, so it didn't cost us anything to paint). And I had sewed a curtain for that room as well, but my grandma had given me several huge bolts of curtain fabric back when we bought our house, so I will never run out of curtain fabric. :p That stuff will outlive me! So yeah, the painting and the curtain cost us $0 and all projects in the near future also need to cost $0. But in the meantime I'm happy with my freshly painted, curtained, and reorganized craft room. :)
 
Sandy, I don't know about popcorn, but I had read Ask a Mortician's book ("Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory" - by Caitlin Doughty) and it was fascinating. She talked about how pacemakers will blow up in the cremation machine! Sometimes they would ask if the deceased had a pacemaker and were told no, only to have a small explosion happen because the person did indeed have a pacemaker. Oops! :p She didn't mention popcorn in her book though. ;)
 
Oh, my! I guess I should tell my niece who has a pacemaker not to be cremated. (I know she wouldn't want to be anyway. She's terrified of fires.)
 
Yeah, I also hate fire. I had a very close friend die in a house fire when we were both 19, so that's sort of shaped me as an adult. So I can definitely relate to that. Cremation is definitely not for me. If I can't be a skeleton, I do like graveyards and I would be fine with being buried. I just hope I could have a cool tombstone with a skull on it like they used to do a few hundred years ago. (Stock image from google below)

wings-skull.jpg
 
Hey guys (and ladies), I hope you're all doing well today. I'm feeling much better from that flare up two days ago, but my heart doesn't seem to be looking so good. I suffered from a serious heart palpitation this morning, which left me feeling really concerned. Although my pulse rate was only around the 120 bpm range, I felt this immense chest tightness during that hour-long episode. To put things into perspective, my episodes usually last less than 10 minutes.

After taking some Propanolol and resting in bed for about another hour, my pulse rate has dropped to 80 bpm, and the chest tightness has almost gone completely. I did contemplate going to the ER at around the 40 minute mark during the episode, but decided against it in order to help my cash-strapped parents save some money. I've booked the first appointment at a government subsidised GP and will be leaving in about 15 minutes. Wish me luck! :)
 
You are too young to be having all these complications in your young life and our hearts go out to you CYY
Really hope you will be well looked after at the hospital and hopefully solutions may be
found for you so that you are able to enjoy a less stressful life.
Probably you are now in the hospital and don't be fretting if they admit you.
A stitch in time saves nine.
Get well soon
Hugs and prayers
Trysha
 
Who are these Patriots...what is it all about......why is it no one wants to talk at this time??
This is an interesting page tonight where subjects range broadly from popcorns to tombstones.....does one lead to the other...I ask myself...
Anyone had any good weather lately....any signs of springtime around the corner?
We had a scattering of snow to lighten up the landscape.
On the brighter side my leg is improving quite nicely in the daytime but still won't let me sleep night times...for these times I have a small battery operated radio...only needs one battery ...lasts forever.
All the fuss about morphine addicts...the Rx morphine I have does not work very well at killing the pain...if I was still working I would be checking that it does contain the stated dose of morphine..very suspicious....might as well take nothing.
I will certainly never be an addict...just does not fizz on me at all.
Now for something totally different.....the dark sky has some clouds floating by.....think we are in for another snow storm...
Turn the lights off and go to sleep and perhaps awake to a beautiful winter scene at dawn
and mellow music to soothe the aching soul...
 
Hey everyone, just a quick update from me before I have to rush to the hospital D:

The GP did an ECG on me, results came back normal (as expected), but I did get an emergency referral to the hospital.

I just called the hospital, and tried to make an appointment to see an available cardiologist today. The hospital staff was really nice, and tried to slot me in to see this female paediatric cardiologist during her lunch hour. Even though I've got no idea who this lady is, but I think it was real kind of her to take up this emergency case nonetheless.

I'm not sure if I'll be warded, but I guess I'll find out when I get there :/

Thanks everyone for your support and encouragement! :D
 
CYY said:
Hey everyone, just a quick update from me before I have to rush to the hospital D:

The GP did an ECG on me, results came back normal (as expected), but I did get an emergency referral to the hospital.

I just called the hospital, and tried to make an appointment to see an available cardiologist today. The hospital staff was really nice, and tried to slot me in to see this female paediatric cardiologist during her lunch hour. Even though I've got no idea who this lady is, but I think it was real kind of her to take up this emergency case nonetheless.

I'm not sure if I'll be warded, but I guess I'll find out when I get there :/

Thanks everyone for your support and encouragement! :D
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Hope the best for you.
 
An interesting array of topics, I agree. Good that there is improvement Trysha.

CYY take care go day by day.

I have a busy day on Thursday and a week of work away the following week as I also come off Humira. I'm packing well for IBD emergencies.

Wouldn't it be nice to go to sleep and wake up refreshed instead of exhausted?
 
Aura said:
An interesting array of topics, I agree. Good that there is improvement Trysha.

CYY take care go day by day.

I have a busy day on Thursday and a week of work away the following week as I also come off Humira. I'm packing well for IBD emergencies.

Wouldn't it be nice to go to sleep and wake up refreshed instead of exhausted?
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Amen. I talked to my doctor's office to see if there was an alternative to azathioprine. I am on a low dose of it and because of my past history of having reactions to medicines they don't want to switch me.
 
CYY, I hope they figure out what caused your tachycardia today, and that it is an easy fix. Have they ever checked to see if you have a PFO or ASD (basically, a hole in the heart that is supposed to close off naturally after birth, but hasn't .) A PFO (a patent foramen ovale) differs from ASD (atrial septal defect) basically just from where it is located. A lot more people have them than realize, and can go a lifetime with no complications. However, they can cause problems with the electrical signals of the heart, like tachycardia. I had an ASD repaired with a patch thru a simple catheterization process (not considered surgery) but ended up with more problems with the electrical aspect after (which is very rare, so don't worry about that.) The PFOs are much more common, and also less concerning. Also, not all need closure, depending on the size and amount of shunting of blood from one chamber of the heart to the other. The test for it is a simple echocardiogram, but has to be "with bubbles" (a small amount of air injected into the veins at a timed part of the test, not dangerous) to see the movement between the chambers. At any rate, if they don't feel that is warranted, I always found the propranolol, like you took, helpful. I take it you have a PRN (as needed) prescription in addition to a daily dose? (I don't take propranolol any more as they had to change my meds for other heart issues.) At any rate, I hope you are feeling better. Being tachycardic takes the wind out of your sails, doesn't it?
And Cat, I'm afraid of fires too actually, though cremation doesn't scare me (because I wouldn't be there), but it is discouraged by my religion so won't happen. And I probably really will have on my tombstone "I told you I was sick," as I've talked about before.
Trysha, to answer one or two of your questions, the Patriots is one of the teams that played in the superbowl Sunday, and they managed to pull off a miraculous win. As to another question, yes it has been warming up significantly here, and I feel like I can taste spring in the air.
Collage%202017-02-07%2000_04_35-1_zps5inl4j4m.jpg
 
😃 love the pic Sandy..

Hope everyone has a great day and feels good.
Off to get my bloods done soon before work.
Sending you all best wishes love n hugs :ghug: 💕💝
 
Sandy what is the super bowl and where do these Patriots hail from...
Kirsty..hope you are feeling a bit better soon,and that you are able to get some quality sleep
Ron hope they can find optimal Meds for you
Mandy..all the best with your labwork.hope everyone else is feeling good
 
Get well soon CYY....thinking of you and hoping your night is good.
Hugs and best wishes
Trysha
 
Alright, so I'm back home. It was quite an unsatisfactory visit however. The cardiologist didn't manage to find anything unusual, so the whole time we were just theorising the cause of the tachycardia and some treatment options. (She also commented that I had "a lot on my plate right now" XD)

I did another ECG at the hospital today, but the only thing that came out was sinus rhythm, which was normal. No other tests were done, but I remembered that the last time I did an echocardiogram, the nurse who did it commented that I had some slight right atrial enlargement, but my previous cardiologist didn't think it was of major concern. I think the issue was forgotten when I switched to this male cardiologist recently.

The lady cardiologist who attended to me during her lunch break today suspected that I might have an alternate electrical pathway in my heart that is less frequently used, which bypasses some parts of my heart. During an episode, she theorised, the electrical impulses follow this alternative pathway and overstimulates my heart, causing the tachycardia. As to what causes this change of pathway taken by the electrical impulses, she has absolutely no idea.

Detecting this alternative pathway is possible, but it would mean that I need to undergo surgery. It would take approximately 2 days to find this alternative pathway and destroy it, and a week of recovery from the surgery. With every surgery comes risk, and she didn't think it would be good for me if I underwent surgery at such a young age.

The alternative to surgery is medication. She increased my dosage by two times, so now I'm taking 50mg of Atenolol. I wonder how my current cardiologist would react to that, since the reason why he didn't increase my dosage to 50mg was because he feared that my blood pressure would drop too low.

The lady cardiologist also spoke of trying out different classes of beta-blockers after I finish university, which is also the time whereby she would recommend me to go for surgery. But that needs to be discussed with my current cardiologist first, and since it'll be at least 5 years before I graduate from university, that could wait.

SandyUte said:
CYY, I hope they figure out what caused your tachycardia today, and that it is an easy fix. Have they ever checked to see if you have a PFO or ASD (basically, a hole in the heart that is supposed to close off naturally after birth, but hasn't .) A PFO (a patent foramen ovale) differs from ASD (atrial septal defect) basically just from where it is located. A lot more people have them than realize, and can go a lifetime with no complications. However, they can cause problems with the electrical signals of the heart, like tachycardia. I had an ASD repaired with a patch thru a simple catheterization process (not considered surgery) but ended up with more problems with the electrical aspect after (which is very rare, so don't worry about that.) The PFOs are much more common, and also less concerning. Also, not all need closure, depending on the size and amount of shunting of blood from one chamber of the heart to the other. The test for it is a simple echocardiogram, but has to be "with bubbles" (a small amount of air injected into the veins at a timed part of the test, not dangerous) to see the movement between the chambers. At any rate, if they don't feel that is warranted, I always found the propranolol, like you took, helpful. I take it you have a PRN (as needed) prescription in addition to a daily dose? (I don't take propranolol any more as they had to change my meds for other heart issues.) At any rate, I hope you are feeling better. Being tachycardic takes the wind out of your sails, doesn't it?
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Hey Sandy, thanks for the concern and all the helpful information! I'll be sure to suggest that to my current cardiologist when I go for my next appointment again! :)

I didn't have any PRN prescriptions for my SVT, but I have now. It's still Atenolol, and the instructions were that I should "feel free to increase the dosage whenever I feel like it". I hope I don't reach the point where I feel so depressed about living with Crohn's that I pop something like 10 pills of Atenolol to kill myself XD

Jokes aside, I do have a PRN prescription for the abdominal pains due to Crohn's, however. It's called Debridat, and I take 100mg each time. I'm on Ventolin for my chronic asthma and it's PRN too.
 
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Trysha said:
Sandy what is the super bowl and where do these Patriots hail from...
Kirsty..hope you are feeling a bit better soon,and that you are able to get some quality sleep
Ron hope they can find optimal Meds for you
Mandy..all the best with your labwork.hope everyone else is feeling good
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The Superbowl is the granddaddy of all (American) football games, the championship game of the American football league. The New England Patriots, this year's champs, are based out of Boston. Tho not an official holiday (it's always on Sunday anyway), the US is steeped in tradition of super bowl parties while watching the game. For those who participate, it usually it involves things like chili, chips (crisps) and dips, chicken wings, sandwiches, beer (for those that drink) and a lot of other junk food. Like Christmas brings up visions of Santa Claus for many, the super bowl brings up visions of guys in their "man caves" on recliners having a good time.Women are getting more into it too, and I have to admit I like watching it. Oh, speaking of watching it, some people are into watching the ads during the game as well, sometimes, believe it or not, as much as the game. It's turned into a huge competition by advertisers as well. The ad times during the game have some of the most expensive air time ever, and they really go all out to produce the wittiest, funniest or most provokitive ads ever.
I see you're not sleeping either, (like Kirsty doesn't and like you mentioned) Trysha. I hope you can get your pain under control. Hugs.
 
Wow, CYY, you do have a lot on your plate. In recent reading about it, some people just have spontaneous SVT for no rhyme or reason. Others can predict it by time of day or what they are doing. I'm glad that you don't have to undergo surgery at this point too. Before my PH diagnosis, I was told that SVTs were a rather benign condition, but read that's true unless it happens often. There are so many meds out there for heart rhythm right now tho, I too would opt for that over surgery. Hang in there, friend! Hope your BP stays up there for you.
 
I'm not jumping on the bandwagon here because I know I have a strong heart,but.....
Every once in a while, for no reason,whether I'm sitting down or lying down,I get a pounding in my head and teeth and my face flushes.My B.P. is OK . It lasts a few minutes. I mentioned it to my doctor a while ago and he just shrugged and said maybe I forget to breath.I'm not really worried as it's been going on for a few years.I just wondered if anyone had any thoughts ?
 
Carol, that sounds frightening! I don't know what that would be, I don't know much about heart issues. I get palpitations sometimes, I seem to get them mostly when I'm flaring, so I just figure it's a flare thing (maybe related to dehydration/electrolyte imbalance?).

CYY, how frustrating that they weren't able to help you more. I do hope the higher dosage of your medication helps. You are so sweet, not wanting to accumulate more doctor bills for your parents to pay. I know that feeling, when you're torn between needing to go to the ER/doctor but not wanting a (yet another) doctor bill. I'm not sure how things work there, do you have insurance that pays for part of your doctor bills?

How's everybody doing today? I'm bleh. Had yet another pred taper fail so I'm recovering from that. I hate nausea so much! I can deal with cramps, pain, bathroom trips. But I seriously hate nausea. I also hate pred. Before I had started LDN, I could not get below 10 mg of pred (I tried at least 3 times and got flare symptoms every time). Then I started taking LDN, and tried tapering again. On LDN, I was able to taper from 10 mg down to 9, 8, 7, 6 mg without any issues at all. But now I can't seem to get below 6 mg without getting symptoms! When I try 5 mg, I feel awful. Ugh, I'm so close to being off of pred, it's so frustrating that I can't quite seem to get to where I need to be.
 
CYY it's good to hear you are now home.
It could be a good thing that you do not have surgery at this time...the longer it can be delayed the better. I think the cardiologist you saw in emergency has probably made the right decision for now...and of course no decisions are written in stone.
If things get bad for you then it will all be reviewed and the best course of treatment decided.
If your condition corrects itself right now I think I would lie low like Brer Rabbit and see how things go with the prescribed Meds.
Also you will want to see how your regular cardiologist feels.
I am so sad for you at such a tender age having to endure a complex set of diagnosis.
Carol has your thyroid function been evaluated...that can cause symptoms such as you describe....could also be other hormones fluctuating...
Cat...have you tried ginger for the nausea...I find it works quite well for my frequent bouts.
Sandy thank you for such a clear explanation about Patriots and how it is a fun time for everyone...I never knew any of that before.
Madhu..good to see you...
Winning........
 
Carol, where in your head is the pounding located? Is it throbbing or sharp?
I agree with Trysha, I also just wondered re migraine?

With the endocrine system there is many things that may trigger that sort of response. Hormones, the adrenaline family, many other big words that I can't spell like tryptophan.
Keep a record, date time what it felt like and what you were doing before it happened and what you've eaten. Then you can go back to doc with specific recorded events and frequency
 
Cat, I just got put on a 6 week course of pred. 20mg for 2 weeks, 10 mg for 2 weeks, and 5 mg for 2 weeks. My GI is concerned about another flare hitting when I am off Humira and on the Loading doses for Entyvio. The pred is causing a problem with my diabetes, so today my GP put me on 18 units of insulin per day, with instructions on how to adjust the insulin dosage in line with my blood sugar readings. Hopefully after the pred is done I will be able to drop the insulin as well.
 
Carol, I also agree that one possibility is thyroid problems. Or perhaps hormonal issues? (I'm sure you know some hormones also affect the thyroid.) You say you are feeling it in the teeth, could this be because are you clenching your jaw when you feel the headache pain?
I get what I call thumper headaches, very intense pounding (like feeling my heart beat, or I should say pound, like a jackhammer, in my head), always in the front, that lasts only a couple seconds. If it lasted longer than that I don't think I would be able to stand it, literally I think I would go unconscious or insane just from the pain. Silly me, I have never asked a doctor about it. I always have too many other things to ask. But come to think of it, this hasn't happened for a while. Knock on wood.
 
Just when I was just about to post the above, I got a call for my sister in Indiana. Apparently my mother has had a mini-stroke, but thankfully symptoms have resolved. She is being kept in the hospital overnight for observation. :(
 
Mornin' everyone! It was nice waking up to messages of concern and encouragement today. A big thanks to all of you for that :ghug:

All the best for your medications Doug, and may you get well soon! I hope your mum gets better soon too Sandy! All the best with LDN, Cat! :)

And for the rest, I hope you all have a wonderfully pain-free day! ^^

Cat-a-Tonic said:
CYY, how frustrating that they weren't able to help you more. I do hope the higher dosage of your medication helps. You are so sweet, not wanting to accumulate more doctor bills for your parents to pay. I know that feeling, when you're torn between needing to go to the ER/doctor but not wanting a (yet another) doctor bill. I'm not sure how things work there, do you have insurance that pays for part of your doctor bills?
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I do receive a 50% subsidy from the government as I'm still a student, and insurance does cover up to 40% (key word: up to) of the medical costs, but it's the claiming process that seems to take forever. Bills take so long to be processed by the insurance company that my parents are better off paying the remaining 50% on their own. And therein lies the big problem.

I live in a neighbourhood that cannot be considered old, but it's definitely not new either. The block of flats that I'm living in has been around for close to 3 decades, and it's inevitable that things are starting to fall apart. My mum wants to sell our current flat and buy a newer one, but she has just received a large pay cut of around 40% from her evil boss and is trying desperately to save up enough money for a deposit on the flat. The rest we'll have to get a loan from the bank and pay off the debt month by month.

My dad has just been retrenched about 6 months ago due to the economic recession, but has since found employment with a start-up company. The problem with start-ups is that the employees do not get salaries, but only a few hundred dollars per months as part of their allowance.

My medical fees come close to a four digit sum every month, and that's after subsidy. It's not the consultations that cost us the most, but it's the blood tests, the colonoscopies, the Modulen, the x-rays, the echocardiograms that strips us of our cash. As we do not fall below the poverty line, we do not qualify to apply for further subsidies from the government. My dad has raged at me once before regarding my high medical fees, so my plan is to not cause more stress on my parents by wasting unnecessary money on going to the hospital whenever possible.

Oh, the woes of being a middle income family during an economic recession with rising healthcare costs... ●︿●
 
I think that is the income bracket that suffers the most, CYY. I'm so sorry you and your family have to deal with that.
Tomorrow is going to be an extraordinarily busy day for me between cardio therapy (hoping my knee behaves), a funeral (a neighbor and member of our church, lives about three doors down), who died from complications of a stroke, (I can't seem to get away from this stroke business. :(:(:() having one of my "girls" come help clean, etc. I may or may not be around tomorrow, so sending my best wishes and hugs to all of you in advance.
 
Hi Doug what insulin you on Humalog is the one I'm on it's fast acting.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone.I will begin to keep a record but it happens so infrequently and is over so quickly that I'm just relieved it's over.It's not migraine,I don't even have headaches worth mentioning,and I don't clench my teeth when it happens (they cost to much hahaha)It's just a pulsating pounding and it's so heavy it affects my teeth and jaws and I can feel my face flushing.Thanks again for your interest my friends.Back later.x
 
SandyUte said:
I think that is the income bracket that suffers the most, CYY. I'm so sorry you and your family have to deal with that.
Tomorrow is going to be an extraordinarily busy day for me between cardio therapy (hoping my knee behaves), a funeral (a neighbor and member of our church, lives about three doors down), who died from complications of a stroke, (I can't seem to get away from this stroke business. :(:(:() having one of my "girls" come help clean, etc. I may or may not be around tomorrow, so sending my best wishes and hugs to all of you in advance.
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Hope you dont wear yourself out hun. Iv a busy day to docs for b12 , pick up Jaxon,meet my friend n her grandson and have hair cut . Tired out just writing it 😃.
 
scottsma said:
Thanks for the advice everyone.I will begin to keep a record but it happens so infrequently and is over so quickly that I'm just relieved it's over.It's not migraine,I don't even have headaches worth mentioning,and I don't clench my teeth when it happens (they cost to much hahaha)It's just a pulsating pounding and it's so heavy it affects my teeth and jaws and I can feel my face flushing.Thanks again for your interest my friends.Back later.x
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Glad they dont happen often Carol...they sound a bit rough tho hun.:hug:
 
CYY, that all sounds very stressful, I'm sorry. I can relate, too. I live in a house that was built in the 1950s, so it's an older house and is always needing repairs or work of some kind. There's no way we could afford a newer house so we're just staying put, and if everything goes according to plan then the mortgage will be paid off in less than 10 years. I hope your family can find a good, affordable flat.

As for insurance, mine is fairly good. I have a deductible, so I have to pay that amount in full out of pocket first, and after that my insurance covers, as you said, "up to" 80% and I pay 20%, up to a certain amount. After that amount (my "out of pocket max") is met, then my insurance covers 100%. I was hospitalized last year, so I met my out of pocket max pretty quickly during that hospitalization (fun fact, the hospital billed my insurance over $27,000 for 5 days in the hospital! Yikes!). So after that, everything was at no cost to me for the rest of 2016. So I made sure to get tons of bloodwork done! I also got an IUD. And I had an MRE. All of that cost me $0.

But, things are looking somewhat grim this year. I get my health insurance through my job, and my job situation is iffy right now. There are shakeups at work and I don't know if I'll still have a job in a couple of months. If I lose my job, I'll lose my insurance, and then I don't know what I'll do. My husband isn't offered insurance though his job. So either he or I (or both of us) will have to find new jobs, quickly. I'm really scared about that. I'm trying not to think about it too much, because we were told that we won't know more about the job situation until after April 1st.

I wish we all could just win the lottery or something and not have to worry about money and insurance anymore. Ugh. It's so not fair having to deal with this stuff on top of having chronic illness. :(
 
CYY...it is quite appalling that you have to suffer in this way as well as putting up with this awful disease.
Governments always pick on the groups that are just above the poverty line and many suffer because of this.
It really needs controls put on the doctors salaries and big pharmacy pricing.We are covered in Canada with the health system but drug costs are not and they can be pretty steep...unnecessarily so since identical Meds in the U.K. And Europe cost far less..can you get private insurance coverage?
Perhaps if you write to your new President.
He may take up the cause and do something?.
Sandy remember to relax a bit with all that flying about.
Kirsty and Doug...have you heard that cinnamon can reduce high blood sugar.either in a capsule or a daily teaspoon of the powdered cinammon used in baking.
Cat you are right...no one should suffer illness twice ...elected representatives are not doing their jobs...most just want to concentrate on getting back into the lucrative offices .
 
Whew, what a day. PT was particularly hard, the funeral was as expected, and my little helper girl had to cancel because of a school activity so I have a few minutes to write. Because she didn't come, tho, my house is a mess and I really don't care, as I also have a headache. Housework will wait (until the mess makes my head hurt more and I just do it anyway). Mom still in hospital, apparently has had a bunch of small strokes as well as having a UTI she wasn't aware of, so now on IV antibiotics. Rant about med costs coming, but you are all spared for now.:ghug:
 
we are so lucky living in New Zealand that we follow the English health system. we only pay $5 per item at the chemist, my doctor is $50 per visit, but specialist and hospital visits are free, although there can be a long wait, and you get a long wait at the ER, I have found there is no wait for emergency stuff, (serious crohns stuff), I have a semi urgent appointment for my kidney and was told that will take 4 months to see someone.
 
Sandy you have me intrigued re capsule form of cinnamon which I take.
My sister in England takes it as the kitchen powder form and so far has no problems
Very achey ache tonight...appointment with GP tomorrow and cardiologist Friday....happy days..
 
Oh, whew. So as you guys know, there's been some instability at my work and big changes happening and possibly layoffs coming. I was out sick from work the past couple days so I was out of the loop. I am still not feeling great (pred taper fail = no fun), but I made myself go in to work today. And a co-worker told me that yesterday, our boss was in a meeting with our new head honcho, and after the meeting our boss made it sound like our department is safe, no layoffs in our dept. Phew! I know it's not official and things could change, but it's still a relief to know that I'm probably safe. Now I can worry about other things, like my pred taper. :p

Trysha, I presume what Sandy is talking about is the cinnamon challenge (I think that's what it was called anyway). It was a short-lived thing on the internet for awhile, similar to planking or the ice bucket challenge. It was mostly stupid teenagers, daring each other to eat a spoonful of cinnamon and record themselves doing it and put the video online. I didn't really watch any of those videos, but the gist of it is that it's horrible to eat a spoonful of cinnamon! I think there was crying and maybe puking involved. So yeah, take your cinnamon in capsule form!
 
Cat, I am glad there is some stress taken off of you. We have a neighbor who is bipolar who has been staying with us the last few days. She had to put her cat to sleep over the weekend. She has been keeping my wife up every night. She is not on any medication right now.
 
Cat-a-Tonic said:
Trysha, I presume what Sandy is talking about is the cinnamon challenge (I think that's what it was called anyway). It was a short-lived thing on the internet for awhile, similar to planking or the ice bucket challenge. It was mostly stupid teenagers, daring each other to eat a spoonful of cinnamon and record themselves doing it and put the video online. I didn't really watch any of those videos, but the gist of it is that it's horrible to eat a spoonful of cinnamon! I think there was crying and maybe puking involved. So yeah, take your cinnamon in capsule form!
Click to expand...

Yeah, that is where it comes from. There has been some cases of the kids involved ending up in ER's because of the cinnamon challenge. We saw this on TV a while ago. The cinnamon caused problems with them being able to breathe, if I remember right.

Cat - It must be a relief to hear your department is safe. One less big thing to worry about.
 
Cat..thank you for the info.sorry you are in such a state of flux with your job....
Doug..I am not surprised if they took the whole amount dry.it is meant to be scattered onto cereals or fruit dishes...not literally taken by the spoonful.
Anyway I think the capsule is a better way to go ..just more expensive although more accurate.
Tomorrow I will be having a slew of blood tests so I'll let you know if it works and if the A1C has come down. I am pre diabetic and I want to be no diabetes.
My sister was in the same situation and she is no longer pre diabetic...so it worked for her.
However...one swallow does not make a summer...
 
Doug, thanks, I couldn't remember specifically what the cinnamon did but I knew it was not something good. I always add cinnamon to banana bread but I'd never eat it by the spoonful! Even in banana bread, a little goes a long way.

Trysha, good luck with the bloodwork tomorrow! Hopefully you get good results.

Ron, that sounds like not a lot of fun. How long is she staying with you?
 
Ron, in that case, if it were me, I'd head over to the humane society right now and pick out a cat for her! Yikes!
 
Cat, my wife was asking if there was an ASAP in our town. Madhu, we are getting snow showers right now.
 
Okay, so I have been worried all afternoon and I just need to get this out there. My boss was going in for some fairly major surgery today (they're removing part of her liver because it's got masses growing on it). The surgery was supposed to start at 7:30 AM, and we were told it started on time. She was supposed to be out of surgery in about 5 hours, so should have been done around 12:30. It's now past 5 PM and supposedly she's still in surgery. We have heard no updates other than she's still in surgery. We should be worried, right? If a surgery takes double (and counting) the time it's supposed to take, that's very bad, right? I'm really trying not to worry, but I am worried. And I know the liver can bleed out very quickly and easily so that's a bit scary too. Anybody know anything about liver surgery (who can hopefully put my worries to rest)?

Edited to add: Even further complicating things, my boss has heart issues too. Being under anesthesia for this long cannot be good for her heart, right? So worried, ugh.

Another edit: As soon as I posted that, I got a text saying she's out of surgery and doing okay! Phew! What a relief that is. No explanation as to why the surgery took so long, but the important thing is that she's okay.
 
Hey Cat, ex m-i-law had gall bladder surgery, supposed to take 1-1\2 hrs, actually took 5-1\2 because so many tiny gall stones had to be removed from several places, but surgery itself went fine. Some times little things can really slow down surgery, but better to go slow than too rushed.
Re cinnamon, above was correct. If taken by spoon dries out mucus membranes, gets inhaled into lungs and causes respiratory distress, some aspirate into lungs. Especially dangerous for asthmatics.
Weather here has gone to extreme warm for this time of year, reached 66°, but too much moisture in ground and keep getting rain, flooding in areas all around here. (We are ok tho.) Just over border in northern Nevada a dam on reservoir failed, they are trying to save small town. A small dam on reservoir on other side of mountain from us is threatening to burst from being over full and can't empty fast enough. Just north of Idaho border, where two rivers merge it's overflowing their banks which closed major highway, some very close calls with being swept away in vehicles. Doug's grandparent's cattle ranch (run by cousins now) dirt roads are flooding and under water, so far structures ok.
Doug had his first entyvio infusion today, now snoozing in his chair. It seemed to go well tho. (Ok, now he is downright snoring😪, he he, sorry Doug, told on you. )
After infusion, we went to late lunch out (that was nice), then Allie had vet apt (we both went). She is not diabetic, all organs functioning well, but we are to monitor water intake for awhile because she keeps asking out to "do her duty" and has been drinking a little more. She exhibited some pain either from lower back or tummy (didn't add the cost of x-rays), but those are conditions we were aware of. Can't figure out her strange behavior, (still does it, whines and whines and jumps at my face seemingly trying to tell me something, behavior not like her) but she may have a form of "doggy dementia." She is getting her teeth cleaned next week, with estimate of $330-500 (yikes!) depending on if she has extractions. The appointment today was already over $200, they ran lot of tests and trimmed her nails. Pets are expensive.
My mom was released from the hospital today, without significant damage (slurs her words a little more), but able to go home with a preventative med for strokes. My sister does spend a few hours a day with her. (Thank you Judy!!!)


Hope you're appointments go well, Trysha. And Ron, if you can, yes, get your boarder a cat! And if you can, talk her into taking meds again. Being bipolar is one of the hardest mental illnesses to deal with (hard on everyone else), because hard to convince them they need meds. I really feel for you and your wife.


And please stay safe in the snowstorm you east coast people. How are the New Zealanders? And everyone else?
You ok Carol???
:ghug:
 
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