This Year is Our Year for Success!
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Here's the prep from our doc's website. He always uses option #2 on us (we're early morning appointments always).
Go down to colonoscopy prep and click on the Miralax (second) option.
https://gastrohealth.com/forms/maryland
There are 3 options on that form. Our guy always uses option #2.0 -
Just reading those instructions made my stomach hurt, lol! I’m glad my doc agreed with my plan to do Cologuard first and only proceed to a colonoscopy if it showed cause for concern. Thankfully, mine was all clear.0
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I guess I'm sort of weird but I've never been particularly bothered by the prep. No clue why not!0
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one thing to be careful of, after cologuard, will your insurance cover the cost of a colonoscopy? I saw a story on CBS? where they didn’t want to cover the second procedure. The network consumer advocate helped the person get the decision reversed. Otherwise, they would have been on the hook for thousands of dollars.Just reading those instructions made my stomach hurt, lol! I’m glad my doc agreed with my plan to do Cologuard first and only proceed to a colonoscopy if it showed cause for concern. Thankfully, mine was all clear.
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My post-surgery follow up went well. The bulky dressing was removed and later in the day I saw my occupational therapist, who made a custom brace for my arm. I’m encouraged to move my fingers and elbow, but have to keep my wrist straight, so the brace is designed to facilitate that. I still have a lot of stitches, so I have to dry dress them daily. The stitches will come out next Thursday. The surgeon seems pleased with his handiwork, but it will be several months before we can tell if it was successful in returning feeling and function to my ring and pinky fingers. In the meantime, I’m at least finding it much easier to do basic grooming and dressing myself without help. I’ll have another big scar on the inside of my wrist to go with the big one that starts 4” below my shoulder and runs down the outside of my arm to about 1” above my wrist.
My sister is visiting for a few days, so she will be able to help me with some things DH isn’t very good at, like my hair. Having raised 3 daughters, she’s an expert at dealing with long hair!0 -
Pam- I'm glad everything's going well so far and that you'll have some help.
I've been so busy with CROM issues I didn't even get out the Halloween decorations this year. Just nose to the grindstone, checking off things on the "to do" list! Such fun. NOT!0 -
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Michelle - from the NS board - has been diagnosed with cancer:
Results of my PET scan this morning show that the cancer has spread throughout my lymphatic system. Lymph nodes are involved in my neck groin and armpit. Along with the ones we already knew about surrounding my spleen and probably the spleen itself.
This isn't surprising as the lymphatic system communicates with each other and I already suspected about the ones in my neck because I could feel them.
The good news is I'm told this is very treatable and remission is likely in most cases. Next is a biopsy to remove one of the nodes in my armpit and biopsy. Then I'll start chemo. And then the cancer in me will start to die!0 -
I’m so sorry she’s going through this, but what a great attitude!
I saw my retina specialist today and he declared me his most boring patient of the day, lol! It was just a routine checkup, so in this case, boring was very good. Tomorrow I have my second post-surgery follow up with the hand surgeon. He will be removing the stitches and I will finally be able to shower and get my hand and arm wet. I’m really looking forward to that shower! I also have an OT appointment that afternoon and will hopefully be able to start some rehab exercises.
Our nephew from Colorado is visiting for a few days. It’s a work trip for him so we haven’t seen much of him yet, but after tonight I think he will be done with his work responsibilities. He’s staying until Saturday morning so we will get to spend time with him before he heads home.
On our way home from my doctor’s appointment today we voted. Very quick as the line wasn’t long at all and moved very quickly. I know my votes won’t result in my choices getting elected, but at least I tried. DH voted against all of my picks, so we cancelled out each other's votes.0 -
Pam - good news about the retina AND the arm!
We have really easy early voting here so we did that a couple weeks ago. They even included "I voted" stickers in the packets which I thought was cute. DH and I try hard not to cancel each other out and usually we don't. We both grew up in Democratic households in the same red county in PA and are thrilled to be living now in "deep blue" Maryland. You couldn't pay me to move out of Maryland now. I fear for the country overall as we seem to slide away from democracy toward authoritarianism. I admit I don't get it. I mean really - who in their right mind could believe some of the crap that's being spewed (Qanon? Really?)0 -
I just got back from taking our cat Jack for his weekly acupuncture treatment. He also got his first dose of the new drug Solensia (for arthritis in cats). I'm hoping between the two he gets some relief from the arthritis pain. (Now if I could just take some painkillers.)0
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We early voted yesterday. There was no line and I’m glad we didn’t wait until Tuesday. I’m registered as Unenrolled which is the MA name for Independent. Some group registered that name years ago so that’s why we’re called unenrolled. MA is a very liberal Blue state which falls in line with most of my beliefs. I did vote for Charlie Baker (Republican Gov) two terms and I’m sorry he didn’t choose to run again. Other than that, I’m pretty much a believer in the Democrats platform.
Pam, Glad to hear your check ups went so well. I hope the OT goes just as well.
That’s awful news about Michelle. Even though it’s treatable, the chemo will be no picnic. I hope she has good results and goes into remission.0 -
My 2 week checkup with my hand surgeon went well. He removed all of the sutures and now my incisions are covered with about 100 Steristrips that I’m supposed to wear until they fall off on their own. In the meantime I’m supposed to keep them dry and covered with gauze and wrapped in an elastic bandage since I’m allergic to tape and can’t simply tape the gauze down. I put a glove on my hand and wrapped my arm in Glad PressnSeal and enjoyed a shower this morning. I was able to wash and dry my hair and even used a curling iron on it without any help. That felt really good! I hadn’t had a shower since the night before my surgery. I used a lot of wipes and damp washcloths in the meantime, but nothing beats a shower for feeling really clean.
I’m doing OT twice a week but mainly focused on range of motion exercises for now. I’m not supposed to bend or flex my wrist much or carry any weight with my right hand, so that limits what they can do for me at this point. The surgeon seems pleased but for now it’s a waiting game to see if or how much improvement there will be.
We have scheduled our new appliances to be installed Monday morning. I’m excited to get everything in and start learning how they work!1 -
Pam - enjoy the new appliances!!!0
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I stopped myself from checking election results in the middle of the night. Did that the first time Trump won and wasn't sure I'd ever sleep again.
At least my adopted state went as everyone expected - we have our first black governor and legalized marijuana (lol!)
And my home state sent stupid Dr. Oz back home.
I can't even picture the human who would vote for Herschel Walker so I don't try. I'll just cross my fingers.
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The elections in Texas did not go as I had hoped, but did go as I expected. I don’t know how much farther right the Republican leadership (and I use that word loosely) can push the state, but I know they will try. Makes me think moving to Colorado wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. If only I liked cold weather and didn’t get altitude sickness.
My OT appointments have been cut back to once a week until the doctor clears me for more activities. I appreciate that the therapists aren’t trying to keep their schedules filled with appointments that aren’t really productive for me. I see the doc again on the 22nd, so things may change after that visit.
The new appliances are in and we are pleased, with 1 exception. The new microwave was DOA after it was installed. A new one will be delivered and installed on Friday. Hopefully it will show signs of life when it’s turned on. It’s a combo microwave, air fryer, convection oven, and roaster. What could go wrong, lol?0 -
The new appliances are in and we are pleased, with 1 exception. The new microwave was DOA after it was installed. A new one will be delivered and installed on Friday. Hopefully it will show signs of life when it’s turned on. It’s a combo microwave, air fryer, convection oven, and roaster. What could go wrong, lol?
Oh, my really??? That's one heck of a machine.0 -
Sounds like it could almost cook all by itself. We still don’t have power in FL. It’s been 6 weeks already. Our meter was submerged and failed inspection. It’s providing difficult to get an electrician out to the house to replace the parts needed before the power company will replace the meter and hook us up. Our AC units are on a platform about 4 feet off the ground. They were probably submerged but we won’t know if we have to replace them until we have power so we can test them. It cost us $6000 to have a company clear all the vegetative debris and haul it to the curb. The city will pick it up from the curb. That kind of damage isn’t covered by insurance. We have a virtual meeting of the HOA Monday. The pool and tennis court will cost at least $50,000 to repair. We’ll need a vote for a special assessment to split the costs.0
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Sounds like it could almost cook all by itself. We still don’t have power in FL. It’s been 6 weeks already. Our meter was submerged and failed inspection. It’s providing difficult to get an electrician out to the house to replace the parts needed before the power company will replace the meter and hook us up. Our AC units are on a platform about 4 feet off the ground. They were probably submerged but we won’t know if we have to replace them until we have power so we can test them. It cost us $6000 to have a company clear all the vegetative debris and haul it to the curb. The city will pick it up from the curb. That kind of damage isn’t covered by insurance. We have a virtual meeting of the HOA Monday. The pool and tennis court will cost at least $50,000 to repair. We’ll need a vote for a special assessment to split the costs.
WOW! I'm so very, very sorry about all that!0 -
I'm trying to picture what someone in Georgia is like - Herschel Walker and Marjorie Taylor Greene. It's like a really bad, really cheap sitcom.0
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This week turned into one long series of trips back and forth from the vet, including the Pet ER. I don't know how many times I drove from here to Northwest Baltimore. I'm beyond exhausted.
The Pet ER put a Freestyle Libre on our Tuffy (his blood glucose was very low normal) but neither of our phones is compatible with the program! So I've ordered a reader and hope we can get that to work.
We set up the cat show yesterday. I actually feel better today than I usually do the day after an afternoon standing on concrete floors. We were short a volunteer so someone new filled in. She did her best but it's never as efficient.
Fed the colonies this morning and now it's paperwork day.
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Helene, I’m so sorry! Cleanup and repairs after such a catastrophic storm are so challenging and expensive, and trying to manage it long distance makes it that much more challenging. DH’s aunt and uncle had their home severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, and it took them a full year to get all of the repairs made and for the house to be livable again. They lived on-site in their RV camper the whole time but were frustrated by the materials shortages as well as labor shortages. I’m sure it’s even worse now.0
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We couldn’t get enough homeowners to make a virtual meeting. Our president is working with another neighbor to see what can be accomplished within the current funds. The second neighbor is the owner of the local marina. He has a crew of workers and he’s having a few of the work on some of the vegetation cleanup for a more reasonable cost than quotes we gotten from landscape companies. One company quote was $25,000 just for debris cleanup. The marina owner’s guys won’t do all the cleanup but can whittle away some of the job. We’re trying to get it done while the city is still hauling the piles away for free. The city will submit a bill to FEMA. He also thinks he can better quote on cleaning the pool and replacing the pool pump. He has contacts who he thinks can give us a better price. Every little bit helps. The president hopes to reschedule a meeting when more owners are available to vote on where we go from here.0
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We couldn’t get enough homeowners to make a virtual meeting. Our president is working with another neighbor to see what can be accomplished within the current funds. The second neighbor is the owner of the local marina. He has a crew of workers and he’s having a few of the work on some of the vegetation cleanup for a more reasonable cost than quotes we gotten from landscape companies. One company quote was $25,000 just for debris cleanup. The marina owner’s guys won’t do all the cleanup but can whittle away some of the job. We’re trying to get it done while the city is still hauling the piles away for free. The city will submit a bill to FEMA. He also thinks he can better quote on cleaning the pool and replacing the pool pump. He has contacts who he thinks can give us a better price. Every little bit helps. The president hopes to reschedule a meeting when more owners are available to vote on where we go from here.
Well, drat on not getting a quorum! But sounds like you got some potentially useful information.0 -
The cat show was busy! I haven't counted the cash box yet.
Drove Lindy to the vet today for a dental tomorrow. On the way home went to the grocery store and 2 banks.
Freestyle Libra 2 saga just goes on and on:
Wednesday night: ER applied it and synced to their readings
Thursday afternoon: I brought him home and we discovered that neither of our phones is compatible with the device
Friday morning we ordered a reader and discovered it needs a prescription! Vet took care of that.
This morning I check the web site and see it's listed as "in process" and leave a message.
When I was at the vet I asked them some questions and they didn't have many suggestions. Asked them for a written prescription for a reader in case the one we ordered didn't come. Didn't look at it until 1/2 way home and swear it reads more like a prescription for the device itself than a reader.
Got home to discover DH had the reader and had it working but it said the sensor had already been activated so forget it!
Called the ER who said I had to call Freestyle Libre and get them to reset the device.
Called Freestyle Libre who asked me a million questions only to tell me they couldn't help me because Tuffy's a pet and the device isn't approved for pets.
Faxed the prescription I had to the pharmacy so we'll at least have the option of trying to put a new sensor on Tuffy.
So 5 of the device's 14 day life are gone!
And I am beyond exhausted!0 -
My goodness, Maryanne! That’s a lot of activity — no wonder you’re exhausted. I hope at least some of the issues are improving by now.
Not much new to report here. I’m still wearing most of the Steristrips on my incisions two weeks after they were applied. Many doctors allow their patients to get them wet when showering, but mine is extremely conservative about this. I’m still required to wrap my arm in plastic for showering and keep everything dry until the strips fall off. I’m also supposed to keep my arm wrapped at all times to keep the incision covered, which I believe is the reason they haven’t fallen off yet. I did lose about 5 this morning, so perhaps they are finally going to let go soon. I go back to the doctor next Tuesday.
Today we are going to a Thanksgiving luncheon at MIL’s assisted living center. Since we are going to my sister’s home next week for the holiday, this will allow us to have a holiday meal with her. I hate for her to be alone on the holiday, but I don’t want to give up having time with my family either. DH agrees and is ok with it. We will be here for Christmas so it won’t be an issue for that holiday. DH’s sister plans to visit between Christmas and New Year’s, so she will have family here then.0 -
Considering the number of people who live and work in the assisted living facility, MIL won’t really be alone. Do you think she’s made any friends yet? You and DH deserve a nice holiday with your family so go enjoy yourself.
Maryanne, that interesting that the vet has you using Freestyle Libre on Tuffy. Call Abbot Labs and ask them to replace your sensor. Don’t mention that Tuffy is a cat, just in case. Just tell them your phones were not compatible so the sensor was spoiled. A relative uses Freestyle Libra and had a problem with a sensor that failed prematurely with most of the time still left but unusable. He called Abbot and they sent him a free replacement sensor. The sensors aren’t cheap so he appreciated them replacing the sensor. You have nothing to lose by making a phone call.0 -
Pam - Helene's right that your MIL won't be alone but still I understand how you feel. It's tough having two parents or sets of parents in very different locations. We had that the whole time we were growing up. (Good luck on your strips falling off. LOL!)
Helene - you're right it's worth a call but I think since I already called I'm already on record as dealing with a cat. I could try again.
Today I actually got some work done and then turned back to my list of chores and made some progress. Amazing what can be accomplished on the weekend!
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We had a very nice time in NY state with our friend. There were 10 of us for dinner. We didn’t really consult on the menu but everyone brought something different. We start our drive tomorrow stopping overnight in Delaware. We’ll be in Virginia Tuesday night and arrive at my brother’s house Wednesday afternoon. I hadn’t planned to do any driving Wednesday but it just worked out that way. We take I 95 to Lumberton and then get off and drive state roads the rest of the way. It’s more scenic and I’m hoping it’s less traffic than staying on the Interstate.0
