Thursday, February 14, 2013

The dead center of February

  I missed posting last night, the 13 th day of the month of love.  it was a long rough day on so many levels that I cannot begin to explain.  I was in bed by 10:30  (yes...me. Who tries really hard to make it to bed by 1 usually.)  I was worn out, emotionally exhausted,  and every muscle in my body hurt. 

  Today isn't much better. lol


  My dear sister-in-law went into surgery yesterday  morning at 8 AM. At 4 PM she still wasn't out.  When the dr finally came out at 4:40, he said they couldn't get all the tumor out.  They got as much as they could, and now they would start an aggressive course of chemo and radiation to tryu to kill the rest of it.  This will start in 2-3 weeks.  She will stay in the ICU for 4 days and then come home. My brother is coming apart over it all and won't talk to anyone. My niece is terribly upset and my nephew is scared, but at least he's able to communicate.  Her sister is coming in from Callifornia on Monday to be with her for 9 days or so.  I am very concerned about my brother...

  I had my first physical therapy yesterday, after the initial consult and evaluation with the head guy. It almost killed me. By the time I got home, I could barely walk and stand up. I hurt really bad. When I got up this morning, my back hurt so bad I had to put my back brace on and hobble around the house. Felt like I was about 102 years old.  I slept with a wrist splint on last night to help combat the numbness in my right hand that wakes me up every night over and over. That did help. So I'm afraid that means it is carpal tunnel;, and not a pinched nerve in my shoulder like I've thought.


  Today, they did the nerve conduction test on my low back and legs. If you've never had one of these, trust me when I tell you it is not fun. They hook you up to electrodes and shock you. And as uncomfortable as that is, it's nothing compared to what they did next.  They tested the muscles using EMG--electromyography. In a nutshell...

The health care provider will insert a very thin needle electrode through the skin into the muscle. The electrode on the needle picks up the electrical activity given off by your muscles. This activity is displayed on a special monitor called an oscilloscope, and may be heard through a speaker.


 It was a nightmare. Either I couldn't feel it at all in places, or I was nearly coming off the table. My hands were sweating and I was clammy...I won't know the results of it or what it means until later, when I meet with the doc again. And they only did my legs and lower back...I still have to have my arms done. 

  Happy Valentine's Day to me.

And the PT I did today, which included 12 minutes on the bicycle, almost tore me up again.  On the bright side, they gave me a tens unit and I have that at home now to use. I am falling apart, one piece at a time. lol

 I have to go back again tomorrow, but at least I will see the chiropractor and get my self adjusted.  Not sure what else is on the menu...besides more of this soul crushing physical therapy.

  Please forgive me if my love posts aren't all they're cracked up to be.  


  My husband got me a beautiful card and we are going out to dinner tomorrow (if I can walk).  I got HIM 4  one gallon pots of blueberry bushes and a big bag of organic sulpher.  Nothing says LOVE like a bag of organic sulpher.  lol

  I am going to have to pack it in and go to bed.  I feel like I've been rode hard and put away wet...need sleep so I can do it again tomorrow.


  Happy Valentine's  Day, everyone....  and sweet dreams.





Namaste.

8 comments:

Lo said...

Horrors.....and I thought I had a bad day! So sorry you are going through all this torture. I hope good will come of it and you will get some relief.
Love, Lo

Beth said...

I am so sorry to read about your SIL Annie and for the pain you went through with the nerve testing.

HUGS!!

DJan said...

I too hope that something good will come from this awful treatment. And I am so so sorry to hear about your SIL. I wish you, the queen of love, could have had a much better Valentine's Day.

Mary LA said...

Your SIL and brother are in my prayers Annie and I'm so sorry to hear what you are going through.

Love and a big cyber-hug, dear one.

Mariodacatsmom said...

So sorry you SIL is having such a tough time. My thoughts and prayers will be with them and you for all you are going through right now. HUGS

Mama Pea said...

Oh, Annie, you are really going through such a rough spell right now. To have all this to deal with at once is almost too much. It's just a darn good thing you are so strong. Getting as much rest and sleep as you can is most likely the best idea.

No apologies necessary for not keeping up with your "love" posts. Hearing what is going on in your life is okay right now.

Dirt Lover said...

Holy Cow! What a nightmare. With a brain tumor, at least in my experience, they won't try to get it all out, since to get clean margins they need to take out healthy tissue, which means part of the brain. There is, however, Gamma Knife radiation, which can work REALLY well. I hope this is at least a possibility for your SIL. My hubby had that on both of his tumors about 2 months after his surgery, and those tumors never came back. Oh, I will be praying for you and your whole family. Stuff like this really stops you in your tracks.
~~Lori

Anonymous said...

Oh, kiddo. I'm so sorry. I am thinking of you and pray for the recovery of your dear sister-in-law. You are loved, sweet lady.