Have a Blessed Yuletide Season! blossom, my rescued puppymill survivior Blossom a 6 yer old Mlatese female says Yappy Howlidays!

Well, I've been busy. since I last posted I had neck surgery; after complaining for several years that it felt like my neck was broken a doctor FINALLY did a CAT scan and it was! I had 2 severely ruptured vertebrae and since the list of NSAIDS and steroids I can't take is growing surgery was my only option. What a relief, I had almost NO recovery time, the pain I had been living in was GONE! Next, my nasty gallbladder was removed, that pain is gone! Wonderful! I sitlll have chronic pain issues but not the acute pain from these 2 sources so it is better!

After a hiatus due to being very depressed because I was turned down for chemo I am back and feeling like my old self. I quit holding meetings due to non-interest but am considering trying anew. I fin it difficult to believe no one needs suppost, it sure would be helpful for me. Maybe I should advertise via radio and TV. There are free options for doing so.

Right before Yule my beloved companion, Primo, a rescued Maltese dog, got sick, and after rushing him to the hospital, I found out he ahd a massive infection in his teet. We ahd to pull 4, and he will lose all of them. My vet bill was $600 and it was a godsend they let me bill it, but on SSI it is difficult to budget. I'm doing it though a little at a time.

I have begun making glycerin and goatsmilk soaps, handcrafting using melt and pour bases. I have no room nor resources to afford all the supplies to handmake from scratch. I also make milk baths and lotion uisng a premade base. It is a fun hobby, very satisfying, and I will be going to two markets this year, my first. Man, am I nervous!

Yesterday I finally got to see my liver doc, and even though I failed my first round of chemo back in '05 it wasn't a complete failure. Pre-TX my viral cpm was >5mil after 10 weeks it had fallen dramatically to 200, then 2 months later was back up to >5mil. This clearly indicates that if I could have successfully undergone 48 weeks of TX tht it would have been wildly successful. So, in Feb '08 I will either begin tx with the latest protease/interferon/ribivirin study or try a 2nd time with just pegINF and ribivirin. I'm so stoked!

It's been a while since I posted...it's been rough physically for me for a long while. Sparailbned my ankle and Iv'e developed new excruciating pain symptoms. Imagine I'm a marionette, a puppet with strings attached to every movable part originating at the top of the head, now jerk hard and pull all the strings going to my left side. The pain radiates downward from the top of my head, with blazing "hot" spots on the left side of the as of my head, my neck and shulder joint, radiating down the underside of my left arm, wrapping around my shoulder blade going down my left side to my hip. My sprained ankle takes care of the rest. grrrrr

We held our 3rd meeting on the 16th and still no one has showed up. I've put so much work into this and it's a lttle disheartening that I can't seem to find 15 people out of the thousands that have HCV here to come to the meetings. I kow it takes time but I really feel I should have some members by now. I will hang there for a while longer and try to reroup when I feel better. My energy levesl are at their lowest right now and I know it will be better when my ankle heals.

It would help if I didn't have to fight my doctors for every scrap of medical care I need.

 

Well I haven't done good in daily postings. I never could keep a journal either for the same reason, it's hard for me to put my thoughts down on a daily basis.

Woke up in a little less pain than usual, the rain has cleared up momoentarily giving me a respite.

Went to my first Cancer Clinic visit in a year and half. I have polycythemia vera and I was shocked and dismayed that the head of the clinic told me he didn't want to give me the necessary treatment for my illness because I smoked. Last I checked this is still America and that's one civil right Bushe hasn't taken away yet: legally they MUST treat me. MY personal habits are my business and my disease has been proven not to be caused by smoking by tests and 5 years of not smoking when my condition got 3X worse. My hands swelled up so bad they looked like they would burst. I won the debate, because I was right, and he ordered a phlebotomy andthey took 2 pints of blood from me, but he didn't order an immediate follow-up to take labs and check my hematocrit to see if the phlebs worked. That is protocol and now I'm writing his boss to inform him of the gross negligence and arrogance this doctor displayed towards me. I am professioanl and calm myself the situation did not warrant his behavior towards me at all. I get along great with my other doctors, in fact they vociferiously appreciate my self education about my body. They get tired of dummies who come in and are not active participants in thier own helath care regimen. I am very much self involved, it's my body after all. I better know as much as I ca, I'm too sick not too. I want to get better. And I can, with proper medicalcare.

No one showed up for our first meeting. I kind of expected that although I did hope someone would. I just have not got the word out enough. I'm working on the doctors now, tht is my best bet since gastros handle HCV and have a lot of heppers for patients.

Today, I ahd to get up before 7 to get ready for my final dental appointment. 2 weeks ago the dentist pulled all of my upper teeth and then took a hammer and chisel and scalpel to the bone in my jaw. It didn't hurt then but 2 days later it was the worst pain I've ever felt. All to a good end: I've suffered years with abscessing teeth and had ended up with nothing to chew with so now I'm finally getting dentures! Yippee! I'll be able to eat veggies and slad and soon a steak, something I've not had in several years.

It's raining, like usual here, and that of course makes my pain flare up bad. I woke up not feeling so bad and took a nap when I got home so I'm doing OK. Usual aches and pains, nothing to write home about.

I'm excited about this group, am hoping someone will show up on June 21st, the first meeting, but realize I must get the word out better. Most of the owrk on this webpage is done just need feedback now to test it out.

Primo, my Maltese male dog, is feeling his oats today, playing so much. He makes me laugh when nothing else will.

Hi! I will always try to write something each day. My symptoms change daily so some days I'll be chipper and some I won't be.