Weatherd Silo was created by my beautiful sister Mandy Behrens to bring back the "old ways' of living to our current times. She is a gifted artist, dedicated to eco-friendly products that are beautiful and inspiring.
Here is a link to her etsy shop. Her handcrafted ornaments are unlike any others. They make wonderful gifts for this holiday season.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/weatheredsilo
Normally I don't promote businesses on my site, but these are georgous. More importantly, made by my sister. My sister is a rock for me. She is truly a beautiful person, inside and out.
Yesterday I was graced with the opportunity to see my niece perform in a school assembly honoring our Veterans. My niece sang like a lark, and it was just so fun to see all the lovely children singing and laughing.
My sister seemed so happy.
It made me wonder how my life would have been different if I could/would have had children. I think I would have been a loving patient mom, but also nervous as heck. I would probably be the true helicopter mom, never knowing when to let things be and run their course.
If some guy ever finds me attractive, compatable and interesting, maybe I'll get married. I would love to marry someone who already had small children. In case you hadn't read my whole story, I was told not to have children when I was 17 or 18.
My juvenile rheumatoid arthritis was so bad back then I couldn't even write, let alone carry a baby or raise a child. So I never planned on a family. That was a very depressing area of my life.
But now I can relish in the joy of my nieces and nephew for as long as God allows me to live.
I hope to send a post tomorrow about my visit with the Lance Armstrong survivor program today. I am a little overwhelmed because I'm stuck, don't know how to envision my life. When you don't know how long you have to live, your priorities line up well, but your resources may not.
So after probably confusing you, at the end of the day it was a great visit. We do have a plan of action and I think I can manage it. I'll fill you in on the next post.
God Bless and
Be Love
CDC Symptom Diary Card
Friday, November 12, 2010
Monday, November 08, 2010
My hands, something different to talk about
Today I went for an evaluation by an Occupational Hand Therapist, to evaluate the need for hand splints. The scheduler was kind enough to call my insurance company to verify that they pay part of the visit. I don't think they cover prosthetic/splints though.
Both wrists have worn away, have little range of motion, and limit my function. My right (dominant) hand and wrist are worse than the left, more pain, less range and more ulnar deviation. Ulnar deviation is where your fingers drift towards your pinky. When this deformity becomes permanent, it's almost impossible to do simple daily tasks, (like buttoning a shirt, hold a glass, cut food).
She measured me for splints to wear at night. I told her I was needing to keep the expense down, and she agreed to order pre-fabricated splints as opposed to custom made splints. We will start with just one splint for the right hand, and then progress to the left hand if all goes well on the right side. If I ordered them myself , they'd cost around $50. Let's see what the cost comes out to be once the facility tacks on their fees.
I mention this only because several years ago I was placed on home neck traction therapy due to slipped disc (car accident). It was ridiculous because I had to spend several thousand dollars in CT scans and MRI, and see a neurosurgeon for them to finally figure out the right treatment.
Good God, I was in so much pain, it made me cry just to wash my hair. So I did traction 5 times a day for a month. Since I needed a second traction machine, (so I could use it on breaks at work), I ordered the second one online for $29.99. The hospital charged me over $200 for the same thing! I was peeved at the difference in charge to me.
Anyway, it was worth it. After several months of home traction, my neck pain went away and has not returned. I saved them in case my neck pain ever returns.
Today I'll take a guess and say that the OT clinic/facility will charge me $300 for the splint. Let's hope I'm wrong, but I bet I'm not too far off. I almost asked her if I could order it myself, I wish I would have now. The OT was super nice and professional, which was a plus for me.
Well, I'm grateful for the opportunity to get an OT eval, so in the end it's all good.
God Bless and Be Love
Both wrists have worn away, have little range of motion, and limit my function. My right (dominant) hand and wrist are worse than the left, more pain, less range and more ulnar deviation. Ulnar deviation is where your fingers drift towards your pinky. When this deformity becomes permanent, it's almost impossible to do simple daily tasks, (like buttoning a shirt, hold a glass, cut food).
She measured me for splints to wear at night. I told her I was needing to keep the expense down, and she agreed to order pre-fabricated splints as opposed to custom made splints. We will start with just one splint for the right hand, and then progress to the left hand if all goes well on the right side. If I ordered them myself , they'd cost around $50. Let's see what the cost comes out to be once the facility tacks on their fees.
I mention this only because several years ago I was placed on home neck traction therapy due to slipped disc (car accident). It was ridiculous because I had to spend several thousand dollars in CT scans and MRI, and see a neurosurgeon for them to finally figure out the right treatment.
Good God, I was in so much pain, it made me cry just to wash my hair. So I did traction 5 times a day for a month. Since I needed a second traction machine, (so I could use it on breaks at work), I ordered the second one online for $29.99. The hospital charged me over $200 for the same thing! I was peeved at the difference in charge to me.
Anyway, it was worth it. After several months of home traction, my neck pain went away and has not returned. I saved them in case my neck pain ever returns.
Today I'll take a guess and say that the OT clinic/facility will charge me $300 for the splint. Let's hope I'm wrong, but I bet I'm not too far off. I almost asked her if I could order it myself, I wish I would have now. The OT was super nice and professional, which was a plus for me.
Well, I'm grateful for the opportunity to get an OT eval, so in the end it's all good.
God Bless and Be Love
Friday, November 05, 2010
My foreign bodies
It was nice today to speak with a surgical nurse about the "metal' in my body today. Either I didn't hear my surgeon correctly or the subject was glossed over during the surgical consult, way back when.
The nurse said that in a typical total abdominal hysterectomy with optimal debulking, plus my appendix removal, it would not be out of the norm to have "clips" and sutures that will forever take up residence in your abdominal cavity. She explained that although each patient is different, the basic surgery is the same for most women. She had not seen my dexa-scan, so she could not comment directly.
So to close the book on this issue, I am going to request an actual copy of the film and radiology report. Then contact the surgeon's office in California and ask them to explain the remaining clips, etc. It''s for my own piece of mind, plus I really want to know what is in my body.
Part of me ws hoping that this foreign material might be partly at cause for this ongoing upper abdominal pain. Then I could inquire about it's removal, but the nurse said that these clips and sutures rarely cause pain or discomfort.
Looking forward to Zenyatta's final race before her retirement. She runs Sat at 3:15 pm PDT. Wow, lot's of pressure for this beautiful horse. I love to watch her run because for 1-2 minutes I am only thinking of her. I totally and completely forget about "me" and my worries. Thank you God for Zenyatta!
Be Love and God Bless
The nurse said that in a typical total abdominal hysterectomy with optimal debulking, plus my appendix removal, it would not be out of the norm to have "clips" and sutures that will forever take up residence in your abdominal cavity. She explained that although each patient is different, the basic surgery is the same for most women. She had not seen my dexa-scan, so she could not comment directly.
So to close the book on this issue, I am going to request an actual copy of the film and radiology report. Then contact the surgeon's office in California and ask them to explain the remaining clips, etc. It''s for my own piece of mind, plus I really want to know what is in my body.
Part of me ws hoping that this foreign material might be partly at cause for this ongoing upper abdominal pain. Then I could inquire about it's removal, but the nurse said that these clips and sutures rarely cause pain or discomfort.
Looking forward to Zenyatta's final race before her retirement. She runs Sat at 3:15 pm PDT. Wow, lot's of pressure for this beautiful horse. I love to watch her run because for 1-2 minutes I am only thinking of her. I totally and completely forget about "me" and my worries. Thank you God for Zenyatta!
Be Love and God Bless
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