Update on Medical Morning

 Back home from the podiatrist. He is pleased with the progress thanks to the cream he has me using. He spent about a half an hour working on both of my feet. Wants me back in three months. 

Rough Afternoon and Evening

 First and foremost, Scott is relatively okay.

He started feeling very strange late this afternoon. I checked his BP and it was very high. He started getting nauseated.  He seemed somewhat out of it. So, I started worrying big time and called 911, Paramedics came, assed, and they thought he was okay and could stay here. Having gone through what we did before with the seizure a year ago, I pushed hard and they took him to a local hospital. A different one from last summer. 

CT has been run as has blood work. His body chemistry is way off, but we caught things in time and prevented a seizure. He has been admitted for the night so they can start working him slowly back to where he should be body chemistry wise. They are also running kidney function tests to make sure everything is okay that way.

I am home, exhausted, and very stressed. Also very glad that things are not way worse. 

Medical News: Biopsies

I got the good news late last week and forgot to mention it here. More than twenty biopsy samples were taken during the scoping back about a week and a half ago. They all came back as no sign of cancer.

They all came back showing signs of inflammation, as expected. Which I cam fine with and will deal as being cancer free was the issue. Still stunned that for, that at least, I am cancer free and not a dead man walking. 

Post Scoping

Been home resting for about two hours now. I have some gastric pain, but, overall I am doing pretty good.  

In stunning and awesome news, Doc says he sees no sign of any cancer or anything headed that way. 

I do have a massive amount of inflammation from stem to stern. I have some diverticulitis and a bunch of some sort of ulcers in my esophageal tract. Over twenty biopsy samples were taken from these various sites. Those samples are on the way to pathology for  testing. They might come back cancerous, but the doc has been doing this for quite a few years now and feels very positive that they will not be an issue. 

So, it seems I got the best possible news today all things considered. 

Medical Update

Earlier today, I saw my cardiologist up in Plano. As part of the visit, they ran another EKG and it was fine. He has read the echocardiogram and it pretty much matches up with one they did six years ago. My heart size is slightly bigger in a couple of spots, but not enough to mean anything one way or another. It matches the one from six years ago almost perfectly. This means my heart enlargement remains stable despite everything that has happened in the intervening time. He believes that from a cardiac standpoint, things look really good.

 

He has seen some of the medical stuff for the planned scoping on Friday and is not quite as concerned about cancer as the primary and the gastro doc are. He does believe strongly that I need grief counseling and therapy big time and that I need to find a way to safely get out and live life despite the freaking pandemic and not be so damn lonely. He also thinks I have gotten by the broken heart danger window though I am still at significant risk for that.

 

So, all systems are go for Friday and now we count on the prep not to rip my constantly hurting guts out and UBER to show up before dawn to get me Friday.

Doc Update

The doc's office is on the edge of the tornado zone in Richardson and has a little damage outside the building. Fortunately,  his nearby home is undamaged and his family was home at the time so they are all safe. From the office parking lot, you can look over a block or two and see where homes that used to have second floors and great trees are now both gone. Down the streets that go to the west from the office, one can see the flashing lights of city crews and others who are trying to bring a little normalcy back to the surrounding neighborhood. The tornado really hit way to close to home for so many.

As for yours truly.... I am okay. There are things in the bloodwork that are very borderline and thus have to be watched. I have lost another 10 pounds in about two months or 50 pounds since the first of the year. I am now below 300 for the first time in decades. He thinks that is the ongoing grief deal I am dealing with and is concerned about myself and Scott on the issue. 

Bouchercon is a go at this point. He thinks I should pace myself and be careful, but he thinks it would be a good thing for me to go and do what I can as I can. Which is What Scott has been saying for weeks now. 

Cardiologist Visit Update

Saw the cardiologist this morning and he believes I am doing okay. He wants several tests done in the spring to see how things are in order to compare to previous tests. He is very concerned about my grief issues and thinks that I really need to get into grief counseling. Something I have not wanted to do as I am upset enough on a daily basis without sitting in a room of twenty folks all talking and sharing this special kind of hell.

After I did that, I had to go by the dealership and have my car looked at to address some things. Getting the work done took about three hours. Add in the doc at two hours and the drive time of an hour each way and it has been a long and tiring day.

I did get medically cleared today to attend Bouchercon 50 here in Dallas at the end of October. he thinks it would be good for me to go and cautioned me to pace myself. I am surprised I was cleared to go, but he was all in favor of it.

Tonight is football and pizza as I rest from a long day that was exhausting and painful. Thank god the NFL is back though I can't remember an opening day with so much player chaos on so many teams. It is going to be interesting.

My pick tonight is ..... The Bears. 

These Old Teeth

No changes. No worse. No better. Not cool.

The Saga of The Teeth....

It was a week ago today when I woke up at noon to a nurse saying loudly, "Kevin! Wake Up!" A command she repeated a lot for the next eternity while throwing in the occasional, "Kevin, Don't Close Your Eyes!"

A week later find me about the same as I have been the last few days since I got back on the antibiotic. I do think the little blue/green capsule I take four times a day is doing something besides trying to create concrete in my insides. A reaction I have never had with any antibiotic before as normally they act like depth charges to my internal piping. So far, the infection on the gum line by the right front tooth that had been swelling rapidly and was part of the reason I had teeth removed in the first place, shows no sign of inflating again. I think that is a good thing.

On the old pain scale, the pain remains about the same in the mouth. I have noticed since the surgery that my constant back and left leg pain is up several notches from what it was before on a daily basis. I have no idea if the anesthesia did something, the trauma of surgery, or some other factor is at play. If it is the new normal for me long term, this will suck greatly.

I am still having the occasional coughing fit and am clearing crap out of the lungs. I also get tired super easily right now and often start shaking after a little while when I exert myself on a couple of errands. I am hoping this shall pass and the pain levels will go back to normal body wise.

I am also clearly hoping the worst of the mouth deal is long past. If I have any hope of attending Bouchercon 2019, let alone hanging out at UTD while Scott attends class starting again in a little over two weeks, I have to get going on the healing train.

Day Four Post Surgery

After seeing something pop up on my gum on the right side of my jaw yesterday afternoon that got steadily bigger overnight and this morning, I would up in the oral surgeon's office this afternoon. Where there was some concern it was sepsis, it is not. Whether it is a new infection or a last gasp of the old one is is unknown. I am back on antibiotics and told to take things very easy.

I;m exhausted no matter how much I sleep and am in a fair amount of pain from my mouth. Simply put, I'm not in good shape right now. Hopefully the new antibiotic will stop this in its tracks. In the meantime, I'm told to keep taking the pain meds, rest, stay out of the Texas heat and humidity, and give the old body time to recover from the joy of booting six teeth last Friday.

Day Three Post Surgery

When they tell you Day Three Post Surgery will be worse than what you went through before now, they are not kidding. Swelling got worse today as did the pain. Coming off a night when the pain pills took till three in the morning to kick in and then gave me horrible and very weird dreams, today has been rough. I am warned that tomorrow could be as bad or worse.

Blah.

Saturday Afternoon Update

I am doing okay. Pain, so far, has been minimal and the bleeding finally stopped mid afternoon yesterday. I was able to eat some applesauce for dinner, ice cream late last night, and had some scrambled eggs for breakfast. So, I am doing okay.

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and messages here and in emails to me. I am not up to being online very long so replies will be slow. But, please know everything is much appreciated.

Dental Surgery Day

By the time this post appears, I should be at least part of the way through a procedure to remove six teeth. I am losing all four wisdom teeth, each of which is apparently fractured and a mess, and two more broken teeth that I knew were broken. Both broke long ago, at different times, while Sandi was in her battle and my focus was on taking care of her.

This mess in my mouth played a role of some type in my recent hospital stay. So, it absolutely has to done. I don't have a choice. But, I hate it. Nervous wreck over it as my phobia about needles, dentists, and all the rest of it is in full bloom. I am more than a bit freaked out. I am very aware that things can and do go wrong on occasion even with things that should and usually do go okay.

Fingers crossed and all that.

Dental News

Dental News....or an update on the tooth that is trying to self eject now and not wait to be extracted.

The damn thing got really loose as I was eating last night. So much so, I only was able to eat about half of my dinner. It did stay in last night though this morning it is clearly way looser. I had set my alarm  to be able to call in when the office for the dentist opened at 7:30 and did so.

Told them the issue and they called the oral surgeon people and then called me back. I am to be at the oral surgeon place at 12:45 to do paperwork and then they will "work me in." Code for come spend the afternoon with us. They will numb the area and remove the tooth that wants to leave the plane now. While they have me in they may look at the others or not as it all depends on how things work out.

In theory, I should be able to drive myself and will be doing that. In theory, this should go off without any issues other than being there awhile. I am guessing I will be filling prescriptions for antibiotics and pain pills on the way home.

Not looking forward to this at all. But, at least it is today and not Saturday afternoon at five.

Dental Update

Back home and exhausted Back is really bad now. Got really close to falling and scaring everyone, but the wall stopped me from going all the way down and I did NOT dent the wall. lol In dentist news.....there is NO cancer. They see what worried me and why.... and it is multiple infection sites. Four teeth have to come out for sure, and maybe two more. The four are broken --two wisdom and two regular-- and are massive infection areas as is two gum boils and a couple of other areas. He is pretty sure that this was part of the reason why I wound up in the hospital and is concerned that things could be making the cardiac deal worse. He is sending me to an oral surgeon who will work with my PCP and the cardiologist to figure out what sedation would work for me and how to go about getting the bad teeth and infected areas out. Then, about a month after the sugery happens, I will have to start doing teeth cleaning in the main dentist office. I am in for along haul,. but he kept stressing that considering how long it has been for me with dental care, things are better than he expected. All the other teeth--at this point--are okay and should be fine once the gum disease situation is stopped.

Finally Home

Finally home as the doc was running behind and we had to mail the mail and hit the library after seeing the doc. He says he thinks I am okay and that all I need is more time for all this to pass. If my symptoms flare back up, get to an ER for immediate help, and then we will pursue the ENT and the surgical draining deal. In the meantime, finish my meds, stay out of the heat, and rest as much as possible and let my body dictate things.

He is not at all surprised where I am at nearly ten days later and says considering the situation and everything I have been through, not just now, but overall these past two years, he thinks I am doing remarkable well. Told me over and over to be patient and be careful.

Lunch and bed is my plan in that order.

Doc Today

I have a doc deal today to follow up on the recent hospital stay. While I am a little better than I was, I am still way off from my normal crappy self. Hopefully, this deal today will not escalate into another hospital stay. I would much rather feel like crap at home than feel like crap in the hospital where they are so worried I will fall they put the bed alarm on and constantly wake me up with noise and to check vitals.

Medical Update Yet Again

Have spent much of the day in bed after pushing very hard this morning to go to the grocery store and the library. Also got the paperwork mailed out---24 pages worth including the mandatory form--to claim the house I inherited as well as the disabled tax credit. I am a year late, but I got the damn thing done and mailed.

Was told everywhere I went by various folks who now know me after two years here that that I looked like crap. Thank you, I have a mirror at home and was aware. This is not breaking news and no need to hide the women and children.

So, reading books remains a no go as is spending much of any time upright. I did manage to get us fed tonight and it was not sandwiches this time so that is progress. Finished my antibiotic too tonight. Going back to bed to watch season two of the Punisher.

I note for the record this whole movie/television deal of fighting man to man because of pride is seriously stupid. You have a gun. Use it. Save your energy for the coming blood loss when somebody gets off a lucky shot, stab wound, etc. Shoot the bad dude dead and save ten minutes and a ton of energy.

Scott's Doc Visit Today

Finally back home and Scott's BP was where it should be. One hopes that the new med is working.  The test results were also in and they indicate everything with him is fine. The doc took extra time to go over things and stress that Scott does not face the same cardiac issues I do and have lived with for nearly 40 years. The kid is doing good.

I am worn out from the travel and the stress. Back later...at some point.

Cardiologist Visit Done

Just got home a few minutes ago. Pending blood work results, based on what they did in the office, he thinks I am okay. He thinks a lot of the symptoms I am having are grief related--including significant weight loss--  and are not due to my ongoing congestive heart failure.

His major concern right now is my ongoing stress and grief over everything that has happened the last 18 months plus. He made some suggestions regarding that and told me to take care of myself and give myself time. For now, no medication changes.

We ran a couple of needed errands on the way back home and the Texas heat did a real number on me. Taking blood this morning on a fast certainly was not helpful. Bed rest is in order. If I can, I will try to be online much later today.