Just another Monday....
Well today my poor hubby goes to see the gastro doc to schedule an endoscopy. This whole thing with his abdominal pain has gone on way too long. This all started nearly a year ago with a trip to the ER. He has had severe abdominal pain in his right side intermittently ever since that first occasion. It has gotten progressively worse. He has had MRI's, CT scans, sonograms and many many blood tests. The scans ruled out any tumors hanging around and did reiterate the bulging disk problems he has in his back. The spinal surgeon he saw doesn't think it is the back problems causing the abdominal pain he is having (this is what his primary care doctor had thought). I have been saying all along that I think it is his gall bladder, but they all kept blowing that off. He was sent for a colonoscopy and that showed nothing wrong. Why in heaven's name they didn't do the endoscopy at the same time is beyond my comprehension. All of the scheduling and appointments with doctors to get the prescriptions for the testing has taken almost 12 months and in all that time my poor husband continues to suffer with this pain. He has even returned to the ER twice since that original visit. This last trip to the ER the doctor said he feels strongly that his pain is his gall bladder and he must return to his primary doctor to have a special test on it scheduled. Another two weeks waiting to have that test....the test then shows his GB is only functioning at 30%. So his primary now sends him to a general surgeon. The general surgeon wants to have the endoscopy done before he schedules GB surgery so he can rule out ulcers first. He calls the gastro doc and asks his office to expedite this test for my hubby. Well they then give my husband what they called the first available appointment...3 weeks down the road. That appointment is today. Now to schedule the test itself.....probably another 3 weeks at the rate this whole thing has been going. It is just so frustrating for both of us, but my poor hubby is in such pain for him it must be awful. He has certainly been a lot crankier lately...and that is saying something since he has a grumpy nature anyway. Even our grandkids call him "Grumpy" and bought him a "Grumpy" t-shirt from the Snow White shop at Disney as a joke.
While he was out fishing for Father's Day I had the whole day to myself to sew away the hours. I spent it playing with a "bag of crap" the local quilt shop put together for an Apron Challenge they have going on. We have to use at least 30% of the "crap" in the bag in the construction of our apron. There is a load of junk in that bag too. Buttons, snaps, trimmings (very very small) from cutting fabric, one focus fat quarter that must be used, ribbons....you get the drift..."crap"! I had fun working on the project and am about half way done. I am making it a "crazy quilt" design using all the trimmings under the decorative stitches I put between each fabric and the focus fat quarter as part of the fabric pieces making up the crazy quilt. I will embellish with the buttons, etc. Made bows out of some of the very tiny pieces of trimmings and stitched them along the waistband. Will put buttons on the center of the bowtie. Probably won't win any prizes, but had a lot of fun doing it. The first prize is a new sewing machine, 2nd is $100 gift card to the shop and 3rd is $50 gift card. Judging is done by the shop personnel. There will be an extra "voewers choice" award that will be a basket full of quilting goodies!
I have so many projects going on at once it is making me dizzy...I don't know what to work on when I walk in the sewing room. Block of the months (4 of them), still working on the Civil war quilt and the Back to Nature is way behind, still working on Sylvia's Bridal quilt, have about 8 quilts to be layered and quilted, two that need bindings and loads of kits in two baskets to be done. Sure wish I could retire from work and just take care of my home and sew. But alas....there is a mortgage on my house that must be paid! I will continue to work until they take me out in a pine box! LOL
Spent some time yesterday with Michelle's girls sewing on their doll quilts and then Susan stopped by with our little Allie who had her tonsils out on Friday. She is doing amazingly well with the surgery. We made table toppers for the three of the girls for their bedrooms. They were all very excited to take them home and put them on their night stands. If I was retired I could spend so much more time teaching them all to sew! The two older girls (6 and 10) are learning quickly.
Well that is it for today....be back again soon!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Rainy days
It is a rainy gray day here in Center Moriches, NY today. I am at work with nothing to do. Sure hope some work breaks soon.
Saturday was my grandaughter, Allison's 5th birthday! She starts kindergarten in September. The time sure has flown by. I wish it had been a happier celebration, but her Mom and my other daughter had a spat and are not speaking so it put a damper on things for me. It just breaks my heart as a mom when my daughters don't get along. It is usually over things that it shouldn't be. I wish they would just talk to all out and be done with it. Maybe they are afraid that if they "clear the air" they won't be able to get back from it. I told them both that I want the situation fixed once and for all. They are sisters and this kind of tension shouldn't be in families.
This whole last month has been a difficult one for me. My poor husband has been suffering with abdominal pain in his right side along with lower back pain for almost a year now. He has been sent for MRi's of his spine, had CT scans and sonograms of his abdomen, a colonoscopy, and numerous blood tests to determine the cause over the last 4 months. The pain is getting worse as time goes on. The neurologist wants him to see a spine surgeon because he has "serious issues with his spine", but he doesn't think that is the cause of his abdominal pain. (He does not elaborate) So he makes the appointment with the spinal surgeon to hear what he has to say. He gets there and the neurologist was supposed to send copies of his spinal MRI's to the surgeons office...of course they sent the wrong ones. So this whole day has been a waste of time and a loss of paycheck for the day. The doctor reschedules the appt. We go and get a copy of the MRI's ourselves and he will take those with him when he goes to the appt. The pain gets bad enough for a 2nd trip to the ER for my husband. The doctor there thinks it is his gall bladder. He wants hubby to go back to his regular doctor for further test on that. He goes for the gall bladder test and it shows that GB is only working at 30%. He goes to the general surgeon as per primary doc's instructions. The general surgeon wants him to have an endoscopy to rule out an ulcer before he schedules gall bladder surgery and removes a partially functioning gall bladder. Why they didn't do the endoscopy when they did the colonoscopy I don't understand. Now he has to go through more anesthesia, another lost day from work and lost money. He is in constant pain and I am worried that this is something that is going to become life threatening before they figure it out and do something. I have suspected all along that his gall bladder is the source of it. The general surgeon said it still could be the gall bladder, but he wants this test first. My hubby is getting so frustrated and tired of not knowing and suffering in pain. All the worry about him is causing my fibromyalgia to flare up terribly. I hurt all over every day ... it even wakes me in the night.
Thank God for my quilting and quilting buddies. Roz was over on Sunday and we sewed together all day on various projects. She worked on a quilt for her daughter's graduation and I put together my "birthday blocks" from our East End Quilt Buddies" swap. Sewing gives me such peace while I am at it. I zone out and the world goes away for a while. I have a class tonight to make a strip quilt that looks real easy. Just uses a continuous strip made from jelly roll strips. We finished up a class last week making a Star Shadow pattern where the pieces form the shadow of a star behind the original stars in the quilt. It was a neat effect. Then we had a quick class on making chicken pin cushions. They were a fun project and easy to make. It is a good project to make for the church fair this December.
I am grateful today for all that I have and pray for healing for my husband.
Saturday was my grandaughter, Allison's 5th birthday! She starts kindergarten in September. The time sure has flown by. I wish it had been a happier celebration, but her Mom and my other daughter had a spat and are not speaking so it put a damper on things for me. It just breaks my heart as a mom when my daughters don't get along. It is usually over things that it shouldn't be. I wish they would just talk to all out and be done with it. Maybe they are afraid that if they "clear the air" they won't be able to get back from it. I told them both that I want the situation fixed once and for all. They are sisters and this kind of tension shouldn't be in families.
This whole last month has been a difficult one for me. My poor husband has been suffering with abdominal pain in his right side along with lower back pain for almost a year now. He has been sent for MRi's of his spine, had CT scans and sonograms of his abdomen, a colonoscopy, and numerous blood tests to determine the cause over the last 4 months. The pain is getting worse as time goes on. The neurologist wants him to see a spine surgeon because he has "serious issues with his spine", but he doesn't think that is the cause of his abdominal pain. (He does not elaborate) So he makes the appointment with the spinal surgeon to hear what he has to say. He gets there and the neurologist was supposed to send copies of his spinal MRI's to the surgeons office...of course they sent the wrong ones. So this whole day has been a waste of time and a loss of paycheck for the day. The doctor reschedules the appt. We go and get a copy of the MRI's ourselves and he will take those with him when he goes to the appt. The pain gets bad enough for a 2nd trip to the ER for my husband. The doctor there thinks it is his gall bladder. He wants hubby to go back to his regular doctor for further test on that. He goes for the gall bladder test and it shows that GB is only working at 30%. He goes to the general surgeon as per primary doc's instructions. The general surgeon wants him to have an endoscopy to rule out an ulcer before he schedules gall bladder surgery and removes a partially functioning gall bladder. Why they didn't do the endoscopy when they did the colonoscopy I don't understand. Now he has to go through more anesthesia, another lost day from work and lost money. He is in constant pain and I am worried that this is something that is going to become life threatening before they figure it out and do something. I have suspected all along that his gall bladder is the source of it. The general surgeon said it still could be the gall bladder, but he wants this test first. My hubby is getting so frustrated and tired of not knowing and suffering in pain. All the worry about him is causing my fibromyalgia to flare up terribly. I hurt all over every day ... it even wakes me in the night.
Thank God for my quilting and quilting buddies. Roz was over on Sunday and we sewed together all day on various projects. She worked on a quilt for her daughter's graduation and I put together my "birthday blocks" from our East End Quilt Buddies" swap. Sewing gives me such peace while I am at it. I zone out and the world goes away for a while. I have a class tonight to make a strip quilt that looks real easy. Just uses a continuous strip made from jelly roll strips. We finished up a class last week making a Star Shadow pattern where the pieces form the shadow of a star behind the original stars in the quilt. It was a neat effect. Then we had a quick class on making chicken pin cushions. They were a fun project and easy to make. It is a good project to make for the church fair this December.
I am grateful today for all that I have and pray for healing for my husband.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)