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Doing holiday only posts is pretty lame.
Even though I still visit your blogs and sometimes
comment, I just haven't found any interest in posting
here. Guess I need a kick in the ass. Volunteers?
Carol has been doing fairly well. They told us a
few months ago that the cancer was spreading again.
They originally diagnosed her with inflammatory
breast cancer. Now they call it metastatic.
The new chemo is Tykerb. It's a pill and she takes
five once a day.
It took a while to get her started on the new meds.
The hospital knew it was expensive, so they did a
search for the cheapest pharmacy and found it in
Flint, Michigan. Even so, the co-pay is over $1000.
Fortunately, the pharmacy hooked her up with a
grant that will help for about a year.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
This is what she has to look forward to and it's beginning
to wear her out mentally. I headed to the grocery store
and asked her if she needed anything and she said,
"Yeah, a new body." She's been cooped up for two
weeks, trying to get over a cold and that's adding to
her worrying. I should've asked Santa for a magic
lamp with a genie to grant wishes.
As far as my diabetes, I finally got to see an
endocrinologist back in September. I want him to take
me off insulin completely. I asked for metformin instead.
He won't do cold turkey, so we're lowering the dosage
gradually and added metformin. I hate insulin.
I understand insulin can be a life-saver in many cases but
what they don't tell you is that it makes you gain weight.
And then they tell you how bad it is to be overweight.
My first year on insulin I gained 65 pounds.
I've been trying to lose weight for a year and a half.
I've lost about 7 pounds. Seriously. Insulin has to go.
I have one cup of coffee with half and half for breakfast.
I don't eat lunch or limit it to eggs.
Dinner is protein, veggies, limited carbs.
I drink water all day. A diet soda once every week or two.
Can't remember the last time I had a cookie or a donut.
I will say that taking metformin and reducing insulin has
kept my glucose level in a very good range. 80 to 115 unless
I cheat on the carbs, which is rare.
And my A1c has gone from 6.7 a year ago to 5.7 when it
was tested this week. I'm happy about that.
I see the endo-guy again in January.
The man better make some serious changes this time because
if he doesn't I will continue to make the changes my damn self.
In the mean time, I'll be glad when the holidays are over.
Bah-humbug.
Had my annual diabetic eye exam today.
Still blurry as I type this.
No major change in prescription but there are
tiny cataracts in both eyes (yay, old age!).
I asked if there was any way to slow down the
growth and the dr. said "vitamin C and sun glasses".
I can do that. See ya next year.
Carol is doing better since they stopped the chemo drug
and are only giving her Herceptin for now. As long as
the cancer doesn't start spreading, they'll keep her on
that. Maybe a year or longer.
She still has swelling in the left arm from lymphedema, so
I'll continue to wrap her hand and arm every day.
All her fingernails are gone and now her toenails are
starting to fall off. Her feet and ankles stay swollen most
of the time. Steroids and water pills help some but not
consistently.
All the years of advancements in science and it is still
mostly trial and error. Hit or miss.
At least her energy level is better. She's getting antsy to
be able to get out on her own.
I don't blame her a bit.
I've been whining a lot lately.
I still don't have insurance because Medicaid has been dragging
its' ass since May. That means I've had to pay 100% out of pocket
for all my diabetes meds and supplies. I can't afford to do that
much longer. Medicaid doesn't care.
Plus, I owe about $40,000 in hospital and doctor bills.
Medicaid doesn't care about that, either.
Oh, and... the quack I was assigned to in the hospital is a moron.
The second reason I wish Medicaid would hurry the fuck up is
so I can find a new doctor with at least half a functioning brain.
Then, the other day, I got slapped upside the head, figuratively
speaking; A friend I've known for nearly 40 years was recently
diagnosed with brain, lung and bone cancer. Stage 4.
Someone emailed a photo of him. I would not have
recognized him if I hadn't been told who it was.
He looks like a Nazi death camp survivor. Skin over skeleton.
It breaks my heart. And it makes me ashamed of myself.
Life is short and time is so easily wasted.
after spending a week in the hospital.
Went to the ER because of a boil that had become a horrible abscess.
(I know TMI.)
They admitted me and asked how long I had diabetes. Huh?
My blood sugar was a bit high... 400.
Two days later, they said I had MRSA.
I insisted I'd been in the hospital eleven days but paperwork
and my sisters proved it was "only" seven.
My head is still a bit fuzzy and I'm more than a little pissed
off that I have to inject insulin four times a day.
I'll try to finish this on a positive note:
the weather has been beautiful.
