Re: Keep me in mind
 

I suspect Claire's immediate idea was they they went hunting wild chickens... i don't know for sure. You would think between Old MacDonald and all the little farm stories that she'd figure they were there on the farm.

I noticed she was asking about chicken at dinner last night. she likes it so I don't think that image stuck with her.

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Weird stuff going on. Two weeks ago I was scheduled to see the doctor his first day back from vacation. I get a call that he has a family emergency and will have to reschedule. The next week still no doctor and the on premises blood lab that he owns as part of the practice isn't operating either. They send me over to the hospital for the tests and the next day i get two units of blood. Since I like Mark i get Columbus, OH blood so I can still associate with him.

Yesterday i call the office and everything is still shut. They faxed an order to my local blood lab but not until a few misses on that so that a simple blood test takes up a good chunk of my morning.

Meanwhile, my older brother's roommate from college was the clinical director at Sloan Kettering at one point so I sent my brother my bone marrow test and asked for a recommendation which I got. once they have a copy of where I am at the moment I'll have an appointment with him. I should have done this in the first place.

What I have isn't technically cancer but that's who treats it and it's kind of related. It can turn into a nasty leukemia down the road so I'm disagreeing with current doc on conservative approach. We will see.

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I think you are taking a really smart approach to this. It's so easy for a patient to get lost between paper work and test results that doctors sometimes seem to know much less than they should about the person they are treating.
It always makes sense to have an active role and strong opinions about your care.
Doctors aren't always right and they aren't always on top of a situation.
I hope the new doctor works out well for you.

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Hi fezo,

I am sorry to hear about the hassle you have had to go through. I bet the new doctor will be a God send. It is time someone stepped up to the plate to help you. Our technology has improved so much. Hopefully moving on will for the better.

Wishing you good luck, better health and all the good times you can get. :biggrin:

DSR

Re: Keep me in mind
 

Being pro-active and advocating for yourself is the best thing. Let us know how it goes..

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:)

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Sorry to know about this -so odd that happened and I know it's confusing for you-the last thing you need when you have a major health issue. I know it's hard to advocate for yourself when you're not feeling well and Sloan should have a patient advocate you could ask to work with you? Or perhaps there's an agency in the community where you live? You don't have to take everything on youself and I hope you've had some family members and friends to help you through. Well you know you have us here to support you :biggrin:

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Things are still nutty at the doctor's office but was in for more blood today. Here was something different - they actually gave me a unit of my own blood type!

I'm AB positive. We can take anything and up until today that has meant all A positive. One unit of that today but one of the real thing.

The hemoglobin wasn't horribly low (by my standards) going in so maybe we are still improving....

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I was just doing my monthly logging in to the two free websites I created for Steve Lasala (fezo) and played again the mp3 of the title track from his one and only CD
http://www.johnfowles.org.uk/lightfo...fezo_front.jpg
and was reminded of just what a great song it is. Of course that is In MY Humble Opinion. I thought it worth repeating the download link, if you like what you hear then please comment as I am sure that it will cheer Steve up in his hopefully succeeding treatment.Like all great songs you will need to play it a few times (ten minimum) to really appreciate it .
http://fezo1.fileave.com/mp3s/02_Tak...For_A_Walk.mp3
right click then "save target as"
am I right???

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Thanks John, yes the link worked as you suggested.
Enjoying the tune as I type... Thanks Fezo!
Many well-wishes, as you are in my daily prayers...

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Much appreciated.

Sir John continues t do his part to rid the space under my bed of CDs.....

Yesterday we went into NYC - lower Manhattan - to have some fun testing out a radio performance studio that's just about built. Essentially they wanted some musician sorts to play while they checked out equipment so several of us went because one of our band mates works at the station. Good time, far better acoustics than we are used to working with and lots better monitoring so I could hear what we were up to.

No brilliant work on our part but a really fun - and pretty exhausting - day.

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According to the statistics shown against the listing of this thread 53 people have looked at this thread since I posted my reminder and invited comments to cheer Steve up yet only Peter and Steve himself have so far posted comments did the other 51 have nothing to say at all or are they all
"Of the kind that will (not) pass by " (Stay Loose)
OR
"So if you’ve got the time and you’d like to pass by" (NOT)
(Sea Of Tranquility)
OR will you too
"be one who passed through but never saw
Never knowing never feeling anything
Will you live your whole life through never knowing what to do
Will you be one who passed through but never saw"
(In A Windowpane)

　

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I think that's great about the acoustics and monitoring there, Steve. Cool. Sounds like a neat day.

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let me echo my healing thoughts here and please know that they are not one time wishes but continual...and glad music is continuing to be very therapeutic...pharmacists have yet to emulate it's healing and/or soothing powers

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Thumbs up on the thumbs! Bah on the other stuff.

This is my "good" week so nothing going on in the transfusion department. OTOH, the doctor's office had been wacky, canceling appointments and not using their blood lab at all and Monday I get a letter from the board of health and all of a sudden the mystery is solved. At the doctor's other office (he has two) there was a possible hepatitis B infection tracable to the office. There's something I don't need! I got a hep b test yesterday and apparently passed.

We're going to manage those duck pins! Just gotta figure out logistics.

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Well, rather than continue to hijack the Connecticut Huskies topic I'm back in here.

This morning was an insane run of figuring out my hospital stuff while doing an end run around the now non-licensed doctor... my primary care doctor has taken over for now until my new hematologist takes over at the beginning of May. Wow. The spell check on Firefox recognizes hematologist. I'm impressed...

Anyway, she writes out a thing to do a blood count, transfusion, type and cross (that they need to do before very transfusion - no wonder I'm running out of blood!) and tests for hepatitis b and C and HIV just to clear things from the old doc. Well, they tell me at the hospital that those last three won't get covered by my insurance without the letter from the Board of Health explaining why they need to do these tests so it's back to the house (20 miles) to get the letter and then back up to the hospital. They then needed something else from my primary care which she faxed up. took all morning.

The good news is I seem to be through the flip of doctors and do feel better at two weeks than I had. I consider this progress.

of course the Mets won yesterday so things are looking better....

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What a pain in the ass this medical shit is! Pulled his licence already??? Like suspended it or for good and gone?

I really, really feel bad for you having to do all this running around, and what you went through with the bad doc when you're having to deal with an illness. Glad you're feeling better though and good enough for some duckpins ;).

gee, I'm collecting unemployment and I'm going to more doctors appointments than job interviews!!!! Like almost every freakin day!! (venting, sowwy).

If you don't mind my writing this here well I got good and not so good (will find out tomorrow about that one :rolleyes: news.

Good is that my follow up with the endodontist today worked out great! The high doses of ibuprfen did eventually start to work on the inflammed muscle last week and I have my face back :biggrin: and only a little pain left.

She still doesn't know what's causing this and is certain now it has nothing to do with my teeth :confused:. In fact - I am not going to have to go back!!! For any fractures in my teeth... she said she'd have to destroy the teeth to find them and said my teeth will be fine as long as I don't clench or only chew using that side.

Have to follow up with my PCP tomorrow because the endo is recommending we try to find the cause and also, physical therapy. ok so she is thinking this may be related to a procedure I had on my eyes back in 2004 so I may have to head up to Beantown (I was determined, next time I go to Boston would be for a Sox game, man!!). And I can't imagine what my physical therapist would recommend doing on the left side of my face. Anyhooo...

More good news is that I'm working on getting implants. Not the kind I once thought of getting when I was a 32A (no comments, please) -rather 2 teeth that need to be replaced and my insurance will pay for this :).

The yucky not so good -yesterday, I had the dreaded ummmm almost annual big vice grip (I'd rather have the stomach grippe) and now have to go back tomorrow morn for a freakin another one. Had to have 3 last year :(. Excuse my freakin attitude but am at the point where if anything shows up again-the girls are getting removed ASAP...I have spent most of my life flat chested and so for once in my life, I have a little because I got fat. And now am losing weight anyway so they, (and my ankles) are the only places I'm losing weight anyway. ok I'm going to stop there!!!

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Unemployment has insurance that covers implants? (Don't mind me...)

The doctor was suspended and actually initially just until tomorrow but that is because only two of the 5 members of the board met initially. Tomorrow the whole board does.

This becomes irrelevant to me in that I'm on to the next guy. this is maybe the second time I've gotten tested for HIV. The first time was to go to China to adopt. At that point there was 0% chance that I had it. It's north of zero now because of all the transfusions but tha's still way low.

Am trying to picture the face PT.... (I really need to figure out how to do the rolleyes in here...)

I think you are trying to you're having a contest with me as to who has the wackiest things wrong with them. Watch out if I bring out the heavy ammunition. This thing is the worst but it's in big competition for the wackiest...

Doing my best to stay in one piece...

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Hey Pam,

At least she has good taste. You are a pretty woman. :)

DSR

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sounds like regular flossing would be required in either case, lol

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Oh, hijack it as much as you would like. I like the entertainment. It's good for me...

"Follow-up with my PCP this afternoon and then back to digital imagining for a CAT scan of my sinuses. That's enough radiation for the day!"

i ahve been x-rayed enough that I am surprised I don't either glow in the dark or suddenly develop secret super powers... I always wondered about that with the F;ash who got his super powers from accidentally spilling a beaker of chemicals on himself. Some time later he's showing a kid how it happened and manages to do the same thing and we got Kid Flash. he was the one who could go forward in time by running around the world faster than light clockwise and back in time by doing it counterclockwise. Learning this at 12 or 13 has made it impossible for me to really understand physics.

I've got two units of actual AB positive from San Juan. So far so good.

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Two more units today. New hematologist in two weeks. About it.

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OK, long time no post....

They grabbed another bone marrow sample today which, while not as bad as that image may conjure up, certainly isn't any fun. They did one about a year ago. This one was better than that anyway. I'll have results in a week.

Meanwhile I managed to go three weeks with no new blood but that's done. I'm back in on Thursday.

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no fun at all..
good luck with the test and on thursday...

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Hey Fez...Hope your trip to the hospital went ok. We still have your back.

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The hospital will be tomorrow. I'm sure it will be fine but boring as all get out as usual. You are mostly just sitting there for 8 hours. Book and an iPod are musts.

I have to give credit to the new doctor. He does a better bone marrow draw than I'd had previously. You can't make it not hurt at all but he did a good job of keeping pain to a minimum and, while last time I was sore at the site for a couple of weeks, I feel fine today (well, other than being fatigued). Better days ahead.

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Best wishes for tomorrow fezo, have a good drip.

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What are you reading Fez? :)

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Good luck today, fezo. I keep up with your thread but haven't posted yet. You're a brave guy with a positive outlook, and I think that's wonderful. I'll keep you in my thoughts today.

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My thoughts and prayers are with you and the medical staff
Kevin

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I have two new units of Philadelphia type A positive. Better than I've been anyway.

On the reading front today I was reading John Grisham's newest - the Associate. It's OK so far but he's done better.

I like when I find an interesting author who has written a bunch of things that I've never read. Opens a whole bunch of stuff to read. I'll always take author suggestions. I also like to mix in non-fiction. Am reading a book about Volkswagen in America right now.

Weird thing with the hemoglobin is when it drops below 9 or so my vision drops a little bit. It's no great shakes to start with... When I started today reading wasn't working so much and I was nodding off. Later on I was awake and the print was clearer. I put the iPod on and set it to shuffle which is pretty cool.

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Philadelphia type? That might be alright.

I kind of like James Patterson, but it's been a while since I've read one. I just finished an old hippie-farmer novel. Today, checking out a little about Plate Tectonics. ... I almost bought a good used Volkswagen once and some old boyfriend talked me out of it. I wish I would have bought it.

Weird about the hemoglobin affecting your vision. iPod on shuffle? Sounds good. :)

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Oh, I thought of one, if it's still in print and you haven't read it already...since Claire was from China, you might like reading Across China by Peter Jenkins. It was a book my dad gave me a long time ago. I had read one of Peter Jenkins' other books before that called A Walk Across America. That was good, but I liked reading the one about China even better.

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Oh, that sounds like it could be fun. I'll have to go look.

Meanwhile I am dealing with some pretty nasty headaches. Last time I had something like this I ended up in the hospital for a week. I'd like to avoid that, thanks. Back then they discovered my blood clots too easily and I had a series of ministrokes as a result. I walked around for a couple of weeks with that before I had a seizure....

I'm sure this isn't that but the fact taht I had to go off coumadin for 5 days so they could take the bone marrow sample certainly got my attention.

Think I'll try some serious sleeping....

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I'll be seeing the doctor tomorrow. Today things are better.

There have been so many bugs going around here that it's nuts.

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Glad to know...thanks -I was worried :( good luck tomorrow

And sounds like a can of Raid might help :rolleyes:

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I'm sorry to hear that you hadn't been feeling well, Steve, and I am praying for you.

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Wrong bug..... Raid won't help...

That said I am plugging along. tomorrow is the doc who ordered the new bone marrow test but I'll hit him with this issue as well if it's still going on.

Since early 2002 if i get too tired my head hurts. That's left over from that whole episode. Based on things right now, however, I can probably blame my 16 year old for this round....

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As tempting as it all sounds.....

All the 16 year old did was have a bug that I may have caught. Will be interesting to see what happens with her. Already have one in college.

Meanwhile I am holding my own here and have avoided taking any pain killer which wasn't much of an option yesterday so we call that progress.

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Even if the issue is not still going on, it may be good to tell the doctor anyway.