January 27, 2012

Hi again

The last four days have a been interesting to say the least.  I wanted to bring you up to date on my Merkel Cell .  If some of this doesn't make sense, it's because I'm exhausted.

I got up last Sunday moning and debated on whether to go to church or stay home.  After some pain, itch and throwing up, the decision was whether to go to the hospital or stay home.  The hospital won on out (thank goodness)

Joyce took me to Southwest to start with.  After a bunch of tests that determined that my pancreas and liver were blocked.  they decided I needed a stent in place to drain the belirubin and a couple other ensemes.  Since it was a major thing, they preferred that I be transferred to a Kaiser establishment.  That was a fun ride in the ambulance.  Did you know the new ones have 3/4 ton suspension instead of 1/2 ton.
I had jaundice pretty bad by then.  My body was the almost the kind of the tan (or yellow) that I always wanted.  It was pretty even too.  My urine was actually the color of a great tan. 

They kept me on oxocodone and morphine as well as itching creams the rest of Sunday.   I also hadn't eaten since Saturday morning by this point.  I usually can't go more than  three hours without eating. 

I woke up Monday AM feeling pretty decent.  It got worse as the day wore on.  By the time my surgery came around I was in a lot a pain.  My surgeon didn't at all look like a surgeon, but she was apparently was quite capable.   She inserted the stent by going down through my esophagus.  When I was in recovery, the pain on my stomach was almost unbearable.  Have you ever wished the good lord would take you right there and then?

They got the pain under control after about an hour and I spent the rest of the day very uncomfortable, but very alive.

The pain was bearable the rest of Monday and I was looking forward to going home on Tuesday. 

I slept pretty good through the night and woke up feeling not too bad.  I was to have radiation on Tuesday at 11:30. dddddddddddddddddddddd (Oops, I just fell asleep with my finger on the d key- I erased most of them).   By the time a male nurse came in to release me, I was feeling like crap again.  Joyce and I had a pretty good argument with the nurse.  If if would have felt better, I would have punched him in the nose.  He was so-o-o-o-o-o-o rude.  (I'm going to add in here that the rest of my doctors and nurses were incredibly nice and professional.)  Only take one bad apple to spoil the bunch.

I got to stay another night finally, and was treated with wonderful care.  On Thursday, I felt good enough to do the radiation, so thay checked me out and Joyce and Jodi took me over to interestate.  The radiation was terribly uncomfortable because I was laying on the seam on my jeans.  I could have moved, but we would have had to start all over again, so I chose to bite down and bear it.

Got home from radiation in the early afternoon, and started hurting.  It got so bad that I couldn't stand it - so off we went to the hospital - again (Sunnyside).  I had waited too long after my radiation to take medication.  I was in so much pain that Jodi wanted to call the ambulance.  I talked her out of that and we drove over to Sunnyside.  After several hours they got the pain under control. 

Today I stayed home.   I've felt bearable all day but horribly sleepy.  I've fallen asleep twice in my chair, three times at my computer and once on the toilet.

Sure was a fun four days.  I hope I didn't put you to sleep hearing about this.  I'm off  to bed. ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddI I fell asleep with my finger on the d key.  I erased most of them.

Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated more than you'll even know

Jim