My better, my other half, my best friend of over almost twenty years has been fighting a battle... a battle with his back, in which he injured. I can sympathize with my husband, because I as well have back problems and this can throw one on his or her back cause themselves to do the only there is to do and that is..to look up.
This occurred at the end of September and he automatically contacted his doctor at the Veteran's Affair's where he receives health care after serving in the Army before we met. He got an appointment fairly quickly and was told he needed this and that, that and this and a MRI for his back, which we naturally figured. We waited and was assigned the appointments that had nothing to do with his back and were told we would be notified about the MRI. In the meantime, I have a man in lots of pain and I don't deal well when he is in pain. I honestly don't know how he deals with me because I am a wimp and whimper when I am in pain.
The VA had him on so much medicine, bless him, he did know which end was up or down. I believe they were trying to band-aid a gaping wound. I know you all have heard me use the term,"take the bull by the horns", well that I did. I started out making some phone calls telling our story and I didn't realize how pooped out with entire situation until I got off the phone and just cried and cried. I thought to myself this is, "KRAZY, KAREN!" So I straightened up and got me a real bull.
This lady is so dear to our family. She is a former military lady, but one would never know it; she stands 5'2 and is as sweet as sugar. I shared our story with her and by the next day she had been in contact with our state's Representative and the list went on. However, with ALL her hard work she told me she had never seen anything like this.
Last week, we received a call from a patient advocate from the Veteran's Affairs Hospital and our story has been heard. My husband will finally go for his MRI on Wednesday and praying it's nothing very serious, so that he may return to work when he is completely healed.
Not many people know what's been going on in our little family, I debated where to blog about this and decided yes of course because their thousand of Veteran's out there not getting the care they need and deserve in a timely manner, This needs to be addressed in a big way.
Be blessed!
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Monday, December 1, 2014
The Stent, Blood.and Clorox
I have been dealing with a kidney stone today being my 4th week.YES..4 WEEKS, that's like being in labor for that period of time, GEESH! Well, my urologist went in through cyistoscope (SP) to try to retrieve the stone, with no luck. Only to leave a stent in and explain the anatomy of my kidney and where the stone was located would make my case difficult. ME? Is there anything easy with me, not really. All of this occurred on a Wednesday morning. To describe a stent from a woman's point a view is like having a tampon in and you really don't need only because your period is not heavy enough; that sorta discomfort. Now DO NOT GET me wrong there was plenty of blood, actually too much which lead me back to the doctor 3 days later the have the stent removed. Once the doctor seen my urine, which by the way it look as if I was donating blood instead if giving a urine sample; I call hear the doctor in the hall yelling,"Get that stent out of her,NOW!" I am thinking, "Thank you,Sweet Jesus".
The sweet nurse come in the room telling me to put the gown on, lie back, yada, yada, yada. Then she goes you are going to feel______,______,______ and______. "I am finished", she said. Whoa! Besty! I heard none of that and you just ripped something that could have been use to fish with from kidney down through my anatomy where lately the only people that have seen it is the surgery suite, my doctor and now you sweet nurse.
So in a few hours I go back to the doctor for a CT and we are going to see where this blame stone is and the only way for it to come out is through lithoptripsy (SP). And hopefully I will get a Wednesday slot or I may be waiting until Friday.
Now this is what happened last night:
Yea, okay maybe I shouldn't have been trying to get the mule outta the ditch, but for the moment the entire house smells like Clorox. I am planning on surgery this week to be finished with this stone. Anndd I was trying to get some clothes washed...first load was fine. Then I went downstairs to start another load of whites with Clorox. I didn't think anymore about it, but I did hear an explosion of sorts. I waited and thought, "Oh, please not a water pipe!", but everything sounded normal upstairs and didn't think anymore about untillll....I went back to change out the wash. Guess what happened? A half gallon size of Clorox fell from wherever I sat it. Heck now I am wondering if I stood down there and poured it out, anyhow...we now so nice Cloroxed colored clothes.
#bringingbackacidwash #asthmainducedcloroxattack
#begoodatwhatyoudodo
And I am still smiling,
Karen
The sweet nurse come in the room telling me to put the gown on, lie back, yada, yada, yada. Then she goes you are going to feel______,______,______ and______. "I am finished", she said. Whoa! Besty! I heard none of that and you just ripped something that could have been use to fish with from kidney down through my anatomy where lately the only people that have seen it is the surgery suite, my doctor and now you sweet nurse.
So in a few hours I go back to the doctor for a CT and we are going to see where this blame stone is and the only way for it to come out is through lithoptripsy (SP). And hopefully I will get a Wednesday slot or I may be waiting until Friday.
Now this is what happened last night:
Yea, okay maybe I shouldn't have been trying to get the mule outta the ditch, but for the moment the entire house smells like Clorox. I am planning on surgery this week to be finished with this stone. Anndd I was trying to get some clothes washed...first load was fine. Then I went downstairs to start another load of whites with Clorox. I didn't think anymore about it, but I did hear an explosion of sorts. I waited and thought, "Oh, please not a water pipe!", but everything sounded normal upstairs and didn't think anymore about untillll....I went back to change out the wash. Guess what happened? A half gallon size of Clorox fell from wherever I sat it. Heck now I am wondering if I stood down there and poured it out, anyhow...we now so nice Cloroxed colored clothes.
#bringingbackacidwash #asthmainducedcloroxattack
#begoodatwhatyoudodo
And I am still smiling,
Karen
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Meet Annaleigh Whitfield
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Hey. My name is AnnaLeigh Whitfield. I am 5 years old. I love to sing, laugh, play outside and play with my kitty, Bug. My daddy is Jody Whitfield of Seneca, SC and my mommy is Dalynda Brown of Anderson, SC, who both love me very much.
In April of this year, I was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia.
Aplastic Anemia is a bone marrow disease in which my own immune system starts attacking my bone marrow causing the bone marrow not to be able to produce blood or platelets. So I have to have blood and platelet transfusions every 10-14 days. I cannot do a lot things many normal 5 year old little girls do because my immune system is compromised; but my Daddy seems to think I am tolerating my restrictions well. I have had little results to chemotherapy. Now I am in search of a bone marrow transplant. This is my only hope. Will you please help me?
AnnaLeigh along with her family traveled to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC this past week and received some devastating news as they met with the transplant doctor. The transplant team at this point can only offer Annleigh an experimental half match. The odds of the half match working, which would come from AnnaLeigh's mama Dalynda, is 30% and very risky. If the half match is not done, then AnnaLeigh is only given a year to a year and half to live.
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If a perfect match is found AnnaLeigh's chances go from 30% to 85%! Let's be the cure!
When it comes in the mail, all you have to do is swab the inside of your cheek and slip it right back in the mail (5 seconds max to save a life).
Please register with BE THE MATCH for Annaleigh! You could very well be the one that saves her life!
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Saturday, November 8, 2014
The E-Mail
A couple of weeks back, I spoke of this sweet, little Hero here...
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Lachlan
and his need for a bone marrow transplant. This past Sunday, Lachlan's parents Mary and Jason Tannery of Seneca, South Carolina received an e-mail stating that a bone marrow match had been found through BeTheMatch. Lachlan will undergo his transplant on November 20, 2015.
What can you do now for Lachlan? Pray, send hugs, special get well vibes, warm wishes...whatever your heart tells you to do for this special 2 year!
Feeling Hopeful and Thankful!
Karen
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Out of Sleep
Yawn...sleepless in South Carolina and I am not the the only one. Sitting here listening to corny love songs on Sirius Radio, while my animals sleep and my SS is sleeping as well as by better half. But back to these corny love songs...REALLY? What sales those songs? Maybe, I am just getting set in my age 40 ish or maybe I am just reading into those stupid songs. For instance, "Love Runs Outs" by One Republic is playing now, perhaps my love has run out...now that's deep. Guess I should just shake off that deep thought. Stupid music anyway.
I actually prefer silence, I can hear my heart beat, feel the pulse in my wrist, sort through things in my mind...I try to find myself. I know I am still here, I am still breathing, I feel air coming out of my nose and see my stomach rise and fall. If one is honest, at some point they have felt as if he or she has lost part of themselves and you have make sure you are still alive. Gosh, for the last 4 months, I have just been going through the motions of life, just answering what questions I have had to, avoiding everything possible, and being perfectly content sleeping my days and nights away (without being medically induced) until today and I have ran out of sleep.
So, here I am in the wee hours of morning blogging about my mess. Well, I believe if I blog about the other things that are true and straight from the heart (some funny and some more serious) then I should share this as well. Not for pity, I AM not a pity person, I am just blogging. This is just the tip of my little iceberg and hopefully it will melt soon, if not I am getting the blow torch out and firing that bad boy up cuz after 4 months nobody ain't got time fo dat.
I actually prefer silence, I can hear my heart beat, feel the pulse in my wrist, sort through things in my mind...I try to find myself. I know I am still here, I am still breathing, I feel air coming out of my nose and see my stomach rise and fall. If one is honest, at some point they have felt as if he or she has lost part of themselves and you have make sure you are still alive. Gosh, for the last 4 months, I have just been going through the motions of life, just answering what questions I have had to, avoiding everything possible, and being perfectly content sleeping my days and nights away (without being medically induced) until today and I have ran out of sleep.
So, here I am in the wee hours of morning blogging about my mess. Well, I believe if I blog about the other things that are true and straight from the heart (some funny and some more serious) then I should share this as well. Not for pity, I AM not a pity person, I am just blogging. This is just the tip of my little iceberg and hopefully it will melt soon, if not I am getting the blow torch out and firing that bad boy up cuz after 4 months nobody ain't got time fo dat.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Love for Lachlan
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Lachlan Tannery
Hey everyone...meet Lachlan Tannery! Lachlan loves corn dogs, sweet tea, Thomas the Train, balloons, Clemson Tigers, balls, running and playing, and of course from this picture, one can see Lachlan loves to laugh and smile.Lachlan's parents are Jason and Mary Tannery, of Seneca, South Carolina. Lachlan and his twin brother are one month from turning 2 years old. Also, over this past Summer, Lachlan and his twin became big brothers to baby Tannery. It was this Summer that Jason and Mary received the most devastating news one can hear about their son, Lachlan.
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Lachlan is suffering from Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia, also known as JMML. JMML is a rare and chronic form of Leukemia. It occurs when too many immature white blood cells called "myelocytes" and "monocytes" are made in the bone marrow. They eventually crowd out the healthy, normal cells that belong in the bone marrow. Chemotherapy will not be enough to cure Lachlan. At this point, he is having blood and platelet transfusions most every week and has already been in the hospital multiple times due to his weakened immune system.
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Here is how we can help Lachlan Tannery! In order to save Lachlan, YOU have to be the MATCH. One may think well, why not just use his brother's bone marrow since Lachlan is a twin. It is not that simple. You see they are identical twins, so there is a slight chance that his twin could have JMML; however at this time his brother is not showing any signs or symptoms.
I am leaving some more pictures of Lachlan. He is a handsome little fellow and quite the HERO for what he is going through. If you do not feel lead to join BE THE MATCH, I ask that you go to your nearest blood bank and donate blood in honor of Lachlan Tannery. All you have to do is wherever you live, just tell your local blood bank who you are donating blood for and Lachlan will receive credit for the blood.
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Joining Be THE MATCH is really easy: bethematch.org/join/
PLEASE*** Make sure this is something you feel lead to do, if not for Lachlan; perhaps for someone else. Just one person can give life to someone who is need.
I am leaving some more pictures of Lachlan. He is a handsome little fellow and quite the HERO for what he is going through. If you do not feel lead to join BE THE MATCH, I ask that you go to your nearest blood bank and donate blood in honor of Lachlan Tannery. All you have to do is wherever you live, just tell your local blood bank who you are donating blood for and Lachlan will receive credit for the blood.
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Sunday, October 12, 2014
Ready for the Rescue
A stubbed toe...a loss of loved one...depression...hurtful words...unsaid words,,,a broken heart...the list is endless and sometimes pain feels endless, especially if the pain is chronic and all of the above examples of pain are real. Well, maybe a stubbed toe might not qualify as chronic, but the very second one stubs his or her toe if feels dagum chronic!
Each month since the first of the year I have been having infusions for Myalgia, the doctors dropped the "Fibro" and at this moment are going with Myalgia. The infusions do me well for about 3 weeks out of the month and the on the 4th week of the month it's like having your period in a major way with lots of crazy muscle spasms.
Sunshine and I went out yesterday and had a girls's day...went thrifting...found some treasures,,,had lunch,,,and just spent much, much needed time together and it was a good day.
Now today, I am functioning to my degree of functionability, which is prescribe medicine and trying to regulate my temperature. However, at least at this point I am not in the bed, I am holding out and being strong for Sunshine, which leads me to the conversation, the very real conversation we just had.
This health issue isn't something that has just "popped" up I have been battling this 16 years, since Sunshine was 2 years old. She told me what I having been inevitably been putting off what I needed to do. Sometimes, it takes a "Sunshine" telling one what needs to go down for one to actually do it. She said, "Mama, you are almost 41 years old and some days you have to live like you are 80 and this is wrong." So, I am going to take her up on this and we are going rescue my life with God's help.
I recognize there are many people in own family that are fighting health battles and you all are in my prayers. Also, there is a young boy in our community that is fighting a rare form of cancer he is in my prayers. And all the people in silent pain, which perhaps the is the worst prayers for you as well.
Each month since the first of the year I have been having infusions for Myalgia, the doctors dropped the "Fibro" and at this moment are going with Myalgia. The infusions do me well for about 3 weeks out of the month and the on the 4th week of the month it's like having your period in a major way with lots of crazy muscle spasms.
Sunshine and I went out yesterday and had a girls's day...went thrifting...found some treasures,,,had lunch,,,and just spent much, much needed time together and it was a good day.
Now today, I am functioning to my degree of functionability, which is prescribe medicine and trying to regulate my temperature. However, at least at this point I am not in the bed, I am holding out and being strong for Sunshine, which leads me to the conversation, the very real conversation we just had.
This health issue isn't something that has just "popped" up I have been battling this 16 years, since Sunshine was 2 years old. She told me what I having been inevitably been putting off what I needed to do. Sometimes, it takes a "Sunshine" telling one what needs to go down for one to actually do it. She said, "Mama, you are almost 41 years old and some days you have to live like you are 80 and this is wrong." So, I am going to take her up on this and we are going rescue my life with God's help.
I recognize there are many people in own family that are fighting health battles and you all are in my prayers. Also, there is a young boy in our community that is fighting a rare form of cancer he is in my prayers. And all the people in silent pain, which perhaps the is the worst prayers for you as well.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Thank You! NO, Really THANK YOU!
My "Sunshine" graduated high school this past June and I am so very proud of her accomplishments. You see, I took her out of the public school system after her 7th grade year, not that she was struggling grade wise, but she was struggling in other areas in which I was blind in. During her 6th grade year, she was bullied and tripped by another student and my child broke her leg, a lot happened over that Summer and into her 7th grade year that I could just shake myself now. However, the past is the past and our family learned much from the tripping and broke leg and believe it or not we are still learning today.
"Sunshine" graduated with Honors in the National Honors Society and Honors in the Art Society, I am not bragging, but not too shabby if you ask this "Mama Bear". I can remember vividly sitting in a conference with the school district due to "Sunshine" missing too many days in her 7th grade year, well let's just call her SS for short was supposed to be there and I can remember one of the school board member's asking where she was. I responded that, "She was in school reviewing for an Honors Algebra exam." I honestly thought I had been hit by lighting when I heard his response, Well, I don't know why the child has missed over 60 days." WHOA MAMA! Well, I hope he found out that SS made a 96% on the exam!
She started Liberty University 2 weeks after graduating High School and is doing really well and is very happy. After being bullied and sorta being bullied through the school district for doubting her, she is seeking a degree in counseling concentrating on education. Ok...curve ball. Thank you again, girl who broke her leg and thank you again school district. No, really THANK YOU! Without this, I am not sure what my Freshman SS from Liberty University would be so passionate about. Again, this "Mama Bear" is very thankful her "bear cub" wants to help make a change.
"Sunshine" graduated with Honors in the National Honors Society and Honors in the Art Society, I am not bragging, but not too shabby if you ask this "Mama Bear". I can remember vividly sitting in a conference with the school district due to "Sunshine" missing too many days in her 7th grade year, well let's just call her SS for short was supposed to be there and I can remember one of the school board member's asking where she was. I responded that, "She was in school reviewing for an Honors Algebra exam." I honestly thought I had been hit by lighting when I heard his response, Well, I don't know why the child has missed over 60 days." WHOA MAMA! Well, I hope he found out that SS made a 96% on the exam!
She started Liberty University 2 weeks after graduating High School and is doing really well and is very happy. After being bullied and sorta being bullied through the school district for doubting her, she is seeking a degree in counseling concentrating on education. Ok...curve ball. Thank you again, girl who broke her leg and thank you again school district. No, really THANK YOU! Without this, I am not sure what my Freshman SS from Liberty University would be so passionate about. Again, this "Mama Bear" is very thankful her "bear cub" wants to help make a change.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Bark on the Beams
Sorry it's been awhile everyone. I took a break from blogging and decided to pick it up again. I hope I will continue to have my reader's and perhaps even more. First, I am going to apologize for my grammar ahead of time because when I start blogging (talking) to ya'll I almost forget about grammar. Anyway, it's great to be back!
We moved back in late February into the house I grew up in. This house was built in the early 80's and holds a lot of sweet memories for me. Many first's happened for me in this house. Now that I am 40 years old and I look at the beams in the basement that still have the bark on the them, they are really special to me. You are thinking, "Why is bark on the beams so important?" This house was built from the wood off of my grandparent''s land. I can remember vividly many, many Saturday's the saw mill would run behind my grandparents house...I can still hear it ringing in mind. Some day's if I am in the basement I touch the bark, just to feel it. It's kinda surreal to be back home raising my family here and everyday I seem to gain a new sweet memory. Hang tight to memories they grow sweeter each day! Is this our forever home, I have no clue...but I do know that I am thankful for the bark on the beams and thankful for the roof over my family's head.
KL
We moved back in late February into the house I grew up in. This house was built in the early 80's and holds a lot of sweet memories for me. Many first's happened for me in this house. Now that I am 40 years old and I look at the beams in the basement that still have the bark on the them, they are really special to me. You are thinking, "Why is bark on the beams so important?" This house was built from the wood off of my grandparent''s land. I can remember vividly many, many Saturday's the saw mill would run behind my grandparents house...I can still hear it ringing in mind. Some day's if I am in the basement I touch the bark, just to feel it. It's kinda surreal to be back home raising my family here and everyday I seem to gain a new sweet memory. Hang tight to memories they grow sweeter each day! Is this our forever home, I have no clue...but I do know that I am thankful for the bark on the beams and thankful for the roof over my family's head.
KL
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