No infection! We are just back from the doctor and it's looking good. We really didn't think there was any infection, but some orthopedic infections can be almost dormant. Her bloodwork was normal and the catscan looked very good, all things considered. The leukocyte scan seems ok, but the mealy-mouth doctor who wrote the report didn't really say anything useful, so Dr. Chiodo is going to get hold of the chief of radiology and have him read the scans. Regardless, things look good.
On Wednesday, Queenee is going to be cast for a more supportive brace called an Arizona brace. This should give her much better support than the heavy brace she has now, without being so unwieldy.
If she gets good support and pain relief while wearing the Arizona brace, she can delay surgery until she feels it is needed. If the brace isn't a big help, then she'll most likely end up having the ankle fused fairly soon, which should relieve most, if not all, of her pain, though she will lose what flexibility she has in that joint. Still, being pain-free might be a very good trade-off for her at this point. But we'll see how the brace works first.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sophia is missing
I am about to have a very bad week. I haven't seen Sophia since yesterday afternoon. I've looked up and down the street. I've walked all around the yard calling her and saw no sign of her. She does wander a bit, but she has never been gone this long. I've checked the barn and the closets, no Sophia. I'm hoping against hope that a coyote didn't grab her, which is what I've always feared may have happened to Eve. There are large dog tracks in the side yard which may be the local coyote we've seen, along with deer and raccoon tracks. PopPop checked the barn cellar and has an eye out for her when he is in the yard. It isn't looking good. I feel like I've lost my best friend.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Ike's aftermath
Knowing that an ocean surge can devastate the land and that the aftermath continues as each and every plant continues to die and how much worse it gets and looks in the continuing weeks…
Knowing that the cleanup seems unending…
Knowing that the struggle to get through another day seems to go on unending…
Knowing that watching a bulldozer working to move debris from your street and wondering where will it all go, and how will you ever get it back…
Knowing that hearts and minds are tested to the limit…
Knowing that no matter how well your home is built, it simply won't matter…
Knowing that a single smile from a volunteer and a hug can lift spirits higher than imagined…
This post is for all those going as volunteers to help in this time of crisis. With strong will, determination and the generosity of those volunteers, there is hope on the horizon.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Happy birthday, Queenee!
Today is the Queen's happy birthday! After what she's been through this year, we're all feeling very lucky to have her with us to celebrate another birthday, and we're expecting her to be around for many more to come! Queenee, PopPop and I are heading out to the Olive Garden for dinner. PopPop has been there once before and has decided that he doesn't like their food, although he has no recollection of what he had or where it was. We're dragging him out anyway.
Queenee had her tagged leukocyte scan yesterday. What a long day, holy moly. We got to the hospital at 6:45am and got checked in, then went to nuclear medicine to have her blood drawn. Queenee does not have great veins and is not a good bleeder, so that was, as expected, the worst thing for her. However, after almost half an hour, the blood was drawn and she was fitted with a catheter in the back of her hand, ready to get the blood back at around noon. The tech had her cell number and said she would call us as soon as the blood was ready. We went to the main lobby, where there is a coffee shop and a lot of light, to sit and wait. And wait. And wait.
Queenee brought a book, but wished she had brought two. By the time 9:30am rolled around, she had finished the book and had nothing to do but chat with the few other people who were also waiting around for some reason. At 10:30am we decided to hit the trail, so we went to the gift shop and then to the cafeteria. They don't start serving until 11:30am, so we were sitting at a table waiting for them to open when the lab called. Back down to nuclear medicine, and she got her tagged white cells injected. That took only a minute or two, and she was very happy to be rid of the catheter. We were told to be back at 2pm for her scan, so we headed back to the cafeteria to get something to eat. After lunch, we went back to the lobby, since it was the nicest place to sit. And wait. And wait. And wait.
Finally 2pm came and she was back in the lab for scanning. They got her in at about 2:30pm and the three-part scan took a little over an hour. Then, because we hadn't been sitting around and waiting enough that day already, we got to wait until the head radiologist had a look at the images — they need to be good enough to determine whether or not an infection is present. If they were not, since she already went through the tagging, they would simply rescan the ankle and foot. So after an hour or so we got word that the scans were fine, and at about 4:30pm we headed home. It was almost 6pm when we got home, and as you can imagine, Queenee was beat.
We won't know the results for another couple weeks. Her follow-up appointment is on the 29th. I'll keep everyone posted.
Queenee had her tagged leukocyte scan yesterday. What a long day, holy moly. We got to the hospital at 6:45am and got checked in, then went to nuclear medicine to have her blood drawn. Queenee does not have great veins and is not a good bleeder, so that was, as expected, the worst thing for her. However, after almost half an hour, the blood was drawn and she was fitted with a catheter in the back of her hand, ready to get the blood back at around noon. The tech had her cell number and said she would call us as soon as the blood was ready. We went to the main lobby, where there is a coffee shop and a lot of light, to sit and wait. And wait. And wait.
Queenee brought a book, but wished she had brought two. By the time 9:30am rolled around, she had finished the book and had nothing to do but chat with the few other people who were also waiting around for some reason. At 10:30am we decided to hit the trail, so we went to the gift shop and then to the cafeteria. They don't start serving until 11:30am, so we were sitting at a table waiting for them to open when the lab called. Back down to nuclear medicine, and she got her tagged white cells injected. That took only a minute or two, and she was very happy to be rid of the catheter. We were told to be back at 2pm for her scan, so we headed back to the cafeteria to get something to eat. After lunch, we went back to the lobby, since it was the nicest place to sit. And wait. And wait. And wait.
Finally 2pm came and she was back in the lab for scanning. They got her in at about 2:30pm and the three-part scan took a little over an hour. Then, because we hadn't been sitting around and waiting enough that day already, we got to wait until the head radiologist had a look at the images — they need to be good enough to determine whether or not an infection is present. If they were not, since she already went through the tagging, they would simply rescan the ankle and foot. So after an hour or so we got word that the scans were fine, and at about 4:30pm we headed home. It was almost 6pm when we got home, and as you can imagine, Queenee was beat.
We won't know the results for another couple weeks. Her follow-up appointment is on the 29th. I'll keep everyone posted.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
We Love Our Queenee
Happy Birthday Mom, Nan, Tuck, Tuckie, Shots, Nannie, Pinkie Stinkie, Mama-cita… wish we could all be together to share cake, take a few schluk's and stories around the table, take a stroll in the yard, water the flowers and pick a few...
I can see you all sitting under the trees in the shade sipping Mojito's!!! picking fresh MINT!! Love our Drink pix wabbit!
I know your exhausted today. I'll call tonite.
I can see you all sitting under the trees in the shade sipping Mojito's!!! picking fresh MINT!! Love our Drink pix wabbit!
I know your exhausted today. I'll call tonite.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Happy birthday, Dawg!
Today is Dawg's happy birthday. He's creeping up on the big 5-0, which Deacon hits in January. And while Queenee's birthday isn't until Wednesday, we thought we'd have a cake and small celebration today for both Dawg and the Queen.
We had a nice brunch of Eggs Benedict and mimosas, then this beautiful cake that DamCat brought. Lots of musical cards, a Navajo carved bear from Fluffy, beautiful mums from the D's and P's, as well as a fab new eyeglass case for Queenee from EP (to replace the one she lost at the hospital last time), some lottery tickets (still no winners) and winning efforts by both the Sox and the Pats&hellip a good day all around!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
PopPop's face
PopPop smacked his face on the bathroom floor last night during dinner. He was rushing into the bathroom and tripped over his own feet and fell flat. He get occasional reflux and goes into the bathroom until it passes. Last night he wasn't sure if it was reflux or just something he needed to cough up, but he was moving too fast down that very narrow hall and tripped himself. Except for the bruising across the bridge of his nose, he's fine. He's feeling fine this morning and seems rather pleased with his bruise. He's gone off to play golf.
Queenee's leukocyte scan is scheduled for next Tuesday at 7am. We'll most likely be in the hospital all day, but at least this test will tell us whether or not she has an infection in her ankle.
Ike has passed south of the Keys and is aiming for the southern coast of Texas. Dodged another one!
Queenee's leukocyte scan is scheduled for next Tuesday at 7am. We'll most likely be in the hospital all day, but at least this test will tell us whether or not she has an infection in her ankle.
Ike has passed south of the Keys and is aiming for the southern coast of Texas. Dodged another one!
Monday, September 08, 2008
Hurricane Ike
This is turning out to be another one of those nasty hurricane seasons, much like 2005. We're hearing that a tropical storm warning was issued today for the Florida Keys, from Ocean Reef south to the Dry Tortugas. Hopefully that's as bad as it will be. Haiti got hit hard and Cuba is getting it now, but I sure hope the worst of it passes well south of the Keys.
Just a small jog to the north will be a real problem. Stay on course, Ike, stay on course!
Just a small jog to the north will be a real problem. Stay on course, Ike, stay on course!
Turner at the Met
I went to NYC on Friday to see the Turner exhibit at the Met, which was wonderful. I've always been a fan of Turner, especially his watercolors and late oils, which are almost impressionistic, but show a very loose hand. He wasn't always popular with the critics in his time, but none doubted that he was the great talent of his generation.
It was also an experiment, to see if taking the Bolt Bus is a good way to get down and back. Turns out it is. The bus leaves South Station at 7:30am, gets to NYC at 11:30am, and drops you off at the corner of 8th and 34th, a block from Penn Station. The C train is right downstairs, goes uptown to 81st, where you take the crosstown bus to the Met. The whole day, including lunch, came to about $70, and I didn't have to drive or park! I can budget for that, so I'll definitely do that again! In fact, it's only a block from the Hotel Pennsylvania, where Queenee and I try to stay when we go into town, so it would be a better way to get there for our trips also.
Of course, we won't be making that trip anytime soon. I've got a call in to the nuclear medicine department to see about scheduling her leukocyte scan. They are supposed to call us, but we haven't heard yet. She's doing very well, worried about the weather in the Keys and how the Krew are doing, but otherwise is fine. She is staying positive about the upcoming treatment/surgery for her ankle, which surprises nobody.
It was also an experiment, to see if taking the Bolt Bus is a good way to get down and back. Turns out it is. The bus leaves South Station at 7:30am, gets to NYC at 11:30am, and drops you off at the corner of 8th and 34th, a block from Penn Station. The C train is right downstairs, goes uptown to 81st, where you take the crosstown bus to the Met. The whole day, including lunch, came to about $70, and I didn't have to drive or park! I can budget for that, so I'll definitely do that again! In fact, it's only a block from the Hotel Pennsylvania, where Queenee and I try to stay when we go into town, so it would be a better way to get there for our trips also.
Of course, we won't be making that trip anytime soon. I've got a call in to the nuclear medicine department to see about scheduling her leukocyte scan. They are supposed to call us, but we haven't heard yet. She's doing very well, worried about the weather in the Keys and how the Krew are doing, but otherwise is fine. She is staying positive about the upcoming treatment/surgery for her ankle, which surprises nobody.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Queenee's ankle
Queenee saw the ankle specialist, Dr. Chiodo, this morning. More x-rays were taken before he saw her, and he made a very strong point of telling her to stop thinking "fix" and start thinking "salvage". There is no fixing going to happen. She had a bad break to begin with, she'll never walk normally again and she just has to accept that. She'll have to dial things back, rest a little more, and stop pushing herself to be all things to all people.
There are some shadows in her x-rays that do not bode well. If she is lucky, the bone will turn out to be osteopenic, bone that just isn't as dense or strong as it should be as a result of the break, though osteopenia itself doesn't show up on regular x-rays.
If she is not lucky, she may have an infection in the bone. This could be very bad news, depending on how much the infection has progressed. A small infection might be able to be treated with a long course of IV antibiotics and perhaps some surgery. An advanced infection could result in her losing the lower leg. Yes, we're talking amputation. Obviously we all hope that is not the case. The series of tests that are underway will tell the tale. Bloodwork was done at the Faulkner, then we went to Brigham and Women's for a CATscan. Finally, she'll be scheduled for a tagged WBC scan &mdash some radioactive material will be attached to a sample of white blood cells, then re-injected into a vein, then she will be scanned. There is only one person at B&W that does the WBC scans, so we'll wait for him to call and schedule our Queenee. Once all the tests are complete, some decisions can be made.
In the best case, she'll probably have the ankle joint fused. She'll lose the flexibility in the ankle, but she's down to 20 degrees now and has significant arthritis in there, so that will only continue to decrease. At least she'll be pain-free. She'll also have a minimum of nine months recovery, and Dr. Chiodo said probably more realistically it will be a full year. That is sure to try her patience. In the worst case… well, we'll burn that bridge if and when we have to cross it. Meanwhile she maintains her usual good humor and will face down whatever needs doing when she knows for sure what that will be.
There are some shadows in her x-rays that do not bode well. If she is lucky, the bone will turn out to be osteopenic, bone that just isn't as dense or strong as it should be as a result of the break, though osteopenia itself doesn't show up on regular x-rays.
If she is not lucky, she may have an infection in the bone. This could be very bad news, depending on how much the infection has progressed. A small infection might be able to be treated with a long course of IV antibiotics and perhaps some surgery. An advanced infection could result in her losing the lower leg. Yes, we're talking amputation. Obviously we all hope that is not the case. The series of tests that are underway will tell the tale. Bloodwork was done at the Faulkner, then we went to Brigham and Women's for a CATscan. Finally, she'll be scheduled for a tagged WBC scan &mdash some radioactive material will be attached to a sample of white blood cells, then re-injected into a vein, then she will be scanned. There is only one person at B&W that does the WBC scans, so we'll wait for him to call and schedule our Queenee. Once all the tests are complete, some decisions can be made.
In the best case, she'll probably have the ankle joint fused. She'll lose the flexibility in the ankle, but she's down to 20 degrees now and has significant arthritis in there, so that will only continue to decrease. At least she'll be pain-free. She'll also have a minimum of nine months recovery, and Dr. Chiodo said probably more realistically it will be a full year. That is sure to try her patience. In the worst case… well, we'll burn that bridge if and when we have to cross it. Meanwhile she maintains her usual good humor and will face down whatever needs doing when she knows for sure what that will be.
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