21 June: Readings & Comments

5.1  /  91  Pre-Lunch       16:27:15  
7.2  / 129  Fasting         08:10:22  
9.3  / 167  Post-Bfast      11:37:10  Crumpet toast & PB. Fever.
5.8  / 105  Pre-Lunch       13:05:43  
6.8  / 122  Fasting         10:01:41  
6.3  / 113  Post-Bfast      12:51:39  Crumpet toast & PB
8.1  / 145  Post-Tea        20:14:54  KFC
6.7  / 120  Bedtime         23:51:35  
7.8  / 140  Fasting         08:47:36  Fever.
8.3  / 149  Post-Bfast      11:33:04  Fever.

I haven't been very good about readings lately. Probably because I'm a bit discouraged since being feverish makes my readings high and there's not much I can do that will fix it.

I was supposed to have the colonoscopy this past Tuesday, but it was cancelled (halfway through a liquid diet day, but fortunately before I had to take the laxatives for it). Now I don't know when it will be as I go to the end of the waiting list. It was cancelled because the nurses are on strike (they call it 'Industrial Action' here).

As to being feverish, I've been taking antibiotics since a couple weeks ago, and they worked well on the hole in my side. My back no longer has a build up of fluid and it feels better. The nurses tell me it looks good. However, it hasn't taken care of a lovely sinus infection (in the last 5-6 years I tend to have a constant sinus infection over the course of the whole winter), and a chest infection. So I went to see my GP today and we changed to Vibramycin from Keflex for the antibiotics and I got a new prescription for ventolin. My other puffers were well and truly expired. I don't use them very often. The expiration date on the 2 I had were for 2005!

Not a lot of news, I know, but not a lot to share, really. I will try to do better at testing more often.

OH, I'd installed Wine on my Linux box in hopes of using the Windows software I have for my glucose meter so I could use MY computer instead of the Laptop (which is a Windows machine) for updating my readings. It worked great the first few times, and then there was an update to Wine and suddenly accessing the meter was VERY VERY slow. There's been another update, and now it doesn't read my meter at all. So I'm back stuck having to use the laptop for updating my online database for my glucose readings. Really not to happy about that. Hopefully the next Wine update will have it fixed.

13 June: Readings & Comments

6.8  / 123  Fasting         09:05:16  
7.9  / 142  Post-Bfast      11:49:21  crumpet (not crumpet toast) w/ pb 
7.8  / 141  Pre-Lunch       13:38:31  Pretty high for pre-lunch.
8.4  / 152  Post-Lunch      16:00:29  What the?  Tuna on tortillas.  Fever
4.4  /  79  Pre-Tea         19:13:05  
5.5  /  99  Post-Tea        21:39:28  Ham, Potatoes, Cheese Bake. Feeling VERY shaky. Fever.

I didn't sleep well again last night and managed to 'catch' my temperature rise several times, as opposed to waking up in a cold sweat after the fever breaks. It's weird because it goes up for several minutes and then drops down to below normal and the pattern repeats all night long.

Aside from not having a good night's sleep, I had a pretty good day - quiet, but not feeling really sick or anything like that. My readings were definitely weird today... much higher than normal during the day (for me) and this evening fairly low. The fever came back about an hour ago (9pm or so) and has done it's usual rise and fall a few times, but the really weird thing is suddenly tonight my knees are feeling like they want to give out on me and I have that weird 'not enough oxygen' feeling (light-headedness?). Anyway, aside from my body being a twit, *I* feel fine. I've stayed busy on quiet projects and made tea (wasn't too hard). Meanwhile Rod came home and fell asleep this afternoon and then after tea has gone back for another rest. He seems to be taking the rest I don't feel I need (but probably do).

Anyway, tomorrow is my clinic appt and we'll see how that goes. I was planning to take the bus, so I hope this 'weak in the knees' crap goes away by then. Anyway, I'm going to call it a night and go to bed.

Better care

Last night I didn't sleep well. I woke up a few times after having had fever dreams and was drenched in sweat. The RDNS nurse and I had another round, but she assured me she'd still be looking after me and wouldn't make me go to the clinic. I don't drive, I take pain pills that make me not really safe to be taking even public transportation (just look at the number of times I've taken the wrong bus from Flinders Hospital and ended up at Colonnades instead of home).

The nurse wrote a note for my doctor listing fever, pain and purulent exudate as well as pockets of fluid in my back and asked for advice about antibiotics for me. (Nurses have to be careful not to step on toes - they can't come out and say I think she has an infection, give her antibiotics). So I made an appt, but couldn't get in see my own GP. I ended up with Mum's GP, Dr. Liew. He's not as bad as I thought. He actually looked at the hole in my side and did a culture. The results of the culture won't be back until Tuesday, but meanwhile he put me on strong antibiotics and told me to ring on Tuesday for the culture results. I'll also stop in and get a print out of the results to take with me for my appt next Thursday. So, more than a week after I developed signs of an infection, at least I finally have some positive steps taken that should lessen its damage, I hope. I'm feeling a bit run down today, and even took a nap earlier. It's quite painful as well, so I've just been pretty much taking it easy. I just really want this to go away. Soon.

I'm also down on the roster for every other day including weekend days. That's good.

I was left without waterproof dressing again, but that's OK as the wound can breath this way. I'll have Rod put Opsite over it on the weekend when I want to have a shower. Meanwhile, let it breath and heal.

The brown soft warm winter wrap I ordered on Mothers Day arrived today. OMG, it is SO soft, and So warm. It's like walking around being hugged. Or a bit of guilty pleasure... wandering around wearing a blanket around my shoulders. And it has pockets!

I learned today that my son Chris was given a Citizenship Award during his graduation ceremony and that one of the teachers told him later that the vote was unanimous. I am SO proud of that kid. There was even a speech given before giving him the award. Oh, how cool. I'm so bummed I wasn't there to see it, but I'm also just over the moon for him. This is really fantastic. He tells me someone took a movie of the ceremony and that if he can get a copy, he'll have a friend of the family make a DVD of it for me. That's be great! He's also going to try to get a copy of the speech that was given. I'd love to see that. I think I might burst with pride if I don't watch out!

Beyond a Joke!

I'm fed up. I'm fudging well fed up. Last week I started experiencing more pain above and below the 'hole' I have in my side, and the nurse noticed that I had a few areas that seemed like they might be pockets of fluid developing. I also had a rash in the exact shape of the best bandaging they've been using on me. The rash only started because instead of seeing me daily or even every other day they switched me to every other day during the week and not at all on weekends. One Friday my current nurse didn't put the protective wipe they use on my skin before putting on the bandaging and that's when the rash started. So last week Friday she left me with bandaging that wasn't waterproof and I had to endure a weekend of no showers.

Last Friday I rang the clinic to find out what they wanted me to do and they more or less fudged me off and told me to see my GP. He couldn't see the pocket fluids (you'd need to feel it rather than see it visually and you can really feel it). He gave me a talking to about what to watch for in case the pain in the area turned out to be shingles because it's the area of the body where the blisters usually appear. And sent me on my merry way with a script for more Fenac - an anti-inflamatory I take for my arthritis. So come Monday, I hadn't had a shower since Friday morning, and the dressing leaked during the night. Ugh. Same thing yesterday. I woke up completely wet on that side from leakage and when the nurse came to change it she remarked at how much more exudite my wound had, and used twice as much Seasorb inside. Well, last night I had another leak because the dressing she was putting on was tiny - only 10cmx10cm and didn't hold the exudite.

All the other RDNS nurses I've had have always said if I had a problem to ring her. So this morning I rang to let her know it was leaking and she walked in and the first thing she said was 'You know we're not really a call out service.' WTF???? I like this nurse as a person, usually, but as a nurse she's a disaster. She's very untidy and today I found the rest of the aquacel (another absorbent thing they stick inside me) on the floor and it had to be thrown away. Along with that, there were other bits and pieces on the floor as well.

When she changed my dressing today she said it was even wetter than the day before and found that by pressing on one of the pockets she was able to get out pus and blood from my wound. She called the clinic for me and was only able to leave a message, but said if they rang her back she would let me know the results. She also said she would see me tomorrow and access how often I should be seen in light of the fact Monday is a public holiday (Queen's birthday). I may need to be seen on Sunday and then Tuesday, Thurs, Saturday, etc.

She rang me back about half an hour ago and the Wound care clinic says I'm not their problem. I'm to be seen next week by Plastics. And Plastics said that their normal clinic day is Monday but because of the holiday on Monday the nearest time they could see me would be next Thursday ... which is when I have my appointment! I was polite on the phone, but when I hung up, I said to myself, this thing is going to explode, and they're going to be telling me I should have had it looked at sooner - to which I'll say I TRIED, and no one wanted anything to do with it! It's not like I'm a rude patient. OK, today I had to stand up for myself (I'm still ticked with the 'We're not a call out service' remark), but as soon as she looked at my dressing she had to eat her words. I wasn't being a nuisance, I NEEDED it taken care of.

It's on my side, so it's not like I can do it myself, and being a deep 10cm hole, we need someone professional to deal with it. Otherwise, I jolly well would deal with it on my own or with Rod's help. But not when it's a 10cm tunnel! I've always been nice to the nurses in the clinic. I made a bookmark for one of them, and they always know me and more than one has remarked that I have the patience of a saint.

I'm tired of this merry go round I didn't ask to be on, and I'm fudging fed up. Yesterday was the 3 month mark. I've been dealing with this for 3 months plus 2 weeks prior to that when I was feverish and ill but had to wait until it came to a head THEN before anyone really paid attention and did something about it. Looks like I'm travelling the same road again now and I want off.

GRRR. Well we're off to do grocery shopping and pick up some KFC for tea.

Weight Loss

Vicki put a few photos on Flicker today from her grand-daughters 11th birthday a few years ago. For her birthday, Lakita wanted to have a girls baking day, so April and I took over Vicki's kitchen with her and her sister. We made a whole day of baking lovely goodies which would be part of the goodies for her birthday party the next day. It was a wonderful day and fun to spend time with two girls. April was amazed with my patience. Yeah, right - it's hard to yell when you're full of chocolatey goodness!

What astonished me was how much weight I've lost since that piccy was taken. I've asked Vicki how old Lakita is and when I sort out how long ago the pic was taken, I'll add that info here.

It's so heartening to be able to really see some tangible progress. I know I have a lot of pairs of pants that no longer fit as they're too large, and equally as many pairs that used to be too small that do fit now, but these two photos really sum up the changes for me.

Before (2003 ?):


After (Jan 2007):