(no subject)
You know, I don't post a lot of highly personal stuff in here for reasons you're probably all aware of. I remember posting something a while back about the monstrous black cloud that seemed to be hovering over my office. I have some updates on that and while some of them are wonderful news, some are tragic, so don't read any further if you're sensitive to that. And then there's that rare personal bit I don't usually share...
My sweet receptionist's 25 year old brother with the tumor in his chest... well, he had it removed last week. It had grown from the size of a baseball to the size of a basketball before they took it out and had attached to his heart. They removed a lung and fought for over 36 hours to keep him alive, but within 36 hours after he left the operating room, he was standing up and moving out of his Intensive Care room. He'll make a full recovery.
The girl that works for me with the chronically ill baby and mother who was diagnosed with a aggressive form of cancer has seen the baby through another surgery, and just last week passed through four days of one hundred and two degree fever with strep. For a baby with virtually no immune system, this kid is tough. The mom with cancer is starting a new type of Chemo next week, but they did manage to get the entire family together for a beach vacation before she does.
Another friend in my office got a call Thursday morning from her niece who was crying. She'd just woken up to find her boyfriend dead in bed beside her. Their baby is due in a month.
Pookie is still fighting to keep his relationship together, but he's managed to slip a disk in his back while doing it, pinching a nerve in his spine which may or may not respond to therapy. He's seeing the same neurologist I see, ironically, who just sent me to an orthopedist for what he thought was Bicep Tendonitis. Not. It's a Shoulder Impingement which will be easily set right with 6 weeks of physical therapy... except for one tiny little setback.
Here's where the dark cloud got me, kids. A little over a week ago I found a very large lump in my right breast. My doctor sent me the very next day to a surgeon, who sent me the very next day for diagnostics, and will be seeing me tomorrow to give me the results of the tests. Whatever the tests indicate, whether it's cancer or not, I'll need to have this lump surgically removed, pronto.
What does this mean in practical terms? I'm missing a lot of work for doctors, surgeon, orthopedist, therapy and tests. I'm racking up a small fortune in UHC co-pays, but I'm hugely grateful for having such incredibly good insurance. My vacation to Japan this year is hereby cancelled, because I'm not sure I'll have the money to comfortably do it. I need a new vacation plan, though. I guess I'm thinking about any little thing I can possibly come up with that doesn't actually have anything to do with being sick, because really, what can I do about it?
Oh, I know. I'll bug my friends!
Kitty