Mood:
don't askNow Playing: Day 552-The Final Road To Survival
For the love of you know what!! Or more like for the love of three rolls of toilet paper, four Tylenol, three Pedialyte, two bottles of Gatorade and a sleepless night in Ohio this stuff was EXTRA WICKED THIS TIME AROUND!
I should had known when I started drinking my first glass of Drano aka Hell-In-A-Jug not only did it smell like plastic but I assume it was what plastic also tasted like that this would be a very scary treatment. It was WICKED! Instead of taking hours to work it hit me all at once and wayyyy too fast! Not only that I was in the bathroom over 30 times before I even had a chance to close my eyes. Let's just say I was back in the bathroom at least once an hour. Littleblue growled at me around 4am when I about fell off my couchbed in a mad dash to make it to the bathroom. The horrible migraine also hit me much earlier. It usually kicks in the next day. I didn't rid of the headache until early this evening. This was after racing to flush fluids into my body. I lost track of how much I consumed. I just know it was a scary experience.
Strange how Gastroparesis can affect your GI organs and lack of motility leaves you with the unknown.
My friend stayed the night as well today because I was too unsteady to take a shower without someone at the house. I also didn't feel like blacking out at home alone. I felt a bit toxic with horrible upper right pain a few days prior to treatment. Not only was it a sign from my angry intestines but I should had did treatment a few days prior and not hold off a few extra days.
Live and Learn.
As my friend said and put it best, "You just lost three inches off your waist in a matter of hours! You must be exhausted but at the same time no longer toxic."
AMEN!
It was another rainy and cool day outside but a perfect time to finish the dreaded paint projects. Did they finally get completed? Well...we sure hoped so but after peeling off the painters tape there are just a few touch ups left to do tomorrow.
Its another rainy and cold day forecasted with only one appointment I need to attend seeing my Neurologist and Neurosurgeon. By then I will have the low down on my back and find out what my future holds. I already looked into the surgery more than a few times and sadly my body could never endure such a procedure or the recovery. I do better being in the 'know' so it is what it is and I will do the best I can with a new road to survival ahead of me.
Finally its fall again and the weather did a quick change! Once I got up from another solid night of sleep it was windy and cool outside but the animal gang sure love it! Especially Littleblue because this is her kind of weather. SnowDog weather; Once I let her outside shes almost impossible to get back in because she loves the cold weather. Its great shes able to run her energy outside then nap for a few hours only to get back up and do it all over again. WHAT A LIFE!
My parents left after a few hours but still we were not finished up but my friend was on their way so surely we can get this annoying painting completed. WRONG AGAIN! He started finishing the upstairs hallway and I still was trying to get a second coat on the doors. Not only was I getting frustrated but I was also getting tired. I still had a jug of liquid dynamite to drink. 
Let's just say we might have one more day finishing up the last of the painting. I got a late start on my Drano treatment aka Hell-In-A-Jug due to the darn painting. Which was worse today? Paint or Drano? GEES! Once I started on my first glass I was finally finished with the toxic poison two hours later. My friend endured a small glass of flavored Drano on a dare. Of course I only poured a little bit because even I wouldn't wish a glass of nightmare on my worst enemy. Pineapple flavoring is the worst but honestly none of them taste good so I like to drink my ocean salt water 'straight up!' Not chilling it makes it more potent in hopes I am not waiting days to rid the entire mix.
on fire
Pumpkin kitty turned 13 this weekend and had a very meowy birthday. Through out the day today he was busy playing with some new toy catnip mice. Oreo and Littleblue spent the day catching up on sleep from all the unexpected company this week. As for myself? I finally hung up my 'Lifeline.' Honestly I don't feel anymore safe wearing a button on a necklace than having a cell phone to call 911. The biggest difference is when I did accidentally hit the button it would take anywhere from one minute to almost two minutes for someone to pick up at the call center. With my condition time is of the essence and I don't have time to waste. The times I had to call 911 due to being very sick it took two seconds for someone to pick up and stay on the line with me until an ambulance arrived. If I am to count on 'Lifeline' to save me I would be in HUGE TROUBLE. 
celebratory
Their answer and finally my answer this evening once that huge lightbulb went off in my head: 
d'oh
Wow! It's already Sweetest Day?! Where has the year gone? I can't believe October is almost over too and the 'United GP Walk' is almost a week away! YIKES! 
Well off to clean up the house from that 'unexpected photo shoot' dropped on my lap at 11pm last night. Remember us maids don't get paid...not in this house for now anyways but that is soon about to change, keep you posted on that! One thing I have learned from years of therapy from my wonderful and amazing doctor is you can't change people but you can change how you react and this time I dusted not just myself off but the house too once I got home! Hahahahaha!
down
Littleblue has been antsy today wanting outside in the backyard to play. With all the rain we had yesterday the ground is just too wet and I know the first thing she will do is start playing in the mud. At least she hasn't unstuffed any of her stuffed animals today due to being bored. With the Halloween display outside and plenty of visitors taking pictures it keeps her and Oreo busy. Oreo mostly with barking and Littleblue just standing up on the couch in the window as people look and say, "It's a wolf!" Hahahahaha!
It started with a not so great night of sleep and waking up with a nasty migraine followed by not feeling so stable and low blood pressure. Usually I am sluggish after treatment and only to be expected but today for some reason it hit me extra hard and I was dragging all...day....
We didn't have any rain today although it is in our near future. Like tomorrow and this weekend. At least I had a few great laughs since the outdoor Halloween classic monster display was up and running outside including the fog machines and lights. I had a few walkie talkies I forgot about downstairs so I charged them up for around 30 minutes then placed one in the pocket of Michael Myers. Once I got back inside me and my friend waited for the first lucky person brave enough to either pull up in their car with the window down near the life size character or even better! Walk up to it! We got both and BOY WAS IT FUNNY!
The reactions were priceless of unexpected visitors but they too laughed, laughed, laughed! Sure, I am not one to watch horror movies. In fact if you have one on TV or on video and I walk into the room I refuse to stay and will walk right back out. My life has been nothing but horror the past eight years so I have no need to watch them.
The local newspaper boy came by the house as his Mom drove down the driveway. I walked outside and got the paper. She began to ask about the Halloween display and commented on how many cars stop and drive by each day. She also said something that really sums up the entire point of the Halloween display which was, "You sure bring joy and many smiles to hundreds of people each year. Not to mention hundreds of children."
quizzical
This 'was' a day of Drano aka Hell-In-A-Jug however when even just a littleeeee touch of stress dances into my life on treatment day it changes things. It also changes treatment day seeing the side effects drinking this 'YOU KNOW WHAT' can be deadly if you mix it with stress. I was honestly adamant about drinking it this afternoon. This was obviously before the stress. 
Once I got home I had a chance again to really give some careful thought into the problem with my back and fracture. I also got a phone call from my other specialist who suggested I look into the surgical procedure online before my appointment on October 20th. What I didn't plan on seeing was just how extensive it would be rebuilding my spine and placing spacers, rods, stints, etc. NO WAY! After an hour reading about the surgery and seeing videos not to mention the long recovery process there is just no way in heck I could handle any surgery whether alone a BACK SURGERY! The problem once again is my pre-existing hellish condition called 'Idiopathic Gastroparesis.' The other problem is my body is too exhausted to be put through any further surgical procedures. I told my doctor today that honestly I didn't feel I could go through any surgery no matter how serious things are going on internally. Even if it paralyzes me from the waist down this includes my back. 
I wasn't sure as I told my therapist if even seeing the Neuro surgeon would be such a great idea next week because I already know they are not comfortable with things going on as well with my Idiopathic Gastroparesis. Its a catch 22. I have to keep moving and stay mobile due to my paralyzed organs however now with the compression fracture and back problems staying active will only make things worse. Darn if I do and darn if I don't. Some people do better 'not knowing.' This gal does better knowing exactly what evil medical monster I am fighting. It might not be good news and if things don't get repaired with my back sooner than later I am looking at the near future in a wheelchair. If anything out of this sad situation I told my doctor today, "I guess it could be worse. Things could be worse. Instead of my lumbar it could be problems with my neck that would paralyze me far worse than just losing the ability to walk." My therapist just shook his head and tried to smile. He said, "Some people are just born to battle and find strength within. You just do better knowing what is going on with your body while most don't want to know. Its amazing strength you have, its a blessing."
I called my friend to see if they wanted to hit the trails at a local park down the street from my house. I got pretty good sleep last night so why not? We decided to hit the trails later in the day. This way we could first go run some errands. The leaves are turning colors rather quickly so its time to grab the camera and catch nature in action. With all the projects that finally got completed there are only a few things left to do around the house but surely they can wait until later in the week. 
We had to take my car seeing the wheelchair is already in the back. Its not so bad transferring the wheelchair from one car to another as long as it fits. My friend already had moving boxes in the back of their car so we just took mine. I used to walk the trails on a daily basis but this was before my Idiopathic Gastroparesis quickly progressed. I wasn't sure if I could make it all the way around the trail whether alone make it half way through. My back also is another new problem I am having to quickly learn to work around so instead of getting stuck on the trail and having to get my friend to run back for the wheelchair we took it on the walk with us. It was a great idea! I honestly don't think I could had made it without my wheelchair nor my wheelchair assistant, heeheeheehee. He did extremely well and was very patient. 