5/24/2014 Update

Good Morning Gentlepeople,

This is usually a good time to work on this.  Jerry and Mom are asleep, and the dogs are resting quietly.  This is more fun than doing the dishes. LOL

My little Yorkie, Grayson, is grieving over Stewart.  He won’t get up on the couch with me.  That spot was Stewart’s, and he doesn’t want to be loved on or held.  Considering the fact that Grayson was never a cuddle buddy, but he would always get up on the couch with me as long as I promised not to hold, squeeze or kiss on him. No, Grayson is not very good as a snuggle bug, but he still follows me around everywhere.  I think Grayson thinks I’m gonna run away from home and escape, and he’s not letting me go without him.  I always knew he was a smart dog!!!

I’m holding my own with my liver disease.  Had more blood work done on Thursday (May 22) and when I called about it, my results were really good.  On top of being a diabetic and having to take 7 shots a day (not always good about taking my shots) and the dietary restrictions that goes with that (nasty healthy food) now I have to be very careful about ingesting things with potassium.  I knew bananas were high in it, but tomatoes, potatoes, avocados, as well as many other “healthy” foods will mess me up.  I’m on 2 diuretics, lasix and and spiro-oh who cares.  The spiro works the best, but it also causes high potassium.  If my levels go too high, I could have a heart attack, and without it, I’ll have to go to the hospital all the time.  The nurses at the juicing station have told me that they have some people coming in everyday and having 10-20 liters drained off each time.  Oh, the threat of infection, that is really scary.  So now I’m attempting to watch everything I buy at the supermarket, but there are a lot of labels that don’t mention the potassium content.

Mama loves to go out to eat, and she really loves Golden Corral (if given the choice).  Mama’s brother, Kenny, and their cousin, Betty, have been going on Wednesday for the past several years, and they would rather go to Ryan’s.  I had to have a hard talk with Mama, cuz she wants to go every week.  I can’t physically afford to go that frequently.  I went with the group to Ryan’s acouple of weeks ago, and I used to really enjoy the place.  However, Ryan’s has changed so much, and I am not impressed.  So, I don’t have to worry about overeating there, LOL.  But when I have a doctor appointment or labs—Mama strikes for the kill.  If I don’t take her to Golden Corral, I WILL pay for it!  There’s nothing worse than a hungry 76 year-old Mama (being all of 4’ 11”) and I am just too tired to fight anymore.  I’ll take her every 2 weeks, and if she wants to go more often, she can go with Uncle Kenny and Cousin Betty.  I never had children, but this is what I would imagine from a child—throwing a temper tantrum.  I have learned that I have to pick my battles with her. Besides, she’s so cute when she’s not mad.

Guess I had better shut up.  I want to get the dishes done before Mama wakes up. Quite sure she’ll want a Hardy’s bacon, egg and cheese biscuit and a McDonald’s coffee.  Fortunately they are caddy-corner to each other.

Cya,

Arlynda Lea

Hellurrr Again

Thank you all, who have responded to my first blog posting!!!  It was very encouraging.

Please don’t be upset if I haven't got back to some of you.  I'm still working on it.

Like everyone, I have my good and bad days.  I just don't see having many good days this summer.  I'm starting to retain fluids again.  It has not been as bad the last 2-3 months, but I have gained 20 pounds in just a couple of weeks.

This brings me back to my story I started earlier.  I finally had my first appointment with the “liver specialist” in November of 2012.  Turns out, there are no liver specialists in Springfield, Missouri, and this specialist is actually a G.I.

His purpose is to be a go-between me and the liver specialists in St. Louis, who are about a 4-hour drive away.  My doctor here orders all the tests (blood, MRI, ultrasounds, cat scans) and anything else they would need.  I sure didn't want to leave here at 2 AM, to have the tests done in St. Louis.

My first appointment in St. Louis was pretty disappointing after only getting to talk to that doctor maybe 20 minutes or so.  He did, however, concur with my Springfield “liver specialist” that I have non-alcoholiccirrhosis of the liver.  Not that this was something I wanted to hear, of course.

I have never been much of a drinker.  In fact, I can count on both hands the times I've been intoxicated.  Come to think of it, the last time was with my husband (who has always been such a good influence upon me) on the night of our second wedding ceremony over 20 years ago, which is another story for another time.

Now, if having cirrhosis of the liver is hereditary, I could understand, as my Daddy was a serious drinker.  I always had a fear of him because of his temper.  It was bad enough when he was sober, but if he'd been drinking…  Okay, that's enough of that.

Nonetheless, there is a hereditary factor to my illness.  For fatty liver disease runs in my family, and when combined with type-2 diabetes, non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver can result.  Of course, if it had not of taken the wonderful doctors I have seen here in Springfield over 10 years to connect the dots, I might not be as sick as I am now.

Anyway, back to the doctor in St. Louis.  He gave me 2-5 years to live without a liver transplant, and at that point, I wouldn't be placed on the transplant list until I had lost 50 pounds and quit smoking.  Goodness, I have a better chance of winning the lottery!  In any event, it couldn’t hurt to buy a ticket—huh?

I make the trip back to St. Louis every six months, and there is a group of doctors working together up there.  So, I may never see the first one again. Whoever is free (in regards to availability—not money) at the appointment time is the one I'll see.

I have quit smoking for the most part, but when I'm with my sister, I have to smoke.  Using an e-cig has proven helpful in reducing the amount of nicotine I ingest—not to mention being a lot less expensive.  I want to keep using it and wean down to 0 mg of nicotine before quitting altogether.

Instead of losing weight, I have gained, though.  Between the fluid and just plain ol’ overeating, I have gained over 50 pounds since first seeing the doctor in St. Louis.  I was so excited when the fluid started to come off from the paracentesis procedures and the diuretics starting to really work.  Hey, I even doubled the 50 pounds he wanted me to lose.  YIPPEE!!!  I felt so wonderful for about a month, and then the weight started piling on again.  Looks like salads are my new best friend.  I am scheduled to go back to St. Louis in August.  So, I have time to get it better under-control.

It's been well over a year since I was diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver, and I seem to be holding my own.  My liver is still functioning.  Not great, but it is working.

I am so sorry to drag you all through the cirrhosis drama, but I wanted to show you what I can do— despite being so sick.  To be perfectly honest about it, blogging is as much about our Heavenly Father showing me what He can do in and through me—despite my sickness, though.

I'm so tired, but I'll hang in there for a while longer.  Future posts won't be so gloomy, cuz I have good things going on, too!

See ya all later.

Hellurrr

Normally, my husband is merely irritating, but lately, he has become a royal pain in my tookus over me finally getting with the blogging program.  So, I had to do something to drive him at least as nuts as he has been driving me, and he absolutely hates it when I say, “Hellurrr.”

No, I am not a very large black woman—let alone Madea, himself.  I am, however, the saint, who married Jerry 20 years ago. It's taken me all this time to teach him that I'm always right, but there are still times when he forgets.  After I “remind” him of what is what, our lives are harmonious again.

I hope it won’t take as long to train all of you, but in the meantime, please be patient and kind with me.  Needless to say, I have never done this before.  So, it may take me awhile to learn how to bend you to my will without actually bending you in a physical sense.

Oh, and if you have not figured it out by now, my name is Arlynda Lea, with Lea being my middle name.  I usually just go by Arlynda, but Jerry thought adding my middle name would be a nice touch.

My current journey began in September of 2012, when I gained 30-40 pounds in just a few days, and I couldn't hardly breathe. My regular doctor couldn't get me in.  So, I was really thankful that his physician assistant could see me. He explained that since he had never seen me before, he had taken the time to go through my chart, where he found a copy of a MRI from 2010, which showed ascites. Well, that was news to me, and just what the dickens is ascites???? It is the buildup of fluid in my abdomen.

That is not a picture of what I looked like over there, but it sure could have been.  The doctor told me the amount of excess fluid in my abdomen made me feel like I was at least nine months pregnant.  Now, I have always wanted to have a child, but hearing this was not comforting at all! (LOL?) There will be so many other discomforting things to come. At least, a pregnant women won't stay that forever!!! LOL

I couldn't get an appointment with a liver specialist until November, and between the end September and November, I had 5 paracentesis procedures, which is where they put a tube in my abdomen and drain off the fluid. In those 5 episodes, they took of 58.3 liters! Just imagine carrying 29 2 liter bottles of pop! No wonder I usually feel better after they “tap” me.

Another issue with my illness is I get tired really easy and this has about wiped me out for now.  So, I will continue this at another time. Thanks for stopping by!  Later.