I'm running away!!!!!!!!!!!

[flutterbee]

So, now I'm thinking that the 'I don't want to grow up' song in my head last night wasn't a subliminal message; it was a premonition.

My pain really kicked into high, high gear last night. Abbey, in her anesthetic stupor, peed in my bed last night and of course I didn't realize it until I get IN bed and pull the covers up and go...hmmm....that smells like pee....and it's wet...oh, maannnnnn. Changing the sheets on my bed at 2am in agonizing pain about sent me over the edge. (And no, I'm not upset with Abbey. She couldn't help it poor thing. The vet super-hydrated her for the procedure because of her kidneys and she had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia. Vet said it took her a lot longer to wake up than most kitties.)

Anyway.....

So, I call my GP to make an appointment. Something's gotta give with the pain, plus I wanted to do more blood work for inflammation so we can be documenting and charting this stuff. She's out until Monday. ARGH! But, the nurse grabbed her just before she walked out the door and she's called in steroids (oh joy) for me and told me to call the rheumy for the bloodwork since she's going to be out of the office. Fine. I call the rheumy even though he's 45 minutes away and I didn't want to have to go that far just to have blood drawn. He's out until Monday, too! Are you freakin' kidding me????? Are they going somewhere together or what?!!!

So, the nurse at my GP's office tells me to come in tomorrow and she'll draw the blood. That's wonderful.

Now, it was 60 degrees yesterday. It hasn't gotten above 30 and has been raining hard all day. We even had thunder. Tonight, easy child is driving me to the pharmacy to pick up the steroids - which I detest, by the way. Half a mile from home we hit this ginormous pothole (right in front of the hospital, no less...smelling a conspiracy?) that hadn't been there before. I mean, we go that way everyday. That hole was not there yesterday. easy child says, 'That couldn't have been good for the car.'

We go another 1/2 mile and I think it feels and sounds like the tire is flat. Turn off the radio and hear that familiar flapping sound of a flat tire. easy child noted that it was hard to keep the car straight. Great. I remain calm. So, I tell him to turn on this road and pull into the UDF and we'll change the tire. We get there and get out of the car. Do I have a flat tire? Nope. I have TWO flat tires. At this point the F word is flying out of my mouth like I belong on Jerry Springer. Few other choice words, too.

Called a friend who picked us up, took us to the pharmacy and brought me home. I am now waiting on the tow truck driver to come get my keys so he can tow my car (after he defrosts the ice off his windshield). My stupid Kia has high performance tires on it (came that way, so that's what they have to put back on) and the place in town doesn't always have those in stock. Plus, they're not cheap. I am keeping my fingers crossed that they have the tires and can get it done as I have various doctor appointments everyday the rest of the week.

And to top it off I get to spend the next 14 days on drugs that make me feel like crappola.

Stick a fork in me. I'm done.

 

[AprilH]

I'll run away with you, HAHA! Let's go somewhere sunny like Jamaica or Hawaii! by the way-I have a kitty named Abbey also!

Sending many hugs your way!

 

[flutterbee]

Oh...and I just replaced 2 tires last spring when I hit a curb and popped one beyond repair. That set of 4 tires was only 18 months old.

I've had this car 6 years and I've put 4 1/2 sets of tires on it.

This is my 13th vehicle. I've only replaced tires on a vehicle ONE time before this car - and that was because of normal wear...not popping when you bump something.



This is all because I was cursing the dishwasher earlier. I hate the design - you can't get near as many dishes in it as I'm used to and the bottom shelf keeps rolling back in as I'm trying to fill it and I hurt and I was frustrated.

I think the machines are ganging up on me.

 

[Star*]

Dear Jerry Springer,

OMG I am still on the floor over that Wynter you're hysterically funny! ThANK U.....

 

[Hound dog]

Is there something in the air this week??

At this point the F word is flying out of my mouth like I belong on Jerry Springer. Few other choice words, too.

I can't say as I blame you a bit. TWO flats are enough to send anyone into a fit of F words, even created ones. lol

I'm sorry you're in so much pain. If the steroids don't work and you can't stand it, go to the ER. There is no sense in you suffering til Monday just because the docs are leaving town. Or call fam docs "covering doctor".

(((hugs)))

 

[Wiped Out]

Oh Heather,
No wonder you want to run away! Gentle hugs-take care of you and if need be like Lisa said go to the ER.

 

[everywoman]

Sounds like you need a break. WOW. What a day. Sorry. Hope the week gets better.

 

[meowbunny]

Dang, girl, wish there was a magic wand lying around to make things better. Glad you found a way to let some of the frustration go spewing out of you. Did you teach Dev a new word or two?

Hope things get better real fast.

(((((HEATHER)))))

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

Yup.

You had a day like i did last week. Arrrgh.

Poor you. Poor kitty. Little bitty hugs to both of you.

 

[flutterbee]

Two truck guy got here last night. He was very nice. Asked if it was the front two or back two tires there were flat. I said, one of each - passenger side. He said, oh you need a flat bed then. I look out the door and I said, it looks like you have a flat bed. He said, yeah, but now I have to charge you for the flat bed rate. WTF? Ok, fine. Whatever.

Puddles and Abbey are best buddies. But Abbey smells funny and Puddles is freaking out. I'm getting ready for bed last night and Abbey was at my feet as usual. Puddles comes walking in hisses, sniffs her, hisses again then smacks her. Sigh. I shoo him out of the room. Abbey gets on the bed with me. Then Puddles joins, but Abbey was at my feet and Puddles was up on the pillows. He waits a bit, I was still - I know he thinks I was asleep - he goes to the end of the bed, hisses at Abbey and smacks her again. Sigh. Then he's doing that bull-snorting thing. Makes me laugh. He thinks he's so tough, but he's such a pansy.

I was awake every half hour last night - or this morning rather - with my right arm and hand going numb. I don't know why. I wasn't sleeping on it funny. Then in case that isn't enough, the phone starts ringing off the hook.

School calls at 6am to say there is a 2 hour delay. Car place calls at 8am to let me know that my car is there (duh) and to ask what I need done. Ummm...an oil change. Can you not see the two flat tires? Or how about this...does the car look lopsided to you? Of course, I don't say that. I behave like a good girl.

Neuro office calls at 8:30 to reschedule an appointment that I have to call back tomorrow and find out what we rescheduled it to cause I have no idea. Car place calls back at 9am. Both tires are popped - from the side - going to need replaced. Shocking. I already knew that. Tells me we must have hit that pothole pretty hard. I said we might have been going 25 mph. He said, well it's pretty unusual to pop them both; usually you pop the front and it jerks the car so the back tire is no longer lined up. Uh huh. Any more words of encouragement for me?

My mom comes up after work to take me to get the car. We get there a little before 4 and I still need to get gas and get to my doctor's office before 5 to have blood drawn. Get the car (after forking over $400.00), get in the car and check for my debit card so I can get gas. I don't have my debit card. easy child has it. ARGH! So, I have to go to the bank to get cash out. Not a big deal cause the bank is pretty much across the street from the car place. Except that I forget and turn the wrong way like I'm going to get gas. Have to turn around.

Get to the gas station. It's packed. Only 4 pumps and it's 10 cents cheaper than the station across the street so it was packed. I pull to the full service pump. The guy eventually makes it over to my car and I tell him to fill it up. He puts the nozzle in, walks away, comes back and asks if I'm paying cash. Yes. Walks away, comes back and asks, you wanted $20.00 worth. No, fill it up please. Ok. He goes over to fill up the other car - one of the gigantic SUV's with at least a 30 gallon tank. Fills it up, comes back to my car to discover he put the nozzle in the car, but never started pumping the gas.

Finally get out of there, get to the doctors office, get home and walk into the house and difficult child is SCREAMING at easy child.

How do I get off this ride?

 

[flutterbee]

OH! And I had to chase after Jewel last night. She never takes off like that. She'll do laps around the house, but she always comes when I call her. She spotted something last night - probably a rabbit - and took off charging and would not come back. It was raining, the ground is soaking wet - spongy and sucking at your shoes. And I'm chasing after the dog.

If I could have surgically removed my hip last night, I would have. Without anesthesia. It STILL would have felt better.

And now my shoes - my Born's - are covered in mud.

 

[flutterbee]

And this fatigue is soooo kicking my hiney and I'm so tired I want to cry.

Ok. I think I'm done now.

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

LOL, your first post made me think of Bill Engvall's "here's your sign" schtick, where he carries a sign that says "I'm stupid" and gives it to people:


Tow truck arrives to tow a car with a flat.

"Flat tire?" the tow driver asks.

"Nah," says the second guy, I was just standing here and the other 3 tires just swelled up on me. Here's your sign.

 

[sandman3]

I had a day like yours recently....difficult child 2 has been inpatient for 17 days (came home tonight!) but just as we got thru week one of visiting (the hospital is an hour away), the van starts SMOKING profusely, we pull up to the house, I can smell the coolant and see it dripping everywhere. GREAT! So, knowing I am flat broke, I come in the house and decide to vacuum because the place looks like a flippin' tornado hit it.....within 3 minutes of starting her up, the vaccuum is making the most horrible sound and starts SMOKING! OMG, I can't even believe this....so out of total despair I decide to turn on the TV and veg on the couch while I contemplate the Van and the Vaccuum...I reach for the power button (it's in slow motion now), my finger touches the surface and BAM! The TV shorts out by some kind of electric static hoodingy, it's DEAD! This all within 30 minutes!

My dear friend says to me "quick, grab some bubble wrap and roll yourself up in it"! No Joke, right?!

It took me an hour to clean out the vaccum and get it working again, the van cost $108, and the TV went to the junkyard!

 

[flutterbee]

BBK - I love Bill Engvall. I would handing out those signs left and right.

You'll love this. At the gas station, the attendant says to me, You look familiar. I just smile and say I must just have one of those faces. He says, No...I think it's your glasses. I've seen you before. Your glasses are just a shade darker than your hair. I notice those things.

I'm thinking...seriously, buddy. It took you 4 tries to put gas in my car. Don't be hitting on me. But, I just smiled and busied myself with searching for something in my purse.

 

[Big Bad Kitty]

oh LOL...I spit pop at the monitor.

Four tries to put gas in the car! ROTFLMAO. Yup, here's your sign.

 

[Tiapet]

I've been following your threads about your ailments and am wondering if anyone has checked you for something called "ankylosing spondylitis"? If you want more information PM and I'll tell you more about it. I have it and a lot of what you describe talks about it. You can look it up online if you like but there is also a lot more to it then you can find online, so I've learned too. Fibromyalgia tends to be comorbid with it, I also just recently learned. It took me 12 years to get a diagnosis after seeing countless doctors, MRI's (and this was all kinds and well know places). Just a thought for you.

I feel your pain and frustration.

(hugs)

 

[flutterbee]

Tia -

It's interesting you should mention that, because until I saw my rheumatologist I was convinced that's what I have. They type of pain, the length of time I've had it and how it's progressing. I even had the Achilles tendonitis thing when my knees and ankles started last summer.

I've been saying for a few years now that in my right SI joint and hip area it feels like something is fused; like something that is supposed to move doesn't. The rheumatologist did the test for the genetic marker which I don't have (and I know that not everyone with AS has it) and the x-rays did not show any joint damage. The insurance company nixed the MRI of my spine saying it was not 'medically necessary' and instead wants me to do PT. I'm willing to try it, but have a hard time seeing how I'm going to be able to do it when just walking is agony.

My rheumatologist is wanting to blame everything on the vitamin d deficiency even though for 3 months following angioplasty I had no symptoms whatsoever. I could walk - and did walk for miles at a time - with no pain whatsoever. It was the most wonderful thing. Sounds like remission to me. My GP agrees.

I'd be interested in hearing your story if you wouldn't mind sharing.

Thanks for thinking of me.

 

[Tiapet]

You don't have to be fused. That is end progression, something they try to prevent. I'm not there yet thank god! I do have the genetic marker but only found out after they found it on x-ray. MRI won't show ankylosing (but shows darn near everything else wrong with my back- which is extensive and we won't go there either). A normal simple xray shows it but ONLY if the tech reading it knows what they are looking for. Over 12 years ago my x-ray showed it and it got totally dismissed. Fast forward to now and like I said, fighting with doctors and more tests, and I'm here down at Duke and another set of x-rays and it was found again and NOT ignored. I have always had high sed rates but no one pieced it together. Also had high c reactive protein (another indicator). When that was first found back in Aug 2005 my GP freaked because of heart (which launched me into cardio **** and found I had a massive silent heart attack - another whole story in itself) so she was all nuts over c reactive but knew nothing of ankylosing either (nor did I at that point either). Again fast forward to now and I learned the connection "inflammation" just like sed rate.

There are a lot of indicators but the people must know what they are looking for. Ankylosing, as you might know if you do know about it, also affects more then just your back, hips, knees, ankles feet, extremities (each person different). In my case it was moderately severe in my back from cervical to lumbar spine, no extremities involved. It has now progressed to my hips and knees in the last year. Still no fusing. It can attack the eyes (iritis), heart (my case it may have) and other internal organs. Eventually in can squish your lungs and make it hard to breath to (sometimes I have a hard time but overall not to bad - some need to be put on oxygen). It is not something to mess around with. My sister appears to have it too as her spine is fused but no one is listening to her but again, she is back in PA where I used to be and no one listened to me.

Push hard if you think no one is listening to you. In the mean time here is a couple of websites to help you out. I think my email is linked here as well if you don't want to pm. I'd be glad to help or talk, what ever you need.

http://www.spondylitis.org/
http://www.kickas.org/
http://www.arthritis.ca/