In what has been a rather hard week, some happy news brightened my day today. The NFL is back on! And it's coming out guns a-blazin'! Free agency is happening like mad, trades and deals are being made like every minute. I'm so happy to know the season will start without too much a hitch. I kind of thought it might, but there was always that "what if" in the back of my head. So, yay football! I hope the league has enough sense to try and make it up to us crazy, loyal fans somehow. We love the game, but the greed and attitude shown these last few months was a bit disturbing.
Speaking of disturbing, I have come across something that really has been bugging me and I need to get it off my grumpy chest. For the last week, I've been sort of updating Tony's facebook profile, per his request to keep facebook "friends" posted on the latest. He has 99 "friends" on there. Do you know how many people of these supposed "friends" sent well wishes for his surgery? Um, like 11. Wow! Nice to know people care. So I did some further research/stalking. Some of you who read this were my "victims". Some of you have 100's (REALLY?!) of "friends". You may have had a birthday recently; not even half of your "friends" wished you a happy birthday! I would think that if a person were my "friend", they could at least wish me a happy birthday or wish me well on a rather major surgical event. This bothers me greatly. Maybe it's why I shun facebook. Why have a "friend" when all they're really concerned about is updating their own profile to mention what they did for fun all weekend while their "friend" suffered in a hospital with no mention of "hey take care, buddy" or "thinking about you". It's a self-serving, self-promoting piece of garbage in my book. And, perhaps, I would become a hypocrite and self-promote myself if I were to get a facebook account. Maybe that is the underlying theme with facebook. But it bothers me. One can chose to ignore or acknowledge someone elses issues at will. Now I'll be reasonable; a post of "went to the store and bought groceries" (while stupid) doesn't need a response. But to me, a post of "having surgery today. wish me luck" requires a response, esp. if that person is a close friend... someone who would have the honor of being my facebook "friend". Just saying. Same thing with a birthday or other major life event. This is a chance to send your thoughts and best wishes to that person, since you can't do it in person. Or do I have a weird expectation of facebook and what it should be? Is it mostly to let people know how you are and that's it? "Who cares about your life, cuz mine is too important... look how popular I am with all my "friends""!!! That is the message I got this past weekend with facebook. Yes, most of you are on my guilty list too. Sorry, but either be a friend and send along your wishes, or don't bother friend requesting if all you're worried about is NOT checking in on all 30082 "friends" you have to keep up with on freakin' facebook! BTW, this includes emails and phone calls, too. Don't be a stranger and call to check up on your 8 months pregnant friend (who to say is feeling overwhelmed would be an understatement... listen to the song Sinking by Jars of Clay to get where I'm coming from right now) caring for her incapacitated husband and 5 year old daughter who doesn't understand why mommy and daddy can't play with her like normal!
Tony will be having surgery again August 1. The doc was able to get at only 60% of the stone in his left kidney. The stone (or rock) is 2 inches x 3 inches (yes, inches!). They were using a rather new machine to bust the stone into smaller pieces. The doc didn't count on the stone being that large, so it took longer for them to get at it. Tony was in surgery for about 4 1/2 hours. Tony started bleeding, so the doc decided to stop the procedure. He'll go after the remaining 40% and the right kidney the next surgery and then hopefully Tony can start to recover! Tony has a nephrostomy tube into both kidneys. He's in a lot of pain and can tolerate standing for only a few minutes at a time. I miss my Tony. He stays in bed almost all day as that is where he's most comfortable. Poor guy. It's hard to watch someone suffer and not be able to do anything about it. I truly hope his next procedure the doc can clean everything out and then Tony can start the healing process. August 18 will be here before we know it! And then, the fun begins... not that I'm not having "fun" now.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Maybe get a glass of ice tea or coffee for this one!
Wow! A month has passed and it seems like just a few days! I guess that is a good thing considering how close I am to D-day (delivery day). I will do my best to update, but let's get a few things out of the way first.
1.) Okay, it's mid-July... why the hype about the heat?! Seriously, who is surprised at the 3 digit numbers? And if you are, then get on some Namenda or something. July is always hot, people! I am 8 months pregnant and I am not complaining cuz I am not dumb. I am fully aware that mid-July is hot. Granted, it was barely breaking the 70's like last week, but still, this kind of weather is not at all surprising. Remember, everyone, to stay hydrated and if you're home doesn't have AC, your car surely must. If your car doesn't... well, then you need to get a good paying job so you can afford this modern luxury and quit whining!
2.) Rep. Sheila Jackson: you are the reason racism exists in our culture and you alone. Republicans are bucking Obama on the debt ceiling because of common sense, not skin color you nit-wit! If this is the best argument she can come up with we are in serious trouble.
3.) Casey Anthony. *head shakes* What a fiasco. While I believe her actions surrounding her daughter's death are very suspicious, and had I been on that jury it would've been very hard to get past that alone, I have to reluctantly agree with the jury's verdict. There just wasn't enough hard core, fact based evidence to convict on the charges she was facing. Now had her charges been like negligent homicide or something, but I'm no lawyer. Clearly, she was irresponsible, and one of her sentences should've included automatic sterilization. But there are a lot of people who should be handed that particular sentence, in my book.
4.) Our governor here in Montana is such an ignoramus. The oil spill accident in the Yellowstone River was just that: an accident! Much of the state has been inundated with high waters due to a wet, wet spring. Most likely, the leak was caused by debris in the rushing waters of the rising Yellowstone River. Exxon-Mobile did not intend for this to happen and once they found out about it, they resolved the problem as fast as they could. Their response to me was timely and efficient. Now there are people out there who are looking to make a quick buck or two and their knee-jerk reaction of who's gonna pay for my long term suffering was not at all surprising. But for the Governor to come out and bully Exxon-Mobile and accuse them and everyone involved with the clean upon how to do their job and take soil samples is just plain stupid. Who is my source on all of this? My dad, who has been working very closely with government officials and Exxon-Mobile people alike. And how much will you bet that by maybe even next summer, one won't even know there was an oil spill in that region? Oil is a product of nature and nature cleans up after itself rather well. We humans just can't learn that.
Now on to news closer to home! First off, I am scheduled for a c-section August 18. I picked that day in homage to my sister Marcia, as she has a b-day on the 18 (it's just in March, but the day is right!). I also didn't like the idea of having a kid on an odd day... no real explanation for that. I'm not really superstitious, I just like even days better for some reason. The name we have picked for her is Taryn Kennedy. I picked Taryn as it's a bit unique and there are 2 A's in the family, now there will be 2 T's. Kennedy is for Tony's grandpas, both named Kenneth. Kennedy was as close as we could get to Kenneth. Now just in case this girl turns out to be a boy, the name would be Royce Kenneth. Tony's great-grandpa Miller was Roy... so we were clearly looking to his family for name choices this time around. For some reason, with the date picked out now, I am suddenly very excited about her arrival. Not that I wasn't before, just without the date in place, I felt like I had lots of time to prepare and all. I think as far as nursery and all goes, I'm ready. I have tons of clothes, we buy diapers and formula whenever we go grocery shopping, I kept most everything of Aria's when she was a baby, so I think we're just waiting for her arrival and then settle into a family of 4 (which will remain that way; we're done. I plan to have my tubes ties since I'll already be under the knife, FYI). Just in time for Aria to start Kindergarten!
Tony is anxiously awaiting surgery this Friday, July 22. A little background: when Tony was 25, he developed kidney stones. Okay, no problem. People get these a lot. So a round of lithotripsy, some pain meds and off he went to pass them at home and be done with it. Six months later, we were back in the ER with more kidney stone problems. So a stent was placed, more pain meds and off he went to pass them at home. Six months later, we were back in the ER. So this time a nephrostomy tube was placed (like a catheter directly into the kidney) as the stone was blocking his ureter and causing major swelling in the kidney. We also found out this time around that his stones were called cystine stones. Cystine stones are found in only 1-2% of all kidney stones that are formed. They are very rare and hard to treat. Lithotripsy doesn't work on these stones as they are too hard to break up. They usually have to be removed surgically. Cystinuria as it's called is genetic. However, no one that we are aware of in Tony's family has this condition. And it usually occurs in childhood. Cystine stones form rapidly and often. About the only way to prevent them is lots of hydration and medication intervention. Tony had 2 more stents after the nephrostomy tube and the last occurrence happened about 6 years ago. He passes a few stones a year, but has gotten quite used to the pain and the symptoms that what for the average person might take them out of commission for a while, he just powers right thru. After visiting with nephrologist in Billings several years ago, he put Tony on a medicine called Captopril, which while for blood pressure, had shown good results in decreasing the amount of cystine stone formations in an individual. It did work well. So well, that Tony kind of slacked off in the pill taking dept. He would take his pills if he felt a stone coming on (yah, he has gotten that aware of his condition), and then the problem would go away. Till about 3 weeks ago. He saw our family doctor about some pain pills as he was passing stones but needed something for break through pain. He figured he'd pass all the stones and just needed some help for the pain till it was over. July 13, he couldn't take it anymore. We headed to the ER. Tony was hoping for a stronger pain med, but the Doctor wanted to do a CT scan to see what exactly was going on. Good thing we did! Tony's right kidney has 2 stones, one is half way down the ureter and stuck. It's blocking the kidney and consequently the kidney is swelling and left untreated could die. The left kidney had the doctor just amazed. It is literally filled with stone that is called a staghorn stone. These are very large and very bad stones. They will not pass on their own and the only intervention is surgery. We went to Great Falls July 14 and Tony had a nephrostomy tube placed in the right kidney to alleviate the swelling. Remarkably, the left side he's had no pain. The tube obviously has relieved some of the pain, but the tube is very uncomfortable and he is on stronger pain meds to decrease some of the pain and discomfort associated with it. On Friday, they will go thru the tube and removed the stones on the right side. They will place a nephrostomy tube into the left kidney, use laser ultrasound to breakup the large staghorn stone into smaller pieces and remove all the remaining sediment from that. The doctor thinks he can get it all in one setting, but it may take a while. Once this is done, other than some soreness from digging around the kidneys, he should be pain-free almost instantly. This is no guarantee he'll get stones again. This particular condition is chronic. Many people with cystinuria end up on disability as they spend more time in hospitals than not. We've been very fortunate. This isn't your classic case, get kidney stones once and your done experience. My other major concern is one of heredity. How Tony has this when no one else in his family does is a mystery. But we'll have to discuss with the doctor at some point if our kids will need to be tested to see if they have it or are carriers of it. So, I hope this sheds some light as to what is going on with him. He can't wait for this to be over, and well, neither can I. I want my Tony back... he hasn't been himself for over 3 weeks! Plus, he needs to be better to take care of me in a few weeks (sound selfish? well, maybe a little!)
So, keep us in your prayers. We have wonderful family support here and are doing well otherwise. I'll try to keep you updated as best I can.
1.) Okay, it's mid-July... why the hype about the heat?! Seriously, who is surprised at the 3 digit numbers? And if you are, then get on some Namenda or something. July is always hot, people! I am 8 months pregnant and I am not complaining cuz I am not dumb. I am fully aware that mid-July is hot. Granted, it was barely breaking the 70's like last week, but still, this kind of weather is not at all surprising. Remember, everyone, to stay hydrated and if you're home doesn't have AC, your car surely must. If your car doesn't... well, then you need to get a good paying job so you can afford this modern luxury and quit whining!
2.) Rep. Sheila Jackson: you are the reason racism exists in our culture and you alone. Republicans are bucking Obama on the debt ceiling because of common sense, not skin color you nit-wit! If this is the best argument she can come up with we are in serious trouble.
3.) Casey Anthony. *head shakes* What a fiasco. While I believe her actions surrounding her daughter's death are very suspicious, and had I been on that jury it would've been very hard to get past that alone, I have to reluctantly agree with the jury's verdict. There just wasn't enough hard core, fact based evidence to convict on the charges she was facing. Now had her charges been like negligent homicide or something, but I'm no lawyer. Clearly, she was irresponsible, and one of her sentences should've included automatic sterilization. But there are a lot of people who should be handed that particular sentence, in my book.
4.) Our governor here in Montana is such an ignoramus. The oil spill accident in the Yellowstone River was just that: an accident! Much of the state has been inundated with high waters due to a wet, wet spring. Most likely, the leak was caused by debris in the rushing waters of the rising Yellowstone River. Exxon-Mobile did not intend for this to happen and once they found out about it, they resolved the problem as fast as they could. Their response to me was timely and efficient. Now there are people out there who are looking to make a quick buck or two and their knee-jerk reaction of who's gonna pay for my long term suffering was not at all surprising. But for the Governor to come out and bully Exxon-Mobile and accuse them and everyone involved with the clean upon how to do their job and take soil samples is just plain stupid. Who is my source on all of this? My dad, who has been working very closely with government officials and Exxon-Mobile people alike. And how much will you bet that by maybe even next summer, one won't even know there was an oil spill in that region? Oil is a product of nature and nature cleans up after itself rather well. We humans just can't learn that.
Now on to news closer to home! First off, I am scheduled for a c-section August 18. I picked that day in homage to my sister Marcia, as she has a b-day on the 18 (it's just in March, but the day is right!). I also didn't like the idea of having a kid on an odd day... no real explanation for that. I'm not really superstitious, I just like even days better for some reason. The name we have picked for her is Taryn Kennedy. I picked Taryn as it's a bit unique and there are 2 A's in the family, now there will be 2 T's. Kennedy is for Tony's grandpas, both named Kenneth. Kennedy was as close as we could get to Kenneth. Now just in case this girl turns out to be a boy, the name would be Royce Kenneth. Tony's great-grandpa Miller was Roy... so we were clearly looking to his family for name choices this time around. For some reason, with the date picked out now, I am suddenly very excited about her arrival. Not that I wasn't before, just without the date in place, I felt like I had lots of time to prepare and all. I think as far as nursery and all goes, I'm ready. I have tons of clothes, we buy diapers and formula whenever we go grocery shopping, I kept most everything of Aria's when she was a baby, so I think we're just waiting for her arrival and then settle into a family of 4 (which will remain that way; we're done. I plan to have my tubes ties since I'll already be under the knife, FYI). Just in time for Aria to start Kindergarten!
Tony is anxiously awaiting surgery this Friday, July 22. A little background: when Tony was 25, he developed kidney stones. Okay, no problem. People get these a lot. So a round of lithotripsy, some pain meds and off he went to pass them at home and be done with it. Six months later, we were back in the ER with more kidney stone problems. So a stent was placed, more pain meds and off he went to pass them at home. Six months later, we were back in the ER. So this time a nephrostomy tube was placed (like a catheter directly into the kidney) as the stone was blocking his ureter and causing major swelling in the kidney. We also found out this time around that his stones were called cystine stones. Cystine stones are found in only 1-2% of all kidney stones that are formed. They are very rare and hard to treat. Lithotripsy doesn't work on these stones as they are too hard to break up. They usually have to be removed surgically. Cystinuria as it's called is genetic. However, no one that we are aware of in Tony's family has this condition. And it usually occurs in childhood. Cystine stones form rapidly and often. About the only way to prevent them is lots of hydration and medication intervention. Tony had 2 more stents after the nephrostomy tube and the last occurrence happened about 6 years ago. He passes a few stones a year, but has gotten quite used to the pain and the symptoms that what for the average person might take them out of commission for a while, he just powers right thru. After visiting with nephrologist in Billings several years ago, he put Tony on a medicine called Captopril, which while for blood pressure, had shown good results in decreasing the amount of cystine stone formations in an individual. It did work well. So well, that Tony kind of slacked off in the pill taking dept. He would take his pills if he felt a stone coming on (yah, he has gotten that aware of his condition), and then the problem would go away. Till about 3 weeks ago. He saw our family doctor about some pain pills as he was passing stones but needed something for break through pain. He figured he'd pass all the stones and just needed some help for the pain till it was over. July 13, he couldn't take it anymore. We headed to the ER. Tony was hoping for a stronger pain med, but the Doctor wanted to do a CT scan to see what exactly was going on. Good thing we did! Tony's right kidney has 2 stones, one is half way down the ureter and stuck. It's blocking the kidney and consequently the kidney is swelling and left untreated could die. The left kidney had the doctor just amazed. It is literally filled with stone that is called a staghorn stone. These are very large and very bad stones. They will not pass on their own and the only intervention is surgery. We went to Great Falls July 14 and Tony had a nephrostomy tube placed in the right kidney to alleviate the swelling. Remarkably, the left side he's had no pain. The tube obviously has relieved some of the pain, but the tube is very uncomfortable and he is on stronger pain meds to decrease some of the pain and discomfort associated with it. On Friday, they will go thru the tube and removed the stones on the right side. They will place a nephrostomy tube into the left kidney, use laser ultrasound to breakup the large staghorn stone into smaller pieces and remove all the remaining sediment from that. The doctor thinks he can get it all in one setting, but it may take a while. Once this is done, other than some soreness from digging around the kidneys, he should be pain-free almost instantly. This is no guarantee he'll get stones again. This particular condition is chronic. Many people with cystinuria end up on disability as they spend more time in hospitals than not. We've been very fortunate. This isn't your classic case, get kidney stones once and your done experience. My other major concern is one of heredity. How Tony has this when no one else in his family does is a mystery. But we'll have to discuss with the doctor at some point if our kids will need to be tested to see if they have it or are carriers of it. So, I hope this sheds some light as to what is going on with him. He can't wait for this to be over, and well, neither can I. I want my Tony back... he hasn't been himself for over 3 weeks! Plus, he needs to be better to take care of me in a few weeks (sound selfish? well, maybe a little!)
So, keep us in your prayers. We have wonderful family support here and are doing well otherwise. I'll try to keep you updated as best I can.
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