Well it never rains but it pours. I had my appendix removed yesterday - quite unexpectedly, and just under 2 weeks before we're set to drive across the country. I'd noticed some tenderness the day before, and it felt like I'd overeaten, only I actually hadn't eaten much of anything that day. Also the tenderness was located in the lower right of my abdomen. By the morning of the 26th it was still there, and I started to wonder if indeed it was my appendix. I managed to get a doctor's appt. for 11:40 am that day and he sent me straight on to the emergency room - he knew they would scan the area (CT Scan).
They did the scans, and it was indeed the appendix, and they removed it that night (last night) via laproscopic surgery. They needed to use 4 ports instead of 3, but they're all small of course. My blood count was good today so they released me and I'm home now at 6:00 pm. I will see the surgeon right before we leave for Minnesota to make sure everything's fine. Now I have to wonder whether this was just a normal occurrence or if the damage was aggravated by chemo. I'll ask both the surgeon and oncologist during my last meetings with them here in Arizona.
Another rains but it pours detail: On the way to the doc yesterday, I saw that I had both the oil and engine lights lit on my dash. We detoured from the ER to do an oil change and when they opened the hood there was a big old pack rats nest there. Apparently they can build them in hours. Of course there was wiring damage. While I was in the hospital my car was in the shop - my mom picked it up right after I got back from the hospital. So good news/bad news - both the car and my appendix issues were resolved (hopefully) before we hit the road, but there was an extra expense not anticipated. Murphy's Law strikes again.
ETA: The day after we picked up the car the engine light was back on! So it goes back in on Monday - fingers crossed hopefully for the last time!
Friday, April 27, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Status Update: April 24, 2012
Moving along on transferring medical stuff from Arizona to Minnesota. Arranged the following today:
Timing is good on the schedule. I see my new Oncologist in mid-June, just when it's time for my porta-cath to be flushed, then I have the Mayo Consultation about 5 weeks later in July - perfect time for the next flush as well. If they do a full screening then, that will put me 3 months out from my 2-year milestone evaluations, so July will hopefully include my third quarter 2012 tests.
Okay, here's something that's really funny. The person scheduling me at Mayo gave me a choice of three docs who work with transplants, and I chose Mikhailef Ivanova because in my new book I have a character I named Mikhaila Ivanova! Strange, huh? Or maybe not so strange... dundundun ;>
- Copy of medical records from my transplant team (will pick up Friday)
- CD copy of all scans (PET, etc.) from Radiology Limited (also will pick up Friday)
- Consultation at Mayo Clinic in July (yay!)
- Prescriptions picked up for the next 30-90 days, and refill scripts issued by my current primary care physician to cover me until I get a new PCP in Minnesota.
Timing is good on the schedule. I see my new Oncologist in mid-June, just when it's time for my porta-cath to be flushed, then I have the Mayo Consultation about 5 weeks later in July - perfect time for the next flush as well. If they do a full screening then, that will put me 3 months out from my 2-year milestone evaluations, so July will hopefully include my third quarter 2012 tests.
Okay, here's something that's really funny. The person scheduling me at Mayo gave me a choice of three docs who work with transplants, and I chose Mikhailef Ivanova because in my new book I have a character I named Mikhaila Ivanova! Strange, huh? Or maybe not so strange... dundundun ;>
Status Update: April 18, 2012
I'll be moving back to Minnesota, which means I need to find a new slate of doctors. I think I've located an Oncologist. I was actually looking for a doctor my current Oncologist knew who practiced in Minnesota, but he was no longer with the group originally listed. I took an appointment with another doctor in the group, and then went online to check her out. I found that recently she had focused on head/neck cancers and lung cancers, but that she had a specialty background in non-hogkins lymphoma - so it looks like an excellent fit. Since I have a porta-cath and need to have it flushed and lab work done every 4-6 weeks, I moved up my appt. with my current oncologist to two days before I move, then made another appt. with the new doc 6 weeks out.
Now I'm looking for a new team to provide my 2- and 5-year milestone tests (the 2 year evaluations are coming up this Oct.). I'm checking at both the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota, which is an excellent research medical university. Something good will hopefully pop up in one of these spots.
The last thing to do is find a new primary care physician and I think I'll let that go until I'm in Minnesota.
On the book front, I'm working on the last draft (hopefully last draft) of the first book of one series, and have started the first draft of the first book of the series that is its prequel. The first series is a middle grade science fiction/fantasy, written in the third person and is positioned for Harry Potter meets Percy Jackson. The prequel, however, takes place 300 years before that series, and is a young adult action/adventure written in the first person and positioned for Indiana Jones meets Hunt for Red October. Originally I had planned to do the sequel last (for many reasons) but now I'm looking at reversing that order (also for many reasons).
Despite the differences in style and setting, there's a strong connection between the two series and I really like them both. The first person narrative voice is working really well for this second book but strangely enough I think the third person narrative is best for the middle grade series (although I may reconsider that as I get further on with the second one). Writing in first-person is a first for me, but I'm enjoying it a lot, although every now and then one sentence or paragraph will suddenly appear in the third person. I'm going to have to really scrutinize this during the editing stage! I'm about 1/3rd done with the new book and it's really coming along fast - probably because I have it outlined in detail chapter by chapter. I've already modified some things that will have to be changed in the middle-grade sequel for historical continuity, so this joint prequel/sequel strategy is turning out to be helpful overall.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
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