MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish
Comments
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I have a question about my port.....Arg! My port was installed jan 7th but it's still angry...(me too). The problem is 6" above it where it's attached to my vein near my collarbone I've developed a red itchy lump???? It wasn't there a few days ago......Is this a blood clot...I'm very stressed over here.....xoxoxo
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Jo, I don't know what it might be, but I'd call the doctor 1st thing in the AM. I had mega trouble with my port but not 6 weeks after it was in.
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Thanks Eph! What kind of problems? And wouldn't you know it..it's family day over here so all the docs are closed, I really don't want to go to ER for 12 hrs
I'm thinking it's a blood clot starting, everything I read says they take it out but I'm on chemo with breaks forever.0 -
Jo...I had a large lump, red and angry, above my ankle last week. I had a doppler to rule out blood clot, although they didn't think it was a clot because it was more superficial. It was cellulitis...inflammaton of the skin. They put me on Keflex and I've been on the couch for 5 days. They said if Keflex didn't work, it'd require IV (or port) antibiotics. I think you should be seen...praying for ya!
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Joe, I agree with Ronnie that it sounds more like cellulitis, which has to be treated immediately. I hope you've been seen, and have started treatment, by the time you read this. If not, I think you should go to ER hon, if it is cellulitis, you need to stop it before the infection travels. Big gentle hugs.
And I'm sticking with my guess that Eli is cruising happily as we sit here languishing without her!
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No I didn't go to the docs today as they're all closed and it would be 12 to 18hr to be seen in the ER so I thought...I'm going to the cancer center for bloodwork tomorrow anyways as it's chemo on Wed and figured the chemo nurses could look at it....
It's not on my mast side, they put the port on the other side. So, why would it be cellulitis?? Can I get that anywhere? I thought cellulitis was on the mast side?0 -
http://flickr.com/gp/carollynn79/4y444v
Still having problems posting pictures but here is a link to a video of a Hawaiin Monk Seal putting on a show at the beach. Having a good time, doing lots of hiking will post pictures to Flickr and post a link. Tomorrow we are going on a kayak/hiking trip we may even propel down a waterfall!
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Jo--cellulitis can happen anywhere, it just means there's an infection in the skin tissue. The problem is that it can spread very quickly, and can travel along the port line into the blood stream if not treated promptly. Please see your doc ASAP TODAY.
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I don't wanna go! I don't wanna go! The PET scan is today, ladies, so all aboard who's going aboard (get Captain Crunch at your grocery store - haha, remember that commercial?).
I hope I smell some cinnamon rolls - that will surely help me through.
Forgot to tell y'all that teatime is at 2:00 pm and the party should be over at 5:00 pm! You know this will be fun!
carollynn - that seal certainly was loving all the attention, wasn't he? Did they put that string around him to keep people a certain distance... I guess so. Did he go back in the water while you were there? Hope you have fun kayaking today and I hope you DO go down the waterfall! I'm so brave telling everybody else to do stuff while I sit here, lol!
Jo - I hope you see the doctor today. I never had a port or cellulitus but it doesn't sound like something to put off. Hope you get some answers today.
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okay...im off to see the cancer nurses at the cancer clinic and prob the doc on call is on the chemo ward. I didn't know THAT about cellulitis NativeMaine! Thanks you xoxox
hns...I'm in for the pocket party...careful about the cinnamon rolls....
don't go putting any in your pockets lol!I'd be squawking too at those amounts!!! xoxoxoxoxo
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Jo, I'm still squawking! I'll take good care of the cinnamon rolls, oh yeah. Glad you're on the way to the doctor!
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In hns & Jo's pockets today. Let us know asap Jo what it is please.
I agree with Marlegal, I think out fearless leader just jumped on her ship & sailed away without a word of ta-ta or sayonara!Hope she's having a blast!
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In my head, I'm on that cruise too. At least for the 30-40 minutes I'm in that machine. I sure hope they offer something to relax me - just in case they don't, I'm going packing!
This barium stuff I'm drinking now is going to make me vomit - what good does it do then? I could handle the banana stuff, but they quit carrying it. It's citrus, I think... bleh
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Will be there for you today HNS - I will bring the wipes to get rid of the sticky fingers from the cinnamon rolls. I think we better have something to wash them down with also - tea/coffee would be wonderful.
Jo - get back to us asap - hoping it's nothing that can't be taken care of quickly and painlessly.
Went sledding yesterday with family/friends/neighbours/kids of all ages - there was about 30 of us on the hill. Then had everyone back to our place for homemade fries, burgers and drinks. What a blast. Thought my legs would be wobbly today from walking back up the hill (waaaaay more fun going down) but it is my shoulders and upper arms that are stiff - wth?
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Ewwww HNS - sorry that you have to try and swallow that barium drink. Is like drinking liquid chalk isn't it? Hope it stays down for you.
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Well kids, I'm sitting here at the cancer clinic waiting to see a picc team...should be fun and it doen't SOUND pain free...tomorrow is chemo and hercepton so I really don't want to use my only good vein...
These pockets sound jam packed so I sent Jim downstairs for treats at the Tim Hortons here in the clinic. All the hospitals have them now, well at least in Ottawa .
LOL Barb! See what happens when you play like a kid....we suffer for days!
If you vomit hns they'll charge extra!!!! I like warm cinnamon stuff. Xoxoxoxo0 -
Jo, cellulitis can show up anywhere the body has been "compromised" and the insertion of the port definitely falls into that category. I hope it's not cellulitis, because prompt treatment is crucial for that to be controlled. A coworker of mine has had to be hospitalized twice when he did not get prompt treatment. Is there a doctor you can call before you're able to see one to ask questions? Again, I hope all this alarm is unwarranted, I've just seen several people "up close and personal" deal with horrible effects of cellulitis and would hate for you to start on that path.
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I had started answering before reading all and my prior post was outdated so that's why I deleted it!
Jo, I look forward to an update. I hope there was nothing painful involved...one day a week of torture is certainly enough.
HNS, I'm sorry about the burping during your test ... doughy treats have a tendency to repeat on me and I forgot my Tums. My bad
Can't wait to hear Eli's stories after the cruise ... hope she's having a blast. Wish I were there with her. Actually, I wish I was still at my daughter's like I was last week, holding her adorable new son. Gotta keep the memories...gotta keep the memories
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Made it home alive, but apparently I'm still nuclear! They said to stay away from babies and young children (and my pets) for 4-6 hours...
You ladies were quite busy eating and drinking, and all that talking! They made me sit in a recliner in my own little dark room and said don't move a muscle or even read for 1 1/2 hours, but little did they know I had a party in my pocket. I was not 100% cooperative, but that was overly restrictive for me - I tend to squirm around and wiggle a lot. I wobbled, too, but I didn't fall over!
Fortunately I didn't vomit but that barium stuff is nasty. What's the point of it if they're injecting you with nuclear stuff, too? Is it because it's a combo PET and CT scan?
Jo, I don't know what Tim Horton's is, but I'm pretty sure it was definitely not nasty. Did they fix your port problem?
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Hearnsoul I did "fallpel" down the waterfall, it was not easy bit I did it, slipped a few times, but got back on the program and did make it down! The kayaking was very relaxing, the hike was really tough but made it, have to relax now! Great job on your yests they are not always pleassant and it is hard to be still all the time! I wobbled and fell today before I went down the waterfall!!
Jo gladyou are seeing someone., I get cellulits in my breast and have to get to the clinic right away for antibiotics.
I must say that I have been more adventourous this trip we have done a lot of hiking and things that I would not usually do, don't know if I am losing any weight but I am truly getting A LOT of needed exercise!
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Well Jo? How'd you make out at the clinic? I guess tomorrow calls for another PP huh? Better tell Jim to stock up on timbits - they'll fit much better in the pocket!
hns - your wobble comment made me think of "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down" Anyone else remember those little people? Glad that the barium stayed put with all of that wobbling going on. The down side of it all is that it has to work it's way through your system.
Tim Horton's is a national treasure here in Canada - Coffee and donuts. Doesn't get much better than that (actually I prefer McDonald's coffee). I guess you could liken it to Krispy Kreme.
marlegal - May those memories hold you until you get to visit again and have some more memories to hold onto.
carollynn - sounds like you are having a wonderful time. Where are you? I'm sure you mentioned it but I can't remember.
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Back from cancer land! Geez, got home at 6:30, made supper, we are pooped!
6-1/2 hours to find out nothing we didin't know! I had more concern from the nurses and pharmacist than tweedle dee & tweedle dum the 2 on call docs at the clinic. Tweedle dee sent us over to the PICC team at the hospital to assess my port...well..there are 3 nurses...that's the team, they can't order tests, drugs or repairs. The head nurse said I don't know why the dumb doc sent you here as we can't do anything for you...he should know that as he's the onco doc and they know we're the nurses...and we don't deal with ports. So..she looked at mine and said yes it's infected but I'm not a doc...she was pissed that they sent us there and wasted every bodies time..she was nice and we were all pissed off at doc tweedle dee. She then called the clinic to talk to tweedle dee and found out he was gone home but doc tweedle dum was there and that doc would look at my port.
So off we trotted back to the clinic and the doc looked, said oh, well it's infected but not cellulitis...she was slightly concerned that it might be septic and then said it would go directly to my heart if it was. OK...we said what should we do? She then called my elusive onco dr. Clemons (who was on call today but to busy to see me so he sent the original tweedle dee that was soooooo vacant). He said (she's pallative care) just give her oral antibiotics and do a culture from the port and her vein and tomorrow we'll shove the chemo in her only good vein as we can't use the port because it's infected.....and she (me) can refuse treatment if she wants.....I'm ready to shoot myself by now...I told Jim it's not the cancer that will kill me its the f*cked up doctors.
Soooooo because I listened to the nurse when she told us to get my bloodwork taken downstairs AFTER we came back from the PICC team (cause it's getting late) and to make sure we came back to the unit to tell them what was decided. I ended up getting 2 picks downstairs (cause my veins are rollers and she was having a bad day.....really?) and 2 more pics later from the same nurse that told me too bad I had my blood work downstairs as they could have done it here cause they had to do the cultures anyways...Arg!
So....the doc tweedle dum gives me 2 scrips as some of my bloodwork had already come back and my potassium was low, ok, I've been having problems since chemo with that....she then writes the dumbest script for antibiotics that don't even exist....we had gone back to the hospital pharmacy as it was easiest as now it was close to 5pm. We were there for over an hour as the pharmacist had put several calls in to talk to the stupid doc that NEVER returned her calls...that poor pharmacist, because she feared I might be septic she would call me at home but if I had fever to go directly to ER...well shit...I'd had this going on for a few days and was soooo fed up I told her to forget about the antibiotics as I was going back there tomorrow for chemo and would deal with it then...she had a look on her face...the doc had stressed several times to us, in front of everybody on the floor, that if there were any problems she could easily be reached at the number she wrote down for the pharmacist....she never got back and hopefully she'll be on tomorrow.....
So that was my day! I get to do this again tomorrow....if I'm not dead by then....social medicine.....
Still no solution to my port problem other than to try to save it as I really really need it.
Now Hns about Tim Hortons.... The best coffee in the world...no wait....the best was in New Orleans....okay..Timmie's donuts yum yum yum!0 -
Oh Jo - what a day you had. If you had only let us out of your pocket we could have given tweedle dee and tweedle dum a piece of our minds! We were all jacked up on sugar and caffeine. They wouldn't have know what hit them.
Unbelievable that you went through all of that and came out knowing nothing more than going in. How frustrating/maddening and totally unreal! I sure hope that tomorrow is more productive for you and that the Dragon takes it easy on you. Remember - we're there if you need us.
Good luck
((hugs))
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Marlegal, I recently discovered that burping after carby food is a sign of insulin resistance. I have had that on and off for many years, only now found out what it means.
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Jo - might be a bit late for the PP - have to hook up the dogs and sled to get there. Snowday here in good old Bruce County.
hns - when do you get your results from PET/CT?
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Momine, I was making a joke about burping while in HnS's pocket during her test
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Jo, I'm bringing extra people for your pockets tomorrow...wear the baggy pants.
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barsco - ugh, that stuff made me sick all day working it's way through my system. I had no idea today would be so miserable!
I won't get my results back for 2 weeks when I see my MO again. I will gladly wait for her - once I called the surgeon's office to get the results of a biopsy early, and that lady could not read the report right. So I asked her to fax it to me, but my fax machine wouldn't work. I decided from then on be patient and wait for the doctor and not get some garbled up nonsense that just makes you worry!
Jo - for crying out loud, don't you want to just smack them! Going to the doctor really tries my patience on a good day. Although when I came home from my PET scan yesterday, I was going on and on about how nice everyone was and that was even without Xanax, haha. I hope tomorrow everything goes smoothly. Timmy's sounds yummy. They have donuts in the hospitals there? Here it's practically just health food, and who wants that when you feel crappy!
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Marle, OK, lol.
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So eli set sail without saying aloha? She better bring back some amusing stories. (or make them up)
Jo, man, I hope the docs are on their toes today for you. We already feel bad enough but to be treated badly makes it so much worse.
I managed to tear my cornea in my right eye on Monday. So please forgive any typos. I have been going to the eye doc every evening to get it debreded (sp?) and checked for infection. Bright lights hurt so I have been off the computer for a few days. Staying in dim rooms and sleeping alot. One of my friends said to me today, maybe I was starting to do too much and this is the universe's way of getting me to slow down. If I could have seen her better I would have decked her!
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