[My] Life in Wisconsin

I Don't Know HOW She Did It!




Good Evening All;
As you all know, I have been unable to even wage war on my house, due to my darn back.
Read on. You won't believe what a week I had!!!!   hehehe

Love to all,

XOXO
Me
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Dear Polly;
I slept until about an hour and a half ago. I imagine you tried to email me. Suffice to say that Yahoo did the same thing to me today that they did yesterday. Fortunately I was able to still get hold of someone in charge of this mix~up.
(And oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, the gal today didn't even hang up on me)...
Unfortunately, if you tried to email me in the meantime, I didn't get it. I hope you are settled safely in for the evening...

I miss you already.
Though you might not agree, I LOVED having you here.
I am almost sure there were a few times that you wanted to pack up your truck and leave. (I could not have blamed you either).


Never in my life had I expected (from one person), all the work you did for me! The fact that you drove so many miles to help me out astounds me still.
*** Still not sure how you "found" my floors, as I slept through your sweating that one out.
(My apologies for that).
Zzzzzzzzzzz......

AND, you cooked for me too!  Not to dismiss your note here, but I can't wait for me to be done typing so I can go eat up the rest of last nights dinner. IT WAS SOOOO GOOD!!! (Idiot that I am, I neglected to even ask for your recipe).
I may even throw a pinch of salt on it.  Oooooh, just dare me! hehehe And yes, I do know how very hard it is to cook for someone who eats a salt-free diet, even if it is by choice- and not by doctors orders.


Back when Randy had his stroke it is something that I needed to adjust to immediately, and it wasn't easy. After having him recuperate here, taught me that I could live without any (added) salt; and that was good enough for me. I suppose there comes a time in everyone's life- (if we live long enough) that our doctors will tell us to cut back on our salt intake. I've just got them beat is all.

As you know, next week will be the week from hell for me- with all those darned doctor/hospital appointments- (It's a good thing that you didn't come then). Hopefully I will get at least ONE answer that I need, to be even a bit better.
Methinks I need a hammock in my car so it doesn't hurt so much to go somewhere...
Those doctors (some of them that don't know me anyway), look at me quite queer when I say that I will never have another test if I have to lie on my back. It simply is NOT going to happen- Not without my brace, (and not with me present either). hehehe

I was happy too that Casey got to come out today- and to see you off. I hope that you haven't hit any nasty weather. Sure has been a bad year for those storms popping up out of the nowhere. (Like this morning).
The weatherman said we may have some more of those in the overnight hours. There is a tornado watch, (I think until midnight)...
I hate storms at night- I am a big baby ya know. 
(Of course you do).


I owe you a debt I can never repay, save for with my heart. I can not only see my floors, I can see my countertops shining in the kitchen- And then, after my nap, as I rounded the corner, even the bathroom is all shiny and brand new.

I promise to try to keep it all as it is. I have also spoken to both Punk and Sput and told them each "No more shedding, inside."

I promise too, to get used to my new wheelchair, and to get outside with it also.

Sweet Polly, again I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you did.
And again, and again, and again...
I just don't know how else to say it, save for thank you... and with all my love.

XOXO,
Me

PS
Punk has now gone upstairs, twice since I woke- Looking for you I'd imagine, because she doesn't ever do that just for fun...

OK- Time now for your leftover Elk!  YAY and YUM!
YUMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

One Woman's story of pancreatitis (From ABC News)

http://www.abcnews4.com/story/14711942/putting-up-with-the-pain-one-womans-story-of-pancreatitis
Putting up with the pain.

Chronic pancreatitis: Daily pain, costly cure


By Jon Bruce
jbruce@abcnews4.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) –- Doctors describe the disease as someone jamming a knife into your stomach and twisting – pain which can last for days or weeks at a time.

The last seven years of Rita Graziano's life have been a struggle.

"It's like you are getting electrocuted," she said. "It's usually pain on a daily basis. It's a raw kind of burring pain."

Graziano was diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis in 2004.

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is one of only three hospitals in the country offering a radical procedure to ease the pain of chronic pancreatitis. But, that cure comes with a significant cost, one Granziano, who has been on disability because of the pain, simply cant afford. 

She said her experience has been a nightmare, one that only got worse when doctors she went to for help in her native New York, wouldn't listen.

"With pancreatitis people often get stigmatized," she said. "Especially if you are young, often times it's like you are seeking pain medication."

After months of searching for a doctor who would help her, Graziano finally landed at MUSC - in the care of Dr. David Adams, a leader in gastrointestinal surgery for over 20 years.

"The procedures I do involve bypassing the pancreas or taking out the damaged tissue," Dr. Adams said.

After several examinations and treatments, Dr. Adams recommended a relatively new but proven procedure called islet isolation.

"We take the cells that make insulin and isolate them in a laboratory situation and then inject them back into the patient's own liver," Dr. Adams said.

Those cells then live inside the liver and produce insulin with out the need for a pancreas.  

Sara Gibbins recently had the procedure and says the surgery stopped the pain and is allowing her to live a normal life.  

"I feel so much better than I ever thought I would feel," Gibbins said during a taped interview with MUSC. "Coming out of the surgery was like wow."

The procedure has caused some patients, like Gibbins to develop manageable diabetes. But, Graziano says it's time to take back control of her life and worth the risk.

"Only about 25 percent of people with chronic pancreatitis will live another five years from when they are diagnosed," she said. "I just don't know how much longer I have as far as my quantity but my quality is not great and I just thought about it and did some research and came to Dr. Adams and something had to be done."

But with a price tag of $21,000 for the procedure, Graziano is praying on for the kindness of others. She is praying for a miracle.

"I am really hoping this can change my life and maybe help save my life as well," she said.



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This is the same disease that Casey had.
Casey's TP/AIT (just the 1st surgery), was over a quarter of million dollars! Methinks the above $21,000 grand is missing at least one zero.

We would have lost Casey by now, given the fact that her pancreatic enzymes were digesting ALL of her insides...

Did anyone else happen to catch this on the news? It was on ABC...

XOXO
Me





From:
WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 - Chronic pancreatitis: Daily pain, costly cure