If Its Not The Knees Its The Feet

Posted on April 9, 2010 by Smelly Danielly

Right, so, Mr. Ciavarro.

Well, we were at my Uncles last night, in the basement of the Church. As we were about to leave, my uncle asked if Chad and Ryan could help bring down some chairs into the basement. I was a bit weary because of Chads bad knees, but I knew if he took it slow, all would be OK.

So I’m sitting there with Elise chatting, waiting for the boys to finish as my Uncle cleans up, when all of a sudden we hear this big noise. It did sound like someone falling down the stairs with chairs but, I didn’t really think it actually happened. My Uncle calls out to the people walking towards the stairs ‘Did someone fall?’, to which I jokingly reply ‘Oh, it must have been Chad!’. Well, as luck would have it, it WAS Chad.

Sweet Mother of Jesus.

We all rush over to find Chad at the bottom of the stairs with agony all over his face. While taking it easy down the stairs, he miscalculated and missed a step causing him to roll his ankle and drop all of the chairs while falling. Not a good scene.

To make matters worse, the only other people left were this older retired nurse and her cousin. These two ladies, while very friendly, are a bit odd. The retired nurse was in there like a dirty sock trying to assess the damage. I could tell by the look on Chads face he was not impressed.

Whenever Chad blows out his knee, I know to ask if he is OK or if he needs something and then to back away slowly to allow him space. This lady was basically on top of him guiding his breathing patterns, which we all knew was a bad idea. Thankfully Chad was very patient with her, and while he was very short, he didn’t actually blow up in her face.

We didn’t know the extent of the damage, but it was already swollen and he could only put very little pressure on it. With some help he managed to hobble to the front door, where he took a minute to sit down and relax before getting in the car. The retired nurse was sure to give me pointers on how to take care of him when I got home, which was nice of her, but I could tell Chad just wanted to hurry up and get hime.

With some help leaning on me, he was able to make it home, in to the elevator, and up to the apartment, where he laid himself out on the couch. Ryan and Elise came over to see how he was and to just hang out.

After taking some advil and icing it, he seemed to be ok, as long as he didn’t move his foot. We went to bed, kept it elevated, and iced all night long.

This morning I attempted to help him hobble to the bathroom, but that was a no go. He was in way to much pain to put any pressure on it. Luckily, Dr. Nonna Sonia has all the hospital equipment you could ask for sitting in her basement, so I quickly ran over and got him some crutches. He seemed to be OK using those.

I’ve called him a couple times from work today, and he says everything is ok, as long as he doesn’t move. I will most likely take him to the hospital tonight, just to get some x-rays and to see if there is any real damage.

If it’s not one thing it’s another!

***Update***

So we just got back from the hospital. He’s got a sprain and a fracture. They put a ‘Slab’ on his leg/foot right now and then he has to go back next week to get a full cast. He wears that for 2 weeks, then gets an X-ray, and then a leg brace that he can walk on. Looks like it will be an interesting month ahead!!!

Riding the Safe Waves

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Smelly Danielly

So today is about 100 times less stressful then yesterday was. Yesterday I had to go back into the Cancer Clinic.

After my Radioactive therapy last October, the scan of cancer/thyroid left in my body did not match up with the results of the blood test, so they didn’t know what was going on. They sent me home with the information that I would have to go for more blood tests and then in March, a whole 5 months away, I would get the results of everything and would find out if I had to be Radioactive again.

While the whole Radioactive therapy thing wasn’t painful, it was kind of mentally traumatic, and the thought of having to do it again freaked me out every time I thought about it. I had been so strong through out the whole year, but the thought of being isolated again sent me into panic mode.

So I went for all my blood tests and lived the past 5 months thinking March was a month that didn’t existed. I didn’t want to think about it, I didn’t want to face reality, I just wanted to pretend like nothing was going on.

Then March came. Yesterday came.

I tried to think positively about everything, and even though at my last Family Doctor visit, he said my Thyroid Levels looked good I wasn’t about to count my chickens before they were hatched.

Every time I have gone into a doctors office, by myself, thinking it was no big deal and nothing bad was going to come out of it I’ve been handed a bombshell. This has now shattered my faith of hearing good news.

I was in stomach panic mode all day yesterday. I could only function doing mindless tasking because my brain was too consumed with worry to do any other thinking. The closer it got to 3:00 the more I felt like I was going to puke. Of course I internalised it all and didn’t tell anyone other then Chad. But I know my body. When I worry more then I need to everything comes out ok. I can’t stop myself from worrying; it’s physically and mentally impossible until I face whatever it is I’m suppose to face, then everything goes back to normal. It’s been like this for 1000 years.

So we got to the Cancer Clinic early and sat in the waiting room. Suddenly the thought of my fate hit me as I saw a young woman walk in with no hair. Of course my condition is not that extreme, but it still freaked the crap out of me as to what could have happened. I was totally consumed by feelings of dread.

It didn’t help that they were running late and I didn’t get to see the doctor until 3:30! Sweet Jesus make me suffer.

Everything came back normal.

Praise SHAZZIB!

I have to up my Thyroid pills from 88mg to 100mg, but that’s no big deal.

Because Chad and I are looking to have babies in the next year, he wanted to make sure that everything was 100% OK, so I have to go in for one more scan.

I have to do the same thing as last time. Shot in the Bum on Monday, Shot in the Bum on Tuesday, Scan Wednesday. Then, maybe, just maybe, I will FINALLY get the all clear and just have to go back for check ups.

This is the never ending Thyroid Journey. Every time I think I am SOOO close to it being over, something else comes up. I hope this will finally be the end, for now.

She Has Done It Again

Posted on December 17, 2009 by Smelly Danielly

The economy has clearly gone down the shitter this year because I have not gained any weight due to the over indulgence of chocolate and cookie eating thanks to our many suppliers who gift us with baskets every year. Why have I not gained any weight you ask? Well because we have only received ONE basket. Either everyone is late in thanking us for business or everyone hates us, and with the lack of Christmas cards I have personally received this year, I’m pretty sure that is the case. Talk about a year of Hate. It goes both ways.

So last night I treated my dear cousin to a home made dinner while she treated me to some Little House on the Prairie. See I told you she would bring it. It felt like dinner took me forever to make, but really it was only an hour. The sausages always take longer then I expect. Elise and I both feel the same way about Italian Sausages in that we hate them, unless that are in a bun. (Insert Bum Sex Joke Here) However, with my magical new Sausage recipe (that converted me from a sausage hater to a sausage lover) I was also able to convert Elise. See, magical.

Now, you see, with this sausage recipe, I needed to partially cook the sausages in the oven in a baking dish with a lid. So once it was done I took it out of the oven, removed the lid, dished out the goods and then went back to replace the lid to keep Chads sausages warm. Only problem was, my brain wasn’t working and I reached for the lid with out an oven mitt on. I picked it up and held it trying to figure out what sensation was coming from the tips of my fingers to my brain. Oh, wait, I know what that sensation is…BURNING. After a minute of holding the frickin burning lid I realized what was going on but couldn’t just drop it because it was glass and I didn’t want to break it so I gently placed it down, allowing for more burning damage to occur to my finger. For the LOVE OF JESUS. My thumb was a little damaged by my right index finger was about to fall off. I have never experienced a burn that bad in my life. I iced it right away and held it there for quite some time (which made eating very awkward). Every time I attempted to not ice my finger I would explode in pain. Like it felt like my hand was ACTUALLY on fire.

Ugh. WHY AM I SO STUPID!? I am going to have no fingers left by the time I die. I mean how many accidents have I had this year alone!?

Anyways, I was stuborn and wouldn’t let anyone help me finish my chores so I washed the dishes, had a shower, cleaned up, AND ironed Chads pants all with one hand on fire.

I am seriously the stupidest person on earth.

Let Me Know What Works Best For U

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Smelly Danielly

I went to my family Doctor yesterday to get my prescriptions refilled and I asked him a bunch of questions about all the stuff I was told at the Cancer Clinic. He put all my worries to rest and said one test doesn’t mean anything. This is a wait and see situation and there is really nothing to worry about at this point. He is going to get the Cancer Clinic to fax him over the rest of the results and then review them himself. Thank God for that.

Last night Marlee and I went out for coffee and I did the stupid thing of having a White Chocolate Mocha at 8pm. I swear to God I never learn. Anyways, we were there until about 10:30 and hyper as ever. I got home and did all the dishes, made all the lunches, cleaned up and had a shower before going to bed. I was on caffeine fire. I slept alright, but after having my morning tea I seriously felt like I was hungover. I had a coffee hangover. Ugh. Not good. I basically had to eat a bunch of food to make it go away. Thankfully it did.

I am super craving pasta right now. I wonder which sauce Chad will make tonight.

Alicia is sick and dying behind me. If she touches anything that belongs to me I am going to punch her in the face. IN THE FACE!

I spent the entire day putting together the Spring Production Schedule. It took forever but it looks amazing. I organize like a Mother Trucker.

I’m really not a fan of Mandatory Marley at 4:20.

I Guess It’s Never Really Over

Posted on October 13, 2009 by Smelly Danielly

Another day, another appointment at the Cancer Clinic, another extension to this whole process.

Every time I think its the end I go to the appointment thinking its all over and there is no need to have anyone come with me because it will be fine. Then I go, by myself, and get told its not the end. I’m not going to lie, I was expecting this. Expecting this because that’s just how things go for me. Not one surgery but two, not one treatment but two.

The Radioactive Iodine treatment went well. The follow up scan showed two spots, one on the side of my neck and one in the back, that were glowing indicating they had taken up quite a bit of radioactive iodine, meaning the spots contained Cancerous cells. But the fact that they were glowing basically meant they the cells were killed.

The weird part is that I went for a blood test after my treatment and certain levels came back higher then normal, which doesn’t make any sense and the doctors don’t know what to make of it. They don’t thinks its anything serious, but they don’t know what it means. The course of action they are taking is to monitor my blood over the next 4 months and see if the levels level out or not. If they don’t then I will most likely have to go for another dose of Radioactive Iodine sometime in the Spring.

For the love of Jesus, isolation AGAIN!?

All those years of wishing I lived under a rock by myself are coming to fruition.

After hearing of the news I was of course disappointed because I was really hoping this was the end of it all, but I realized, there probably is never going to be an end. I will always get tested, I will always have to go back for more things, and if anything looks funny, I will have to be Radioactive again. I guess part of me is alarmed by the news, but to be honest, if it really was anything serious, I would be in there next week getting it done, not 5 months from now.

So, in the wise words of Todd Bertuzzi, it is what it is. There is no sense in sitting her in a pile of depression wondering ‘Why me?’ It is what it is, and its obviously just something I’ve got to go through. So onward and upward.

I’m sure 24 years of negativity hasn’t helped the situation.