What is worse, having cancer or caring for a loved one after a trauatic event?

I pick the latter.

Sunday November 8th I got a call from Kansas saying my dad was in the car and they were taking him to the hospital.  Thankfully I was with friends when I got the call so I had some supportive people to help me get through the shock.  I love my Dad, I've always been nervous about him living at the ranch alone.  It is a wild and lonely place, he kind of likes it that way, but still. 

I'm digressing, back to the story..

So, they got him to the local hospital who wasn't really big enough to handle a stroke.  They airlifted him to Via Christi in Wichita.  He was there a few days then they released him on Wednesday.  He was supposed to stay with his sister overnight then go home, but he really wanted to go home.  Aunt Penny went with him so he wouldn't be alone.  Brian went on to check on Mom in Dodge. 

For those who are getting confused, here are the cast of characters:
Mom - June Kliesen, has Alzheimer's disease with Lewey Body Dementia and is in a home in Dodge.
Dad - Gary Kliesen
Aunt Penny - Dad's Sister
Aunt Judi - Dad's Baby Sister
Brian Kliesen - My twin brother, only slightly younger than I am.
Joel Kliesen - Our youngest brother, slightly less than 2 years behind Brian and I.
DJ Kliesen - My sister-in-law, Brian's wife.  There is no end to her awesomeness.
Rori Kliesen -  My niece, daughter and oldest child of Brian & DJ.  She is 3 years old and full of everything Spectacular!
Lucas Kliesen - My nephew, son and youngest child of Brian & DJ.  He is 2 years old and also full of Awesome!
There are also various cousins involved who adore my father, also known as Mr. Wonderful.

Caught up yet?  O.K.  moving on.

So Brian went to check on mom in Dodge, Aunt Penny stayed with Daddy and took him to see a Speech therapist in Ashland. 

I landed in Wichita Mid-continent airport around noon Friday.  My friend Melissa helped me get tickets and connections straight.  She is amazing too!

My cousin, Jill, picked me up from the airport and it was nice to get caught up with her and her family.  My other cousin Jamie volunteered to drive me half way to the ranch to meet Brian so he wouldn't have to drive all the way to Wichita to get me.  He had driven more than 1500 miles in the last few days and I am quite sure he was exhausted. 

We got back to the ranch around 9:30.  the kids were still up as was Grandpa, AKA. Dad.  He was exhausted and went to bed soon after we arrived.  The kids were excited to have one more audience member but went to bed not too long after Dad did.

Dad has been uncooperative when taking his medicine, but we thought we would eventually get him to take them.  Yeah, we thought...  Sigh, I am still trying to get them into him.

His appetite is great, an improvement over the past few years.  He has lost quite a bit of weight which is good, but he has also lost strength.  We need to build that back up along with his speaking ability.  His motor skills and dexterity are really good.  Physically you can barely tell he has had a stroke at all.  The stroke affected his deep brain tissue.  He needs to re-path his synapses in the speech & analyzing center of his brain.  This takes practice, no more than 15-30 minutes at a time with plenty of time to rest between exercises. 

It is really hard to see such a vibrant, larger than life person in this state.  I cried for quite awhile after everyone left.  Brian, DJ & the kids went to Dodge to spend Saturday with Mom.  We have not told Mom about Dad's stroke.  She is having a tough time with the dementia and the hallucinations associated with the Lewey body part of the equation.  Anything that upsets her has the probability of bringing on a pretty bad hallucination or nightmare.  We have told her that Dad has a bad cold and doesn't want to bring it into the home where people could catch it.

We are hoping to be able to go see her Wednesday.

More updates to follow.

Love,
Brenda

Waiting for Biopsy results...

So I had 3 moles removed last Thursday. 

I didn't have a skin check until next month but one of said moles had broken open and bled.  This is what happened when I found the first cancer. 

Fortunately my Dermatologist is Awesome and let me do the skin check a month early so I don't have to go back in October. 

Unfortunately the biopsy results aren't back yet.  All of my scans have been clear so I'm not too worried, but you know how it is.  There is always that little crumb of doubt in the back of your mind once you have had cancer that says, "I'm baaaaaaack!"  I would really love to beat the crap out of that little bit of doubt. 

Stupid doubt!  You suck! 

I have 3 holes that are healing.  The worrisome one is on my right arm, the one that broke open, just below my elbow.  There is one on my forehead at the hairline, that one actually hurts a little.  The last one is on my back.  That one doesn't hurt in the least.  Now I just need to get my mind off of the spot on my arm.  Any ideas out there?  Anyone? 

If you know a good joke, toss it my way.

On the up side, my girl Zoe is happy and healthy and she is the best little cuddle bug in the world.  So is my little Freddi.  Sadly Freddi is camera shy.

I also managed, with the help of a co-worker, to get 8' of my porch floor replaced & painted Saturday.  Hooray! 

after the install but before the paint

 

 One small strip still needs installed, but the rest I painted.



 

Saturday was good, but I am sore, it is a good sore, but I'm sore and stiff.  I put another coat on Sunday so now there are 3 coats of paint and it is looking really good.  I like the color and the porch floor is about a quarter finished.  I still have to sand and paint the other part, the ceiling, sky blue, the porch swing, and the railing.

More photos to come.

Garage Saga

Good afternoon all!  I hope this post finds you all well and healthy.  My life has been pretty dull of late.  I've been waiting on some construction to be completed on my garage. 

Last spring, March 15th to be exact, a gentleman fell asleep at the wheel and drove into my garage.  My garage was a small grocery store in the 1920's and is brick.  It is quite sturdy so when I say he almost totaled it I mean it. 

We figure he had to be going between 40-45 minimum to do the damage he did.  He was driving a 1997 Jeep Cherokee.  He was so lucky to be unconscious when he hit as his body was relaxed.  Even in his relaxed state it was a miracle he walked away from that horrid wreck.  He hit the corner of the building head on then flipped around and hit the whole front of the building with the length of his SUV.  He totaled the front of the building and about half of a side wall. 

I called my insurance company to discuss the damage.  When I got his insurance information I called his Insurance people and got them in touch with my insurance people.  This has been an ongoing saga for several months.  Both companies are quite sure I did NOT suddenly move my garage into the road to get hit so they've been really good there. 

It took several months to get a contractor hired, Liberty Mutual wanted some of his preferred contractors to take a look.  Meanwhile I'm living with the above mess which the city kindly boarded up for me at a cost of almost $500.00.

I found one contractor on-line and another from previous experience.  The numbers came in and I finally hired a contractor in May.  I won't bore you with too many details, but the Liberty Mutual preferred contractor refused to deal with me and would only deal with Liberty Mutual.  His bid was also double what everyone else's numbers were.  Needless to say he was not hired.

So, contractor on board - Check!
Garage still there - Check!
Garage door deposit paid & ordered - Check!
Permit from the city to begin work - Yeah, Right!  Apparently they are swamped and can't get to it anytime soon.  They mentioned that it would be 4-6 weeks before they can review and approve out permit.  4-6 weeks took more than 2 months.  Then they refused to send it to the contractor.  They had to go pick it up!

Demolition finally begins mid August.  Masonry work begins a few days later and is finished in less than 2 weeks!  Woo-Hooo!  Oh yes, it should be said that the masonry crew was amazing!  They were nice guys, pretty tidy, and incredibly polite.  It was also really cool to wake up one Saturday morning to hear them listening to disco music.  I giggled for about 15 minutes over that.

Damn, we are back to being in a holding pattern as the garage door folks did not in fact order the door when the deposit was paid.  It'll be another two weeks waiting on the door.  Meanwhile my garage is sitting wide open for all the world to view its innards.  I happen to know it was feeling as vulnerable as I was.  The masonry work was looking fabulous, but there was this large 12' wide by 8' high opening that needed to be closed.  It was stuck in the midst of a perpetual yawn with no power, no fence, & no protection from thieves and drug dealers.  I am quite sure both perused the garage interior while it was wide open when I wasn't looking.  I have found evidence that the garage was occupied when I wasn't home.  Garrrumph!

 

The door finally arrived September 11th.  The installer was spectacular and did a great job!  That is, until we tried to test it.  Back when the garage was torn up from the accident, the door folks came out to check things out and the operator was still working.  I suspect it was depressed at having its door gone for so long that it committed suicide. 

 



 

It isn't easy to see, but the circuit board is broken on the lower right corner.  Now I have to get estimates for a new operator, order it and get it installed.  Sigh!  (I finally got the approval to order it today.  A check should be on its way to me as I type this.) 

Now my garage is feeling better about being closed up but it isn't necessarily useful yet.  Once the operator goes in and the power is connected things will be better. I just need to be patient.   

It should be noted that there was a 1' x 4'  2 lamp industrial fluorescent fixture sitting against the wall the entire time the garage was wide open.  Said fixture used to hang above my work bench.  I know it was there the day the garage door went in because I sat by it thinking I should get on the ladder and hang it back up where it belonged.  The white gate also went in the day before.  Someone waited until the door was in, & the gate was in to steal the fixture.  It should be noted that this was a 5 year old $20.00, (or less,) fixture from home depot.  It isn't super awesome or expensive.  It was merely functional.  Some douche had to open the gate, move my trash cans out of the way, & open the side door to steal that fixture.  I've had the garage door locked since it went in.  It seems like a lot of effort to steal something that really can't be readily fenced for cash to buy drugs. 

So here I sit, waiting for my garage door operator so that I will be able to use my garage door again.  Hell, it has been 5.5 months, what is a few more weeks?

I do have to say the contractor has been great.  I mostly speak with his wife and she is spectacular!  They are definitely getting a really good review from me.  I'll try to put up a post when it is all finished.  I think a party to christen the new garage will be in order.

Oh yes, I am just about 30 days from being 3 years cancer free!!!  Woo-Hooo!  That is definitely worth a little happy dance.

Oh and another bit of coolness I got in my e-mail today is a small off grid, 3D printed house and vehicle with two way battery system.
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7634251-skidmore-owings-merrill-3d-printed-building/
Check it out!

Good afternoon all,

I must apologize for having been remiss in updating this blog, as usual.  My July scan was delightfully clean, (and there was much rejoicing.)  Life has gone on since then, things have even been going pretty well. 

I have been wooed away from my current company.  My last day is a few weeks away yet and I have a ton of things to clear up before I leave.  I will be sorry to leave as they have been very good to me, but after 11 years it is time for a change.  I need to get my feet wet in another area of engineering for awhile.  I’ve been doing lighting for so long that I feel like I need to step aside and try something else for a while.  I am not going far, the new firm is only a few miles away.  It is a larger company, but a smaller office.  The projects are smaller and I’ll have a chance to get back into the power side.  I am nervous but excited to do something different for awhile.  I will miss everyone, but we will still be able to get together on occasion.

I went home last week as my Mom was being honored for her Outstanding Volunteer Service by the Community College where she taught for many years.  Mom was always spending extra time there volunteering for the bloodmobile, sponsoring student activities.  When I was in high school she was faculty advisor for the math science club.  I used to go with her to chop wood, (we sold wood to raise money for the club one year,) help work the concession stand at the football and basketball game’s, she would tutor students as well in an effort to get them to pass her classes.  Mom taught biology & microbiology and she was quite good at it.  Her students loved her.  She had to make her lectures entertaining to get her students to listen.  I wasn’t allowed to take her class as she used my brothers and I as examples in her genetics lecture.  I tried to sneak in to hear her lecture but was always chased out.  I did sit in the corridor a few times to listen to her.  She was wonderful.  I love her lecture style.  She used humor to get the students engaged. 

About three weeks ago I had my most recent CT scan.  The week after, I got to see my Oncologist for the results.  Unfortunately he said part of my small bowel(?) was enflamed, which could be ANYTHING, from an infection to gas.  (Sorry Mom & Dad, I didn’t tell you about it because I didn’t want you to worry.)  At this point I’ve decided it is nothing to worry about.  (There is a little part of my brain that is freaking out of course.   I’ve stuffed that part away in a small locked box.) 

They scheduled me for an Upper GI.  I got there shortly after 7:00 Monday morning, it took me a few tries to get to the right place.  The buildings are all connected and it isn’t easy telling what building you are in once you are walking around.  After a few false starts, I finally made it to the correct imaging center in the correct building.  Every time I have a new procedure, I get lost trying to find the right place.

They gave me two gowns to wear so my hiney didn’t flap in the wind.  I bagged my clothes up and got on the X-ray table.  It was kind of cool as the table moves back and forth, up and down and rotates.  I had to drink several cups of a thick, heavy barium solution.  YUCK!  It was very interesting watching the fluid move through my digestive tract.  The nurse and Dr. informed me that it could take all day to get it to move where they needed it to go.  I told them that my body likes to get rid of it quickly.  They were skeptical until my gastrointestinal system got to work, then they made me drink extra barium solution.    I’m still pooping white stuff, which is just disturbing on so many levels!

I got my results back yesterday:  Dr. Pok sent me the following. 

It does not appear to be related to anything cancerous, although they are not sure what it is.  Inflammation for some reason?   I am going to refer you to Dr. Bouhaidar in VCU gastroenterology- he will meet with you and decide if you need the Push Enteroscopy.  

This is the formal result.  Enteritis means inflammation of intestine.  Vasculitis is inflammation of blood vessels.  

btw- congrats on super rapid transit time.  You are cheeseburger to poo in 30 minutes or less!  That is a skill I thought only the wookiee had.  (The wookiee is his buddy and my PT, a really funny guy.)

1.  Segmental regular, smooth fold thickening of the distal duodenum and proximal jejunum in a distribution similar to the recent abdominal CT. Findings can be seen with enteritis, including inflammatory or ischemic enteritis. Additional considerations include an infiltrative process such as eosinophilic enteritis or sequela of chemotherapy. Underlying vasculitis is also possible. Small bowel lymphoma and metastatic melanoma are considered less likely. Further evaluation with push enteroscopy and biopsy would be of benefit. 

2.  Moderate gastroesophageal reflux. Small hiatal hernia and nonobstructing Schatzki's ring.

3.  Mild esophageal dysmotility.

4.  Rapid transit time for barium to reach the right colon at 30 minutes.

I hope to get scheduled this week for the Gastroenterologist.  It would be nice to get it out of the way so I  don’t have to waste any more time worrying. 

I promise to update you all when I see the gastroenterologist. 

Love and hugs for everyone,
blk

Still Cancer Free and Happy about it!

Good news last week!  My last scan is still clean & my blood work finally came back to pre-treatment levels!  Hooray!  It was nice to see my Dr. Pok. 

Speaking of Dr. Pok, he is now famous; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=498MN-1wqqE&feature=youtu.be  You can see how brilliant he is in this TedxTalk from a week or two back.  He is also a really genuinely nice guy and a great doctor. 

 

Right then, went to my GP yesterday to have my left inner thigh looked at. 

Zoe and I took a trip up to MD to visit a friend over the weekend.  Initially 3 out of 4 dogs got along.  Dodger, an old grumpy lab mix doesn’t like anyone.  Zoe went all submissive upon meeting Dodger & Aylia in hopes of making them feel better about her larger than large presence.  They seemed sort of O.K. in the beginning.  Aylia ignored Zoe and Dodger grumbled like an old man.  Several hours later we were all standing around chatting before heading out to demo the old, then build the new fire pit. 

Apparently there were one too many humans petting Zoe when Melissa’s dog, Aylia, took offense.  Jealousy is a green eyed bitch.  She lunged at Zoe and I stepped in at just the wrong time to get bit.  I now have a 22x15cm bruise on my left inner thigh.  It was quick.  Once she figured out that she bit me, she let go immediately.  I am sporting 3 punctures and a gigantic bruise, along with some impressive swelling.  I’m on antibiotics & icepacks until I heal.  Aylia is up to date on her shots and my tetanus shot was updated only a few years ago so I should be just fine there. 

Zoe did her best to defend me, but I held her back.  Any PT out there should know that playing tug-of-war with a muscular Great Dane should be considered PT.  Holding her back should be as well.  Damn she is strong!  I’m also getting pretty good at slinging a 55 pound bag of dog food around.  Yes, I do believe there is some progress on the PT front. 

Feel free to crack some Sarcasm here folks.  I’m telling a variety of stories to make it sound better - it was a land shark that attacked me in a biker bar in Texas.  You should have seen the fucker when I got done with him.  I cut his sorry ass!  Or maybe it was a group ninja clowns tried to sneak up on me and I had to beat the daylights out of them.  Feel free to submit your favorite stories and we can all have a good laugh.

 

Love and hugs for all!

 

blk

 

 

Life after treatment?

Hi all,

I do apologize for not showing my pen on-line of late.  I have been remiss, for that I am sorry.  I have been trying to adjust to life post treatment.  I’ve been told I need to just get over it, (the ‘it’ in this case is cancer.)  Now I won’t mention names, because I love the person who said it, but seriously folks.  Can anyone ever go back to being the same person after having the big C?  Can anyone go back to living the same life after chemo?  In my world the answer is no. 

I’m sorry if this worries anyone, or if you don’t like that answer.  I’d be lying if I said otherwise.  Hell, just saying cancer stirs up an irrational fear in people.  I still remember when no one said the word out loud.  It was whispered for fear that someone might hear in the next room.  My friends & my shrink all agree that I’m just fine.  I’m never going to get over having cancer.  No one does.  Life changes after a diagnosis like that.  I think differently, I act differently, I react differently.  I’m just not the same person I was pre-cancer.  It is what it is folks!  Honestly I think this is a good thing.  I'm more aware of things, not just regarding my health.  I notice things I didn't notice before.  I try so very hard to see things in a more positive light.  I try to maintain a positive outlook in life, and I try to see the good in people more often.  Everyone has moments in life that are difficult.  No one will make it through his life unscathed, no one.  We are all just doing the best we can with what life throws our way.  I am more likely now to take a break and notice the flowers instead of spending the day doing laundry.  My mother will not like that last statement much, but she will appreciate the flowers part. 

Allow me to scream it at the top of my lungs, ‘FUCK CANCER!’  I hate cancer.  I loathe it with every fiber of my being.  I hate how helpless and weak it makes me feel.  I also hate that it makes me feel like a failure.  Somewhere in my mind I feel as if I brought this on myself.  The logical part of my brain says no, but there is that little corner of doubt that says I did this, I’m to blame.  It is completely irrational of course.  I know this, it is still there hovering in the back of my mind, waiting.

My father was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  A cancer that is incredibly scary.  This is one of those with the highest mortality rates.  The first thing I did was e-mail my oncologist to let him know to add it to my medical history and see if he had any wisdom or advice.  Alas, without more information, there wasn’t much he could say.  I understand he has to be careful.  I understand he doesn’t want to cause undue worry or fear without proper labs & pathology.  That I totally get.

 

My twin, Brian, & Dad.

They look so much alike!

The men in my family are quite handsome.

I even went to the livestrong website and considered signing Dad up for their guidebook & workbook.  I have one and it is great.  Mom asked me to wait to see if he wanted it first.  They also have people you can talk to about your diagnosis.  These folks aren’t just Dr.’s, they are survivors.  They know what you are going through.  It is important to have someone to talk to who gets it, someone who understands the anger and the fear.  Sadly, I'm not sure he would use it.  I love it, Brian would use it as both he & his lovely wife, DJ, are the most organized people in the family.

I researched treatment centers closer to home so Mom & Daddy wouldn’t have to make the trip in to Wichita as it is a long drive.  I know what it is like to have to drive after chemo.  I did it, there were days when that sucked, but I managed it.  I can't imagine driving long distance though.  A few of my fellow patients drove over an hour for treatment.  Thankfully they had someone to bring them and to drive home.  My drive after treatment was a mere 10-15 minutes depending on traffic. 

 

I watched parents bring their children in for treatment.  I watched them leave the room to cry so their kids wouldn’t see.  Someone has to be strong.  I didn’t let my folks see me cry when I was diagnosed or during treatment.  I tried not to let them know how scared I was.  I didn’t want them to worry about me because I was so far away and there wasn’t anything they could do even if they were here.  I didn’t really talk to them about it in those terms.  I told them I was tired, or nauseated, but I tried to be upbeat, or make a joke of it.  Why make them worry needlessly when there isn’t anything they can do to help?  They worry enough just being parents.

I had a call the other day from someone who told me I had to come home NOW, that I shouldn’t wait until he was gone.  I got the call at work.  I understand the panic cancer causes.  I do, but that call was tactless.  This is the same person who did the same thing when I was in high school to let me know my grandmother was senile.  She wasn’t senile, she was losing her memory, but she wasn’t senile.  She was confused and frightened, not senile.   I understand the panic, but when I'm at work, upsetting me is not a great idea.  I'm embarrassed that I let her get to me to the point I was crying.  It isn't easy to maintain respect in the office when you end up in tears due to one tactless person. 

Another person thinks I’m not taking this seriously enough.  These people have no idea how much I understand what Dad is going through.  I know their heart is in the right place, but their execution leaves something to be desired.  Apparently they think I am completely clueless on the whole topic of cancer.  Yeah, I’ve only had it twice, I’m just a dumb fucker.  I don’t mean to be rude or tactless myself, but damn!  What do I have to do to let them know I get it?  I can’t really jump on a plane without getting things sorted here first.  I also have to beg for time off from work.  I used up all of my leave during chemo.  I won’t have any time accrued until at least August.  I’m also still paying the hospital.  Sadly my life is still run by cancer, treatment & various therapies.  I’ll be paying that bill for a while.  Have I mentioned that insurance companies suck?  They do!  While we are at it, Fuck Insurance companies too!  They are another necessary evil.   

Fuck Cancer!

I do want to go home, but I want to go when I can be of use to Mom & Dad.  If I left tonight and got there tomorrow morning, Dad would be pissed!  I don’t want to irritate him further right now.  He already doesn’t feel well.  I’m afraid I would just exacerbate things.  He needs to rest and feel better more than he needs people to hover.  He doesn’t like it when people hover, I understand this completely.  He is and always has been a get things moving kind of person. 

He is going to get through this.  He is going to go home soon.  He is going to be fine, but like me, life isn’t going to be the same.  I know the above statements will piss people off, but it is how I feel.  My motto is prepare for everything, but hope for the best possible outcome.

Adding further irritation, I got the news this morning that another friend is in the hospital battling lung cancer.  It is in her lungs & spine.  There will be further tests to see if it has moved into her brain as well.  I haven’t heard on that front recently though.  One would think that someone who survived breast cancer would be done with all of this shit.  She certainly deserves better than this!  Everyone does.

 

Fuck Cancer and the horse it rode in on!

On an up note, I have a new best friend.  Her name is Zoe and she is beautiful!  She has been with me for a few months now.  I love her smile.

Zoe

 

 

Blessings, silver linings & some pain to go along with

Merry Christmas Everyone!  I hope this missive finds you all happy & healthy.  Did Santa bring you new toys? 

 

This has been a tough year for me, but I still have more than my share of things for which to feel thankful.

 

My Oncologist, Dr. Pok, & the nurses at MCV have been a Godsend.  I miss my nurse, Maria, who moved to work at another hospital.  Not only are these people truly compassionate, but they are funny, quirky & delightfully sarcastic.  I will miss them once this treatment is done.  After a year of immunotherapy I consider them more than friends.  I consider them family.  Don’t think for a moment that I’ll ever forget you!  The women in the chemo lab are amazing.  I’ll be stopping in to visit periodically so you won’t forget me.  Also I’ve expanded my joke repertoire & my knitting has greatly improved over the last year as well.  I’ll get everyone’s hats done eventually.

 

My oncologist also hooked me up with a fabulous PT, Andy.  He is working to break up the scar tissue in my right arm & arm pit from the various surgeries.  Needless to say I am mostly happy to have him working me over.  There are times when I want to smack him when he hits a bit of unhappy tissue near the bone.  I have not yet cried but I have issued a few choice words in his general direction.  Jill, I am quite sure you know what I’m talking about as you’ve had your share of scar tissue to work on.

 

I could not have done this without each and every one of my friends & family.  Your kind words & support have been wonderful.  I feel truly loved for the first time.  Even those of you who are far away make me feel loved.  The support I’ve received via Face Book has been spectacular.  I will never be able to adequately express just how thankful I am to have you all in my life. 

 

The treatment has taught me just how strong a person I am.  Isn’t it funny that it takes something really difficult to explore yourself and come out thinking, “Hey, I’m pretty awesome and stronger than I ever thought possible.”  Going into the treatment, I had no idea what it would entail.  I didn’t lose my hair so I shaved my head instead, and I liked it.  I can honestly say this is the hardest thing I have ever done.  I’ve never felt this sick in my life, nor have I ever felt so much support from friends & family.  This is when you really find out who your friends are.  I know I haven’t been up for much visiting, but that will change in February or March.  As I get my strength back, I’ll be making my rounds to see everyone.

 

This is also when you find out the quality of your co-workers.  I have to say that H&A has the best quality of people with which to work.  Even though my chemo brain makes me have to ask the same question multiple times, everyone has been spectacular & patient with me.  I would like to take a moment to say, “Thank You for your compassion & understanding.”

 

Now that the nice stuff is done I’ll fill you in on what happens when you have a guy working to reduce scar tissue.  Fucking Ow!  Seriously that sentiment doesn’t do justice.  This guy thoroughly enjoys what he does.  He smiles every time I flinch in pain.  Wednesday he tried to scratch behind my left eye by way of my right armpit.  It didn’t just fucking hurt for a little while either.  I could still feel it this morning when I was trying to stretch out my shoulders.  Holy crap on toast!  I may have come close to levitation during that treatment, I can't be sure as I was in pain.  I’m pretty sure he is working to increase my pain threshold by at least triple.  Fine by me, but damn!  Thankfully he almost went easy on my today, no poking around in my armpit.  It still feels like there is a steel ball stuck up in there.

 

Only 14 treatments left!

 

After everything is over next year, I think I’ll move on to taking over the world.

 

I love you all!

Hugs,

blk