Tag Archives: health

Citizen of the Year – Day to Day

Estelle Fennell – Citizen of the Year

Last fall we had fires. We also had our intrepid reporter and news manager at KMUD, Estelle Fennel, who 24/7 kept us informed, went into the fire zone, and won great respect for her efforts from CDF and other locals.

Estelle Fennel has been named Citizen of the Year, by a strong vote. There will be a party in her honer on Valentines Day at the Mateel Community Center in Redway.

I am really glad to see this honor go to her. She has been the lifeline through many El Nino storms, keeps a level head and perspective to an often diverse population at odds with each other. She is fair, honest and we, are very lucky to have her.

Day to Day

In other news, Russel got a chest cold on top of what he was already dealing with. He has been home in bed most of the time since last Thursday. Poor baby,
this is so not him.

I have no Holiday Spirit.

We are going to Eureka, if he can make it, tomorrow to buy tires for the Toyota, as they are bald and we need to drive about 200 miles over hill and dale to Sacramento on Saturday to catch our flight to Michigan on Sunday.

Michigan where it was 10 degrees and snowing the last time I looked. brrrr

Give me wet windy 50’s in northern California any time.

I miss working on sites. My host (Hosting Matters) just added some new software within CPanel that is gonna be great to start playing with. I need to redo my www.creationdreams.net site. [Still needs to be done 3/15/2010 !]
And I am still waiting on content for the client site i started almost 2 months ago.
When I return from Michigan, I hope to start in earnest these web projects.

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Health Updates – Russel

Russel has completed the Prednisone therapy, the first 2 days off it he seemed better, then he had a terrible ‘pain behind the sternun’ attack. We really got worried and depressed that it was all for nothing … which I had been afraid of since the beginning, after all the Prednisone is only covering a symptom, some kind of inflammation.

Well after that one really bad attack, there has been less pain, and some days no pain at all. The last couple of days he hasn’t felt anything like pain in that area.

That symptom, in Google, brings up ‘angina and heart attack’ and GERD, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, although he rarely has acid reflex or heart burn, he decided to stop eating some acid causing foods. That lasted about 2 days :), except for his black tea. Wouldn’t it be ironic if all this was caused by drinking 1 cup of China Black Tea (Good Earth Naturals) every day!!!

Any way he isn’t coughing, and not using the inhaler either. He is back at work and except for a very bruised rib from a student crunching him, he is in better shape than he has been for quite awhile. Frustrated though now as the rib is keeping him from his adult Aikido classes and he really misses that.

I walked Monday and Tuesday this week, we are having sunny warm (very warm (90’s) for this time of year) weather. Then I went to Curves on Monday, which I haven’t been too since May! But I did walk and swim almost daily this summer so I don’t feel to guilty. I have put on a few pounds though, stress related I am sure. Eating comfort food as we waited to see just what was happening with Russel.

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Good News – No News

The short version of the visit with the doctors at the VA:
– the chest xray that originally was read to ‘see a spot on his lung’ was either faulty or an infection that went away before the CT scan got done.
– the CT scan was clear 🙂
– his lungs, heart, and airways are goodM.

They have no clue what the ‘pain behind the sternum is’ or why he has a cough. So they are treating the symptoms with Prednisone and Albuterol (inhaler) — (no he has never had asthma).

Google Prednisone sometime if ya really want to get scared! But it is a heavy anti-inflamentory, and the doctors hope the pain is an inflamation, so we will see if this works. Between the reaction to the prednisone and the vicodins for pain, he is a mess.

Time will tell the tale.
I won’t be near my computer for awhile, lots to do at the land. I will check email every few days is all.
Thanks for all the good thoughts as we work our ways through this healing.

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Packing for trip to VA

We finally have an appointment with the ‘chest clinc’ at Fort Miley VA hospital tomorrow (San Fransisco). We will leave here about 6:30am and go down.

Russel had to make this appointment last week, after tiring of waiting for them to call and make one with us, which is their usual standard of operation.

This whole ordeal has been filled with ‘people mistakes’ which have resulted in our not knowing what is going on, and not getting the treatments or appointments he needs.

Fortunately i have kept a log of all our contacts ..maybe that will help. If they still haven’t found the CT scan he had done on Sept 8!! tomorrow they will just send him up for one then.

I am so nervous. And Angry at the ineffecientness of everyone we have had to deal with so far. My god, its been 6 weeks since we have know something is WRONG. He is taking lots more pain killers as the ‘pressure-pain’ in his chest is increasing and he is coughing more.

I hope tomorrow we get some answers, what it is he has and how to deal with it. I swear to god i am not leaving there without that. No more, well we will do these tests and get back to you in another 2 or 3 weeks!

If I have to turn on really bad bitch mode to get results i will.

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Waiting is…

‘Waiting Is…’ a coined phrase by an old friend. He taught me a lot about patience, although I still have a lot to learn.

Waiting for the fires to finally burn themselves out. The smoke fills the sky and it is hard to breathe today, as it was on Thursday. We (here in Garberville) did have less smoke on Friday and Saturday, but that just means some one else had it… it all depends on the wind flow.

Waiting for the phone to ring. Still waiting for the appointment for the chest clinic for Russel, who is hurting lots more and coughing more too. I am most concerned about the ‘pain’. It doesn’t hurt for him to do deep breathing (as in yoga breaths), but the pain pressure is always there and at times much stronger. He has been using Vicodin and that is not good as he is not one to use painkillers willy-nilly.

Stress is hurting me. And not being able to walk, (it’s too smokey to even go outside unless you have too), isn’t helping my body much. Waking up with more aches and pains than I went to bed with.

Our mortality is showing. It becomes apparent that one should embrace each day and each interaction with a friend or acquaintance as if it were the last time you may see them. It is sometimes hard to do, in our busy lives. But it is the most fulfilling way to be.

Russel was commenting on this yesterday as we ran into someone we don’t see often. He is feeling his mortality for sure, and that in a way, scares me because it shows me that he is too really worried and that it’s not just me being a worry-wart.

So, as TR used to tell me, ‘Waiting Is..’

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Down Day

Well isn’t this the pits … it’s 100 degrees out again.

I didn’t sleep again last night and to add to it all my sinuses plugged up. Not sure why really, wrong food combinations? Sudden allergy onset? but needless to say this morning they started draining and draining and drianing… you get the picture.

We had to go to Eureka (again) so i took some benedryl and ephedrine… and have been totally out of it all day and still can’t breathe well in between the blowing. Sure hope this goes away as fast as it came in.

I hate losing days this way. It is such a waste of precious time.
I can’t think clearly so trying to work on code implementation is a joke. And it’s too hot to do anything outside.

Ok, sorry, I’ll quit whining now.
🙁

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