PCP appointment, Watch ascites, Jacob's 2

Jake's two years old today. Here's a picture of Jacob with cake frosting on his face, and a big smile on mommy's face. Later this evening, Jacob came pitter-pattering into the room, wearing that wig that Denise has on her head. I'd post a picture but I'm still traumatized. Oh, the birthday party theme is now changed to trains. That was on clearance sale but the jungle stuff wasn't. Easy choice. I thought perhaps Chinese food would be appropriate for a railroad theme.
But Greek food won out. Why? I figure it's because she was in the hospital during the Greek festival last September and she missed out. Makes perfect sense to me.
Denise's appointment with the primary care physician was productive. He wrote the necessary note to get Denise declared disabled. That'll open the door to some services if needed. He also wanted us to see the GI doctor because the feeding tube wound hasn't closed up yet. Also, we need to keep an eye on the ascites (fluid buildup in the tummy area).

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PCP appointment tomorrow, Disability declaration

Sorry for the long pause between posts. Been busy, but mostly with good things. We've been trying to get Jacob's birthday party all planned, and just tonight we're thinking of switching the theme from jungle to trains. Part of this is due to Jake's sudden fascination with trains. Part of it's due to not being able to decide what type of "jungle" food to serve... Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese, South American? Too many places with jungles have great food, so it was too hard to decide. Now I'm scratching my head and wondering, "What's train food?" So we might be returning the jungle props that've been loaned to us. Now if anyone has train props we can borrow for the party, please contact us and stand by...
Jacob's birthday is tomorrow, April 11. But the party's April 22, and that happens to be Denise's birthday, so we've got to rush. Trivia: Denise and Jacob were both born on Easter of their respective years of 1973 and 2004. I don't think either of them will have their birthdays fall on Easter for several more decades. Anyway, Denise didn't want to do anything to take away from Jacob's birthday bliss. So I'm getting the ball rolling about planning a reception for Denise instead of a birthday party, probably in June after school winds down. Check back on the blog for some details. That'd be great for you to meet her and see the results of all the hard work, pulling & tugging you've done on her behalf since last July.
As far as medical things go, Denise is doing well without her feeding tube & PICC lines. She has an appointment with her primary care physician (PCP) tomorrow. This is the doctor that will see her regularly from here on out. The infectious disease doctor thinks it's safe to check in with her on a monthly basis for a while. Denise's vision & mobility problems are such that we're trying to get her declared disabled. Our city doesn't have a Dial-a-Ride, but we've started the paperwork for her to be accepted for Access Services (disability transportation). The paperwork for all this makes us cross our eyes sometimes. Wouldn't life be great without all the red tape? Great, that is, except for all the people that owe their livelihoods to the existence of red tape.

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Feeding tube & PICC lines removed

Denise has no more hospital artifacts left in her body! This morning the home care nurse removed Denise's PICC line. Then we got a call from the Huntington Hospital saying that they had a cancellation and they squeezed us in for an interventive radiology appointment to remove the feeding tube. Denise said they glued her wound closed. She couldn't eat or drink anything from late morning (when the feeding tube was removed) until evening. For me, having the last two tubes removed was psychologically a bigger deal than getting her out of the hospital this last time. With the last discharge, I was waiting for something to go wrong. But with these last two hoses being removed, I feel like things really are getting back to normal.

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109 pounds, GOOD NEWS from ID doctor!

Denise weighed in at 109 pounds without shoes. The doctors are talking about removing the feeding tube and the PICC line. Wow! Two more steps toward normalcy.
Better yet was an appointment with the infectious disease doctor yesterday that was fairly hefty in the good news department. He thought the liver felt a little smaller. That Denise's liver was full (packed) with granulomas (typical cellular reaction to infection) is quite impressive. Apparently her body's been able to muster the appropriate responses to infections. As a result of the granulomas, he expects liver enzymes to be off and fluctuate at times (AlkPhos up to 394 from 318, SGOT down to 82 from 89, SGPT up to 182 from 134, all labs drawn one week apart). The ID doctor is comfortable with drawing liver labs every two weeks now (rather than every week), and there was another titer drawn that will be sent to UC Davis for evaluation. He also commented that he thinks the cocci found in the liver biopsy was dead. MAJOR RELIEF to not have that stuff be new or active! Enough about livers...
The ID doctor said that he thinks the rash Denise has is more acne than anything, and thought that sweats & ongoing bad dreams are not typical side-effects of voriconazole (yes, odd that it started with her switch to that antifungal med, but he's the doctor and I'm not). He thinks that the Diflucan (a.k.a. fluconazole, the previous antifungal med) must have been the cause of the nausea that landed her in the hospital a couple weeks ago. Still not sure why her manic phases started or stopped.
Other questions he answered were that yes, Denise CAN still eat mushrooms. Yeah, we're paranoid to think that eating a fungus would have anything to do with a fungal infection acquired via inhalation. But then again I've heard & seen all sorts of unbelievable things during the last eight-plus months. Also, Denise CAN go to Coalinga (central California valley city where her parents and the cocci fungus live), but not when it's dry, dusty or windy. Apparently what she's been through, and possibly developing a resistance to one of the antifungal meds, puts her at a higher likelihood of having a flare-up if the conditions are right (or completely wrong, depending).
Yesterday my dad & I went to visit my grandmother and a great uncle that flew in from Washington, the siblings of my great uncle that died last week. I guess that nobody knew how bad off my great uncle was and upon reading my blog post that he wasn't expected to live much longer, my great uncle from Washington decided to catch an earlier flight than what he'd planned. As a result, he was able to see his brother hours before he passed away. Though the circumstances were unfortunate, I'm glad that this blog was able to play a part in allowing them to see each other one more time.

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Is Lasik Eye Surgery For You? Or Are You Too Sqeemish!

For those of you that don't know Lasik stands for Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis. In Lasik the surgeon cuts a small flap in the cornea and uses a laser to reshape the inner area of the cornea. Problems with the cornea can be related to many vision troubles such as; Hyperopia or farsightedness and Myopia or nearsightedness). Also problems like Astigmatism can also be caused. The good news is that eye surgery and lasik in particular resolve many of these eye defects.

The sheer number of different of surgical procedures for correcting vison problems can leave you uncertain of the best one for you. However, whatever may be your procedure of choice, attaining excellent results is largely dependent on the expertise of your eye surgeon. lasik is by far the most preferred corrective eye surgery, and hence it is imperative that you choose an eye surgeon with a great deal of experience.

If you are thinking of going in for lasik eye surgery then this is what you can expect. Before getting lasik you will be examined by a qualified eye doctor or ophthalmologist. During this examination standard eye tests and computer images of the cornea will be taken to build up a picture of the eye and ascertain what corrections need should made. In addition your overall health is also considered when deciding if you will be a good lasik patient. Any conditions, such as dry eye syndrome, may affect your ability to get this type of eye surgery, but in these cases other treatment may be available.

You will be able to go home on the same day as you eye surgery and should have recovered within just a few days. Minor irritations may take up to a month to disappear. The vast majority of people who undertake this surgery will be able to see much more clearly straight after surgery and this improves still further over the next few days.

Some people may experience some side effects like light sensitivity or night time vision problems. In even more rare cases other difficulties like infections can also occur, but most often, if you follow your doctors orders these things can be avoided or cured quickly with eye drops of medication. Other side effects are more long term. These can occur for 6 months or longer. These are: dry eyes, blurred vision, difficulty seeing at night, light sensitivity, glares, and vision fluctuations. If you cannot handle any of this, then this eye surgery is not for you. Attaining excellent results is largely dependent on the expertise of your eye surgeon. Lasik is by far the most preferred corrective eye surgery for many, and so it is imperative that you choose an eye surgeon with a great deal of experience and who is using the best medical equipment available.

This type eye surgery has been big news over resent years as the changes to peoples vision and quality of life can be astounding. People who could not see without glasses are getting almost 20./20 vision and word of mouth about these 'miracles' spreads fast. With many people flocking to have the procedure done it has become one of the most popular eye surgeries. However, before committing to the surgery you should look into what lasik is and what it can do for vision in general and your sight in particular.

Before committing yourself ask to speak to people who have had the operation with the organisation you are thinking of using yourself. Ask about the good and bad points of both the operation and the company itself.

As lasik is a fairly new medical procedure the long term risks are not known and it is not possible currently to cure the need for reading glasses as this is problem is more connected with the weakening of the eye muscles over time rather then the corner. As a potential candidate for lasik you must discuss all your concerns and expectations with your surgeon before the procedure is carried out to ensure you completely understand the process and outcome possibilities for you as an individual.

Finally, many people can't even think about anyone touching their eyes, never mind someone pointing a laser into them. If you are reading this article and are feeling a bit squeamish then perhaps lasik is not for you!

Richard is a prolific and diverse writer. You will find out more about lasik eye surgery at Lasik Resources.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Cussons

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Eye Care is More Than a Visit to The Doctor

Proper eye care is just as important as taking care of the rest of your body. Eye care is more than visiting the eye doctor for regular examinations. Rather, good eye care involves caring for the entire body and staying away from bad habits that may actually have an affect on the eyes. Let's take a look at what's involved in good eye care.

Diseases of the eye are more common that you would think. Further, as people age they become more susceptible to eye diseases. That's why regular examinations by the eye doctor are so critical to the idea of good eye care. An eye doctor can run special tests to see if there is any indication or the appearance of eye diseases and disorders. Diseases and disorders include, but are in no way limited to cataracts, conjunctivitis, diabetic retinopathy, dry eyes, glaucoma, orbital tumors, and blindness, congenital diseases of the eye and more.

Yet, it is also important that a person takes care of their body and remains as healthy as possible. Why? Well, beyond the benefits one derives from being healthy some health conditions actually affect the eyes. For instance, vitamin deficiencies can affect the sight. A lack of vitamin A can even cause night blindness. In fact, it is a known fact that well over ninety percent of all cases pertaining to the onset of blindness can be attributed to other diseases. Diabetes is another disease that plays a significant role in the occurrence of blindness. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important for people to maintain their overall health in the best way possible and to manage existing conditions if at all feasible.

Bad habits are something that should also be avoided if one wants to properly care for one's eyes and maintain good eye health. Smoking can cause significant damage to the eye and can eventually result in blindness. For instance, smoking can be the cause of what is referred to as Macular degeneration which creates a blind spot in the eye or eyes.

Other problems that occur with the eyes are caused by accidental injury. Say for example, you are working in a garage welding and item and you don't wear goggles during the process. Suddenly you find that a spark flies up and burns your eye. Or, if you are working with hazardous chemicals and chemicals get in your eyes - had you been wearing goggles you may have been able to avoid injury altogether. Thus, safety and safety practices are imperative to maintaining good eye health.

As you can see, taking care of your eyes involves more than a yearly visit to the eye doctor. Instead, you need to take care of your overall health, you need to avoid bad habits and you need to practice safety measures to ensure good eye health. In the end, you will be rewarded with the continued gift of sight, well into your golden years!

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Eye Care

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

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Afternoon at the park, Fresh feeding tube blood

Here's a picture of Denise's first time at the park with the kids since coming home. You can see the PICC line still in her left arm, and the end of the feeding tube dangling out from under her shirt. As time marches on, the likelihood that those can safely be removed increases. We didn't get to church today (no, we didn't miss the time change). Jacob's much better, but still had a fever this morning & we didn't want him to expose any of the other Sunday school kids to his sickness. Denise helped prep a meal, clean up, fold laundry... all these "everyday" tasks are building strength & endurance for her. She had some fresh blood at the feeding tube insertion site. Other than that, she's doing well. I'm trying to sleep, but I wake up at her every cough, sigh, snort, click... whatever. Really, she's not that noisy a sleeper. I'm just paranoid and check to see if she's OK every time I hear a sound. We've got a couple important appointments early this week, so we'd appreciate your continuing to pull for Denise. We'd like to hear some good news from the infectious disease doctor in particular.

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