Soon to fly (again)...

It's been a long month, visiting family and my three cats in Cleveland.
Soon, it will again be time to fly, back to San Diego.
While I positively ♥ San Diego, I must confide in whomever is still reading my blog, which has gotten zero comments in quite a while.
Let me confide in you.
My cats are the sweetest, most attractive, did I mention sweetest, little felines I've ever met!
I hate to tear myself away from them. Being miles away from them, as I have been most of the time since May 5, hasn't been easy.
I prefer San Diego, because there's just something about my living situation there...I wind up learning many, many new things every day. That's one thing...this past month, I almost feel as though my mind is turning to nothing again.
But, this time, I really hate to leave my furbabies.
One thing is, we now know there's a chance Tony may be diabetic. We'll find out for sure on Feb. 15, when he has another blood test, without fasting.
I have all my furbabies in my kitty-prayers, and I will invite you to keep them in your prayers as well.
So you see...I really wish I could be in two or even three places at once.
Not gonna happen, I know.
But...it's got me feeling rather moody, to say the least.
I suggest you either cheer me up, or keep quiet until you can cheer me up, because I feel fragile here.
Thanks for stopping by, if you did!! If you didn't stop by, I understand thoroughly. I am under the impression that I cannot write my way out of a paper bag.
At this point, I need a nap. I'll be back.
Monday, please keep in mind, I'll be "in-flight"...at least that's the plan, at this moment. If I change my mind, I'll be here...maybe. Will keep you posted.
xoxo

HAPPY NEW YEAR, and HUGS AND KISSES TO ALL!!!!!!!!!

Now that it's 12:11AM here, on the East Coast (Cleveland, where I am for the holidays and past), let me say:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!
And, especially if you don't really have anyone to kiss...
A lifetime of hugs and kisses to one and to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love you!!
My Myspace and Facebook friends, as well as my blog readers, really and truly made 2009 one of the best years I had in ages...or possibly ever.
Together, may we make 2010 even better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
God bless you, and may we all be healthier, feel healthier, and have plenty of prosperity and good fortune in 2010 and in all the years to come!!!!!
Love ya, a gazillion times over, love ya!!!!!!

Quick-quick update

That cold I had this week seems to be clearing up. Still have a scratchy throat, but I think that'll clear up well, as it has.
I will confirm, though, that I have peritonitis (again). Oh, no biggie...y'know? This is only the 4th time in two years that I've had peritonitis. Every time has been dialysis-induced, just like the damn hemo infections I had over the last two years! But really...no big deal, right??
Damn!! This time, I'm getting chills terribly too! That, I'm pretty sure is new.
We have NO idea for sure what caused it this time. I'm pretty careful when I do my treatments. But, I am only human...possibly I accidentally contaminated something. (For the record, I am slowly beginning to HATE the word "contamination.") Or, possibly, I took too much Excedrin and gave myself another ulcer...which can well be causing this whole mess.
I don't know. All I know is, this is horrible timing, because I now hope to "fly away" on Monday night...so I'd better get better by then!!!!
Besides, I hate hospitals so much!!!
I'll keep you posted, but I can't stay here too long. I'm pretty damn sick.
xoxo

Another dialysis-induced infection~~

Looks like I probably have peritonitis (again). The last two nights, my "initial drain" was red and cloudy. Red isn't that hard to take. It just means that I did something that put too much strain on the "PD" catheter, and it started bleeding. However, with no kidneys, I would not want to cause too much bleeding, because if I get too anemic, I'll have to get Epogen injections, probably twice a week or so. And that's no fun! Cloudy, on the other hand, means that I probably have peritonitis (again). Oh, I've only had it four times in two and a half years. When does it all end, or does it ever end??!!! Why can't I be absolutely fed up with this nonsense???
The timing couldn't have been worse, either. I'm flying to Cleveland for the holidays...leaving this Thursday. I REALLY didn't need to get peritonitis this soon before leaving for my Christmas vacation, and I REALLY REALLY REALLY don't need this peritonitis to ruin my Christmas!!!!!!!!!! Bad enough that the two times I wound up in the hospital with this illness, were on Valentine's Day and Mother's Day (both in 2008). Those were hard enough. If I have to spend Christmas in the hospital, that's it...I will absolutely feel like quitting all dialysis treatments of any kind!!!!
The first time I had peritonitis, in the summer of 2007, it was mild, as it is now (so far). I gave myself antibiotics for two weeks, it cleared up, I was fine. In 2008, I almost died twice. The first of those two times, I was severely dehydrated too, complete with dizzy spells and passing out, which was why Dad had to carry me to his car, and I had to be in a wheelchair when we waited in the Emergency Room. The second time, in May of 2008, I was in so much pain that I was reduced to crawling. I was home, so Mom called 9-1-1, and two paramedics came and had to scrape me off the floor as though I was a damn fried egg. This time, I hardly have any symptoms, other than a little cramping. Today, I started with the antibiotic thing, so hopefully we're catching it soon enough this time that I will be spared of another hospital stay, because that is what would ruin my Christmas!!
I have had enough dialysis-related infections already. And the time I was on hemodialysis was no exception. No peritonitis...but plenty of systemic infections, which are infections that are detected in a person's blood. One of those infections that I remember well was in the summer of 2008...Every time I went for hemo. treatment, during treatment, I got terrible chills, and almost unbearable muscle aches, including bad headaches. Some time after being disconnected, the symptoms cleared up. That's how we knew it was from the hemo. catheter. In January of this year, I had a graft put in my right arm. The dialysis nurse promised me I'd have a lower chance of getting infections. A month later, the graft got infected and had to be taken out.
I've had too many infections already...I'm fed up!!! I've had it!!! How much clearer can I possibly be??? I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!!!
Excuse me. This is my blog. I will sneak in here and vent when I feel like I have to, so thanks for hearing me out.
Happy Holidays!!!!
xoxo

A bit of transplant info~~

It's been a busy few weeks here.
Although, with only two weeks before Christmas, and I still haven't started writing out greeting cards, I really should get to that...
But, I also want to give you a little bit of education, on Living vs. Cadaver kidneys...stressing how much more beneficial it would be for me to have a living, rather than cadaver, donor. And, I want to give you a little insight as to what the first two months or so, following my transplant, will be like...so you know.
Living donor kidneys have a greater chance of working immediately, following the transplant, and also a greater chance of staying working longer, than cadaver donor kidneys. Plus, a living donor kidney has probably been out of its original owner for less time than the average cadaver kidney.
Now then...the first two months or so, after transplant. For me, that means, a lot of doctor's appointments, which will be important for me to keep. Literally, my life will depend on keeping every appointment, and following doctor's orders. I'll have many anti-rejection meds to take, daily, and every certain number of hours apart like clockwork...no exceptions. In those first critical weeks, I'll have to rest much. I won't be able to drive, nor will I be able to lift anything over 5 lbs. And, I may have restrictions as far as whether I can walk up and down stairs right away. Oh, yes, and also, no going grocery shopping or being ANYWHERE where there are crowds, because as my immune system is compromised, I'll be very susceptible to even the slightest little cold, and if I'm not careful, that could kill the new kidney, and I'd end up back on f***ing dialysis again. So...no crowds, especially in the beginning. I'll be very fragile those first two months...I'll have stitches. They STITCH the new kidney in place...they don't weld it in and secure it with nuts and bolts, like a damn car. And it'll be up to me to rest plenty and not push myself too hard, so that it can all heal up properly. Will I be able to keep up my share of the housework?? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading on. I hope I've given you at least a little bit of useful information...food for thought.
Later, tweethearts!!!
xoxo

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!

Just wanted to take a minute, and a break from my new story here, to wish you a very, very, very Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
Tomorrow is the Dick Biondi Toy Drive, on WLS-FM (and on the Internet at said radio channel).
Two years ago, I made a small but significant donation. Dick thanked me for that, which was wise on his part, because I didn't have to do that. I was out of work (for the umpteenth time in a four-year time span), had no income (my Social Security Disability benefits didn't start until after I moved to Cleveland), and had just had a major surgery (the nephrectomy, for which my co-pay was $1,000!!) So, to say thank you to me for whatever the donation was that I made, was a good thing. Dick and I were therefore appreciative of each other that year.
Last year, I donated $350...and just reminded myself of that a week or so ago when I decided to get my 5th/3rd checkbook updated, balanced, and detailed. I wrote, and relived, the transactions of the past year, which were many...because when I was in Cleveland, I was lonely, and bored as hell...which caused me to go through a six-month spending spree, including the $350 donation to the Toy Drive. While that was a much larger donation than I had made the year before, Dick never said thank you for that one.
So, this year, I am going to skip the donation. With all due respect to UCAN, and to Dick, I don't need to make a donation and have it get overlooked as though it hadn't happened. I have the records to prove that it did happen.
There was one more thing that I have not forgotten about, nor will I ever probably. Two years ago, during the Toy Drive, someone brought Dick some bottles of specially-marked Steak Sauce, like the one pictured here. Two years ago, Dick promised he'd save me a bottle. I told him I was going to be moving to Cleveland shortly after New Year's...and I did so. But, he never let me visit even then. Even when I was only 350 miles or so away. Not only that, but I never received said bottle in the mail either. So, after two years, I have never actually seen this special collectible bottle that was promised to me. That's not very nice at all, y'know?
Looking at this, I am guessing that someone, particularly another Biondi fan, may be offended by hearing my version of what transpired over the last two Toy Drives. I don't care. This is my blog. I'll offend anyone that I want to on my blog. If I leave a comment on a public discussion forum, then I'll be more tactful...but not on my blog. If I refrained from offending anyone on my own blog, I might as well not write in the first place.
Anyway...feel free to give the Toy Drive a listen tomorrow...and, if you can and want to, go ahead and donate. Dick might even give you an on-air thank you. Me?? I'm saving up for my next car...besides, I already donate to PAWS of Coronado, the Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, and even the PKD Foundation. UCAN can do without me this year....since they got $350 from me last Toy Drive, and no one gave a rat's a$$.
Have a lovely weekend!!!!
(poofski)

The first five years

Forgive my lack of memory, but I really don't remember that much about my pre-Kindergarten years.
Thanks to the memories my mom has shared with me over the years, and what little that I can remember, I can probably give you a little background on those five years.
At first, we lived in a two-bedroom, first-floor apartment in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, a southeast suburb of Cleveland.
One thing that I know was true back then, just as it was all my life, was that Mom, Dad, and I got less-appealing presents at Christmas, because Dad is Jewish (which makes me half-Jewish), whereas my aunt and her husband and daughter got the most appealing gifts, as they were Catholic. This was the extent of any mention of religion in my family, or at least in our household, until I was in high school.
While at the apartment, things changed much. Construction on what is now either I-271 or I-480 (no, I'm not sure which...sorry) went underway not too far from where we lived, and when we went on our walks through the neighborhood, I used to tell my mom, "Go see trucks." I am not sure why, but I loved watching the trucks. I must have had tomboy tendencies, although I was clearly a girl...except that my hair was slow to grow out, so was always short and scarce. My first haircut was probably not until after I turned 3.
By early 1973, the neighborhood started changing. The apartments were partially broken in to more than once. Not completely broken in to, and not entered...just the bottom locks were undone, and the doors left ajar, but the security chains were left intact. Because of the changes that were undoubtedly taking place, many families left the area, and we were no exception.
Shortly after my 3rd birthday, we moved to a 2-bedroom bungalow house in South Euclid. My parents still live there, and I have also, on and off in my adult years.
After the move, I wanted to "see Old Numbers House." I guess the numbers on both places got my attention, because the apartment then became "Old Numbers House," and the house was, I think, "New Numbers House."
One thing about me back then: I was a smart cookie. I started reading store signs backwards even...which is something I can, and still, do frequently. I could read and write, period, before I started kindergarten...not everyone can say that.
In South Euclid, I had three or four playmates, all of whom lived on our block, and all of whom were already in elementary school, as at 3 and 4 years old, I was the youngest. We were pretty darn close in those days, and remained close until shortly after I started first grade. I guess, when the going really gets tough, you find out who your real friends are...and they weren't really friends when the going got tough for me. But, I'll get more in to that in a future post.
I have a vague memory of one of our first winters at the house. I think I was 4 1/2, but I may have only been 3 1/2. Whichever...it was clearly snowing, much. And Mom wanted me to play in the front yard by myself for a little while. After all, I was supposed to be a big girl now. No sooner did she go back in the house, than I started crying, as though I thought someone was going to come and kill me or something. I don't remember how we resolved that little problem. So, I didn't like to be alone without Mom. But other than that, I was just as sweet and normal as could be.
By the time I started kindergarten, I was just a sweet little angel...with sometimes a silly sense of humor. But, I was...just a sweet little angel. Not all that talkative, but not painfully shy either. The painful shyness--my protective shell--was to come shortly thereafter, and has not left me completely.