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@LongJohn’s thread to keep us in the loop


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12 hours ago, Longjohn said:

That says it can be caused by stress. 15 months of being the primary caregiver to my dying wife was a bit stressful.

I walked up to see Jack today. I felt pretty good, walked one mile.

I am glad that you handled a mile walk.  Many people could not do that.  Was Jack around?

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On 6/13/2021 at 7:11 PM, Longjohn said:

That says it can be caused by stress. 15 months of being the primary caregiver to my dying wife was a bit stressful.

I walked up to see Jack today. I felt pretty good, walked one mile.

Sadly, stress can cause, or exacerbate much. Shingles is a great example of something often linked to stress (in addition to the chicken pox). Been there, done that.

And caregiving is a huge drain both physically and mentally. I hope very much that you have friends and family in your life to lean on, and who step up and give you support. Those are the greatest resources in my life, and I'm so thankful for them.

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7 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

The last time I saw my PCP she spent a lot of time with the stethoscope listening to my neck. Today I have an ultrasound of my car rotted artery. It’s a good thing I’m retired, I would never have time for all these appointments if I was working.

Would be nice if they could get it together and plan a few exams and labs all at once. It's really not that difficult; I do it for people all day long! ☺️

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1 minute ago, smudge said:

Would be nice if they could get it together and plan a few exams and labs all at once. It's really not that difficult; I do it for people all day long! ☺️

This appointment was scheduled before I had my echo. Would have been nice to have them together. Just got the bill for the echo, expensive.

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  • 2 weeks later...
1 hour ago, Longjohn said:

While I was talking to my son on the phone this morning I got a phone call from the Hillman Cancer Center. I left it go to voicemail. The voicemail notice took about three minutes and I said to my son that can’t be good news. It wasn’t. My blood counts are way down again and they want me to come in for more bloodwork. I was afraid of that because the last time I was hospitalized they ran tests all week and couldn’t find out why my blood count was so low. They gave up and gave me two pints of blood and sent me home. They said they want bloodwork today and every two weeks until my next appointment in September. No wonder my blood count is low, they keep drawing it out.

Hugs and prayers. Hang in there, LJ. 

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2 hours ago, Longjohn said:

While I was talking to my son on the phone this morning I got a phone call from the Hillman Cancer Center. I left it go to voicemail. The voicemail notice took about three minutes and I said to my son that can’t be good news. It wasn’t. My blood counts are way down again and they want me to come in for more bloodwork. I was afraid of that because the last time I was hospitalized they ran tests all week and couldn’t find out why my blood count was so low. They gave up and gave me two pints of blood and sent me home. They said they want bloodwork today and every two weeks until my next appointment in September. No wonder my blood count is low, they keep drawing it out.

At what point do you start to suspect that the Hillman Cancer Center employs only vampires?  Sure, occasionally they will give you a pint or two to throw you off the scent, but they take more and more blood.  Wear garlic and a cross when you go in, and sprinkle some holy water on one or two of them just to be sure.

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Just now, Longjohn said:

Whelp I just got another call from Hillman Cancer Center. They got the results from yesterday’s bloodwork and they want to see me next week. Platelets are low, red blood cells are low, white blood cells are way high. I’m glad this didn’t happen when I was caring for my wife.

I'm hoping they get a handle on things ASAP.  It really is a lot to handle in the best of times, but as you write, there could be worse times as well to have this worry.  Hopefully good doctors, good options, and good outcomes are in your near future.

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4 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

I'm hoping they get a handle on things ASAP.  It really is a lot to handle in the best of times, but as you write, there could be worse times as well to have this worry.  Hopefully good doctors, good options, and good outcomes are in your near future.

If nothing else at least I will be getting poked and prodded by a hot young female oncologist that has recently been trained and should be up to date on the latest treatments.

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3 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

If nothing else at least I will be getting poked and prodded by a hot young female oncologist that has recently been trained and should be up to date on the latest treatments.

Be sure to mention that groin massage has a positive effect on your physiology, ask for a prescription from hot nurses.

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11 minutes ago, Randomguy said:

Be sure to mention that groin massage has a positive effect on your physiology, ask for a prescription from hot nurses.

The last two times when I was prepped for the heart cath I had cute females do the manscaping. We joked about it while they were doing it.

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On 7/8/2021 at 11:09 AM, Longjohn said:

No wonder my blood count is low, they keep drawing it out.

That's a real thing, patients (chronically tested) are often overdrawn for lab specimens and need to be transfused.  This is not the concern in your case.

Do you have access to a cancer center, ideally at a teaching hopsital?

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25 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

That's a real thing, patients (chronically tested) are often overdrawn for lab specimens and need to be transfused.  This is not the concern in your case.

Do you have access to a cancer center, ideally at a teaching hopsital?

I go to UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. They kept my wife alive for 23 years. That’s who called me today and moved my appointment up from September to next Thursday.

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I got two checks in the mail today. Esther’s long term disability was running out. Her last check was to be for March 29th. I already had the check and couldn’t deposit it until April 1st. She passed on the 29th so I couldn’t deposit her check.

i contacted her insurance company to see if they could make a check out in my name. They said they would send me a form. I got the form, filled it out, included my social security number and an original death certificate.

I got a letter yesterday explaining what they were going to do. They sent me over $6,000. They said that because she was still on long term disability on the day she died I was entitled to three months spousal benefits.

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