going with John to Hershey for about a week/please use this new email address

This entry will be real short. I am going to Hershey with John, as his shingles have gotten worse. I should be back home, I am guessing, in a week.

I am going to continue blogging. I'm not quitting. I will say where soon. I am going where the group is going!

If you want to reach me, email me at fisherkristina@aol.com. I will reply as soon as I can, but I may be gone for a week or so.

Take care and love you all. And try not to panic! Let us all help one another...

Love, Krissy

Tags: shingles

how John is doing today

 

John was up all night feverish, and I was up a lot off and on, making sure he didn't need to go to the hospital.  Finally he hit almost 102 degrees.  I was about to take him in when his fever dropped some again.  So we stayed home.

 

Right now he is about at 99.5 degrees F.  I am excited that his fever is down.  But he is in just as much pain now than he ever was, and looks miserable.  I didn't know shingles was that painful.  I guess I must have been with him through shingles at least two times earlier, come to think of it.  Both after chemo treatments when he had low immunities.  But I don't remember him being in this shape.  You know, he was in the hospital then, so, it must have been the nurses, not me, who saw him suffering so.

 

So I just got home from the pharmacy about half an hour ago.  Yay, he finally has the proper medications now.  :) 

 

I see some of you worried about the substitute med I gave him last night and today.  I guess I should have explained it to you.  It was fine for John to take it.  It was something that was originally given him at the hospital, and the doctor had told me it would be okay for him to take.  I knew this at the time I gave it to him last night -- that it would be fine for him to take.  I guess I should have made that more clear.  I wanted the more effective medication that I had filled for him today, but that other med that was put in the bag was okay for a temporary fill in.  Sorry if I scared anybody.

 

Okay, so I need to run.  I have to go get some food into John.  Even though he will probably refuse it.  And I guess my cat Michael is hungry too!  And uhm, yah, me too.  

 

So anyway, if you don't hear anything from me about John for a few days, that's a good thing.  If he has to be hospitalized, I'll let you all know.  

 

Thanks for caring, Krissy :) 

Tags: shingles, fever, pharmacy, medication, cat, hungry, me too, blogplugs

there was a substitute medication in the bag!

 

I just discovered a bottle of medication in the bag that the Pharmacist had given me this afternoon.  The medication was in the bag with another medication the doctor had prescribed for John.  In other words, there were two bottles of medications in there.  The medication is not the exact same kind, but a near substitute.  There are only about six pills in the bottle.  The Pharmacist must have called the hospital and asked if she could do the substitution until I was able to get the other drug.  I know this is true - now I am remembering the Pharmacist saying something about needing to call the hospital . 

 

But when I went to check out, that Pharmacist Assistant mentioned nothing about a substitute.  She merely said that the drug I was attempting to get filled for John unavailable, and wouldn't be in till Tuesday or Wednesday at the earliest.  She suggested a few other pharmacies I might find it, although she stated I wouldn't be able to get the medication from them until Monday at the earliest.  She told me to call back her pharmacy on Tuesday to see if the med was in.  She NEVER told me to look in the bag for another medication -- a partial fill.  She just never mentioned the med was in there.  

  

Gee.  Why hadn't the pharmacy told me they had put a substitution in the bag?  I guess there was no communication between the Pharmacist and the Pharmacist Assistant.  How frightening... 

 

So as of right now (Sunday a little after midnight - actually I guess it's early Monday), John has a fever of 101.  I am going to call his bone marrow transplant center in a few minutes and ask if he should be hospitalized.  But locally, not over in Hershey.  I don't think that will be necessary at this time.  But I will ask them.

 

Thanks for listening,  Krissy

Tags: medication, pharmacy, pharmacist, pharmacist assistant, fever, lost, found, blogplugs

John went to the Emergency Room again

 

John can't seem to get a break.  After having severe pain for several days from his neck, we noticed he wasn't getting any better.  So this morning really early I took his temperature and it was almost 102.  So back to the hospital we went.  When we got there and they were putting on his gown, the nurses noticed that he had these big red splotches.  "You've got shingles," I told him.  No wonder he was in so much pain.  The doctor came in and confirmed the diagnosis, and ordered John morphine.  

 

They didn't hospitalize John this time.  They often do because of his frequently compromized immune system.  But this time the doctor figured John would be more comfortable at home, and be less likely to pick up another virus there.  So they merely sent him home, scripts in hand.  One prescription was for an antiviral, which his oncologist (bone marrow transplant doctor) told him to stop recently because he didn't think John needed it anymore.  He told John he was past the point of getting shingles from his bone marrow transplant or chemo treatments.  NOT.  Looks like John can still get shingles.  Another med the doctor stopped had to do with John's immune system...

 

Something else that just wasn't our luck either, is when I went to get one of the important medications the doctor wrote the script for, the pharmacy didn't have it and won't have it in until Tuesday.  That is not an option that John doesn't take the medication until Tuesday.  He needs it before that.  .  Maybe I will be able to get the medication through another pharmacy tomorrow (Monday).  I hope so.  John needs it as soon as possible.

 

Well, that's about it.  I'll keep an eye on him.  His fever has dropped to about 100.  Or is it 101?  It is bouncing between 100 and almost 102.  If it gets to 102 I bring him back to the hospital, and they admit him. 

 

I hope they are going to keep him local and not bring him to Hershey.  Ugh, bad timing!  Because I have so much to keep up on -- how can I possibly go to Hershey right now?  The bills, the rent, the cat.  I have occupational therapy, physical therapy, doctor's appointments next week I need to go to, etc.  This would be a bad time to try to get away.  And I absolutely HATE to be separated from John.  I hate to go away, and hate to stay...

 

Take care, Krissy  

Tags: shingles, emergency room, hospital, fever, nurse, doctor, immune system, bone marrow transplant, stem cell transplant, scripts, prescriptions, pharmacy, ugh, blogplugs

A lot of this, and a lot of that

 

It's been 14 days since I've done an entry.  I hate that, but there has been so much going on, and I haven't had time.  I've been visiting my Mom in the hospital and rehab center since she broke her neck and had surgery.  John and I also went to Hershey last weekend (to his bone marrow transplant center) for some appointments and we went on the Light the Night Walk to raise money to cure cancer.  I will tell you more about the walk soon.  I have some photos I took!  It was a big success in a lot of ways - it was John's first major physical endeavor since his bone marrow transplant!  But I wanted to say thank you to all who noticed my disappearance in the last week and left comments and emailed me.  You all are sweet.

 

There have been a few more things I wanted to mention also.  I know I am packing a lot of information into once entry!  John went to the Emergency Room last night.  His neck and shoulders have been hurting him for a week.  Turns out he has a neck strain/sprain, similar to that of whiplash.  The doctor informed him that he sprained his Trapezius muscle.  I just looked up Trapezius muscle in Wikipedia because I didn't know what it meant.  It says it is shaped like a diamond, and spans the neck, both shoulders and the back.  That is what he has sprained, and it is inflamed, and bulges and spasms at times.  He is in severe pain right now.  It is preventing him from driving some of the time.  Ugh, that is hard since I haven't been able to drive for about two years due to narcolepsy. 

 

Okay, something of a blessing I wanted to tell you all about!  I never had to have the shoulder surgery I was scheduled to have!  My arm loosened up a little -- enough to allow me not to need the surgery.  This was about a month ago I guess.  Instead of surgery, my orthopedic surgeon sent me back to occupational therapy.  And I have been going for a month.  It's been going great.  It can get pretty painful at times, but that is fine, because I am breaking up the scar tissue in my frozen shoulder and am starting to be able to move it again!  I am getting ultrasounds, which really break up the tissue that has been frozen, and although it hurts a lot, it is a great thing.  I work hard to make progress.

 

I am also getting physical therapy for my legs.  Okay, that's another long story, we will leave that one out for now, this is getting entirely too long, LOL.  It has to do with my diabetes.  Yes, I have diabetes too.  Yes, I am a mess.  But I got my diabetes (hba1c) results back today, and my sugar level has improved a lot since last time the test was taken.  Yay for me!  I also have lost 10 pounds in two months.  I could be doing worse!

 

Okay, now that I have shared way too much personal information about myself, LOL, I am going to get off here.  Or have I?  Anyway,  I just felt like catching up.  I will try to be more regular on writing entries.  

 

Oh, and for those of you who have asked, my Mom is doing a lot better.  She could actually come home as soon as some time next week.  Thanks for asking, and thanks so much for your prayers!  :)

 

Love, Krissy :)      

Tags: shoulder, occupational therapy, Light the Night Walk, cancer, physical therapy, diabetes, hba1c, bone marrow transplant, Mom, surgery, hospital, rehab center, broken neck, emergency room, Trapezius muscle, blogplugs

My Mom had spinal surgery

 

My Mom was hospitalized this week.  On Tuesday she had spinal surgery on her neck.  During the surgery, the neurosurgeon discovered that her neck had been fractured.  She also needed to have a disk removed because of stenosis.  I won't explain all of what that means, but I will say it was extensive and took 5 hours.

 

Let's just say I'm dealing with a lot right now.  It's hard.  I don't like to see my Mom vulnerable like that.

 

To top things off, John and I need to go out of town for three days.  He has some appointments at Hershey Medical Center, where he had his bone marrow transplant. 

 

John and I are also going to participate in the Light the Night Walk while there.  Light the Night is a walk to raise funds to battle against Leukemia, Lymphoma, and other blood cancers, two of which John has had.

 

John and I are leaving for the walk tomorrow morning (Thursday, Sept. 18).  I want you to see my webpage for the walk.  I never got to post the link to it in my blog, because John and I found out about the walk just a week or so ago, and because of the situation with my Mom I couldn't really spend my time on creating the website nor on fundraising.

 

So I haven't raised much money by not displaying the site!  But I wanted to give it one more try.        

 

I know it is last minute to be showing you my fundraising site.  But if anybody can donate to find a cure to end blood cancers (such as MDS & NHL like John had), I'd really appreciate it. 

 

I have to leave for the walk Thursday morning, so the donation would have to be made by 9:45 am EDT on Thursday.  The site takes credit card donations. 

 

Thanks for considering.  Even if you can't donate, take a look at my page anyway.  Just click the logo below.

 

                                          

 

Okay, must run.  Got to go get some things done.

 

Love you all, Krissy :)

Tags: Mom, neck, back, appointments, Light the Night Walk, blogplugs

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Goodbye Rachael

                                     

                     
Five days has gone by since John and I last saw Rachael.  We are not certain of her fate, except that we know the landlord caught her.  

 

The morning after we saw Rachael being chased around,  I called the landlord.  Actually, one of her assistants answered the phone.  "Did you catch the chicken yesterday?," I asked.  "Yes we did," she curtly replied.  I continued, hoping that they still had Rachael in their possession and that she would end up in a good home. "The SPCA said they would take it to a good home if you caught it."  Angela quickly replied, "Ya, I think that's what we did, took her to the SPCA!"  I couldn't just let it go.  I HAD to know.  She was after all, OUR chicken, and she WAS Rachael.  "Are you sure you took her to the SPCA?" I said.  "I'll go verify -- Do you want me to?" she asked. "Please," I replied.

 

She left and returned in about 15 seconds.  "We got it and we got it taken care of, so" and she immediately stopped talking.  She was speaking to me very strangely and matter of factly with a different tone than she had been using earlier.  I quickly said, "You're not going to tell me what you did with her, are you?"  There was silence for about three seconds and then she hung up the phone.

 

John called the SPCA and asked if anybody had brought in a chicken.  They told him no.  

 

                

 

I am hoping Rachael is somewhere safe and content tonight.

Tags: Rachael, hen, chicken, goodbye, blogplugs

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Plans with Rachael went all awry

 

Shortly after writing the entry below, a police officer knocked on our door.  The police officer went outside to see Rachael, and John went with him.  The police officer tried to get close to Rachael, and each time he would get near, she would quickly run from him.   

 

The police officer told John that he had come instead of the Animal Control Officer.  If it had been earlier in the day (before 5 pm), the police officer told John, then the Animal Control Officer would have come instead.  He then told John that the Animal Control Officer would be back the next day to pick up Rachael from our yard.

 

Here's the part that has me upset.  We are renters.  This police officer decided that he would call the manager of our property, and let her know that Rachael is staying in our yard.  Yes, the manager has a right to know.  But we are not too sure she won't just want to kill Rachael.     

 

The police officer left, and a little while later John and I saw a couple of people looking in the bushes in our backyard -- someone with property management, and a kid about 18 or 20 (I don't know where the kid came from).

 

The kid was laughing like it was all a big joke, and chasing Rachael around the yard trying to catch her.  The kid fell running so fast trying to catch her, and the whole time he was shrieking in laughter.  Rachael was running around the yard trying to get away from him.  The guy with property management was just standing there. 

 

I am wondering.  Where did this kid come from anyway?  I have never seen him with management before.  Did management just pick up one of the neighborhood young people on the way over, to chase the chicken for them?  The reason this is important is because the kids might try to fuss with Rachael tonight, now that they know she exists.

 

The last we saw of Rachael was her running out of the yard and away from the kid.. 

 

I'm kind of mad.  When the dispatcher from Animal Control said they would come out, they said they wouldn't hurt Rachael, and would bring her to the SPCA.  Instead, a police officer was sent out.  I guess I had better explain something.  The Animal Control officer is a police officer, and because it was past 5 pm a regular policer officer came instead -- who was not with animal control, and knew nothing about animals. 

 

I think the police officer who came tonight (a little after 5 pm) actually had no intention of catching Rachael to bring her and bringing her to the SPCA anyway.  I think he just may have come to see if we were pulling a prank - so he could let the Animal Control know if they should bother to come out tomorrow. 

 

As evidencing this, he had no way to catch Rachael - he told John so.  And he told John he had no carrier to put her in for transport.  He did approach her to catch her, but she kept running from one end of the bushes to the other.  "What would he have done with her if he had caught her?" John just asked me.  "She wouldn't just let you pick her up like she was a puppy or something!" 

 

So we don't know where she is now.  She has run off.  I think she'll return to get food, unless she is sufficiently frightened of our yard now.  I want her to be here in the morning, in case the real Animal Control people show up to bring her to the SPCA.  I hope that boy never caught her - unless he gives her to the right people.  I think he is a local neighborhood kid, and if he found her tonight, who knows what he and the kids are doing with her.  I am MAD. 

 

Oh well.  Sleep tight red hen.  Krissy 

Tags: chicken, hen, mad, sad

Our chicken's name is Rachael

 

Okay, our chicken's name is Rachael. 

 

We liked your name for her, baby sister D.  Well, I know you suggested three names - but we are not naming her Weezy or Cluckers.  She deserves something real pretty. 

 

We are having to choose a name for her real quick, because the police and an Animal Control person are coming to get her.  John called the SPCA first and they said if someone would bring her over to them, they would "place her with someone who would take care of her".  So then John called our local Animal Control.  Animal Control said they would send someone over to catch her.  They promised they wouldn't hurt her, and that they would bring her to the SPCA.  

 

Rachael is real scared right now, hiding in the bushes, because there is too much traffic on the street right now.  Please pray for her, that she not be too scared to go with them, and that she doesn't put up too much of a fight.  Ya, right, LOL.  I am just so upset.  I want her to go with them because I am afraid a teenager around here is going to kill her.  There are so many of them.  Rachael was gone for a little while this morning, and I thought she was dead...  But thank God she has come back, and somebody will come to get her... 

 

I feel a little nutty, having feelings for a member of lifestock, LOL.  But I really love her.  Because she is large, and pretty, and funny, and chose US to stay with, for five days now...

 

John brought home chicken last night and I refused to eat it, LOL.  Ugggghhhhh, this isn't happening to me!

 

Please, just pray for Rachel, that she go peacefully with the Animal Control, so she can go to a good home!  :)

 

Krissy :)           

Tags: chicken, Rachael, SPCA, Animal Control, blogplugs

You're not going to believe this!...

 

Why would the chicken come into my backyard?  I don't know!  Three days ago John and I were looking out our bedroom window and noticed something in our backyard.  It was a chicken.  "Get my camera!" I shouted.  I figured you all wouldn't believe me, perhaps, as I just did a chicken entry, LOL. 

 

John got the camera and started snapping away.  The photos aren't real clear, because they were taken through a window, but you will be able to see our chicken friend.                       

 

                               

 

Where did she come from?  I don't know.  We live in the suburbs.  Perhaps she fell off a farmer's truck.  There are no farms here, or neighbors with chicken pets.  

 

I think she picked us because John puts out seed for the birds.  He scattered some more on the ground last night for her.  You can see her eating bird food in this picture.               

              

This afternoon the chicken was stalked by a neighbor's cat.  The cat came into our backyard and approached her.  The chicken started clucking and making a big fuss.  The orange striped tabby cat must have decided that the chicken was too big to tangle with (they were about the same size!), so the cat ran off.

 

I'm looking out my bedroom window right now, and I can't see the chicken -- She usually sleeps hidden in the bushes at night!  But I want to call the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) to come get her before somebody messes with her, or kills her.  The SPCA will take her to a farmor something.  When I tried to call them to come yesterday, two ladies ran into my yard trying to catch my poor chicken (who knows why?) and she ran away frightened.  So in the morning when said chicken emerges from the bushes, I will make another attempt to call the SPCA.

 

So this is where you all come in.  To have something to remember her by, I wanted to give her a name.  Does anybody have a suggestion?  If John and I like your name, we will go with it...  Meanwhile, do you think she's pretty?

 

Love you all, Krissy :)     

Tags: chicken, backyard, bedroom window, bird seed, cat, SPCA, name that chicken!, blogplugs

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