Just need to talk to my friends (192)

Jo C.

For any who pray, I ask for prayers for our son, David who lives in Oregon. Two years ago, he became dreadfully ill with the rare disease, Anca Vasculitis. He has always been a very healthy fellow who takes special pains to eat right and exercises - hale and hearty. It took months to recover after a harsh hospitalization and lots of IV hard hitting special meds.

Anca Vasculitis is when one's immune system attacks one's body - the organs and blood vessels; it is a nasty disease with no known cause. He had been very well and doing his normal life and work for the past two years.

Well . . . . abruptly, out of nowhere, a few day ago, he suddenly began to feel very weak; terrible fatigue and very out of sync including being a bit less clear in thinking. Labs were run and his kidney are affected - Anca relapse. He lives well up into a state away, about a 12 hour drive - we cannot leave and DH would not be able to tolerate such a drive nor am I able to be physical help. So; local son has gone to help for a week or two.

In two days, David's condition suddenly worsened. Turns out, he has definitely had a relapse of Anca Vasculitis and is VERY, VERY ill including having had a stroke as it has attacked his brain and kidneys. He is in the hospital, scans and tests continue being run and I am sure they will start some hard hitting meds as they did last time. As it is, he is on IV cortisone to try and stop the body's out of control immune system attack.

He is very crucially ill and it is a dicey situation. So for those who pray; and/or whose church may have a prayer group, I respectfully request prayer for David in Oregon.

Myself, I have been having persistent coughing with some other symptoms for a over a week; so tomorrow off to doctor . . . . kept waiting for it to go away, but since new symptoms, time to check. No; not COVID; haven't been out for weeks and weeks and no one in. Negative test. No fever, but a bit short of breath with ambulation with very short bouts of occasional "inspiratory," (not expiratory wheezing) No coughing when sleeping though. Sure hope it is something simple and easily treated. Never have had asthma or any other respiratory condition, so who knows what's up.

Thank you for listening, it is deeply appreciated.

J.

jfkoc

Iris...yes, that is the name

HB...glad you got to see "your" dentist

Other stuff...my grandson ordered some bue light glasses. My Dr says she is on the fence about them but he said he really noticed a difference so I ordered a pair from Peepers.

Exfoliate....hm. I do not wear face makeup. I use a clarisonic and dry with a terry wash cloth. Sometime use lemon juice with brown sugar. I do use The Ordinary Hyaluronic serum. I use Jojoba oil all over and use a bit on my hair when I think of it.

Sorry about the large bold. No idea what happened.

Sayra...welcome to the sandwich world. Have you tried Biotin?

Storm never arrived!

BethL

Hello All, Sara, I have had intermittent periods (months) of hair loss, and then it stops. I don't know if it is telogen effluvium, or androgenic alopecia. I take Spironolactone twice daily. I don't know if it helps, but it doesn't hurt. I recently bought the iRestore laser/LED device Dr. Dray has recommended. I use Rogaine twice daily too.

There's a dermatologist here who offers platelet rich plasma treatments to the scalp: "The patient’s blood is then placed into a centrifuge and spun, separating the platelet-rich plasma from the rest of the components of the blood. An agent is used to keep the platelets together. The platelets are then placed into a syringe that’s equipped with a very thin, very small needle. Plasma is then injected into the scalp, level with the hair follicles." I have not done these things.

I believe hair loss is very common. You see a lot of ads for hair loss treatments online. Good luck in your journey to improved hair. I'm sorry you are dealing with it. Since yours appears related to acute illness, you are very likely to have improvement (at least that is what my research shows me).

Mint

JoC I’m so sorry about David and yourself. Had been feeling something was wrong. Your family will be in my prayers. Check in when you can.

Yes Beth when I read up on it said usually in 3-6 months. I did read up on Biotin but didn’t go any farther than that, can’t remember why now. Have you ever tried Biotin Judith?

Lorita

Back again, Jo,I'm so sorry about your son having the relapse. I can only imagine how worried you must be and not feeling well yourself makes it worse. Of course, prayers from here for both your son and yourself. I hope the medications he'll be on helps and you can find out what's going on with your health tomorrow.

Ron, it's been a hard day. I didn't know what to expect when I went down to move the calf. We have coyotes so you know what I was afraid of, however, nothing had bothered her but she was bloated to the point one of her back legs was straight up. I hate having to take care of this but it had to be done. The mother was in the lot when I came by with the calf but I kept her up a while and, hopefully, she didn't go down where it is. We have an area on the farm we use as a graveyard - not buried but away from the house.

I had two sisters-in-law who both swore by Biotin. They felt it kept their hair from coming out. There's another medication that's the same name but spelled a bit differently (don't know what it's for). I bought some and tried it for a while and need to get back to it. When I brush my hair, lots of it comes out - not nearly as thick as it was even two years ago.

I used to make Kraft dinner and would put a can of tuna in it, Sara - really enjoyed it but I don't eat fish now but do love mac and cheese. Judith and Sara, I love sandwiches, too - cheese sandwiches. I had thought I'd have that with some tomato soup tonight but had something else instead - just snacked really.

FedEx delivered again today - he said when he took one of my boxes out of his van there was a puddle of liquid so he put whatever it was in plastic bags (he didn't seem to know what it was but will report othe damage). I had to sign for one box - no idea why but just opened it. There was another smaller box inside the larger one - opened it and it was a box of Alka Seltzer Plus. Who would have thought? I'm going to call WM and see why I had to sign for it. I like to keep cough syrup and Alka Seltze plus during the winter - just in case it's needed.

It's raining a little bit now - weather said we may get 2-3" but we're going to have three nights of freezing weather Monday - Wednesday next week so that'll be the end of the green grass. Toad has given the heifers a bale of hay already and they've really gone to work on it.

HB, I think it was you who said they had used Xiidra for dry eyes. Does it seem to help? I ordered one of the Bruder masks but haven't used it. When you use yours, does it help? It's really odd - some days I have to use drops after drops, several times a day and other days maybe once or twice. Wondering if it has something to do with the humidity. I've always had dry eyes. When I was in my early 20s I tried to wear contacts and didn't have enough tears to float them but as I get older it seems to be getting worse. I can't use a ceiling fan or have the AC blow on me during the day or night.

I know I wanted to write more but I'll stop for tonight and reread and comment tomorrow on what I forgot tonight.

You all know, one wonderful (and not just one) thing about our thread - if someone has a question, there are people on our thread who has experience in that area - example was what Sara was telling Iris about the CPAP machine and what might be wrong. Just a great group of people.

I still haven't gotten either my flu or covid vaccine - I'm going to all WM tomorrow and see if they have the covid vaccine and maybe get it Friday before it turns so cold - if they don't, may get the flu shot. I just hesitate to get both of them at one time. Are you all going to have the RSV vaccine?

I said I was going to stop - so I willl this time.Rest well tonight and, as always, I'll say prayers tonight for all of us who are recovering from illnesses or recuperating from surgery and special prayers tonight for Jo's son and also for you, Jo. I hope the doctor tomorrow finds that it's nothing serious. Please let us know.

Iris L.

Jo C, I'm so sorry about your son. His brother will help him.

I just found out that my chronic throat congestion and tickle is due to acid reflux. Both the ENT and the pulmonary doctors consider acid reflux as a common cause of chronic cough.

Iris

ronald71111

JoC, prayers 🙏 are being sent up for you and David!

Ron

Mint

Good morning

Beth I forgot to say that I’m sorry that you’re having to fight the battle of hair loss.

Lorita don’t think I’ve ever tried tuna in macaroni and cheese. I don’t eat a lot of macaroni and cheese anymore but I do once in a while.

Prayers for all on here so many are fighting such hard battles.

harshedbuzz

@Jo C.

Prayers for David. My mom's rheumatologist always says vasculitis is like a terrorist. It strikes quickly and you don't see it coming. I hope they can find effective treatment for him quickly.

@Lorita

The Xiidra works pretty well. Better than Restasis (the other prescription option) or OTC drops alone. The microwave compress helps because it helps the oil glands that line the inner lids unclogged. These secretions make the tears more viscous, so they don't evaporate as quickly. Mom and I had our glands expressed once, which was a totally barbaric procedure, and it did help her especially. I would absolutely do it again and am considering the light therapy which is also used for rosacea of the skin and eyes. I also find dry windy days the worst, but TBH, screens are the bigger problem. TV viewing for long periods without a break can also be a problem. I spend too much time on my phone and laptop which means I don't blink as much as I should.

@Sayra

I'm sorry about your hair. My mom uses Biotin religiously. I used to but I think it caused some folliculitis along the nape of my neck, so I stopped. Mom takes 5000mcg daily and it has seemed to fill her hair in a bit. It also makes her hair a bit darker which is weird. Maybe the hair it encourages is more pigmented or something. Maybe you'd do better using a leave-in spray conditioner like Redken One or It's a 10.

HB

JeriLynn66

@Jo C.

Special prayers for you and David.. ❤️

BethL

Jo, I did not see your post until now, after noting others response to your post. I am so very sorry about David's illness. Sorry you are not well either. Life can be really, really hard at times. I will keep David in my prayers.

jfkoc

Jo....missed your post. My heart is with you and your family. I know you feel that your hands are tied. Hopefully you can make the trip to him in the near future.

Please keep us updated.

Lorita

Morning,

Jo, I hope today brings good things for both you and David. It's hard to not feel well and especially when you're worrying about someone else, too.

Today is a special, but sad, day for me. Daddy was born 116 years ago today, the year Oklahoma became a State. It's so hard to believe he's been gone 28 years. So many things about this place reminds me of him, especially the barn, one of his and my favorite places. He and a friend rebuilt this barn in 1960 after the other one burned. This one is one story but longer. The big, red one had three floors. Really miss both of them.

We had .8" of rain during the night - sort of muddy but not bad. Drove down and saw all the girls early and Toad just brought another bale of hay to the heifers. The others gather across the road when he brings feed to them. They still have grass because their pastures are bigger.

I called the health department and they're giving flu shots but you need to make an appointment. She said WM and the bigger pharmacies (no big one in our town except WM and the smaller one I use_) are giving both covid and flu. I still don't want to get both of them at the same time - guess I could because I haven't heard about any adverse reactions when people do get both. I just don't want to go into town, or anywhere, today - next week will be colder but that's okay. Looks like we're going straight from summer into winter - supposed to be in the 40s and 50s early next week.

Thanks, HB, for the information about Xiidra and the compresses. Guess I'll try the warm compresses - but it feels a little heavy. I also use Gen Teal ointment and tears when I think of it.

I mentioned FedEx delivered things yesterday and something had opened and was sitting in a puddle of liquid. I opened the boxes he delivered yesterday and it was the Pepsi. I called WM and talked with them and they'll replace it. The FedEx guy told me they have some sort of policy when things are damaged to request replacement - but it's done so no worry. Enjoy the day - back later.

jfkoc

Biotin? Yes, I have used it and yes it did cause some darks hairs but not enough to change from "white-headed".

Lorita

Just new hair growing. We used to have poodles and when they would lose hair for some reason, it always came back in dark. I also remember a senator who lost his hair when he had chemo or radiation- his hair came back in dark. Looked completely different.

loveskitties

Jo C, prayers in abundance for your son who is so ill.

I know the distance and inability to be by his side make it doubly difficult.

May the doctors find something which will speed his recovery, even if they can't cure it.

Hugs, Marie

ladyzetta

Dear Jo. Iam so sorry to hear about your son, David. Please remember I live only 20 miles from Bend, Or and if there is anything I can help him with please don't hesitate to let me know, if he needs help after your son leaves. You will both be in my prayers. I know it is hard but please get as much rest as you can.

Lorita. So sorry about the loss of one of the babies, must be very hard on you, especially moving the baby to its resting place.

We got our first snow. two nights ago. And again, this morning. Its 35 outside right now the sun is shining so most of the snow is gone.

Things are starting to go my way at work right now. I went back to my original hours and expected to do only what I have time to do. They are having a hard time filling most all of the positions at the facility. The staff that they do have are so overworked.

I need to go I feel like I need a nap. Hugs Zetta

Iris L.

I have been sleeping late with the CPAP, apparently trying to catch up on my sleep debt. Thus I have been able to only scan the posts. I'll have to read on more detail later.

Here is a photo of Simon with the pumpkin hat on. He's lying on a pet warming mat that I got from Aldi's.

BethL

Simon looks so cute, Iris! Thanks for sharing his picture.

Lorita

Simon is beautiful,Iris.All dressed up for Hal?oween.He looks happy and content. Hope he's doing much better. Thanks for the picture.

ronald71111

Iris, I'm not a cat person but Simon is cute. I have a appointment with my sleep study Dr next week, still not able to use cpap.

Our power in the neighborhood went out at 5:30 and estimated time for restoration is 10. I had just bought a beautiful lean rump roast and cut it up into two freezer bags; one for soup and one for beef tips and rice, hope I don't loose them. I don't buy stew meat anymore, even when it looks good in the pkg it's not when you get into it.

I raised a window in the bedroom and got Lou to bed. Guess I'll change my bandage in a little while and get to bed myself. Probably be getting back up in a few hours when the power comes back.

Ron

Mint

Hope your power got back on Ron and that your meat stayed OK?

Iris, now I have a face to go with Simon when you talk about him.

we’re supposed to be going into the deep freezer here next week too Lorita.

Zetta how much snow did you get?

harshedbuzz

@Iris L. That is a handsome cat. Thanks for sharing.

Does he have some Siamese ancestry? My best friend's favorite current cat (of 5) is a part-Siamese her daughter rescued who looks very like your Simon. Louis has the eyes, markings, vocal range and personality of a Siamese but has a much sturdier build. He'll eat anything. Not long after he came to her he ate one of the other cat's rubber shark toy.

HB

Iris L.

Thank you all for your comments about Simon. I love him so much! He is almost 19 years old and looks frail to me, but he is still handsome. He used to have the bluest eyes, now his eyes are dark because he is blind. He is a lilac Siamese. I found him on the street, some teens had him but he was meowing loudly, he didn't want to be with them, so I took him from them. I put up signs, but no one claimed him. Elainchem, who used to post, had her own lilac Siamese as her avatar photo. Simon once ate an entire bird! About thirty birds flew into the tree and "yelled" at him. Simon was an adventurous cat, I could tell stories!

Iris

Lorita

Iris, tell us some of the stories about Simon. When Charles and I had only been married a short time we had a Siamese - Simone. She had dark points. At the same time one of our social workers also had a Siamese named Simone. She slept with her under the cover. She said she'd wake up and fan the covers so she could breathe. I think Simon looks so sweet.

Didn't go to town -'will write more later

ladyzetta

Iris. Simon is so precious. Thanks for the picture.

Sara. We got just a little snow. When I got up Wednesday and Thursday morning there was some on the ground. Just a covering and as soon as the sun came up it was gone. But more is on the way.

As soon as I learn how to send pictures, I will send some of the snow.

I did get my work hours changed, they went back to the weekend hours. Still with a bit of night driving. I do enjoy the work and being around the people. As soon as I run into problems driving in the snow at night, I guess then I will just have to quiet.

Take Care all of you rockers. Hugs Zetta

ronald71111

Power was only out 2 1/2 hours so everything in the refrigerator was still good. I verified by forcing myself to eat some ice cream and it had not started crestilizing on the bottom. Naturally since I don't have enough problems already when I was walking around to get our lanterns I felt my middle toe go under. Black and blue today and hurts, but I can walk.

I read the Dr's report and it stated "could be shingles but probably staph". Lou's home health nurse was here today as I was changing bandage. She told me she has has both and it was definently staph infection.

Today is a lot of music on RFD TV so Lou is happy. Her nurse played her a song she sang and played the madilen on her cell phone and asked her if she liked it, she said no. LOL I told her it was her nurse singing and playing and she changed to I guess it was alright.

Zetta, talking about the snow reminded me of when I got out of the service. Lou and I had bought a 67 Mustang and had a small U Hall leaving Kentucky in the snow.

Ron

Lorita

Hi,

Another tough day. This morning when I first went out on the porch I saw a cow across the pond by herself - this is unusual. I drove over and she was laying down on her side, kicking at her side. I couldn't get her up so went on and checked the heifers - couldn't because they were all around the hay but did my best. Came back to the cow and she was up and I finally got her to the barn. I called Darwin to see if he knew Toad's number - he was on the section east of us. Darwin came and he mentioned she might be having a miscarriage but we decided she didn't look like it since no enlarged udder, sides weren't big, no springing. I kept her in the barn and watched her all day. I called the vet and he was at a funeral (one of the big ranchers who ran red angus had passed away - my friend, Carol, and he went to school together). He called me late this evening when I was out checking the cow. She had begun to have a discharge - blood and some tissue. He got here about an hour later and the premature baby was here. She had had the baby all right - Mike said it was about seven months - no eyelashes and not completely formed yet. He said another cow had probably hit her in the side and caused the miscarriage. They get pretty rough with each other, especially when you're feeding. Feel so sorry for her but at least she's okay. The other cows were standing around wanting in the barn (it's cold out there) so opened the gate. This has not been a good week.

Called Darwin and told him and he's also sorry. He misses his cattle, too - it gets into your blood when you feed them and are there when each of them is born. I'm so lucky ours are still here.

Sandy, so enjoyed our visit this afternoon and hearing about what's going on in your life with the mules and horses and deer. I saw on the weather that it was in the 80s there today - it was 80 here and laptop says it's 58 right now with a cold, north wind.

First time I've ever seen Mike with a jacket on - usually just coveralls. I'll need to talk to the little cow tomorrow and try to comfort her. At least the other girls are with her tonight.

Got almost the last of my WM order - of course, left down at the gate. It was 10 lb. of bread flour, left not in a plastic bag and broken open inside. I don't remember ordering 10 lbs. - already got 5 lb. the other day. They credited my account. Just drives me crazy - lazy people.

On that note I'll stop my complaining and watch the rest of Shark Tank.

Ron, I'm glad they've decided what was wrong with your wrist - wonder how you got staph? My niece, Sarah's mother, had staph infections quite a lot. That will probably be easier to treat than shingles with no lasting effect.

Hope all of you are well tonight. Just got a pop-up that the froot loops I like have dropped in price - just ordered two boxes. See you all tomorrow.

Iris L.

Lorita, your cows really have had a bad week. I'm sorry about the latest loss.

Lorita, you asked for stories about Simon. Here you go. Simon has always been an adventurous cat. For years he had a habit of jumping from the balcony to the roof, then traveling all over the condo complex because he could jump from roof to roof. I didn't like this because I couldn't see where he was going, and I wouldn't have been able to reach him if he got stuck. While on the roof, Simon would catch those iridescent green fruit beetles that are the size of a quarter. He would play with them and fling them into the air like they were toy mice. There must have been some kind of a beetle nest, because if I got a beetle away from him, he would immediately jump onto the roof and go get another. After the HOA put up new gutters, Simon could no longer climb on the roof.

Simon roamed our condo complex. If I didn't see him after about an hour, I'd go look for him. Usually he was hiding beneath the bushes. I eventually learned his hiding spots. Simon liked to visit my 91 year old neighbor and her husband, go inside, jump onto a chair and take a nap. They had an outside cat, Sheba, and when Simon saw Sheba from the window, Simon would rush to the door to be let out so he could go play with his friend. They were so cute together!

Once Simon disappeared for four days. I looked all over for him, even at two animal shelter. Finally I heard a "meow" at my door--it was Simon! He was clean, he didn't look like he had been outside. I think someone took him in, but he either escaped, or they let him loose when they realized how active he was. I already told how he ate a bird. He caught a few birds, and one time brought a lizard home. He was like an ADHD cat, always into something. I eventually learned to let him be, he could take care of himself. Every day was a new day with Simon. At the same time he was very loving and very attached to me. He had a big personality. Now he is slowed down, almost 19 years old. He is blind, with hypertension, kidney disease, thyroid disease, heart disease snd is post-stroke. Three times he has been close to death, but he has rebounded. He's very strong. Here is another photo that shows his blue eyes. He is in the planter area downstairs.

Jo C.

Thank you so much for all the prayers and kind thoughts. Surprisingly, David is doing much better with his relapse of Anca Vasculitis - mega doses of IV steroid has calmed the cytokine storm that was attacking his body; his stroke seems a mild one and he is now able to ambulate again - big difference with high steroid. Starting an mab IV med and observing, if he tolerates that he will be able to discharge home and continue IV meds at the doctor's IV clinic in his office. Thank you so much. SoCal son is still up there in Oregon helping.

************

NOW: New concerning problem - for about a month I have been experiencing a bit of shortness of breath (SOB) while walking and also coughing. Rather ignored it thinking it was something minor and it would go away and being a bit SOB, chalked it up to de-conditioning.

Well; not so minor, I am being admitted to the hospital on Monday. The SOB has become severe with the tiniest walking and has me literally gasping. Even brushing my teeth a major issue walking back and forth to en suite bathroom. Also; the coughing is much worse; like someone is paying me to do it!

Went to large Urgent Care near home; MD there felt pulmonary fibrosis (EEEK) needs to be ruled out. Got some fluid in my lungs and some small bit of inspiratory wheezing at intervals. Saw my Internist today, lovely man, and I need a CT scan, Echocardiogram as heart looks a bit enlarged (which is new since three years ago Echo); also will need pulmonary function testing and I think a bronchoscopy and other diagnostics. I am floored by all of this. Scary and sure do not want fibrosis as that is a fatal disease with practically nil treatment and horrible to live with. What a shock! Never smoked, never worked around chemicals, no family history; this is out of the blue.

My doc on call this weekend; if I get any worse or into any situation I am to call him immediately; but hospital admission on Monday as the weekend is a problem getting things done and consults in. Also, on Monday my doctor is trying to get me to be a direct admit, otherwise I have to go thru the ER which is a nightmare in itself taking up to 24 hours. Weekends are always admit thru the ER at the large med center.

So . . . please dear friends; those who pray, I humbly request; please send up some prayer for me and if your church has a prayer group, would appreciate my name being put onto their prayer list.

Thank you from my heart to all of yours,

J.