Thievery & Surgery (Not Related)

Dear Person(s) Who Stole My Starbucks Gold Card and/or Macy's Card:

The cards are closed and they are also reported stolen. Please stop wasting your time and trying to log into my account in hopes of buying something and/or reloading my card(s). I only ask this because every time you try, and get yourself locked out of the website, it is sending ME an email informing me of this. I am now receiving these emails daily. I have re-contacted both Macy's and Starbucks to make sure that you are unable to use these cards even if you manage to hack in using the correct password. Please, let it go (cue "Let It Go" tune from "Frozen").

Dear Person(s) Who Stole My Entire Groupon Account:

Screw you for ruining Groupon for me. I hope your nose gets eaten off by tiny robotic killer piranha's next time you attempt to take a bubble bath or swim in a large body of water so that everyone knows you are the douche who attempted to buy a laptop with my money.

Sincerely Yours
Alice

On a positive note, I do feel better today, and just knowing that I'm kidney stone free is amazing. I was lucky that my mom was willing to stay overnight to make sure I kept breathing so that Alister could work, and this time (with the previously dry aching throat post-extubation) seems to be a better recovery. Last time my throat hurt so badly I thought I had strep and lived on cough drops. This time I can actually eat without choking!

Suckvember As Usual

Two years ago I wrote a post about why my husband and I refer to November as Suckvember, and now my vet even knows what we're referring to. Last year we tried to be tricky, and got all of our pets checked in October or December rather than risk having to go to the vet during Suckvember. This year we attempted to do the same thing, but are failing about as miserably as possible. Since this wonderful month started, the following events have occurred:

• Stetson ended up back at the vet with hind end weakness, a skin infection, an ear infection, and senile anxiety. He is being treated for all of the above and while the infections have cleared, it is apparent that the trazadone for anxiety makes him clumsier than myself, even at half the dose. Sigh.
• Indy ended up back at the vet post-IBD diagnosis with impacted anal glands, another anal gland antibiotic infusion, tartar that needed scraping off, and another round of antibiotics. $$$
• Penny ended up at the vet this past Saturday with suspected pancreatitis. Lots of blood work, x-rays, anti-nausea meds, antibiotics, sub-q IV fluids, and pain meds later, I have a cat that is having to be fed with a syringe because she won't eat. If she weren't only 3 years old I may have given up.
• I passed those 2 kidney stones but was reminded there's a big one left and I still need surgery per my last post.

On the plus side:

• There's only 2 weeks left in my first semester of graduate school and I've been busting my tail to get everything done except for my final exams before Thanksgiving.
• I still love my job.
• Thanksgiving is this week, and while big family get together's can be stressful, it's also incredibly nice to get to see loved ones from out of town; I don't think I've seen my aunt and uncle from Texas since my wedding.
• The pets all SEEM to be happy minus Penny not eating so neither my vet nor I think they're suffering. Plus they get kick ass pain meds and get gorked before they ever hurt.
• My husband plays silly games with me.

And some photos...

I tripped on my own sober feet and jammed my kneecap into the corner of the coffee table. I thought I had dislocated the entire thing

My super-loving and super-expensive cats

Trying to get in the holiday spirit

Dr. Teal's makes for a good bath time

The greatest mug ever

Apparently my husband is concerned that it will so I wanted to help remind him he'll be okay

Someone is crazy excited to be playing Candyland with me

Five Things Friday

Apparently I haven't done a five things Friday in a while now, so here's my top 5 things that have happened or that I'm excited about from the past week.

1. I have 18 days left before first semester is completely done. During that time I'm down to 1 paper, 3 quizzes, and 4 exams. 
   
2. Pitch Perfect 2 Trailer: I can't lie, I loved the first movie eve if it was ridiculous. It appears I will be loving this one too if it's anything like the trailer. While I'm at it, I'm completely fascinated by the new Cinderella trailer also. I love these re-made Disney movies.
   
3. Indy has gained enough weight that we're able to try dropping his steroids to 1x/day. We're still crossing our fingers that it's not lymphoma.
   
4. I passed 2 kidney stones. Go team. Also, it hurt. A lot. Sadly there are still two left so surgery will be happening in December. After exams of course.
   
5. My cheap Christmas bathroom set from Amazon.
   

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Friday. I'm headed in to work my 2-12 hour shifts tomorrow but hopefully people want to stay out of the hospital for the holidays and it's not too busy!

Usual Lazy Updates Post

As always too busy and/or lazy to write a full post.

• Indy is hanging in there- not losing any more weight and not vomiting or having diarrhea anymore. However we're now battling a resp infection (see IBD tab)
• Stetson's hips are worse although not painful (he gets the good drugs) and he recently was treated for an ear infection and skin infection. $$$$. Sigh. On a good note, last Wed was his 2 year anniversary surviving cancer and give that the average lifespan is 1-2 years with chemo and surgery I am blessed to have gotten to spend 2 full years with him
• School has less than a month left in this semester. All seems to be going okay but I feel like I'm at the edge of a breakdown on a weekly basis. Luckily many of my classmates are on the same boat so we support each other
• My artist finished up one part of my LOTR tattoo. There's more to be done but there's things that need to be paid for before that happens
• My sister and nephew are doing well and enjoying Japan. I still miss them but have adjusted to never seeing them so it's all good
• My youngest cat is now obese. It's stressful trying to get one cat to gain weight and the other one to lose weight
• My job is awesome. No complaints
• I ended up in the ED last Tuesday in excruciating pain and ended up passing 2 of my stones at the same time, in the same day. According to the CT there's only 2/5 left so I must have passed the smallest one without knowing. I'm really hoping the other 2 will come out b/c I would LOVE to avoid surgery in December
• I feel like I'm so overwhelmed that I'm not able to enjoy the holidays. Usually the time between Halloween and Christmas is a happy time for me, but I still haven't changed out the spring decorations on the mantle. Our only tree this year may be the little pre-lit white one from WalMart at this rate. I did manage to dress up as a box of Crayons to answer the door on Halloween though. Progress
• I ran a 5K just for the cupcake medal and free Gigi's cupcake afterwards (not sure if that was in my last post). I hadn't run in months so that was a rude awakening although I managed a 13min/mile

And  few pictures...

Large glasses of wine are good

My life

My not-so-little overweight food hoarder

Gigi's 5K

Baer's well visit

Post-ultrasound Indy

Box of crayons

Becoming an ED frequent flyer

The Stetson man on his 2 year post-cancer anniversary

The finished LOTR Ringwraith

Cats and I getting warmed by the fire

Stressful Days

I haven't posted in a while due to a lot going on, mainly grad school, work, and health concerns (both mine and my pets). Things are, for the most part, better than they were but still not great. I am scheduled for a ureteroscopy and stent in December to get the remaining kidney stones out which I'm not looking forward to. My husband's dog Baer has presumed food allergies in addition to gaining even more weight so we have to switch him to a hypoallergenic diet. While Stetson and Penny are trucking along, Indy (my older cat) was recently diagnosed with IBD; you can see his story here or under the IBD tab at the top of the page. We have been staying busy, spending too much money, and doing what we can to give our "kids" a good quality of life. I hope for some relief in the future, but luck usually isn't in my favor.

I hope everyone enjoys their Halloween; I will be hauling myself to Wilmington first thing in the morning for a full day of class. Please stay safe, be smart, and don't eat too much candy (especially you diabetics).

Autumn Equinox, Fall, & Randomness

Tonight at 10:29pm (in Raleigh) the Autumn 2014 Equinox will occur. It will mark one of two days during the year when the length of day and night is almost equal. Of course, after that, the days will become shorter and the nights will become longer. I've heard many people say that they experience seasonal depression during this time (and into the winter) but I'm the absolute opposite; I LOVE fall. It's my all-time favorite season with spring coming in a close second. And what happens the day after the equinox? That's right: fall officially starts.

The weather cools down, but not so much that I have to break out my beloved down jacket. We're still able to squeeze in some more lake days, but the dogs can now run around without overheating. The leaves start to change, especially in the mountains, and the night time temperatures up there make it the perfect time for camping and hiking. You can drive with the windows rolled down and it's perfectly acceptable to wear boots or flip flops.

Also, it becomes the season for apple cider, pumpkin EVERYTHING, Halloween, and Thanksgiving. I've always been a fan of Halloween, and while I don't go out to parties or have kids to take trick-or-treating, the decorations alone make me happy; Alister and I even have inflatable Halloween decorations for the yard! Thanksgiving is synonymous with family in my life, and I always look forward to stuffing my face while spending time with loved ones, whether the crowd this year grows smaller or larger. As for apples and pumpkins, I can never get enough. If I'm not eating it or drinking it, I have candles that smell like some or gourds stacked up in and around the house.

So, for those of you who are mourning the passing of summer, don't worry- it will be back. For those who love the fall like I do, I suggest a trip to the mountains while the leaves are changing, a campfire, and some fresh apple cider. If you can't do that, a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte may suffice.

Random Updates:

• Indy went to the vet on Friday. He lost another 1.5 pounds. On the flip side, his kidney values had all improved and he's not considered in kidney failure anymore. We also did full body x-rays and he doesn't have any masses or blockages. On paper he looks healthy so the vet said for now keep offering him all different foods and eventually he'll eat something b/c she can't find a reason why he's not.
• I went to the urologist today. I have 5 small stones in the right (from the broken down large one) still and apparently one forming in the left. Sigh. I told him we could do the ureteroscopy over winter break.
• I worked all weekend. I love my job.
• Alex, Laird, and Kris seem to be adjusting well and now have a place to live on the AF base. She has a blog so if she's invited you and you never accepted the invitation, please email her; her pictures are very pretty.
• I have 2 exams this week, a discussion board, and a case study due. I think this school is trying to off people in the first semester.
• #100HappyDays

Chocolate torte

My parents

A hat my coworker made me

My poopers

EDITED TO ADD: Today I found out that my Groupon acct had been hacked. Someone got access to my account and tried to buy a laptop. Luckily my AmEx that I had saved on there for purchases denied it. When I attempted to logon to Groupon it kept denying me, and when I requested a new password it told me that there was no account with that email (which is bullshit). After doing some research online I discovered that Groupon hacking is not only common but that it occurs on the weekends usually when Groupon customer service is closed. Long story short, Groupon says they were unable to give me access to anything because the account with my email "wasn't traceable" once the hacker changed it so I just called my card companies (that had been used with Groupon) and had to report them stolen. I've lost any unused purchased Groupons too (grrr). While I still love the website, I HIGHLY suggest that no one store ANY cards on there for quick purchases, which may be common sense but sense which I ignored and then paid for. I will say that I'm disappointed in Groupon's lack of security. Someone can log on to an account, change all of the basic info, but use the cards without having to re-enter any specifics (card's full number, security number, etc)? Fail.

RNIA, Wardrobes, & Cheesecake Factory

eating/drinking: starbucks blonde coffee with caramel macchiato creamer and a piece of toast (i think i've ibuprofen-ed myself into an ulcer or something)

feeling: manageably frazzled. i'm trying to catch up on pharm and patho before my tests next week, and while i love pharm, i do not love patho. also, i'm pretty sure online programs punish us for not going to class every day by assigning ridiculous amounts of paper and group work. unacceptable

listening: to cupcake wars, stetson moaning and pacing (he's getting senile and vocal), baer snoring and smacking

watching: not watching anything, just using food network as background noise while i read

reading: pharm. fascinating (i love drugs) but there's so much reading for one test

loving: that i'm almost off of these nutball meds and i'm way less emotional, that my sister/bil/nephew seem to be settling in well, that we turned the leased honda in early and saved money, that as of yesterday i have ~5 new outfits i can wear to work or in general and not look like i'm dressing below my age

disliking: that my kidney still hurts. i mean, seriously? i go back next mon at which time i'm sure he'll suggest more surgery. i will be asking for a referral to a wakemed md though b/c my insurance clearly doesn't approve of my using any other hospitals in raleigh

thinking: i need to read. study. stop avoiding

hoping: that my pets know how much i love them and appreciate them despite my frustrations with them sometimes. that my kidney stops hurting soon. that ab and i can come to an agreement on the tahoe

wishing: it were december 2016. then i'd be done with school, taking my certification exam, getting on with my career, and hopefully planning my muffin/cupcake/coffee shop on the side

Yesterday my mom and I hit up Belk's and I ended up with a lot of new outfits for work (and life) plus another pair of boots and a cute little pair of slip-ons. My funds are severely limited while I'm in school but a new wardrobe that fits and doesn't include shirts with the word "Bitch" on them seemed to be a good choice and a reasonable thing to spend money on. Afterwards we went to Cheesecake Factory, split some appetizers and a slice of cheesecake, and enjoyed a mojito (her) and some red sangria (me). I promptly came home and fell asleep while reading pharm, and then spent the rest of the evening playing catch up.

Today I have plans to finish all my pharm readings, take all of my quizzes, and then head over to my sister/aunt's apartment this evening to say hi and return some things to my parents. Tomorrow will be spent catching up on patho and dragging Indy to the vet for repeat blood work, and then this weekend is the first time I work my job 7a-7p Saturday and Sunday. I have high hopes that I'll have some free time to read, but with our hospital being in gridlock (no new patients) for most of the week that may not happen!

New gray boots

Slip-ons

Yumminess

DNA Tests, Indy, & #100HappyDays

Yesterday I went to see my therapist and both of us were satisfied with how much better I was feeling overall. I have slowly started to cope with all of the crazy things and have mostly caught up with school, so the biggest things hanging over my head are Indy's renal failure and this blasted (literally) kidney stones that won't pass. Sigh.

While I was at the therapist they took some of my saliva (aka spit, ewww) and will be running a DNA test to figure out which drugs my body can and can't metabolize and which ones my body is more likely to have side effects to. Who knew? Apparently insurance companies are excited about it because it will cut down on the amount of drugs they'd have to pay for (so it's free) but I have no doubt the pharmaceutical companies hate it. Mine will be specifically for psych meds but it will give me a list of other enzymes (P450) that my body can or can't "handle" and I should be able to take that list to any doctor and enable them to prescribe me things that work (or I can just look in my pharm book). The results take about 2 weeks and I'm really curious to see the results, especially since I've discovered I love pharmacology in school.

My spit cup

I'm also continuing to post a #100HappyDays picture each day on Instagram. I don't think it's been a full week since my last post but here are a few more.

My new job

TMNT and my Keurig

Perfect combo for a relaxing bath

Anchorman

Pumpkin spice candles

On a less happy note, Indy goes to the vet for a follow-up blood work check on Friday and I don't anticipate it being good. He's eating less and less and I've been buying ridiculous different types of food to find something he'll eat. So far, no luck, I'm concerned he's starting to starve himself, but according to his last kidney values, he's no where near as sick as he's acting. I did start looking for a mobile vet for him thought; he hates getting to the car and in between screeching/howling and peeing all over everything, I think his stress levels would drop significantly if we had a vet that could come here.

Now it's time for me to bury my head back in my pharm book while "Dancing with the Stars" plays in the background.

Alister made me a paracord bracelet

Neat view of Australia

Just Some Things

As of last Thursday I am officially done with orienting 3 days/week and because of that, I was able to catch up on a lot of schoolwork between then and today. I even went ahead and wrote my article reviews and my paper that are due over the next two weeks. School is hard but I think it will be manageable. I'm also discovering that I actually enjoy pharmacology; drugs are good.

Today I headed out to my parents house for a visit. We did some yard work, ate Chinese, ran a few errands, and packaged up a box of toys to send to Laird. Even though Alex requested nothing be sent yet, I had some place mats made for Laird on Shutterfly and wanted to get those over to him before he forgets who I am. Three year olds are not known for their memories! It was also nice to spend some time with my parents. I saw them much more over the last year because of Alex and Laird being there, and sometimes I forget how nice it is to have them so nearby. I've always been close to my family and sometimes I take that for granted.

On the down side, my right flank is continuing to cause me discomfort. By discomfort I mean, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst pain I could imagine, I am living daily on a 5-6/10 level. That's not acceptable. I'm also hanging upside down multiple times a day on our inversion table, and while it may be stretching my back out nicely it doesn't seem to be moving anything stone-wise. Also, I'm tired of taking Flomax and peeing every 30 minutes when neither of those are accomplishing anything. I'm not sure what I will decide once I go back for my next follow-up, but I definitely cannot live like this indefinitely.

I'm also continuing to attempt to post a picture every day for #100HappyDays. I believe today was day 8, but for those who don't have Instagram I will try to put those pictures on here once a week also.

#100HAPPYDAYS and Updates

I'm slowly but surely catching up on everything I mentioned in my last (serious) post. Some things have gotten easier; other things, such as my kidney stones, have not. I went to my urologist on Tuesday, and once the xray was done he skipped the exam and led me down the hall to see the film. The good news? The litho worked and broke the stone up into 4-5 small pieces. The bad news? They're all sitting there along with a nice hematoma and continuing to cause me constant pain. The result? Drink more water and come back in two weeks. At that point, if I'm still having pain, he wants to do a ureterscopy and stent. I don't think so. Enter the inversion table.

Red face

According to my urologist AND multiple peer-reviewed articles, inversion tables have been shown to help post-lithotripsy fragments pass b/c it helps force the stones via gravity towards the top where the ureter connects. So now I'm putting myself at risk for water toxicity daily with my 4+ liters and hanging upside down with a bright red face trying to force tiny pieces of calcium oxylate out of my body. Go team!

On another note, I went to my shrink and she is taking me off of my nutty meds, and instead running a DNA test to find out which kinds of drugs my body does and doesn't respond to and which ones would be more likely to cause side effects. I never even knew genes could tell you that much already. Surprise! Needless to say, I'm already feeling better while I'm being weaned off the crazy drugs; no crying for days.

As for my #100HAPPYDAYS, here are a few of my chosen photos...

Boating

Indy-Meow

Sushi boats

Battleship

Pumpkin everything

Pen-Pen

Beer flights

Also, Alister brought me a huge bouquet of flowers to work for our 3 year anniversary. Love some pretty flowers.