Dis Breast Cancer Survivors Part II -GAGWTA!

[snappy]

Glad that you were spared, patfan. Such happy news.

JSK, thanks very much. We are trying to get geared up. DS18 and her BF drove in this afternoon, DS20 is on his way. The traffic getting out of Dodge is very heavy and they haven't even started the evacuation and what they term contra flow (specified routes out with traffic only flowing out not in in all lanes). I'll be happy when my entire flock is home.

I am worried a bit about staying in our house though. We have about 30 really tall native trees in our yard, and I can't help but be concerned about one falling on the house.

We are still in the bullseye but don't really know if the storm may jog west a bit or not, only that it is expected to sail in during the wee hours of Tuesday am.

Anything can happen with hurricanes, you just have to prepare and do what they tell you. They have to get everyone out of the saucer that New Orleans is before they really know where the storm will hit because of the sheer number of people and the limitations of the roads.

Stay tuned.

Elizabeth, what is the user ID jackskellingtonsgirl refer to? I saw an allusion to that name in connection with Disney pins on your trip thread. Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Laurie - Jack Skellington is the main character in The Nightmare Before Christmas. He is my soulmate. (Shhh. Don't tell DH!) I am actually a huge Tim Burton fan. Anything dark and twisty.
A guy at MGM traded pins with me one day - he gave me a Jack pin in exchange for a Jessica Rabbit. I also bought a different design of Jack pin that was released while we were there.
This year they are releasing a special anniversary edition of the DVD. I think it came out Tuesday, now that I think about it. Lots of bonus features. Have to go buy one!

 

[pat fan]

jackskellingtonsgirl
My DS loves that movie! He was heartbroken when he lost his Oogie Boogie pin at WDW a few years ago. Somehow it came off the lanyard and they didn't make them anymore so he never was able to replace it BTW, if you belong to the Disney Movie Club, I just got an offer for the remastered movie with bonus stuff (2 disc set), a bust of Jack and a 3-D card. It looks like it comes with a Santa hat, too.

 

[snappy]

OK I know I have that movie on DVD. I am now inspired to watch it again.

DS20 arrived from New Orleans a little after 9 pm. It just took him about an hour longer than usual to get home. I am so glad he did not wait until today.

Those crazy LSU folks moved up their first game of the season from around 4 pm to 10 am. The word is that our governer Bobby Jindal tried to get LSU to cancel or move the game out of town like they did in the same situation for Katrina.

Doesn't feel like a holiday weekend to me. We are kinda glued to the TV, internet and the phone. Although I will admit I had a zen moment last night after DS20 came in. We talked for a bit and then I headed to my big bathtub to soak with a Heiniken, a candle and my book.

I was so mellow after that, I had no trouble sleeping. Not sure what did the trick, knowing eveyrone was home, the beer or that really long soak.

I am reading a very touching book, The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe. It had me crying in the bathtub last night.

Work was incredibly crazy last night, everyone is disbursing, some to pick up aging relatives further south, some to try and evacuate themselves. My boss is paranoid, everyone was assigned stuff to bring with them, and we backed up, took data and records, unplugged and bagged everything, etc. We have a lot of fairly sophisticated assistive devices that would not survive flooding.

Even if the storm skirts us completely, we will have a mess to put humpty dumpty together again.

Not looking forward to Wednesday and going back to work. And that is mom's biopsy day!~

I just keep think about our vacation. . now just 31 days away, but who is counting????

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

jackskellingtonsgirl
My DS loves that movie! He was heartbroken when he lost his Oogie Boogie pin at WDW a few years ago. Somehow it came off the lanyard and they didn't make them anymore so he never was able to replace it BTW, if you belong to the Disney Movie Club, I just got an offer for the remastered movie with bonus stuff (2 disc set), a bust of Jack and a 3-D card. It looks like it comes with a Santa hat, too.

I get e-mails from the Movie Club but I don't recall seeing that one. Hmm. DH's screen name is Oogieboogieman. But he only posts on the photo forums. He found an Oogie pin on our most recent trip but it's a counterfeit. I have an authentic Jack from the same set, and the Oogie isn't even a GOOD counterfeit. But he likes it.

Laurie - Ugh! What a nightmare to have to prep as though the hurricane will wipe out your entire office, then have to put it all back. Better safe than sorry, I guess, but what a pain! Glad your DS is home!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wonderful news pat fan.

snappy, how are things going down there? They've been showing lots of news reports about your area. (oops, see you've answered in the time I started to write. So glad you had some peace after your bath. )

Keeping all the Moms in my prayers.

I also wanted to mention an update on the couple I'd asked for prayers for. You cannot even imagine what they've been through. But he is finally doing better and will hopefully be strong enough to leave the hospital in the next few weeks. They honeymooned in WDW and would like to get back there for a trip, in fact, thoughts of a trip there are what's helped keep him going. I wish there was someone I could contact to tell their story to who could help make it come true. (He's been hospitalized since winter and has had times where he couldn't have been much closer to dying than he was.) Does anyone know of such a person?

 

[snappy]

Gosh, that is a long time to be in the hospital. I am glad to hear he is better. Is there a make a wish organization for adults?

I just talked to my sister, their house between here and New Orleans in Grammercy has all the windows boarded up and they are halfway to Shreveport. Their area so far is just under a recommended evacuation but they usually leave early because of her disibility.

Gotta get a move on with my ettoufee.

I'll try and stay in touch as long as the rum holds out.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Ha! Look what I just found. http://www.fairygodmother.org/

 

[snappy]

OMG, Linda, the stories on that link are just heartrending.

I hope you are able to work with them to make something happen and I can be reading about the couple in question getting to renew their vows at WDW.

I am going to make a small donation myself.

Thanks for posting the link.

Laurie

 

[laurabelle]

Thursday night we were having a couple of glasses of wine and I asked hubby to make nachos (I usually do this, he only makes me stuff when I'm sick). We were downstairs and he walked up the 6 steps to our kitchen and I heard a crash. I found him unconscious on the floor and bleeding profusely. He didn't call out before it happened or act like anything was wrong. I called to the kids to call 911. My oldest dd was in the shower and didn't know what was going on. My 12 yr old called 911 while I tried to get him up. He did regain consciousness after several long seconds, but was bleeding badly. The ambulance came and I followed them to the hospital. They admitted him and did x-rays, head CT and did a nuclear stress test. Everything was negative! Thank God. He did get 15 stitches- 9 in his chin and 6 in his hand. He was able to come home yesterday afternoon, but before he was discharged a psychiatrist came in to speak with him because I told the dr. Thur. night that he hadn't been treated for his panic attacks and they were concerned. After talking to him, the psych. said he has "run of the mill" panic attacks and should take a SSRI like zoloft. He didn't write the rx, but said to f/u with his primary. Have any of you been on this? We still don't know why he passed out. He never did it before and there was no trigger, he was happy, feeling well...but they said if he did it again they would work him up for seizures. I just got an email the other day from a friend regarding the symptoms of strokes, as his grandfather had one, but they said he didn't stroke. Right now he's just taking it easy...I'm exhausted.

(((((Laurie)))) Praying for your safety sista...

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Laura

Did you see any seizure activity when he was unconscious? Like shaking, or tightening up his extremities, fists, etc?

Or was he "just" unconscious?

Was he breathing? Did he have a pulse? What was his color like? Was he sweaty? What was he like and what did he say when he woke up?

Are you thinking the two things are related? (Panic and passing out)

Here's my take on it FWIW. I take care of many, many people in the hospital admitted for this type of thing, often with lacerations when they've passed out. We call it a syncopal episode. There can be many causes, and they are sometimes cardiac in nature - but not cardiac as in coronary artery cardiac; cardiac as in electric conduction cardiac. The electrical conduction can be either slowed, or fast, and resultingly, the cardiac output (bloodflow) is seriously impaired, causing blood to not reach the brain, hence the syncope/loss of consciousness.

Your DH also has a history of arrythmia, doesn't he? Did he ever have an electophysiology study? An ablation? Is he on a beta blocker? I can't remember exactly. Did they set him up with a holter?

I just cared for a lady the other night, she'd been having palpitations and dizziness for years, but nothing was ever "caught" on tests. She was driving and had an episode where she had all she could do not to pass out, she pulled over and called 911 before she did (fortunately). EMS found her to be in a rapid atrial arrythmia. Luckily it was not ventricular in nature, or it might have had a worse outcome. Her response when it was finally detected? "I TOLD YOU SO!!" Despite medications and even ablation, this can sometimes recur. If it were my husband, we'd be seeing a cardiologist who specializes in dysrythmia management, or at minimal, a good cardiologist who can refer him to another specialist, whether it be an arrythmia specialist or neurologist if symptoms lead to that route.

Poor guy. And poor you having to witness that. You need to figure out what's causing it. Here's a thought: could the panic attacks he's having possibly be an "aura" that precede an epsiode? That can happen before a seizure, and possibly before a syncopal episode as well.

Maybe these links will be helpful:

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/113/16/e715

http://www.aafp.org/afp/20051015/1492.html

You know, another thought is that it could be something as simple as orthostatic hypotension or a vasovagal reaction - both can occur when going from sitting to standing, or otherwise stimulating the vagus nerve, which slows the heart down (and causes the same effect of low bloodflow to the brain). Have him be careful when changing positions quickly.

http://www.mssm.edu/cvi/fainting.shtml

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Laurie - more good thoughts for you and your family! That hurricane appears to be ready to play hard ball!

Laura - Yikes! I hope your DH is feeling better today and that you guys can follow up and get some answers!

 

[pat fan]

laurabelle
This is probably way too simplistic, but could your husband have low blood sugar or something of that nature? My DS gets close to passing out when she doesn't eat properly....just a thought. to you....

 

[snappy]

Laura, myDD12 had one of those vasovagal episodes Linda described when she was climbing in a tree and got a splinter or something in her eye several years ago.

It was the scariest thing ever. Her head actually went backwards and her eyes went back in their sockets.

Luckily she was with a friend out in our yard who came and alerted us.

No subsequent episodes.

I hope you get answers soon.

We are getting geared up here, making extra ice, hauling yard stuff in. The storm seems to be growing into a monster. We won't know for awhile the exact place it will hit, but since it is large we will be somewhat impacted no matter what.

I am reading the weatherunderground site blog and I am telling you some of what I am reading is scaring me big time. A lot I don't understand.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Laurie, this was from boston.com, and if you go to the home page there are two other articles. I'm glad you're all safe at home together!

www.boston.com

Uggh, you need a password so I'll just copy the article and leave link to homepage.

By Ben Paulin, Globe Correspondent

Two officials from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency are heading to Baton Rouge, La. where they’ll be helping to coordinate relief efforts as the New Orleans area braces for the potentially devastating Hurricane Gustav.

Graham Campbell and Allen Phillips took a flight to the Creole State today.

“They’re there to get in there ahead of the storm. They make up what is called a pre-positioning advance team,” said MEMA spokesman Peter Judge. “Essentially, they’ll be coordinating requests that Louisiana will be having to reach out to other states for things like personnel, equipment, and professional expertise.”

Campbell and Phillips will be working under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, an agreement between states nationally that provides mutual aid for disaster-stricken areas. The two will be working 12-hour shifts, according to Judge, and are scheduled to return Sept. 15.

The Globe reports today that two disaster response teams made up of Massachusetts medical workers and healthcare experts left Friday to provide assistance in Louisiana’s preparations for Gustav’s fury.

Some who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 are shuddering at the prospect of another catastrophe so close to the three-year anniversary of the deadly storm hitting the Gulf Coast. “This is opening up old wounds,” said Patrick Wooten, a Katrina evacuee living in Massachusetts.

By mid-day today, Gustav, off the coast of Cuba, had strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane, with winds reaching 145 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center website.

A little aside, the man quoted in the article has a sister that's a friend of mine!

 

[NHAnn]

Laura....sending you and DH many thoughts and prayers. How frightening.
And how great that we have Linda here with her medical insight!
As far as an SSRI like zoloft for panic attacks, I'm not sure. My mother was on zoloft after her stroke/aneurysym, but it was for depression, not panic or anxiety. I believe there are some meds better suited to anxiety or panic ... I have a couple of extended family members as well as an aquaintance who have had luck with Lexapro and Celexa for anxiety accompanied by depression. And I know others who swear by Xanax on an "as needed" basis for nipping a panic attack in the bud. I hope you and DH can get this sorted out soon.

Laurie....I am worried about you...I'm glad your kids are home and I am praying for your safety!!

GAGWTA

 

[lookingforward]

Laurie...I am also worried and keeping you and your family in my prayers. Please let us know how you are doing...I expect you might lose electricity...but if you can update...please do!

Hurricanes stink! May Gustov run off with Hanna!

Seriously, be safe.

 

[snappy]

Thanks for the good thoughts, sistas.

Ann, you are so right, we are bleseed to have Linda's expertise in the health department. Her suggestions and info are always invaluable.

Well, we are not suffering tonight, had a great crawfish ettoufee dinner after my friend Cindy arrived (she always comes to our house for evacuations.

DD18's BF, and DS20's GF also ate with us. We had fun.

WE are as set as possible. Our niece Jennifer is bringing her baby to stay with her aunt in Meridian, Miss. She and her baby's father are both essential personnel (she is a doc and he is an EMT) needed in New Orleans and have to stay within reach of the city but do not want the baby to be in harm's way.

They may use our house as their base. I hope they do but I am afraid traffic will be bad getting to and from New Orleans after the storm hits.

It looks like the storm could come in pretty much due south of Baton Rouge. Good thing we are pretty far inland. I just do not want it to come surging up the Mississippi river.

We should be good until Monday afternoon, then may lose power for awhile. We don't have a generator, we will tough it out.

Tomorrow is shrimp day. Thank goodness for alcohol.

Off to bed.

Laurie

We are totally stocked with all kind of supplies. We are kinda bursting at the seams with drinks, water and beer. We really could have a party.

 

[snappy]

Sorry

 

[CherylDan]

Laura.... That sounds so scary! Thankfully you were there when it happened - poor guy. Add me to the list with good thoughts and prayers for your DH!

Snappy....if it weren't for that darn looming hurrican, it would sound like an awesome time at your house! I can't imagine how stressful it must be to just have to brace yourself for the worse. Sending more good wishes for you and your family.....and everyone affected by this storm. Stay safe.

patfan...... glad to hear about your good news! I hope things go quickly for you from here on out.


Linda....I hope your patients get to WDW! I've never heard of fairygodmothes, but it does look promising.


We are in full wedding planning mode these days - 6 weeks from today. The invitations are out. DD19 is the MOH who gained some weight and no longer fits into her dress. Got that taken care of today by ordering a new dress in a larger size, that they assure me should arrive in time.

GAGWTA!!! Hope everybody has a nice holiday.