The Good, The Bad, & the Nuts! ...ANYONE GOING MAY 8-15?

[mom3sonstt]

Thanks everyone!! It was a great, but wet, trip.


Dan, it went by fast to me too!

Marv, I'm not sure how you missed it either....you must have been busy....


Jen, this has kind if become my TR catch-all, so, yeah I will do any reporting here.

 

[janabananas]

I started reading your thread and subbed while you were gone. I look forward to reading about this trip!!

 

[mom3sonstt]

I started reading your thread and subbed while you were gone. I look forward to reading about this trip!!

Welcome! At the rate I am going getting caught up on the TRs I follow - it will be a little while before I start in.... Plus I need to get hubby to load the pictures on my computer for me - or at least tell me which harddrive he has stored them on so I can upload them to Photobucket. But I am glad to have you here!

 

[mom3sonstt]

Finally!!! I am current on all the threads I am following - even those people who went and started new threads while I was gone! I think.....I may have to start checking people's signatures to see if I am missing any. But for now I am caught up.

Still waiting for Danny to download all the pictures so I can see what I have to work with. I know there were lots taking on the safari - so be prepared for animal backsides - plus some animal backsides from my couple nights staying at AKL. Other than that I am not too sure what we have. It rained a lot on this trip so Danny didn't take the camera out too much, so it could be pretty skimpy as far as pictures go. I was hit and miss on getting food pictures, too so there won't be a complete "eat along with me" theme.

I haven't compared the answers that I tracked to what was submitted so I don't have a clue how anybody did. I even answered the questions myself ahead of time - and I know I missed quite a few! It will be interesting to see how many people did better than I did myself. The answers to the questions aren't in order of what we did, so I am not sure exactly how I am going to incorporate them in. I have a few more questions that came up during the trip that I will throw in....but probably not too many.

 

[mom3sonstt]

On non-trip news....as my Facebook friends on here already saw - Monday was my 6 month anniversary for my kidney transplant! I am still so amazed at how much of a difference that one little organ can make.

On Tuesday I had an appointment with my surgeon. I only have to do labs once a month now! When I first came home it was twice a week, after a couple months or so it got lowered to once a week, then to every 2 weeks, now it's monthly.

We also talked about having my "original" kidneys removed. She explained that for some people whose kidneys just don't work she will leave them in. In my case, I have polycystic kidneys and they are many times the size of a normal kidney. Since they are so large they crowd everything else in there. I know when I was doing dialysis and had 2 liters of fluid in my abdomen along with extra big kidneys, I just felt like there was no room for anything else. I ate very little...I just didn't feel like I had room to put anything. If I knew we were going out for supper I wouldn't eat anything all day so I could enjoy the majority of my meal. Now I feel better, and eat more (which probably isn't a really good thing ) She said once she gets them out of there that a lot of her patients talk about how much better their digestion is and sometimes even their breathing - less shortness of breath.

I can't tell you how long my kidneys have been big, but I do know when I was pregnant (and my youngest is 18) that when I would go in for my doctor visits, when Doc was feeling my belly, when he would get over to my left side he would always feel around and asked me if I was...uh...constipated. Well, i wasn't, but evidently he was feeling my kidney somewhere where it shouldn't have been. I wasn't diagnosed until a couple years later.

But anyway, since this is a non-emergency she said we could just schedule it when it was convenient. We have some trips and things coming up, but figured a good time would either be the last week of September/first week of October. Or the week of the 14th of November. The sept/Oct dates would give me about 3-4 weeks before Danny goes out west for a week or so. He gets back Nov 5, and then the following week-end is the local college's play. Danny records them, and this year Mark will be involved in it. He is going to that school with a Talent Grant in theater, so if he isn't in it for some reason, he will be doing lights or sound or something. Once that is over we have nothing for the rest of the year except holidays.

She (my surgeon) is scheduled in the OR on Mondays, so she has me written in for Monday, Nov 14th. That will be 10 days before Thanksgiving. She said I will still be sore than, but that I should be healed enough to enjoy the holiday, but not to prepare the meal. That is totally ok with me because Mom does it all every year anyway....I was only ever offered "Jello" as an item to bring and that was with a "if you think you need to bring something". So I decided that I didn't think I needed to bring anything and just let her do it all. It gives her something to complain about - and that is when she is happiest so it is a win-win.

I am looking forward to getting them out. It should be about a 4 day hospital stay and recovery time should be less than my transplant (only because I had that 2nd surgery the following week). We will get it done in this calendar year when the co-pays and out of pockets have all been met. Then I can start 2012 healed up and with (mostly) working parts!




And just a little bit of trip news......while I was typing this up Danny came in and got my phone to download the pictures off of it - hopefully that means he is getting everything downloaded in one place so I can get to it!

 

[mom3sonstt]

One more quick request if you please.

I have mentioned my oldest step-son before - they live out in Virginia Beach and he recently retired from the Navy with 20 years service (he is only 6 years younger than me ). He is now trying to find another job and it's not easy. He is back up here now, he got called in to test and interview for a job with the railroad. Galesburg (about 20 miles away) has the 2nd largest hub for BNSF and they are doing some hiring. He was one of about 90 some people up there today. He also has a couple other interviews lined up while he is back. My husband is trying to discourage him from moving back to Illinois. On the news just tonight they said that Illinois "leads" the nation in lost jobs for July. His family is all here, and his wife's family is from the Chicago area, so they both really want to move closer to family. But he needs a job.

Any good thoughts, prayers, pixie dust....anything...you can send their way would be much appreciated!

 

[marvali]

Tanya, I know I already commented on FB but I wanted to say great news on the whole kidney situation! I am so happy for you. I didn't mention it on the trip, but I thought it was fantastic when you could park the scooter and walk around with us some!!!

Thoughts and prayers for the whole situation with your step-son! I'm sure he will find the best situation for location and a job he is happy with!

 

[jenbear123]

Hey Tanya! Wow, that's quite the roller coaster you've been going through. I'm glad to hear things are looking up on your kidney situation. I'm sure you'll feel like a new woman once it's all done

 

[jenb1023]

Glad to hear that you are getting the old kidneys out and that it could help you feel even better!!!

Sending prayers and good thoughts for your stepson and his family!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I'm really glad to hear that your old kidneys have a limited shelf life! I hope this helps your quality of life even more.

And I'll keep your stepson and family in prayer.

 

[mom3sonstt]

Tanya, I know I already commented on FB but I wanted to say great news on the whole kidney situation! I am so happy for you. I didn't mention it on the trip, but I thought it was fantastic when you could park the scooter and walk around with us some!!!

Thoughts and prayers for the whole situation with your step-son! I'm sure he will find the best situation for location and a job he is happy with!

It was nice to be able to ditch it and wander around with you all. I wish I could have ditched it a little more, but it is so hard to do that at Epcot when you are pretty much moving forward all the time. It's easier at Magic Kingdom to park it in one "Land", cover all those attractions then pick it back up and move on.

Hey Tanya! Wow, that's quite the roller coaster you've been going through. I'm glad to hear things are looking up on your kidney situation. I'm sure you'll feel like a new woman once it's all done

This part of the roller coaster I am actually looking forward to! I was nervous about the transplant. I couldn't plan for it, I literally got a phone call and had to leave. Then I worried whether or not it would take. This one is on the calendar, and should go smoothly.

Glad to hear that you are getting the old kidneys out and that it could help you feel even better!!!

Sending prayers and good thoughts for your stepson and his family!

Thank you! I had told my husband late last year that if I didn't hurry up and get a new kidney I was going to see if they could take my old ones out anyway - at least my left one. Fortunately we never got to that point.

I'm really glad to hear that your old kidneys have a limited shelf life! I hope this helps your quality of life even more.

And I'll keep your stepson and family in prayer.

Yes, the old ones are expired, and it is time to get rid of them!



Thank you all for your prayers for Steve and his family. His wife and daughter are still in Virginia Beach getting ready (as so many others are) for Hurricane Irene.

The last hurricane they had they were without power for 5 or 6 days and Steve had to go out with the ship, so Shelly had to deal with scared kids on her own for awhile. Now this time he is up here and she is on her own again.

 

[mom3sonstt]

Danny did download all the pictures off the various cameras and phones, and I have access to them. I am getting them all loaded on to Photo Bucket. I am up to the 8th and still have through the 15th to go. The pictures are a little slim this year, which means we only have hundreds of pictures instead of thousands. But there are some days that are practically non-existent.

The next two days I need to run to town for oil changes for the vehicles, license plate sticker, real estate taxes, and whatever other errands they come up with for me, so hopefully I will be on enough to stay current with the ones I am reading, and to keep loading pictures. This weekend we hope to spend some time cleaning up and organizing the basement. I spent the beginning of summer dragging Ryne to the laundromat with me going through all the baskets, piles and boxes of clothes that had accumulated. I got rid of a lot But Mark still has an over-abundance of clothes that really need to be sorted through. I also want to drag our deep freeze outside and let it melt. It is so frozen over, and the food that is in there needs to be pitched.

But hopefully, next week I can get a start to this trip. I know somewhere back there many, pages ago I started our June 2010 trip. Made it as far as dropping the older boys off at the airport and then stopped. I would get it started again but I can't find all my paperwork from that trip, and I am not totally sure I have the pictures loaded from that trip. I may have to start over on them. There are so many I am afraid I have duplicated some in my uploading. I may have to delete what I have and start over.

I also want to get down to my moms and find the pictures from our trip when we were kids. I know there aren't very many, but I would like to scan them in and do something with them too.

Basically, I need to get organized!

 

[jenb1023]

Have nice holiday weekend and taking your time starting your TR - gives me a chance to get caught up on my other ones!

 

[All7OfUs]

Lots going on in your life, Tanya!! Prayers for all those "heavy" situations you have going one, especially the job situation. We've been there, done that one, so know how tough it can be!

Praying your kidney stuff solves LOTS of the stuff you've been having going on for so long! I'll be watching to see how that all goes!

 

[mom3sonstt]

Have nice holiday weekend and taking your time starting your TR - gives me a chance to get caught up on my other ones!

Im having a hard time keeping up too...but they are so much fun to read!

Lots going on in your life, Tanya!! Prayers for all those "heavy" situations you have going one, especially the job situation. We've been there, done that one, so know how tough it can be!

Praying your kidney stuff solves LOTS of the stuff you've been having going on for so long! I'll be watching to see how that all goes!

Thank you Liesa! Steve headed back home to Virgina today. His kids start school Tuesday. Hopefully something will come through for him soon.

I am really hoping the kidney surgery improves some things too! It will be odd, because they have been enlarged for at least 18 years or more, so I am curious how it will feel once they are out. I had a chiropractor tell me once that I am probably in more pain than I realize, but since it is all I have ever known, I don't know any better. He was referring to my hip.....in addition to bad kidneys I also was born with congenital hip displaysia. I have no hip socket on the left side, well, at least not enough of one to hold the ball in place, so I have always walked with a limp, and have some curving in my spine. Yes, I was put together with leftover parts! Me and Tate would have a lot to talk about!!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Tanya! I missed your updates - happy that you are getting your surgery, and hoping it makes things much better for you.

I will be praying for your Stepson - God does meet our needs in the most unexpected ways!

 

[marvali]

He was referring to my hip.....in addition to bad kidneys I also was born with congenital hip displaysia. I have no hip socket on the left side, well, at least not enough of one to hold the ball in place, so I have always walked with a limp, and have some curving in my spine. Yes, I was put together with leftover parts! Me and Tate would have a lot to talk about!!

Now THAT would be quite the conversation!!!

 

[mom3sonstt]

I just booked a trip!!

Oh...it is in 11 days!!


I fly down on Tuesday the 20th, staying at Saratoga....3 nights in a studio and 2 nights in a 1BR then fly home on the 25th.

Somewhere in there hopefully I can get to a MNSSHP and also hopefully I will overlap with Kathy's trip and can try to meet up with her and Mark.

No kids...no husband....just me....


Hubby had been telling me he would "let" me go. I thought he was just joking around. But he kept bringing it up, then he went and looked at flights. Well, by the time he did that, I couldn't get rooms....well, I couldnt get a studio. I hemmed and hawed enough that I lost the good prices on the flights. They were as low as 93...at least in one direction. But last night I went to our local telephone Co-op meeting, and won the Grand Prize of $300 and decided that was the clincher. So this morning I got up, checked the flights and called member services.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I just booked a trip!!

Oh...it is in 11 days!!


I fly down on Tuesday the 20th, staying at Saratoga....3 nights in a studio and 2 nights in a 1BR then fly home on the 25th.

Somewhere in there hopefully I can get to a MNSSHP and also hopefully I will overlap with Kathy's trip and can try to meet up with her and Mark.

No kids...no husband....just me....


Hubby had been telling me he would "let" me go. I thought he was just joking around. But he kept bringing it up, then he went and looked at flights. Well, by the time he did that, I couldn't get rooms....well, I couldnt get a studio. I hemmed and hawed enough that I lost the good prices on the flights. They were as low as 93...at least in one direction. But last night I went to our local telephone Co-op meeting, and won the Grand Prize of $300 and decided that was the clincher. So this morning I got up, checked the flights and called member services.

Spontaneous Disney Trip! Have a blast!

 

[jenbear123]

Wow! You won't need to wait long for this one! Have a fab time