Okay, so my Mammo went first and is easy for me coz I got plenty to fling on to the Machine. *Winks* But the Ultrasound was more invasive and uncomfortable coz it was External AND Internal, which nobody had mentioned that! I was not expecting the latter, which is an Internal Probe, and that is NOT comfortable to go thru. Fun Times and a Surprise! Now I have some cramping, but, at least they got all the Imaging done that they should need and I've just got to now wait for the results and findings. She spent a lot of time Imaging my Right Side on the Ultrasound Internal and External, so I'm guessing that's the problematic side??? Both Technicians were Females and very nice, very efficient, it wasn't even that hard to drink the 32 oz. and 16 extra oz. they then wanted me to drink without needing to Pee. *Whew* You get to Pee in between the external Imaging and the internal one, Thankfully. *LOL*
I then went to "Lowe's" to have my List bought, with my Military Discount it came to $105 for the Rake, Toilet Snake, 6 AC Filters and a 100 ft. non kinkable Fabric Mesh Garden Hose... one of those Hose that Grows you see on TV that grows then contracts. *Smiles* Those last longer than Rubber Hoses and don't kink up, but, in our Weather the Fabric does deteriorate too, but I like that they're easier to handle and use. I got the cheapest Metal Toilet Snake coz I couldn't tell much difference between the $17 one which I bought and the $50 one. It did the job, The Daughter had it unclogged in less than a Minute. *Whoop Whoop! And Hallelujah!* I went to "First Watch" for my Breakfast after that and brought Home some Honey Biscuit Beignets Bites for The Man. Nurse Remi was still here when I got Home. We had some Laughs, as we always do, Gallow's Humor Style.
Nurse Remi knows how many Mentally Ill we have in this Family and she used to work in Prisons and State Mental Hospitals as a Nurse, so she has an understanding of The Systems. She also has a Nephew, her Sister's Son, whose been a Schizophrenic since he was only 8 Years Old. Our Grandson was diagnosed with it at 7 Years Old, it's Rare in Children actually, mostly it manifests in Teens to Early Adulthood. Anyway, her Nephew had a Psychotic Episode at an Airport and now they've got to go thru The System with him, it's always very Sad for Families coz there is no Cure. She said it lightens her Heart to come here becoz we handle our Situations with Serious Mental Illness with Humor and Grace, which Uplifts her about the Family Situation they're currently going thru. I'm glad it's Helpful, she's so Helpful to us being The Man's Home Nurse.
Anyway, I had the Paperwork Social Security sent to The Grandson, for us to fill out, only to find out he's halfway to New Mexico right now with Allen!!! And will be back somewhere around July 4th... I had no Idea that was happening... such is Life with a Schizophrenic tho', so, not that unusual for them to take off and come back whenever. So, I'll just fill out the Paperwork for him, as his Caregiver Grandparent/Parent, and send it in by the Deadline, which is the 26th of June. Whaddya gonna do? If they want to Schedule his Psyche Eval or Caseworker Sessions before he returns, I'll have to say he took off again, if they know anything about the Nature of the Illness, they realize these afflicted with it go Off The Grid a LOT.
Sometimes it's for Days... sometimes for Weeks... Months... even Years. Nothing you can do about it, I have Medical Power of Attorney for him that he voluntarily gave me, but I'm not his Warden and can't keep him here involuntarily and against his Will. The Daughter disappears still for Days or Weeks at a time, I'm used to this with the Schizophrenic Loved Ones. So, anyway, it's probably better I fill it out anyway, he'd struggle with it and not be as accurate at answering the Questions... often he's not in Touch with Reality and is in his own World... which I call Planet Young Prince. I don't reside there and unless you had the same Diagnosis as him, you probably don't either. So, I don't even know what Color the Sky is on Planet Young Prince? *Winks* It's kind of a "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" Song Lyrics kinda place tho', that's for damned sure. *LOL*
Princess T got me an early Birthday pressy, a Blind Box of some little Figures we both like, mine was one I actually preferred of the Line, sometimes you Luck Out and get the one you like best. This one is called Axel-Black from the Dark Forest Series. She'd bought a bunch for herself and her Boyfriend bought her some too, most of hers are the Mini Anime Characters, all Blind Boxes. I don't like Blind Boxes as I want the one I want... so when I buy any for her I pay the Extra to get exactly the one she wants. *LOL* Her Boyfriend didn't even know you could do that... so now I told him he can, he'll probably pay the Extra too so she gets any in the Line she's either missing or really, really wanted. A lot of the Collectors prefer and like the Blind Boxes for the 'Surprise' of not knowing which one they'll get. It is a brilliant Marketing Strategy to increase Sales. They don't make it well known you can pay Extra to just get the one you want. *Smiles*
I filled out all of The Grandson's SSI Paperwork, found out he could have me fill it out, just not a Doctor or Therapist. The Daughter helped me, he even called me to Answer some Questions I wasn't sure about... and we were inappropriately Laughing about some of the Questions and what I 'should' put, but I was discerning. Like the Question: Do you get along with other People? And I told The Daughter, well, I'm putting down that sometimes he does and sometimes he doesn't. And then she added in a Deadpan Voice, "And sometimes you Need a Restraining Order!" *Bwahahaha* Okay, so, that was Funny, yet True, in a Gallows Dark Humor way. And, no, I didn't put the Restraining Order Part on his Paperwork's Answer. *LOL and Winks* And I sent it in and so now I just Hope they don't Schedule him for Interviews or Eval while he's still in New Mexico until early July?!
And just now SimonMed the Lab called already, so that was Surprising, I knew they couldn't have results from my Two Tests Today this fast, just a few Hours later!!! Now they have a request for another MRI, with and without Contrast!!! That doesn't sound good, since, the Urgent Care did one and that was only a couple Weeks ago and I know they could get a copy of that coz I Signed the Release Form to. So, not sure why now they Need/Want yet another one?! Mebbe the Finding Needs more Detail? Coz it's not like I'm having Treatments, the only thing that was prescribed was for the UTI and was just Antibiotics for 10 Days and now that has cleared up and I no longer have Pain or an Infection. So mebbe they wanna see everything now that's Healed, I just don't know? So, anyway, Scheduled the MRI for next Week coz they wanted to do it this Weekend, but I had Calendared and Confirmed a Job The Daughter is doing on that Day already, to take her to. They got me in just a couple Days later, so, no Big Deal or delay.
I'm trying not to Read too much into all the Testing they're requiring, but, a part of you gets concerned, I ain't gonna Lie. Nobody likes an anomalous finding that then needs more exploration and possible Diagnosis. I've had False Positives before tho', for things that at first they thought were problems, and turned out not to be anything to be concerned about at all. So, anyway, until results come in and are conclusive, I'm just not thinking about it too much so that I don't get anxious or concerned for no reason. When I have something to worry about, is when I will bother to worry. Above and Below is another Great Grandpup that belongs to The Young Prince's Little Sister, Pictured with him, it's his 3rd Birthday apparently. *LOL* She's our Youngest Grandchild and slightly Older than some of our Great-Grandchildren, tho' one Great-Grandson, at least, that Princess T's Older Sister has, is Older than her.
Angie, Bobby's Ex-Girlfriend, and the Mother of his Two Youngest Kids, who are The Young Prince's Younger Siblings, still keeps in touch with me. Even tho' she doesn't really keep in touch with hardly anyone else. She and I always got along fabulously and I knew eventually, their Union wouldn't hold up, coz, well, Bobby is Bobby, what can I say? *LOL* She and The Daughter even got along great, and now Bobby is both of their Exes, so, they have that in Common. *Smiles* I get along with Bobby just Fine and he's got a good relationship with his Son, which is the most Important thing. He's always been a part of his Oldest Son's Life and been very good to Princess T over the Years too. Always also buying her Gifts when he'd buy his Son anything, so she wouldn't feel left out. Even tho' she's not his Child. I always appreciated that, coz her Dad has never done anything for her. So, Bobby's Family treated her more like one of their Family too, just due to her being The Young Prince's Sibling. And I treat Bobby's Younger Kids like part of our Family too, coz they are, to us... being his Siblings too. They're great Kids. And Angie always appreciated us being Grandparents to them.
So, Angie sent me Pixs of the Adorable Great-Grandpup and his Human, whose our Youngest Adorable Granddaughter. She has significant Autism, so this is her Emotional Support Animal. She doesn't connect to too many people, but she always connected with The Man and I, also her Big Brother and Princess T, which was Huge, from what Angie and Bobby said. She doesn't connect very often and the Autism was pretty significant on the Spectrum, she was Non-Verbal for a very long time. Now she Talks. Since Allen is also Autistic, she Loved Allen too, and he can relate to how she is, so he and The Young Prince were the only ones Angie would let Babysit, coz her Daughter wouldn't accept just anyone Caring for her. The Young Prince and Allen liked Babysitting for the Kiddos, the Brother was easy, he'd play Video Games with his Brother and his Brother's Husband. The only problem they had with her, when she was smaller, she'd get naked all the time. So, keeping Clothes on her was a challenge coz she doesn't like how they Feel on her Skin. Now she's overcome that, which is good, since, she's Older now.
With my Autistic Son when he was little, Clothing was a problem too, so I understand that challenge. He didn't like Buttons touching him and would Cry, saying they Hurt. Yet, he'd really hurt himself and that never 'Hurt' him, go figure!!! Transitioning from Winter Clothing to Summer Clothing was HUGE and a lot of Tears as well. He'd just get used to Short Pants and then he'd resist Long Pants. Sometimes I'd just let him wear Shorts all Year long just not to have the High Drama that came with Change. Autistic People don't handle Change well AT ALL!!! He couldn't ever Tie Shoelaces but could hack into a Computer! He could never open a Combination Locker at School with only Three Numbers, but could Calculate Complex equations like a Savant, that would take you longer to key into a Computer to get the Answer, he was quicker than the Computers! That's just how Autism works.
He had a Photographic Memory and Total Recall... yet, would Forget to turn in the Homework he'd spent all Night doing! If he sits in a particular Chair all the time, if someone else sits in it, then he melted down and was Lost on where to sit, even if every other Chair in the Room was empty. His Routines are Sacred to him and he really unravels if you Change them or mess with them. He has a Place for everything and everything in it's Place... if you move it even a smidgen, it will set him off! Even if done as a Joke, it's not Funny to him. I don't like anyone messing with my Stuff or moving it, so I do understand that part of it... pretty sure I'm on the Spectrum, undiagnosed too, so I do understand how a lot of Autistic folks Feel. I just probably don't have a really bad case of it I think??? A lot of OCD, and I'm definitely Bipolar with Mixed Episodes and definitely have Adult ADHD, but Autism, mebbe only slightly? *LOL* With Mental Illness you hardly ever just have one fucking Issue/Diagnosis, it's usually a Cocktail of 'em!
So, Today it got to 116 and I watched my Temperature Gauge in my Truck go up in increments of Two Degrees for a while after 2:00 p.m.! It just kept going up in rapid succession at one point, as you can see Above!!! It finally capped out at 116, whew!!! The Son had to Walk Home in it since I was still at my Appointments. Luckily Princess T's Boyfriend Rusty picked her up since I couldn't due to my Appointments. And Below some Political Meme Dark Humor, since... well... why not?!
Hi, my friend.
ReplyDeleteThe first photo I saw in the first paragraph of your article today was amazing and looked absolutely delicious. It made me hungry right away!
How have you been? It's been a while since we last connected.
Greetings from Indonesia.
Welcome back! I hope all is well with you? I've had Health Issues, The Man had a Heart Attack and is in some Cardiac Rehab now to rebuild his strength back, but he's doing good with it. You get older and things just start breaking down physically, it is to be expected when you attain the privilege of growing Old.
DeleteI love our political memes and your food porn although I'm trying to ignore it now that I'm on the GLP-1 drug. I'm doing will in my first week.
ReplyDeleteI had that same internal test where you have to have a full bladder. They don't seem to tell you it's going to happen until they do it. They shove that big-ass camera up inside you without even buying you dinner first. With mine they found a 'little spot' that was abnormal but no one seemed to be the least concerned about it and no one suggested a follow up in a year to see if it gets bigger. Hope you get news soon on yours knowing is so much easier to adjust to than the not knowing. Fingers crossed for you.
Yeah, Dinner 1st would have been Nice and more Respectful of them... Winks. I don't know how big the "Mass" they speak of is, they seem more concerned than me at this juncture, so it is hard not to feel at least somewhat concerned given their Reaction. I feel just Fine tho' Jean, so if they hadn't of found it accidentally, I would never have known something was there, so, serendipity of Divine Intervention was at Work and I have to Trust that was for a reason and the Best. I have the 3rd MRI in less than 3 Hours. I highly suspect in order to investigate further and beyond that it will require something more invasive, like an exploratory Surgery or Biopsy... not relishing that since the Down Time might be considerable and any recovery prolonged??? I don't Need that to make a difficult situation even more complex here at The Asylum. The Daughter is stepping up considerably coz she knows everyone else is falling apart. Even Princess T now says she doesn't want Control over anything/everything should God Forbid, something happen to me. So, I just don't know how they'd handle anything really critical as an Outcome and not fracture completely and fall apart rather than pulling together. I always kinda knew I am the Glue Keeping it Together and Holding it Down here. Would like to think it wasn't all for Nothing tho'... I do worry about what could or would happen to them all when I'm Gone. So, I try to stick around for as long as the Good Lord feels I have sufficient Purpose to stay above Dirt. But, I have zero Plans to try to become an Immortal either.
DeleteI've had ultrasounds both with and without the internal probe. The probe is actually easier.
ReplyDeleteWell as Blog Friend Jean said, I would have liked to have been Courted with Dinner first before Probed. *Winks* I highly suspect some more invasive procedures like ahead to determine the composition of said "Mass", which right now is a vague Term that I want more clarity of. I'm thinking a Biopsy or Exploratory Surgery may be the next Step if it still concerns them, is getting larger, or is already something they want removed or Treatment for that would be appropriate.
DeleteWishing you good luck on your test! Those food pics look yummy 😋
ReplyDeleteThe Food is always excellent around here, Metro Phoenix spoils us in diversity of Cultural Experiences and Cuisine from around the World and across the Nation... so many folks end up here from everywhere else and bring their best influences along with them from where ever they came from and want to retain. To me Variety is the Spice of Life and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are not Negatives, they are Positives that should be embraced by any Culture Evolved enough to realize they benefit from it. I have another Test in a couple Hours and highly suspect more invasive procedures lie ahead... ugh.
DeleteGood luck on all the tests. The MRI may just be a followup, but I know it's unsettling to have these unanswered questions. Deep breathing! How does Allen deal with the Young Prince's mental illness? Is he good at keeping him medicated or helping him get whatever care he needs? Very cute puppy.
ReplyDeleteI think their whole breakup and Divorce pending stemmed from Allen being simply overwhelmed by the Caregiving aspect of having a Seriously Disabled Loved One. He himself is Bipolar and Autistic, so, I always knew it was biting off more than he could probably chew, tho' they still Love one another, living together wasn't Safe long term anymore. He took The Young Prince back to New Mexico more to give me a respite I think so that I'm not reconsidering even having him here, to be Honest. Even with the best of Intentions, having Schizophrenic Loved Ones Care is very volatile and hard, and his D.I.D. manifests in 7 Alters, all of which are very different Personalities. Some are very High Maintenance and harder to Manage successfully. He is good about keeping track that Meds are taken, he is a good Wage Earner and Worker {Allen}, so I never wanted to vilify him, tho' he and I don't get along well coz he's got a very dominant personality and is a more Patriarchy Type Gay Male, if that makes sense? *Winks* I think in part it's how he was raised, the Macho Factor and Fundamentalist Religion in his household prevailed in Texas... and he took a very long time to Come Out, where my Grandson was Free to be himself/herself with no judgment nor condemnation from immediate Family. Allen was even in Special Forces in the Military and nobody knew he was Gay... and he works at Slaughterhouses, which is a very intensely Testosterone Laden Workforce too. Lots of fights happen, lots of Homophobia exist, but he's a big strong Cornfed Young Man so nobody messes with him lest he hand them their Asses. *LOL* Likewise, tho' The Young Prince is very Feminine and Fabulous, he can Fight like a Man and being Trans, has had to from a very Young Age to protect himself/herself from the violence that Community has sadly always had to Deal with. As for my Tests, I expect more invasive ones forthcoming to identify said "Mass" and determine Treatment or removal of it if it's the least bit concerning to my Medical Team. Ugh.
DeleteOh, I didn't realize YP and Allen are divorcing! I guess I missed that news! Sorry to hear it, but I can see how that kind of caretaking could get overwhelming. I'm glad you're getting a respite to deal with the medical stuff.
DeleteYes, and Allen's Family have Money and are pressing for him to live a Straight Life, they're Fundamentalist Christians from Texas and their acceptance of even his Autism is hard for them to embrace. I think in order for him to receive any Inheritance, he's going to have to abide by their Standards and they Paid to have our Grandson returned to Arizona with his things, so at least we didn't have to shoulder that expense. But, Allen is not abiding by their terms of it, which was to have no contact, and I don't agree he should be deceiving his Family, even if I don't agree with their way of seeing things.
DeletePS: Besides, personally they may do better just being Friends with Benefits? *LOL and Winks*
DeleteYeah, I'm having an MRI with contrast on Monday and I am a little worked up about it too. I think it is the unknown. When it comes to health, I want a plan with no deviation. And of course that is never possible. Fingers crossed for you.
ReplyDeleteAcutally - Tuesday. You can tell I'm flustered.
DeleteI'll keep you in my Thoughts as well as you get your MRI. I agree, the unknown is more concerning than knowing what you might be Dealing with and up against. I too want a Plan of Action, deviations are gonna be a Given, but I want a Plan... and Action. *Winks* My MRI Today was SO long, the longest I've ever had, I was in that Machine for about a whole Hour, good thing I'm not claustrophobic. They had me hold my Breath a couple times for so long I thought they'd forgotten they should tell me to resume Breathing!!! *LOL* My Family is so Panicky about the results of Tests I've already have, that I want to be able to ease their Fears some... depending on what the results are, and other Testing is, which I presume will have to be more invasive to be more conclusive. Perhaps exploratory Surgery or Biopsy???
Delete