Tuesday, April 10, 2012

04-10-2012 Chest Pressure

  The year is flying by. Over the last week or two I've had some pressure in my chest but nothing major. Friday night we ate at Captain D's and I love crispy, so I ate the crispy Denise didn't want. It was either a bone or just a really hard edge and I didn't chew it properly, swallowed it and it felt like a razor going down. Oddly enough though it never stuck. I could feel my throat swell immediately. Maybe that added to the persistent chest infection that I can't seem to shake, and I had pressure again, only lots of it. It increased until the point I got a bit worried and reach for the Nitro. I have the spray kind instead of the pills, so I dosed myself under the tongue. The pain went away. Minutes later it came back and even harder. I thought about waking Denise but decided not, so I dosed myself again. Problem solved itself slowly. For added insurance I turned on the O2 machine and started doing the oxygen. It slowly went down.

  Saturday I stayed mostly in the chair and slept late, weak from the event and throat still swelled. Sunday the drain in the Denise's bathroom clogged, so we ended up heading to Lowes to get pipes and fittings and replaced the pipe. Matt, Misty, and the grandkids came over and we ate at mom's and gave them their Easter Baskets. I didn't get to enjoy them like I wanted, still weak. Josh & Brandon stayed the night though and Megan played with them and me and Josh watched some TV. We went to Denise's mom and dad's house, his 83rd birthday was yesterday. I like to visit with them, good, smart people.

  Monday we went to UT Speech & Hearing to get Megan's new Ear Molds for her Hearing Aides. I came back and crashed again. Today I slept late again but I finally got out and stirred, more spun my wheels than accomplishments. The air is cooler though and it eased my throat. Maybe tomorrow night I'll drop the Predisone back to 5mg, since Friday I've been doing 10mg as Rathfoot had suggested. I'm finally building some strength back and no pressure in my chest. I played with the new truck, working on stuff the other guy didn't or did wrong. Got it titled today too. I got a deal on it but for a reason, needs work, but it dumps. :) 

  This is the month rather than last month for a follow-up and X-Ray with Panella. I think he will tell me what I already know, drop the weight. It is in the back of my mind though what the outcome could be with the lungs. I remember the follows the tree speech. I'm not sure what route I'd take if that comes around.  I think that bears on the mind. I got a letter on a Seminar on T Cell Lymphoma, but I won't go. Right now it is raging and I have to turn that around. I haven't worked on it in a while. For a moment I considered going to see Zic and Greer at Vanderbilt again, but I think not. They are great doctors and the hospital is good but the next level of meds I still will not do even though the last few days the itching and burning almost make me give in, almost.

  I've had some weird dreams the last little while. This last one I looked from a distance at a Covered Bridge and told I could go in it. It was over a beautiful river with bright water, sparkling and as blue as they sky. Where I was standing was a fog behind and all around me. I went and played (strange) like a child in the bridge. Then I was told I could go and see on the other side of thew river. So I did. The most beautiful green pastures on rolling hills. No trees, just lush pastures. I walked into a village or small town where the streets were stone, but like a marble, with buildings made of stone. People walking around, sitting and playing checkers and some just looking around. Everybody was friendly and seemed to be happy. Nobody had any troubles and all looked to be healthy, all ages, all sizes. Nobody I actually recognized like the last dream, but everybody seemed to be familiar, and I to them. Clean and neat as a pin. Then Denise woke me up. I had unhooked myself and went into the couch in my sleep. I woke with freezing. Not cold but freezing worse than even I remember working in the Ice Cream Room at Pet Dairy where it was 30-40 below zero. The other dream a while back was like that and just the same as before I woke up so cold I hurt, yet happy and peaceful. Both times I wanted to stay, and both times had a profound impact on my outlook of life. It took covers and a blow dryer blowing under them plus about 15 minutes to stop freezing, yet inside the joy and peace they brought continues.      

3 comments:

CourtneyC said...

Hey Anthony,
Nice dump truck! I know you will enjoy working on that and it will be a fun project for you when you feel up to it.
I didn't understand your paragraph about the t-cell stuff, but I figure you mean that the meds you could go on if necessary are potentially in your future. I'll keep you in my prayers, and Denise too.
All best to you. I'll keep reading whatever you feel up to writing. :-)

anthony7 said...

Thanks Courtney. I have a few things I want to fix on it but the best part is it will run and work meanwhile. Big Ugly was about the same when I first got it. The T-Cell thing is a Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma I was diagnosed with 7-1-05, that was a year, lol. 1-31-05 a Heart Attack and then 71-05 the Lymphoma. It's slow but steady usually. The conventional meds can make it even slower but cure it. It rages so far from ok to itching to feels and looks like you've been boiled alive in the areas it decides to strike. Funny what one can become accustom to over time. Thank you for the prayers for me and Denise. I still believe that is the strongest medicine that is or will ever be available.

anthony7 said...

Oops, done a boo-boo again. I meant to say not cure it on the conventional meds. It is considered incurable.