This very cute young lady is the reason why I was going to the City Hall building anyway. This is Nancy Gudino. She is a friend from the Santa Barbara County Recorder's office. She moved to SF to go to law school. I know. I know. I tried to talk to her, but she could be a great one. She tried to get hired at several law offices for 'practical experience'. She moved not having a job. At our last meeting I suggested, 'You could always try the recorder's office.' After 2 weeks of rejections she decided to try just that. She walked in, let them know she had 4 years experience, started the next day, and by the time I saw her a month later, she was in charge of getting the office in order for their upcoming audit. She had me meet her at city hall so she could show it off, then took me to great mediteranean restaurant just a block away. Her fiancee is an investigator for a federal agency. If I told you which one, he'd have to kill me, so I won't.
So while I'm driving up to SF, my eye started bugging me. 'Oh great, allergies' I thought. I pulled over and took out my contact. By the time I met with the nurse prior to my meeting with Dr. Wolf, she looked at me and shuddered. "How long has your eye been like that?" 'Like what?' She said, "Look in the mirror." I shuddered. My eye was all red and bloodshot and full of gunkie goop. Long story long, bacterial eye infection, which spread to my other eye by the next day. Now go back and look at the previous picture of me and Nancy. It doesn't look bad there. That was just 2 hours before I saw the doctor. He gave me a prescription for antibiotic eye drops. Cleared both of them up in 5 days. Funny thing, the next morning after my appointment, I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't. All of the goop had gone crusty on me and glued my eyelids shut. I had to wander into the bathroom and run warm water on them to ungunkify them so I could open them. Fortunately, that was only for 2 days until the antibiotic started to work.
I believe that I had previously mentioned that during my previous visit Dr. Wolf had stated that he'd consider taking me off the daily chemo after a year (June) if my 'markers' remained good. I started off my questions with, 'So how are my markers?' "There's some possible problems. Your IgG level is high. Your kidney function is diminished and your liver numbers are 4 times high normal range. I could just be an anomaly due to your 2 bouts with pneumonia and other infections since I last saw you, but we'll watch it closely over the next month." Well that wasn't what I wanted to hear. Then he sent me to get another round of immunizations. 8 shots. Oh boy. Another long story long, I got more blood tests 2 weeks later and met with my local Dr. Still alarmingly high. Not worse, but not better. Cause for concern, but not panic yet. I felt OK. "Let's do it again in 2 more weeks, BUT, if you feel any new or different pains call me, then Dr. Wolf, then head to the ER." No ER visits. Blood test in 2 weeks. Meet with Dr. Malone. He looks at the test numbers. Reviews them again. "These are the best numbers you've ever had. Everything's normal. Better than normal. What did you do?" I told him I had a visit with Dr. Sandy Tulanian, my chiropractor/nutritionist. "Apparently it worked." Thanks Dr. Sandy. I don't think it was the fact that my friend Greg Fisher got us tickets to the Sweet 16 games at the Anaheim arena, but maybe that was it. The chinese I had there wasn't too bad. Just in case it was, or at least contributed, thanks Greg for a fantasticaly wonderful experience.
You can see in this picture that my eye is still red, swollen and gunkie, but that's not the point of it. Look again... THE POODLE'S DEAD! I walked in to get a hair cut with still curly hair. I said, 'Cut it short', which she did. And my hair didn't curl back up when she was done! It was a little tentative, as it couldn't really figure out if it was supposed to be curly or straight, but it was mostly straight. Today, it's all straight in the front and a little wavy in the back. Darrell noticed that the pre-chemo color was coming back. I was the "pewter poodle". Now it's coming in dishwater blond again. Weird, but would you expect anything else?
So now that my pneumonia(s), bacterial eye infections, inner ear infections, sinus infections and inflamed eustacian tubes are no longer an issue, I can get back to physical therapy (after a 3 month lay off), walking and some other forms of exercise which shall remain nameless because Dale hates golf, and even an increase of hours working (which Dale likes).
The miracles continue to happen, thanks to your continued prayers and good thoughts on my behalf, as well as the love of my Heavenly Father, His son Jesus Christ, and blessings. every day I thank my Heavenly Father for you and ask Him to bless you, as He has blessed me. Just not with all of the cancer stuff and chemo etc. Just bless you with what you need.
Still love ya. Still with ya. I'm pretty good.
ReplyDeleteI miss "Gupta"
ReplyDeleteYeah for great numbers. Good to hear how you are doing. Hope things keep going well with a few less set backs. At least you saw a doctor soon and got some meds right away for that eye. Wow, fast acting infection. I had to laugh at your hair comment. I was feeling all sad that your poodle died till I read the post. Then I couldn't stop laughing. you're a hoot.
ReplyDeleteWhat a roller coaster ride with your health. When I read your numbers were dropping my heart dropped and I thought oh no I hope he's not trying to catch up with Ron yet. But then when I read they were much improved I was relieved and could breathe again.(don't know how much loss I can sustain) Take care of yourself. Love how the miracles continue to be poured forth. Like the new hair, sorry about the poodle but its good to see the old Kevin back. Love you all and remembering you in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteThat is great news uncle. We missed you guys at conference. Hope to see you in a few weeks!
ReplyDelete"Ungunkify"? Dead poodles? I totally missed the lamb -was that what you had for lunch in SF? Anyway, great post. Just got back from Maui yesterday, so this was the first chance to read it. Agree with Barbara's comment about the "roller coaster ride" of these last few weeks for you, but I don't think it was the good Dr. Sandy's work so much as the seats at the Sweet 16 -how great was that! Way to go Greg!
ReplyDeleteHugs to everyone, talk to you soon