A BREATH IN THE NIGHT ...

Hospital Fundraising Art Exhibitions

carolle — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:55:51 +0000

I have been taking part in my hospital Fundraising for Research on Heart and Lung diseases for the second year and presenting 7 Acrylics on canvas. It’s been a tremendous time for me as painting is really my passion.

I have been able to focus and be creative. I had a great time. I painted a lot and long hours but it was all worth it. I lost the ability to stay standing as a normal person so I have decided to paint on smaller scale canvases.

I will prepare for next year exhibition as from january next year so I can go slowly and it will give me time to experiment a bit more on style and colors.

Exhibition Nov 2010 / Feb 2011 : Health Theme (Para-hut, hold your breath, Moral support)

Exhibition Nov 2011 / Jan 2012 : African theme (Build a world, Straight from the orchard, Simplicity, Daily News, Women of a Nation, Smiley, Exile)

Wheezing me !

carolle — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:42:45 +0000

Well, my lungs sure have their own agenda and I find myself wheezing all the time. As soon as I wake up till I go to sleep at night. Before I could wheeze and it would stop. Now it does not stop and there is no rest. I blame it on the weather because this period of the year is bad for me. I thought it was the food I ate but I’m wheezing even if I’m not eating.

Fortunately I can sleep with my Vpap on, most of the time. When I am totally short of breath, I start sleeping sitted till it calms down. Because when it gets like even the inhalers are not sufficient.

I must say, I have had more and more asthma attacks these past years and it can happen anytime. If my children are around they get scared so I hope my lungs will be calm and collected for this coming Christmas celebration.

INR on a low slide

carolle — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:16:23 +0000

During the past months visits my INR kept going lower and lower. I was happy I had the two months test and that was good because it meant there was some kind of stability running through my veins. Well, it was short lived. Three weeks ago, my INR was at the limit of the low range which meant I had to be back on the alternative dosage and that meant a higher dosage too.
Then I went on thinking too much about all this. I must say that the INR waiting room is full of scary people. No one is really smiling and nobody talks to you. I know it’s early morning but still, a hello and a smile would be nice. But again people are suffering, it shows also on their face so I just read my book or play with my Iphone and wait for my turn. I will go for an INR next week and hopefully it will have gone up again. I seriously feel liquified !

Ultimate unwellness

carolle — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:10:16 +0000

I had two really bad days recently and I nearly went to the ER. One when I felt suddenly so sick, aching all over my body and having nauseas. I had a terrible pain on my left side and every time I breathed I was in so much pain. I called Chris and went to lie down and put on my VPAP. The rest and the ventilation help to clear my lungs and bad stuff came out. Since that day, I have been feeling unwell.

Then, followed the day where I was dizzy all the time and I felt so tired and once again the body was aching all over and I was so short of breath. I did not want to go to the ER even though it would have been wise, because my daughter was graduation a few days later and in no way I was going to miss that day. That day I was unable to put my VPAP on because I could not breath with it

That feeling of unwellness lingers on even though I feel better. The wheezing is pretty much a daily happening and the aching all over the body too despite all the prescribed strong painkillers I take four times a day. Then the explanation may be simple. The Mirena has been playing hide and seek with my body that the all thing may well be connected.

I was so pale when I went out for the graduation ceremonies of my children that everybody was worried. Sad really when it’s a great day in our family. I have the greatest family and I hope one day I can be more fun

Postponed pulmonary rehab

carolle — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:56:21 +0000

The physio contacted me and we agreed that I must gain some strength before I can anything else. That means trying to stay standing as much as I can to gain strength in this body of mine that seems to have a mind of his own.

So far, I have been so weak. I went to my children’s graduation and staying standing and walking was not easy.

So I take it one day at a time and try my best to be up regularly so I can move my legs. If I want to cook I always end up in agony but at least I made the effort and that alone keeps me going.

Asthma clinic

carolle — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:39:08 +0000

A few weeks ago, I saw a new specialist in the OPD clinic, a lady who was so nice. We talked about health and life. Wow, it was so refreshing! I wonder why not more specialists are like her.

My stats were my normal me so that’s ok. The wheezing was pretty bad but the weather changes affect me a lot and the asthma gets a bit out of hands. As the cold weather sets in, it will get worse like every single year so I’m used to it by now. I just have to remain calm and collected and that is not really me . I was given antibiotics in case everything degenerates as it may if the wheezing goes on like that. She was pleased that I lost more than10kgs since my last visit and that was a first in my weight problem history. In fact I lost nearly 20kgs since I started to diet and went on with Weight Watchers so I’m quite confident this excess weight will keep on his path to better pastures .

I will have a bone scan soon because the others specialists want me to start taking Prednisone daily but she agrees with me that if I can do without it it’s better with all the medication I’m already taking every single day.

She also wants me to do the pulmonary physiotherapy. She decided to see me at the beginning of next year instead of later to keep an eye on things how she put it.

It makes all the difference when doctors are actually caring and you’re not just a number. She gave me a direct access to the OPD clinic so that’s reassuring. I was supposed to have one but nobody ever told me.

Mirena & I

carolle — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:36:12 +0000

After two treatments to stop the bleeding, there was a wave of worries flying above. I was well passed the due date for the test and for some reasons my body does not like to be invaded by a coil. Then it stopped for a few days so last week I rushed to the gp and asked her if she could go ahead with the test so I will be done with this and not worry anymore, at least for that part. Well she did it and everything is fine, meaning the coil is where it should be.

No need to say that the bleeding starting again and stopped again and I wonder when it’s going to sop once for all. The next test is in a year but before that I will have a second biopsy which makes me very nervous.

I had to have a new tetanus shot because my immunisation was not normal when I was hospitalised. And a test will be done next time I see my asthma specialist.

Weight Watchers: a healthy path

carolle — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 03:21:02 +0000

In june, after I talked with the gyne -oncologist, I decided I should try again Weight Watchers and follow his advice, as he put it: to change my life style. I had lost a little before starting the diet, going through a lot of emotional turmoil of the cancer threat. So overall I’ve lost over 20kg and the last 3/4 of this on Weight Watchers.
I’m not stressed out with this diet. I’ve had to register online because I’m unable to walk a lot and therefore not able to go to meetings. However, my all family has been very supportive and at home it’s Weight Watchers for everyone. We have learned to reduce our food intake, cook healthier meals with less sauce, cream and butter. French and african cuisine is good but I had to adapt it so it will fit the point system.

Amazingly enough we think Weight Watchers every single time we eat. We can eat everything we want but differently, like less greasy and with much less calories. I have stopped using sugar in my coffee and Canderel has become my best friend, considering the amount of coffee I dring every day, I must say that’s a big cut.

By eating healthier, I have also realised that I started to appreciate non fat and low fat food. I do not crave for the fatty food anymore and I eat snacks and there’s no stress there.

I needed a push but I also needed someone to let me know that it was going to be ok. I owe this succesful diet to my specialist; he was very understanding, and never let me feel guilty. He understood the beauty of french cuisine and how I enjoyed eating . He opened the door to an awareness. He was sure I could do it and he was right. Helping myself in order to help my health which so desperately needs it.

I started by eating Weight Watchers meals then I realised that I could cook their recipes myself. It took some getting used to but it was the willpower that I had and with the help of my family that made it all possible. Alone, it would have been difficult. I still have some Weight Watchers meals once a day, unless I decide to cook but I prefer to cook for supper when my other-half is home. On weekends, I usually cook lunch and supper. I buy the Weight Watchers magazine and go online to see the recipes.

The journey is not over but I can say I’m enjoying the building of the New Me !

Mirena : the hormonal treatment

carolle — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:45:50 +0000

Being a woman is great. After all, I never asked to be one but come to think of it, I’m glad I am. But when come the times of trouble, just by the fact of being a woman, I tend to rethink the all thing. Even if I end up thinking: it feels good to be a woman. All that said and done, as I was told I did not have cancer but was in a pre-cancerous state, I needed a Mirena coil inserted, so it would diffuse the missing progesterones, my body so desperately needed.
After the D&C was done, my body needed a little time to heal, so here I was again in another specialist office to have a Mirena fitted in. I must say, the doctors and the medical staff are really nice so it all went smoothly except the end. I was told I was going to keep this thing for 5 years with a biopsy every six months. However, to my surprise, the specialist told me I was going to keep a Mirena for life and have it changed every four years and more biopsy, because of the actual thickness of the womb. My answer to him was: so, this all thing is not over yet then. I felt a bit down; no, I felt a lot down because the situation I’m in was more complicated than I thought. Well, after a few months I’m dealing with the all thing well. However, the bleeding is not over and that complicates everything so I’m due back to see the specialist very soon.

Well as they say: a woman got to do what a woman got to do !

Lifetime anticoagulation ~~~

carolle — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:09:04 +0000

After a little more a year of anticoagulation, since the discovery of a blood clot in my upper left lung, the specialits have decided I should remain in Warfarin for life. I had hope, along with my gp that it will not come to that, but it did. The haematologist put me in the category of high risk of recurrent embolism and I was told that if it happened, my chances of recovery would be very slim as he estimated a 25% chance of having a more complicated embolism within the next 5 years without treatment.

So the choice to abide with the decision taken by the specialists was easy but stressed me a lot. I am seriously thinking of wearing a health bracelet.

So I’m back at the anticoagulation clinic every two months or less, depending on the test results, though now as it seems to have settled down to a normal range. The bridging for the biopsy had put all this in turmoil and the balance took a while to come back.