HOME(R) at Last

This is the news you've all been waiting for, lol. Oh yeah, this is the news I've been waiting for. We arrived safely in Homer yesterday at 4pm. Of course, there were no groceries in the house, we made a short stop at the market for staples and a couple frozen dinners.

It was a long day, up at 5 for a 5:25am shuttle to the airport. There were so many people we just made it thru TSA to make boarding. I have no idea what TSA thinks is wrong with me but it seems I always get wanded or x-rayed. Oh, and they almost always go thru my luggage (this time they went through 3 of our 5 bags).

We had a short (2 hour) layover in Seattle before our flight to Anchorage. There we only had 1 1/4 hours before our flight to Homer.

I'm so happy to be home and hold my cat, Tucson. She was happy to see us and had to sniff us over and over again before she was content to sit on my shoulder and purr. She quickly fell back into her old habits with us. She's a fun pet.

Going Home

Well, the latest neurologist did new lab tests to eliminate other possible causes and the results are negative. That's good news, sort of, it means I don't have some terrible diseases. On the other hand, it means the cause is still unknown, maybe inherited?

The final try is Cymbalta, for nerve pain and changes the way the brain deals with pain. It takes up to a month to see if it helps, so far I think it is making a difference in the burning pain. Since we've eliminated the scary possibilities, we're going home.

May 20th we fly out at 7am. I'm excited but it still feels unreal. Since Paul's diabetes doctor must see him every 6 months (the insurance prefers 3 months) we will be back October 11th for doctors appointments the 12th - 14th. It should be routine visits and a short trip, you've heard that before, huh?

Still Hanging Around

Paul and I are trying to be patient but we're so bored.

Paul had a treadmill stress test and the results were good. The doctor said the heart has improved since the bypass surgery. He also had a lung function study and that looks like minor problems with breathing. The doctor hasn't called with results yet so it must be minor.

Me, on the other hand, I'm still looking for a correct diagnosis on my foot burning and numbness. I've been sent to a second neurologist. I was very impressed with the intake exam and blood work ordered, he was very thorough. It will still be another 2 weeks before I get the results. The blood tests had to be frozen and take 2 weeks to complete.

I decided that I'm giving up and going home after I see the neurologist. Either he has a diagnosis and treatment or not, and I go home. This has gone much too long, even if I have to survive on pain pills!