Still Spinning

A long overdue hello to everyone,

I'm sorry its taken me so long to blog. I know from your cards and blogs and calls that you were worried what was going on. Well actually alot has been happening. After the packing was removed and i was repacked (for a total of three weeks-YIKES !!! I was pretty miserable for a few days. Breathing thru my mouth and alot of sinus pressure. The next weekend was Memorial Day so we went to the shore and Allison and Isabelle came down from New York and Jess and Walid and Christian and Emma Grace all came to join us. The kids were just the medicine that MomMom needed. No time to feel sorry for myself with the kids around. We had a great time and ate lots of ice cream. There is a new ice cream store across the street which is too convenient. Anyway Sat. Nite i got very congested and felt like my left ear was very plugged up. Remember, my left ear is my good ear. Sunday morning I woke up and couldn"t understand Christian and Emma.I thought Oh No !!! Not my hearing again. I could hear the adults but only if they were talking directly to me. Later in the day a friend called and i realized I couldn't hear at all on the phone. Well now I was in a mild Panic. Thank goodness everyone was there because as long as i was busy i was ok. I was scheduled to see Dr. Chiu (ENT) for a sinus checkup first thing Tues. morning. When i saw him and he said "how are the sinuses? I said " the sinuses are fine but the hearing isn' so good". He took me right over to the lab for a hearing test and nerve testing. I have a 70% hearing loss in the left ear and still significant loss in the right ear. So back on massive doses of steroids and antibiotics in case its a virus but he is puzzled. Because it did not occur until 10 days after surgery it was not a result of the surgery. Of course this new hearing loss made the dizziness wose. I can't taste or smell or hear and i walk around like I'm drunk. OOOHHH!!!!and i've gained a million pounds because of the steroids and i'm eating everything in site. Still down at Penn once a week and i have to tell you i outweigh every other pt. there by 50 lbs. Maybe this is a good thing? So we waited a week to see what the steroids would do and back to Penn for mor e tests. Slight improvement but there is so much noise in my ears i can't tell. I'm ok if people talk directly to me but if there is any noise I'm not able tohear. So then Dr Chiu decided we needed to make sure the Leukemia did not spread to my brain causing the dizziness and hearing loss. Actually Dr. Porter has wanted to check this out by spinal tap fer several months but i have refused. So last Tuesday i went back to Penn to neuro Radiology and had a spinal tap (it really only hurt for about 5 seconds and then was fine.) Very nice Drs. and nurses. I had to lay flat for ann hour and then was released. I was supposed to come home and lay flat for the rest of the day but i felt good and wanted to take My sister Pam out to lunch for taking me downtown. So we had a quick lunch and came home and i still felt good
so i made dinner in case i would feel bad later. Well needless to say by 4 pm i had a whopper of a spinal headache. I was pretty flat on my back till Sat. nite when it started to ease up. My dear friend and blogger Kris came all the way from Ohio where shes been taking care of her mom after a broken hip, and she just sat on the couch while i just layed there, We laughed alot. Then Monday nite i had yet another MRI of my brain and inner ear. No official results but i picked up the CD to take to Penn next week and the report said i had diffuse sinusitis. I sure hope that means swelling from the surgery. We shall see. Anyway a long winded way of explaining why i"ve been negligent in writing. I think of you all the time. I can't believe the collegians have already completed the first year. Meredith, Laura, Patrick, Carolyn and anyone that I'm fogetting. Congratulations and have a fun summer. Its tough being home at first but also so nice to be with family. Alison, its great that you have family visiting. So much to show them in your area. Beach Betty you sound busy. We will be down the shore over the 4th. By then i can read lips and we will catch up. Mdf, as always you sound busy but a little alone time with Tim sounds nice. And your father in law is back in Boston now? Beth it was great to see your new place and it was so good to get out of my house for awhile, Thank you and Eileen for picking me up. Well i hope you are all enjoying the summer and getting some good quiet time by the pool or beach. I worry about friends Penny and Dick who live in Iowa which seems to be under water. I PRAY that you are safe and dry. It has been a crazy couple of months weather wise. Every day i am thankful for all of you and the many, many blessings in my life. When you listen to the news we are so lucky that we live hear and are safe . Michael says that i now have "roid" rages. NOT TRUE but i do get weepy. So before i do that i will stop here, but not before thanking all of you for everything always. You are the best friends a gal could ask for...I promise i will write again soon.
Love to all of you Deb