I will be having neck surgery very soon with cushion pads insert between the disk and bone fusion from C 4/5 to C 6/ 7. I have been just about crippled with barely any use to my arms and why i have not posted much.
Another major problem happened over the weekend as well. I passed blood and blood clots in my urine all weekend and half of Monday with no cause found. All labs were fine, no infection found, no kidneys stones or pain, and CT scan of Kidney showed no problem. They only other possibilities are begnin tumor or Bladder Cancer from what I was able to find out on the internet. My hope is some how it was just a blood clot I threw for which I have been taking coumadin for since 2006 as they discover I have a blood clotting disease when I threw one in my intestines. I see the Urologist Thursday but probably won't find out anything then. A cystoscopey will have to be done and more labs looking for tumor markers
If it is Bladder Cancer I have no one but myself to blame because I am a long time heavy smoker. Sad thing is I still have no desire to put my cigarettes down
Urothelial carcinoma (previously known as "transitional cell carcinoma") is the most common type and comprises 90%-95% of all bladder cancers. It is strongly associated with cigarette smoking.
What are bladder cancer causes and risk factors?
The most common type of bladder cancer, urothelial carcinoma, is very strongly associated with cigarette smoking. About 50% of all bladder cancers in men and 30% in women may be caused by cigarette smoking. The longer and heavier the exposure, greater are the chances of developing bladder cancer. The toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke, many of which are known cancer causing substances (carcinogens), travel in the bloodstream after being absorbed from the lungs and get filtered into the urine by the kidneys. They then come in contact with the cells in the inner lining of the urinary system, including the bladder, and cause changes within these cells which make them more prone to developing into cancer cells.
Time to spill the beans
Donna, i sure hope that all goes well with your surgery..i know the feeling about the smoking..i have no desire to give mine up either..as i tell people, its the only vice i have, so just let me live my life my way..
i hope and pray that you dont have cancer..
you will be in my thoughts and prayers..
God Bless
cindy
Hope all turns out well for you and it turns out to NOT to be cancer. I lost a brother n law to throat cancer, he was a smoker. Seeing what he went through with that, would make me quit smoking if I were a smoker. It was horrible.
Oh Donna I am so sorry to hear all this I will pray for positive results for the bladder tests.I understand about the smoking as I was a pack and a half a day.It has been twenty years for me and dh.I have to have my baldder checked often because of paulips(spelling?)So far good news,but I know the feeling of having to wait for news.
Thinking good thoughts for you Donna! Hope all goes well and you are back up and gardening in no time.
Just got a call from my GP and he think I have a infection even though ER thinks I don't grrrrr. So did I have over a 1000 worth of test for nothing??? I just looked over the reports and the CBC shows no sign of infection but the urinalysis show just a trace of WBC's but what has my attention i a GFR(have no clue what that is) show 56 and it says
GFR I believe is Glomerular Filtration Rate, it has to do with kidney function.
duh I didn't finish. Guess I dreamed I typed it
says
o.k. not dreaming this time. My words are not coming up after I post
say
I guess kid. disease is a bad word because it won't show what i say
mine is 56 and less than 60 is chronic kid. disease
I'm sure surgery isn't fun, but might be necessary in your case. I have no experience with any of that, thank goodness. I do know that uva ursi heals bladder and kidney problems for some conditions. It is great for whatever horrible things lupus does to the kidneys. That's all I know.
This is where I buy the herb: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search/en/query.jsp?q=uva+ursi+&intsource2=main&tab_selection=vitamins&x=0&y=0
I'm certainly standing in faith for your recovery DonnaB.
This message was edited May 17, 2011 11:52 AM
My hubby has 'Vesicoureteral reflux' which causes blood in the urine. Maybe ask the Dr about that?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vesicoureteral-reflux/DS00999/DSECTION=symptoms
Although it looks like it may be something your born with - hubby didn't find out he had it until he was in his late 20's. It all started with a test he had to take for him/us to get some life insurance. Of course we had to go get it checked out by a Dr to give him a all clear to the insurance co.... but that is a whole 'nother story that would bore you to tears.
I'm sending good vibes your way that everything is going to go well for you.
Well, I will join you in surgery tomorrow! I'm having a lump removed from my left breast. It's been a long and frustrating road for a year since they found something in my mammogram. I'm not worried about cancer, my mom had it 3 times, even after she had no breasts and she is fine! I'm just tired of being jerked around for a year... I want this over with.
I'm ashamed that I've been smoking for 40 years. It is so sad, there is nothing that has been able to scare me out of it.. I've lost most of my family on my dad's side to cancer. If I could quit, trust me, I would have years ago. I despise being addicted to cigarettes.
Be careful looking symptoms up on the internet, the results can convince you that you have cancer! I hope your surgery goes well, and nothing in your bladder to be scared of. Do what the doctor says so you can recover fast.. Just keep your birds and your garden in mind and fill your brain with good things. Love to you my friend.
Have any of you tried those nicotine and water vapor things they have now? I know someone who is trying to quit smoking and she is using those. Says they are working and even if she continues those it is better than cigarettes and a lot cheaper.
I smoked for seven years in the 70's, and quit by using a product that had silver acetate in it. It was gum and changed the taste of the smoke. Not sure how healthy it was, but it sure worked! After three weeks the severe craving stopped. Not sure they even have that product anymore, but it was called "Zest for life".
I helped a friend online stop and she used products from the healthfood store.
I so recall that months after I stopped smoking, I would sometimes dream of myself smoking. It frightened me so badly I'd wake up! I did not want to be a smoker.
My mother died from cigarette smoking. It was terrible for her and the entire family. Ironically she is the one that helped me stop, yet she kept smoking. By the time she stopped it was too late.
I went to see a chiropractor today beacuse my neck has been bothering me for a long time now and is gatting worse.He took exrays of lower back and neck,I`m a mess.My neck was broken when I was young and I never knew it.I remember my mother telling me of a fall I had when I was about 4,I fell into a cellar and landed on my head.She said it was a wonder I hadn`t broken my neck! and only had a nose bleed,but I`m thinking I did break my neck! But back then there was no money for doctors so if I appeared alright then nothing would have been done.So he didn`t want to touch me untill I go into traction for 10 min.twice a day for two weeks then he will try adjustments on me and is hopefull that I will see a big improvement in time.You should see me in that device,at least I can do it at home..Its called a cervical trction set.I have arthritis in my lower back and a curved spine.BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS I was his 8000th patient so I get all adjustment and alighnments free for the rest of my life,THANK YOU GOD!.Money was an issue for me so I was so thankful to hear that.
Wow Green, free adjustments, that's great!
I hear you on the "if you appear okay, then you are" When I was 2 I fell off the back of a bench, they figured out something was wrong with me because I'd cry every time they picked me up, Finally took me to a doctor and found I had a broken collar bone. I also have some buckled ribs that they didn't find then that I'm sure was probably from that fall too. Oh well, can't do anything with them now, and you can't really tell.
I will be praying & thinking of you all tomorrow, as well as tonight that you have relaxing, healing sleep before the day starts. We need ALL of our Chicken Family to be healthy!
I hear you on the smoking - I adore smoking and haven't quit even thought my Dr says I absolutely HAVE IT, or else! I've been through part of the "or else" and it's sooooo scary. Maybe we could start an OT thread and quit smoking together? We could moan, complain and support each other on bad days & celebrate our successful days. I was thinking that each day I didn't buy cigarettes I could buy one nice perennial for the garden, or, more chickens, save for coops. The price of cigarettes is so high no matter what brand they are. It would be nice to be able to show "some THING" to have or hold in our hand for our efforts. Set the money aside each day and at the end of the week gift ourself with the money otherwise spent on smokes? We could do it together!
Green, that is incredible news. Free for life. You won the Lottery. Really, just think of what that could add up to over a thirty year period...Thats incredible.
I don't want to sound like a knuckle head, but I must admit, I just don't get this cigarette thing. How can my friends think it is ok, to just give up their health and life to a stupid cigarette. It makes me angry, that I can't help your suffering, but you can and won't...There is something terribly wrong here. I can't apologize, for caring about your health and quality of life...Hay
OK Annie!!! Now your talking, I don't want to criticize, so how can we work together on a positive note. I hate cigarettes but I adore you ladies here. We do need to work together, even when we fail, it's never failure if we keep on working at it...Hay
I'm with you Hay on the smoking, but I know many people who can't seem to quit - or even want to.
Best of luck to all three of you and your treatments. Positive vibes being beamed your way.
Ok, I will get my patch script filled tomorrow, quit date for me is Thursday. I've heard that even if a person doesn't have Insurance that scripts for the smoking patch are FREE. I also heard that walmart, and others, have them for their low cost script price of $1.99. I'm going to do this, with some stumbling and swearing I'm sure, but I AM going to quit!!!! Thanks for your encouragement Hay!!!!
YES! Go Annie go! We're cheering for you all the way!
I just looked up silver acetate, to see if I had remembered the name correctly. There is gum, spray and lozenges now. Some sites say they do not help, but there is so much disinfo it's really hard to say. I know it worked for me.
Thanks! I like the idea of accountability. After what I went through I should have my fingers scorched for even touching a cigarette. I'm not going to tell my DH, it's going to be a surprise. I am going to do this!!!!
Annie, I believe in you. If you can think of anything that we can do to help, please let us know...I want you to know we are in your corner and will be praying for you and encouraging you with all the energy we have...You Can Do This...LEAD ON DARLING...Hay
It doesn't matter what some say LFJ...If it worked for you then it may also work for others, we are not all the same chemically...All of you that suffer from this addiction, we will be keeping you in our prayers. Please make the effort...The price is to high...
I tried those "smokless" cigarettes, thats when i ended up in the hospital with pneumonia! the dr said that was the cause of the pneumonia..so i think i will keep using the reg cigs..my mother died of lung cancer at the age of 83. she smoked her whole life and didnt get cancer til she was 82..
yes Hay i just love your "nagging" actually just love ya!! LOL
will be praying for you Donna!
and oh yes definately for you too Joyce!! keep us posted!
I`m with all of you that are tring to quit,I am picking a time 8am everyday I will say a prayer for you for a week, that will get you through the toughest part then I will pray everyday when I go to prayer and whenever you come to mind.I have to tell you when I quit it was shortly after I started going to church and turned my like over to God,so HE was my patch,with his help I did not have a hard time at all,and believe me I had tried many times before that to quit.Once you get rid of the nicotine addiction then its the habbit of what to do with your hands,like after a meal or driving in the car or watching tv or with your coffee,I know I have been there,Everytime those urges come think of your chicken friends that are praying and thinking of you and want you to be healthy and a little richer.
This was on my fb last night and I thought of you guys. I keep hearing that when your body is acidic is when you get sick. This man is talking about taking baking soda. There are a number of people starting to talk about this curing cancer. It should be "aluminum free" baking soda though. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgBql4N9xGs
I would have to agree with Green about faith. Not only did I have a cigarette addiction, but also one for alcohol. I had tried to quit on sheer will power but always failed. It was when I asked God for help and leaned on his power, not my own, that the victory came.
OMGoodness, Cindy I have missed you so much. Of course I did not know you smokied and of course it is none of my business. I also did not know ZZ's smoked and again it is none of my business. But, it is my business when I see my friends suffering. I have no desire to be a nag but if some of you knew how much we cared you would understand that once we find out about habits that destroy we are bound by our love for you to speak up...we must however do more than speak up. We must be willing to pray and spend time encouraging you to put away those things that can destroy you. I know some get by with it for a long time, but consider this, it's not just a death sentence eventually but it wears you out and opens you up to other health issues. There are some things in life that will take all your strength for fight and if smoking is keeping you weak your body can't fight like it normally would. I will join Green in a specific time of pray concerning this addiction, if we stick together we can not be beaten...please consider working with us, cause your worth it...I applaude those of you who have beaten this, now lets help our loved ones...Hay
Thank you Annie for leading the charge, we love you so much. Your husband will be shocked, and so happy. My beautiful wife used to smoke, I would tell her I don't like kissing an ashtray. One day she had to go in for major back surgery. I told her I would not go and buy her cigarettes. She just smiled and said fine. The Lord will help me, my response was he will have to cause I will not buy your cigarettes. She did ask the Lord for His deliverence, I know as I was there and we prayed together. She has never picked up a cigarette since. That was about eighteen years ago. Think what you will, God does deliver those who mean business. Not only from cigarettes but other vices as well...Go Annie Go...All of you Donna b. Joyce, Cindy, and any others we are rooting for you...Hay
Ok, have the patches all ready to go. I did tell ymy husband, he's thrilled. He gets up at 4 AM so he's going to wake me up so I can put a patch on, it can start working before I even get out of bed. I'm going to have to skip morning coffee for a while - coffee & cigarettes go together. Thanks so much for your encouragement, I really appreciate it and love you all so much!
Dearest Annie, I hope your day went well. This is exciting and I am so happy for you and your hubby...Haystack
Great Annie!!!Remember at 8 am I will be praying for you and all the others that are thinking about quiting.Don`t let the ciggeretts win,tell them that you are stonger than them and take back control of your life! YOUR CAN DO IT
This morning, with the patch on arm, I'm doing ok. Going to stay really busy!! We're having the inside of the house painted, I love the smell of fresh paint, going to keep the house smelling fresh (even though I used to smoke outside). Thank your so much for your well wishes and prayers. I'm going to need them LOL.
Oh Annie I am proud of you. If you start having a problem try the e-cigarette. My biggest problem is with wanting to inhale and exhale and you do with it. Another plus is you are only receiving nicotine when you want it and not constantly. I never slept with the patches on. I don't smoke when I am sleeping. But that is a good idea to put it on early a.m. before you get up. I have had the e-cigarettes for over a yr trying to get motivated to try to quit again. I have to put them down for the back surgery but until I get a surgery date and find out what else is wrong I am to nervous and can get motivated
I've heard and read a lot about the e-cigarettes, but, for me, I have to NOT put anything in my mouth. I don't want to lose the ciggie habit only to find a new habbit to takes it place! I'm drinking a big glass of water when I feel like smoking. I'm might float away before the end of the day LOL.
The thing about smoking for me is this: When I need a break, and it gets really hectic around here with my DN, or I need a minute of peace and quiet I can always say I'm stepping outside for a smoke. It has never felt right (guilt) to say "Hey, I need some peace and quiet" and then step outside for it. It feels guilty & lazy.
Thanks again, I really appreciate your support!!!
Annie I hope you don`t give up your coffee it would to hard on your body and mind to give up both,just try drinking your coffee somewhere else instead of where you had it with your cigarette.Thought of you often today.