#goes on holiday for a month and gets a biopsy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thewrongjackpot · 4 years

Text

I hit the wrong jackpot. *Spoiler alert, it’s cancer.*

[Originally written 1/3/20]

Warning: There may be a fair amount of sarcasm throughout this post coupled with some dark humor. Also, if you’re new to this channel, please disregard a lot of the other ramblings here, unless one dares to be bored.

“What jackpot did you hit?” you may ask. I hit the cancer jackpot. You read that right. C-A-N-C-E-R. This fun-loving 26-year-old has been diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma and of a newer subtype called Sclerosing. Take those words in. I had to have Google repeatedly tell me how to say it before I got the hang of it. It’s a jackpot because to say it is uncommon in adults is an understatement. A friend told me I need to get my butt to Vegas with all this rare luck.

“Wait, what? How did this all happen?” asked no one. Here’s a fun “little” deep-dive into everything that’s been going on the past few months, and how I’ve been dealing with it. Remember, you chose to continue reading this long post from here on out.

Well, let’s take it back to early-mid August. It started with what I thought was just TMJ issues because I was stressing some and clenching my teeth, so my jaw and temple started off sore. It then progressed to limited range of motion with my jaw (opening/closing), a small protrusion along my temple, and some numbness on my face. The urgent care doc essentially told me it’s TMD, the muscle is swollen, to chill, and it’ll go away. Well, that was extremely off. I saw my primary doctor, who then referred me to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor. Now, we’re at the end of November, and I had to take some MRIs and then was referred to another ENT doctor. I had a biopsy, and the doctor said it looks more mild-moderate than severe like he was initially thinking, but he was pretty sure it was malignant with how quickly it has been growing. Christmas Eve morning, I get a phone call. The final pathology came about, and it’s an intermediate grade Rhabdomyosarcoma. I was referred to a hospital with a Sarcoma specialist and saw her just after the new year began. She doesn’t know staging yet because she doesn’t know if it has spread anywhere else yet. I only had MRIs done and that was over a month ago now. So next week I get the joyous pleasure of more MRIs, a bone scan, a lumbar puncture, and a bone marrow biopsy. EXCITING. They’re also going to need to start chemo soon, so they’re working on getting that set up in the background. As of right now, the oncologist was saying it’ll be about 5 months of chemo, radiation and/or surgery, and then more chemo. More will be known in the coming weeks, but at least there’s finally a real start and direction to this all.

Needless to say, it’s been a crappy holiday season and last several months. Here’s a list of what this jolly (not green) giant growth in my head/neck has caused:

Swollen temple/face

Limited ability to open my mouth (~1.5cm)

Misaligned jaw

Numbness along half my face

Sharp shooting pains throughout my head/neck

Impacted breathing out of my left nostril

Fluid in my left ear (impacted hearing)

Trouble swallowing

Fatigue

Body aches

Pressure throughout the entire left side of my head

Large growth(s) inside my mouth encompassing cheek/mouth real estate

Accidentally chewing on said growths, which I think is the reason there’s blood in my mouth periodically

After my first meeting with the oncologist the other day, some topics hit home harder than others.

One of the points that almost made me cry on the spot was when I was asking about fertility. She was saying that she could recommend me to a fertility clinic to harvest my eggs. However, that could take 2-4 weeks, and we might not have that time to spare. I know that there’s so much more at stake, my health and well-being taking spot numero uno. I also know that there are other ways to still have kids, but it’s still such a depressing feeling and thought. Along with hearing that 2-4 weeks is not time that can be spared, it begs the question, “How bad/serious is this really?”. Having my own child is a choice that may never even be mine to begin with. I just always had this picture in mind about how life would be never thinking this is the luck I would be dealt. Then again, I don’t think anyone ever envisions something like this happening to them… Although, my vision of six dogs at any given time could become more of a reality. *shrug* (Honorable mention goes out to my brother who was cheering me up big time on this one.)

Next, the fear started to really set in when talking about all these tests that needed to be done. I’m absolutely terrified of pain, and the thought of all these huge needles makes me want to cry, throw up, and pass out. It’s not just the pain and needles I’m afraid of, it’s everything that comes along with the actualization of what this really is. Since we don’t know the full extent of this, my mind can’t help but think the prognosis is possibly more grim with all these tests needed and how quickly this tumor has dominated my face. I’m scared about having to go to treatments, having to feel sick, fatigue setting in, and withering away. I’m scared about losing my hair because, boy, let me tell you, I’ve always had long thick hair my whole life. There are only two occasions I can think of where my hair was shorter than mid-back. I’ve broken down crying several times in the shower while washing my hair; it was always a safety blanket for me. Although, I said I should jump the gun and get a bowl cut already haha. On a more serious note, I’m absolutely mortified that I’m not going to make it through this…but being a fighter and a survivor is in my blood, so I’m trying to not let that run my mind too much.

On a more physical and literal level, one of the most debilitating aspects of this is the limited range of motion with my mouth because I can barely eat. Eating has become almost a punishment because after a few bites of something, it hurts everywhere. It’s hard to swallow at times; it’s just all-around depressing. At this point, I’m closing in on having lost 30 pounds in about three months. I’m eating maybe 1000 calories a day. I try to force myself to eat, but it’s difficult. Some days everything makes me nauseous. I’ve mostly been drinking smoothies, eating soup, and other soft foods like mashed potatoes. Even when I am eating something, it’s extremely defeating when I wipe soup off my chin because the little piece of potato couldn’t fit in my dumb mouth and caused soup to drip down, and I couldn’t feel it because my face is too busy being numb. Moments like that are extremely disheartening. Stupid mouth.

Also, another difficult aspect of this is sleeping. I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep in months. No matter which way I lie, there is either uncomfortable pressure or some sort of pain. I’ve literally woke up crying like a fussy baby because it hurts so much, and all I want to do is sleep.

DESPITE ALL OF THIS, I’m down, but I’m not out. I still have so many things to be grateful for. My husband continues to be amazingly strong, knows how to comfort me when I need it, and has been picking up my slack. Some of my family members have seriously stepped up in ways I could not have imagined that genuinely caught me by surprise. For those family members who have been with me on this so far, they have been so supportive and simply there for me when I need them. My parents are doing whatever they can from wherever they are to help me, e.g. my mom is flying up next week to be with me. I have some solid friends, and even my husband’s friends have been amazing. Work is working well with me through this, and even my old boss and coworkers have been checking up on me. Side note: I saw this lady at work today (whom I rarely interact with) only to find out her brother got treated where I am by the same set of doctors, and she said his experience was great as was the staff. That was an unexpected nugget of good vibes I did not expect today or ever.

One of the other biggest items I realized a few days ago that I am extremely grateful for is having moved away from Hawaii. Since moving, I go back and forth on whether leaving was the best decision, but now who knows what would be of me if I didn’t. If developing this cancer was an inevitable piece of my life story, being in Hawaii would have been one of the worst things for me. For one, there are doctor shortages, so being seen would have been dragged out so much longer than here. Secondly, Hawaii does not have the specialists to even treat me. I would have had to fly somewhere else anyway. As an aside to this, I’m even more grateful that we moved to the west coast because family is more accessible than in DC, and my husband and I have friends here as well.

Well, that’s about it for now. I like to talk/write, so I’m honestly going to post updates on here even if they fall on deaf ears. Just like this page says, I’m someone rambling lol.

If you’ve made it this far, I’ll give you a cake pop one day or something.

TL;DR

I have a rare form of cancer that’s been progressing pretty quickly. A lot of it really sucks right now, but there’s finally some real direction in getting me treated. Also, I am surrounded by a lot of love and dope people, and I still have so much to be grateful for.

#cancer #chemo #sarcoma #rhabdomyosarcoma #tumor #jackpot #rambling #long post #coping #cancer sucks #dying

3 notes · View notes

trialsofaninvisbleillness-blog · 5 years

Text

Living through bilateral mastectomy while dealing with severe fibromyalgia

This definitely has been my worst year ever. I finally got diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which was a blessing and a curse. Being diagnosed with fibro isn’t anything I would even want my enemies to go through, but having an answer and now a direction to work in, is helpful. I am not running blind. Just as I got into a pain clinic and started new treatments for my fibromyalgia I got diagnosed with breast cancer. Than to top that off, I found out I carry the BRCA2 gene. Instead of doing a lumpectomy and radiation I went for the bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. Which turned out to be a good thing because the cancer in my left breast nearly doubled in size in a month. My right breast had cancer in it that wasn’t there a month ago on the MRI.

I read the literature they wanted me to about breast cancer and mastectomies. But the information didn’t come close to what I went through. Of course it doesn’t help I have fibromyalgia that’s gone untreated for 18 years so it’s just out of control and feeds off the pain making it worse and worse. When I first woke up after surgery I was in so much pain. I didn’t know until I woke up if the plastic surgeon was able to put in the implants. He was.

The first 24 hours in the hospital my morphine was being increased .5mg every 30 minutes to try to get the pain under control. The most difficult part was being wrapped up in a tight ace bandage that was putting pressure on every trigger point in my chest. I was able to have the doctor unwrap me and loosen up the bra so it’d put less pressure on my pain points, which helped. What didn’t change was the tight feeling around my chest and like I had two cold stones laying on me.

I was in the hospital for a few days. Besides fibromyalgia I also have a genetic disorder that affects my clotting so the doctors were dealing with that and the itchy rash I was getting from my antibiotics and oral pain meds. Benadryl was added to my log list of medications. Had to take two pills every four hours just to keep my rash from getting out of control.

Leaving the hospital and being driven home seemed like such an ordeal. Had to have a soft pillow against my chest between the seat belt. The warmed seats were a nice treat from the icy cold wind that was going on outside.

It took a couple mire days before my chest stopped feeling cold and plastic like. My chest is still completely numb but I feel a slight tingling in both breasts and the warmth of them lets me know the implants are taking and that I’m healing.

The drains, haven’t even talked about those. I have two drains in, one on each side. They are stitched in to my side but they go up my side and around the top of my chest. At first you couldn’t see the drain under the skin because they were so swollen but now that the draining has slowed down you can see the drains under my skin so my breasts have a weird sucked in appearance to the sides and around the top of them. I was so hoping they would come out yesterday, which was 10 days post op but they were draining too much, still. Fingers crossed for next Tuesday they should come out.

Having the reconstruction done right after the mastectomy has added more pain and healing time. Right now I still can’t lift more than 5 lbs, which also includes pulling, pushing that amount. Plus I can’t raise my hands above my head. I haven’t been able to wash my hair for 11 days! Fallen in love with dry shampoo. I have doctors orders to be a couch potato until the drains are out. I do need to get up and walk a bit bit I have to be careful. I have been taking daily sponge baths which always wears me out but does make me feel better. Today I’m going to try to add washing my hair to my daily chore. Fingers crossed I can figure out a way to do it without raising my hands, causing more pain, or ripping out stitches from moving too much.

As the days go by I am slowly forgetting about how bad my first few days were. How ice cold my breasts felt and how my skin felt likeit was covered in plastic and totally numb. I’m so glad I am healing and when I think about at least 5 mire weeks of being able to do a little bit more, but not much, it seems like forever. But when I look at how far I’ve come in this short time, I know it’ll go by quickly.

When I saw the plastic surgeon yesterday he said my breasts were going to blister and both nipples. I have one blister that’s already healed. I had it right surgery. Because the surgeon uses a cauterizer to remove breast tissue with and decrease as much bleeding as possible, which helps to decrease the chance of cancer spreading, the results are blisters. Right now my nipples are bruised and look mottled. I’m actually quite glad they’re numb because I wouldn’t want to feel all the more pain from the bruising and blistering.

The oncologist surgeon also did a biopsy of my lymph nodes to see if any cancer cells had gotten into them. The biopsy is extremely painful and has quite a large cut. The one side affect of the biopsy is my right arm is way more painful to even move as the pain goes down my arm past my elbow, feels like it’s bruised. The area that is cut under my breasts feel like they were taken in and tightened. It’s a different sensation of tightness than what I have on my breasts.

I think it’ll be interesting how I feel in a week or two from now. It is the holidays and because I’m down and out, we aren’t decorating and I’m not cooking all our favorite holiday cookies and I can’t cook the Christmas family dinner I do every year. We do have family coming in from Dubai so even though I won’t be able to do hardly anything it’ll be nice to be surrounded by family. To me the holidays are about being with family and making memories, not spending a lot of money or items that mean nothing and eventually will be tossed.

Mid this cancer has taught me anything it is that family is more important. Making those memories, and making a mark in life so when you’re gone, a part of you is still left behind. To never be forgotten. Luckily I have a great family around me and supporting me. One of my sister-in-laws lives with us, I call her my sister because she’s been there for me more than anyone and has shown me more caring and love than my biological siblings. Even though this has been my worst year ever, and next year won’t be much better with more surgeries looming ahead, I am very blessed to have the best family ever that shows me love and acceptance and makes me laugh all the time. Life may be bad one one hand, but on the other, it’s never been better.

#breast cancer #brca2 #cancer #masectomy #reconstruction #fibromyalgia #fibrowarrior #chronic pain #chronically ill #chronic fatigue #painful #love life #self care #family #familia #family first #unconditionallove #survivor #fighter

9 notes · View notes

considerfna · 2 years

Text

Had a boring, run-of-the-mill checkup last month.

Gee, said the doc, you’ve got a bit of swelling here around your thyroid. Why don’t we ultrasound it super quick just to make sure.

Fine, I said, no worries.

Last week — a week ago today — I went for the ultrasound. Saw from the corner of my eye what looked like a small nodule on the left. It worried me enough that I cried in the parking lot and then sat there for another forty-five minutes so that I wouldn’t go home puffy. Bad enough to walk out of the ultrasound suite at your spouse’s clinic in near-tears and then sob in the parking lot to begin with.

Then Tuesday the results appeared in my chart.

FUCK

fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck FUCK

These are on the right, meaning what I saw wasn’t even bad enough to be worth mentioning. I’d looked away after the ones I saw on the left because I didn’t want to lose my cool there in front of the (very nice) radiology tech.

TI-RADS is a scoring system that goes from 1 to 5, 5 being worst. 5 being “highly suspicious” and “get this biopsied right the fuck now.”

That’s the “consider FNA” bit there. Fine Needle Aspiration. They jam a needle into one’s neck to get bits of cell tissue to test to see if they’re malignant. (Ok, not jam, really. They use ultrasound imaging to gently guide a teeny needle into place. I’m not even remotely worried about that bit, needles don’t bother me. It’s just fun to be melodramatic about it.)

Friday I got a call from the ENT’s office. They’ve ordered the biopsy to be done, hopefully within the month (but hey it’s the end of the year so what can ya do, nobody’s at work the next two weeks). Aside from July — when all the new residents begin work at every hospital — mid/late December is the worst possible time of year to need medical care. Spouse has a story every January of someone who fell through the cracks and ended up sick or dead because of it despite the staggering amount of unpaid, after-hours work docs do to try to keep up with it all over the holidays. It’s why Spouse takes almost no time off in the first place.

At the TR-5 level, there’s about a 1:3 chance of malignancy. Of that word we fear so much most people hesitate to say it aloud. Even if it’s benign I’m still going to need regular follow-ups for years (for life?) to see if it’s gone Dark Side.

And, like. I’m trying not to think about the 30 lbs I’ve lost this past year. The increasingly bad tremors and heart palpitations that I’d blamed on stress despite the objectively minuscule stress in my life. The recurrent headaches, weird moodswings, uncharacteristic anger, feeling cold easily when I’ve never been the type to get cold in winter. I just. Each of those things is explainable by itself. Stress. Being in my late 30s. Spending more time gardening and less time moping on my ass. Slowly recovering from the grief of losing my dad and grandfather to cancer within six months of one another in 2019.

My neck feels bloated and heavy, as stupid as that sounds. I have no idea if it’s psychosomatic or merely something I hadn’t paid any attention to before.

I’ve got jury duty Monday. My biggest worry is I won’t be able to take the call to schedule my biopsy when it comes in. I don’t want to put “can’t serve because I’m too worried about saving my own neck” on the juror form.

#thyroid #thyromegaly #ti-rads #tr5 #thyroid cancer #hopefully i’ll be able to abandon this blog in a month?#🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

0 notes

thedivinefish · 3 years

Text

TGIWednesday and that star light within you

TGIWednesday News

Tis the season. Allow that little star light within you to shine this holiday season and beyond. Every act of kindness goes noticed at least by the great observer of all that is. There will always be dark times, bright times and stuff all in between and even “the winter of our discontent”. But we MUST press forward and observe that still small star light voice within us. Press on. I have an American Indian drum playing in the back of my head that reminds me to keep pressing forward. My motto is "ABC - Always Be Creating" and share the hope and the love. Thanks to everyone who got in on our annual audio BOGO discount and we hope you enjoy your items! Another item I want to tell you about (and we do not make commissions on this) is by famous Energy Artist Julia known for channeling energies into her artwork and creating pieces known to emit amazing spiritual energies. Years back she designed this very special pendant/medallion for My Liquid Fish® and she is offering a special 15% off discount for our subscribers - Use Code: S24 Energy Artist Julia - My Liquid Fish® Pendant

December LIVE Zoom Event

These monthly LIVE events are by invitation only exclusively to our TGIW subscribers held in two weeks - on the last Wednesday of each month. These calls are unique in that you have the benefit of tapping into a multitude of issues that many participants have submitted for the group. We compile that list of dozens of write-ins and one by one, we will clear it all together that evening. And know too that during the LIVE call, I bring in additional pieces from Spirit in the moment of reading each item that really expand on things and cover the clearings in a much deeper way. The value in this is tremendous! Instead of paying $68 for a half hour one on one with me where we might clear a dozen or so items, you can join our group each month for just $22 where together in 30 minutes you will watch in silence and amazement as you hear and feel the shifts of near 100 items - most of which you haven’t even thought of until you hear them LIVE!! Our next LIVE Zoom MySwitchWorks event

Wednesday December 30th at 7:30-8:00pm ET TOPIC: Intuition and Becoming More Psychic Registration fee = $22 (including replay)

This month’s Zoom event is all about your hidden gifts, intuition and clearing out blocks that are preventing you from reaching your highest potential.

Are you clear on what your gifts are and how to use them? What would you like more of? Intuition, discernment, clear purpose, more motivation, healing, better focus or alignment, better connection to angels and the Divine, prophecy cards, numerology, astrology? What are your blocks? Feeling stuck, disconnected, overwhelmed, frozen in fear, lazy, lethargic, procrastinating?

REGISTER NOW, SUBMIT YOUR TOP 3 issues and join us as we discover and erase the blocks allowing you to become more aligned with your divine gifts! NOTE: All who are registered will receive the REPLAY via email the following day. All participants will be muted, no video, listen-mode only.

Browse the previous MySwitchWorks catalog here.

TGIWednesday Download

~ STAR LIGHT WITHIN YOU ~ I believe, think, know and feel that the star light presence of I am is within all of us. I know, when, where how and why to allow my light to shine and help/contribute to others thereby increasing the best of me. I am ready, willing and able to act “as if” miracles have already occurred, nurturing that feeling of the star light that each of us share in common now and always. I am asking in all languages and throughout all time lines and so it is.

From the Fish Box

"Dear Jimmy Mack, I want to let you know a miraculous miracle happened to me. My mammogram showed up exactly as it did three years ago there were no changes there is a little palanoma in the right side which they may biopsy, but the radiologist said both breasts look good to her no changes in three years! I've been crying for hours so grateful for what you have done for me and the Lord in Jesus name this wasn't the outcome I got last week. I was told that I had previous cancer, which I did not, and that I had reoccurrence of cancer in both breasts which I do not have - it's gone I want to thank you for the wonderful spirits that you instilled in me!" - Rose / Orlando

Tampa Office Sessions

FRIDAY KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS

Friday sessions are back to being phone-only for folks that I usually see at Kodawari until further notice. You can book time with me in the shop and schedule online. 3965 Henderson Blvd Suite C Tampa ☎️ (813) 999-1874 http://www.kodawariyoga.com/

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

Tell the Fish - 365 Daily Inspirations and Affirmations - by Jimmy Mack DECEMBER 16th "Today I will value what I already have. I will come to terms with the fact that shopping cannot always provide satisfaction and some of my friends and relatives are just who they are... characters acknowledged at the end of a B movie, but certainly by no means anyone we need to go camping with. I will give rue thanks for who I am."

The Jimmy Mack Healing Show

WATCH IT LIVE TUESDAY'S at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT https://www.facebook.com/GoldylocksProductions https://www.pscp.tv/Goldylocks168/follow

Yesterday's Replay with Special Guest Kimberly Marooney | Angel Expert, Author, intuitive http://kimberlymarooney.com/angel-expert-kimberly-marooney WINTER BREAK BEGINS - NO REMAINING SHOWS

Watch all live and replays in the archives here: https://thejimmymackhealingshow.com/

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

Nightly prayers include COVID-19. Each night we work on scrambling the frequency for everyone on the prayer list. Your name will be added to a special VIP Prayer list where Jimmy will use his intelligent computer software, src4you which runs 24/7, to delete the negative and increase the strength of the positive creating a higher probability of favorable outcomes for you.

In addition, throughout the full 30-days, Jimmy will be dialing into your energetic signature each day upon rising and make certain that you are a clear yes, unclear to no and running forward before you start your day. He is doing the heavy lifting for you around 3am NY time while most of you are asleep in order to smooth out your way and increase your most favorable life outcomes.

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Upon written email request, for each new order we offer a one-time email analysis via the intelligent healing software that Jimmy uses on your behalf. Most clients have had amazing results and outcomes!

You can add yourself and those living in your immediate household and yes you can include pets! Merely include everyone’s names and Jimmy will add them to his daily prayers. *NOTE if the MDP Service was purchased via a special telesummit or radio show offer, prayers will be limited to BUYER ONLY - and will not include family members or pets.

You can run this monthly and stop at any time after the 30 days is up, you will have the opportunity to renew and update your list each month but are under no obligation. I believe you will experience magical transformations and make progress every day!

For those who aren't familiar, below is a list of the 30+ audios in the MyBeliefWorks series.... Find a topic that addresses your issue(s), click on the link to read more. We had a lot of help downloading & channeling these over the years & they keep getting better. Don't forget... you can share these with your immediate friends and family.

Abundance Abuse Addiction Body Scan: Head to Toe Bountiful Harvest Creatives Daily GPS Reset Dark Energies/Fears Decision Making Diet & Exercise Education & Learning Family & Relatives Financial Windfall The Gold Coin Healing Body Disorders Healing Mental Stress

Holiday Stress Increasing Intuition IRS & Tax Time Love & Romance Money Mindset Moving Forward Pain Relief Pet Healing Sales & Success Improving Sex Improving Sleep Traveling w/Ease Work & Career Weight Loss Youth & Vitality

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! Click here to watch the Mastery video playlist

The Certificate of Mastery Program includes 2 best-selling ebooks and 2 clearing audios plus written & video instructions, AND one-on-one time with Jimmy ALL for about the cost of a single 1-hr session! This online course is for anyone who is familiar with OR new to "fishing" and is ready to dive into the deep end & get results that are beyond the ordinary! It includes The Tackle Box & The Dowser's Handbook ebooks PLUS 2 MP3s "Clearing Dark Energies" & "Increasing Your Intuition" to help clear, strengthen and prepare your energy field for optimal “fishing” results. This is a work-at-your-own-pace curriculum that will TEACH & CLEAR you at the same time! In under 2wks you will be finished with the program and ready to fish on your own with greater results! Level II offers Practitioner Certification for those who qualify.

LEARN ABOUT CERTIFICATION HERE

TGIFunny

Forward

Jimmy Mack | Appointments Skype: Jimmy.Mack55 Clearwater Florida USA Book a 15 minute session Book a 30 minute session Book a 60 minute session Transformational Healing of Body, Mind & Spirit, People, Places, Pets & Situations! Download the My Liquid Fish® Starter Kit (*Updated May 2019) Audio MP3 Downloads and books to improve your life! Get Certified in My Liquid Fish® Change Made Simple® Watch Free Videos on YouTube Weekly Radio Show Archives Shop for Supplements http://www.jimmymackhealingshop.com www.jimmymackhealing.com Copyright ©1998-2020 All Rights Reserved

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

divinefishingtips · 3 years

Text

TGIWednesday and that star light within you

TGIWednesday News

December LIVE Zoom Event

Wednesday December 30th at 7:30-8:00pm ET TOPIC: Intuition and Becoming More Psychic Registration fee = $22 (including replay)

This month’s Zoom event is all about your hidden gifts, intuition and clearing out blocks that are preventing you from reaching your highest potential.

Browse the previous MySwitchWorks catalog here.

TGIWednesday Download

From the Fish Box

Tampa Office Sessions

FRIDAY KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

The Jimmy Mack Healing Show

WATCH IT LIVE TUESDAY'S at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT https://www.facebook.com/GoldylocksProductions https://www.pscp.tv/Goldylocks168/follow

Yesterday's Replay with Special Guest Kimberly Marooney | Angel Expert, Author, intuitive http://kimberlymarooney.com/angel-expert-kimberly-marooney WINTER BREAK BEGINS - NO REMAINING SHOWS

Watch all live and replays in the archives here: https://thejimmymackhealingshow.com/

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! Click here to watch the Mastery video playlist

LEARN ABOUT CERTIFICATION HERE

TGIFunny

Forward

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

365dailyaffirmations · 3 years

Text

TGIWednesday and that star light within you

TGIWednesday News

December LIVE Zoom Event

Wednesday December 30th at 7:30-8:00pm ET TOPIC: Intuition and Becoming More Psychic Registration fee = $22 (including replay)

This month’s Zoom event is all about your hidden gifts, intuition and clearing out blocks that are preventing you from reaching your highest potential.

Browse the previous MySwitchWorks catalog here.

TGIWednesday Download

From the Fish Box

Tampa Office Sessions

FRIDAY KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

The Jimmy Mack Healing Show

WATCH IT LIVE TUESDAY'S at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT https://www.facebook.com/GoldylocksProductions https://www.pscp.tv/Goldylocks168/follow

Yesterday's Replay with Special Guest Kimberly Marooney | Angel Expert, Author, intuitive http://kimberlymarooney.com/angel-expert-kimberly-marooney WINTER BREAK BEGINS - NO REMAINING SHOWS

Watch all live and replays in the archives here: https://thejimmymackhealingshow.com/

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! Click here to watch the Mastery video playlist

LEARN ABOUT CERTIFICATION HERE

TGIFunny

Forward

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

advancedthetapractitioner · 3 years

Text

TGIWednesday and that star light within you

TGIWednesday News

December LIVE Zoom Event

Wednesday December 30th at 7:30-8:00pm ET TOPIC: Intuition and Becoming More Psychic Registration fee = $22 (including replay)

This month’s Zoom event is all about your hidden gifts, intuition and clearing out blocks that are preventing you from reaching your highest potential.

Browse the previous MySwitchWorks catalog here.

TGIWednesday Download

From the Fish Box

Tampa Office Sessions

FRIDAY KODAWARI YOGA STUDIOS

Fish Food

The Daily Bread To Feed The Fish

The Jimmy Mack Healing Show

WATCH IT LIVE TUESDAY'S at 4pm EDT / 1pm PDT https://www.facebook.com/GoldylocksProductions https://www.pscp.tv/Goldylocks168/follow

Yesterday's Replay with Special Guest Kimberly Marooney | Angel Expert, Author, intuitive http://kimberlymarooney.com/angel-expert-kimberly-marooney WINTER BREAK BEGINS - NO REMAINING SHOWS

Watch all live and replays in the archives here: https://thejimmymackhealingshow.com/

**Can't See The Full Email? Click Here to View Online**

Receive 24/7 Prayers from Jimmy

The 30-day service is now being offered exclusively and you also have the option of selecting an ongoing subscription ($95/month) which is managed through PayPal only.

Go deep sea "fishing" with Jimmy!

Level 1 is open to ANYONE at anytime! Click here to watch the Mastery video playlist

LEARN ABOUT CERTIFICATION HERE

TGIFunny

Forward

-------------------------------------------------- TGIW newsletter managed by: Sandy Bidinger Digital Marketing Specialist at SMBeConnected Solutions www.smbeconnected.com

Stay connected!

Our mailing address is: Clearwater Florida 33756 USA

0 notes

yunhuntress · 6 years

Text

Time For Help: Medical Bills

My mother who has recently had trouble with her right hip had finally worked to getting the insurance and care she needs to find out what the heck is wrong in the first place with it. Problem being, all the tests and MRIs ect. are starting to pile up with the costs of it all.

Granted, with Humana a large portion is taken care of and I am thankful for that after seeing just how much things cost in such a thing. We still have a large portion to pay for however as the bills pile up together. I really hate posting something like this again but I know people's kindness is astounding.

Information:

Paypal: [email protected]

Medical Bill Total So Far: $937

Will be updated

UPDATE: 11/17/17 My mother's appointment today brought a lot of light into a possible rough road ahead. It's not cancer thankfully but the specialist believes the mass on her femur to be related to plasma abnormalities. From what I have read, depending on the one she may have, it could turn into cancer down the line or cause even more tumors on her bones. I'm not sure which it is at this point.

He wants her to go through another bone scan, get a mammogram, get the rod put in place in her femur. If she goes through with getting the rod, they will biopsy the mass for more information. However, radiation therapy will be done regardless if she gets the rod in her femur or not due to this.

If you feel you can donate anything at all, whether it be a dollar or more, feel free to. If you cannot, please just reblog and get this out there for more eyes to see. No one has to donate if they do not wish to.

I know the holiday are coming up and I respect that. I just need to get this out there for eyes to see.

This will likely be boosted quite a bit for the next couple of weeks to months perhaps if needed. It's an ongoing thing right now. If a gofundme is created, I will also put info about that on this post. So far paypal is all we have. There will be a youcaring link coming soon which I will add to this post

#signal boost #any bit of passing this about is welcomed #any tiny bit helps too but don't feel like you absolutely have to give anything

39 notes · View notes

poop4u · 5 years

Text

Pancreatitis in Dogs

#Poop4U

The post Pancreatitis in Dogs by Arden Moore appeared first on Dogster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.

But veterinarians view this time of year more as the TTS — the tummy trouble season. The number of dogs rushed to emergency veterinary clinics in the middle of the night due to digestive issues seems to spike during the holidays. And, topping the list of tummy traumas in dogs is a potentially lethal condition known as pancreatitis.

Photography ©Mark Rogers Photography

What is the pancreas?

But let’s back up a bit. Let’s first identify the pancreas and why it is so doggone important to your canine. The pancreas is an organ located between the stomach and small intestine.

“The pancreas does a lot of complicated and complex things,” says Karl Jandrey, DVM, DACVECC, professor of clinical small animal emergency and critical care at University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in Davis, California. “Its two biggest functions are to secrete enzymes to aid in digestion and to secrete insulin to keep a dog’s blood glucose balanced.”

A healthy pancreas masterfully helps your dog digest proteins, fats and carbohydrates. When the food consumed is healthy and nutritious, all is good with the canine digestive process.

“When something goes wrong with the pancreas, a whole lot of problems can arise,” says Jason Nicholas, BVetMed, chief medical officer and president at The Preventive Vet, based in Portland, Oregon. “Problems with the pancreas can come on suddenly or progress over time.”

Pancreatitis can be acute (sudden onset) or chronic (developed slowly over time). Neither type is welcomed because each can be potentially fatal if not diagnosed or treated promptly and properly.

When it’s acute

“It is not uncommon for a dog to appear healthy yesterday, and today not want to eat and require hospitalization and aggressive treatment and hospitalization,” Dr. Nicholas says. “Acute pancreatitis can rapidly progress and can rapidly become fatal.”

A dog dealing with an acute pancreatitis attack often gets into what is called the “prayer posture.”

“At first, the prayer posture looks like an inviting play bow, but look closely and you will see that the dog in pain extends his front paws out, arches his back and sticks his butt in the air in an effort to stretch for more room in his abdomen to deal with the building pressure and pain,” Dr. Nicholas says.

Other classic signs of acute pancreatitis can include:

Loss of appetite

Vomiting

Diarrhea that is often yellow and greasy

Difficulty breathing

Inability to lie down comfortably

Whining or growling when his abdomen area is touched

Elevated temperature

When it’s chronic

Chronic pancreatitis is sneakier, with the condition slowly worsening without noticeable symptoms initially.

“Sometimes, dogs with chronic pancreatitis will exhibit waxing and waning signs of anorexia, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal discomfort,” Dr. Jandrey says. “Often, these are short-lived, subtle and resolve, but can return in a few days, weeks or months. Frequent insults to the pancreas like acute bouts can scar the pancreas, so it does not function as well.”

How do you get it?

Pancreatitis has many causes, ranging from genetics, diet, blunt-force trauma and adverse reaction to medications and even due to the presence of other diseases, such as diabetes or hypothyroidism.

Veterinarians don’t know why, but Miniature Schnauzers, Yorkshire Terriers, Miniature Poodles, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, Collies and Boxers tend to be at the highest risks for this condition. But any dog at any age can develop pancreatitis.

Dr. Nicholas, known as The Preventive Vet, is on a campaign to keep pets at their healthy best. That’s why he is continuing to educate people to never ‘treat’ their dogs to fat cut from their steaks, seasoned skin from the roasted chicken or even worse — bacon grease added to kibble as a gravy.

“All of these increase a pet’s risk for pancreatitis,” he says. “If I could wave a magic wand and eliminate pancreatitis in dogs, one of the biggest causes is people feeding table scraps to their dogs. It is devastating to see their dogs in our hospital in pain, and needing IVs and feeding tubes.”

How to treat it

If your dog is exhibiting symptoms mentioned above, expect your veterinarian to draw blood to evaluate the condition of your dog’s pancreas and other organs as well as detect any signs of infection, inflammation or electrolyte imbalances. Your dog may undergo X-rays, ultrasounds and, possibly, a surgical biopsy to help pin down the condition. The cause of your dog’s abdominal pain, for example, may not be pancreatitis but the fact he swallowed your sock that is discovered in an X-ray.

The treatment prescribed for your dog depends on the findings as well as your dog’s age and health condition.

A newer test called the pancreatic elastase-1 (cPE-1) is often used to verify acute pancreatitis in dogs.

“There are no current medications that are used to specifically treat the disease,” Dr. Jandrey notes. “The standard of care is still supportive hospitalization to ensure pain control, fluid balance, nutrition and other specific treatments to address unique secondary effects of the pancreatitis.”

Post-pancreatitis care at home includes working with your veterinarian on a diet that your dog can easily digest and is nutritious. Digestive enzyme supplements as well as salmon oil and probiotics may also be recommended for your dog.

But do your dog a favor this holiday season and skip the table scraps moving forward.

“Please don’t succumb to those begging eyes at your dinner table,” Dr. Nicholas says. “The best ways to show how much you love your dog is to give them healthy dog treats, exercise them and keep them at ideal weights.”

Insights Into Pancreatic Cancer

In addition to acute or chronic inflammation of the pancreas, some dogs develop cancerous tumors of the pancreas.

The two main types include:

Adenocarcinomas — malignant tumors that can appear in the stomach, rectum or intestines in dogs.

Insulinomas — tumors in the pancreas that cause hypoglycemia (low-blood sugar) more so in middle-aged to senior dogs.

Primary treatment options for pancreatic cancer are surgery, chemotherapy and dietary management.

While pancreatic cancer is rare in dogs, the prognosis is poor because often the symptoms are detected only after the fast-growing cancer cells have spread beyond the pancreas to other parts of the body.

About the author:

Arden Moore, The Pet Health and Safety Coach

, is a pet behavior consultant, master certified pet first-aid instructor, author and host of the Oh Behave Show on Pet Life Radio. Learn more at fourleggedlife.com.

Read more on dogster.com:

Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables for Dogs: Big Benefits for Osteoarthritis

Signs of Arthritis in Dogs — Recognizing Dog Arthritis Symptoms Early and Treating Them

How to Relieve Arthritis Aches in Your Dog

Poop4U Blog via www.Poop4U.com Arden Moore, Khareem Sudlow

#poop4u #cute dog #dogs of tumblr #puppy doggo #doglover #doggrooming #my doggo #dogmeme

0 notes

noitsactuallynatalie · 7 years

Photo

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month. I never in my wildest dreams would think that anyone in my family would have to go through such an awful journey. My entire families' worlds were rocked and shaken. I remember those first few days like it was yesterday. For those of you who don't know Iva Beth's story here it is: This past December (Dec. 28, 2016) our lives and priorities changed immediately. We had just celebrated Christmas. Iva Beth wanted to come spend the night at my house but I told her maybe another night since I was exhausted. She ended up going to stay with her MeMe. My aunt (her MeMe) noticed a knot on her bottom while changing her diaper. They headed to an after hours clinic. They were then sent to Blair. E. Batson Children's Hospital to do further testing. The whole family raced to the city to wait for news. On December 28, 2016, Iva Beth was diagnosed with Germ Cell cancer. I'll never forget watching my cousin and her husband walking alongside that hospital bed wheeling a tiny 2 1/2 year old to her room. It was so surreal. All I could see was everything happening in slow motion and I was the only one not showing any emotions. Everyone was hugging me knowing how close me and Iva Beth are. But it just didn't help and I felt numb. They asked for me to come to the room. I walked real slow down the hall as the eyes of everyone who was crying ,including her mom, following me. I went to turn around as soon as I saw her but someone turned me back around. I looked behind me and no one was to be seen. I took it as a "push" from god that I can't run away from this no matter what I do. She has cancer and that's it. I can't even begin to describe what it felt like seeing a tiny person hooked up to cords and monitors. I couldn't get the image of her out of my head. The next day she was still out of it from her biopsy so her mom wanted to feel the tumor that was overtaking her abdomen. I watched as she felt it and felt this nauseating feeling come over me. I eventually passed out and was rushed to the ER. To this day, I still have spells where my anxiety and panic attacks get so severe that I'll pass out. This goes to show that cancer has NO REMORSE. It affects everyone involved. Although Iva Beth's journey was short lived, our family became closer and leans more on god now more than ever. We can only praise him for healing our girly and letting her live to be who she needs to be. I can't describe how much this changed me along with my focus on life. ANYTHING could happen. Absolutely anything. This baby deserves to be celebrated every single day of her life and I am so blessed to be a part of it. Please in honor of current pediatric cancer patients and Iva Beth, please donate to the nearest children's hospital. Those kids shouldn't have to miss Birthdays or holidays bc a sickness decided to be in charge.

3 notes · View notes

bloojayoolie · 5 years

Photo

Andrew Bogut, Animals, and Children: Tals pup NEEDS US RIGHT NOW Little Nina is a sweet little pup, found as a stray who has a large mass on her left shoulder/side. After testing at ACC, it is believed it has most likely metastasized & she may only have a few months left before she begins to deteriorate This little adorable lady NEEDS OUT & quiet, loving hospice care IMMEDIATELY PLEASE, PLEASE, open your heart, make her last few month on earth feeling loved & being cared for. This little sweetheart of a girl NEEDS YOU NOW, so apply with rescues as soon as possible PLEASE, PLEASE DO! HELP ME T pp NEEDS us RIGHT NOW*s NYC **THIS pup NEEDS us RIGHT NOW** A $500 stipend will be offered to the New Hope partner that pulls Nina 53665. Little Nina is a sweet little pup, found as a stray who has a large mass on her left shoulder/side. After testing at ACC, it is believed it has most likely metastasized & she may only have a few months left before she begins to deteriorate. This little adorable lady NEEDS OUT & quiet, loving hospice care IMMEDIATELY. PLEASE, PLEASE, open your heart, make her last few month on earth feeling loved & being cared for. This little sweetheart of a girl NEEDS YOU NOW, so apply with rescues as soon as possible. PLEASE, PLEASE DO! A $500 stipend will be offered to the New Hope partner that pulls Nina 53665. Please note that in order to qualify for the stipend, the animal cannot go to a boarding facility. ✔Pledge✔Tag✔Share✔FOSTER✔ADOPT✔Save a life! Nina 53665 Small Mixed Breed Sex female Age 8 yrs (approx.) - 13 lbs My health has been checked. My vaccinations are up to date. My worming is up to date. I have been micro-chipped. I am waiting for you at the Brooklyn, NY ACC. Please, Please, Please, save me! ************************************** To FOSTER or ADOPT this little nugget, SPEAK UP NOW & Save a Life, APPLY with rescues OR message Must Love Dogs - Saving NYC Dogs immediately! ************************************** The general rule is to foster you have to be within 4 hours of the NYC ACC approved New Hope partner rescues you are applying with and to adopt you will have to be in the general NE US area; NY, NJ, CT, PA, DC, MD, DE, NH, RI, MA, VT & ME (some rescues will transport to VA). ************************************** You must apply to rescues already approved to pull from NYC ACC shelters. Rescues can't do anything without APPLICATIONS! If your application is approved, rescue will arrange transport. ************************************** The ACC writes: Nina is a sweet little pup who was found as a stray and brought to the Brooklyn Care Center with a large mass on her left shoulder/side. After further testing in-house we believe the mass has most likely metastasized and she may have a few months left before she begins to deteriorate. Our vet recommends further testing be done to confirm, as well as histopathology of the mass. She looking for a nice and quiet foster home who can provide the hospice care she needs.This animal came from: Basic Information: Nina is an approx brown and white 8 year old dog that was brought into BACC as a stray. Nina has a lump on her left shoulder. How is this dog around strangers? Nina is shy for a few minutes but will seek attention and allow to be pet. How is this dog around children? Nina was briefly around a 10 year old child, and was described as respectful and tolerant of him. Medical Notes Has a lump on left shoulder Behavior Notes: Behavior during intake: Nina had her tail tucked in for most of the intake, she walked loosely on the leash and allowed to be picked up. Nina allowed to be scanned for a microchip and to be collared but did move away when approached. Nina did approach counselor and allowed to be briefly pet. Nina did not take interest in wet food or treats. Nina scanned negative for a microchip. Animal Behavior Saved At: 30-Jan-2019 14:32:17.000 Means of surrender (length of time in previous home): Stray, no known history Date of assessment: 30-Jan-2019 Summary: Leash Walking Strength and pulling: Mild Reactivity to humans: None Reactivity to dogs: None Leash walking comments: Sociability Loose in room (15-20 seconds): Moderately social, a bit wary though stays near handler seeking attention Call over: Approaches readily Sociability comments: Handling Soft handling: Seeks contact, soft Exuberant handling: Seeks contact, soft Handling comments: Arousal Jog: Follows, a bit fearful Arousal comments: Knock Knock Comments: No response Toy Toy comments: No response Playgroup: Nina was surrender as a stray so her past behavior with other dogs is unknown. When off leash at the Care Centers, Nina greets a group of small male and female dogs with a nervous posture. She mostly avoids greets and will correct the other dogs that sniff her. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: Level 1 Behavior Asilomar H - Healthy Recommendations: No young children (under 5) Recommendations comments: No young children (under 5): Due to Nina's overall timidity initially, we believe she may be best set up to succeed in a home without young children at this time. Potential challenges: Fearful DVM Intake Exam Estimated age:7-8y Microchip noted on Intake?n History :stray Subjective:large mass left shoulder area, soft 2x4-5".aspirated grainy sanginous fluid-not fat as expected Observed Behavior -allows full exam Evidence of Cruelty seen -n Evidence of Trauma seen -n EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam:heavy tartar PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G:no spay scar seen MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, healthy hair coat CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: Assessment:mass: lipoma other, (eg abscess) Prognosis:good Plan:clavamox 62.5mg bid x 14. recc surgical removal or biopsy Progress exam FEB 4 History: stray intake 1/29-large mass on left shoulder-aspirated grainy sanguineous fluid Subjective: BARH. No csvd. Reported to have stranguria and dark brown urine. Occurred at least twice, yesterday and this morning. Urinating a normal amount. Mass is stable. EENT: Eyes have nuclear sclerosis ou, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: moderate dental disease PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupneic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated, bladder small and soft but when palpated she lifted her tail as if to urinate but no production U/G: FI, no MGTs, no vulvar d/c MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, healthy hair coat CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Assessment: Large mass on left shoulder r/o mass (benign vs malignant) vs abscess vs cyst vs other Dark urine Dental disease Prognosis: Good Plan: CTM while at BACC Continue clavamox until 2/7 Rec histopathology of mass for removal and dental with placement Scheduled CXR, AXR, BW, and UA tomorrowBlood Work Interpretation Radiograph Review Vet Notes: 1:46 PM 2 view CXR-structured nodular pattern in lungs, suspect diffuse metastasis in lungs, cardiac silhouette appears normal, large soft tissue mass visible on lateral CXR 2 view AXR-nsf, no stones noted, no signs of mass effect CBC-severe regenerative anemia 18.5 (37.3 -61.7) reticulocytes 166.3 (10-110) likely due to chronic inflammation and bleeding into the mass, severe thrombocytopenia r/o clumping vs consumption vs destruction vs other, mild neutrophilia 13.86 (2.95-11.64), mild eosinopenia 0.04 (0.06-1.23) Chem-nsf UA -1+ RBC, 4+ urobilinogen, 3+ bilirubin, 3+ protein, 1+ nitrite, ketone negative, ascordic acid 2+, glucose negative, pH 6 Aspirated ~2ml sanguineous fluids from mass, attempted to aspirate again with no production. Suspect there are pockets of blood/vascularization of neoplasia. Neoplasia has likely metastasized. Guarded prognosis. Will need oncology follow up +/- chemo, radiation, FOSPICE care. Dog likely has months before deterioration. Urinalysis consistent with hemolytic crisis over hepatobiliary abnormality considering normal LEs on BW and no icterus but also cannot rule out liver involvement of neoplasia. Rec AUS, repeat BW, histopathology of mass, and oncology consult to improve QOL ... NOTE: *** WE HAVE NO OTHER INFORMATION THAN WHAT IS LISTED WITH THIS FLYER *** - For more information or to adopt, please EMAIL [email protected] - SUBJECT Line: ** Dogs Name & ID# ** - Don't forget to add your email address and phone numbers where they can reach you to your email as well. .... ****************************************** RE: ACC site Just because a dog is not on the ACC site does NOT necessarily mean safe. There are many reasons for this like a hold or an eval has not been conducted yet or the dog is rescue-only... the list goes on... Please, do share & apply to foster/adopt these pups as well until their thread is updated with their most current status. TY! ======== Shelter addresses ====== - Manhattan Shelter: 326 East 110 St., New York, NY 10029 - Brooklyn Shelter: 2336 Linden Boulevard, Brooklyn, NY 11208 - Staten Island: 3139 Veterans Rd W, Staten Island, NY 10309 - Phone number: 212-788-4000 (is automated only) Operating hours: Monday through Friday 12.00pm to 8.00pm, Saturday & Sunday: 10.00am to 6.00pm. Closed on all Holidays. ****************************************** About Must Love Dogs - Saving NYC Dogs: We are a group of advocates (NOT a shelter NOR a rescue group) dedicated to finding loving homes for NYC dogs in desperate need. ALL the dogs on our site need Rescue, Fosters, or Adopters & that ASAP as they are in NYC high-kill shelters. If you cannot foster or adopt, please share them far & wide. Thank you for caring!! <3 ****************************************** RESCUES: * Indicates New Hope Rescue partner is accepting applications for fosters and/or adopters. http://www.nycacc.org/get-involved/new-hope/nhpartners ****************************************** https://www.nycacc.org/adopt/nina-53665 ++++ http://nycaccpets.shelterbuddy.com/animal/animalDetails.asp?s=adoption&searchTypeId=4&animalType=3%2C16&datelostfoundmonth=1&datelostfoundday=29&datelostfoundyear=2019&tpage=5&find-submitbtn=Find+Animals&pagesize=16&task=view&searchType=4&animalid=91624 ++++ https://nycaccpets.shelterbuddy.com/animal/animalDetails.asp?task=search&advanced=1&rspca_id=53665&animalType=1%2C2%2C15%2C3%2C16%2C15%2C16%2C86%2C79&datelostfoundmonth=1&datelostfoundday=12&datelostfoundyear=2019&find-submitbtn=Find+Animals&tpage=1&searchType=2&animalid=91624 ++++ Beamer Maximillian Caro Hocker Carolin Hocker Jody Harris-Stern Judy Iannone Vicenzo Jennifer Brooks Jackie O'Sullivan Wendy Frohlich Caldwell Michele St Laurent Michele DeSanti Deborah DiIorio Anarchy Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation Susie's Senior Dogs The Mr. Mo Project Redemption Rescues, Inc. Dori Scofield Lori Carpino Linda Vetrano

#funny #lol #humor #memes #meme #memehumor #dank memes #funny pics #rolf #lmao #Andrew Bogut #Animals

0 notes

chaplaingumdrop · 7 years

Text

My Boss the Scam Artist

I figure the best place to start writing memoir is from the back. So let me show you the back half of my story.

My grandfather died on New Year’s Day. I went home for the first time in two years for the funeral. I saw my father for the first time in ten years. Not that I hadn’t already been kind of a big smoker, but from the time I left Kalamazoo to go north until just a few days ago, I’ve been pretty much high non-stop. Some of it was good and fun bonding with my uncle, who can’t smoke much because of his job, and my little brother, who is an MRA and possibly the angriest MMJ patient I’ve ever known. A lot of it was me toking up by myself every few hours. To be perfectly honest, if I hadn’t taken that job working for my friend’s fledgling law office, I’d be baked now, not writing this memoir, and my rent would be paid.

When we first met, my employer-to-be was a prostitute. She worked under the name of Sophie St. Clair, servicing the men of Kalamazoo to pay her way through law school. She was also my primary source of marijuana. I used to come visit, smoke and watch Game of Thrones with her, and duck into the kitchen when a gentleman came to call. She had two kids, a live-in partner who was super chill but had a nasty temper and scared the shit out of her kids. Fun to smoke with though, fascinating human being. The kids were pretty cool too. They weren’t super verbal, but they were toddlers, so it’s to be expected. Over the next year of knowing Sophie they grew into awesome little kids, and I would begin to learn how messed up things were.

Sophie was smoking quite a bit of pot until she started actually working in law, then she transitioned to harder drugs with much shorter half-lives. I never realized the extent of her drug use, but only because I was in my own head too much and ignored the obvious signs of very serious addiction. I also understood having an opiate problem. I had watch my mom struggle with her addiction to prescription pain-killers following several hospital stays complete with very regular administrations of morphine. Sophie had been a veteran and was badly wounded in Iraq, so her replacement parts caused her a great deal of pain. She had gotten addicted to morphine and transitioned to heroin when the VA cut her off, as it was cheaper than pharmaceutical drugs. She had borrowed, as well as stolen, several hundred dollars from me. It all culminated in my paying an electric bill for her and then having her ghost on me, moving a few times, business, rehab, what have you. After rehab she’s still hooking, and she’s smoking crack now, but I never saw her injecting drugs again. Progress, I figure. I introduce her to my roomies because we play D&D and I want to provide her with some social support so she can stay clean and happy. Sometime around the holidays I meet her new assistant, who does not remain her assistant long, leaving after he learned of her prostitution days, taking the dog with him. Enter Rain, grieving my grandfather, smoking too much, and desperately needing a distraction other than my single graduate class.

So it started normally enough, I was given some tasks and we had a lot of boring lawyer talk. I made my own contract on RocketLawyer and did W4 and insurance. Her retainer accounts were apparently messed up however, so I needed to cover some retainers to keep handling business. No big deal, I have some cash from student loans and can loan my lawyer friend some money, it’s in my contract that I get reimbursed for out-of-pocket costs. Her daughter gets a bad urinary tract infection and her ex hits her up for money to take care of it, which I agree to because I adore her children and want them well and happy.

We have to cancel our first business trip because of an unreliable driver (she isn’t allowed to drive because of seizures related to a TBI), and then a client who fucked up really bad and got locked up. Steadily and surely our trips get canceled, I wonder why I ever try to plan anything with her, and I keep smoking to deal with the stress that she’s causing me.

Then she started getting sick. Frequent seizures, general tiredness, bad shit. She had some scans done, there was a shadow on the scan, which upon biopsy would turn out to be a malignant tumor pressing on her TBI. A month goes by, I’ve loaned her money without a scrap of repayment, much less my wages. She’s sleeping on my couch with my youngest roommate, who has taken it upon himself to look after her health. They’re also fucking. It’s sort of cute, so I enjoy it for a bit. We keep doing lawyer things, I am suspicious but not enough to not continue going along with it all. Eventually, my accounts are drained. That’s when I notice a lack of documents coming my way and she’s started doing her lawyer talk stuff with her nursemaid. Every time I mention to her that she owes me 10k she says I’m next in line, she’s being hit up by everybody and has these medical bills and all. Predictably, she is never able to go out and get me my money or to go to the office to pick up the mail with my bar card and insurance information. She says her colleague Mark was going to drop it off, but then got stuck in Detroit helping sort out the travel ban, which was among my early work for her and a cause that I care about very deeply as a person of faith.

As of today two months have passed. I am unpaid. She is still on my couch, fucking my roommate. By this point I had started to shake off the haze and bothered to do some research. My active mourning period had mostly ended, or at least paused. My partner has been immensely helpful to me. She’s a student, an activist, and worthy of far more respect than I afford her due to her age and experience. She happened to meet Mark (the very same) at a meeting regarding the creation of a new county ID (we’re a sanctuary city, so the county is creating identification cards to help refugees and immigrants get around more easily). They had the chance to talk and as it turns out my boss has never been a lawyer. This disturbs me greatly, as I realize I don’t have a signed contract because of reasons. First it was a lost file, then it was her just never getting around to it, so I had asked my partner to print off a couple of copies so I can just make my “boss” sign. She claims to need her notary stamp, which brings us to the meeting. My partner had the good fortune to not interact much with Sara and brought fresh eyes and a sober mind to my life. She found that super sketchy and made a point of helping me when I wasn’t sure how to help myself or sort out what I believed about anything or anybody. Nobody is objective about their partners, but it’s nice that she’s better at addressing my suffering than I am. What she learned from Mark was that Sophie had worked with him once on an assignment in law school and then proceeded to throw his name around a lot. He was also never stuck in Detroit helping out refugees, she did not rent the office space next to his, and he’s really tired of having people call up to ask about her. Upon further research we determined that the registration number she gave me belongs to a lawyer with a very low internet profile a few towns away, and I had never bothered to look into it until now. It was fairly clear that I needed to force a signature and begin preparing to take action.

Thursday, March 16, Sophie told us her five year-old daughter had just died. I loved this child like one of those friends your kid calls auntie or uncle but actually isn’t. The thing is, I’d begun to suspect something was up with the kids for a while. I messaged a friend who had been ripped off by her, who told me to message the children’s grandmother, who could answer my questions for me. I was then contacted by the children’s stepmother, who very angrily informed me that the children are secure and happy, with parents who love them. She shamed her/us for having the nerve to intrude into their lives with Sophie’s scams and lies, that she had plenty of chances to get her shit together and be a mom to the kids. That it was her choice to be a hooker and abuse heroin. That the police keep coming to her home trying to arrest Sophie, that she’d received a letter from the Sheriff stating that she’d jumped bail too many times and would remain in jail until trial, and that if she ever wanted to leave Kalamazoo forever, this would be a damned good time. Then she promptly severed the line of communication and I was unable to reply. Today I sent a message to her husband to thank him and assure him I’d do what needs to be done. I assured him that Sophie had not been using my Facebook to access photos of the kids for one of her schemes, that I had been burned by her to the tune of 8-10k, and all I needed was answers. He asked for her new phone number, just to try to keep tabs on her. I gave it, and he began to answer my questions.

He told me she has around six active warrants for her arrest, and some waiting for her back in California. One of them for prostitution, one for impersonation of a court official, three theft warrants (one being for guns), and one for failure to pay child-support. He also told me she was never in the Marines, and that her hips are 100% real and made of bones growing in her body. He told me they split because the Sheriff picked her up and took her to prison in another state. That the “rape” (quotations his) she had blamed the dissolution of their relationship on had occurred when she got released and started turning tricks down there. He told me she’s got a teenage kid somewhere in Arizona, and that this isn’t the first or even the second time she has pretended one of her kids had died so she could run a new scam on somebody.

Hours later, an old friend visited. We’ll call her Alyssa. She had overdone it one night and struck a housemate in drunken rage. Police were called. She went to jail. She just got out today and she’s not allowed in her house while the housemate is still living there. She had contacted Sophie for help with the situation. The moment she and Sophie had stepped outside to talk I immediately informed her partner that Sophie was not a lawyer and that Sophie’s daughter had not died. He seemed puzzled, but also like he’d expected to find out that Sophie was a fraud. I shared as much as I could before they returned inside. Alyssa’s partner told me about her situation and that she didn’t have a place to go at the moment. I offered my bed should she require it, and he went to retrieve some things from the house and bring her an overnight bag. Shortly after he left I retreated downstairs while Sophie and Alyssa talked. I began to hear powerful weeping and realized that Sophie was telling Alyssa about her daughter. I bit my tongue while waiting for an opportunity, which arrived shortly. Alyssa joined me in my bedroom and we talked. I told her what I knew and showed her what I had gathered. I told her of my plans to file a police report after the holiday weekend (St. Patrick’s Day, I expect the police to be processing drunks through Sunday, so finding time to meet me for paperwork seems unlikely).

Alyssa and I make our reports on Monday.

#chapter #inprogress #biographies & memoirs

1 note · View note

gyrlversion · 5 years

Text

I had a brain tumour the size of a golf ball: Nikki Chapman

TV Presenter Nicki Chapman, 52, is not hosting the BBC’s coverage of The RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year because she is recovering from brain tumour surgery

TV presenter Nicki Chapman is as much a fixture of the Chelsea Flower Show — that annual extravaganza of horticultural brilliance — as its glorious perennial blooms.

Piloting viewers through the show gardens, interviewing medal winners, chatting to guests; her sunny commentary has brought a dash of down-to-earth charm to the programme for the past 13 years.

But next week, when the show opens, for the first time since 2006, she will not be hosting it. She has kept the reason secret until now, but today I can reveal that she will be absent from the BBC’s presenting team because she is recovering from major surgery to remove a brain tumour.

Just a week-and-a-half after her operation, I visit her at her home in West London.

I expect to find her wan, listless and reclining on a sofa with her head shaved. Actually, she’s standing in her sun-filled garden laughing. She looks as though she’s just returned from a restful holiday — fit and glamorous, her blonde hair sleek — not recuperating from a four-and-a-half hour op to remove a tumour the size of a golf ball from her brain.

‘Yes!’ she agrees brightly, ‘I thought I’d have to wear a comedy bandage round my head and look like a Smurf for two weeks, but they took it off after two days.

‘And I’m flabbergasted at how well I feel and how quickly I’ve recovered. I feel fantastic.

‘Two days after the surgery I was hallucinating slightly. People had funny Disney cartoon noses and there were things like fireworks at the corner of their eyes. It was just my sight re-adjusting. (It had been affected by the tumour.)

Nicki noticed a change in her vision and suffered worrying memory lapses before her diagnosis. She underwent the operation at Charing Cross Hospital in London at the beginning of May

‘Now I’m not even taking pain-killers. I walk a mile every day by the river and hope soon to do some gentle exercise at the gym.

‘The NHS care I’ve had at the Charing Cross Hospital in London has been first class. Amazing. And I’ve found an inner strength. My mum said: “I’m a tough old bird and you’re like me, Nicki.”’ She laughs.

‘But although I feel fine, my lovely surgeon has told me I shouldn’t go back to work for six weeks. You have to give yourself the best possible chance to heal, so I won’t be presenting the Chelsea Flower Show this year.

‘You start at 5am and it’s five 12-hour days, and I don’t think I could manage that yet. I’m devastated. I watched the preview and it made me cry. I’ve done it since 2006 and, of all the shows I present, it’s the one I really regret not being able to do. But I have to follow my doctor’s advice. You don’t get a second chance to recover.’

Everyone warms to Nicki — ‘that nice lady off the telly’, as she’s been known ever since she was a judge on Pop Idol in 2001 and refused to find fault with even the direst amateur contestants on the TV show.

This year will be the first since 2006 that Nicki Chapman is not presenting at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (she is pictured at the 2015 show with Prince Charles)

And she is lovely: she’s there in the airy kitchen/living room of her glorious Victorian house cutting cakes into bite-sized chunks when I arrive, setting platters of fruit on the counter, cajoling me to eat.

The room is festooned with ‘get well’ flowers and cards, although only a close coterie of trusted friends and family know about her brain tumour. This is the first time she has talked publicly about it. Even her Chelsea Flower Show co-hosts are unaware of why she’ll be absent this year.

‘Joe Swift (the gardener and one of her co-presenters) said: “You’re not on the call sheet this year. Why aren’t you doing the show?” And I just said: “I’ve had an operation.”’

‘The NHS care I’ve had at the Charing Cross Hospital in London has been first class. Amazing. And I’ve found an inner strength,’ Nicki told Frances Hardy

She’s been similarly evasive with others. Announcing an operation to excise a brain tumour is jaw-dropping news. It is difficult both to impart and respond to.

‘But I’m talking about it now because, although I was petrified, I tried to stay positive. It was the worst news I’ve ever had in my life, but I thought: “We’re going to find a way through it.” And I really hope that other people who get a similar diagnosis have the excellent treatment I had, and find the same inner strength.

‘Someone told me: “If you go into an operation crying, you’ll wake up crying.” So my husband, Shacky (record company executive Dave ‘Shack’ Shackleton, 51, who also co-manages the rock band Iron Maiden) and I had a rule: you can only cry for 30 seconds.”

‘And I found a cutting in a magazine about the jockey Frankie Dettori. Before every race he’d say “I remain happy. I banish negative thoughts”, and I put it by on my bedside table in the hospital ward the night before my operation.

‘I just knew I was going to be fine.’

However, the onset of the symptoms of her tumour had been sudden and unnerving. The first sign that all was not well came at the end of March this year. Nicki noticed a change in her vision.

‘I couldn’t seem to move my eyes across a line of words to read them on my computer. And I struggled to type a response to emails. Shacky said I was probably just tired. Then I went for coffee with a girlfriend and asked her: “Do I look funny to you? I’m only looking at you with one eye.” But she said I looked fine.’

Nicki Chapman is pictured with her neuro-surgeon David Peterson two days after her operation to remove a golf ball sized brain tumour

Nicki, 52, also suffered worrying memory lapses. ‘I went to do a voice-over for Escape To The Country (one of the BBC shows she co-presents) and I couldn’t remember the name of John, the executive producer. I’ve known him for 15 years. I had to look it up on my phone.

‘Then I realised my speech was subtly affected. I was talking about a holiday we’d just had in Dubai. I could see the word Dubai in my mind, but I struggled to say it. I told myself it must be the menopause.

‘I told John about it and he asked if I suffer from migraines — I don’t — because he does and has similar problems. I did the voice-over, went home, did some housework then put on the computer and the words on it were blurred. Really, it all happened in the space of a couple of days.’

The next day Nicki rang her GP. Describing her symptoms — the memory lapses, speech problems and impaired vision — the doctor said she thought Nicki had suffered a stroke and urged her to go directly to A&E at her nearest hospital, Charing Cross in Hammersmith.

Nicki leaving Charing Cross Hospital in central London four days after the operation earlier this month

‘She asked if my husband was with me and said we should go straightaway, so we raced down. Other than a thumping stress headache, I felt absolutely fine.

‘When we got there they saw me within ten minutes. They asked me why I hadn’t come in the day before, and I explained that I thought my problems were menopause-related.

‘They swung into action, took bloods and scans and I started to think: “This is serious.” Then they called another doctor, a neurosurgeon, and he said: “You haven’t had a stroke. It’s a brain tumour and you’ve had it for years.”

‘I was in a cubicle with Shacky and my first reaction was complete shock. When you hear bad news, it’s like a gush of wind coming towards you. I remember thinking: “Just concentrate on what they’re telling you.”

Nicki Chapman at home in London, less than two weeks after her brain operation

‘Shacky went pale. A big, fat tear was running down my face. I said: “I’m really sorry I’m upset. Just tell me what I need to know,” and the doctor was fantastic. He said I’d need more tests, an MRI scan and surgery.

‘I didn’t think I was going to die. It was just: “Who would have thought it?” It would never have occurred to me.’ By the time Nicki got back home late that afternoon, she knew she had a tumour on the back, left-hand side of her head. She and her husband called it Burt and resolved not to succumb to misery.

But she took the precaution of making sure her will was in order: ‘I owed it to Shacky and my family in the worst-case scenario,’ she says. ‘And it was then, too, that we made the 30-second rule. You couldn’t cry for longer than that, otherwise you’d never stop.’

Nicki, who has no children, called her parents, Carol, 77, and Barry, 78 — divorced and both happily remarried — ‘and I could hear Dad catch his breath when I told him. Mum processed the news in a very logical way. No histrionics, no tears. I knew they’d be supportive and I was amazed at how calm they were.

‘And my sister Shelley’s best friend had come through a similar operation. She was very positive and informed.’

Events then moved quickly. Nine days on, she was seeing neurosurgeon David Peterson. ‘He told me the MRI scan had revealed a tumour the size of a golf ball pressing on my brain, and he said: “We need to operate quite soon. But we won’t be cutting off your hair!”

‘At that point, I told him I loved him.’ She beams. Actually, she says, this was the least of her concerns.

After being told she could suffer a bleed on the brain during the surgery, Nicki said: ‘If anything goes wrong, I don’t want to be resuscitated and come back in a body I can’t use’

‘He said within six to eight weeks I should be carrying on with my life, but there were areas of concern: I might lose the sight in one eye and there could be issues with speech and mobility.

‘I’d already been told I couldn’t drive, because of the risk of seizures, but frightening as these things are, I knew I’d be fine.’

And the best news of all was that it seemed — although they wouldn’t know conclusively until a biopsy was carried out — that the tumour, a meningioma that grows on the membranes that surround the brain, was benign.

‘When Mr Peterson told me this, I felt I’d been given my life back,’ says Nicki. ‘Whatever the final outcome was, I could deal with it and eventually move on.

‘When you know what you’re dealing with, you can face it. It’s the unknown that’s truly terrifying.’

A couple of days later, at the beginning of May, she was called in to Charing Cross Hospital — which, by sheer good fortune, is a centre of excellence for the treatment of brain tumours — for her operation.

Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith, London (pictured) is, by sheer good fortune, a centre of excellence for the treatment of brain tumours

She chose not to go privately: ‘I truly believe in the NHS and felt strongly that this option would give me the very best possible treatment and care. Mr Peterson said: “That’s the right decision,” and, through the whole process, everyone was just brilliant.

‘Some of the hospital staff said: “Oh! We know you from the telly!” But everyone was discreet. Not a word leaked out.’

Settled into a six-bed ward — armed with a new dressing gown and a turban bought by friends — on the evening before surgery, she recalls: ‘I had my rosary from my school days with me, a St Christopher my father had given me, and a card from my mum with the meaning of my name — strong and brave. Shacky sat with me and we talked about everything and nothing.

‘They’d said I could suffer a bleed on the brain during the surgery and I’d told him: “If anything goes wrong, I don’t want to be resuscitated and come back in a body I can’t use.”’

Nicki Chapman at the Chelsea Flower Show, in London on May 2016

Her brown eyes brim with tears when she says this: it is the only time her cheerful composure deserts her. We’re sitting on a sofa by doors that open onto her terrace garden — inspired by designs from the Chelsea Flower Show — where palm trees riffle in the breeze. There’s an occasional thwack of tennis balls from the courts behind. Birdsong fills the air. It is a golden afternoon.

She recalls the relief of coming round from surgery and finding the worst had not happened — she could see from both eyes and speak. Her first thought was to contact Shacky, to whom she’s been married for 20 years, and a ‘very kind’ member of staff in the resuscitation room called him.

‘Then Mr Peterson came through and I said: “Is that my handsome consultant?’ and he smiled and said: “We’re all right, Nicki. We’ve got most of it out.” Part of the tumour — which was benign — had grown next to one of the main cerebral veins and they’d left a little bit there because there would have been a risk from removing it.

‘And I know it might come back, but if it does they’ll deal with it before it gets too big. We’ll address that if we need to. I’m quite happy.’

There is no evidence of the surgery save for a neat four-inch scar and eight tiny disc-shaped shaved patches on her head where incisions were made.

By the end of June, she hopes to be filming Escape To The Country again, piloting would-be home buyers round their dream properties in bucolic corners of Britain. Then — as long as she’s allowed to fly — she’ll be off to Oz for a series of Wanted Down Under. She also starts filming a new gardening show, Great Garden Challenge, in July.

‘Oh, and I’m off to Glastonbury for the first time — I’ve always wanted to go!’ she says, smiling.

‘I don’t know about the future,’ she adds, ‘but I’m as optimistic as I possibly can be. I feel I’ve dodged a bullet. I’m really lucky: a week-and-a-half after brain surgery, and just look at me.’

The post I had a brain tumour the size of a golf ball: Nikki Chapman appeared first on Gyrlversion.

from WordPress http://www.gyrlversion.net/i-had-a-brain-tumour-the-size-of-a-golf-ball-nikki-chapman/

#Uncategorized

0 notes