Worse Than An IA

Hugs to everyone here who is going through difficult times.

DHs first cousin has been living with cancer for a few years now, and the tumors in her brain are growing. She's going in for surgery tomorrow, but the prognosis is really, really bad. She's got a 12-year-old daughter - and it's all just so very sad. 

Hugs to everyone here who is going through difficult times.

DHs first cousin has been living with cancer for a few years now, and the tumors in her brain are growing. She's going in for surgery tomorrow, but the prognosis is really, really bad. She's got a 12-year-old daughter - and it's all just so very sad. 

My thoughts are with you.

SP, I'm glad you didn't have to stay in hospital and that it went well (considering the procedure anyway)--hospitals can be great but nothing beats being back at home I hope everything comes back good for you and that you mend up quickly, it sounds like you're doing well all things considered.

I've passed the well wishes on to my mom yesterday when I phoned her up, and she appreciates them loads--she's still in the hospital, but she sounds good, but I'm anxious for her to get home so we can have a decent phone conversation

I'm so sorry to hear about you DH's cousin, sevans, that's so sad That's something I'd never wish on anybody, my thoughts are with you and your family as well.

I'm very sorry to hear about it Sevans. Hugs to you and your husband.

Oh, very sorry to hear about the brain tumours.  Nasty stuff.

My dad had a heart attack yesterday morning, but that's not the bad part.  The bad bit is I ignored my mom on msn at the time.  I was heading to work and thought she just had some nonsense to tell me.

So sorry for all those with health problems or loved ones with health probs.

DS is very depressed.  He only got himself off Effexor less than a year ago and then hit by the triple whammy of losing his sister, losing his job (and no unemployment or COBRA) and then getting dumped by his GF of several years.

So sorry, Boston Diner and Madeira.

BD, I hope your DS starts feeling better soon. Is there some sort of hobby or something he can get into to help draw him out of the funk and cheer him up a bit? I know it's really hard. When my dad passed away, I was lucky that I had found photography and took a lot of classes so I could stay busy all the time taking photos and printing them in the lab. Traditional photography is very time-consuming and detailed, and I found it really helped me focus on something else other than my dad passing away and how sad I was feeling most of the time. I also took a drawing class during that time - it was an 8am class, which helped get me out of bed in the morning and I found it very soothing to just draw and drink coffee and listen to classical music (my professor always put on classical music during class). I hope he can find something else to focus on that might cheer him up and bring some enthusiasm back into his life. I know if you allow yourself to get too depressed, you tend to alienate all your friends over time and find yourself alone (especially when you are young, as most of your friends probably haven't gone through the trauma of losing a parent or sibling yet and feel uncomfortable around you because they don't know what to say). Hopefully he can lift himself up soon.

 When my dad passed away, I was lucky that I had found photography and took a lot of classes so I could stay busy all the time taking photos and printing them in the lab. Traditional photography is very time-consuming and detailed, and I found it really helped me focus on something else other than my dad passing away and how sad I was feeling most of the time.

As it happens, Jewlz, he does a lot of photography. He learned the traditional "wet" photography in high school but now it's all digital. We did get him to go out and take some photos yesterday, as it had snowed and was very picturesque. But we don't have space for a dark room. I wonder if the high school would let him use the one there (??)
An old childhood friend of mine suggested to me that I start drawing again and sent me some email attachments of photos he'd taken way back when -- his dog and stuff like that -- that I could work from.  So you're on the right wave length for us.

Oh, very sorry to hear about the brain tumours.  Nasty stuff.

My dad had a heart attack yesterday morning, but that's not the bad part.  The bad bit is I ignored my mom on msn at the time.  I was heading to work and thought she just had some nonsense to tell me.

I am just reading this now.  I hope he is doing okay.  I hope everyone else's loved ones are doing better as well.

Sorry to hear BD. Hopefully you can get something going for him in the photography department

As it happens, Jewlz, he does a lot of photography. He learned the traditional "wet" photography in high school but now it's all digital. We did get him to go out and take some photos yesterday, as it had snowed and was very picturesque. But we don't have space for a dark room. I wonder if the high school would let him use the one there (??)

Why doesn't he look into signing up for a photo class at the local community college for the spring? It usually isn't too expensive, and you get access to all the facilities. My former community college offered a darkroom class, which was sort of an independent study, but you had to have taken a certain number of classes before being able to sign up for it. But, I found the assignments to really help me concentrate on what to shoot. Also, you could check with some art centres around and see if they have any dark rooms you can use - the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas had a little darkroom you could pay a few dollars to use when you wanted to, but you had to bring some of your own chemistry. Does he do Photoshop at all? Because that can be really as time-consuming as the darkroom and still requires a lot of concentration, so maybe he could just play with that if he doesn't want to sign up for a photo class. Or maybe he could get into some other artistic endeavour to help him release some tension! And I'm glad you are, too!  ((HUGS!!!))

I just got caught up on some of the more recent posts Sending good vibes out to Madeira and BD and anyone else who needs them, especially during this time of the year *hugs*

Thanks Jewlz, Phatbeetle and Tams.  This is a bad time of year for anyone going through sorrows.

Madeira, I hope your Dad is alright.

BostonDiner, I'm very sorry to hear about your son.

So even though yesterday was exactly 2 weeks after my lung biopsy, there's still nothing grown so no real results (all they know is it's not TB or bacterial, neither of which is a surprise). So while they wait for the slowest ever fungus to grow in the lab, time is ticking away and I'm not getting treatment for whatever is growing in my lungs. And on top of that, my EBV levels have shot sky high again so they're going to discuss me at the histology meeting this week to se if it's worth giving me another course of Rituximab. Which isn't bad (for me at least) but it's just a PITA since it takes up an entire afternoon for four weeks straight, and between this, the continuing daily Caspofungin IVs for the liver infection and whatever they're going to give me for the lung critter, going back to work and being able to start running again in January are both looking grim.

The only happy news is that my blood type finally switched to the donor's sometime last week (5 1/2 months after transplant!!) so I'm officially O+.

So I was a bit down about the increasing probability of January being more of the same instead of a return to normality, and then my big Christmas parcel from my parents just arrived. I opened it up, and everything is SOAKED THROUGH. Top to bottom!  All the gifts are soaking wet. It hasn't rained here in about three days, so clearly someone, somewhere en route let this sit out in a torrential downpour. I've put everything by the radiator to dry, but I can tell that some things are books and are going to be ruined. I just hope the things that feel like clothes aren't mouldy, too. I'm not even angry about it, I'm just sad. I know you guys know how uplifting it is to get anytthing from friends and family in the post, and to have that ruined, especially at Christmas is a real kick in the teeth.