Yeah, I know that’s a concern, too… You could also get in touch with the place you’re taking them to ask some advice that is less toxic.
I’m sorry on top of everything else, you’re also having to deal with this situation.
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I had a telephone consultation with the cardiologist on referral, and he’s scheduling me for some cardio stress tests in July. Woohoo.
Follow up with the clinic doctor will be July 8.
Got my twin bed and mattress for about $220. Not a bad deal. I’m leaving them on the patio for now until I get the room clean. I took Marcelo and his girlfriend to Samantha’s restaurant for 2 for 1 fish and shrimp tacos as a thank you for helping me get the bed home.
I went to the restaurant and back under my own power, but it’s amazing how quickly I’m getting winded now.
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Don’t push yourself too hard, but staying active is important so striking that balance will be tough of course. Happy to hear things are moving forward positively, despite some setbacks, bad news and lots of hard work ahead.
How do you feel?
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I’m tired of cleaning this mess, that’s for sure. With everything on the ground, it looks like an abandoned hoarder house.
Edit: Pistachios, potato chips, jelly beans, chocolate teddy graham style cookies, paintings, broken kitchen appliances, and canvases. The cats did such a number it would make any landlord think, “WTF happened here?”
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Getting through it today.
I went to the laundromat and washed every salvageable article of clothing I have, then went to the supermarket/department store for plastic bins to store clothing and other items. I found an RCA brand teakettle to replace my broken one for only 11 bucks.
Right now I am cleaning and wiping down all the little stuff like spice and condiment containers, and thinking maybe I should buy a couple of small bins for that stuff. I definitely need one for my medications and “surgical” items. It would really help me avoid accidents with cats who push stuff off of tables.
It’s slow going because I get winded easily, but it’s still definitely better than when I was off the Prednisone.
Once I’m done cleaning stuff and have the cats outside in the cage, I can start applying the flea killer to the floor and other surfaces. I think I’ll save that for tomorrow when I have more time and energy. It will need to dry and then I need to wipe and mop it later because of the toxins.
Don’t worry @Docosc ! I will use my respirator!
EDIT: I’m thinking maybe I should groom the cats with the dry flea shampoo before I put them outside, so I don’t commit a cross-contamination incident with even more fleas. 
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I opened a tin can and of course Tony comes sailing in from nowhere, can’t find his footing and jumps back in the opposite direction, landing square on top of the repurposed deli meat tray full of soapy water and hundreds of dead flea carcasses Ive been using to slowly decimate my enemies with, spilling 95% of its contents on my only chair and the floor. And I’m fresh out of paper towels.
I mean, of all the times he could do that it has to be when I’m trying to clean the place. I don’t want to clean it more.
UPDATE: And not two minutes ago, Tony decides to jump up on the high shelf where I have my clothing bins of newly washed clothing. Clean clothes all over a dirty floor.
The first two cats are due to be surrendered to the Humane Society on Friday, and I’ve decided Tony’s going to be one of them.
It’s for his own good, because I’m an inch from skinning him alive. I am now quite sure he’s the one who demolished my apartment while I was in the hospital. Granted, the flea problem…but I count at least 4 other high spots the cats have been using to stay off the floor.
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Ok, sorry about the rant. 40 mg of Prednisone daily will get you worked up. No problem, Tony is alive and well.
I got in to the clinic to be shown how to give myself the Dupixent shot today with no apparent side effects so far. I have a three month trial period with a shot every two weeks (I think), and if approved, the nurse at the clinic thinks that it will change from weird syringes to easier to administer pens. Kind of like an EpiPen, but no harsh jabbing (or is that just a television trope?) and a slow administration of a few seconds.
I have a follow up with the clinic doctor on the 8th, and then the pulmonologist who is overseeing my outpatient care on the 25th. I am still trying to get a referral visit with a rheumatologist (I think about the autoimmune diagnosis), but I do have a cardio stress test to schedule with the cardiologist which pertains to the heart issues that EGPA/Churg-Strauss can cause. I figure if I get the green light at the follow up I can call the oncologist and schedule to get the shoulder melanoma removed, and give the ENT a call about scheduling the ear melanoma and a portion/wedge of my ear removed.
Friday is the first of three cat surrender days. Tony gets a reprieve because I think Ruby and Dulce are looking the worst and could stand some TLC. The following week will be Mama Kitty and Tony, and the final appointment the next week will be Gremlin. I want to hang on to her as long as I can before she goes to the Humane Society. I’m going to miss my big babby so much. She’s been mischievous, but also very loving.
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I’m at the shortness of breath and skin lesions phase, and they’re trying to keep me from slipping into the pulmonary edema phase. The pulmonologist definitely used the word vasculitis when he told me to check into the hospital.
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On second thought, I think I’m going to lead with Tony and Mama Kitty. I’m giving them a last-minute flea grooming right now and they both look healthy enough to cross the border without suspicion. That gives me until the 3rd of July to work on the flea problem and give Dulce and Ruby some extra grooming and maybe some food supplements.
EDIT: My heart vacillates so much with Tony. He was so eager to be groomed and is constantly nudging and headbutting me. I’m sure he’ll find a good home with his loving and playful personality – as long as they’ve done some cat-proofing.
Mama Kitty took to the grooming much better than I expected, and she wasn’t too rife with fleas. I’ve reasoned it’s because her coat is mostly short guard hairs, and not so downy.
I wasn’t really planning on grooming Pastel, but she won’t stop pestering me so she got a once-over before I head out the door also.
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I’ve found that Murphy’s Law is magnified in the presence of cats. I blame that Schrödinger chap for disrupting their quantum structure with his theoretical exercises.
I’m sure it’s hard to give up the cats, even when you know it’s for their own good. My thoughts are with you and them!
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Hey, I’d say if anyone is allowed a bit of a rant, you are!
I’m so sorry you don’t feel that you can keep all the cats, but they can be a lot of work, and cost quite a bit to care for properly. Who will you be keeping?
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Oh geez, just catching up on this. I am sad sorry to hear you are going through all this. It sounds miserable.
May your father rest in peace. My condolences on your loss.
I am hoping for a complete and speedy recovery from your lung disease.
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The Humane Society feel Mama Kitty and Tony are good candidates for adoption. They passed the “stranger test” (Do they hiss? Do they scratch?) with flying colors, acting friendly instead. Tony’s bio will be up on the SD Humane Society webpage in a few days. Mama Kitty will take longer because she needs to be spayed before she’s put up for adoption.
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Oh, pretty girl!
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I am sorry to say there is no cure for Churg-Strauss yet. All they can do is slow its progression. As long as the Dupixent works, the outlook is good for a normal life span, depending on at what point the syndrome was discovered. The existence of certain factors in the patient like nasal polyps/chronic rhinitis, cardiovascular issues, etc. reduce one’s chances by double-digit percentages, it depends on what stage you’re at when it’s discovered.
All in all, the hospital pulmonologist says they’ve had much success with the Dupixent in previous patients.
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Ok, so I’m reaching out to anyone here who might have ever received short term disability insurance before.
So, the case worker from Molina (my health insurance provider) called me yesterday morning about these two recent hospitalizations and is recommending I file for short term disability insurance. There is an 8 to 49 day window to apply, but also special considerations can be made – for instance, during my first hospital stay (April 14-23) they were still trying to get a handle on what I have and didn’t give me a solid idea until the morning of June 17 when the pulmonologist urged me to go back to the hospital for treatment and more testing, and the EGPA/Churg-Strauss diagnosis was also accepted by the admitting doctor when I checked in to the ER.
If I qualify, I could be paid possibly 70% of what I earned from self-employment in the previous “base period” in the past 4 years – up to a year of weekly payments, though I think for self-employment it stops at 39 weeks.
I mean, sure this is seriously affecting my life, but I’ve never had the health insurance company reach out to me and tell me that I appear to be eligible for SDI and urge me to file. It feels weird after living in so many conservative states where they love to tell you no you cannot have government assistance for xxx problem.
There’s no catch is there? Please tell me there’s no catch.
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One of my partners needed short term disability for a shoulder replacement, and i asked him about it because i will need it for my knee replacement next January. He said it worked as described with no catches. Not sure if that’s applicable to your situation, but that’s what i know of it.
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Yes, it sounds applicable. As long as the clinic doctor or Dr. Sanchez the pulmonologist can sign off on the paperwork, I think the only concern is getting the state to understand the delay in filing.
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I think suffering from a disease and not having easy access to resources is a reasonable explanation but you know how bureaucrats are
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