Showing posts with label Scleroderma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scleroderma. Show all posts

Monday, July 8, 2024

Blazing Flare-Ups


Hello!  I've started other blogs, but I'm back at The Mighty Turtle.  I know it is confusing, so I will clarify.  

It all started in December of 2022, I dislocated my right shoulder.  I could not do so much as brush my hair, and my only choice was to rest it and allow it time to heal.  Easy? Fuck no.  

Due to the progression of scleroderma, my hands are contractured - curled similarly to rheumatoid arthritis but doesn't affect the joints; it is my connective tissue, specifically the fascia of the muscles and shortening of the tendons in my hands.  Through the years, I have counted on my right dominant hand to grab and do everything and use my left hand to assist.  If I could go back in time to early occupational therapy, I would train my left hand harder. 

When I can't fix something, I must grow, but before I could start growing, I had to make it livable- it was the day before Christmas, and there was no way to expedite a caregiver.  

Through the years, I have refused caregivers.  The ones I did have back in the early 2000's and 2013 made my personal life terrible.  One caregiver did her laundry at my house- not a problem, but a dirty man's shirt somehow ended up in my closet, and my ex-husband accused me of cheating on him.  The one in 2013, I'll spare you the details.  

So I laid around for three weeks using a cleaning service and when I got my puppy, doggy daycare.  I maintained the dishes and kept things clean between visits from the cleaners who came every two weeks. 

Why didn't I have family or friends stay with me? Some friends helped, and some family helped, but caregiving changes the dynamics of a relationship.  If I had something that might stop, like cancer- that's different, but this has been ongoing for thirty years.  At the time, I needed to set up care with the VA because I'm not getting any younger. 

I also took the liberty of hiring someone through a caregiver recommendation service.  I found a very nice, qualified, and professional caregiver, but I used her services only twice due to the cost. In February of 2023, the VA finally sent someone to help. She seemed great at first, but that relationship didn't work out.  The next person they sent helped initially but quickly settled in as someone who believed cleaning wasn't their job and somehow become a user in my Amazon Prime Video.  

The great thing about veteran healthcare is that I have recourse. I requested someone from a different company.  The following week, I had a wonderful caregiver.  It was a good move, and I was beginning to regain my strength. I finally came up on the waitlist for my dog, Egon.  He came home in April, and by June, I was asking myself what in  the hell in the wild, wild world of sports was I thinking?    

It turned out okay, because I had help.  Things began to get better. Before my puppy Egon arrived, I sat in my apartment for days.  Instead I went outside several times, every day.  Egon helped me get exercise, and he continues to add life to my years and years to my life.  

Then, sometime later in 2023, I felt heavy, and it was difficult to walk.  It turned out I was anemic.  The severe kind of anemia, and I was given two rounds of iron infusions.  I felt better, but not great.  Then, my ankles began to swell, and stiffen.  It felt like scleroderma was attacking my ankles.  I eventually figured out that if I took three or four hours every morning to rest between stretching, I would find myself able to move easily by 1:00.  That interfered with living in the real world and routine doctor appointments. I began taking Lyft to and from the VA.  Not often, but often enough.  

It was clearly something I could not fix, so I had to make it work.  After 1:00 PM availability, doggy daycare and Lyft were unsustainable. What helped me get through was creating one routine at a time.  I made so much progress. Things got a little better and then in early 2024, I got pneumonia.  

I spent about two-plus months actively sick in my lungs, coughing lung cookies, etc. ER visits, pulmonary function tests, chest CTs, and two rounds of antibiotics made a dent, but I wasn't getting better, so once again, I had to rest.  Luckily, my caregiver at home was already in place.  She made it easier and more manageable.  I know I am here because I had help that would not interrupt, but help keep me on my routine. My family helped support my routine by paying to clean my house. Friends sent me DoorDash. 

It has always been difficult to ask for help. I guess this time, I was ready. 

Meanwhile, my rheumatologists and pulmonologists at the VA hospital were concerned that inflammation caused the pneumonia.  They called it organized pneumonia. This meant it was time to put me on a new immunosuppression treatment. Something that could fight the fibrosis.  There were options, but I also have sarcoidosis.  

Often, my sarcoidosis symptoms are mistaken for scleroderma.  I even stopped working with a pulmonologist because he believed the sarcoidosis was caused by scleroderma.  In some cases, that may be true, but after working with Dr. Furst for more than twenty years, an expert in scleroderma and other autoimmune diseases, I decided to wait to see him before starting any new treatment. Besides, he was the doctor who found the sarcoidosis.  

Because I was so sick the past year, I hadn't seen him in over one year.  I was worried I didn't act fast enough, and scleroderma was in high gear, but I am glad I waited. 

I have the luxury of waiting because of my veteran's healthcare; I have access to teams of specialists who order tests without prior approval based on what my doctor thinks I need, not some person with no medical training denying services my doctor orders, thanks to healthcare at the VA.  Everyone should have health care this good, but that's another post.  

While waiting for my heavily anticipated appointment with my outside specialist,  I was being followed closely by both the pulmonology and rheumatology departments, and technically, we determined I was stable.  I needed to clear the fluid from my lungs, which with pulmonary fibrosis takes time.  HRCTs showed I was getting better, allowing me to get test results with progress to bring to Dr. Furst.  

Then, the Thursday before my appointment, I woke up with pain in my right eye.  I've had sensitivity to light before, but never with pain.  So it was off to the ER in a Lyft again.  After seeing an ophthalmologist, I was diagnosed with anterior Uveitis.  It's basically inflammation in my eye. I was given steroid drops, and the pain stopped almost immediately.  


During my appointment, Dr Furst, the resident he was training, and I went over eighteen months of my test results along with a resident doctor who was learning about scleroderma- because Dr. Furst is always teaching.  I love it - it's like, enough about me, tell me more about me.  

We were at a crossroads.  Was it scleroderma or sarcoidosis? Luckily, we had a tiebreaker.  My skin score showed no signs of re-occurring scleroderma.  My skin is still affected by scleroderma but in a tethered state. That means my skin is loose, not tight and bound; an inactive state of disease progression.  Tethering can be referred to as "The Wreckage."  

My doctor concurred with the doctors at the VA; that my pneumonia was actually caused by inflammation. Usually, it's the other way around. He suspected it was from sarcoidosis, but the eye inflammation incident was not something that happenes with scleroderma. So, he treated what I have as sarcoidosis, not scleroderma.  

The funny thing about that is- when there are multiple diagnoses like mine or for other people with autoimmune combinations like lupus and scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis- there could be another yet-to-be-diagnosed autoimmune condition that hasn't presented enough symptoms to be diagnosed.  It's important for long-term care treatment to have data along with my symptoms to dictate treatment.  

I was prescribed a month-long prednisone treatment.  By Friday, I was feeling fabulous, and on Saturday, I did a comedy show without crashing.  I felt alive again.  Like someone woke me up. 

It's Monday I feel freakin' fabulous. I'm a bit "roided out" as the kids say, but I'm stronger and can walk without pain. I am able to use those muscles with ease. 

Now, the healing phase.  I can only hope at the end of this round of prednisone, I feel just as good if not better than I do today, but like everything with an incurable, progressive degenerative disease, only time will tell.  

About the other blog I created- even though I was lying around a lot, my mind was swelling with unexpressed creativity.  I created a cool logo and decided to retire The Mighty Turtle.  (*see re-creation below) What I should have done was set up something similar to a "late-night" text prevention task, like having to solve a math problem before posting while sick. Hindsight!  Am I right? 

It's been a year.  Now that I've got a treatment path forward, I am doing what I do best, start over.  

I begin cardio-pulmonary rehab in August and make it a point to take my dog Egon to the dog park twice a day in addition to frequent short walks due to apartment life.  

I used to believe it was adapting and overcoming, but what I really do is grow. My process is to solve the problem by learning to live with it.  It's adapting but not overcoming. The goal is to overcome, but that may not be an option, so I must learn how to work with what I've got, or grow.   The disabilities do not go away.  Sometimes, they're bad, and I need to sit still more than I'd like, to heal.  If scleroderma has taught me anything, it's patience. And last Saturday night was worth the wait.  

Saturday Night at The Ledge Theater


#To show the extent, here is an exact re-enactment of what was going on inside my head: Click Here -> my brain while recovering

This Post’s Movie Quote Theme is “Blazing Saddles.”

Monday, June 24, 2024

Pneumonia and my Socialized Healthcare


I will share my experience of getting healthcare in ways most people do not believe possible.  I can't share my experience without mentioning the reality of our United States Healthcare system.  Many people with my condition do not have access to the best care. 

Imagine a world where we can get medical care without worrying about how to pay for it.  That's my world.  I have received world-class care navigating the VA and Medicare healthcare systems.    

What if everyone got the care they need? People with chronic illnesses and anyone else who needed care could live better lives, but of course, someone always has to say, "But communism."

Socialized programs like the military, Veterans' healthcare, and subsidized programs like Medicare and Medicaid help people. 

If we have billionaires, we can afford to take care of everyone, but instead of trying to make something work, we favor large corporations that make billions in profits.  We're a capitalist country, and shareholders need to be able to write off their yachts.  

On the other hand, I get to hear how doctors make all the money by doing unnecessary tests.  That doctors and nurses are greedy.  The truth is that American healthcare is governed by insurance companies, and because of it, people are living in misery unnecessarily and dying earlier than they should.  

For as long as I can remember, access to American Healthcare has been a maze of bullshit and dead ends. It improved with Obama Care, especially after removing the existing condition loophole. They can't deny care, but medications and tests can be rejected, which impedes proper care and exacerbates symptoms due to cost.  It happens all the time. But Obama Care can be improved. That's how laws work.  We pass them, then improve them as we get more information. These things don't happen overnight.  

I've had thirty years of veterans healthcare, private insurance doctors called "golden insurance," and Medicare. They all have problems, but I have gotten the best care with veterans' healthcare. 

For example, I have had pneumonia since mid-February. I have worked with the same doctors, nurses, techs, and specialists since 2014. I work with my VA team, which works with one of the greatest scleroderma doctors on earth. That's not my opinion. He took on scleroderma research and treatment in the 1970s and teaches doctors worldwide. He doesn't work at the VA, but VA doctors are his colleagues at UCLA Healthcare. He is a faculty at UCLA and medical schools around the world.  

VA Hospitals are teaching hospitals. In the early days of my diagnosis of scleroderma, I dealt with doctors who dismissed my symptoms as hysterical, called prevention of disease progression as "prolonging the inevitable," or fighting me and specialists on a drug formulary. For every doctor asshole who did those things, there were always three or four interns, fellows, and medical students who took the time to talk to me about scleroderma. 

This ongoing episode of pneumonia was first diagnosed in the ED by x-ray.   When emergency room doctors saw more fluid in my lungs where there was fibrosis and scar tissue, they consulted with the pulmonologist and rheumatologist on call.   I was sent home with a round of antibiotics. 

It seemed to get better at first, but when symptoms remained, I went back to the ED. I was immediately x-rayed and given a CT scan. I stayed in the ED until three in the morning. I saw two pulmonologists, a rheumatologist, and three other ED docs. My blood was drawn and put into many tubes. Nothing out of the ordinary. I was given a broader spectrum of an antibiotic and sent home. Unfortunately, I didn't get better.  

On my next trip to the ED, I knew everyone there. The nurses took my vitals, and I saw a doctor's lickety-split. This time, I was being admitted to the hospital. I never went upstairs to a room. I had a room in the ED. It was weird, but it was the best way to get me in front of specialists immediately instead of during rounds the next day.  

Two pulmonologists weighed the risk of bronchoscopy and began planning the procedure first thing in the morning. My blood was taken every six hours; there were at least fifteen tubes, with some weird ones ordered by infectious disease specialists. Luckily, I brought snacks. One of the resident rheumatologists stopped in with two medical students. It happens a lot anytime I get treatment. I will teach anyone listening to my experience and ways to improve patient care. ED docs were in and out of my room. That night, I saw two pulmonologists, two rheumatologists, two infectious disease residents, and a partridge in a pear tree.  Nurses checked on me and made sure I had warm blankets. After mountains of tests, a repeat X-ray, and finally, a visit from two infectious disease residents who cleared me to go. It wasn't quite yet daylight.  

I was sent home without antibiotics because, at this point, it was determined to be viral. I was told to come back if anything got even just slightly worse. I did it in a few days; it was a shorter version. My progress had plateaued, and I was told to rest and drink lots of fluids.    

You just read about four separate visits to the Emergency Department of my local veterans hospital.  I received all the tests ordered by four groups of specialists, I did not pay a single dollar, and I went home knowing that I could pop into the ED for a listen to my lungs to determine if I was getting worse. If so, the diagnostic dance with bloodwork, x-ray, and what was needed to give me a better chance of surviving pneumonia with pulmonary fibrosis.   

Can you imagine getting all the medical treatment you need and not going broke?  

I wish there was a way to get everyone the healthcare they need, but we can't, because money.  




Saturday, June 12, 2021

Healthcare vs Heath Care

 Hi, The Mighty Turtle is back and saltier than ever!  

    A lot has changed since I first launched The Mighty Turtle in 2009.  I began as a blogger and now I'm on my eighth year in stand-up comedy.  I'll be performing locally in California until around the fall.  You can also catch me on my monthly Zoom show, "Live! And Still Here Comedy Hour" on the 3rd Saturday of each month at 4:30 Pacific Time and my forthcoming podcast, "Yes, I'm Still Here". 

    I grew tired of WordPress's weird-ass glitches, so I simplified my life by joining Blogspot.  Thanks for following me here. Yes, I did wipe the original blog out of existence because the things that helped me in 2009 are outdated and I'm a much better writer.   I have saved posts and will be reposting them in an updated version.  No one should have to filter through that crap to get helpful information.  

    The subject matter of "The Mighty Turtle",  has always been about my adventures through healthcare with private insurance and veterans healthcare, and now it's new and improved.  I hope you find my work helpful, stress-relieving, and funny.  My motto is, "Laugh at What Scares Me".  

    I'd like to clarify the use of the terms, "health care" and "healthcare".  You may already know this, but I didn't the difference between the uses.  

Healthcare:  (noun or adjective) The system of services.   

Health Care: (noun) The actions of a person getting healthcare.  

    Which has the feel of this quote, "In the dictionary under redundant it says, "see redundant." - Robin Williams "Live at the Met".

    Scleroderma and sarcoidosis will be discussed, cussed at, and joked about.   Both are progressive, degenerative diseases that kill people.  I've been living with both for 27 years. I have an entire stand-up bit about how bad the name scleroderma is for marketing. 

    Now that we've got our technical jargon figured out, let's get to my disclaimer.  

In no way do I intend to minimize the horror of any stage of illnesses.  

    Humor is a great way to get people to relax and remember what's being said and I have used it as a tool for the past 27 years to teach doctors, nurses, and caregivers about what I have experienced.  I do not say that I have taught patients - they already know.  But I do hope to give patients of any chronic illness hope that they can survive.  

    When I was a kid and I had problems, I would think about the next day and how much it would be better.  Eventually, I used it to envision my future.  It didn't make my illness any easier, but it helped my brain cope along with mountains of antidepressants and decades of therapy.  

    People with rare illnesses feel isolated, but we are not alone.  After my diagnosis of sarcoidosis, I discovered that people with other diagnoses have similar symptoms and every one of us experiences the stages of grief.  In fact, when it's chronic, we cycle through these stages as one complication is managed and another one appears.  So if you do not have what I have, you'll most likely relate to some of my experiences.  When that happens, just replace what I have with what you have, and then it will feel more like we are in this together- because we are.  

    My secret to surviving?  Your guess is as good as mine, unless somehow crossing my fingers and repeating the mantra, "Don't die, don't die", is a big secret.  In no way do I wish to minimize the actual horror people experience.  I'm just here to make you laugh at what scares me.  


Thanks for reading!

Karen

Follow Karen Vasquez @itskarenvasquez
on
Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter




Thursday, June 2, 2011

Scleroderma Walk This Sunday

Hello all! I have been busy with doctor's appointments all week so I will be posting some oldies,but goodies you might have missed. If you feel like it, share with friends to help raise awareness.

Thanks you for continuing to read this blog and showing your support by learning about Scleroderma. See you at the walk on sunday! Can't make it? Show your support with a donation.Every donation makes a difference, no matter how small.


Visit my fundraising page to see how you can help.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Learn to be Your Own Best Advocate.

The Scleroderma Foundation's Southern California Chapter is offering a teleconference for newly diagnosed scleroderma patients. All Patients and families are welcome.
When: Monday, June 21 at 11:00am

Topic: Patient Advocacy for the Newly Diagnosed

Call 1.877.216.1555
Enter the passcode: 981555

Scleroderma is overwhelming as it is. Learn from the source how to become your own best advocate.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Custody and Luaus

So a few weeks ago in mediation, my ex decided to try to get full custody of our 6 year old son. He told the mediator because of the severe contractures of my fingers, he felt I could not take care of our son. He could provide no conclusive evidence as to why other than, "because I say so". He managed to make the mediator angry, to my amusement (later). So a judge ruled in my favor for joint custody one week after mediation. My ex apologized on the way out of court, not to his credit- just to my amusement. So that's that.

On to a Mother-Son Luau at my son's school tonight. I'm wearing short sleeves and I am very self conscious about it. My hands look like out of place drumsticks on to end of my arms. If it was any other event, I would put a long sleeved t-shirt under my dress on, but what kind of chicken shit would I be wearing a long-sleeved shirt to a luau? That's no example to set for my son, right? So, despite my groans about it, I'm just going to go for it. For the record, I really, really don't want to. I feel like I'm jumping off some cliff all in spite of my own vanity.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

A Thing or Two About High Risk Pregnancy

Nebraska- Forget about prenatal care and the born, because we only want to protect the fetus. Once the fetus is out though, you're on your own.-

If you're going to stop women from having an abortion (a legitimate medical procedure that is always a last resort), you can't say you are Pro-Life if you cut prenatal care. That doesn't sound very Pro-Life to me. For individuals who want less government, they appear a little too excited about the government interfering with a personal family matter.

One problem with this is the reason they stopped the prenatal care bill was because it would cover illegal immigrants. They are here illegally, but they are human beings. If you are Pro-Life, isn't that supposed to be Pro-Human? Most Pro-Life advocates call themselves Christians, but there is nothing Christian about turning down medical care to ANYONE. What would Jesus do? I think he would be pissed. It appears to me to be another example of a group who wishes to push an agenda by cherry picking facts when in truth they are using Christianity to justify their bigotry. I don't belive this applies to all Christians. Just those who say they are Pro-Life because of their Christianity but want to cut off health care to other humans.

What does this have to do with Scleroderma, Sarcoidosis and Box Wine you ask? Anyone who has had a high risk pregnancy knows things can go very wrong. Sometimes the choice is, there is no choice. The only example I can give is my own personal experience.

I have a healthy six year old son with ADHD who is a little short for his age group. He runs on the small side because he was born 8 weeks early. Because of my Scleroderma, I was considered a high risk pregnancy. I went twice a week for fetal monitoring and once a week for ultra sounds. In my 28th week, my blood pressure skyrocketed. I was in and out of the hospital for the next two weeks. The last time I was discharged from a hospital before my son was born, I got home and realized I forgot to mention to my doctor I was seeing orange spots. I called my doctor at 11:00pm and he ordered me back to the hospital. The next morning I could not see out of my right eye. I felt fine, except for being blind in one eye. That was my only symptom. My doctor was puzzled and sent me to two different optomologists. During my visit with the second optamologist, I over heard him talking to my OB on the phone, "We may not be able to let her go. She may be pre eclamptic. This hospital is not equipped for that."
When he got off the phone he wrote out directions to Mary Birch Hospital. When I got there I was checked in immediately. My son was born two days later. They took him by c-section after pumping me full of steroids as long as they could. My organs were failing and they could wait no longer.

My son spent 28 days in the NICU. The doctors and staff were amazing. It was awful to leave the hospital without him, but the parenting training the nurses gave me and my ex-husband was priceless. I left the hospital after 9 days. My sight had returned, my blood pressure was stable.

I met with my doctor a week later. He told me and my ex-husband to never forget how close I came to dying that day. Never forget that fear. Because if i were to get pregnant again, their was a 35% chance the same thing would happen sooner in my pregnancy and faster. Most likely resulting in my death and the death of my unborn baby, if I was lucky. My doctor told us I had what is called HELLP Syndrome. Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes, Low blood Platelets. In short, first your liver goes, then you go into a coma you will never wake up from as your organs shut down resulting in death. The only cure is to stop the pregnancy. Do the math.

Because of the increased risk of blood clots and high blood pressure, I cannot use any form of oral birth control. My ex decided he did not want a vasectomy because well, he didn't feel like it. To his credit we are getting a divorce and his girlfriend is a great candidate to procreate with. She's really great- I don't know what she's doing with him, but I really like her. Anyway, my next option for birth control would be an iud, but I'm allergic to copper so that's out. The plastic one has a hormone and that's out so my only option is sterilization. Right now my doctors are considering tying my tubes but because of their lack of experience with Scleroderma and the complications surgery brings, they keep researching while I wait. Condoms are great, but they can break. The morning after pill does the job, but nothing is 100%. So if I get pregnant after all I do to prevent it, I fall into that category of making a choice. That choice for me is: Do I risk orphaning the child I have to carry another child that most likely will not make it to term? If pregnant I would probably wait until symptoms come up, but 35% is very high for risks. To put some perspective on risk, the risk of side effects from most prescription drugs is .02%.

So there it is. Do the math.

Tomlearn about Scleroderma, for to scleroderma.org
or
sfcure.org

To learn about Sarcoidosis, check out clevelandclinic.com

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Naming My Elephants

Since I changed the name, thought it would be a great time to give my definitions of Scleroderma and Sarcoidosis.
Today, let's talk about Scleroderma. There are so many better definitions than mine, but here goes. It's an autoimmune disease that causes an overproduction of collagen resulting in lots and lots of scar tissue. What is an autoimmune disease? Well, every autoimmune disease manifests itself differently so I will use some familiar references.
An autoimmune disease is some type of reaction with no know cause, where your body doesn't recognize and attacks it's own healthy cells. Remember the end of Scarface where tony Montoya was saying hello to everybody with his little "friend"? He takes out his sister and his best friend -those he needs the most, but he's so coked out he doesn't recognize they are truly the only people who love him. That's the autoimmune disease. All coked out and killing everything important to the body.

I just found a great website about autoimmunity. I'm still checking it out and I would love to hear any feedback from anyone who has visited this site.
aarda.org

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

WTF-Ville

I have been told my whole life that God has a plan. That we are here on earth preparing for the afterlife and everything happens for a reason. As I child, I went to bed every night afraid I “would die before I wake”. Until I was twelve, I tucked in my four stuffed animals and would lay down between them and the wall in my twin bed. Maybe I thought angels would take my stuffed animals instead of me. I did the sign of the cross, and silently said an Our Father, Hail Mary, Act of Contrition and asked God to bless everyone I could think of. On days I got in trouble, I would say a rosary- which was usually every day. After years of soul searching, nights of drunken stupors, years of angry words and of course, spending the 4th grade with bat-shit crazy Sister Kathleen, I have come to the conclusion the plan is- there is no plan. I had to accept anything can happen and I live in WhatTheFuck?-ville, Planet Earth.

Ten years later in 1992, the first signs appeared. They asked if I got regular periods. Several doctors at Balboa Naval Hospital told me this was all in my head, that I drank too much caffeine and maybe I need to quit taking birth control pills, (because nothing is more hazardous than preventing pregnancy-right?). Then, in 1994 at the VA in Madison Wisconsin, I was diagnosed with Scleroderma. Three months later I could almost pronounce it and one year later I could spell it (Denial? -oh hell ya).

I was in nursing school at the time and one of my textbooks had an exquisite picture of what Scleroderma could do to my hands. Crying hysterically I called my ex-boyfriend. I think anyone who saw this picture would have found it horrifying. Today I look at my curled fingers and frozen hands and laugh about how my ex-boyfriend told me I was being paranoid.

I have been to dozens of doctors. I have been prescribed “homeopathic” and “Natural
Remedies”, only to have them make my condition worse. For some reason it felt empowering to go ‘off the grid’ of western medicine. It made me feel in control. Before moving to WhatTheFuck?-ville, I made Denial my home.

I don’t waste my energy on anger and have no time for depression. I gave up on bargaining. Denial is my greatest defense mechanism and acceptance is not an option. Every now and then one of the five stages of grief worm their way into my head. Fourteen years, is that too long to be in therapy? What’s the anniversary gift for 15?

I am told that God has a plan and everything happens for a reason. I disagree. If he does exist; he created us followed by a series of random events he thought he could control. That’s no plan- he’s just as confused as I am. If he does exist, we are most likely floats in a terrarium he keeps in his office where he resides in WhatTheFuck?-ville, Universe, where he sits at his desk and procrastinates about writing poetry. Just like me.

Additional Links: CREST Syndrome
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Monday, December 14, 2009

Left Behind

My train of though left without me this morning. So, I thought I would use this time to post some helpful links for Scleroderma.

Scleroderma.org

Become a friend to The Scleroderma Founadtion on Facebook

Scleroderma on FaceBook

There is a great tip on FB about Raynaud's and making meatloaf.

So check it out, learn something and have a great Monday!
-
Karen

PS: Behind on Christmas shopping? Shop at Avon Online and have it sent to you in days. (Spa bills people:-)

Saturday, December 12, 2009

The Mark of a MILF

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Blazing Flare-Ups