I am thankful beyond measure and I want to shout it out for all the world to hear. Since I'm positive that there isn't a megaphone big enough to do the job, I figured I would just share with you the top 100 things I'm thankful for this year...in NO particular order.
1) The Golden Girls - I love falling asleep to the sound of Blanche, Rose, Dorothy and Sophia bickering every night.
2) My adorable Lego-obsessed son, Jacob
3) Chinese dwarf hamsters
3) Pad Thai
4) Hot baths
5) Deep breaths
6) That I have the daughter my mother always told me I would have...the one who would give me a run for my money ;-)
7) Wet kisses
8) My cozy home
9) Heartland Community Church
10) The friendship that my husband and I have had over the past 20+ years
11) Smooth flights
12) Working from home
13) Dr. Dazzle
14) Comfy boots
15) Friends that have lasted a lifetime (Lisa)
16) Friends that feel like they have been in my life forever (Elizabeth)
17) Friends that weather the storm (Vicki)
18) New friends
19) Forgiveness
20) Second chances
21) Books, books & more books
22) Cherry Coke Zero
23) Pumpkin Pie
24) Morning snuggles
25) My amazing mom
26) My kind father
27) The beach
28) The Comedy Central late night line-up
29) Cleveland sports teams...God love 'em
30) Sunday football
31) Family game night
32) Movie theater popcorn
33) Modern conveniences
34) My Grandmother...my likeness
35) King size beds
36) Antibiotics with minimal side effects
37) Portable nebulizers
38) Healthy hours...days...weeks...months
39) GG...my honorary niece
40) Ebay
41) Amazon Prime
42) Love
43) Medical researchers
44) My step-parents...for making my parents happy
45) Family movie night
46) Calculators
47) Good health insurance
48) Martinis with friends
49) The SiriusXM Channel "Lithium"...90's alternative music
50) Sunsets
51) Kind deeds
52) Soup made out of love...Cathy
53) A clean house...Lynn
54) Fun nail polish
55) Annoying brothers that grow up to be much less annoying
56) Allergy medications
57) Chocolate
58) Successful whale watching missions
59) Romantic weekends away
60) Family vacations
61) warm socks
62) Happy hugs
63) Facebook friends
64) Lazy Sunday's
65) Crisp fall days
66) Sand between toes
67) Understanding co-workers
68) Blogs
69) The ability to exercise
70) Miracles big and small
71) Almond Joy
72) Bullet-proof vests
73) Microwaves
74) Stickers
75) Hair dye
76) Fleece
77) Chap Stick
78) Birthdays
79) Target
80) Super-brilliant step-daughters
81) Honey Hut ice cream
82) Fireplaces
83) Avocados
84) Asic running shoes
85) Family gatherings
86) Puppies...cue the allergy medicine
87) Skype
88) Fantasy football
89) Good movies
90) Dinner dates with my hubby
91) Opportunities
92) Bike rides
93) Long walks with good friends
94) Sunglasses
95) Prayers
96) Thunderstorms
97) Cousins
98) My reliable car
99) Holidays shared with family
100) Breathtaking moments!
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
MAC is Whack!
I had a clinic appointment today. I went in wondering if I was going to be able to maintain my record of having a clean culture for both the m. abscesses and MAC. When I checked my cultures from my previous clinic visit in August they were negative for both bugs(for the first time). I figured I was home free. I figured wrong. Ever since I started culturing this tuberculosis-wannabe disease, my cultures have shown evidence of it within days. I guess it took the full 8 weeks for the MAC to grow this time around. This is a positive sign. It means that my disease burden is smaller. However, it is still there...
Why does this bum me out a bit? It's true that all CFer's culture bugs constantly. I already knew that I will never completely get rid of the mycobacterium. The goal is to suppress it until it's no longer visible in a culture. That means that it is being well controlled. I guess I'm frustrated, because I thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I was hoping that the end of an era was within my sights. I was told that I could start weening off of some of the drugs I'm taking after one year of clean cultures from mycobacterium. I was under the impression that the year was going to start in August. I was wrong. The year has not yet begun.
The good news is that I feel really good and my PFT's are still holding steady. I really feel like this is a good treatment plan. The other good news is that a clinical trial will be starting at my center in a few months using inhaled Arikace to treated resistant MAC. Right now the FDA put a hold on this trial, but I'm really hoping it's not for long. Dr. Dazzle said that I am at the very top of the list to be contacted when that study opens up!
Lesson learned...don't assume your culture is clean before the final reading! I'm going to try the patience thing next time.
Why does this bum me out a bit? It's true that all CFer's culture bugs constantly. I already knew that I will never completely get rid of the mycobacterium. The goal is to suppress it until it's no longer visible in a culture. That means that it is being well controlled. I guess I'm frustrated, because I thought I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I was hoping that the end of an era was within my sights. I was told that I could start weening off of some of the drugs I'm taking after one year of clean cultures from mycobacterium. I was under the impression that the year was going to start in August. I was wrong. The year has not yet begun.
The good news is that I feel really good and my PFT's are still holding steady. I really feel like this is a good treatment plan. The other good news is that a clinical trial will be starting at my center in a few months using inhaled Arikace to treated resistant MAC. Right now the FDA put a hold on this trial, but I'm really hoping it's not for long. Dr. Dazzle said that I am at the very top of the list to be contacted when that study opens up!
Lesson learned...don't assume your culture is clean before the final reading! I'm going to try the patience thing next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)