Curious Carly Goes To The Doctor, And The Doctor Says...

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly."

-Buddha

On Thursday of last week, I went to see my medical doctor, for my 6 month Fibromyalgia once over. Everything is the same, meaning I still have Fibromyalgia, but with the warm weather of summer, I am doing a little better as far as the pain associated with it goes. There is only so much that can realistically be done with it, and I am learning to accept those bad days. I am not sure I will ever fully understand why I "airhead" so badly sometimes, but if nothing else, it can certainly be colorful. :) The blood pressure has been brought under control. I finally found the right medication for that. It is a little peach colored pill called Lisinopril. My doctor was thrilled with my latest B/P reading of 129/82. :) Success!

Now for the unpleasant part. I have to have surgery. FRET! I think I have mentioned her before that I have an allergy to aluminum chlorhydrate, an ingredient found in most antiperspirants. It was first diagnosed back in the early 1990's, when I felt a lump under my arm, and felt some pain. I had the pain for about 3 months or so, before I finally called the doctor. By the time I got an appointment, I had developed a hole under each arm. Bother! There wasn't much that could be done by then, so the doctor advised me to stop using antiperspirants/deodorants immediately, and use only a mild soap and water instead. I did, but the damage was done. I have been living with these sores since then. It's not always bad, it can be controlled with antibiotics pretty well, but sometimes it can be so uncomfortable.



My doctor examined my arms again Thursday, and we had a long talk about what would probably be best for my over all health. Because of the infections that tend to come up, my white blood count is almost always elevated. That's not too healthy, as it only exacerbates those times when my Fibromyalgia zaps my energy. There were some days this last winter, when I literally slept 17 hours a day, and woke up with very little energy. We think the one is playing off the other. So, surgery to remove my sweat glands, and a couple lymph nodes, is what the doctor is ordering. Sigh.

YIKES! JUST YIKES! It will mean a 5-7 day stay in the hospital, and a 6-8 week recovery time. Because they will be removing the glands from under both arms, my picture taking time will be cut dramatically. Again YIKES! I think I have mentioned once or twice, that I would rather take pictures then breathe. LOL. Sigh. I don't know, there are so many pros and cons to having the surgery. Frankly, some of the information I have been reading about aluminum chlorhydrate, is down right frightening. I have no idea how it can even be allowed in products considered safe. I have read numerous articles linking it to Alzheimer's Disease and breast cancer. The beauty/health market is getting better about providing alternatives to products containing it, but not enough awareness about it's dangers is made available. Sigh. Although, when you think about it, how good could a product be, that blocks the release of toxins from the body?

Oh well. It's always something. And as scared as I am of having surgery, I guess it makes sense to do so. I go in on Monday for a blood test, where everything possible will be checked. I should be little more then dust when they are done with me. Fun. And I have an appointment with a surgeon scheduled in a couple weeks. I am hoping that I can maybe have it done after the first of the year. I have the garden in full swing, and autumn is the one time of the year I live for. I don't want to have to miss it. Besides, I am usually hibernating in the winter anyway, so it seems like it would be the perfect time for recovering from surgery, but I don't know if the doctor will go for that or not.

Alan has been wonderful about it. He just wants me healthy and to feel better. He even promised to send me flowers in the hospital, and we are negotiating a new teddy bear to keep me company. Yes, I am a grown woman who still depends on the kindness of teddy bears. After all, I won't have Elvis there to hold my hand. LOL. I don't care how much pain I am in, I am planning to take my camera with me! They will have to pry it out of my hand as I go into surgery. LOL. My camera goes everywhere I go, because you just never know when art might just turn up. :) Life is an adventure to be sure, but surgery is such a scary word, I wonder, can I do this?. :(

Antiperspirant: Link To Breast Cancer?

Deodorants May Pose A Major Health Risk

-OndineMonet
"Weird Hospital Tools"
July 19, 2007
Afternoon