FindingHer

Dial Up Users Beware

finding_her — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:57:44 GMT

Baby steps...

finding_her — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 01:07:33 GMT

So lately I've taken up walking. Dr P has been on my case to get some form of exercise, and the lung transplant team has as well- I need to get strong so I can kick ass after transplant. However, this hasn't been easy.

It started off good- I've been mapping where I walk, so I'll know the distance. Been trying to be consistent, and at least walk a mile almost every day. It started off and it felt EASY. I felt good, only sweaty, and of course had big coughing fits, but they were okay. But the more I walk, the more out of breath I've been getting. I don't mean increasing distance- I mean the more days I do it, the harder it seems to be getting! Why does it start out easy and get harder?!

I scare the crap out of my walking partner, my friend Steph. She's asked me a few times now if I'm SURE I'm supposed to be doing this, looking at me a little warily like I'm about to pass out on her. It's funny, because I scare the crap out of normal people, but if my CF doctor could see me, she'd probably shrug and say "Good, she finally got off her couch and is getting that junk up."

finding_her — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:39:33 GMT

American Idol is having Andrew Lloyd Webber week this week...I'm wicked excited. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm a dweeb. This could be either really awesome, or terribly disappointing.

The Office was made of win this week. I laughed, and I cried, and I watched it twice. It's still on my TiVo.

Pray for our web miracle family!

finding_her — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:00:16 GMT

CF Husband Nate just posted that tonight's call for Tricia's lungs appears to be a GO. This means Tricia is being prepped for surgery, and the lungs appear to be healthy and good!

*DANCES*

If you haven't been reading along, Tricia became pregnant this past fall unexpectedly while she was testing to be placed on the lung transplant list. She couldn't list, as she and Nate chose to continue the pregnancy, and place Tricia and her baby in God's hands, despite some dire warnings. Tricia gave birth via c-section in January, to micro-premie Gwyneth. Gwyneth is growing and doing well so far, thankfully, with some minor bumps here and there.

Tricia had to be put on a ventilator after the birth, but recovered quickly from the c-section. She was placed on the transplant list, and has been waiting patiently for her chance. After over 3 months in the hospital, and one false alarm, today, on Nate's birthday, we have real hope that this is the miracle set of lungs we've been praying for! Seriously, I think about half the web is rejoicing.

See a past news story about them here, and read their blog here.

finding_her — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:20:57 GMT

So, I added this to my Facebook account, so my public entries will be updated there as well. I'm testing it out now. Supposedly if I don't want an entry to show up on my Facebook feed...a piece of toast will show up and I have to click on it after I post. Um...what?

finding_her — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 04:39:59 GMT

On Sunday, I had to admit that my port had been hurting a bit, and I had to change the needle. I was on my every six hour med, Aztreonam, so I had been hoping to wait it out till Monday, when I'd go back to one of my every 8 hour meds, Cefepime. I was out with Steph, but she kindly came back to my apartment with me to hang out after I pulled the needle. It had been in contact with my skin for too long, so it was all pink and had rubbed away a bit. Ew.

It's remained pink, and since I've been feeling pretty good, I decided it was time for a break. It's been nice- almost a week of just sleeping in, showering without having to cover my port up with a cut up ziplock bag, and feeling "normal". That said, it's going to be hard to go back to it. I know I have to, as at clinic this week, my PFTs had taken a very slight dip, but enough to remind me once again I'm on borrowed time here. I can't afford any mistakes, and I don't have the freedom to play around. It's been nearly a year since I started this regimen, and for the most part, I've been happy with it. It lets me stay home, and live life (albeit, sometimes only in the hours between meds). But the past few months, I've grown a little weary of it. A year of waking up every day for meds, going back to sleep, waking back up, disconnecting, going back to sleep, hooking up again various times a day, and the SHOWER thing- I hate having to do so much prep just to bathe. I like just stepping in the tub, and letting the water run on my skin. It's not as fun when you hear the sounds of the water hitting the plastic tarp on your chest.

Today, however, despite my dreading accessing my port again, I felt ashamed of it. One of the cystics I follow online, is a 23 year old girl named Gina, known as Pepe. She's a tower of strength that I can't fathom, that my heart aches for, and my brain can't understand. My lung function at clinic, was 30% of what a normal person's would be. Gina is living with 6%. No, that's not a typo. She lives in the hospital, sometimes having to be vented. She lives in pain, not being able to take pain meds, as they cause her O2 sats to drop even more. Her lungs bleed, and she has embolizations to stop them. She lives on, not because there's nothing to help her, but because she wants to. If she said the word, she could be given morphine, and would probably drift away. But determination, and hope, unlike any I've ever known, gets her through each day, and lets her thank her lungs, as crappy as they are, for still working enough to keep her alive. I'm humbled, and ashamed when I think of how much Gina goes through every day, and how I stupidly complain about my med schedule. Pray for Gina, if you're the praying type. She wants so much to live, and to be put out of her misery and live on. She's having a tough weekend already, and could use the thoughts.

Friends of Pepe blog

finding_her — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 17:08:21 GMT

Stephanie and I have been friends since second grade. That's a whole lot of black mail material :) She just got engaged on Saturday! I'm so happy for her! So Steph...what are the choices of what to eat at the wedding? I vote for chicken. Hehe. I love you!

Alienstranger ROCKS.

finding_her — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 08:25:43 GMT

Biiiiiiiig Thank You to alienstranger for the paid time and user pictures! It was unexpected, and sweet!!

finding_her — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 08:24:32 GMT

Things to do this season:

Decorate our apartment!
Take a drive to view Christmas lights
Visit La Salette Shrine
Hopefully attend Mass on Christmas Eve :)

finding_her — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 08:02:14 GMT

Haha, I found this picture in my photobucket. I miss my cats!

finding_her — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 15:02:46 GMT

YOU ARE THE STUPID PEOPLE.

finding_her — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 04:23:43 GMT

http://cgi.ebay.com/Ally-McBeal-Season-1-5-Ultimate-Collection-DVD-Boxset_W0QQitemZ280052872875QQihZ018QQcategoryZ617QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I WANT THAT SO BAD! I loved Ally McBeal.

finding_her — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 23:20:54 GMT

EVERYTHING is Christmas-y now :) I updated my profile and my layout today to Christmas Crazy. Yaaay!

finding_her — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 21:12:29 GMT

If I like a layout (see my pretty journal) but don't want it to affect my friends page, what do I DO?! I want to keep the layout, but it squinches pictures on my friends page :'(

finding_her — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 00:21:32 GMT

http://www.collectiblestoday.com/ct/product/prdid-1500116001.jsp?_Precious+Moments/_prod/_/_/_/_1054&endeca=true&abbr=pm&FP3#

I love nativities.

finding_her — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 06:00:48 GMT

Elijah Wood is on Conan right now, and he looks Amish. He's growing a beard/goatee thing, wearing a white shirt, and a black vest. All he needs is a hat. Hell, Elijah is even a common Amish name.

finding_her — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 05:56:34 GMT

I'm here. Tiiiiiired. Update tomorrow.

I'm bored.

finding_her — Mon, 13 Nov 2006 22:01:37 GMT

IT'S A HOSPITAL THANKSGIVING, CHARLIE BROWN!

Your doctor has decided that you should be in the hospital, despite the fact it's a holiday.
*that's ok, I don't really like most of my family anyway*

You'll probably be getting some medication to help you get better.
*MEDICATION! Good Grief*

To recieve this medication, you'll probably have to get something called an "IV".
*Will the turkey fit through there?*

There will be several staff members to help you on your journey to get well.
*Only some of them will know what they're doing*

On Thanksgiving Day, the hospital will serve a delicious, just like home Thanksgiving meal!
*I didn't know Mom served dry turkey, or served everything with an ice cream scoop*

And hopefully, one day soon, you will leave the hospital better than you came in!
*Fat chance*

finding_her — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 04:16:06 GMT

I just bought an album of San Francisco's Ballet Company's The Nutcracker :) I look forward to geeking out with my Ipod tonight. (My Ipod is named Snuffles). Should be nice, especially since Andy's in this room loudly playing Counterstrike (shooting game).

Had a dentist appointment today, my teeth are cleaned and cavity free. My mommy made me sandwhiches in hopes I'll eat them and get fat, lol. My pants don't fit.

finding_her — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 02:29:10 GMT

There's a naked picture of Yul Brenner on OH NO THEY DIDN'T.

I'm never going to watch the Ten Commandments or The King and I the same way again. Never ever. *shakes head, wishes for brain bleach, wonders why I stupidly looked*.

For My Sister:

finding_her — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 06:02:26 GMT

"Mmmm...unexplained bacon..."

Books to Read

finding_her — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 19:37:21 GMT

~~The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory~~
~~The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George~~
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Diary of a Mad Housewife by Sue Kaufman
~~Marrying Mozart by Stephanie Cowell~~
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown
~~The Awakening by Kate Chopin~~
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

Feel free to suggest stuff (not short stories though, I'm not a big fan)

finding_her — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 21:44:44 GMT

We've had Izzy for a year tonight!

finding_her — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 21:18:21 GMT

Anyone use those running water type bowls for their kitties? Andy and I were thinking about one. We have a big water thing right now, one of those "self waterers", but it gets dirty quickly and isn't easy to clean, plus we'd like to filter the cats' water. We can't use a regular bowl, because Izzy knocks them over, or pushes them around the kitchen floor till she at least gets it to splash. So whatever we get, it has to be heavy.

Good job people :)

finding_her — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:34:06 GMT

My LiveJournal Trick-or-Treat Haul
finding_her goes trick-or-treating, dressed up as 15 year old mall teeny bopper.
caurielle gives you 1 teal coffee-flavoured jawbreakers.
cookiegirlie gives you 10 softly glowing cola-flavoured pieces of taffy.
daydee gives you 18 teal cinnamon-flavoured jawbreakers.
goodg99 tricks you! You lose 1 pieces of candy!
lunassa gives you 11 red-orange grapefruit-flavoured pieces of chewing gum.
otterprincess gives you 3 blue spearmint-flavoured gumdrops.
rockgirl182 tricks you! You lose 2 pieces of candy!
sabbysteg gives you 14 orange strawberry-flavoured gumdrops.
walk0nthe0cean gives you 4 mauve orange-flavoured gummy worms.
wunderkin72 gives you 13 light orange passionfruit-flavoured pieces of bubblegum.
finding_her ends up with 71 pieces of candy.
Go trick-or-treating! Username:
Another fun meme brought to you by rfreebern.