Hi Everyone!

As important as this subject is to me, I must admit to feeling awkward in asking anything of any of you, in that I have not posted in quite some time.

I am know that there are many here that have hearts of gold and can relate to the struggles and challenges of illness.

Many of you are aware of this beautiful song from Martina McBride, "I'm Gonna Love You Through It.  The second woman being interviewed is Taira Johnson Baughman and it saddens me to say that her cancer reoccurred after this video and song were released.  She has been enduing the ravages of her Stage 4 diagnosis and treatment and recently underwent surgery, after being told that she had two weeks to two months to live with out it.  She is an incredible woman of strength and intense faith.  Her journey through this humbles and inspires me.

May I ask that you send a card to her?  I think all here will agree that you don't need to know a person to demonstrate a sincere act of love and kindness.  She is a loving wife and mother of four children.  Certainly, the finical implications have been devastating.  Taira recently posted her concerns over her husband sustaining loss of half a months wages to be with her at this time.  Certainly, donations are needed and appreciated, if you can do so.

I realize that one must be cautious with donations these days.  I am providing some links to assure you that this is a legit cause, and by all means, if you require any additional proof, please message me.  I take no offense to this what so ever, no credible person would.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYNOXRifXKQ

There is a prayer devotional to here at Martina's website with several links provided there.

http://www.martinamcbride.com/forum/back_room/2518303?h=l#post_24061053

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=m_yN1FybQKU

http://hehashealed.me/faq/



Thank you and God bless,

Carolyn


I acknowledge that medical info should be regarded as private and confidential.  Taira has previously consented for the sharing of this info and much of what I am posting is accessible to the public.

So sorry, don't get a chance to be here often, but wanted to pass this on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBgPnn9UDos&feature=player_detailpage

Not happy at all that I did not receive notice of this in enough time to enter.  I actually learned from a friend that she heard about this.  I went to this site as soon as I heard about it, which was only less than 2 hours before it started.

Like many, I was not in my hotel room and around my laptop much more than to sleep and shower.  Once back in the hotel, it was usually after spending 12-14 hours downtown and was too exhausted to be on fan sites when I returned.  Like many, I also have a smart phone and would check my emails on a fairly regular basis.  Due to it being so loud downtown, it was via email or messaging that was my form of communication.  It could be quite challenging to retain enough of a cell phone battery to do that by night time, I was only able to have a battery left battery left to do such by getting quick charges while I was eating in a restaurant.

I wish that we would have been sent email notification of this event, just like with other events with AJ.  I would have rearranged any plans to meet FC members and enjoy AJ's music and celebrate his new release.

Giving thanks for those that gave their lives to protect and serve this country.  Saying a prayer for the families and friends grieving of their fallen soldiers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZfF9Q1uDRp0


 

Dave Barry is one of my fave humorists, he wrote for the Miami Herald until a few years ago.  His writing has won a Pulitzer prize.  Feel confident that no one will take offense to this or think that I am minimizing the importance of such a necessary procedure.  Quite the contrary, I think that humor can help in these situations.

Let me know if any of you wants a printable pdf file sent to you.



Dave Barry's Colonoscopy


I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy.
A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis.

Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner.

I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!”

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a produce called, “MoviPrep,” which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven.

I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous.

Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation.

In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid foods that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, but with with less taste.

Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You take two packets of powder together in a one liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those of you unfamiliar with the metric system, one liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes—and I am being kind here—like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after your drink it, “a loose, watery bowel movement may result.

This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative, I don't want to be too graphic, here, but; have you ever seen a space shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must totally be empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating foods that you have not eaten yet.

After an action packed evening, I finally got to sleep.

The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, “What if I spurt on Andy?” How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic, I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with what ever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts; the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you actually are naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily, I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people out vodka in their MoviPrep.

At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in Full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000 foot tube, but I knew Andy had hidden it around somewhere.

I was seriously nervous at this point.

Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand.

There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was “Dancing Queen” by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, “Dancing Queen” had to be the least appropriate.

“You want me to turn it up?” said Andy, from somewhere behind me. “Ha ha,” I said. And then it was time; the moment that I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea! Really! I slept through it! One moment ABBA was yelling, “Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,” and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking how I felt. I felt excellent....I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.




On the subject of colonoscopies.......

A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made buy his patients (predominately male) while he was preforming their colonoscopies.

{Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous}

1. “Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!”
2. “Find Amelia Earhart yet?
3. “Can you hear me now?”
4. “Are we there yet, are we there yet, are we there yet?”
5. “You know, in Arkansas, we're legally married.”
6. “Any sign of trapped miners?”
7. “You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...”
8. “Hey! Now I know how a muppet feels!”
9. “If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!”
10. “Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.”
11. “You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?”
12. “God, now I know why I am not gay.”

And the best one of all,

“Could you write a note for my wife and tell her that my head is not up there?”

Trying to save money for trip to Nashville for my first CMA fest, have been doing so since the fall.  I know that I am like the many that find saving money increasingly challenging.  Gas is a $3.99 average here, many gas stations are positing prices of $4.05  Florida power and light has sent notice of another rate increase, my basic car insurance for my 11 year clunker, (without any tickets or accidents) is almost $140 here in Miami!  Regretfully, we have a lot of fraud here!  A news station did a report not long ago, their helicopters filmed the many cars that have been ditched into canals around the outskirts of Miami.  Apparently, the trend here is to drive your car into a canal if you can't make payments, and report it as stolen!   You got it, we all pay dearly for this!

Trying to keep things in perspective, thankful that I have a job, roof over my head and food to eat, so many can not say this in the world.  Looking forward to meeting some friends in Nashville and having some fun, perhaps climbing the proverbial mountain that it is taking to get there will make it even more rewarding.

I am so sorry for your loss!  Prayers being sent for all those affected.

I hope that you are able to follow your heart and make this trip!

I have several concerns regarding your diabetes and back problem.  As you know, food and the proper timing of eating is like medicine to a diabetic.  Please make sure that your hotel room has a fridge and you make a trip to the grocery store asap to meet dietary needs.

A 12.5 hour trip is challenging for a health back, please be careful, you need to stretch a lil' every few hours and pad that car seat with comfort!!  I am uncertain as to if you have any specific lodging in mind.  If you are looking, feel free to contact me, I am very good at hotwire, etc. searches.  I always go to the company's website, etc. and look at the pics of the room and call the hotel with any questions.  I don't know if you require a wheelchair.  Even if you don't require one on a regular basis, it would be a good idea to have one on hand for any unexpected extended walking or standing.  Of course, if you have a w/c, please see that your hotel room is w/c friendly.

Not sure how long you will be staying, your arrival time is just prior to CMA fest.  I will be there then too, arriving on 6/2 or 6/3.  I will be happy to message you with my phone number if you will be there then.  I know several locals there and others that I will be meeting there that go to CMA fest every year.

I have been trying to save money for over 6 months for this trip and I know that money can go so quickly on vacations.  Are you taking a laptop with you and/or do you have a web enabled phone?  Many of us use Groupon for local discounts, but you can be on the alert for specials outside of your city too.  Another that I use is restaurant.com, just type in the zip.  With restaurant.com, you have to be careful to watch for restrictions on weekends or holidays, some have restrictions on food tab only, no alcohol, etc.  Lol, some have no restrictions.  What they offer can vary from month to month, I suspect that less will be offered in Nashville come CMA fest, when so many are paying regular prices, could be wrong.  These coupons tend to have long expiration dates, will likely snag some a month in advance.  With either of those choices, they have phone app's, so you do not need to worry about printing if you have a smart phone.

http://www.restaurant.com/consumer-promotion/search_dlp-new11.asp?utm_medium=cpc&raid=1150&prti=4252&utm_campaign=Branded&utm_source=google&s_kwcid=TC|7304|restaurant.com||S|e|8713271087&mkwid=srjop1nj8&utm_term=restaurant.com&pcrid=8713271

Don't hesitate to let me know if I can help.  Sorry for my medical rant, I have a very maternal side.

Love a steel guitar!  Certainly The Strayhorns are admired by all of us.  Jerry Douglas is another fave of mine. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gukFvG8VbK4

I am going to my first CMA fest this June.  So excited!  Is anyone else going?  This will be my first time seeing AJ live.  Hoping that Vince Gill plays too.  He and Alan share equal parts of my heart.

Does AJ hold any kind of event for his fans?

I don't get a chance to be on here much anymore, but certainly prayers being sent!

Practical joke played on Alan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4K1tfANRnhI

Lovin' this song!!!!!!!  Pffft, yeah, right, I Don't have to love AJ anymore!  LOL!

Happy New Year everyone!  Hope you are inspired by the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=9bKwRW0l-Qk#t=18s

Happy Birthday Sharon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4AC3sZB-v7Q