Saturday, July 26, 2008
Tales from Tracey Lu-
Current mood: aggravated
Category: Life
Gather 'round kiddies, its time for another adventure from the Tales of Tracey....starring little Tracey Lu (which makes me sound like I should be asian but I am -so- not). Are you comfy? Got your snack and cuppy? Great! Then off we go....
Friday finds our young (kinda) adventurer off to therapy once more. When she gets there she happily pronounces that all the icky oozing that has plagued her since October of last year (I swear, I thought it would go away eventually..wrong!) has stopped! Done! Finito! Yay, oh happy day! The therapist took some measurements and declared that Tracey lost a total of 5000ml of fluid from her legs (2.5 full 2 liter bottles) and she is done with the therapy after just 2 weeks. Of course it took 4 months of going to other doctors to getting the wrong advice and treatment to finally get to the person who could make it better in 2 weeks...details! This is of course wonderful news but begs the question, ummmmm- now what? The answer to that question is ongoing maintenace and reduction (yes there is is still more to lose) using "simple tools". The asst therapist then produces what looks like a sausage casing/pantyhose from hell looking thing. She explains that this is what will now be "day wear". They are compression garments which will not allow for the fluid to re-accumulate in Tracey's lower legs. They are short stretch like the banadages and thus extremely difficult to tug on and off. In fact, there are tools to putting the things on...they are: a wax paper shoe (to help slide them over the foot and heel) and then to get them into place, grippy rubber gloves. Finally to keep them from rolling down- a sticky roll on substance to glue them to the top of her calf (just under the kneecaps). So a demo of how to put these things on follows and while they are thick and hideous at least they allow for movement than the 5 layer burrito that the bandages are....and it is still summer in Phoenix so Tracey is pleased (oh, and its all for the low low price of $70). However.... (que dramatic music) do not think the bandages have left the building! They are still a critical part of the process and must be worn everynight. This is the new reality for our heroine and will be little Tracey's everyday life until.......?
So with new sexy stockings donned she is off to enjoy the freedom of NOT walking like a penguin and feeling somewhat normal again even though while her toes and free and wiggling from the front of her flip flops one would have to take a double take at the off brown color that her heel and ankles are cuz clearly she is not -that- tan and not just her feet! Oh happy happy day! She drives back to her high powered job and into her office (which was occupied by a weeping, sobbing coworker who had the door to Tracey's office shut and was clearly in the middle of some drama- ahem, leave please!) and plopped down to begin her bandage free day! She begins to notice a tightness and a pinching sensation...no matter.. she think, I am free and swings her legs to the tunes on the radio. Ten minutes later pinching was become searing pain and after 2 conversations where she couldn't even hear what was being said due to the pain, poor Tracey had to rip off the stocking from her left leg which had been digging into the newly healing flesh where the icky oozing had just stopped. Now dizzy from the pain Tracey called the therapist who was sad to hear about the pain but was not sure what to do....Tracey volunteered that she was just going to go back to the wrapping for that leg until that skin was in better shape and could handle the pressure of the stocking a bit more. The therapist agreed and with that they both rode off into the sunset...where at home Tracey took off her other stocking to wrap it that night and managed to poke her finger through the stocking creating a $70 hole.
....The End
So here is what I learned from this little tale. Doctors, therapist, nutritionists all know shit. Taking care of yourself is the hardest job in the world and you have to work at it everyday. And....most importantly....you can only ever, EVER rely on yourself.
Seriously, you have to take every scrap of information you get from so called "experts" put it all through your own bullshit-o-meter and FIGURE IT OUT. Cuz with all the info and different opinions and just plain wrong and dangerous things you get told, when it is all said and done there is no one who does (or at least SHOULD) care as much about your health and well being as you. It takes constant vigilence and active work to keep up with what you need to do to keep your mind and body healthy and there is so much that will get in your way. The big question I have and keep going back to is....why the HELL didn't anyone ever explain this to me before now!!?
Make no mistake, we are all in a battle kids....with time, with experts and most of all with ourselves cuz most people will never ever get out of their own way and do the things they need to do
Tales from Tracey Lu-
Current mood: aggravated
Category: Life
Gather 'round kiddies, its time for another adventure from the Tales of Tracey....starring little Tracey Lu (which makes me sound like I should be asian but I am -so- not). Are you comfy? Got your snack and cuppy? Great! Then off we go....
Friday finds our young (kinda) adventurer off to therapy once more. When she gets there she happily pronounces that all the icky oozing that has plagued her since October of last year (I swear, I thought it would go away eventually..wrong!) has stopped! Done! Finito! Yay, oh happy day! The therapist took some measurements and declared that Tracey lost a total of 5000ml of fluid from her legs (2.5 full 2 liter bottles) and she is done with the therapy after just 2 weeks. Of course it took 4 months of going to other doctors to getting the wrong advice and treatment to finally get to the person who could make it better in 2 weeks...details! This is of course wonderful news but begs the question, ummmmm- now what? The answer to that question is ongoing maintenace and reduction (yes there is is still more to lose) using "simple tools". The asst therapist then produces what looks like a sausage casing/pantyhose from hell looking thing. She explains that this is what will now be "day wear". They are compression garments which will not allow for the fluid to re-accumulate in Tracey's lower legs. They are short stretch like the banadages and thus extremely difficult to tug on and off. In fact, there are tools to putting the things on...they are: a wax paper shoe (to help slide them over the foot and heel) and then to get them into place, grippy rubber gloves. Finally to keep them from rolling down- a sticky roll on substance to glue them to the top of her calf (just under the kneecaps). So a demo of how to put these things on follows and while they are thick and hideous at least they allow for movement than the 5 layer burrito that the bandages are....and it is still summer in Phoenix so Tracey is pleased (oh, and its all for the low low price of $70). However.... (que dramatic music) do not think the bandages have left the building! They are still a critical part of the process and must be worn everynight. This is the new reality for our heroine and will be little Tracey's everyday life until.......?
So with new sexy stockings donned she is off to enjoy the freedom of NOT walking like a penguin and feeling somewhat normal again even though while her toes and free and wiggling from the front of her flip flops one would have to take a double take at the off brown color that her heel and ankles are cuz clearly she is not -that- tan and not just her feet! Oh happy happy day! She drives back to her high powered job and into her office (which was occupied by a weeping, sobbing coworker who had the door to Tracey's office shut and was clearly in the middle of some drama- ahem, leave please!) and plopped down to begin her bandage free day! She begins to notice a tightness and a pinching sensation...no matter.. she think, I am free and swings her legs to the tunes on the radio. Ten minutes later pinching was become searing pain and after 2 conversations where she couldn't even hear what was being said due to the pain, poor Tracey had to rip off the stocking from her left leg which had been digging into the newly healing flesh where the icky oozing had just stopped. Now dizzy from the pain Tracey called the therapist who was sad to hear about the pain but was not sure what to do....Tracey volunteered that she was just going to go back to the wrapping for that leg until that skin was in better shape and could handle the pressure of the stocking a bit more. The therapist agreed and with that they both rode off into the sunset...where at home Tracey took off her other stocking to wrap it that night and managed to poke her finger through the stocking creating a $70 hole.
....The End
So here is what I learned from this little tale. Doctors, therapist, nutritionists all know shit. Taking care of yourself is the hardest job in the world and you have to work at it everyday. And....most importantly....you can only ever, EVER rely on yourself.
Seriously, you have to take every scrap of information you get from so called "experts" put it all through your own bullshit-o-meter and FIGURE IT OUT. Cuz with all the info and different opinions and just plain wrong and dangerous things you get told, when it is all said and done there is no one who does (or at least SHOULD) care as much about your health and well being as you. It takes constant vigilence and active work to keep up with what you need to do to keep your mind and body healthy and there is so much that will get in your way. The big question I have and keep going back to is....why the HELL didn't anyone ever explain this to me before now!!?
Make no mistake, we are all in a battle kids....with time, with experts and most of all with ourselves cuz most people will never ever get out of their own way and do the things they need to do
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