Not outta the woods yet

Last Thursday, I went back to see my sinus surgeon in his office attached to Mt. Sinai. Well, apparently this follow-up was not the end of this whole sinus saga for me. Turns out, they cultured something called pseudomonas from the infection he took out of my sphenoid and it's a tricky little bug. The Augmentin he had me on was not the right one for this sucker (I was a bit dismayed that I spent 9 days on this strong antibiotic, when he could have put a call into me after the culture came back to switch it.) So, now I am on Levaquin for 2 weeks, and have to go back a week after that. If my post nasal drip cough is any barometer, methinks this one isn't working either, even though it's supposed to work for this bug. The Ceftin my local ENT put me on in August worked great, but as soon as I stopped, the cough/drip came back. I'm wondering if we can go back to that if this Levaquin doesn't work and because he removed all that thick stuff that was stuck in that sinus for so long, maybe it would work this time and kick it completely. (TMI alert) I will just have to stay close to bathrooms while on it. I hope I don't have to do a month on strong antibiotics. I did this surgery to avoid that and hence avoid risking C-dif. The doc scoped my sinuses again and drained them too. What a treat that was. OWEEE. He uses this rigid scope (read; long, thin, metal rod) and he's got that thing halfway through my head, it seems. They shoot this anesthetic up your nose first, it drips in your throat and tastes awful, and it still is an uncomfortable procedure. I just keep telling myself, "could be worse." I was so dizzy and spaced out from the procedure and the elevators, I almost fell over while waiting for a restroom downstairs. I will get to experience this lovely procedure again at my next visit. Joy, happy Joy.

MM news. Tim had his check-up 2 Fridays ago, the same week of my surgery. We met the new doctor that came to us from Mt. Sinai. Noa Byran, I think her name is. Nice. Young. Seems to know her stuff. Tim's m-spike went up more than the 1 or 2 hundredths that it has been going up. It went up .07 this time to bring him to .31. I asked her about MRIs. He has not had any bone studies in a few years and even though he did not present with a lot of bone damage with his MM, I don't want to take any chances that it's happening now, with his numbers rising, and we're missing it. He has back pain all the time from degenerative disc disease and his profession, so he might not notice bone pain creeping in. She agreed it was a good idea. Preferred a PET, but I would rather save that and not have him go through all that radiation and being shot up with the isotopes unless it was really necessary. It sucked to see a bigger jump. Not gonna lie. I'm wondering how much longer this respite from chemo is going to last. It doesn't look like much longer, but, still praying things go slow. I bought him curcumin. As always, he hasn't taken it. Got a collection of stuff like that. *sigh*

Family news: We saw the out-laws for the 1st time in 6 months the other night. They came to a home football game to see Liv cheer. SO strange. Have not seen them since my father-in-law made a scene at Liv's last softball game of the season and we both let him have it. It's really unbelievable how many events they have ruined for us over a span of many years, including our wedding. They are just miserable to be around and have no respect for anyone. I was glad to go 6 months, and longer would have been fine with me. Neither one of them have any control over their tempers and they're like loose cannons. My parents were at the game too, sitting with Tim and me. His parents wound up sitting 3 rows in front of us. There was no room on our bleacher when they got there and I made darn sure I had people on either side of me so there was no chance I'd wind up right next to them. I looked at the back of their heads, as they sat there alone, and thought, "you did this to yourself." I dunno, I can't even imagine going 6 months not seeing your own kid. And, he's sick besides. Whatever. My dad went down and talked to them during halftime. He went to high school with them. Tim didn't even go down to see them. He said a few words to them after the game, while I went over to talk to Liv, and they left. On my side of the family, I have not spoken to my older sister in several months. Have not seen her since she threw that tantrum in the middle of our kid's sweet 16 trip at the end of June. It occurs to me the amount of times she has said she was appalled at how Tim's family continually kicks us when we're down, and then..........Hmmm. She tore a page right outta their playbook. She found out about my surgery and told her husband she was going to write me a letter to try to patch things up. Apparently, she chickened out. I really didn't want the added drama while I was nearing my surgery date anyway. I just don't get people. I really don't. I have little patience anymore for adults who throw tantrums like children. The irony is not lost on me that she and her husband are my out-laws best friends now. They have the VT thing in common, as well as their selfish personalities. It is not that I WANT to hold grudges against people. I don't find anything fun about this, being angry, disappointed. But, how do you forget someone ruining something THAT important in your life? She knew what it meant to us. How do you ever trust that person again when they have shown themselves capable of doing something so darn rotten? My sister has always been selfish. It's a fact she'd have a hard time denying herself. But, this was just too much. Sadly, it changed the way I feel about her, and I believe Tim feels the same way. Sometimes I sit and think about the amount of people who have screwed me over in my life and I think, "maybe it's me" but, the truth is, though there were toxic people I had to take out of my life, I can't think of anyone who walked away from me. I'm not perfect by a long shot, but, I am a good friend, and sister, and daughter, and my in-laws have lost all their friends, and my sister lost her old friends too, due to her lack of interest in their lives. I guess a lot of people are just the "fair weather" variety and when the shit hits the fan, they don't want to be there for people. Sad, very sad. Our families are so fractured. My other sister had not been in contact with our whole family for several years now. Word has it, she and her long time boyfriend are getting married, and no one from her family will be there, not even her 2 kids. I just heard that my cousin and his wife are not speaking with my aunt, after a big blow-up, and she lives in an apartment they built on to their house! It's everywhere. It really is. It is so rare to see a family where everyone gets along and there are no rifts. But, as adults, I think people have to realize that you can't shoot off your mouth and say whatever you want. There are consequences and you just can't un-ring those bells. As the holidays approach, these fractures dictate where you go, who you see, etc. There are lots of families I know who won't all be together this year, and it's all because of people who were incapable of holding their tongues and said and did things that were just unforgettable. It really is such a shame and I find myself being so disgusted with it all lately. It boggles my mind just how selfish and lacking in compassion so many people can be. I can't even wrap my brain around what their thought processes are. Why would I want to?