Spider Vein Treatment - Laser vs. Needle

I started getting spider vein treatments about two years ago with the needle injections. Earlier this year I bought a groupon for spider vein treatment by laser. I had my first laser treatment a few days ago. I am NOT happy. 


Sure the thought of a needle may freak some people out but the vein dies right away. They also hit so many veins in a short period of time. With the laser they have to numb the area and it takes just sooooo much longer. I would have to say one 30 minute treatment with the needles is equal to four to six 30 minute treatments with the laser.


Now there are some benefits to the laser. There is no massive bruising if you are going for the deeper veins. The small purple ones on the surface do not bruise. The deep blue veins do sting afterwards for a few hours. With the laser there is no stinging afterwards. However I just cannot justify the amount of time and money for the laser. Going forward I am only going with the needle injections.

Botox

I finally tried Botox...and I love it. 

So if you never had Botox before here is what to expect. The injections do not hurt. If anything there is a little stinging which does not last very long. When you leave the office there will be lumps on your faces that quickly go away. The muscles do not start paralyzing until 3 to 5 days after the injections. It was kind of fun trying to move the muscles and I could not. I no longer can make a mean face so Tony does not know when I am mad at him. I can't make that face no matter how hard I try. Full effects of Botox show in two weeks which is this coming Friday for me. The wrinkles in my forehead really have disappeared. Tony...every birthday, Valentine's Day, and Christmas, please get me Botox!

Ocoplastic Surgery

The chef of ocoplastic surgery at Duke performed the closure on my face. She did a wonderful job cutting the skin in a certain pattern so it heals with minimal scarring. The first picture was from right after the surgery and the second was from this morning. You can hardly tell from a distance and with a little makeup. The stitches come out in a week. Right after the surgery some Bitch at Steinmart (where I was shopping waiting for my prescription to be filled) had the never to say to me "It looks like someone gotcha good." I looked at her and said "yeah...skin cancer." Next time I get a comment like that I suppose I should say "You should see the other guy."

Mohs Surgery

I had the Mohs surgery today to remove the basal cell skin cancer. I am very lucky because they only had to cut once and were able to get it all. A lot of people end up being in the office all day with constant back and forth cutting more out until they get it all. They also did not have to go very deep. With basal cell skin cancer it typically goes down to the bone. Let this be a lesson to all you reading to not ignore bumps and lumps on your body. This was only there for six months before I went in. Some people wait years and end up with extremely large areas taken off their face. Here is what it looks like now. Tomorrow I see the ocoplastic surgeon to close it up.

Tony Joins in on Skin Cancer

After I found out about my skin cancer I sent Tony into the dermatologist for a full body check. He got is results back today for one of the moles sent off. The mole came back as dysplasia - the pre-stages for melanoma. I am so glad they caught is in time. He goes back in a few weeks to have more skin dug out of his leg to remove all the dysplasia. We sure would have looked like a funny couple if we had not gone into the doctor for the spots that just did not look right on us. We would have looked like pirates. Tony with a peg leg and me with one eye. I think when I go back to work after my surgery I am going to have to borrow Tony's Jack Sparrow wig since I will have an eye patch on.

I did find out I will need eye lid reconstruction. The first day is removing all the cancer and doing what plastic surgery they can to fix my face. My eye lid will still be an open wound until the next day so I get to sport the awesome eye patch. The second day I will be at Duke Cancer Center getting my eye lid reconstructed. Fun stuff. If only they included Botox in the price.

If you are reading this please schedule a full body check with your dermatologist!

Skin Cancer Sucks

Two weeks ago I found out I have basal cell skin cancer below my eye. This was traumatizing to me given they will have to cut out my skin below my eyelid and possible reconstruct my eyelid. This type of skin cancer is not the kind that transfers to the organs. That is melanoma. I went into the doctor thinking I had a skin tag. What I have is not what you think skin cancer looks like. This was not a mole. It was a very small skin colored bump not even a half inch below my eye. I thought it was a skin tag which is what I originally went in for. While it does really suck this is on my face I also am very fortunate it is on my face otherwise I would have ignored it. My surgery is scheduled for April 9.

The following day after finding out about my skin cancer I received deviating news. My dog Sydney has melanoma skin cancer. I took her in for a bump on her skin about the size of a quarter. Who would have thought dogs get skin cancer. The day of her surgery they found another spot of skin cancer starting. It also traveled to her lymph node. The lymph node in the groin on a dog is about the size of the tip of your pinkie finger. Hers was about the size of a soft ball. This all took only a matter of a week and a half. She was a normal dog before. I cannot believe how fast it grew.

The day we brought her home from surgery

She had her surgery to remove the cancer. It came back at stage three which gives her about 6 months to live. I have been so worried about her that I really have not even paid too much attention to my skin cancer. I am having a hard time getting her to eat. She looks so depressed. I just cannot stand seeing her like this. Right now I am focusing on getting her healed from her surgery and then keeping her comfortable for the remainder of her life. 

Jack realizing what is wrong with her

Surgery Update

Warning: Not for people with weak stomachs

It has been a week and two days since my surgery and I am NOT having a great time. I have four incisions. Two healed up nicely and the other two are infected. I already had both of the stitches replaced twice. Yesterday was the day to take them out. I decided to cut the string on my own and pull it out with tweezers. I cut the first one and puss started oozing out. There is still a gaping hole. If I stuck my finger in it I probably could have felt an ovary.

Of course this is all my fault to begin with. I should never have attempted to vacuum my entire house not even 24 hours after surgery. The two that are infected are the ones that bled after vacuuming. They original stitches were with glue.

Right now I am on antibiotics to help clear up the infection. I had to use surgical strips to hold the openings together. The doctor did not want to glue it or restitch with the infection. Bad thing is I am allergic to adhesives so my skin is on fire. Hoping for a better week to come.

10/2/11 Update: This picture may gross out some of you. The redness is from my adhesive allergy. This picture was taken Saturday night and the surgical strips were pulled off Friday morning. They were only on for two days. My skin still looks the same. The areas I circled in green are from previous surgeries for endometriosis. The scars healed up nicely. The one circled in blue is one of four incisions from my current surgery that healed up with no problems. And then there is the obvious one that is infected. The other infected incision on the other side looks the same.

Endometriosis Round Three

Monday I had my third surgery to clean out my endometriosis. I had a surgery in 2004 where they found about three spots on my fallopian tubes that caused major pain. In 2007 I had my second surgery and my pelvic area was littered with endometriosis. A few months ago I started getting more pain again. The same familiar pain of endometriosis.

I saw my regular OBGYN and she sent me to a specialist that performs a new type of surgery on endometriosis using a robot. They ended up not finding a lot this go around. One small spot on my fallopian tube. There is a questionable lesion they found and sent it off to the lab for testing. Endometriosis can make the pelvic area very sticky. It caused my ovary to attach to my colon. Over two years ago I started having bad digestive problems I hope this fixes it!

Waking up from surgery was not the best experience. I had an allergic reaction to one of the drugs they injected in my IV. My throat was swelling, I could not breathe, and my legs broke out in hives. My vision was blurry but I could make out there were around 4 to 5 people around me trying to calm me down. They put a breathing mask over me. I kept screaming I can't breathe with what little bit of energy I had. They gave me a benedryl shot and I started getting better. I was a scary experience. I never woke up from anesthesia like that before.

I do not do well with pain meds. While it makes most people look like they are stoned and sleepy for me I turn into a mad cleaning person with ADHD. I took two pain pills the night I got home and was up at 1 AM working like a mad woman cleaning the house, playing on the computer, and doing paper work. Tony was not so thrilled about hearing me up all night but after me not getting a good night sleep for a month and a half after his accident he can deal with it. Every time I would get ready to relax something else bothered me I had to clean. Like the cat hair building up under the bed. I decided to paint my nails so I was forced to relax. `I finally passed out in bed at 11:30 AM and slept until 5.

I am at home trying to relax now. Stupid me volunteered to go back to work on Thursday. I hope I can make it. Normally I would not have a problem taking off the full week needed but since I am quitting I want to make sure I get everything wrapped up. Ah, yes I am quitting. That is another blog post.

Job, Accident, and Vacation Updates

This week I was transferred to the integration team as a project manager at work. I still have to perform my regular job duties as well. This new role I will also be assuming is going to be an awesome experience and great for my resume. We basically are building a new bank and I am part of it. So happy. My work has been so amazing too with all the support they gave me during Tony's accident.

Tony is back a work now. We are lucky he has a desk job or he would be out of work for a really long time. He is not as tired as he used to be. We were able to go out to dinner this past weekend. I have to do the yard work for another month and a half. With yard work and housework it is really exhausting!

We decide to go to Florida in October when Tony should be feeling much better. It is not Aruba but it will do for now. We may also take a long weekend somewhere local but are not sure where yet.

Good-Bye Harley

All State declared Tony's Harley a total loss. They are sending us a check for the value and Saturday Tony and I will go to the local Harley dealer and pull off all of his after market items. We should not come out too bad after selling the parts and the money we are getting for the bike is more than we owe. It will take care of his medical bills and then the rest can get shoved in the savings account. I am so glad we have good medical insurance.

Tony keeps progressing with his recovery. He is gaining back the use of his left arm. He cannot lift anything with the arm right now but it is good to see he is getting some range of motion. We went for a walk last night. Only made it a few blocks before he became tired. It is slow progress.

Tony's Surgery

Thursday Tony went to see my orthopaedic doctor for a second opinion on his collar bone. Friday he went in for surgery to repair it. We are so happy the doctor wanted to operate. Tony's biggest fear was his collar bone not healing properly and being deformed. By fixing his collar bone it will help his shoulder blade heal better as well.

So my birthday present on Friday was Tony getting fixed up. I cannot complain since he is alive and getting better.

Saturday was a difficult day for Tony. The morphine wore off and he was in a lot of pain even on his pain medication. Around 1 PM a power grid went out and we were without power for 2.5 hours. It was over 100 degrees outside. We were very lucky our house did not heat up that badly in the time the power was out.

Sunday Tony had a better day. He was able to shower and take off his bandages. Our neighbor brought over BBQ pork ribs and mac and cheese for dinner. It was so nice of her to do that.

I wear a lot of sun dresses around the house and Tony enjoys lifting them up with his cane. Glad even with his pain he still has a sense of humor.

Our trip to Aruba is now canceled. I filed the paper work over the weekend. We are considering going somewhere in November for a long weekend just to get away for a while. He should be in good condition by then for some swimming and relaxing. We just need to figure out where now.

I received the quote from Harley to fix his bike. There is $11,000 in damages. My guess will be our insurance company junks the bike. They are going to look at it sometime this week.

Tony's Motorcyle Accident

Thursday morning I was still at home sick. My boss was letting me work from home so I would not get the rest of the office sick. I had an allergic reaction to both medications I was given so my bronchitis and pink eye are still healing on their own.

A little after 6:30 in the morning my phone rang. Normally I do not answer my phone but given the time of day I got out of bed and picked up the phone. It was a woman who said she was with Tony and Tony was in an accident. Tony took his motorcycle that morning to work. She put Tony on the phone and he was screaming in pain but it just hearing his voice and knowing he was alert helped keep me much calmer than I would have been.

I knew it would take a while for Tony to get to the hospital and a bunch of tests before I could even see him so I went to the bike first on my way to the hospital. I took all of his things out of the saddle bags so no one could steal them. His accident was on the news and advertised to criminals where it was. Even a news helicopter was over him.

When I got to the hospital I really thought Tony would not be in that bad of condition given his bike was not very messed up and since I was able to talk to him earlier. When I was finally able to see him I immediately had to keep strong so I would not scare him. He broke his collar bone, shattered his shoulder blade, his lung collapsed, and he had a lot of road rash. The doctors were still examining him when I was there so I did not know everything at that point but with his screaming I could tell it was not good.

We were at the hospital for four days. A lot happened in that time and most of it is a blur. We had friends that visited Tony and I think it was good for him to laugh with his friends. For the most part we had wonderful nurses that cared for him but there was one bad one that was removed from his case after I had a word with her and her manager.

Sunday we were able to go home. We stopped at Walgreens to get his medication. During that time some piece of trash slammed his car door into mine and dented it. Tony was in the car when it happened. When I confronted the guy about it he denied it and when I asked for an apology he threatened Tony fully knowing I had just picked him up from the hospital. Let me tell you – that instinct for the mother bear to protect her young kicked in. I was ready to do any thing to protect Tony. After a yelling match he finally left. We were in his side of town so of course the people around us would stick up for him. Amazing what type of losers are out there. The man was in his 60’s and still acting like a punk.

Let me tell you Tony and I have some amazing friends. I kept facebook updated on his status. So many people cared. Our Dave mowed our lawn for us. Dave and Greg moved our recliner from upstairs to downstairs. And then moved our loveseat upstairs. Right now the most comfortable thing for Tony is the recliner. So far I have not had to make dinner at all. Our friends are taking turns feeding us. I cannot believe what a relief it is not to have to worry about dinner. I never thought something as small as that would make such a huge difference in our day.

My boss has been letting me work from home while I care for Tony. I really work with some amazing people. I cannot imagine how hard this would be if I had to worry about my job through all of this.

So far right now the nights are the worst. It is hard for Tony to get comfortable while sleeping. I have to wake up twice during the night to give him his medication. I do have to say the funniest part is him wearing an old lady night gown that I bought him. It is light purple with butterflies and flowers on it. I figured it would be the most comfortable thing for him to sleep in and it is. He even admits it.

I will try to keep this blog updated on the progress.

The Start of a Bad Week

Last week I started it out home sick with bronchitis followed by pink eye. Sunday night when I was trying to fall asleep I could not breathe and it was really scary. Tony took me to the hospital where they gave me breathing treatment and helped clear my lungs out. I really did not want to go to the hospital but I was so scared if I fell asleep I would not wake up. We got home around 2:30 in the morning. I am glad it was not pneumonia. I am still recovering from bronchitis over a week later. It keeps getting better a bit each day. I at least have a voice now. What happened later in the week would make all my problems seem so small.

Thank You Genetics

Yesterday I had my yearly physical done. The last six months I really have been eating healthy. I always have my fruits and vegetables but this go around I started cutting out more processed foods and about a year ago really stopped eating red meat except for the rare occasion. Last year my cholesterol was 298 and that was without fasting. So this year I really was hoping for under 250 with my diet changes and since I was fasting. I also had not eaten meat in two days. High cholesterol is in both sides of my family. Both my grandmothers had bypass surgery, my grandpa died at 61 from a heart attack and most of my relatives have high cholesterol. The results came back the same day. Total cholesterol….272. Well since there really is nothing more I can do to change my diet and exercise I enjoyed a nice juicy steak for dinner. Cheers to genetics.

Our Christmas Weekend

Christmas morning Tony woke up to find Sydney laying down by the tree waiting for her yearly gigantic rawhide bone. She has no interest in any of the toys. Jack and Oscar enjoyed opening their gifts and were upset when they ran out. When we gave Jack his bone he kept whining. I let him outside and he buried it under a juniper and covered it with mulch! We never saw him do that before. Milo usually finds a home in gift bags but this year we bought him a cat house that he loves…or at least did at the moment.

Yes most of those gifts are for the pets

Tony bought me some clothing I wanted from Macy’s, a bunch of Laura Mercier make up and two rings I liked from BCBG. I bought him Harley parts and surprised him with an engraved cigar holder and cutter. He really liked it.

For Christmas dinner we spent it with our friends. Misty is pregnant and with my bloating by the end of the meal I think my stomach was just as big as hers. I hate having bloating issues. It does not take much to irritate my stomach.

We bought Evan a blow up ball pit in the shape of a car. Not sure how much he liked it since we did not get a chance to blow it up but he did like the balls.

After dinner we played Pictionary. A favorite game among my friends. I was surprised I had the energy. With my sinus infection I end up having to take a nap during the day. During the game is started snowing. Snow on Christmas? Yes it did happen. It probably will be many years before we ever see snow on Christmas again. We ended up with about 6 to 8 inches!

The next day I was ready to get all the Christmas stuff put away. I just cannot leave it up for New Year’s like many people do. Again like I ranted about Christmas trees on Thanksgiving…New Year’s and Christmas are two separate holidays. My house is put back to normal. This is the first time since the remodel that our house has no seasonal decorations. I love my house. I think the slate on the fireplace sets it off.

I decided to venture out to Kohl’s which is only two miles away. It was my first time driving since my surgery. The roads were not plowed but there were paths. Tony could not believe of all days for me to attempt driving I chose that day. I told him since it snowed there are not many people out there for me to hit. I did make it to Kohl’s but I can tell if I had to slam on the brakes I would hurt my knee. I kept my left foot close to the brake in case I had to use it. I used my Kohl’s give card from Grandma and Tony’s mom to redecorate my half bathroom. It was OK before but really did not have a theme. I went with a beach theme in there. Tony said it feels like his pissing in the ocean. Now I just need to find a white distressed mirror to finish the look.

Sick Sick Sick

My knee surgery was almost two weeks ago. I am moving around a little better each day. Today I get my stitches out. I still cannot drive. It really sucks to have to rely on people to take me to and from work and have Tony take me shopping. At least he got a glimpse into what I do on the weekends. Some days I do not think he realizes everything that goes into running a house. Everything from the cooking, cleaning, shopping, caring for the dogs, paying bills and everything else in between. It is a lot of work and I can’t imagine how much harder it must be on parents.

Last week Tony caught the flu from a guy at work. He refused to stay at home and took out about half the office. I ended up getting it Friday night. It hit fast and hard. I slept most of the weekend. My boss let me work from home on Monday since she did not want to catch it. I am working from home today as well since Tony has to take me to my doctor’s appointment. I can tell the flu is gone but now I have a sinus infection. Sucks really bad. I found some prescription nasal spray and have been using Musinex. Even the Neti Pot has issues getting through my clogged sinuses. This is so not fun right before Christmas. I made cookies and candy for us but am worried to eat it since my germs are all over it. Tony does not seem to be too concerned since they are just about all eaten up. I really hope I am feeling better by Christmas Eve.

I'm Exhausted!

I had my knee surgery on Wednesday. Everything went great. Today I am back at work but can hardly think straight. I went off the pain meds on Saturday because I could not sleep. Tylenol and aspirin seem to be doing just fine for me. The last few days have been a complete blur. I am hobbling around OK. I do not get my stitches out until the 21st.

Tony has been working a lot so he has not been around to help me much. I am making out OK on my own but when he is home he tells me I am a horrible patient. I say he is a bad servant.

I was excited to get on the scale today to discover I had not gained any weight. I was a bit worried since I am not exercising and have been eating like crap. Maybe I am eating like crap but not over doing it.

In the Christmas Spirit

Last weekend I finally got into the Christmas spirit. We had snow on Saturday. It started in the afternoon and went into the evening. We normally never get snow this early in the year. We did get our tree from the fire department. It is a beautiful tree but I think it is one they cut early. It is dropping needles very fast. I would love to put ribbon on it but with me not working at home any more to keep an eye on the dogs I have a feeling they would destroy it. It was snowing when we picked up our tree too! I finished all of my Christmas shopping last weekend. I had my surgery yesterday and can’t drive for probably the rest of the month.

Tony's return from the Toys for Tots ride

Our early snow fall

I found some beautiful table decorations at World Market. I bought charges for my table and really neat wine glasses. I had $10 off a $30 purchase and 25% off my total order. I already had the place mats and napkins so it did not cost much to update my Christmas decorations for the dining room. I also bought really cute snowman salt and pepper shakers from Hallmark for only 33 cents after my coupon! They were originally $12! I even bought Christmas cards and stamps. Now just need to send them out. We still do not have our outdoor Christmas decorations out. Tony will do that this weekend.

Table decorations.

My surgery did go well but I am having problems sleeping. The percocet they gave me keeps me up and wired. I think I only slept for five hours last night. I would have started making Christmas candy at 1 AM if my food processor would not wake up Tony. I just hope my sleeping schedule gets back on track before work on Monday.

Our tree

Surgery

I am going to have surgery on December 8th for my knee. It will not be for a tear like the doctor's originally thought in the beginning of all of this. I have damaged cartilage in my knee and they are going to scrap it clean. My doctor said in 90% of people this heals on its own but I am that 10% that needs surgery for it to be fixed. No more going back and forth on this anymore. It is finally going to happen. I can’t wait to feel normal again.

Surgery

I tried so hard for my knee to heal on its own. My doctor confirmed yesterday I will need to have surgery on my knee. I am going to put it off until the end of November when things slow down at work. I have to be out of work for two weeks while it heals. It is my driving leg so I can’t drive either during that time. Not going to be a fun time.