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Salamander
Fire Walking

5700 cc's of fluid
Thu Sep 26 2002

For those of you not on the metric wavelength, that's about one and a half gallons. Eight pints in a gallon, a pint's a pound the world around. That's how much they pulled out of my abdomen today. Instant weight loss of about twelve pounds. I don't recommend the diet, but damn it feels good to have a waist again.

It's been nearly a month since the last paracentesis, so they want me back in another month to do it all over again. If I build up fluid faster, I'm supposed to call them and they'll fit me in earlier. Please, let's hope that doesn't happen.

Got home today and found two more cigarette butts in my garden. I tossed them both on Mr. Butt's front door step. I have an attitude problem today.

Having said that, I am eating a bit of humble pie today as well. Turns out that Straw Hat Man's daughter has been in the hospital for three weeks. She was in a car accident and has been in a coma ever since. The Socialist has taken to talking to Straw Hat Man, and while I wouldn't say the two of them are chummy, relations have unfrosted. He's apparently a nice guy with lots of worries at the moment. It turns out that it wasn't even his fault that his car was parked in our spot - the daughter parked it there, though she never let on. *sigh* I'll have to fix him a dinner some night to assuage my guilty feelings.

I have permission to head back to work again. I'll work on getting a letter out of Dr. Liver for my personel people next week. I don't plan to return until after Octover 14th, which is the day of my big transplant committee review downtown. That should give me adequate time to get the rest of my projects in order. I can't say I'm really looking forward to going back, but it will mean that I can at least stop worrying about my insurance coverage for the time being.

Got a letter from the State Department of Licensing today. They're all upset because the name I'm using isn't the name on my marriage license. They even sent me a copy of my marriage license to prove it. I'm going to hate to break it to them, but the marriage license they sent me was not mine. I have no clue who the girl is, but she's from Michigan and doesn't even spell her first name the same way I do. [insert rolling eye emoticon here] This is going to be fun to clear up.

Not.

8 Comments
  • From:
    Jade (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Sep 26 2002
    Wow. I can only imagine the amount of strength and courage you are carrying around with you these days. That's a heck of a lot of fluid. I don't even want to know how they got rid of it (my imagination is graphic enough).

    My thoughts are with you, as usual. I don't know how you are staying so active and humorous. I'm sure you must feel like crawling under a big rock right about now, but you keep going and going.

    You are a wonderful example to us all, Pali.

  • From:
    MoonriddenGirl (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Sep 26 2002
    Hell of a way to lose weight. :/ Try not to gain it back, eh? {{u}}

    Meanwhile, good luck with the bureaucrats. No matter how straightforward your claims, they can be difficult critters. :P
  • From:
    TraumaMama911 (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Sep 26 2002
    That is a hell of a lot of fluid! Would that be 5.7 liters? I am thinking of the 1000ml fluid bags I use. The average human has 5 liters of blood circulating. Am glad you are feeling abit better and able to go back to work. So, do you and the Socialist have date set?
  • From:
    Coolkids (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Sep 26 2002
    wow, over 5.5 litres!!!!! Thats a huge amount Pali!!!
    <---------LIKES METRIC, LOL (only thinks in metric, the other seems so old fashioned)
    *keeping fingers crossed it doesnt re accumulate* !
    Glad you are going to get back to work a little, at least it will feel more normal again I hope.
    ck
  • From:
    Shay40 (Legacy)
    On:
    Fri Sep 27 2002
    Whew! That's a lot of beer!
  • From:
    EdStun (Legacy)
    On:
    Fri Sep 27 2002
    A gallon and a half? I have a hard time imagining that. Could you feel it sloshing around in you? Or did it feel solid? Did they let you keep the fluid? You know, as a sort of keepsake? (a keepsake you'd have to store on reinforced shelving.)
    I'm glad you're feeling some relief after having all that drained. Once you have your transplant, will you stop having this fluid buildup?
    Hope you have a great Friday. (you'll notice there are no typos in this comment. At least I don't think there are.)
  • From:
    Lightmiracle (Legacy)
    On:
    Fri Sep 27 2002
    ~i~~i~~i~~~ <--rolling eyes emoticon about the marriage license mixup. MORE OF IT!

    Bet it does feel good to have all those pints siphoned off.

    I am sure they will all be so glad to see you back on the job. Maybe with less fluid, you'll have a bit more energy, too.
  • From:
    Moonman (Legacy)
    On:
    Fri Sep 27 2002
    Egad! That is a serious bit of fluid! i can not imagine seeing it all come out. You are awesome to just laugh it off. Rock on Pali!