Surgery Tomorrow....

So I've neglected my blog all this time, but only because we had no power this weekend. I'm sorry! Well I am having my surgery tomorrow, and I am getting extremely nervous/anxious, scared. My surgery is not until 3:30 so I have to wait ALL day and I am his last surgery of the day, so it is going to take forever for me to get "there". It's going to be a long day. I am really nervous...I already said that. But I also know that this is going to be a good step for me, and this is something I really need! So....I am sure I will be blogging from my bed while I recover, I just hope all goes well, I'm worried about the pain when I wake up.

Until tomorrow....well most likely until Wed or whenever I am feeling good enough to be online again.

-Renee-

Pre-Op for InterStim; Aggravated with MD!

Well I had my pre-op today, everything went fine, although they are concerned because I still have this UTI (going on 2 weeks now) and I am having surgery on Tuesday. I've been calling the doctor all week about this and he has no concerns blah blah blah, even though I feel worse each day and my symptom's are changing (not clearing up) so I went down to Urology to let them know pre-op is concerned about this....said Dr. Stoffel would get back to me, he did--he said not to worry about it, surgery is still on for Tuesday as planned. *sigh*

I am anticipating and excited for the surgery although not at the same time. I mean who wants surgery? It's not fun, it's scary---it sucks. Oh well, I am just hoping/praying it will fix my problems and I'll be brand new good to go again! And I do trust this Doctor, so I have Faith in what he tells me and the care he provides me.

Not much else going on, spending the weekend with the family in Connecticut, having a nice cook out. Made the yummy Monkey Munch and a nice kelbasia recipie. Tuesday is my surgery, I will not find out the time of my procedure until Monday, I have to call them Monday morning and I'll find out. He added me on to his already booked schedule though so I am guessing I am going to be in the afternoon, which totally sucks because I'll be starving! (Nothing to eat/drink after midnight)

I'm also stressing out about getting ahead of myself with school work, I have SO much school work so I am trying to get myself ahead to not worry about it during the surgery. Ahh!!

For now, I don't feel too well, going to lay down and take a nap, need to rest up for my drive to CT! That's all for now, friends!

P.S. On a totally side note, so sad that a legend has passed us. Michael Jackson was an inspiration and an amazing performer. He will be missed deeply, this is so sad. As is the passing of Farrah Fawcett. RIP to both.

-Renee-

The Beginning....

So I really wanted to find a place where I could collect all of my thoughts and give any/whatever little help I could for people who are in the same situation as me. Not only am I hoping it may help people, but writing and "getting" it out, also helps me. I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis, I have been having a long problem urologically and finally was diagnosed. I also have kidney stones, dysuria, and chronic cystitis (chronic UTI's) and urinary retention. I'm only 20 years old so all of this for someone my age is not common. But boy is it stressful. There is no cure for IC (as people call it), I've been living on 100 different medications in hopes to at least relieve some of the pain that comes from IC. Right now I am out of work, which is a huge adjustment for me because I love my job, and I love to be working. I am having the InterStim surgery on Tuesday, this Tuesday, June 30th. It is a (new(er)) procedure that happens in 2 stages. There is the temporary stage and then if I find my symptom's have improved greater than 50%, there is the permanant placement. I am really hoping it will work, I know it will not "cure" IC, but it will hopefully help me with my frequency, urgency feelings. The biggest thing is I am in urinary retention right now and this will hopefully pull me out of that! I've had a foley catheter in place for the past month, which was finally taken out and I am now performing self intermittent catheterization until my surgery. My urologist doesn't feel I will ever be able to void on my own again unless I have this surgery. So....I hope for the best and wish for the best. It's a very stressful/difficult time for me right now, but at the same time it is not because it is as if I am finally coming to the light at the end of the tunnel and starting a newer more productive life free of a lot of the pain and suffering I have had to go through. Wish me luck, and like I said, the InterStim is kind of new and many people are always asking questions, but there's so little out there they find helpful, I am hoping I can journey with everyone through this and help them in any way possible. Thanks for listening and as always...keep the Faith!

-Renee-