Follow Me On My Journey

Hi all, I had a great doctors appointment yesterday. however I will be admitted overnight next Monday. we are not sure if it is for 1 night or 2 nights. Either way, visitors are welcome and I am getting bored! please feel free to contact me and stop Montifiore if you have a chance!! Shits & giggles are promised!! More details to come soon.

Hi Everyone, What a crazy roller coaster the last two Weeks have been. All I can say is that I DON'T need a LIVER or a HEART TRANSPLANT!! :) No better words than that. We do not know what is causing my symptoms but the fight is getting old. However now that we know what it is not it is time to look with a new pair of lenses, and re-evaluate everything. So knowing what it isn't and rejoicing in that gives me the strength for a few more rounds to figure out WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS. Yes, I know I complained about my doctor this week, so what? She just has to help me get better, while I get a thicker skin. I'm a Greenberg, I can handle Little Miss UNcongeniality ! If she's the worst part of this process, but she can help, as Andrew would say, "Let her"!! I just can't believe how the doctors thought I needed these two procedures, I started the HUGE NEWS If you want to talk email or call me directly, because face book is just weird.

I promised I would keep up my blog now that I'm having health issues. This morning I get a call from my cardiologist's secretary that from 12-2 tomorrow I'm going to me the "T" Team. I'll meet the transplant coordinator, the psychiatrist or psychologist, not sure which one, the person in charge of insurance and finances and finally the social worker. I will then see my doctor at 2:00 which was set up from last week. This call took my breath away, but the positive is that I can meet them and have that part over with before starting testing next Friday. So as far as knowing if I'm on the list or not sounds like it will happen a LOT faster than we thought. After, I'm on the list who knows. I will write about tomorrow. Tonight I just hope my exhaustion is more than my nerves and that I sleep. xo- Ellen

After a horrible time with my liver biopsy 3 weeks ago, we learned my liver was fine. This was after I had 3 liters tapped out of my abdomen and it was all bloody, showing a bleed from my liver into my abdomen. I ended up spending two nights in the ICU and one on the liver floor before leaving. We were so very lucky to get home before Hurricane Irene hit hard. Also my liver is fine!! Whew! This does however mean that my heart is not :(. The doctors have tried all the diuretics and still I fill up. In fact this coming Thursday, I will have my 5th tap or parasentesis (sp?) since April. I'm not even nervous about it, which is sort of sick, because I've been so uncomfortable, especially at night that I'll do anything to feel some relief! Since the regime of trying different doses and different diuretics and constant belly taps is not an option for the rest of my life, my doctor is cautiously moving ahead. Next week I begin some testing for an evaluation for the Heart Transplant...

I had my very first belly tap to get rid of ascites. I am starting to feel better from the tap in my belly for asites; no one told me it would make my BP bottom to 90/30 or, that I would hurt for so long after. It was supposed to take place at one and did not take place until five that he even showed up? The NP told me not to eat. The doctor said it was fine to eat, but lunch and my appt, time were the same, she kept me NPO all day and then totally lied and started to argue with my mom, saying she was following the NPO order which no one had officially ordered. Only this Nurse Practitioner, who told me to "Wait" if it were a doctor’s order, would have been in my chart & a sign on my door. Thank god for my mom! The doctor left right after he stuck me. The nurse would not check to see that I was training according her, “That’s Not My Job!" My mom cancelled her plans after that stayed to message my belly and have me move slightly until all three ugly liters were...

Today I had a lovely day. I went to see my counselor Amy and it's great that we can pick up where we left off say 15 years ago! We can chill and watch a TV show and know what the other's thinking. It has not been weird at all to reconnect with her, except that I have gained 2 inches in height on her! But I still love her like a sister and will always have her back and she definitely caught mine in my family's time of need. She was close with my brother 20 years ago, so she knows that I'm in pain and she takes care of me like I'm her family and I do for her!! We had a great day of chilling and healing today. The good thing is that there's always more time to do that. I did all this today and spent a lot of time with an old friend, which is so vitally important, but I did not do yoga & meditation for the year yet. This leaves me 6 more days to get two yoga and meditation sessions in. I'm trying for tomorrow or Wednesday depending on errands and definit...

I did not realize how long it's been since I've blogged. I've had a lot to say, but was a bit scared to put it out there. I realize nowI don't have to and can write but not publish it to Face Book, or just write in my journal. I start this year smarter and stronger than I started last year. Obviously I will NEVER get over the tragic loss of my older brother Andrew. I do dream about him quite often which is a source of comfort, but is always a disappointment when I wake up and realize the reality, that is a constant source of pain which we all feel responsible for. I did however do a lot of self work and inner soul searching. Every year people make resolutions. How many of those stick? I'm not making resolutions, because I will be the first one to drop the ball on one. This year I will change 2 things in my life that can be measured and if I fall off, I can always get back on. I really enjoy yoga, but have not done it in months. I will include yoga 2 days out of the ...