Here is an update on my cyst (I think I'm going to start calling this the Klein Medical Chronicles):

• I have a cyst on my right ovary that is about the size of a golf ball and is filled with fluid.
• The disturbing parts about this cyst is that it is steadily getting larger and it has papillations, which are fern-like growth out of it (rather than having a smooth surface). Well, and also that it causes me a fair amount of discomfort!
  
• I have been to see a GYN-Oncologist and he's recommending that I have genetic testing done. Gina had this done and was tested positive for having a mutated breast cancer gene (for more information click here). If I have this mutation (which men can also have, btw), then I would be predisposed to have breast and/or ovarian cancer, so they could do certain procedures, such as removing my ovaries to better protect me from getting cancer. If I don't have the mutation, then they will just deal with this cyst--probably doing laparoscopy (more info) to remove it.
• My next ultrasound at UK is on Nov. 19 and I've also been able to schedule genetic testing to be done the same day. My next appt with the GYN-Oncologist is at the end of November, so I'll let you know what's up after that.

I would like to request that all of my siblings let me know what medical issues they have--high blood pressure or whatever--and I will disseminate the info--to each individual w/o using names to indicate who has what if you'd like. When I took Mary to the doctor, they always wanted to know what diseases her siblings and parents had. Studies have shown that what your siblings have is often more important than what your parents have because you share more genes with your siblings. They asked me about my siblings at the oncologist's office and I felt like such a dummy. This is so important! Please let me know about this!

Also, please start keeping a medical journal. Get a notebook and record the names and dosages of your medications and when you start and stop them, any allergies you have, the dates of any operations or procedures, and the names and contact info for emergency contacts as well as all your doctors. If you are having any symptoms, write them in this notebook. When you go to the doctor, write up a list of issues (in this notebook) that you want to discuss with him. Take the notebook to the with you to the doctor and record your blood pressure, weight and temperature. Take notes on your visit and any test results. Later on when/if someone has to take care of you, this will all be invaluable information.

I just got this email from Jackie Beisler Ridsdale and thought you all would like to know about it:

Dear Bridget, Sorry we missed the Beisler get-together this year. There was a calamity in our lives involving our eldest son, Pres, who was in a motorcycle accident & lost his right leg. As if that wasn't enough he later fell & badly broke his load bearing left leg @ both the fibula & tibia bones. He is @ home w/hank & me & we are just thankful that he is alive! Sorry again to miss out on all the Beislers. Love to you & all the family, Jac

I went with Mom and Dad to a Parkinson's doctor this morning since he hadn't been to a Parkinson's specialist for a couple of years. Just to check on his meds, esp. since he's so sleepy all the time. Unfortunately, they screwed up the referral and said he was a new patient, so they assigned him to a different doctor, who then had to go through all his history again, so it was like a new visit instead of a follow-up. He didn't seem to happy about that and seemed to want Dad to see the other doctor next time. Good try, huh?

Anyway, this doctor said that he wants to increase his Levodopa (for his Parkinson's) to 4 pills a day instead of 3. I can't remember that he gave a specific reason. To see if he shakes less? He said the L-dopa doesn't usually make patients sleepy, but if someone has Parkinson's then it will make them "wobbly," by which he means that sort of fidgetyness that you may observe in Michael J. Fox.

He did several tests and said that Dad had Parkinson's-like symptoms

• stiffness
• shaking of hands (although Dad had Essential Tremors, which is a quicker sort of shaking, prior to this--I think Fred, Mitch and Gus have experienced this after drinking a lot of caffeine)
• slowness of movement

He said Dad displayed memory loss since his last visit, but that this was probably due to age and that his CT scan (when??) showed reduced vascular activity due probably to age and high blood pressure (I think that was it). He also said that Dad's "Unique Personality" didn't seem to stem from the meds, so he wasn't sure if he could do anything about it. He mentioned giving Dad a stimulant for his sleepiness, such as low-grade Ritalin, but he really didn't want to go there. Instead, he gave Dad a prescription for something to help him sleep at night. The problem with this is that Dad will then stand up next to the bed and pee b/c he can't make it to the potty. Or else he'll pee in the bed, which is also a major annoyance... He needs to stop drinking Coke Zero before he goes to bed b/c this is 1) a liquid and 2) has caffeine in it.

The doctor also gave Dad a prescription for something to help with his constipation. The NP wanted Mom to give Dad MiraLAX every day, but she says Dad just lets it sit there and doesn't drink it.

The follow-up appointment is in April. Nice long time to wait and see if things get any better, huh?

BTW, Dad told the doctor that it wasn't certain that Aunt Dorothy had Parkinson's! That was news to me. Mom also thought that the complications from Parkinson's were what she eventually died from.

• Nik and Simone worked like Turks cleaning Mom and Dad's house. It fairly sparkled!
• I just wanted to let you all know, in case you didn't already, that not only did Aunt Dorothy (Dad's sister) have breast cancer but Aunt Gert (Grandma's twin sister) had a mastectomy (Mom's doesn't think she actually had cancer) and Grandpa Klein's mother died (around age 50) of breast cancer.
• Here's a picture from our cousins Suzanne and Ken out in Washington:
• Apparently Fritz's chihuahua died Sunday morning. If you can drop him a line, Fritz is pretty upset.

October Birthdays and Anniversaries

Birthday

• Samuel--Thurs, Oct. 1--6

Anniversary

• Jason & Amy--Sat, Oct. 10, 1998--11
  

Oops!

• I forgot to mention that Fred and Dena also got engaged!
  

• Dad went for his blood check-up last week....
• Ursula and Dean have been having a hard time with little work coming their way, but Ursula has just started a new job. She says it is in communications and marketing, mostly writing and editing, and that it included the quarterly alumni newsletter. She studied journalism, so that's right up her alley.
• Janelle and Joe have set a date for their wedding: July 24, 2010. (That's 2 days after Mom's b-day, btw.)
  
• Pat and Gus were finally able to buy the rest of the building that houses their business. Pat's cousin, who owned it, didn't want to sell it but didn't want to repair anything, either. So now they are relieved to not have to build another building--but they've got a ton of repair-work ahead of them!
• Jim and Annie have become engaged. They will also get married next summer, but I don't think they've set a date yet. They will also be moving after the school year is over. I think they've already found a house about 2 miles from Jim's parents.
• Nikki has been seeing some changes at work due to cuts in funding. I think they may have her working part-time in another lab.
  
• Mom and Dad have named their puppy Sophie.
  
• I missed Lee's birthday last month--sorry!
• I think the reunion went really well yesterday! There were altogether 37 adults and 18 children there.
• Jo Ann's car was ruined by that flash flood that we had in August, so she had to get a new one--well, new to her ;-)
• Mom's storm windows, made by Gus and Pat's company, have now been put in. (Fred painted, I washed, Mitch screwed and August advised.) Gus had to buy extra firewood last winter because the windows didn't get replaced before the cold weather :-)
  
• A guy from AT&T went to Mom and Dad's house and decided they needed a new modem, so Dad should be able to surf to his heart's content now. BTW, since the computer's upstairs, Dad can get Mom to look at emails. Mom won't admit it, but she really enjoys the jokes.
• I have a pre-trial date for the house lawsuit at the end of October. Apparently, this is the last attempt to settle before going to court.
• Jill is signing up to start the Ovarian Cancer Screening program at UK. I had to fax them a copy of Gina's death certificate (since Jill's under 35), so if any of you nieces want to participate, Jill would be interested in getting a group together--UK will gladly accommodate a g roup when scheduling appointments. If you want to start getting the screenings, make sure they know about the fax. I'm not sure if it would be in Jill's or my file.