Drifting Into Saturday

It feels that way. I had a good sleep last night. I took one of those patches and cut it in half and then half again. These patches are about 6x8 and I was using a whole one on my back and taking a half one cutting that in half again and putting it on my knees. It was working great but my neck and arm and hand were just terrible.


On Thursday night I had a frightening episode where my right pupil dilated to nearly twice the size of the left eye. I could FEEL it! I didn't know that was happening at first. For two weeks I'd have a problem driving with my glasses on. I simply found it very difficult and I didn't know why. I kept having all that pain and my head hurt and well, I won't bore you with a repeat of the blogs. I even asked two people if they ever heard of such a thing. Both said no. Well, Thursday I was reading and notice I couldn't see very good. I could see but it wasn't right some way. After finding I couldn't look at the computer, I held something over each eye and realized my right eye was not as clear as the left and was uncomfortable looking at certain bright objects. I looked in the mirror and gasped.


I was scared to death. I've had a pupil dilation before. About 8 years ago I had double vision about 2 hours in that eye and never did figure out what caused it. Since then, I've had mild dilation once or twice. This was more pronounced. I called my wonderful eye doctor. He actually puts his home phone on his answering machine and his cell! He only asked that you call those in a medical eye emergency. This was for me. He asked me several questions and said he thought it might be a migraine and to call first thing on Friday and they'd get me in right away. I called my aunt and asked them to pray for me and they did. Then, since I could do no more and could not read or use the computer, I went to bed.


Friday morning I was at my doctor's by 9 and was taken in immediately. I had a mild headache then because of the neck and shoulder. Everything else was, of course and thankfully, normal. He said again it was probably a migraine. But he checked thoroughly inside my eye with all kinds of light and lenses. I always joke at my normal exam that I leave his office tired. Emergency exams are only slightly different. I went back to work but that neck and arm still hurt and I figured it was the cause of the headache.


Last night I took the large patch I used on my back and cut it in half and decided to see if that worked as well as a large one. I then took the half and cut that in half and put it my neck. I am pleased to report that my neck is much better this morning. Although sitting on this sofa is definitely part of the problem. I need to get a new living room suite.


So, I began the day a bit better off. I have some things I have to do. I want Mike to come over and help me but he has running he wants to do and I don't. So, not sure it will all get done. I'm going to pay the bills as it is first of the month. I still haven't heard from my bank about the refinance. I'm getting antsy.


I'm trying to organize the meetings for NaNo. Not hard since the Library has someplace reserved every day but Sundays which are bad for me anyway. I think I'm simply going to look for those nights when it is after I get off work and make that the official meets and let the other stand for anyone who wants to get together at other times.


The meet and greet is scheduled at the moment for 10/28, my birthday, 6:30 to 9 at Panera. This is the best for me and the location won't have as many people at night. I'd like to do it somewhere else but there just isn't any place I can "reserve" space for possibly 20 people. The time will allow people to come and go as they like and they'll be tempted to buy food and drink, which helps. The time is also an effort to allow some of the more distant to get there after work if necessary.


O.k., I'm out of here. I have some things to get at Lowe's with the rest of my gift card. I also want to go by Value City and look at a living room suite. And... I need to get Mike to see if he'll help me with that wall. I want it fixed a month ago!


Everyone have a nice weekend. Today it is beautiful outside.

Past the Hump

I am much better today compared to Monday. I still have some minor pain but it is minuscule compared to the past weekend. I got my doctor to prescribe those medicinal patches for both my back and my knees. She did. Now I can put them on both places at night.

Today, my knees don't hurt much and my back and right leg are still good. I suspect that as a result of those improvements my left neck shoulder and hand are down to about a 2 on the 10 scale. You know the one that goes from :) to :O.

The weather is absolutely gorgeous and I'm annoyed I'm locked inside. I really would love to be off tomorrow. I don't want to take off only because I can see me needing the time later for some insane reason.

I've been busy posting dates and locations on the NaNo calendar for my region that show the dates, times and locations the library has reserved rooms for writers. I'm only up to the 15th! Well....I am having to do it on breaks.

I've scheduled the initial meet and greet for October 28th. I have no idea who will show if anyone. I may have to reschedule that as it is also Halloween weekend and Boo at the Zoo is going on and probably other assorted celebrations for the dubious holiday.

It is nearly time to go home now and I'm really anxious to get out of here. I have got to finish Sarah's skirt. I've been sick for over a week and just not able to sit at my machine with the pain in my joints. It is very upsetting with all that stuff piled there waiting for me to create something. I sat in a chair for days, doing nothing but watching television shows. I hate that.

But I am caught up on my shows and even found a couple of new ones.

I've done no writing to speak of, not even the blog. I don't know how I'm going to manage to writer 50,000 words in next month. I'm trying to get my head around it and see if I can actually put together a plan. Planning, these days anyway, seems far beyond me.

I'm very tired this afternoon but then usually after a huge bout with pain I am exhausted for days. I need to sleep and I need to stop getting to bed late. There was a period over a year ago now, where I was going to bed no later than 10:30 and I was actually doing pretty good. I need to get back on track for that. It would probably help me.

All right. I'm heading out in 15 minutes to go home. Not sure I'll be back on today so have a lovely evening. Tomorrow is Friday and supposed to be just as pretty as today. I do like fall in the midwest. About the only season I do like here.

NaNo Approaches!

It's Official

I am now the ML for Evansville NaNoWriMo. Wow!

Um...now what?

Moanday Passed Me UP

I must say that Moanday missed me for the most part and by the time
you read this so did Tuesday. I didn't feel great when I got up Monday
but neither was I miserable. The day was blessedly uneventful.

Carolyn was back at work on Monday also, but was so busy we hardly saw
one another. I was glad she was back but I've got myself in a routine
that I am in my chair until I'm hungry and then go to lunch which is
much later than she likes to go. We did go a bit later but not as late
as I would have liked. I like lunch around 1 p.m. What I discovered
during this time was that I work better in the mornings than the
afternoons. So, I may have to start going to lunch alone more often as
my days seem more productive and I don't get as stressed once the work
is out of the way.

I was very depressed most of the weekend. It rained endlessly but I
like rain for the most part. I had no desire to do more than read the
blogs this weekend and I think I left a few comments. I still have the
panorama feature and can just click down the list and read them. I
also  worked on Sarah's skirts - there are two, and started a second
baby shawl, this one for my neice, Alicia.

I don't know Alicia very well. I've only seen the child maybe half
dozen times in her life. She's 17 and managed to get pregnant. What
can I say....my brother and Alicia's mother are divorced and have been
a while. They have four children all of who are absolutely wilder than
elephants. I don't know the others at all....well, I've seen the boys
three times at family gatherings. They were well behaved during those
times. but I think on a daily basis they have issues. They've been in
foster care a couple of times. The youngest is probably learning
disabled and has kidney problems. The twins (middle children)are ....
a problem. Alicia, the oldest, is also a problem. My sister was foster
parent for Alicia and the youngest for awhile. She refused the twins
because they tend to act violently at times. Alicia was constantly
sneaking out and going wild. She was finally sent to a group home,
which she promptly ran away from and was placed with my mother... do
not know the moron who thought that was a good idea!  Eventually, she
was sent away from there. Only the younger child stayed with my sister
for a short time. To be fair to those children, they had the most
atrocious parents and it is like raising dogs. If they aren't treated
well, loved and nurtured, they become vicious creatures with a desire
to devour everyone they meet. They are all, except Alicia, back with
their mother who is one of two reasons they are messed up. I'm not
being mean... I only speak the facts.

So, I did a shawl for Kayla's baby. I felt that I should at least do
one for Alicia's baby. God knows the kid will need all the help she
can get. It is different in pattern and color from Kayla's but is is
really lovely. I don't know if she will care for it or not. I hate to
think all this beautiful work will be dropped on the floor somewhere
and walked on. I've been tempted to just buy her a nice gift because I
am falling in love with this shawl and don't want to think of it being
discarded. But it seems wrong to do that. I may reconsider and give
this as a gift to someone else and buy her something I'm not
emotionally vested in. I'm still debating. Anyway, I'll post photos
soon of all of it.

I totally forgot this post and now it is Wednesday and busy as the
last two days. I don't mind busy. It goes faster. I'm getting ready to
go to lunch in a bit with Inmate Loraine. We're meeting at Panera
Bread. The salad is good and it is a nice place to meet.

Weather is cool and very cloudy with patches of blue here and there.
Not enough blue for me. Yesterday was beautiful outside and I longed
to be out there.

I'm going to get my house refinanced if I can. I decided this week. It
will lower my payments considerable since the interest rates are so
low. It will lessen some of my worries, in fact, after I talked to the
bank yesterday I felt so much better just considering it. I haven't
got the deal wrapped up yet. I still have to do the application and
they have to approve it. I was having a hard time deciding if I wanted
to do it. I finally decided if this is the right decision the
everything will go through without a hitch.

Heat will be installed tomorrow morning. I went with the cheaper unit
even though I'm a bit leary of it. I just don't want to spend a huge
amount of money right now. I'll purchase a warranty for it and if
anything goes wrong, that will cover it. In fact, I'm going to get a
home owners warranty. My sister had that and when her water heater
went out they replaced it at no charge to her! So, home warranty on
all appliances soon. Most are new but you never can tell what will
happen.

Next... pain levels are nearly around a 2 or 3 on a scale of 10. I'm
wearing that patch they gave me for my knees on my lower right back!
The pain in my leg has radically diminished, although I still get
shooting pains and some cramps. I just take a acetaminophen for it.
I'm using the liquid on my knees because it works as well as the patch
if I do it three or four times a day. It did not work on my back as
well. Not sure why. I've started putting it in my neck the last few
days to see if it helps with that pain. I think it does. So, I've been
getting some much better sleep and can turn over more often.

The bad news...I probably have severe arthritis in all those locations
and they are major joint locations that affect my mobility.

But I'm thankful for any relief at this point that allows me to get some sleep.

I'm going now. Work is rudely screaming my name.