Disobedience

 So, I just got done cleaning the garage! I could barely walk for over a week. I've had severe pain in every major joint and my hands. This pain wasn't caused by my fibro, because my OTC medication for it works well. 

No, the doctors removing my anti-inflammatory medication, Lodine caused this. They decided I could go to pain management. You know, narcotic painkillers. Not happening. I've been dealing with the results of that since February and it had become almost impossible to take the trash to the street. And God forbid I should have to get on the floor. It has been so depressing and stressful to not be able to do anything constructive. I've sat in the chair watching videos and reading when I could focus. 

Monday evening, I had to get on the floor to get something behind the computer. Y'all, I thought I was going to have to call someone for help. I could not get up. My knees were in so much pain and I couldn't lift myself. And I'm not the svelte 130 I was when I came to Evansville. I stayed on my knees and wondered who I could call. I remembered David is in town now and was off that day. So I considered calling him to come help me. 

Do you know how humiliating it is to have to call someone to help you off the floor? Can you even imagine how frustrating it is not to be able to just stand up? I decided that I could do it. 

I grabbed the desk chair and positioned my body in the seat, and got my feet under me. And that sounds much easier than it actually was at that time. Let me just say my knees were extremely unhappy with that decision. I managed to get up and had to immediately sit down in said chair. And yesterday, they paid me back in spades. Hips and knees united in a front to fell me with a swoop. I was in so much pain. I woke this morning in only moderately less pain.

So, how could I clean the garage today? 

I broke the unspoken rule that says do what the doctor says. I took an OTC naproxen. It is half the dose of my prescription. Within one hour, ALL my pain had abated to a one. Knees work fine. Feet don't hurt. Hands are not swollen and stiff. Shoulder doesn't hurt. Neck doesn't hurt. 

Yeah, I'm pretty annoyed, but there is nothing I can do about the doctor's orders. I just don't have to follow them. Their reasoning was "too much risk". I've been on it for 20 yrs. And two other meds I take have life-threatening risks. They have to monitor my eyes because of one of them. It can cause permanent blindness. 

I'm just thankful I feel better this afternoon. My morning looked bleak until I took that pill. 

Spring Has Sprung

 

Special day: Spring Equinox & Alien Abductions Day 😯

Mood Today:😒

Weather Today:🌧️

These days the only thing I seem able to write about is the weather and my aches and pains. That's so boring that it hurt. Another pain. 

This morning I'm dealing with a lack of sleep on top of the above mentioned A&P. I went to bed early because I was so tired. As usual, I had trouble shutting off my brain. I thought I had it under control but got the huge "download" of stuff that wouldn't stop rolling around in there. I got up, wrote it up and when I went back to bed at 2 a.m. I went to sleep. I was up at 8:30 a.m. After the day I had yesterday I was tired and today, after the night I've had, I'm even more tired. 

Yesterday, I took Becca to get measured for a new wheelchair. It was so nice to see them recognize how much she was handicapped by the stroke. Why? Because other agencies have dragged their heels assisting with anything. She can't walk, she can't use her right hand and arm. Why would the food stamp office want her to do 30 hrs of job search when she can't even go to the bathroom without help? 

I'm not going there but the folks she met with yesterday immediately recognized the limitations and began to plan on what exactly she needed in this wheelchair. They were considerate, compassionate, and intelligent. The put in an order for an electric chair and started organizing physical therapy to address her mobility issues. 

She had this stroke nine months ago. The first three months in Ohio she received no after stroke care.  NONE. She was sent home with an 8 yr old to take care of her. The doctors here believe the stroke resulted from an overdose of medication she was prescribed but they're not sure. She now has an internal medicine doctor, a neurologist, and a team of therapist. It's taken six months to get here but now there is some hope she can make a better recovery. She'll began therapy next week. She's had some therapy but it wasn't helpful and they gave her a ankle brace that is not helpful. We hope this new group will be more helpful. The neurologist immediately ordered a new type of ankle/leg brace to stop the twisting of her foot and order a battery of test to see if she has any underlying disease that could have caused the stroke. If they don't find anything, she can then sue the people responsible for the overdose of medication. 

And she should. The neglect was a disgrace and Madi, her daughter has been terribly traumatized. Becca woke up in a stroke and managed to wake Madi and Madi had to call the 911. For the next 3 months, the child had to care for her mother or stay with people while her mother was in hospital. She still fears something happening to her mother.

So, today, I've just sat here listening to my Bible studies and trying to rest without sleeping. I need to go back to bed but I hate sleeping in the day time! And I have so much to do. I need to vacuum and put away laundry. I also need to figure out what to eat. I haven't even had breakfast yet and it is nearly lunch time. 

The weather is beastly today. Cold again, cloudy, rain comes and goes. I'm dressed in a pair of knit pants and a long sleeved shirt in front of the heater. The cats are keeping me company. 

Everything is a wreck, but the weather was nice.........

We had a week of beautiful weather last week and now we're back to rain and cold. The weekend was pretty bad in the mid-west and several states had tornados and fatalities. Thankfully, my crew and I were safe. In fact, the low pressure systems that caused the weather passed north of us, so the pain I was expecting did not happen. I'm so thrilled about that. 

I could go to church this morning and stay for the whole service. Admittedly, the service was shorter than usual, but it was good. 

Tomorrow is my biannual appointment with the eye specialist. I'm required to see them twice a year because the immuno-suppressant shot I take can cause blindness. So they do retina scans to make sure there are no problems. Should they find the medication has built up in the eye, I will have to stop taking it. That wouldn't be good either. 

Tonight, I'm feeling depressed. Got some issues I'm trying to work through. Found some repairs on the house that I can't ignore this time. The car has a warning light that came on yesterday that we don't know what it means. Mike took it and ran a scan for a code, but the machine showed nothing. The car manual says the code means a powertrain issue. If you know what that is, you know it's not good news. I can't seem to cut a break. I have almost got my finances back in some order for all this to drop on me. 

So, that's the way it is, Sunday, March 16th, 2025. Thank you, Mr. Cronkite. 

A Beautiful Day in My Neighborhood

 What a lovely day it has been! I got to spend the whole day with my Sarah and we had a grand time. We had breakfast together, and she wanted to shower and wash her hair. Then, for a couple of hours, we just sat around and talked. She was on her new phone and I was on my laptop. It was lovely to just visit and browse. We went to lunch around one and then we went to Ollie's to shop. 

I had a reason. I wanted to look at the patio umbrellas. Last few years, I haven't been able to keep one because weather destroyed them. However, I must have been early because they didn't have them out, despite their flyer saying they were out. So, will have to wait or order one online. But their prices were so reasonable I really wanted to get it there. 

However, I found some other things I know I needed. New shower curtain, some bath towels, large to take to the gym, and some hand towels that were too adorable not to buy. I got four large hand towels for $10. And I bought a light for my garage to put over the freezer. It's so dark where it stands that you can't see what's in there at night. As soon as I can get up the ladder, I'll find out. A 4 foot led shop light for $10 should be plenty of light for the space. And I could get more to link up to this one if I wanted. My garage is rather dark. 

After shopping, we came home and chilled out. We were both tired out from all the back and forth and I took her home around six. Now, I've had a hot shower and am ready for bed. I can't remember a nicer day. 

 

You'll Be Fine

 Do you ever feel uninspired? It's like you're listening for something and no one is talking. This has been happening for a bit and it has become very frustrating. 

To be fair to myself, I haven't been well. I've had a lot of pain and my sleep pattern became a roulette game. I'd sleep for four hrs and wake up. Then, I'd try to fall back asleep but couldn't. Or I'd get up and be up for a couple of hours and have to go back to bed. One day I slept for 12 hours! I was still tired. It was awful and the sleep disorder probably contributed to my pain levels, for which I had no solution.

I prayed, read my Bible, and sat in my chair watching videos for days because I was too tired to do anything else. Well, one day I did wash clothes and put them in the spare room. Yeah, some are still there. Another day, I vacuumed the den. Another day, I swept the kitchen. 

So, I emailed my doctor, and she told me to come in. 

We talked and finagled with my meds a bit, and I have an ultrasound on the 12th to see if my gall bladder needs to be taken out. I suspect it does because I've been having some unusual pain for over a year that no one could explain. About a month ago, I finally looked it up, and it sounded like gall bladder problems. The doctor sent me for lab work. 

I got a note to say the lab work all looked normal. However, I'm not one to take things at face value. Four or five tests were out of the normal range. I always research my blood work if something is out of the normal range. What does it test and what does the number signify? Turns out they could show a gall bladder problem or kidney problem. There were long explanations, but I won't go into all that. I understood the assignment. It required further study. Apparently, both organs can affect one another. More interesting was that a gallbladder problem can cause fatty liver.  

That's interesting because a couple of years ago they found I have fatty liver disease. That shocked the technician because at the last scan, my liver was fine. They told me whatever caused it was sudden, not something that happens with fatty liver.

Hmmm. 

No, I'm not a doctor or a nurse. I just read ridiculous amounts of material and research everything. I learned the hard way that I have to do this with my medical issues. Believe it or not, doctors can't know everything and even if they do, they can't recall it all. They can also overlook the obvious. So, I just save them the trouble. If I see a concern, I call their attention to it. They don't argue with me, either. 

I told my doctor about my suspicions when I saw her and why. My mother, aunt, both my sisters, and a brother all had their gallbladder removed. The doctor said that sometimes this happens in families. 

"I don't want to have my gallbladder removed. I have enough going on without adding something else."

She said, "It doesn't take long, and it's only a few days' recovery time." 

😶

I didn't say it. But I'm immunosuppressed and will need to be off meds for at least two weeks. The lack of medication will cause a higher level of unmanageable pain. I can't take opioids. Oh well. 

😒