Shocking Findings

Well. The old year is gone and we have a brand, spanking new year. With brand, spanking new problems. Isn't that nice?

My car was totaled December 17. Not sure y'all knew that but if you're on Facebook, you might have read it. It is now January 26 and I still have no car and no payout from the insurance of the person who hit me. I'm so annoyed. A whole list if issues resulted from that. The claims adjuster went on Christmas vacation and left me hanging. 

Word of caution here: Auto Owners is the worst insurance agency I've ever had to deal with in an accident. I've had three accidents where the other driver totaled my car but this is the first time I've ever had nearly two months to settle. And they're not very helpful. People didn't answer the phone, didn't respond to my voice mails. Yes, I'm aware it was a holiday but has anyone ever seen an insurance agency who didn't have claims adjusters working at all hours of the day and night? Of course, it could have just been the agency I was dealing with but they've convinced me never to buy insurance with them.

I had my second round of Covid the week after Christmas. Rebecca, my ex daughter-in-law got sick first. I really think she'd have died if I hadn't got to her when I did. She could not breath. I brought her and Madilyn, who is only 6, home with me but Rebecca got so bad I had to take her to the hospital. They gave her monoclonal antibodies and that really helped get her back on her feet in a couple of days. I was not very sick at all and needed only cold medicine and acetaminophen. We both got back to business in two weeks. Madi seems to have missed the bullet.

Yesterday I had a nerve conduction test done, my third in four years. This time they sent me because I keep waking up and my hands are numb. Really numb. I can't feel them or use them. If you've never had a nerve conduction test, think Taser, on repeat. 

They take an electrode and send a shock through various muscles in the area you're having a problem with. Then, they start over with needles and jab, no really jab, those into the muscle and send the shock through the muscle while telling you to push against something, tightening the muscle so they get a reading of how well it is sending the signal. This is very uncomfortable and increases the feeling of electrocution. Yesterday, I had about 10 shocks on each arm: 5 electrode shocks and 5 needled. He hit a small vein in my hand and I bleed a bit. Took a bit for him to get it stopped. However, I say again, this is not a painful procedure. Well, not much.

The nice neurologist gave me the results immediately. In my right hand I have carpel tunnel. In my left hand, I have a pinched nerve in my elbow. He wanted to know why they operated on my neck when it was my hand that was the problem. I explained the ruptured disk and how my whole left arm had been affected. He said he didn't know how they'd missed the elbow problem. I had no answer to that since it was their doctors who checked everything but I suspect the compressed spinal cord was a bigger priority than my elbow at that time. Since I'd begun to have fainting spells, it was for me. 

So, now I have to go to my doctor and probably get sent to another, or two other doctors. No idea. Don't you love surprises?

That's about sums up my January... well, mid-December through January and since there are about four more days this month, who knows what joy awaits. 

May the Lord's face shine on you. May your road be smooth and your burdens light.

Happy New Year or What Next?

 

Happy New Year, my friends. I wish you joy, happiness, and blessing from God. May the coming year bring you only good and may you live and declare the works of the Lord.

Limping Along

 You get to a place you think life is going to be normal. "Normal". Right. I don't have a clue what that looks like. You understand what I'm saying, though. The field is level. There are no surprises left. No place where scary things can hide. No tears left to cry and nothing deep to feel. You just are cruising along.

Tonight I was going to watch an old mystery movie from 1953. YouTube is full of old movies from the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s that you can watch for free. Some even older. I actually started this movie, The Limping Man. It was interesting and stared Lloyd Bridges, one of my childhood favorites. Frank Pryor flew to England to see an old flame from the war. There was a suspicious death right at the beginning and you don't know if the victim was the target or Frank.

But I got about 10 minutes in where Frank was in the apartment of his sweetheart from the war when she walks in, and she ran to him and they threw their arms around each other. That was it for me. 

See, I could remember when I was a young wife and Jerry came home from long assignments. I remember that gasp of joy and the feel of arms around me and my arms around him and the breathlessness of being in that moment. The words we said were being echoed on the screen. Yeah, that was it for me. 

Just so you know, there is no normal. You just limp along and hope the scary things stay hidden.

Hectic Days, Changing Seasons

It's been hectic around here. I've done a little sewing and some editing as pain allows. Did a little crochet, but I've had a terrible time with my hands. Lots of pain and swelling. That's not a good sign. Stress and weather changes working their magic, I guess. For a couple of weeks, we've had lots of rain and the temperatures fluctuate wildly. It does bad things to my joints and muscles. 

I cut my den curtains off and made them window length. It just became more functional, and I find I like it much better. I'm planning on doing some more sewing soon. I'm waiting till Becca gets moved, so I've got room to spread out fabric.

She's getting moved into her new apartment this week. I've been busier with her and Madi here, but it has been in a good way. Madi is a joy to have around and the hugs and kisses are a comfort. I'm not sitting doing nothing so much and, if I am, I'm not so depressed. It is also nice to have conversations, to have someone to go to church with, and just hang with once in a while. I'll still watch Madi when she works at night and pick her up from school as needed. Once they move, I'll miss them but they're less that 10 minutes from my house. So, I hope the benefits will outweigh the bad.

Today was my birthday. Madi and Becca made me breakfast. That was nice. My sister brought me a card and a gift. I had a couple of calls and friends and family on Facebook sent birthday wishes. A nice day, really. 

Still no contact with Sarah. When she's allowed to have her phone, she tries to call, but her calls are being monitored and limited, as are her text. They're afraid she'll say something they don't want anyone to know. Not sure what state secrets she could share, or that I'd find enthralling, but apparently she's a security risk. Sad to see a family relationship destroyed so badly. Once she is free, she will hate those who held her hostage. Takes years to repair, if it is repairable. 

I am going to bed now. For days I've been exhausted. I even had a long nap today and I'm still tired. Perhaps tomorrow will be better. 

Seeing Red - Indiana Can't

As of yesterday, the car is finally in the shop for repair from where the second person rear-ended me. Yes, the second person. A month ago at a stoplight, a person hit my car. Thankfully, there was no damage. A week later, I'm hit in the rear again at another traffic light. We stopped both times for a red light. The people behind me didn't feel the need. This time, the bumper and trunk need repair. 

Tell me please what you don't understand about a red light or stop sign? I mean, in every culture on the planet, it means the same thing. And yet Indiana doesn't get it. Every time someone has ever hit me was from the rear when I stopped at a traffic light or stop sign. Every time was in Indiana. So I think I know what I'm talking about.

Red means stop EVERWHERE! The Hexagonal red sign with the big words STOP needs no clarification if you have a driver's license or finished first grade.  

How many rear ends, you ask? At least 6. All in Indiana. All but 1 in Evansville, Indiana. 

On Saturday, I left my keys in the car in the ON position. I was stressed and having an awful weekend. When I got up to go to church, my battery was dead. I called Roadside Assistance since I have that on my insurance and they jumped it off. However, apparently when a battery goes out on the new cars, amazingly annoying things go wrong. The first time it knocked out all the setting on my stereo and my radio started blaring every time I start my car. I hate that. I've never been able to fix it. This time, it turned off Auto traction, power steering, and some other really important things. We tried everything to fix it, but no luck. I googled for information but it wasn't there. We suspected it was a code issue. In new cars, there is no power steering fluid. Everything is electrical. So this would have to be a computer problem. 

Since it was going into the shop the next morning, I prayed over it and hoped they could resolve the issue. They ran a check but had to call Ford for the solution. Disconnect the battery cables and wait a few moments. Reconnect. It worked.

Here's my gripe. Mike called Ford. They gave him a quote to check the problem and one if it needed a new module. It would cost $1100 to replace it. What do you think would have happened if I'd taken it in? 

Note to self" consider never buying another Ford product. This is my second Ford and probably my last.

I expect to have my car back by Thursday if all goes well. 

Other things are going on as well, but I'd rather forget them for a while. I'm having a fibro flare and for days now I've felt bad, today being the worst. So, I'll leave things here for now.