Yea!

Got the cortisone injection on Friday!  It has helped so much.  I am not completely pain-free because there are other problems in my back, but the sciatica is so much better.

Things are about the same around here.  I saw the physician who will be my new primary today.  I like him - it's just he wants to do a yearly physical.  Do. Not. Like. Those.  But then I guess I will live through them.  I have been going to so many specialists for so long, I forget about a primary care one!

Tomorrow is my eye injection - one of my favorite things to do.  Just can't wait for that one.

Then it's off to the SSB - again.  I so want to stay home, but that isn't an option.  Geesh.

Then on the 4th is the trip to Hawaii.  I KNOW I should be excited, and I am a little since I am not in such pain, but once again - I wish we were just staying home.

So that's my life.  Isn't it exciting?

Visit to pain doc

Friday I will have the cortisone injection for my back.  The shoulder is going to wait.  I will see (a new) orthopedist (since I seem to not be able to keep one - either death or retirement gets them).  There will be a major body check with him.

The big (horrible) surprise is that my blood pressure is up again.  It has been so good for so long.  Yesterday it was so high.  And that news kept me awake most of the night.

Monday I see a new (primary) physician.  Another to add to my list.

This getting old - and having doctors retire or die -  isn't for weaklings!

Relief soon?

I am really undecided about the Turmeric and its effectiveness for pain relief.  Things were going fairly well until last night and today.  The relief is not there.

I have always had trouble falling asleep.  When the house gets quiet, my brain is on high alert.  I simply cannot shut it off.  My son is the same way.  We really understand each other.  The rest of the family has no clue, but we know.  When my arthritis really flares as it has been last night and today, sleep just doesn't come.  I cannot get comfortable.

I am not sure if the left shoulder might be a rotator cuff tear.  That was once the diagnosis, but I certainly didn't trust that guy.  He wasn't going to do an arthroscopic surgery.  He was going to go "old school" and lay my shoulder open.  Hmmmm.  No!  AND he was just way too eager to start cutting on me.  His office called after I said I wanted to think about it (I was just trying to be nice and get out!) and wanted to schedule me.  Don't think so.  That was nearly 8 years ago - just before William was born.

Last night I was ready to do ANYTHING however.  Today in church it just was aching terribly.

Tuesday I go to the pain doctor.  I told her before I didn't want the meds, but I think I am changing my mind.  I know she can schedule me for the cortisone injections very quickly.  Then I know she will prescribe PT.  I remember the exercises from PT for my back, but when I tried the one that felt so good the last time it was painful, and the pain remained for a day or so.

So here I sit.  Aching, moaning, and complaining to you once again.  I never understood the old saying "if I had known I would live this long - and that I would feel this way - I would have taken better care of myself!"  How true, how true!

Better mood, lousy pain

I am sure I am in such a bad mood so often is the continual pain I am in.  I am trying something new - especially with all the news reports on NAISD pain relievers.  I am trying Turmneric capsules.  I only began last night, so I cannot say yea or nay.  For a while - and when I went to bed it seemed I had a good deal of relief.  Right now (5 pm) that is not the case at all.  I tried to sit at the embroidery machine for a while and only lasted 45 minutes.  Negotiating the stairs was a really scary thing to do because I was afraid I would fall since it hurt so to move.  I will try more capsules in just a bit.

Travel - I still don't really want to do it, but I am not as rabid about it as I was.  I especially do not like to fly.  It isn't because I am afraid of flying.  Not at all.  I just hate going through TSA.  I am tired of being wanded, patted down and the like because I have titanium knees.  Of course,  there is the never to be forgotten time at LAX with Katie was 5 (now 15) when I shut down the whole airport.  The idiot at the curb didn't give out 6 boarding passes, and the little girl was too busy flirting at the first check-point so when I got to the final concourse with the e-ray machine that was a real security breach.

I don't mind relatively short flights.  It is the loong ones that kill me.  Sitting with my knees flexed for a long period of time is very painful.  So with the airlines wanting to transport us like cattle on a cattle truck I don't have the luxury of stretching out my legs.

All else around here is the same.One day just flows into another and time is racing by.

Have a good one.

I am back!

And the computer is better than new!!  At least I guess it is.  It was pretty bad when I had Mike work on it, and then I had to use the OLD Dell which I am afraid is on its last legs.  This one speeds along.  He cleaned up some things and talked me into a solid state hard drive.  Wow!  It now loads so fast and moves so fast.  Best money spent ever!

Let's see - what have I done.  Well, we went to the Lutheran Gathering in New Orleans,  I wasn't so much blown away with this one.  And getting around would have been fine - IF I were 30 years younger.  The Convention Center there is about three blocks long.  I.  Don't. (Can't) Do. Three. Blocks.  My knees and back simply prohibit that.  With the stenosis, degeneration, and sciatica I can simply forget that kind of walking.

The buses would let us off at one end of the place - where registration and the services were.  To get to any of the sessions, you had to go the second floor and at the other end of the place.  I really hated it.

I love Cajun food, but every night for a week wore thin.  G liked the little place across the street from the hotel, so that's where we went.  Got my fill of fish for a long, long time.  I have never been a big fish eater anyway.

We headed back on the Monday after the Gathering.  That's the day after the heavy flooding in Baton Rouge.  On the train, they said if we could get past Lafayette we would be good.  We did, but the waters were high!

Then a few days later it was off to the SSB.

To make my complaints complete I have to add another.  I shouldn't complain about this one, but once again - if I were 30 years younger I would be excited.  G has us to go to Hawaii.  He simply doesn't understand that with my arthritis and other joint problems I DO NOT enjoy traveling.  I really do not want to go.

So I made an appointment with my pain doctor.  I know I can't get the PT in before this trip.  And before I told her I didn't want the pain meds, but I really believe I am going to change my mind this time.  I just hurt too badly.  It's terrible to be set to go to such a beautiful place and hate the thought.