Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Broken parts
Do you ever feel like you are just falling apart? Here's my saga:
This past June I started having pain in my big toe. Not just any pain, a jolt of zapping electricity when I walked. After a couple of weeks, I went to see my doctor. Of course, I was told try anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) for a while and let him know. Well, my stomach (another broken part) doesn't get along with NSAIDs. I did, however, discover a delightful little medication called Prilosec, which allows my poor tummy and the other medication to get along. After a couple more weeks, I go back. No luck, I said! So my doctor says I need to see a podiatrist. I go to the podiatrist with high hopes. I'm told I have a bunion, hammer toes, and plantar facsiitis. I'm fitted for orthotics, prescribed night splints, and given a steroid injection into the base of my big toe. Now keep in mind that I give myself allergy shots (yet another broken part...), so shots aren't that big of a deal for me. After that ordeal, I'd have to say I preferred giving birth with no epidural. First, the doctor numbs the area with a very cold spray. Then he pulls on the toe. Now, he wasn't rough, but it doesn't take much pulling on an already sore toe to make your blood pressure start to rise. Then he puts the needle in. Then he s-l-o-w-l-y injects the steroid. As this (pulling and injecting) is going on, the room starts getting hotter. And hotter. And hotter. When it was (finally) over, they asked me if I wanted my coffee. I told them I was actually fighting off nausea and the room was really hot. I must not have looked good, because the next thing I knew, the door was opened and I had a wet washcloth on my neck. I finished with my appointment, glad (so I thought) that the worst was over. Hahahahaha! According to my internet research, I had a "cortisone flare". It is defined as:
a condition where the injected cortisone crystallizes and can cause a brief period of pain worse than before the shot. This usually lasts a day or so and is best treated by icing the injected area.
You don't feel this lovely pain until the numbing spray wears off, about 3 hours later. I was on the couch trying to ice and elevate my foot. If I could have done this and been in the fetal position at the same time, I would have. And no, they didn't warn me that this was even a possibility. I called the doctor, sure I was dying from an allergic reaction. No such luck. They did tell me that people with steroid flares often have better results from the shots. I decided to see the silver lining in the cloud. Until it wore off. Six weeks later.
As part of the treatment for my foot, I was sent to a physical therapist. She didn't think my (really quite small) bunion should be causing all my problems. As we talked, she wondered if some of my trouble was caused by nerve root irritation in my lower vertebra (another broken part). She got permission from my regular doctor to work on my back. After 6 weeks I was doing better and I stopped seeing her. When things got busy at Halloween, I didn't do my exercises for a few days and I paid for it. I felt pain in my back like I had never felt before. It really stinks that after the therapy my pain is worse than it had ever been. It does, however, REALLY motivate me to not neglect it.
In addition to this pain (which is doing better, but not gone), last week I hurt my knee (another broken part). I have no idea how I did it, but it's really a pain (Ha! I'm so punny) when you live in a house with as many stairs as mine has. I was carrying a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper down the stairs and was trying to step off my hurting knee really quickly when I rolled my ankle and fell down the stairs. I only fell down 2-3 steps, but I was in excruciating pain. The best part is it was the opposite ankle, so my right knee is in pain and my left ankle is in pain. I'm grateful for Ace bandages. My knee is better, but not 100%, and my ankle is better, but I'm still wrapping it and have to be careful how I move it.
Of course, I get no sympathy at home, except for "Can't anything be right with you?" Yes, that makes me feel better! Thank you! (Those last 2 sentences are dripping with sarcasm, in case you couldn't hear it). I'm wondering if this is my life when I'm 33 what will I be like when I'm 53? 63? 73? Maybe I could get a doctor to adopt me...but only if he's married to a physical therapist.
Anyone have any thoughts on acupuncture...
This past June I started having pain in my big toe. Not just any pain, a jolt of zapping electricity when I walked. After a couple of weeks, I went to see my doctor. Of course, I was told try anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) for a while and let him know. Well, my stomach (another broken part) doesn't get along with NSAIDs. I did, however, discover a delightful little medication called Prilosec, which allows my poor tummy and the other medication to get along. After a couple more weeks, I go back. No luck, I said! So my doctor says I need to see a podiatrist. I go to the podiatrist with high hopes. I'm told I have a bunion, hammer toes, and plantar facsiitis. I'm fitted for orthotics, prescribed night splints, and given a steroid injection into the base of my big toe. Now keep in mind that I give myself allergy shots (yet another broken part...), so shots aren't that big of a deal for me. After that ordeal, I'd have to say I preferred giving birth with no epidural. First, the doctor numbs the area with a very cold spray. Then he pulls on the toe. Now, he wasn't rough, but it doesn't take much pulling on an already sore toe to make your blood pressure start to rise. Then he puts the needle in. Then he s-l-o-w-l-y injects the steroid. As this (pulling and injecting) is going on, the room starts getting hotter. And hotter. And hotter. When it was (finally) over, they asked me if I wanted my coffee. I told them I was actually fighting off nausea and the room was really hot. I must not have looked good, because the next thing I knew, the door was opened and I had a wet washcloth on my neck. I finished with my appointment, glad (so I thought) that the worst was over. Hahahahaha! According to my internet research, I had a "cortisone flare". It is defined as:
a condition where the injected cortisone crystallizes and can cause a brief period of pain worse than before the shot. This usually lasts a day or so and is best treated by icing the injected area.
You don't feel this lovely pain until the numbing spray wears off, about 3 hours later. I was on the couch trying to ice and elevate my foot. If I could have done this and been in the fetal position at the same time, I would have. And no, they didn't warn me that this was even a possibility. I called the doctor, sure I was dying from an allergic reaction. No such luck. They did tell me that people with steroid flares often have better results from the shots. I decided to see the silver lining in the cloud. Until it wore off. Six weeks later.
As part of the treatment for my foot, I was sent to a physical therapist. She didn't think my (really quite small) bunion should be causing all my problems. As we talked, she wondered if some of my trouble was caused by nerve root irritation in my lower vertebra (another broken part). She got permission from my regular doctor to work on my back. After 6 weeks I was doing better and I stopped seeing her. When things got busy at Halloween, I didn't do my exercises for a few days and I paid for it. I felt pain in my back like I had never felt before. It really stinks that after the therapy my pain is worse than it had ever been. It does, however, REALLY motivate me to not neglect it.
In addition to this pain (which is doing better, but not gone), last week I hurt my knee (another broken part). I have no idea how I did it, but it's really a pain (Ha! I'm so punny) when you live in a house with as many stairs as mine has. I was carrying a 12-pack of Dr. Pepper down the stairs and was trying to step off my hurting knee really quickly when I rolled my ankle and fell down the stairs. I only fell down 2-3 steps, but I was in excruciating pain. The best part is it was the opposite ankle, so my right knee is in pain and my left ankle is in pain. I'm grateful for Ace bandages. My knee is better, but not 100%, and my ankle is better, but I'm still wrapping it and have to be careful how I move it.
Of course, I get no sympathy at home, except for "Can't anything be right with you?" Yes, that makes me feel better! Thank you! (Those last 2 sentences are dripping with sarcasm, in case you couldn't hear it). I'm wondering if this is my life when I'm 33 what will I be like when I'm 53? 63? 73? Maybe I could get a doctor to adopt me...but only if he's married to a physical therapist.
Anyone have any thoughts on acupuncture...
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Faith
I'm holding on to this as I'm listening to the election results:
Romans 13
Submission to the Authorities
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Corn Maze
Last week we went to the corn maze with a group from our church. It was a lot of fun.
It was a beautiful afternoon, in spite of the mud from rains earlier in the week.
And, of course, what's a trip to a muddy corn maze without someone falling in the mud?
Um, make that TWO somebodies...
It was a great time!
It was a beautiful afternoon, in spite of the mud from rains earlier in the week.
And, of course, what's a trip to a muddy corn maze without someone falling in the mud?
Um, make that TWO somebodies...
It was a great time!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Items on the done list
*post one more peer response on the class discussion board (then I'm done with the class!)
*make a chocolate sheet cake for conference dinner at N's school tonight
*make salsa for conference dinner at N's school tomorrow
*go to Walmart and pick up chicken for conference dinner at N's school tonight
*go to N's school and set up for conference dinner
*come home and make dinner (leftovers!)
*go back to N's school and clean up conference dinner
*make orange puree
Yay! Now I'm off to get shoes and shirts for the field trip, and maybe get to the ham and the physical therapy.
On a totally different note, no one has responded to my last discussion post for my class. Hmmm...maybe they didn't like that I said?
*make a chocolate sheet cake for conference dinner at N's school tonight
*make salsa for conference dinner at N's school tomorrow
*go to Walmart and pick up chicken for conference dinner at N's school tonight
*go to N's school and set up for conference dinner
*come home and make dinner (leftovers!)
*go back to N's school and clean up conference dinner
*make orange puree
Yay! Now I'm off to get shoes and shirts for the field trip, and maybe get to the ham and the physical therapy.
On a totally different note, no one has responded to my last discussion post for my class. Hmmm...maybe they didn't like that I said?
Ding, dong, the paper's done!
Woo-hoo!! It's done! Now to the rest of my to-do list:
*post one more peer response on the class discussion board (then I'm done with the class!)
*make a chocolate sheet cake for conference dinner at N's school tonight
*make salsa for conference dinner at N's school tomorrow
*go to Walmart and pick up chicken for conference dinner at N's school tonight
*go to N's school and set up for conference dinner
*come home and make dinner (leftovers!)
*go back to N's school and clean up conference dinner
*clean up recently painted bathroom (clean paint off mirrors, trim , and ceiling)
*get N, A, and my fall clothes out of laundry baskets and into drawers
*put away summer clothes
*start working on 2009 calendars to give as Christmas gifts (I've made a resolution to NOT be printing them On December 23 this year...)
*clean my disaster zone of a basement
*practice piano for worship team Sunday
*check on supplies/gather supplies fro N's fall party at school
*work on my responsibilities for Leah's shower
*find library books strewn about the house
*return library books
*go to Party City and get N's costume for Halloween
*plan menus for rest of this week and next (I've been flying by the seat of my pants this week - yikes!)
*plan grocery list
*actually make it to the store to buy groceries
*find old shoes for A and me to wear to her pumpkin patch field trip tomorrow (it's gonna be muddy!)
*find A's field trip shirt for her to wear tomorrow
*put 14 pounds of ham in ziplocs and freeze
*make orange puree
*do my physical therapy exercises
I know there's more to do, but I'm too tired to try to think about it (bedtime was 11:30 last night, after I finished my class discussion post, one of my peer discussion posts, and a reply to my teacher's post). Off to bake a cake...
*post one more peer response on the class discussion board (then I'm done with the class!)
*make a chocolate sheet cake for conference dinner at N's school tonight
*make salsa for conference dinner at N's school tomorrow
*go to Walmart and pick up chicken for conference dinner at N's school tonight
*go to N's school and set up for conference dinner
*come home and make dinner (leftovers!)
*go back to N's school and clean up conference dinner
*clean up recently painted bathroom (clean paint off mirrors, trim , and ceiling)
*get N, A, and my fall clothes out of laundry baskets and into drawers
*put away summer clothes
*start working on 2009 calendars to give as Christmas gifts (I've made a resolution to NOT be printing them On December 23 this year...)
*clean my disaster zone of a basement
*practice piano for worship team Sunday
*check on supplies/gather supplies fro N's fall party at school
*work on my responsibilities for Leah's shower
*find library books strewn about the house
*return library books
*go to Party City and get N's costume for Halloween
*plan menus for rest of this week and next (I've been flying by the seat of my pants this week - yikes!)
*plan grocery list
*actually make it to the store to buy groceries
*find old shoes for A and me to wear to her pumpkin patch field trip tomorrow (it's gonna be muddy!)
*find A's field trip shirt for her to wear tomorrow
*put 14 pounds of ham in ziplocs and freeze
*make orange puree
*do my physical therapy exercises
I know there's more to do, but I'm too tired to try to think about it (bedtime was 11:30 last night, after I finished my class discussion post, one of my peer discussion posts, and a reply to my teacher's post). Off to bake a cake...
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Two weeks down, one to go!
Well, I'm almost done with my online class. Only one discussion question and one 1500 word research paper to go. I will be soooo glad when it's done. I'm seriously contemplating doing no more "real" classes and just sticking with the pud computer ones. It doesn't help that some of the info I need isn't there. For example, in week one we were supposed to critique a school crisis plan using the provided rubric (a rubric is a set of grading criteria). Well, a bunch of us were frantically posting on the message board that we couldn't find the rubric. After a day or two, the instructor finally realizes it somehow "got deleted" from the system. Aaaaaaack! I'm much too easily excitable for this sort of thing. Add to that my first-born tendancy to obsess over things that aren't sone "right", and, well, you have a leetle beet of stress. (Of course, we won't discuss the fact that I'm just now starting my research paper...) Anyhoo, busy week on tap - N's conferences (and book fair, and conference dinners for which I'm setting up/tearing down, bringing dessert, and picking up the fried chicken) and A's field trip. Should have some cute pics from that one.
Funny story:
Two weeks ago A's teacher told me about a playground "incident". It seems that a child rushed over and said, "A's crying!" The teacher rushed over to find A lying on her back on the ground sobbing. The teacher thought she had fallen off the playground equipment. When she asked if A was hurt, A replied, "No one will play with me!!!" The funniest thing was, she had a posse of about 10 kids gathered around her by this point! Never a dull moment with that girl...
Funny story:
Two weeks ago A's teacher told me about a playground "incident". It seems that a child rushed over and said, "A's crying!" The teacher rushed over to find A lying on her back on the ground sobbing. The teacher thought she had fallen off the playground equipment. When she asked if A was hurt, A replied, "No one will play with me!!!" The funniest thing was, she had a posse of about 10 kids gathered around her by this point! Never a dull moment with that girl...
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