Oh, My Little Chickadee

My little chickadee can make me laugh, no matter how depressing the discussion might be.

Yesterday, I sent her an e-mail about how much worse my hands were:  "My hands are worse than ever today.  Perhaps your prediction was right and whatever is afflicting my ring finger is spreading to all my fingers … Woe is me, it really hurts to type.  Whatever will I do if I don’t get this under control?"

Her reply:  "Well, there has to be some way to get it to a point where you are able to do things, and then maintain that.  I mean, you can’t have no use of your hands.  I assume it also hurts to do other things, but typing is just the worst?  Obviously so since you first noticed it when you were driving and said the shopping you did yesterday aggravated it.   You must have really pissed off someone in your former life to result in getting saddled with these afflictions!"

Moi?  Piss someone off?  I don't believe it.

Well, perhaps if I was a cat in my former life ...

Gosh this sucks!

So, it seems I'm in yet another fibro flare-up.

From what, you might ask?

Well, I'm asking the same question.

On Thursday morning (yes, my massage day!) we made a quick trip into the big city to take care of a family matter that has been hanging over us for some time now.  It's not 'finished' yet but we moved it another step closer to resolution.

There was some physical labour involved.  Minimal on my part.  But I guess that's all it takes, when combined with the commute.

We arrived home with just enough time for me to shower and prepare myself for my massage therapist.  A tad too rushed for my liking.  But the massage helped work out the kinks, of which there were many.

On Friday, we spent the day getting ready for an almost impromptu visit from our Toronto host (that makes our fifth visit this year -- a record!).  He left about 2:00pm on Saturday and we hopped in the car to run errands in town (thank the Lord it wasn't back into the big city!).

The fatigue caught up to me, big time.  (The mack trucks were back last night.)

And all the while my finger has been giving me fits.  It simply isn't getting any better, although the Voltaren is keeping the pain at bay, somewhat.  By the end of the day, my finger is quite visibly swollen again.  Perplexing indeed!

Now today, my hands are extremely sore -- not just the one finger any more.  It's now all the fingers, and the wrists.

Hence, I'll end this post here, because typing is very painful.

Have I ever mentioned that fibro really sucks?

And now it's my finger

This is just craziness I tell you!

Last week (Monday to be exact), my hands were bothering me.  So much so that as I was heading into Ottawa to attend a funeral, I turned around in my neighbour's driveway and came back home to get my arthritis gloves.  My hands were hurting that much as I gripped the steering wheel.

I thought nothing of it.  Just another of those "bad hand" days.

Fast forward to Thursday evening as I sat enjoying the company of my former boss man and good friend BK and his wife.

The ring finger on my left hand was hurting -- bad.  

I looked down and it was swollen, big time.  Just that one finger.  Normally when I have an arthritis flare-up in my hands, both hands are visibly red and swollen, not just one digit.

I struggled to get my wedding band off and initially it looked like it might have to be cut off, the swelling was that severe.  But eventually, I worked the ring off and massaged the finger.  Man, it was sore!

The finger continued to bother me through the week-end but the swelling subsided considerably.

If Only ...

Some time before I was actually scheduled for my hip replacement surgery, in fact before I even met the surgeon, I had a discussion with my then family doctor.

I was concerned that I would be going through the long process of surgery and recovery just to come out the other end still plagued with bursitis, and therefore still not be able to sleep on my right side.

My doctor drew me a picture of what happens with hip replacements.  "The bursa is removed," said he.  "So you can't have bursitis any longer."

I went away, happy in the knowledge that I would be ridding myself of two pains with one surgery.  Bonus!

Fast forward to two months following the surgery.

It is quite evident that I have bursitis in my left hip.

How can that be?  My doctor assured me that the bursa is removed with a hip replacement.

When next I visited my surgeon, I asked the question.  "Did you remove my bursa?"

"No," said he.  "I don't remove the bursa unless it is very inflamed.  I incise through it, but I don't excise it."

Great!

Genealogical Musings

As I've mentioned here on more than one occasion, I'm an avid genealogist.  (I call the hobby, 'looking for my dead people.')

I've been researching my family tree for 25+ years now and I've gotten pretty damned good at it.

But several years ago, quite early on in my research as a matter of fact, I discovered a most interesting revelation about my ancestry.  I've traced my paternal grandmother's French-Canadian ancestry (on her father's side) back to the 1500s and it turns out that I am my own cousin, many times over.

This phenomenon is not unique to my family tree. A surprising number of Quebeckers can trace their family histories back to the settlement era of the mid-1600s. Many of the original families married amongst themselves, and still do, resulting in Quebec's gene pool being particularly unalloyed, so much so that researchers wanting to isolate specific genetic characteristics -- such as obesity, or proneness to having twins, or certain heart conditions, or diabetes -- conduct their studies in Quebec.

Death and Dying ....

A very good friend of mine lost her sister last week.  It was a sudden, heart-breaking loss.

Yesterday, my little chickadee and I went to the wake and it was difficult for me to see my friend so emotionally distraught, but trying to hold up a good front for all the people who were there.  It was also difficult to see her niece and nephews standing in the receiving line, in front of their mother's open casket,  smiling bravely as person after person presented themselves to offer their sympathies.

Today, we will attend the funeral.  They being Irish, it should be quite the party.  (Their mother's funeral was a blast!)

On the way home yesterday, our conversation turned to one we have had many times over the years.

Wakes are really for the living.  For people to pay their respects to the grieving who have been left behind.  But to have to put up such a brave front for hours on end, when all you want to do is curl up and die yourself, is simply not right.

I have visited wakes, paid my respects, and departed.  But it is very difficult for me to be in the same room with an open casket.  I truly have visions of that person moving, twitching, eyes fluttering ...  I simply cannot look at the body.

I'm improving ... slowly

My lower back is improving, albeit very slowly.

My massage therapist worked on the area yesterday and confirmed that the muscles are very taut indeed.  She did her best and her best did help.

But of course, when I woke this morning, after a night of non-movement, the muscles were seized and I had to start all over again.

I took a jet massage bath and wow, did that ever feel good!

Walking is no longer painful but any movement that specifically calls on the lower back muscles (ie getting up out of a chair, or rolling over in bed) is still very difficult.

At least I'm no longer in constant pain.

Imagine, the action that brought this on was approximately three hours (tops) of sorting paper.

And here I am, on the fifth day following that activity, still suffering the consequences.

Did I ever mention that fibro sucks?

It only hurts when I move

Or when I breathe.

Reaching is no treat either.

Oh dear.  Whatever will we do with me?

As quickly as we make progress in resolving one issue (ie my knees), another raises its ugly head.

You see, I brought this one on myself.

Not deliberately, you realize.  But I really should have seen it coming.

We are helping a very special person clean up his (very messy) apartment while he is temporarily incapacitated.  And in doing so, John brought home boxes (and bags) full of paraphernalia that needed sorting.

So on Sunday, we tackled the chore.  We sat out on the porch and started sorting, I sitting on the futon, John in the Adirondack chair.  Boxes on the floor between us.

We spent the afternoon reaching and sorting.

I should know better.  Really I should.

With all the years of office work behind me, I should know how to ergonomically set up for such chores to lessen the pain that will surely follow.

But no.  It would seem I had forgotten all that I had learned over the years.

I sure remembered the next morning though, when I awoke having been visited by those damned mack trucks again!

As Monday progressed, I could feel the spasms starting in my lower back.

By Tuesday, they were very pronounced.  My physiotherapist tried to work them out as best she could and her ministrations helped (as did the acupuncture), but the relief didn't last long.

Last night, the mack trucks were back in fine form and in addition to the back spasms, my right leg -- especially my foot -- was contorted in spasmodic pain.

This morning, I've applied tiger balm; I've taken Robaxicet; and I'm wearing a back brace.

But really, as long as I don't move, or breathe, or reach -- I'm just fine, thank you very much.

Fortunately, my massage therapist will be here tomorrow.  Surely, she'll be able to work out the kinks!

Knees update

On Friday last, I had my final Synvisc injections in my knees.

This time, the shots didn't hurt quite as much.  That could have been due to the fact that I took a codeine contin before I left home.

The discomfort for the rest of the day wasn't nearly as bad either.  I mean, I was still uncomfortable, and I had to stay off my feet as much as possible.  But this experience was nothing like the previous two had been.

Both knees were much more functional throughout the wait period than they had been with the earlier shots.

And there really was no pain to speak of.  Just a "weird" sensation in the knees -- like they were heavier than usual, if that makes sense.

The Doctor explained that the pain between shots was to be expected.  It was a very large needle that was being injected into the knee and the joint needed time to recover from that attack.  She said that she didn't have arthritis but if a needle that size were injected into her knee, she'd have a lot of pain and would need time to recover.

What she was telling me was that I should expect to spend recovery time just from having had the injection.  And that could take up to two weeks.

She told me that the average response time was six to eight weeks for a patient to really know if relief was had from this treatment -- because it could take that long to recover from having had the injections.

That being said, based on how my knees feel today -- not quite 48 hours after the third injections -- I think it's safe to assume that I'm on the road to a successful treatment.

Why, you ask?

Because my knees feel different today.

More reliable.

Less painful.

I couldn't say that after the first shots.

I couldn't say it after the second shots.

But I can say it with confidence after the third shots.

That bodes well for success, non?

It's My Little Chickadee's Birthday

My daughter entered the world at 1:16pm on this date back in 1975, and what a terrific addition to this world she has proven to be.

She has grown into a marvelous young woman of whom I am extremely proud.

She is a terrific daughter and a truly fabulous mother. (And of course, her becoming a mother gave me a grandson -- another shining light of my life.)

But most of all, my daughter has become a wonderful friend.

We live about an hour's drive away from each other, so we spend great lengths of time on the telephone, laughing and carrying on about anything and everything.

We exchange e-mails fast and furiously; we used to play around on MSN but now we just pick up the telephone and communicate in the more comfortable way for us.

We will actually send an e-mail or leave a voice mail to let each other know if we won't be available for our nightly telephone chat!

If my offspring hasn't heard from me in -- oh, about a half day or so -- I'll receive an e-mail that starts with, "You don't call, you don't write ..." which just cracks me up!

Nobody can get me laughing the way my daughter can.

My daughter is the kind of person who anyone would be honoured to count among their friends.

I'm glad she's mine!

Happy Birthday, my little chickadee!
"Love you up to the sky and back again"

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
 You make me happy, when skies are grey ..."

My "wash & wear" hair

This no hair business is really turning into a positive thing for me.

Showers take no time at all now.  And since I don't have to shampoo, condition, blow dry and curl my hair, I'm not holding my arms up over my head for extended periods.  Hence, reduced shoulder pain.  And that's huge!

I'm noticing that the hair is growing (I am blessed with super-growth hair).  It's already starting to stick up and out.  But it isn't long enough yet to be combed down.  And it certainly isn't long enough to be styled!

Not sure what I'll do for that in-between stage but I guess I'd best figure something out because I'm almost there.

Hats will cover the problem when I go out -- 'cept I hate wearing hats and I'm having tremendous difficulty finding something I like.

Of course, as it grows out, should I find a wash and wear style that I really like, it will be a challenge to keep it.

There has always been a downside to my trying to have wash and wear hair -- it is only truly at that stage for about ten days tops.  Then it grows!

Had My Second Synvisc Injection

On Friday, I had my second Synvisc injection.

And OMG, it hurt just as much as the first.

The doctor was going to do the right knee first and I asked her to do the left one first.  Last week, it hurt but not quite as much as the right one.

Sure enough, it hurt -- and it seemed to take forever.

Then she did the right knee -- which hurt ever so much more -- but it went much more quickly.

Both she and I commented simultaneously that it was much quicker on the right knee than the left.  I was puzzled.

She said that she had thought she had noticed the same phenomenon the first time (which I had also noticed).  The only explanation she could give was that my left knee must have a lot of scar tissue.  As to the more severe pain in the right knee, that is a direct result of its arthritis being more advanced.

She sent me on my way, advising me to again take it easy for the rest of the day (like I had a choice!).

The rest of the day was a goner.  The pain was intense so I took a codeine contin and vegged out.  But still the discomfort was evident.

Yesterday, I again took it easy although the pain was all but gone (unless I stood too long or tried to use my knee muscles).

This morning, almost 48 hours since the injections, both knees are about back to normal.

I can't yet see any improvement in the knees.  But I have one more round of injections to go.

Apparently, it could be a week after the final shots before I know if this treatment is successful.

All I can say is:  it bloody well better be!

I hate computers!

I do.  Really I do.

We've been in the process of changing hosting services (my husband, God bless him, decided he didn't like our current provider and wanted to return to our original provider).

Since I have to play the role of "administrator" with whomever we are using, I switch my services so that we keep everything with one provider.  It's just easier!

Our current service expires tomorrow.

So on Monday I called the new guys (actually the "original" guys) and put into play the process of transferring everything (three domain names for John; three domain names for me; two hosting services for John; one for me).

Yesterday morning, the hosting services were transferred and ready to go, says the e-mail.  Just wait ten minutes from receipt of the e-mail and you're good to go.

Sure.  Easily a  good hour and half later, I'm ready to upload to their server.

None of the three worked.

Grrrrr, I hate computers.

Yesterday afternoon, the e-mail informed me they had reset everything and all should work fine.

This morning, I'm still trying.

When I told them nothing worked yet, they thought it would be a good idea to send me THE NEW PASSWORDS that they had assigned when they reset everything yesterday.

Voila.  Everything works just tickety-boo now.  Imagine that.

Have I mentioned that I hate computers!

Physio day

Today is physio day.

Which means a trip into the big city.

This will be my first outing as the new me.

No, I will not be wearing a wig.

Just a sun hat to protect my head from sunburn.

There's gonna be some 'splainin' to do when I get there!

The new me

Some weeks ago, my step daughter-in-law and I were discussing her status as she travels her second journey of breast cancer treatment (she thought she had conquered it thirty years ago).

The idea of losing all her hair was distressing her and the loss had already started.

I promised her that when it happened, I would shave my head too.

Last week, she took the plunge and asked her daughter-in-law to shave off what little hair she had left.

Yesterday, I let her do the honours for me.

Think of the freedom.

My showers will be so much quicker now.

No more blow drying and curling my hair.

I truly have "wash and wear" hair ... for a while.

Think of the money I'll save on haircuts ... for a while.

And who knows, as regrowth happens, I might even find a style I really like!

Now for the knees

The time has come to address the issue of my knee pain.

When I saw my orthopaedic surgeon last week, he assessed my knee x-rays and explained why I have the discomfort I have.  But the arthritis is early-stage and surgery would not be recommended at this point.

Good thing because I wouldn't even consider surgery now.  I have discomfort, not excruciating pain.

My concern is that because of the difficulty that I am having with my knees, it is affecting my gait.  That in turn is affecting my hip which will hasten the need for replacement of my right hip.

Truth be known, I'd prefer to delay any further surgery for as long as I can.

So, what can we do to alleviate the pain in my knees which right now causes great difficulty going down stairs (or any downward incline when walking).  They also ache terribly after about a half hour in the car.

Cortisone shots are one option but I really don't want to go that route.

When I asked about pursuing Synvisc injections, he told me that I was a perfect candidate for that treatment because my arthritis is at exactly the stage where good results are usually had.

He wrote the prescription, I found a doctor here in town who can administer the shots and today was the day.

OMG it hurt!

Now I have to stay off my feet for 48 hours, no weight-bearing anything (which means I can't do my stationary bike for the next two days).

And next Friday, and the Friday after that, I do it all again.  (And yes, she told me it would hurt just as much each of the next two times!)

Why oh why does it have to cost me so much to be tortured so????

This had better work!

It was swimmers' ear!

It took my ENT guy a nano-second to diagnose my recent bout of ear infections.

Swimmers' ear!

Yup.  Without my having been in an infected swimming pool.

Seems it's not all that unusual for someone who wears hearing aids to have the problem in the heat wave conditions we've been experiencing this summer.

Stays hot and muggy for days on end, one sweats a lot.  (And Lord knows I do that!)

Well, so too do the ears sweat.  The hearing aids are actually a plug, preventing the sweat from leaving the ear.  Perfect breeding ground for bacteria.  And before you know it, an infection develops.

Makes perfect sense when you think about it.

How to prevent it in the future?

Find at least an hour in each day to NOT wear the  hearing aids. (Like, when I'm sitting in front of the computer, perhaps looking for my dead people.)  And use a small fan to blow air at the ear (or hold a blow dryer away from the ear) to  help dry it out.  That will go a long way towards helping prevent future infections.

I was with him for less than five minutes and problem solved.  Just like that.  Such a smart man.

Makes perfect sense.  But really, who'da thunk it?????

Dem Damn Yanks!

We went to Toronto again this past weekend.

Back to see my boys play ball.

They were supposed to beat dem damn Yanks.

'Cept it didn't happen that way.

Friday night, they lost.

Saturday afternoon they lost again.

We weren't at Sunday's game -- that's the one they won.  Naturally!

On Sunday, we went to Bracebridge to visit with my cousin -- the one I hadn't seen in 47 years.  Now I've seen her twice in the space of a month and a half.

This time, we got to meet her sweetheart of a husband.  They took us for a drive around the Muskokas and we stopped to have a scrumptious lunch.

After an equally delicious breakfast on Monday morning, we bid them adieu and headed home.

Yesterday was rest day for me, although I did go see my massage therapist.  For reasons beyond my control, I've had to cancel my usual home session on Thursday this week.  Fortunately, she was able to fit me in yesterday.  It was very much needed!

Today, I'm going into the big city to see my ENT specialist.  We need to figure out why I'm getting these danged ear infections.  If we can.  Then I'll visit my physiotherapist for her ministrations (which usually happens on Tuesdays but was bumped to today since I have to see my ENT guy).

Anyway, I've gotta get out of here, so see ya later.

Tempus fugit.

Happy Birthday to MOI!

Finally, it's my birthday.

I've been on a countdown since the first of August, just like a little kid.

And now, at last, my day has arrived.

The Ottawa Citizen horrorscope for today reads:  "Birthday Baby:  You are insightful, charming and unique.  You are curious and intelligent."

The National Post reads:  "If Your Birthday is Today:  Singer/actress Whitney Houston (1963-2012) shares your birthday today.  You are convincing and a tower of strength to those around you.  You are courageous and determined once you have set your goals.  You like to be well-prepared and will educate yourself for any endeavour.  (You do your homework.)  You are also a giving, generous person.  Work hard to build or construct something this year because your rewards will soon follow."

I will leave it to others to assess its accuracy.

Lots to do today too.

Have to pack so we're ready to leave bright and early tomorrow morning to head off for Toronto to cheer on my beloved Blue Jays.  (They are so far out of contention that it won't matter but we are not just fair weather fans ...)

My Angel and her husband and son are joining us for dinner this evening and I am so looking forward to seeing them.

And of course, it's Thursday today so at 1:00pm, my massage therapist will arrive to do her magic, leaving me in a perfectly mellow mood to participate in that birthday dinner.

Life is good!

Serendipitous, indeed

Yesterday afternoon, our handy dandy fix-it man dropped by for a visit.  He wanted to assess the damage done in the woods as a result of that storm we had a while back (you know, the one that left us without power for 30 hours).

Anyway, he insisted that I go along for the trek.

He couldn't believe that I was able to do it without pain (in my left hip).  I couldn't believe I was able to do it at all!

I also couldn't believe the amount of devastation back there.  Trees -- huge ones -- are downed all the way through.  It will be days of work getting that mess cleaned up.  Fortunately, he knows just the man for the job and will arrange to send him in.

One thing's for sure though -- we won't lack for firewood for the next couple of winters!

And another thing I found out?

While there was no pain in my left hip for having made that trek, my right hip sure did object to it.

As did my knees.

Of course, my right hip had been giving me fits all day yesterday, presumably because I had slept on that side most of the previous night.

What is serendipitous about this event, you might ask?

Well, I'll be seeing my surgeon tomorrow morning.  Because I made that trek yesterday, I have concrete evidence to report of the progress in my left hip, and the decline in my right hip.  I'll also discuss the state of my knees -- they're becoming increasingly problematic.  As I understand it, if I don't do something to resolve the issue in my knees, my right hip will only worsen.

Best be getting on that wait list to have my right hip fixed sooner rather than later.