July 3, 2008
Two thumbs up!
Back on the 26th of June, I told you about one of the office girls at my pain doctors office, and how she's just been melting off the weight.
After doc and I finished going over the results of yesterday's MRI, I asked him about the diet aide that she's been taking because I am just so incredibly impressed with how much weight she has lost.
At my appointment Tuesday, Lacey was the one who brought me back, did my vitals etc, and I really got a chance to ask her what she's been using to lose the weight and how it makes her feel.
I'm sure that many of you older women remember the days of ephedra, and the shakiness and that weird feeling you got in your stomach after taking it right?
It worked killer for losing weight, but it made you shaky and paranoid, and by the 8 or 9th hour after taking it, you'd get this feeling in your stomach that was never a good feeling.
It was sort of a hunger feeling, but more of a sick feeling.
Anyway, she's been taking a product called Zylene 1.1, and he sells it right there in the office.
Lacey has lost 59 pounds since February 3rd, and another office girl, Faiay, (pronounced Fy-aa) has only been taking it for the last 3 months, has lost 22 pounds.
I talked to the both of them again today, and they have both said the same things, no shakes, excellent appetite control, and major energy.
They take 2 capsules in the morning, and it last them all day long, and they have no trouble falling asleep at night.
Doc and I talked about it, I asked him if it was safe for me, he said yes, but he did some tests on me to just have a record of this, and to make sure I was healthy enough to start a weight loss plan.
He weighed me, took my blood pressure, and we already had the results of the blood work they did just a week ago, and so he went over everything and he said it looks good for me to start these if I wanted to.
When I had just seen him on Tuesday and asked about taking a diet aide, he said to hold off on it for now because of the neck issue, but today he said I was ok to go because if I am going to need the surgery, they will probably tell me I have to lose weight first anyway, just like they did 2 years ago with my back surgery.
I asked about any possible interactions with my current pain medications, and he said these will not interact badly at all with my pain meds, and if I have to have the surgery, losing weight is a good thing, and the surgery will probably be months off anyway.
So I bought a bottle of the Zylene and I am going to start them tomorrow.
He told me the bottle says it's safe to take up to a max of 4 per day, but he recommends absolutely no more than 3 per day, but to start off only taking one with breakfast for the first few days, to drink a lot of water, and then if I start feeling like I need a second pill, to take it either mid-day or early afternoon.
He said to never take them past 3pm or else I may have trouble falling asleep at night.
I already have that problem.
I had major insomnia last night, I didn't fall asleep until 6am, and then I got up with Sebastian at 7:30am, and then just stayed awake. I wasn't tired anymore anyway.
I'm very excited to start and try these out, I have medical permission and full medical supervision, so I feel good about doing this.
Annnnnd!
I bought my hosting this morning and set up the name servers this afternoon.
So as soon as I get a blogging CMS installed, katjcooper.com will be the new home of all of my medical posts, and whatever other personal "just me" stuff can go.
This blog is my life as a single mom, my parenting issues, that's what it once was anyway, and when all my medical stuff started, it just sort of took over.
I'm very happy that the two will be separated, they need to be.
Later days!
July 3, 2008
Notice anything missing?
That is the titanium bar tongue ring I wear.
It's missing the other ball at the end.
Guess where it is?
See, I had to have that MRI today, and they make you take off all of your jewelry, so it requires me taking out all my piercings as well.
When I got home I put them all back in, and I must not have tightened it enough, and during dinner, it must have come even looser.
I decided to have a little snack a few minutes ago, and I took the first bite and felt this scraping feeling against the roof of my mouth.
I immediately panicked and thought I chipped a tooth and it had scraped the roof of my mouth, so I ran to the bathroom to take a look.
No chipped teeth, so I stuck out my tongue and that's when I saw it.
My tongue piercing was missing the top ball.
Now, it didn't fall out on the floor or into what I was eating, I definitely would have noticed it falling out of my mouth, so the only obvious place that tiny titanium ball went is down the old pipes.
Yup, I swallowed it.
I came out of the bathroom and told the teens, and they both got this look of horror on their faces.
Ha!
I've had this tongue ring since 1999, so 9 years, and in these past 9 years, I have never had an issue with it.
I've never accidentally bitten on it while eating, and I certainly have never swallowed one of the balls.
There's a first time for everything they say!
I do have others so I just replaced it, not really a big deal, but I thought it was quite funny.
July 2, 2008
We're all busy tomorrow!
I was getting ready to head out right after dinner to do a little grocery shopping and to stop at Walgreen's for a few things, and to see if they had any lipovox so I could check out the ingredients after one the girls on the local forums posted about taking it and it's helping her lose weight, and just as I grabbed my purse, it started down-pouring.
It figures.
I'll just have to try again tomorrow after I get home from the doctors.
Sebastian will be gone all day tomorrow, he's going to work with my sister so he can spend the day with his friend Matthew again.
Matthew is the brother of the boy Greg, that my sister takes care of.
Sebastian and Matthew get along so well, they both like the same video games, the Sims, and Cary (Matthew and Greg's mom) takes them to the mall and let's them go to the movies and stuff.
The two boys always have such a good time together, so I never say no when Matthew asks if he can go over.
It's up to Cary and my sister, but they hardly ever say no.
I'm just glad that Sebastian has a really good friend he can go do things with this summer.
Things in the neighborhood haven't been so good over the last few weeks.
I can't remember if I posted about that yet or not, but I'll check my archives and if not, I'll post about that later.
Mark is going with his Big George tomorrow at 11am, so when I get back and he gets back, I'll take him to the store with me.
I have to have someone go with me because I can't lift the bags of cat litter and cat food, etc.
And then we'll just cab it back and he can carry all the heavy stuff in, and help me put it away.
Mark isn't a fan of grocery shopping, but he has no choice tomorrow.
Heh.
I wanted to also tell you all to go check out my sister's blog.
It's called Jo's Mojo, and even though she doesn't post often, she does post some pretty cool stuff.
She's getting better at blogging each time she posts. (she'll get the blogging bug, everyone does 
)
You just have to go see what her and my niece Susan are doing!
It's a little project for a plant nursery so she can make a few bucks when the neighborhood she lives in has this HUGE community yard sale, and as a way to do fun and crafty things with the girls.
Go check it out, she took some awesome pictures of their progress step by step.
Most of the pictures are clickable for bigger so you can really see the stuff.
Check out the mean faced tree!
My niece Susan just loves to do stuff like that, she loves to be helpful, and she is just too darn cute in some of those pictures!
July 2, 2008
Moving on up and to a new blog.
I went and had another MRI today, it was on just my scapula and the area around it.
The new open and seated MRI machines are awesome, but these rods do not like hard and flat surfaces at all.
They had me seated, and then they tipped the whole chair up and then back, so I was completely flat on my back with my knees up in the air, and my feet dangling.
As soon as it tipped back, I was like uh, this is not good.
The tech asked me what was wrong and so I told her that the rods are being pressed down into the hard back and it's hurting really badly, but I'll try it.
A test they told me was only going to be 15 minutes, was really an hour to an hour and a half long.
I lasted in that position for about 20 minutes, and then I was pressing that buzzer like mad.
The rods and my left iliac screw were seriously freaking out.
It was beyond painful.
I made her get me out of it immediately, it was that painful.
So, then we had to try it a different way.
I was now sitting normally, but she strapped this thing around me so my arms couldn't move at all, and it ended up cutting off the circulation in my arms from my elbows down.
By the time the test was over, my hands were all pins and needles.
And there is something seriously wrong with their air conditioning compressor, because that room felt like it was 120 degrees.
The tech was sweating, I was sweating, and she just kept saying sorry, I don't know what's wrong.
Kinda sucked.
Let's hope I'm done with any more tests for awhile ok?
Oh, and I will be starting a new blog soon.
I want to get all these medical and health posts off of here.
I need to look into doing that today.
Later days!
July 2, 2008
Ack! I'm running a little late!
Oops! I got caught up reading emails and forums, and then I looked at the clock.
Ack!
I need to get in the shower and get going!
I'll post when I get home.
Later days!
July 2, 2008
The teens and I had a talk.
My first surgery was extremely hard on the boys.
Sebastian didn't handle it well at all, Mark did ok, but if we ever talk about that time, they both get a little shaky and start tearing up.
I had to talk to them about the possibility of a neck surgery, it won't be anything like my spine fusion at all, it's a one day thing, and out of the hospital in 2-3 days, shorter recovery time, much much shorter recovery time.
They got very upset, I knew they would, but it was something that we had to talk about, they need to be prepared in case it happens.
I told them about all the help that we would have this time, Mindy said she would definitely help take care of them, my sister as well, it would be much easier this time.
They told me all of the fears they have about it, the what ifs, and I can totally understand that because I have those what if thoughts myself.
They told me that I have to tell them everything, every visit with a doctor must be explained to them when I come home, no details are to be left out.
They said knowing every detail helps them deal with it much better.
I hope so.
After our talk, they were ok, they said that they will be ok as long as they have people to lean on, people to talk to and just listen if they need to talk.
I assured them that they would have all of us around to help, we'd be here for them and it would all be ok.
They are scared and I so totally understand that, I'm scared myself.
I really don't want another surgery but if that's what I have to do, then that's what I have to do.
We will keep talking about it, they insist on knowing everything, so I'm hopeful that they will be able to handle this a bit better than the last time.
It's so hard.
I'm all they have, they are all I have, and things like this are very scary for all of us.
I know I'm rambling right now, I'm flooded with all kinds of emotions and thoughts and have been since my appointment today.
It's just not what I wanted to hear and I'm hoping upon hope that Doc R is wrong.
I want Doc M to say nope, it's not that bad, we don't have to do anything drastic, and the waiting until the 15th is just going to be so hard.
I will try not to talk about it much, I know people get sick of it all, I am sick of it all, so I will try like crazy to not talk about it, but when I get overwhelmed with emotions like right now, I'm probably going to bust out rambly posts like this one.
July 1, 2008
Well that zipper tat I am planning can now go all the way up.
I went and saw my pain doc today, and I hope he is wrong, I'll know for sure when I see my surgeon on the 15th, but he thinks this is the cause of all of my pain.
Click for bigger.
This is a slice cross scan of my neck.
My vertebrae from C2 -C4, are fused together and compressing on my spinal cord.
That's not a good thing.
He thinks it will require surgery to fix, and Doc M will be the one who decides all that.
The compression is actually called stenosis, and what it is is seriously crushing my spinal cord.
I know it's kind of hard to see, but my spinal cord is being squished pretty bad.
Doc R thinks this explains why I have so much pain in my neck, shoulder, and pretty much my whole left side.
I really don't want to have another surgery, but if it comes to that, I'll have no choice.
The stenosis is at such a level that ignoring this could mean some really bad things, and I'm not even going to get into all of that.
I can't let my mind go there.
I've been dealing with this since I got home today at 1pm, and I did my crying and screaming, and now I've moved on to the let's deal with this part.
I have to go in for an MRI of my left scapula tomorrow, back to Doc R's on Thursday, and then to my surgeon Doc M on the 15th.
So that's my update for now, I need to go make dinner for the teens, and then find something else to do.
I'm not going to dwell on this bad news, Doc R could be wrong, so I'm not going to think about it until I really have to.
July 1, 2008
Rabbit rabbit July 1 2008.
I don't know why I do that some months, maybe I'm hopeful that the first words of the first day of the month, will somehow make me have a great financial month.
Even though I don't believe in superstitions like that.
Heh.
Anyway, I should be asleep right now, I have a follow-up doc appointment in the morning, and here I am, wide awake again.
I didn't sleep at all during the day today, I just laid on the couch attempting to get some rest and not upset my stomach any further.
I haven't eaten a single thing all day.
I'm afraid if I do, it will come back up.
Or come shooting out.
TMI I know, but I hate being sick like that, I have food phobias because of past stomach bugs.
Sebastian does think it was the subs, specifically the Parmesan cheese that were put on all of them.
He said his stomach was a little upset today, not like mine, but he kept burping and tasting the cheese.
I'm really hoping that everything that is supposed to come through for me tomorrow, does.
I have a lot of stuff to take care of, and so yeah, I need those payments to come through first thing in the morning.
I guess I should go and try to sleep, I have a lot to do tomorrow and the rest of the week.
Later days.
June 30, 2008
Not quite the way to start your day.
I'm really not sure what caused it, but something I ate yesterday did a one-two punch on my stomach.
It (my stomach) was a bit upset last night before I fell asleep, but man, when I woke up this morning, I was sure that every ounce of food I've eaten in the last week was making an explosive get away from my body.
If it was the subs from Publix, it hasn't affected the boys, at least I don't think.
They are fine from what I can tell.
So anyway, I'm wicked way tired from spending the entire first half of my day running in and out of the bathroom expelling the contents of my bowels and intestines, so if I'm not around much today, it's because I'm trying to rest and not upset my stomach any further.
Later days.
June 29, 2008
Migraines are truly the suck.
We had a really good time at Mindy's house yesterday afternoon and evening.
Good food, conversation, the kids all played video games while Mindy and I chatted and her husband leveled up on WoW.
I was way stiffened up by the time we got home, and laid down for about an hour or so, then I got up and dealt with emails and stuff.
I woke up this morning with a migraine from hell, and have been fighting it unsuccessfully all day and night now.
So seeing as I was defeated, I just laid around and watched movies for most of the day interspersed with going back and forth with a Bill Keller fan on a websites posting section.
There's nothing more fun than knowing more about the scriptures than the people who claim to live by them.
You all do know that no preacher is supposed to receive any pay for preaching the word of god right right?
Look it up, Corinthians 9:18.
The Keller fan has been refusing to acknowledge that little part of the new testament.
Keller has an income of $1million dollars at the end of the year, yet he tells his flock and tv viewers, that he only takes $60k as a salary.
He's a liar and a fraud, and it's time people start learning the truth about this very corrupt tv minister.
So anyway, today we watched the movie Funny Games (2008)
I just want to warn you that this remake starring Naomi Watts and Eli Roth, is absolute garbage.
I don't give a crap that it's a social commentary on our obsession with media violence, when at the crucial moment of the film, the bad guy picks up the tv remote and rewinds the movie to change the outcome, that's a complete waste of freaking time.
But we did watch a movie that we all really liked on Friday night, Otis
After being captured and tortured by the psychopath Otis (Bostin Christopher), teen cheerleader Riley Lawson (Ashley Johnson) escapes and informs her parents (Daniel Stern and Illeana Douglas), who quickly sidestep the sluggish FBI and take matters into their own hands. But the Lawson's revenge plan hit a snag when Otis's unusual brother (Kevin Pollak) enters the picture. Jere Burns co-stars as the FBI agent assigned to the case.
I suppose I should get back to work now.
I have some stuff I need to do before I can go to bed.
I hope when I wake up in the morning this migraine has left.
It feels like my right eyeball is going to pop out any second.
June 27, 2008
Coral and over cast.
My medical tests went off without a hitch, and much faster than the estimate they had given me.
They said it would take any where from 2.5 hours, to a possible 4+ hours.
I went in at 10:30am, and was out by 12:15pm.
I really, really liked the seated/open MRI machine.
That was awesome.
They had a huge flat panel tv in the room with it, it was on the Fox news channel, *gag* but eh, it was better than nothing.
They did my neck MRI first, then I had to sit sorta sideways while they did the shoulder MRI.
Then I went in for the CT, and when it was done I went out and waited for Mindy to pick me up.
Then we stopped off at Publix really quick so I could get the cat food, toilet paper, paper plates and trash bags I didn't go get yesterday.
Just as I was heading out the door yesterday afternoon to go, it started raining a little bit.
Rather than risk getting soaked, I just waited.
I took the above picture while waiting at the medical park for Mindy.
These bushes of flowers were all over the place, and they were just so pretty and bright in today's over cast skies.
I love that beautiful coral color of the flowers.
I have no idea what kind they are, but they are just really pretty I think.
I barely got any sleep last night, perhaps 3 hours, my alarm never went off, so I woke with a quick-start panic to my day.
Mindy's clocks at her house were all off by like 20 minutes, so she was running late as well.
We had a good laugh about that though.
It's kinda funny that we both were totally screwed up this morning.
Tomorrow, both our families will be getting together to spend some time hanging out.
Maybe the beach in the morning, a little bbq in the afternoon.
The teens can all drive each other crazy playing video games.
It'll be nice to be leaving the house to do something fun, rather than the usual leaving the house to go do sucky stuff like doctor's office visits.
I need a just take it easy kind of day.
I'm always doing stuff, so it will be really nice to just chill out for a few hours.
Well, off to try and catch up on all my blog and forum reading and stuff I do with those.
Later days.
June 27, 2008
Running way late! It's the suck!
I woke up late, my alarm didn't go off, bad start to a long day.
I'll be back around whenever the hell I get back around.
Later days!
June 27, 2008
This internet is a crazy thing.
A friend of mine on the local forums, messaged me tonight to say thank you.
She said that during all of her recent health issues, all of the pain she deals with, and all the emotions that come from living with chronic and debilitating pain, she had a really bad day a few weeks ago, and I was the only one who responded to her very frustrated post where she was ranting about it all.
She said she had been sitting there that day, was in so much pain, just wanted it all to end, and was seriously considering swallowing all of her pain medications at once and just going to sleep to never wake up again.
Because I replied, because I understood what she deals with and took the time to talk to her, she changed her mind.
"I never wanted to say that I was suicidal before but obviously there were times when I was. And you were the one there one day when I was so close to downing all my pills. You were the voice of reason and you made me feel like I wasn't alone for once.
So for that, I sincerely thank you."
I didn't reply to her that day with the thought of changing her mind, her post said nothing about what she was really thinking, it was just one of those posts where someone rants about how frustrating living with chronic pain is, and I replied because I do understand that.
I deal with it every single day of my life, and years ago, I had those same kinds of thoughts myself.
I didn't say that in her thread, I just talked about living with chronic pain, the medications I take, doctors appointments, the frustration of it all.
It was, I thought, just two people sharing a shared experience.
I had no idea that our conversation was saving her.
When I got her message tonight, I started crying.
I couldn't help it, I thought about how close I was to losing a friend, and what if I hadn't been on line that day, what if no one at all had responded to her, and that I was so happy to read that she had changed her mind.
This internet is a crazy thing huh?
It connects us to fun and games, music, movies, blogs, forums, all kinds of cool and interesting things to do and see, and most importantly, it connects us to other people and has an effect on those people we meet.
Her message still has me shaken up a bit even though it's been several hours now.
I could have lost a friend if I had not been on line that day, and that really is shaking me up.
I am so glad she is still here, so so glad, but wow, this box sitting on my desk, it's more than a toy I play my Sims on, it's more than a keyboard I do work on, it connects me to people in a way I've never experienced before tonight.
June 26, 2008
She's melting away.
I keep meaning to ask one of the girls who works at my pain doc's office, what she's been taking to help her lose weight, because she is literally just melting away.
I'm wondering if the stuff she's been taking contains Phentermine or one of the many other weight-loss supplements, because whatever is in the stuff, is really working.
I know that his office sells it, it's about $50 I think, but it's behind a locked glass cabinet, so I can't read the ingredients.
And when I say this girl is melting away, I mean it.
Just 3 months ago, she was a really big girl, well over 200 pounds easily.
She is now down to 150, and her clothes literally hang off of her.
She said she has to keep buying new pants and shorts almost every week, because the weight is just coming off that rapidly.
I can't believe it, the stuff is really working.
I want to try it, but I need to know what's in it because I have had a bad reaction to chromium picolinate in the past, and ginseng makes me too shaky.
But yeah, I have just been watching Lacey drop the weight off and I am so impressed and jealous.
I want that, I want the weight to just fall off of me like it is with her.
I need to see that list of what's in it!
June 25, 2008
Do you straighten your hair?
I absolutely LOVE my hair when I straighten it, it is so soft and silky.
It looks awesome!
See, check it out!
Hee hee, I just love how it looks!
Anyway, if you do straighten your hair, what kind of flat iron do you use?
I have a wicked nice one that I find so easy to use, but a lot of the Tampa girls from the local forums, swear by their Chi's.
They all have a one, but a different model number.
So basically one of each of these on this page, http://www.misikko.com/fachiceflir.html.
We have several threads on the forum's 'secret' girls forum, about make-up, girly stuff, hair care items like shampoos, conditioners, styling products and flat irons.
I think I'm the only one who has a flat iron that isn't a Chi, but that's ok.
The girls are always super awesome with helpful tricks and stuff.
When I told them I finally got one, they were psyched to help me find the right styling products for me, because my hair is so thick and naturally wicked curly, they've seen it in real life, and they were always telling me to get a flat iron.
They may all use Chi's, but all the styling products can be used with all models of flat irons, and they gave me some great advice for products just right for my hair.
After they all gave me input on products they use, I went and bought the ones that the majority of them recommended, and tried them out with my hair and flat iron.
The majority of them recommended Chi styling products, and yes, they really did work awesome on my hair.
I'll have to do it again since I bought the stuff and show you, it comes out so much better now than that first time I did it.
So yeah, what kind of flat iron do you use?
Do you have a Chi or something different?
What is the best styling product you've found works best for your hair and the flat iron?
June 25, 2008
It's an in-office issue.
I have no idea what that means, but the radiology place called me about 10 minutes ago, just as I was heading in to take a shower, and said they needed to reschedule my appointment for today due to an "in-office" issue.
I don't know if that means a pipe burst, a tech didn't show up today, or they are having a mechanical problem, but if it's a mechanical problem, um yeah, reschedule me.
They said they had to call all of today's patients and reschedule them for Thursday and Friday.
All of today's morning patients will be seen tomorrow, and this afternoon's patients will be seen on Friday morning.
I'm totally ok with this, I mean, if it's a mechanical problem, I'd rather not be inside either of those machines until they figure it out ya know?
Ha!
But I am happy that they called me as early as they could, I was getting myself ready to go.
Sis couldn't give me a ride, so she dropped off a loan of cab money early this morning, at like 8:30am.
I was all sleepy-eyed and groggy when I opened the door, but greatful.
It's just too hot out to take the bus there.
I can deal with the bus back.
It's one thing to be all sweaty on the way home from a doctor's appointment, than it is to get all sweaty on the way there.
"Please remove all your clothes and jewelry, and put on this lovely opened back gown, and have a seat on this cold plastic chair for a minute."
Sure.
Plop my sweaty fat ass on an ice cold chair in an ice cold MRI room, hair completely frizzed out from the humidity and sweat, and looking as though I need another shower.
It's rather gross weather we're having this week.
You step one foot outside, and you immediately need to take another shower.
It's sticky and gross out.
So yeah, it's ok with me they rescheduled.
This gives me today to do a bunch of stuff around here I didn't do over the weekend.
Later days!
June 24, 2008
I probably glow in the dark by now.
I cleaned out my SD card from my camera, so I have tons of room on it to take pictures with, and in a little bit, Sebastian and I are heading to Publix to grab some easy and light food for dinner, and then something for the teens to eat for lunch tomorrow because I won't be home.
I always take my camera with me because I just never know what I'll see along the way, or even while I'm in there.
Tomorrow I have to go have a 3D CT scan done at 12:30, and then a cervical (neck not cervix) and shoulder MRI at 1pm.
I'm hoping my sis can drop me off at least, and then I'll take the bus back home.
The radiology place called me back this afternoon (at frigging 3:45pm) with these appointment times, and so I had to ask sis if she'll be able to drop me off because Mindy already has plans to take her daughter swimming tomorrow afternoon, and I'm not going to screw that up.
I'd rather be swimming with them instead of spending 2 hours inside giant machines being scanned I tell ya.
Katie, Mindy's daughter, is such a good sport.
She goes with us to my doctor's appointments, and it's boring as hell.
I get bored sitting there waiting, so being an 8 year old in a boring doctor's office is pure torture.
I think she does great though, she does her best to behave and wait it out, and my doc was running behind today, so yeah, major long boring waiting time.
I'm pretty sure bus 15 runs the full length of Clark road, so I should be able to catch it and ride it back to at least the intersection by my street.
I've had so many of these tests in the last 6+ years now, I wonder if my organs glow by now.
Seriously, I've had 17 MRIs, 13 CT scans, 4- 3D CT scans, well over 100 xrays, and then about 10 or so specialized radiation type tests where they strap you to a table and inject dye in your spinal canal and tip the table all over the place.
I'm not a fan of the 3D CT scans though.
That stuff they inject you with, it makes you get instantly hot, you get nauseous, and it feels like you pissed yourself.
It's not too much fun, and then I have to go straight from that test into the MRI machine.
I think Doc M. checked off that I can use the seated MRI machine though, which is cool because you sit on this special chair, and the front of the machine is open.
So it won't be as claustrophobic as the laying down machine.
I'm just going to go do it and get it over with though.
I don't have much choice anyway, so do it and then sit and sweat while for the bus to come back home.
That's another reason for me to need my mp3 player charged up.
It'll keep me from losing my mind while waiting for the bus.
June 24, 2008
I watched Camp Rock.
Oh yes I did.
See, Saturday was just super crappy weather, it rained and rained, and so my joints ached something fierce.
And because they ached, the easiest, most non-painful thing to do was to lay on the couch all day and night.
I have watched pretty much every single movie we own at least 3 times each, so I clicked through the channels at 8pm and landed on ABC.
The Disney movie logo started across the screen, so I was like ok, cool, maybe a good animated film or something.
Nope.
ABC was doing the world broadcast premiere of Camp Rock with the Jonas Brothers.
I have teenage boys who enjoy the Disney animated movies, we all dig those, we are planning on going to see Wall-E if we can, but this tweeny bopper shit?
Um, no.
Mark and Sebastian would rather be stabbed in their eyeballs with hot knives, and have their ears cut off with a dull rusty nail, than to watch and listen to anything tween-ish.
They nearly died when their cousin Helena was here for a week last summer, and all she listened to was the High School Musical soundtrack.
The day my sister Jo took all of them to Busch Gardens for the day and Helena wanted to listen to the soundtrack on the car stereo, was a lesson in patience and selective hearing for the boys.
They were bug-eyed and stir crazy when she dropped them off late that night.
So anyway, I'm laying on the couch, nothing else is on tv at all, so I settled in and watched Camp Rock.
They heard some singing and came out to see what it was, and both of them in 2 part harmony said "Aww hell no. Mom! What are you watching?!"
I explained that there was nothing on, my bones hurt, so the Jonas Brothers it is.
They turned around and left, retreating to their game room, and closing the door tightly behind them.
I watched the entire thing, all the little conversations between the commercials and the movie where the Jonas Brothers talked up their album, what's going on at Disney, and promoting their new cd and video which was making it's world premiere at the end of the show.
I was mesmerized I tell ya.
I thought the movie was absolutely the suck, but I couldn't turn away from it.
I was like hypnotized by these teenagers on my screen.
The constant breaking out in song, the dancing, the absolute gayness of it all, held me captive.
I have absolutely no idea how mothers put up with this crap, and I don't understand how mothers can even be fans of this stuff.
I guess I would understand if I had a few pre-teen daughters who dug this shit, and because it is oh so wholesome and clean, it's good tv viewing for tweens, but dear god gag me.
It was sicky sweet, sugar-gumdrop gag-worthy crap.
And now there's a High School Musical 3 coming out?!
I haven't even seen the first 2, and honestly, you'd have to tie me down to a chair and pin my eyes open like in A Clockwork Orange, to make me sit through any of those.
If they are anything at all like Camp Rock, I'd sooner be dead.
But if you haven't seen it and want to, click that link up there and you can watch it absolutely free on the Disney website.
The whole thing.
I'm sure there are some tweens who will do just that, they'll watch it a gazillion times, because those Jonas Brothers are just so dang cute in their emo tight pants and sugary sweet good boy charm.
Me?
If I ever have to watch another one of these types of movies again, I'm going to make sure I have some booze on hand, and I'll make a drinking game out of it.
Every time some emo-tight-pants-wearing over the top happy boy breaks out in song or dance, I'll take a big drink.
That should make the movie much more enjoyable.
June 23, 2008
I just need about 20 minutes.
I need to be totally alone in the bathroom for like 20 minutes, so I can Veet off all my legs hairs.
The problem is that we only have the one working bathroom, and it never fails, as soon as I get in there and ready to do my stuff, one of them needs to pee or take a dump.
Usually it's taking a dump, so now that I'm standing in the tub with the shower curtain drawn, they proceed to take the most foul smelling turd of their lives, and I'm trapped in there with the stench of whatever it is that's been rotting in their intestines for the last 2 days, and stuff all over my legs.
Trapped.
I even go so far as to ask them if they need to use the bathroom before I get started, and they always say nope, it's all good mom, go for it.
I think they hold in their turdnuggets until I'm in there taking a shower or removing leg hairs.
I swear they do it on purpose.
But what I might do is give them like a huge bowl of chips and other foods, make them a couple of sandwiches, some sodas, and maybe, just maybe, they'll be so busy eating and playing video games that I might actually get to remove the leg hairs and wash my hair before the stinky dumpers have to smell the place up.
And what's really terrible is that there is a can of air freshener sitting right on the back of the toilet, and they purposely don't use it after taking a dump if I'm in the shower.
Mark will come in, say sorry mom, I gotta drop the kids off at the pool, and then he'll stink it way up in there, and I'll tell him to spray the damn air freshener, and he'll laugh and say "Nope, smell it, smelllllll it! Mwuahahaahhaa!" and then leave the bathroom with me stuck behind the curtain with goop all over my legs and I can't get out and spray the air freshener myself.
I'm telling ya, they do it on purpose.
I just know it.
One of these days, I'm going to hold a big nasty turd in, I'll make my chili cheese dip and eat all of it and then wait until the next time I have to go, and then when one of them is in the shower, I'll say ooops, sorry, I gotta drop the kids off at the pool.
And when I'm done, I'll take the can of air freshener out of the bathroom when I leave.
And shut off the light too.
Mwuahahahaha!
June 23, 2008
Tie it up with a bow.
I've been doing a lot of thinking and planning about my jewelry business.
I want to get back to it so so bad. I miss it like crazy.
I have all these beads and gemstones that I bought when I was out and just purchased in the hopes I can get back to making jewelry again soon.
But when I do get the all clear, I also want to pick up some custom boxes to ship them to my customers in.
I've seen some really cute boxes from other people on line, and I want them.
They hand stamp them with their business logo, or just a fun little print, and people really like them.
It makes the whole thing come together in a very neat look, a finished look.
I will get back to it soon I hope.
Just need to get this pinched nerve stuff taken care of, and then I'm going to get busy on some of my plans.
I miss doing it so much, it was calming and soothing, and when I'd complete one and my customers let me know how much they liked it, it was such a good feeling.
June 21, 2008
Crappy tv movie day.
It has been mad raining here all day long, my joints are like freaking out.
I've just been laying on the couch curled up in my blankets, watching crappy movies on the tv all day long.
I hope to be able to move better later on.
June 19, 2008
They'll chop your toe off!
About a month ago, Mark was clipping his toenails, and he always clips them too short, and this time was no different except he clipped off a huge chunk of skin.
So I cleaned it all out and bandaged it really well with some staphaseptic.
I told him to A) leave it alone, and B) keep it clean and bandaged until it heals.
Well just like most kids, he kept picking it at it.
His excuse was that it was itchy, so removing the scab made the itch go away.
It's been a whole month and that damn thing still isn't healed.
I thought it was, that last time I yelled at him to leave it alone was about 2 weeks ago, and every time I asked how it was doing, he said it was fine.
Liar.
He's been picking at it non-stop and it looks absolutely disgusting!
so I cleaned it all out again, more staphaseptic, and this time, I secured the gauze bandaged to his toe with 3 wrap-arounds of duct tape, and then smacked him on the back of his calf when I was done.
I told him if he removes that to pick at it, I'll smack him again, this time only harder.
When he takes a shower he can take it off, and then I'm bandaging it again.
He seems to think this is some kind of joke, but it's been a whole month of this and if it gets any worse, they'll have to chop his damn toe off for either a MRSA infection or gangrene.
He laughed at me, but dead tissue is dead tissue, and they'll take his toe if they have to.
Why do kids have to do stupid stuff like this?
Why can't they just leave their scabs alone?
It would serve him right at this point to get his toe lobbed off.
June 19, 2008
Bad skin in the summer.
Mark's acne is getting worse as the summer goes on.
He's not turning into a pizza face by any means, but when he does get a break out, they are HUGE zits.
I feel so bad for him because it just sucks to have this giant whitehead on your face.
He had a bad one yesterday, right in the middle of his forehead, and he had to go out to lunch with George and his wife Amy.
He was begging me to do something, so I sterilized a needle, and lanced it so it could drain out.
Gross, I know.
So after it drained and most of the gunk had been gently squeezed out, we cleaned his face really good, and I dabbed on this stuff that is supposed to dry them out quickly.
It looked much better by the time he had to go, so he was very happy.
But I really do need to find him something that will prevent breakouts before they get to monster status.
I'm going to keep looking and hopefully find something that works great before school starts again in August.
June 15, 2008
I'm losing weight again.
I have been wanting to and trying to, lose weight.
I know I need to, and not really a lot either, just about 20 lbs or so.
So I have been reading a lot of diet pill reviews on line, learning about all the new diet pills that are out there, but I'm losing weight anyway, without pills and actually, without much working out either.
I'm just getting fuller, faster.
I made mesquite bbq'd ribs and a caesar salad for dinner tonight, 4 ribs per person, and a nice helping of the salad.
I was only able to eat 2 ribs, and they were actually very small, from the smaller end of the ribs I bought, and my salad.
I ate my salad first, and then ate the 2 ribs, and when I picked up the third one, I just wasn't interested in eating it.
I ended up giving the remaining two to Mark.
I felt totally full, and really kind of over full.
It's been this way for a few weeks now, I just don't have much of an appetite anymore.
Yesterday was the same when I bought the subs for us.
I bought us all full length subs, and I had eaten about half of a half, got a phone call, and when I came back to sit down and finish eating, I had completely lost my appetite and felt full.
I don't know what is going on, but I like it if it helps me lose weight.
June 15, 2008
Allergy cleaning supplies.
I was surfing around the net looking at allergy remedies for Mark, he suffers terribly in the spring and summer when things are blooming, and even with all the windows and doors closed up and the ac on, if anyone opens the door, pollen and other allergens blow in, and he ends up sneezing for the next hour.
So I was looking for cleaning supplies and air purifiers to help clear out some of these allergens when they do come in, and I came across Sebo vacuums.
They have that Hepa filtration system, like a lot of newer vacuums do, but they have customer testimonials that say theirs are the best.
I don't know, I've never even heard of this brand before.
I really do love the vac I have now, I think it does an awesome job, I mean, the bag less canister thingy fills all the way up to the top every single time I vac, with dirt, cat hair, and all kinds of different colored dust and stuff.
His allergies have been doing better, but to keep it that way, I have to run the vac nearly every day.
He's not allergic to the cats, but there's got to be something else getting in here that makes him sneeze so much.
I need to get some good and strong cleaners that won't set off his allergies too.
Some of the chemical ones and bleach cleaners make him sneeze, but I even tried some of the "green" cleaners, and the scents they have in some of them, make him sneeze awful.
He cleaned the bathroom with one, and his eyes were all red and itchy, and he sneezed for several hours after, so even stuff that's supposed to be good sets off his allergies.
Bah.
June 13, 2008
Probably a pinched nerve in my neck.
I went and saw my surgeon today, Doc M., and he did a few xrays, physically examined my shoulder, and told me that the shoulder blade area pain is probably due to a pinched nerve in my neck, and it's actually not that uncommon.
He said that he has had patients, and has been at scoliosis conventions with other surgeons, who said that many scoliosis surgical patients end up at some point down the line, even as far out as 5 years after the surgery, with a pinched nerve in their necks that is the cause of this pain in the shoulder blade area.
He ordered an MRI of my neck, so I need to make that appointment on Monday.
It should be fun.
I'll have to wear this like anti-magnet sheet or suit, depending on where I go, that allows me to be in the MRI machine without being all magneticy due to the hardware in my body.
He also asked for my pain doc to fax him the results of the CT scan that they did, so he can read through those and see if he can determine anything from it.
If not, he thinks the MRI will show the pinched nerve in my neck.
Now why do I have that sore on my shoulder blade?
He asked me what I had been doing to myself, I told him nothing really, it was just a little red and bruised when this whole thing started, and then my pain doc started doing those trigger point injections.
I had 1 injection per week for 3 weeks.
Doc M. believes that the sore was actually caused by those injections.
When I told him that 1 was Decadron, 1 was Decadrol, and 1 was an anti-inflammatory mixed with a steroid, he said that those injections are more than likely the cause of the sore.
He said I must be allergic to at least 1 of the ingredients in the injections, and it caused the sore to appear.
Then every time he did 1, it caused the area to get worse until it finally ended up being a full blown infection.
So he told me to tell the pain doc, no more trigger point injections of any kind, because we don't know which ingredient it is that is causing the allergy.
That works for me!
Those injections never helped me with the pain anyway.
I should have gone to see my surgeon when this whole thing started, instead of trusting my pain doc to be able to figure this out.
When I told Doc M. what happened at the ER, he was angry.
He said that doctor should have examined the area and realized it was infected, which was also causing the area to be more sore than just the pinched nerve, and not treat me like I had a heart attack.
He said the EKG was as far as they should have gone, especially after telling them I already have a blood clot filter in there.
I had that put in about a week before the surgery, and when they did the angiogram, they could have damaged it.
But luckily they didn't.
He was able to see that it's still in place and ok when he did a spot xray on my iliac (hip joint) screws.
The left side one, which is the broken one, is doing ok.
I have new bone growth, a lot of it he said, growing all over and around, and in between the broken part of the screw, which is helping it be stable.
He really doesn't want to take those iliac screws out for a few more years, or never, if we can help it.
So he said we'll keep checking on it periodically to see how it's doing, and if the screws are still causing me pain in another year or 2, then we can take them out.
He'd really prefer not to though, because those screws really do help hold all the hardware in place.
So here we go, a pinched nerve is possibly and probably, the reason why my shoulder blade is so painful, and the sore is an infection caused by an ingredient in one of the trigger point injections.
I totally should have just gone straight to him.
I would have saved myself a ton of money, time, and pain.
That's my fault, I spent 2 months in pain and getting an infection, when he had the answers all along.
Ok, gotta go call the pain doc and have him fax over the CT scan results.
I'll catch up with everyone later on this evening.
Thanks again to Mindy and her daughter Katie, for taking me all the way there, and to 2 different pharmacies when we got back.
I totally appreciate it.
Thank you!
June 12, 2008
Interesting name.
Have any of you ever heard of a diet pill called anoretix?
It's certainly an interesting name for a diet pill?
I came across it while doing some random surfing, and was so taken by the name, I went and read the site.
It looks like it may work, but I'd want to know if anyone else has taken it before I order something like that.
I definitely need to lose some weight, but I also want to be safe while doing it.
June 12, 2008
Just let me be happy.
This story just breaks my heart.
You really need to read this whole article, it is just so sad.
She was 82. He was 95. They had dementia. They fell in love. And then they started having sex. Because both Bob and Dorothy suffer from dementia, the son assumed that his father didn't fully understand what was going on. And his sputtering cell phone call reporting the scene he'd happened upon would have been funny, the manager said, if the consequences hadn't been so serious. "He was going, 'She had her mouth on my dad's penis! And it's not even clean!' " Bobs son became determined to keep the two apart and asked the facility's staff to ensure that they were never left alone together.After that, Dorothy stopped eating. She lost 21 pounds, was treated for depression, and was hospitalized for dehydration. When Bob was finally moved out of the facility in January, she sat in the window for weeks waiting for him. She doesn't do that anymore, though: "Her Alzheimer's is protecting her at this point," says her doctor, who thinks the loss might have killed her if its memory hadn't faded so mercifully fast.
Before Dorothy came along, the manager said, Bob was really kind of a player and had all the women vying to sit with him on the porch. But with Dorothy, she said, "it was love." One day, the staff noticed that they were sitting together, then before long they were taking all their meals together, and over a matter of weeks, it became constant. Whenever Bob caught sight of Dorothy, he lit up "like a young stud seeing his lady for the first time." Even at 95, he'd pop out of his chair and straighten his clothes when she walked into the room. She would sit, and then he would sit. And both of them began taking far greater pride in their appearance; Dorothy went from wearing the same ratty yellow dress all the time to appearing for breakfast every morning in a different outfit, accessorized with pearls and hair combs.
When Bob's son became aware of these trysts, he tried to put a stop to them--in the manager's view because the son felt that old people "should be old and rock in the chair." When I called Bob's son and told him I was writing about the situation without using any names, he passed on the opportunity to explain his perspective. "I don't choose to discuss anything that involves my father," he said, and he put the phone down.
But according to the facility manager, the son was convinced that Dorothy was the aggressor in the relationship, and he worried that her advances might be hard on his father's weak heart.
Dorothy's son-in-law, who is a doctor, suspects Bob's son of fearing for his inheritance. Bob had repeatedly proposed for all to hear and called Dorothy his wife, but his son called her something else--a "gold digger"--and refused to even discuss her family's offer to sign a prenup. According to Dorothy's daughter, Bob's son told her, "My father has outlived three wives, including the one he married in his 80s, and your mother is just one of many." But surely Bob's safety was a true concern, too, and maybe his son had religious or moral qualms? "I don't think so," the manager said. "I don't think he meant his dad any harm, but he couldn't see what his dad needed....He wanted his dad to have a relationship but on his terms: You can sit together at meals, but you can't have what really makes a relationship, and be careful how much you kiss and don't retire to a private place to do what all of us do."
When her daughter mentioned Bob's name--Bob, who was led away in January, shouting, "What's going on? Where are you taking me?" right in front of her--it wasn't clear how much she remembered: "He came and he went, and there's nothing more to say."
Though Dorothy might or might not remember what happened, "there's a sadness in her" that wasn't there before, the manager said. Bob "gave her back something she had long lost--to think she's pretty, to care about her step and her stride." She eats in her room now rather than in the dining room where she shared meals with Bob. And she no longer plays the piano. A new couple in the facility has gotten together in the last few weeks. The manager called their families in right away and was relieved to see that they were happy for their parents, and the families have been taking them on outings together. As a result of the whole experience, the manager, who is 50, recently had a different version of "the talk" with her 25-year-old daughter, instructing her never, ever to let such a thing happen to her or her husband: "I hope I get another shot at it when I'm 90 years old."
I know most of us don't like to think about our parents having sex, or our grandparents, but just because people reach a certain age, it doesn't mean those desires and feelings just vanish.
There are stories out there about older couples who when one spouse dies, the other dies within the year, and doctors and family believe that the spouse left behind, died of a broken heart and loneliness.
Life in nursing homes is hard enough for the elderly.
If you've ever had an elderly family member in a home and gone to visit them, they are cold and lonely places.
The elderly love it when family comes to visit them because of how alone they are.
They may be in a building full of people, but in their rooms, they are alone, they spend hours and hours per day, completely alone with no one to talk to, no one to love them.
I think it's awesomely wonderful that two old people can find love again, be happy, and it's so sad and selfish, to take that away from them just because they are old or may have dementia.
Having Alzheimer's doesn't mean you have no feelings any more, it just means you don't have the memory you once had, and it certainly doesn't mean that you shouldn't be allowed to love.
I really hope that my sons will allow me to be happy in my final years if I'm lucky enough to find love again.
They may not want to think that old people having sex is ok, but all people have those needs and desires.
Just be happy for them that they found love and happiness again.
They don't have much time left, just let them be happy and be loved, be in love.
It's one of the greatest feelings in the world, and no one should be denied that, especially in their final years of life.
June 11, 2008
Ergo what?
When I got my first little baby computer, an Emachine, back when I first moved here in 1997, I had it set up much like I do now, except that every time I was on my computer, my right shoulder and arm would hurt after about an hour of using it.
It made me not want to be on it at all, and I loved being on it just as much as i still love it today. *hugs the tower lovingly named Ace*
I complained to my sister about it, and she said it was because of the mouse I was using.
It was a standard 2 button mouse and a mouse pad.
When you have one of those, you are moving your arm and hand all over the place to click around on the screens, and the way I was sitting combined with the way I was moving my arm, was causing me pain.
So she explained to me what computer ergonomics was, and took me to a store to get a mouse I wouldn't have to do that much moving with.
She bought me an ergonomic trackball mouse that day, and I've never looked back.
It instantly felt better, my shoulder and arm never hurt again.
In the last 11 years, I've now been through 2 of those trackball mice, and when this one dies, I'll just get another one just like it.
You should totally try an ergonomic mouse if you are having pain in your wrists, shoulder, or arm after being on the computer.
Trust me, it will make you feel tons better!
June 11, 2008
Still no idea what it is.
I just got back from my pain doc appointment a little bit ago.
The pain doc is till not sure what it is, and is very glad I'm seeing my surgeon on Friday.
He said no matter what it turns out to be, call his office, and tell one of his nurses when I get home from that appointment.
I'm still banned from doing any ellipticals workouts until we know what it is, but amazingly, even without working out, I've lost some weight.
I told him it's not that amazing, I've been sick the last few days.
When you're vomiting and the smell of food makes your stomach turn so much you can't eat, it's pretty damn easy to lose weight.
But I am doing better today.
I've been taking it so easy the last few days and having the teens put staphaseptic on the red spot, so I was able to eat last night and today.
Mindy drove me again, and we took her daughter Katie, and Sebastian.
When we got done at the docs, I had promised Katie that if she was good and patient while waiting for me, that I would treat her to McDonald's for lunch.
But when we got out, it was still too early for lunch, so we went to Best Buy and bought Sebastian the graphics card he needed for his computer.
He had most of the money in a gift card he got for his birthday from his Aunt Heather, and I paid the balance.
Then we got to McD's, and ate, then came home.
I installed his graphics card, and then he installed the rest of his Sims games, and now he's a happy camper.
I'm way tired, and need to rest for a little bit, and then I have a lot of catching up to do.
Later days.
June 9, 2008
It's not in my head.
That is my left shoulder as it appears today.
I have been telling doctors for almost a full 2 months now, that something is seriously wrong.
They did xrays and CT scans, and said they couldn't see it.
They gave me pain medicine, but begrudgingly, like I was just seeking.
I told my pain doctor and the ER doc the other night, that something was seriously wrong.
It burns, it feels like it's tearing, it itches and pulls.
Leaning forward causes horrible pain to tear through my shoulder blade area, and they treated me like I was crazy, like it's all in my head.
Does that look like it's all in my head to you?!
I had mentioned that it might be a pressure sore, but they blew that off.
I really think it is.
It's bleeding now when touched.
Mark cleaned the area with a wash cloth today, and it started bleeding in random spots within that whole spot.
The skin is broken he told me, it doesn't feel right when you touch it, it feels squishy he said.
And it hurts so freaking bad.
I see the pain doc on Wednesday morning, and my surgeon on Friday morning, between the 2 of them, they need to figure this out because it is clearly not nothing.
June 9, 2008
Sick of titles.
And sick as well.
I'm not doing so good today, I've gotten physically sick a few times since waking up, I have a slight fever, and this shoulder thing has gotten much worse.
Not just in pain, but the skin is not looking so good.
Mark was helping me, was going to put one of the pain patches on it because it's just burning something fierce today, and he said it's all red and not good looking.
I checked it out in the mirror, it's not so good looking.
I decided against the pain patch, I don't want to irritate the skin anymore than it already looks.
I'm just going to go lay down for awhile, try to get some rest.
Be back around later.
June 8, 2008
E.L.F makeup for $1 + coupons = mega savings!
If any of you have ever used E.L.F. makeup, you know they are only $1 for most of the items on the site, and the quality is really excellent.
But they have 3 different coupons that you can apply during checkout which makes your savings even better.
Spend $15, and use coupon code CAROLINA to get $7.50 off.
Code RADIO gets 50% off of your order (up to $15).
Code ECTAPDY gets free shipping for over $10 worth.
Can use multiple times (use them every time you shop)
So what's in my cart to buy when I get paid this week?
Brow comb + brush
Concealer brush
Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara
Eye Shadow Brush
Eyeliner Brush
Foundation Brush
Tone Correcting Concealer
3 Plumping Lip Glaze
Nail Block
Nail File Set
Pre-designed eyes compact which includes:
Compact
Ivory
Sage
Periwinkle
Wisteria
e.l.f. Professional Complete Set of 12 Brushes
Brightening Eye Color shadow palette in name Ivy
Total 21 items
Subtotal = $31.00
Shipping + Handling = $6.95
Subtotal before tax = $37.95
Then we apply the coupons!
Subtotal = $31.00
Free Shipping! - $6.95
50% Off up to $15.00 - RADIO- ($7.50)
Subtotal before tax = $23.50
Both RADIO and CAROLINA, take off their discount only on the first $15 spent, either one takes off $7.50.
I used RADIO and ECTAPDY on my order.
It's a really great deal if you love makeup.
All of those items for that price
June 8, 2008
It's all bleach flavored and tingly.
I had Sebastian scrub the tub with Soft Scrub today, it really needed it.
Teens are nasty, dirty, filthy creatures, who just leave layers of brownish colored soap scum on the sides and bottom of the tub, so I had the biggest dirt covered teen clean it.
Sebastian is the one who goes outside all of the time with no shoes on, runs through puddles, and climbs trees, plays for hours on end in the dirt and grass, and then comes in the house and proclaims he "must wash his feet."
He does wash his feet, but he does not wash the muddy filth down the drain when he's done, he just leaves these brown foot prints on the bottom of the tub.
Anyway, I had him clean the tub and I put the Soft Scrub in the tub.
Had I left him to do it, the brand new bottle would have been empty.
Just squirting it in there so he could clean, and then being the one to take the shower sprayer and rinse the tub after, all I can taste and smell is bleach.
I've blown my nose, brushed my teeth, rinsed with mouthwash, and I even went so far as to squirt water up each nostril a few times in the hopes of rinsing the bleach off of any nose hairs that were clinging to the smell of it.
Nope.
Everything still smells and tastes like bleach.
Dinner should be just scrumptious.
Not.
And speaking of dinner, as I was removing the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking, the scalding hot steam escaped in a quick gush on my poor left index finger that was trying to remove the foil.
I let out a scream only someone in extreme pain could possibly make, and Mark came running.
He finished removing the foil and pushed the rack and pan back in, and closed the door.
This is HUGE for him, as he always fears getting burned by the oven.
Perhaps it's all these years of watching me sustain burns that made him that way.
Hrm.
Then he ran the cold water, grabbing me by the arm and forcing my finger underneath while he searched for ice from the freezer.
We don't have any ice, so he grabbed a bag of frozen broccoli and made me hold it on there.
I now have a lovely steam blister on the top of my finger.
Yay.
Now I have to go take dinner out and serve it up, and I'll be glad when that's done.
Just bending to put it in there, remove the foil, and now one last time to get it out, is seriously no fun on my shoulder.
I'm going to eat and take a pill, and then watch some crappy tv for the night.
June 8, 2008
June is National Scoliosis Awareness Month.
Scoliosis is an abnormal curve of the spine that causes it to twist from side to side, and may also be rotated. It is an abnormal lateral curvature of the spine.
On an x-ray, the spine of an individual with a typical scoliosis may look more like an "S" or a "C" than a straight line.
It is typically classified as congenital (caused by vertebral anomalies present at birth), idiopathic (sub-classified as infantile, juvenile, adolescent, or adult according to when onset occurred) or as having developed as a secondary symptom of another condition, such as cerebral palsy or spinal muscular atrophy.
Scientists, with the help of current patients with scoliosis, have recently discovered that it is genetic.
They have discovered that there is a gene (CHD7) that is passed from parent to child, associated with idiopathic scoliosis.
More females than males have it, yet males can have it as well.
Scoliosis.org and the U.S. House of Representatives Proclamation by Pennsylvania Congresswoman Allyson Y. Schwartz invites the President, Governors, officials and the American People to join with her and the National Scoliosis Foundation in recognizing and reaffirming our commitment to increasing the awareness of scoliosis. The Proclamation highlights the importance of early detection and treatment of scoliosis in trying to prevent or alleviate the worst effects of this spinal deformity for our children.It is very important that your children be screened for scoliosis during their pre-teen and puberty years, to find out whether or not they have it. If they do, it is very important that they be treated by an orthopedic specialist in the field of scoliosis, as soon as possible. Scoliosis, when left untreated, can lead to further deformity as they grow and age, and debilitating pain further down the line.
I was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of 12, and had therapy for it which involved basic stretching techniques and other exercises, but the doctors back then did not think that my curve required a brace or surgery at that time, and told my parents that they did not believe my scoliosis would progress any further.
How wrong they were.
During my late teens and early 20's, I only had pain a few times a year, but would often throw out my neck, and sustain injuries to the left side of my body.
I would lose my balance and fall, causing me to injure my left knee, or twist my left ankle.
I sprained my left ankle about 8 times a year.
After the birth of my first son, I started having pain in my lower back after any strenuous activities.
After the birth of my second son, I was told that due to the curve of my spine, it was not recommended that I have any more children.
I began experiencing pain on an almost daily basis even if no activities were done.
I would be at work and after just a few hours on my feet, I would be in agonizing pain.
I was downing full bottles of Tylenol and Advil about 3 times per week, over 100 pills per bottle, just to make it through my work week.
If I was asked at work to do things like mop the floor (at a whole foods store) or unload furniture off the truck, (Pier 1 Imports) I would be in so much pain that I would cry the whole way home from work, and have to order dinner for myself and my sons because I was unable to stand to cook anything.
By December 2001, I was no longer able to work due to constant pain in my lower back and left side rib cage hump on my back, numbing in my legs, lack of circulation to my legs and feet, and my pain had forced me to be unable to keep a good posture all of the time.
I was usually hunched over, yes, much like a hunchback, because that position alleviated the lower back pain.
I would either have to lay on the couch or bed, or when sitting at my computer, my legs would have to be propped up on an end table, not a foot stool, because it created the curve in my body that allowed me to be pain free while sitting in a chair.
I was told by an orthopedic specialist that if I continued to work, I would cause irreparable harm to my spine and nerves, and I was destroying the discs in my lower spine even further than they already were.
I had completely flattened discs, stenosis, and had severed the majority of the nerves and veins going through my pelvic region.
He ordered me to stop working and get surgery immediately, or lose my ability to walk within a few years.
He was unable to perform the surgery I needed.
And so were 18 more orthopedic specialist surgeons in this field, as the majority of their patients were children or teenagers, and my spine and the damage done was beyond their skill level.
It took fighting with my insurance company for almost 5 years, to allow me to see a surgeon out of network, the only surgeon who was qualified to do it, and the only surgeon willing to take it on.
They insisted I see their surgeons first.
By the time they finally relented and allowed me to be seen and treated by him, I had seen 21 different orthopedic specialists.
I consider him the man who gave me my life back.
I met him in November 2005, and had my surgeries in February 2006.
I had 2 surgeries 1 week apart, lasting 24 and a half hours in total.
You can read my surgery story if you are new to my blog or just curious what the whole procedure is like.
Did my surgery fix me fully?
No, I still have problems like my recent shoulder issues, but we are working on those.
I don't regret the surgery at all, even with the current pain issues I'm facing.
I would be in a much, much worse place today if I had never had it done, I know that, and I am so greatful to my surgeon and his whole staff for what they did for me.
I do have most of my life back, I am no longer hunched over, I'm not in a constant state of pain in my lower back and the "hump" any more.
I'm able to go out and do things, I can walk again without having to stop from debilitating pain.
I can sit in regular chairs without having to put my feet up or have pillows all around and under me, things are so much better today than they were from 2001 to the beginning of 2006.
I still can't work a normal outside the home job, but I can almost do everything I did before the pain got so bad.
If you have kids, please please get them screened for scoliosis, even if no one in your family has ever had it.
It is genetic, but it's also one of those things that just happens.
Get your daughters screened, get your sons screened, and if there are signs of a curve, get them treated now, don't wait, please don't wait, take them to a scoliosis specialist and have them taken care of.
They have much more comfortable braces for teens now, much better than the one I would have had to wear when I was a teen, it can be worn under clothing and it fits so close to the skin, no one can tell you have it on. I've seen it, it's so nice, and the teens I've talked to who wear it, say that it's very comfortable, they actually like wearing it because it keeps them standing up straight, yet they have totally free movement to play sports, run, and any other activities they do.
If only the doctor back when they found mine, had just treated me correctly, maybe I wouldn't have had the problems I ended up with.
I don't blame him, they really didn't know back then that it would truly get worse for me, they figured I had stopped growing and therefore my spine was stable.
Because it can be genetic, I have the boys screened for it every 6 months at their regular well-child appointments.
So far so good, it doesn't appear that either Mark or Sebastian have it, but I will continue having them screened because it can show up later in life too, and because I have it, it is important that we screen them at every single doctors appointment all through their teen and young adult years.
June is National Scoliosis Awareness Month.
Be aware, get your kids and teens tested and screened, and take care of it now while they are young, because kids and teens heal so much faster from the surgery (if it's needed) than adults do.
Kids and teens are usually up and running, playing, and back at school within 3-4 months after the surgery. Adults can take anywhere from 1-3 years to be back to any sort of a normal life.
Take care of it while your kids are young, save them from being in pain and severely deformed later in life.
June 7, 2008
Diet sized Ben and Jerry?
Sebastian and I went to Publix yesterday to buy more food for the food-inhaling teenagers, and I decided I wanted some ice cream.
They were out of the fudge royal we all like, so we decided to get some Ben & Jerry's.
That's when we spotted these diet sized(?) ones.
They were only $1, and they only had 2 flavors, so I grabbed 2 cookie dough and 2 chocolate fudge brownie ones for the boys, and I got myself a regular sized Phish Food.
But aren't these cute? Have you seen them?
Adorable baby or diet sized ice cream!
Hopefully after I catch up on some of my bills this month, I can start shopping for some slipcovers for the sofa and love seat.
I do love my leather furniture, but in the summer, your body sticks to it.
It's rather gross and uncomfortable, so I want to find some nice burgundy colored slipcovers to put over them.
I need to get caught up on everything though.
I've had so many doctors appointments to pay for all last month, 3 so far this month, and another big one coming up on the 13th.
And I really hope the DOT has fixed things on the interstate by then, so that I can actually make it to my appointment on time.
We had a tanker truck fall off an overpass and explode a few days ago, which made the southbound lanes of both the overpass and the lanes below where he landed, get destroyed.
They demolished the overpass yesterday, and it will take up to 6 weeks to rebuild the new section.
For now, they are putting a divider on the north bound lanes, which will make it 2 lanes going both north and south on just the one stretch of road.
It's a big mess.
June 6, 2008
Secret Clinical Strength
It is so damn hot here in Florida in the summer months, that even if you're not normally a heavy sweater, you will be perspiring more than usual.
My mom sends me coupons all the time, and in one of the batches about a month ago, was a $3.00 off coupon for Secret Clinical Strength deodorant.
It's more expensive than the regular Secret, about $8.99, so I saved a few bucks using the coupon.
I've been using it almost daily since I bought it, alternating between the regular and the clinical for comparison, and I gotta tell ya, this product does what it says.
On the days I wore the regular and it was steamy, balmy-hot and humid out, my pits felt a bit moist.
Gross visual I know, but I also know that you know what I'm talking about.
On the days I wore the clinical, no dampness, no perspiration, not even a drip of sweat from the 'ol arm pits.
This stuff works and it works really well.
I've tried the maximum strength of at least 10 different antiperspirants, and I've even tried Maxim, which was sorta sticky feeling, and the Secret Clinical Strength works better than all of them.
I'm way impressed with it.
So if you're the type of woman who sweats a lot and you're tired of trying a million different brands, or even getting a prescription for the heavy duty medical strength antiperspirant, give the Secret a try, it works really awesome.
June 5, 2008
Take it easy, we oughta take it easy.
We ended up not going to Mindy's for dinner tonight, I had a rough day adjusting to the meds.
It's been about 2 years, since the surgery actually, since I've taken any oxys, and they hit me hard today.
Between how hot it was, and how strong they are, my stomach was doing the ol' back flip and making me nauseous all day.
They are helping with the pain, taking the edge off so I can actually pee without crying, but I've spent most of the day laying down on the couch.
I'm sorry Mindy, once I get adjusted to them and my shoulder starts feeling better, we will do dinner.
Did any of you watch Fear Itself on NBC tonight?
Tonight's first episode was called The Sacrifice, and it was about vampires.
I actually liked this, and it gives me hope that future episodes will be good too.
It reminds me of the old Twilight Zone or Outer Limits shows that used to be on.
Every week, a new story.
Next week's episode is called In Sickness and In Health, the episode guide says it's about a private investigator is driven over the edge while on a stake out in a haunted mansion, and it stars Eric Roberts as the PI.
All of the episodes are written and directed by some big name directors and writers like John Landis. You can read who else is doing episodes both in front of the camera and from behind it.
I used to love the show Amazing Stories that was on back in the late 80's.
Do you remember that show?
I used to love that show.
Anyway, I have big hopes that this show gets better and better every week, and more people tune in to watch it.
It's a great summer time show in my opinion, better than all the stupid reality crap tv shows, talent shows, and stupid game shows, that are planned on just about every network for the summer season.
June 5, 2008
It's poppin'! Zit poppin'!
Poor Mark, he inherited his father's bad face genes, lots of acne all the time.
We've tried just about every single product that others have suggested were the absolute best acne treatment they ever used, and we're still not getting great results.
He has some good days, but most of the time, he's got at least 3-4 zits right smack in the middle of his face, and boy doesn't it drive him nuts.
I just keep reminding him to wash his face really good while he's taking a shower, and use the face pads when he gets out, and then for pimples that are already there and formed, I have this tube of stuff that like instantly dries them out.
We've also done the plain white toothpaste on the zits over night, but eh, it's summer, he has bad genes, he's stuck with the zits.
Tonight, the teens and I will be going over to Mindy's for dinner, I have no idea how long I'll be able to stay though.
The meds are helping, but I'm still getting waves of spasms, and if I move too much, bam! Instant muscle freak out happens!
I slept ok last night, only woke up twice due to pain, but I really am trying to give my shoulder as much rest as I can so it heals.
Not over-doing anything, heck, I'm barely doing anything at all. haha
Ok, I suppose I should get going and check on stuff I'm supposed to do from my chair, and then I'm going to lay down and watch some tv while I rest my shoulder again.
June 4, 2008
Well, I didn't have a heart attack.
I have been having some really serious pain from my shoulder thingy, and it moved to the front, in my chest.
My ribs feel like they are broken, but they're not.
The Norflex injection I had on Monday, never kicked in to take the pain away.
All it did was make me vomit while I was waiting at Walgreen's to pick up my script for the Norflex pill muscle relaxer.
I had to excuse myself and run to their restroom.
Mindy has been running me back and forth to the doctors, the pharmacy, and last night, her husband drove me to the ER.
The pain was so intense all day yesterday, and I kept refusing to go to the ER, but Sebastian called Mindy and told her I really needed to go, that the pain was so bad, I could barely move.
So her husband Chris came over and drove me there, where the doctors were concerned that I may have had a heart attack.
My blood pressure was through the roof, so they did an EKG, an angiogram, a chest x-ray, and another CT scan with contrast this time.
They thought maybe a heart attack or a blood clot, but it was neither.
I kept telling them and my own doctor, that this is the muscle or a pinched nerve, by the way it feels.
If I bend over or even move too quickly, even just a tiny movement, it feels like my muscles are ripping and they burn.
No one has the slightest clue what is going on with this, the ER doc said perhaps it's too much muscle growth around the fusion, or a pinched nerve, or maybe a tear in the muscles, but he really doesn't know.
His parting words to me last night at 11pm were, "I have never seen a fusion this big or anyone with this much hardware inside. Your spine is beyond the realm of my medical education. You really need to go see your surgeon. I think he's the only one who is going to be able to figure this out."
I went back to my pain doc today, told him about last night, and he's just as stumped as the ER doc was.
He suggested that I may have to go to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, to have them run a full battery of tests. He's thinking it's an ulcer or my pancreas, maybe my gallbladder.
He just doesn't know.
I've had an ulcer, this does not feel anything like an ulcer.
I'm not throwing up, I'm not getting the diars, my stomach does not hurt.
This is my shoulder blade right next to my spine, and my chest between my breasts, and under my left breast, it's the muscles, not the stomach, and the gallbladder is on the right side of the body, not the left.
It could be the pancreas, that's in the middle, like right below the rib cage, but I don't have pain there.
He gave me a much stronger pain pill this time, 15mg oxycodone, and to take 1 tab 3 times a day as needed for pain.
I just got home a little bit ago, and took one, I'm waiting and hoping for it to kick in soon.
It hurts to sit, lay down, pee, and OMG, typing is absolutely killing me.
Any movement of my left arm is sending shooting, stabbing, burning pain into my chest and shoulder blade.
It feels like the muscles are ripping apart.
I can't take much more of this, this new med has got to work, it just has to.
I have work to do, and the boys, the poor boys, have been eating sandwiches and frozen pizzas since Friday.
Mindy said if it still hurts too much, she'll either bring a hot meal over for them, or come cook something for them here.
I'm hoping that I can at least walk Mark through cooking something, and when it's done, I'll take it out of the oven.
Both the boys have this fear of getting burned when taking something out of the oven.
It's silly I know, but they are always so afraid they will burn themselves on the pans or the rack.
I have to call my surgeon and set up an appointment for as soon as possible.
I'll do that in a little bit, I need to rest a bit first, I'm tired and in agony.
I need to see if my sister can take me, and if she can't, Mindy said she can do it.
I hate asking people to give me rides and ask for help, his offices are so far away.
He has one in Safety Harbor, and one in Tampa, but both are a pain in the butt to find.
Sis and I get lost every single time, and we've been there multiple times now.
We take for granted the various muscles in our body, and what they allow us to do, until those muscles get injured.
Simple tasks like pulling up and down your pants to pee, it's such an easy movement, we do it all day long, but even that so easy movement, is torture right now.
Brushing my hair after a shower, sends waves of pain through my shoulder, washing my hands, brushing my teeth, such easy tasks, are murder.
June 2, 2008
Off. On. Off. On.
I have not been and may not be, around much at all.
I am having a really serious issue with my back and shoulder, I am in so much pain I can't even describe it to you.
A trip to the doctor today and an injection of some kind of pain medicine, has not helped me.
A new medicine has not helped me. I am in so much pain, I just want to curl up and cry.
It hurts to type, pee, lay down, everything.
I can't take much more and am thisclose to going to the hospital because nothing is helping, but something is so clearly wrong, this is not normal to be like this.
May 30, 2008
Attempting to take a day off.
I am so incredibly tired today, just wiped out from doing so much this week.
I keep falling asleep sitting here in my chair.
Mark is playing quietly in the other room, Sebastian is over playing with the kid next door, and the house is mostly clean.
I finally got caught up around here.
I just have a load of clothes to put in the dryer, and then I can chill out for awhile.
I want to either watch the movies I rented, or play with my Sims.
I really just need to have some quiet, yet entertaining, me time ya know?
You ever just get so drained from doing everything that everyone else wants and needs, that you completely forget to take care of yourself until you end up crashing down out of exhaustion?
That's how I feel today, completely wiped out physically and emotionally.
I need to get some rest, a nap or just laying down relaxing, and then spend some time just doing something for me for fun.
All I've done all week is take care of others, and I don't mind it, but I end up doing far too much, and I get drained of all strength and get emotionally exhausted.
I will try to catch up with emails and all my blog reading later on.
I've neglected all the blogs I read all week, I apologize, I will catch up with everyone later on, I promise.
May 29, 2008
I would like to call a do-over for today.
I have been pretty much going non-sop since 8am, taking care of my neighbor and my own home, and my kids.
Mark is done with school for the year, so he was home all day.
Sebastian only had one exam today, so he was back home by 9:30am, and now he's done for the year.
I installed another expansion pack for his Sims game, and then he went on a download spree and screwed up the entire Sims installation.
So I had to uninstall all of the game packs and all of the crap he downloaded, and reinstall the whole thing again.
I was running back and forth between doing this at my house, and trying to help my neighbor again today with all the medical appointments she has to do.
And at some point in running back and forth and trying to take care of everyone and make people happy, I yanked my frigging shoulder muscle again.
It's on fucking fire right now, and burning all the way across my chest too.
Gah.
I need to take a muscle relaxer and get a nap in to make this stop.
May 28, 2008
You know I want it.
I have become so crazy obsessed with checking out Buy.com's weekly deals since I found it because of all of the cool products, gadgets, DVDs, computer parts, games, and other items that they put on the list every single week.
I have found so many things that I want and and I swear, if I had a no-limit credit card, I'd have all the things I covet.
So I was browsing the sale items this week, and I came across a kitchen item that I have been wanting since the first time I saw it on tv at like 3:00am when I had insomnia really bad one night.
It's one of those counter top halogen ovens.
They are pretty pricey, I'd never buy one at it's normal price of over $100, but Buy.com has it on sale for $91.99, and then there's a $20 rebate, so the final total price is $71.99, and it has free shipping!
I love these things!
You can take a frozen piece of meat and toss it on there, and it will cook all the way through without burning the outside, and without
