Monday check-in

It's only in the 20's here with wind chills making it feel like single digits or teens! I will be cancelling two appointments today. One for me, one for the dog. The cold has me feeling like the 'jaws of life' are being used on my shoulder! It snowed a little yesterday and I just don't think I'll be able to clear off the pick up truck. It's not deep, just a lot of work and stretching. I'll just have to reschedule.

Picked up some Turmeric over the weekend. Hoping it will help with systemic inflammation. Second dose today, too early to comment on it.

Hoping everyone has a more comfortable day/week.

Woke up to a wind chill of 18 this morning. Yesterday I did a little work in the back yard because it was so nice. I can deal with 50's but not this!! Crazy Texas weather.

I know better than to complain about freezing temps in the 60s & 70s.

Vickie, maybe you will back me up when I say it feels REALLY cold to us

I have a real fireplace and hope to fire it up tonight. Hope you all are cozy & happy.
Do not fall - to those of you in icy places.

Lol I grew up and spent the biggest part of my almost six decades in the north and Oklahoma where the weather's much like Texas and boy I was really happy to retire to Florida where it never snowed and the average temps for the year was 70!! No one warned me however that 40 after those yearly average of 70s with a great deal of 80s and 90s the majority of time would feel like 20!!! Living in the north I didn't even put a jacket on at 60 that wasn't even cold... now let it get 60 and I am dressed for the ski resort! Once you get use to Florida weather that means 100s stiffling,90s a great beach day and 80 is perfect anything less and my socks go on with my flip flops.

Abilene, I wish I could pick my grandbabies up, but I know I can't. So I sit down and hold them, play with them, watch tv with them, etc. I'm Thankful to be able to enjoy them. My family knows my limitations and they have been very understanding about them. I think that not being able to get around well and having to stay in one place for while is less of a distraction for the grandkids because there aren't as many distractions as there would be if there were a bunch of things they were trying to focus on at one time. Know what I mean ? I see them every couple of months and that may be the only time they are still, but it works for us.

keep strong guys.

pitmom, I wish I could get down in the floor and play with my grandbabies. Of course it's not getting down on the floor that's the problem, it's getting up off the floor. . LOL And there are tiimes that it depress me for a little while. But, I do my best to focus on the things that I can still do and not the things I can no longer do. When my two youngest daughters started having their children 4 years ago, I was concerned about just holding the babies because I was so afraid that I would drop them. At that time I didn't have any pain management and hadn't had for several years and I was in bad shape. But, I sat on the couch and my daughters handed me my grandbabies. I was able to hold them and have pictures taken with them, although it wasn't for long because I couldn't sit for long and then I gave the babies back to my daughters. My 2 yougest had their first children 5 days apart, they spent a lot of time together so I was able to see both grandbabies at the same time. By the time my youngest daughter had her second child in 2014, I was in pain management with a great dr and PA. Now, with her third child due in a few days, I have adjusted to being able to manage my pain. I know it may sound silly, but for me being in severe chronic pain and you haven't had pain managment for a few years and then you having it, it took me time to readjust. I had to find the things that I could do with the pain management and also realize my limitations. When I had pain management before, I didn't have as many limitations. All of that took a lot of energy and I didn't have much to start with. Now, I can sit longer and my arms are stronger so I can hold a baby longer. I also have more energy so I'm not tired all the time. I still have to sit on the couch with my grandbabies, but I can play with them and feed them and watch tv with them, etc. I can even walk and stand long and well enough now that I can actually go to the hospital and see the newest grandbaby when he is born instead if having to wait for them to come home. I may be a few years older, but things are deinitely better.

My grandbabies are also Blessed with other grandparents that don't have mobility problems like I do and I am So Thankful for them. Their other grandmother always takes lots of really good pictures when they see the grandbabies so it is easy for me to keep up with them.

I hope this makes sense. I also have RA and nerve damage in my hands and today they are acting up so it has taken me a long time to type it. If it doesn't make sense, please read it with your heart instead of your eyes.

Abilene, I do hope your PCP can handle the thyroid issues. If not, then perhaps he can find you a different dr.. How hard would it have been for this dr to just said, oh I am sorry. instead of standing there & as you said making silly excuses. It really makes the patient dislike & not trust the dr more.

I'm a little late to the game here, but I just finished a couple days of ketamine infusions, so I've not been up to doing much. The last two weeks have been really rough for me. Used a new pair of goggles in the pool the other week, and it sent me into a huge pain flair. So my doc also added lidocaine to my infusion this time, so hopefully that will help increase and extend the effects of the infusion. I'm already feeling a lot better pain wise, but I'm a little worried since my next infusion isn't until the end of March. And previously, the longest that I have gone between infusions was 5 wks (this last time). But I don't have much choice, because school starts back up next week, and I'll be 6 1/2 hrs away from my doc. He did say that he can always squeeze me in in an emergency, but I really rather not have to miss any more class than I am already going to have to miss to keep up with these infusions every 2-3 mo. So fingers crossed that I'll be able to ride it out. Doc also wants to increase me from 2 to 3 days next time, to hopefully extend the period of relief I get, but that won't help me between now and then.

Only other real piece of news on the medical front is that all my docs (PM/anesthesiologist, neurosurgeon, and ophthalmologist) now agree that I have CRPS. Makes a LOT of sense. Not sure why it took 9 yrs for them to figure out, other than that CRPS is pretty rare in the eye/face (go figure, pretty much everything that I have is "rare").

Heading back to school this weekend. There is a big storm coming, which is potentially going to cause some problems as to when I can leave -- either force me to leave a day earlier or a day later than I'd like. But they keep changing the projections, so right now it's anyone's guess. Definitely nervous about starting back at school again after a year off, but this is really the home stretch now. Just 1 1/2 more years to go, and the hardest part is already behind me.

Skeye

Skeye, this particular tablet has black pepper in it and olive leaf extract. I'm not taking any of the otc's since I don't want to overload my system, but thanks for the heads up. I can't really tell if it's helping at all yet. I don't take the three tablets recommended on the label as I am only 94lbs. Considering that most supplements are based on the size of the average adult male, and I am so much smaller than that, I am only taking 2 tablets.

(((HT))) hope things improve quickly.

Prepping for the storm. Not looking forward to cleaning up after. Neighbor has snow blower for the big stuff.

The only thing I'm excited about is how much the dogs love the snow! So entertaining!

Will check in unless we have power failure.

They know it now!

I did this out of experience. My partners sister has had two children during our relationship. Thank goodness she spoke up and asked my partner why I never wanted to hold her baby. And she WAS married!

There were the other set of grandparents to be, the great grandmothers to be, and the great great grandmother to be at the 'announcement party'. Some generations see things in a different light. I wanted to make things as clear as possible to all in attendance. An 'ounce of prevention' type of thing.

I am never 'sure' of what other people are thinking. I am not a mind reader. My scars are not easily seen and for all intent and purposes, I do not 'look' disabled. I have found it is better to explain ahead of time in certain situations.

I am no longer 'embarrassed' by my disability. I used to isolate and try to cover up whatever scars were visible, say, if I wore a tank top. I have made it this far in this journey and have no plans to stop any time soon!

Rather than 'act as if' everything is 'fine' is no longer an option for me. I don't have to try to 'keep up' with non disabled people. I don't have to push in order to impress anyone. I tell it like it is, because this is not going to get better, only worse. If they can't deal with it now, there is no point in them sticking around.

I wouldn't want my son to have to try to explain to anyone that might ask 'why' I wasn't 'more involved'. This young couple has enough on their plates.