Yet Another Spider Bite Update



My left leg, one year after the spider
bites. Healing, but ever so slowly

 It's hard to believe that it's been one year since I was bitten multiple times on the leg by a spider as I slept in my bed. Next time I take the sheets off the clothesline, I'll give them a good shake before putting them on my bed!

This is how my leg looks one year and 2 days after the spider bites. It still itches insanely, and nothing seems to help. The hydrocortisone ointment prescribed by my doc does zilch. The Vitamin E seems to help a little. But the itching still remains.

Of greater concern is a series of health issues preventing me from doing the most mundane daily tasks. The back and leg pain are mostly to blame, but significant arthritis in both feet and lower spine are the biggest culprits. The good news is that I'm in physical therapy three times a week, and a battery of docs and specialists are probing into other health issues. I've been poked and prodded, X-rayed and ultrasounded, had bone scans and mammograms, had my lungs tested and my privates inspected, had my meds played with and other meds rejected.

I am heartily sick of it all. Well, not all of it. I do love the physical therapy, even if they make me work hard. It takes a huge chunk out of my day, but after 2 hours of intense stretching, heat and electrotherapy, muscle massage and isometrics, I walk out of the PT clinic as loose as a goose and feeling like a wet noodle, and my pain greatly reduced. Except earlier this week we overdid it and I ended up hobbling out of the clinic with a strained muscle in my leg. I'm back to hobbling around on crutches, but subsequent therapy has helped a lot.

Still, I'm just such an optimistic person that I am enjoying each sunrise and each sunset. And every time I start to feel sorry for myself, I see someone so much worse off than I am. It makes me grateful for what I have. And that's the secret to a happy life. Gratitude. And a glad heart.

Late for an Appointment

Yesterday I had an appointment to take my car to the car hospital to get its air conditioning fixed. My appointment was for 10:00 a.m. I am most definitely not an early riser, so I had to set my alarm for 9:00 o'clock to make sure I got up in plenty of time. I checked, and then double checked, to make sure the clock was set for the proper time, that the alarm button was pulled out properly, then turned out the light and tried to sleep. It was 6:30 a.m. I'd get 2 1/2 hours of sleep. What can I say? I'm a night owl.

Anyway, I was so worried about the alarm that I turned on the light and checked the clock once again, just to make sure the alarm had been set correctly. Satisfied, I turned out the light and fell asleep. What seemed like minutes later, the alarm woke me at 9:00 o'clock. I grabbed the clock and turned off the alarm. I had 45 minutes to get dressed, coffeed up, and out the door for my 10 o'clock appointment.

The next thing I knew, I awoke at 11:30 a.m. with the alarm clock still in my hand. Yes, I had fallen back asleep. I called the shop and told them I'd overslept and could I still take my car in, or did I need to reschedule. They laughed and said I could bring my car in.

Note to self: get a bigger alarm clock!