Just Positive News!

Nothing new to report except positive news. I just had my second follow-up doctor visit with the surgeon who removed my cancerous tumor last December, and she continues to report that I am cancer free and healthy.  I just found out that I have a retirement plan I'd forgotten all about, and I became eligible to start receiving benefits on January 1 of this year!  After being abandoned by my carpenter, in the middle of a huge renovation project, I am happy to report that a girlfriend who's a carpenter and engineer is going to help me finish.  Two women, wielding hammers and carpenter's levels.  We can do it!  So . . . positive news, all!

Kathryn (my friend) came out Monday and I showed her the plans I had drawn up, then we walked through the new area (enlarged laundry and dining rooms, and soon-to-be-remodeled kitchen.  We made lists of materials we'll need, inventoried tools (between the two of us, we should have all the tools necessary), and discussed something I'd overlooked:  the need to install a huge 16' suppport beam in the kitchen.  It's looking like we can get started in the next few weeks!  I'm looking forward to hanging sheetrock, though doing the ceiling won't be fun.  Right now, the laundry and dining rooms are down to bare studs.

So you see, things are looking up!  And I do believe that summer may finally show its face.  It's been the coldest, wettest fall, winter, and spring I can remember!

At Last! A Diagnosis!

Saw the doctor yesterday and finally (FINALLY!) have a diagnosis for the cause of my leg and back pain:  herniated disk, sciatica, and a pinched nerve in my hip (meralgia paresthetica).  I have a list of back exercises to do, three prescriptions for (1) pain, (2) inflammation, and (3) spasms, and a couple of shots in the butt for immediate pain relief.  (Though I have to admit that 13 hours later I'm still not feeling much pain relief.)
However, I did get a good pun out of the butt shots.  The nurse had just given me the first shot in the left cheek when I asked her if she wanted me to "turn the other cheek."  It made her laugh.  This was one of the few times I actually thought of a pun right away instead of an hour later. 

Anyway, the doc discussed options with me.  He wanted to order an MRI, but I haven't any medical insurance and can't afford the $4,000 for the MRI, so that is not an option.  He also wanted to refer me to a bone specialist, but again, the new doc will want an MRI. So I'll do my back exercises, continue to lose weight, take my meds, including increased amounts of B-6, B-12, and Folic Acid (all of which I'm already taking).  And in another year I'll be 65 and on Medicare, so if things haven't improved by then, at least I'll have Medicare.

I'm just glad I finally have a diagnosis and a list of things I can do to help me get better.

One More Leg Update

Getting tired of me talking about my leg all the time?  Well, me too.  As I write this, I am in considerable pain.  The leg is really bad today.  So bad that even using crutches is painful.  Both my feet are swollen.  And the right leg aches like a seriously bad toothache, only ten times worse.   The pain pills and aspirin only take the edge off, but don't knock out the pain.  Despite the fact the doc didn't find anything wrong when I had the ultrasound, I'm going to make another appointment.  We simply HAVE to get to the bottom of this!  I can't continue like this.  Standing alleviates the pain as long as I put my weight on the other leg, but after awhile, the good leg starts to ache from the constant strain.  Sitting is downright painful.  Lying down helps, but I can't live my life flat on my back.  Driving is excruciating. 

Today I am hobbling around like a cripple.  I've been doing leg stretching exercises and they only seem to make it worse.  I'm not overdoing the exercises, but yesterday I did some mild hamstring stretches and today I can barely walk.  So I'm going to make yet another appointment with the doc and ask for X-rays.  Maybe that will show something that the ultrasound didn't.  In the meantime, I've become extremely grumpy from the pain.

But there's good news.  I've now lost 13 pounds.  I've lots more to lose, but at least I'm losing!

Something's Wrong With our Healthcare System

This is a rant. I'm not going to get all political on you, but I really must say a few words about the state of the healthcare system and the outrageous prices they charge.

Last week I made an appointment to have a complete eye exam. They told me it would cost $256 and I'd have to wait 3 weeks. Ouch! I will also need new frames (I stepped on mine) and lenses. A look at their cheaper frames showed a range of $169-$399. The lower priced ones were butt-ugly, so I'd probably end up with something in the $250-$300 range. (I'd like to know how anyone can justify charging $400 and more for an ounce or two of colored plastic! This makes me very mad.)

And then there are the lenses. I have reflection-free, "no-lines" trifocals. Add another $200-$300. So, $256 for the exam, $250 for frames, and $250 for lenses. Total: $765! (and that's conservative)

Today I went to Costco and found out I can get a complete eye exam there for--get this--$65. Frames will cost me $75. The only price I don't know is the cost of lenses, but knowing Costco, it will be half what I'd pay elsewhere. So I made an appointment at Costco and will cancel the other one. Instead of paying $756 out of pocket, I'll be paying $265. That's a difference of $491. Oh, and I didn't have to wait 3 weeks like at the other place. I'm going in tomorrow at noon.

I won't even go into all the hassle I've had with the incredibly bureaucratic and ridiculously inefficient medical doctor I'm seeing for various issues. I'm on Basic Health, a state-subsidized medical plan for low income people. The plan itself is a good one, but the doctor they appointed for me sucks. It's at a modern community health clinic and they are the most inefficient thing I've ever seen. My doctor has misdiagnosed every thing I've seen her for but one. She never treats me for anything, instead referring me to a specialist. Referrals are supposed to take 1-2 weeks. In truth, I wait 1-4 months for referrals.

I waited 4 months, in serious pain, for a referral to a podiatrist for my feet. I waited 6 weeks for a referral to an ob/gyn after my doc said I had a prolapsed uterus. (As usual, she was wrong--it was something else entirely.) I waited several weeks for a referral to a surgeon to have a fingernail removed because she said I had a fungus. Turns out she was wrong. No fungus, but arthritis, and the surgeon said I needed meds, not surgery.

I waited 6 weeks for a referral to a specialist because of debilitating thigh pain. And now I've waited 4 weeks for a referral to physical therapy for the same issue. While I wait, I'm in severe pain.

Somebody needs to do a performance audit of the community health clinic I go to. These people are seriously stupid. There's a very good chance I'll be kicked off Basic Health because they are in financial trouble due to the bad economy, and they are looking to dump about 80,000 subscribers--despite the fact we're low income and qualify for BH. If I get kicked off, I'm going to submit a report on the atrocious care I've received the past 3 years. If I don't get kicked off (it'll be a miracle) I'm going to ask if I can change doctors.

In the meantime, our entire medical system needs a serious overhaul.

End of rant. My thigh is killing me. I'm going to bed.

Houston, We Have a Problem . . .

. . . or maybe not. I finally have a diagnosis on my thigh pain: meralgia paresthetica. Not that I'm happy about the diagnosis, but at least I now know what it is and what I can do to alleviate the pain, which at times is quite bad. In fact, here are the most common symptoms, all of which I have in spades:

• Constant pain on the outer side of the thigh, extending from hip to knee


• Burning, numbness, or tingling in the thigh


• Bouts of shooting pain, often likened to being stung repeatedly by bees


• Hypersensitivity to touch and heat. Warm water from the shower causes stinging and burning sensation.


• Occasionally, aching in the groin area or across the buttocks


• Usually more sensitive to light touch than to firm pressure


• Aggravated by walking and standing, or prolonged sitting

So I am scheduled to start physical therapy, and I need to lose weight (no surprise there) and start walking again. The only problem is, walking is painful. But I'll do it anyway. Anything to get rid of the constant pain.

On a high note, I bought some hanging plants today, and now I'm going outside to hang them from the beam I installed on the front deck, just for that purpose!

Making Hay While the Sun Shines

Friday I had 2 tons of hay delivered. It was so beautiful that I ordered another 2 tons, and today they delivered those extra 2 tons. But first, I had to clean out the barn to make room for the extra hay. I nearly killed myself doing it. The picture above shows a small portion of the 4 tons.


I'm not a packrat, but I had accumulated far too much "stuff" in my barn. Some of it I'm hauling to the dump. Some of it I'm burning. Some of it I'm giving away (my 2-wheeled horse cart and harness--sob!). It's liberating to get rid of junk, but it's depressing when your body just doesn't act like it's 27-years-old anymore. My feet hurt. My back hurts. My knees hurt. Getting old is not for the faint-of-heart.



To end on an upbeat note, here is a picture of Lord Byron, my cat. He is Official Hay Inspector. He likes to climb all over the bales, poking around and, I suspect, looking for mice. He sits on the bales and talks to me as I work. He's great company!