MY DOCTOR'S DECISION ABOUT

MY DOCTOR'S DECISION ABOUT MY ARM


I am in between Vicodin doses -- or rather, at the end of one and while waiting for the new one to take effect and pretty well knock me out -- so I will blog quickly in the meantime. I am quite relieved at the moment despite my need to rely on this painkiller for now, as I heard from my doctor this morning and she is putting in an order for me to be evaluated by the Physical Therapy department. I will need to give the order 24 hours to go through, which means that I need to call on Monday to get an appointment set up, hopefully at the Tualatin Clinic, as it is closest to me.

I am also thankful that my arm pain didn't radiate down into my forearm and hand last night the way it did the night before, when I hurt horribly. My night's rest last night was fairly reasonable, although I still can't sleep on my right side.

I do hope that there is promise in this future, possibly including PT, to be pain-free!

*****

The following joke came from my friend Jackie:

Caution

A pharmacy major was taking a course in Dispensing. One day
they were discussing the various labels affixed to
prescription containers, such as, "Take with food," and
"Take with water."

At the end of class, the professor passed out a few sample
labels.

Days later he noticed that one member of the class had
stuck one of them onto his chemistry textbook. It read:
"Caution: May cause extreme drowsiness."

Received from Thomas Ellsworth.

Somehow I can relate very strongly to this joke. LOL!

*****

A few days ago, I mentioned a family member who is in the hospital with some serious health problems. This is my brother-in-law Stan (my late husband Steve's sister Virginia's hubby). My most recent report is that he is in surgery due to a large blood clot in his bladder and a kidney stone in each kidney. His daughter, who blogs under the name of Mrs. Darling, is able to keep the family updated due to her daughter having brought a laptop that is usable from their motel room in Boise. I can't complain about my health problems much when I think about those that people like Stan have.

*****

I received a very cute e-mail from grandson Noah this morning, thanking me for the truck I gave him as a preschool graduation gift. It made my day! (He dictates his thoughts to his mother, who types them in and sends them to me.)

THE LITTLE

THE LITTLE GRADUATE


Above are pictures of my grandson, Noah, which I stole from his dad's -- my son Jeff's -- blog today. The first is of Noah in the procession as he graduated from Little Blessings Preschool last night, and the second is him at home with his helper, little sister Emily, holding up his diploma.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the graduation ceremony because of my arm being so painful. I feel very bad about that. I am proud of Noah and, as his dad says, it's difficult to believe he will be in kindergarten this fall. How fast these little ones grow!

THE VICODIN FUZZY-BRAINI

THE VICODIN FUZZY-BRAIN

I took a Vicodin about an hour ago, and my head is telling me it's time to sleep. LOL! How could I take a Vicodin when they didn't come in the mail yesterday? you may ask. Well, I did a second check of the mailbox last night and either I missed them the first time around or else the mailman had accidentally skipped them the first time he came through and brought them back to the mailbox later. I have traded off a brain that thinks at the moment for a pain-free arm. I will try to write this post all the same; if that doesn't work, I will save it as a draft and get back to it later on.

I had purchased ingredients for a couple of dishes yesterday morning so I decided to make them while they were fresh yesterday afternoon, using my left arm as much as possible. The first was Blueberry Breakfast Scones from the Better Homes and Gardens Simple Everyday Diabetic Meals Cookbook. Here are pictures of them -- first on the cookie sheet and ready to bake, then baked and glazed, and a piece on a plate, ready to eat. They contain finely-grated orange peel in addition to blueberries -- yum!







The only problem I had with them was getting the inside baked completely. It isn't bad -- just a hair underdone -- so I am warming the slices up before eating them.

*****

Yesterday I had an e-mail from a lady who is working on the Schmap Northwest Photo Shortlist, and she wanted to know if it was okay to put the following photo in contention for use in her project.



The shot is of the Sternwheeler, which had been moored at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon, for the previous couple of days before heading upstream. This picture was a lucky capture. It will be fun if it is selected.

*****

BTW, thank you to everyone who urged me to contact the doctor about my arm. I have e-mailed her, although there has been no response yet. They do say to give the clinician 48 hours to get back to the patient. I have waited this long; it won't matter much if I have to wait another couple of days. My feeling is that the arm is just slow to heal, but maybe she will have other ideas.

NOT A GOOD DAYI am trying

NOT A GOOD DAY

I am trying to go about my daily activities as usual, but my arm is rebelling. As a result, I am feeling quite sick to my stomach. I probably should contact my doctor but I'm going to wait until Friday, I think, as I have just bugged her about my "barnacles". One good thing is that my refill for Vicodin has been okayed, and my nurse friend Sheila said that having that happen would probably indicate that my clinician recognized that my pain could take a while to clear up. It didn't come in the mail today, though.

I feel kind of silly because of others I know who are going through so much worse. That's one reason I push myself to try not to baby my arm. I regret it after I use it in a normal fashion, though. I am quite inclined to do my best not to use it for the next few days; however, that is easier said than done.

One thing that cheered me up this morning was seeing a fat bunny in my back yard. What a cute creature! Socks saw it, too, after a bit, and was quite intrigued from her perch in the utility room window.

I am very concerned for a family member right now and I keep checking the family blogs, as he is in the hospital and the possible ailments they were checking him for were extremely serious. I guess no news is good news on that front so far today. My prayers are going up for him.

I guess it's time to take the ice off my arm. Sheila also said that having to ice it a lot isn't a good sign. But as Steve used to say, "You've just gotta be tough." That's what I'm trying to do, although I am also trying to limit my social contact right now because pain makes me grumpy. Grrr!

"BARNACLE" SUEI mentioned

"BARNACLE" SUE

I mentioned in a comment to yesterday's post that the spots on my arm that I was concerned about were benign, from what the nurse said. To elaborate further, they are generally hereditary and are also known as "barnacles". I have e-mailed my brother and sisters to let them know about this and to ask them if they knew of Mom or Dad having such spots, or if they themselves had them. I have received no responses to maybe the silence is my answers from them. Coincidentally, my nurse friend Sheila mentioned before I went in that she has "barnacles" -- I asked her today if they were generally removed but I haven't heard back yet from her. At any rate, the nurse said she can't really diagnose; thus, my appointment with the dermatologist in mid-July. (I'm glad there's no rush!)

I think it's funny that I have "barnacles," when as an Oregonian I have talked about our reputation for having webbed feet plus that we rust instead of tan. Also -- something I haven't talked about before -- my favorite football team is the University of Oregon Ducks (out of loyalty to my friend Linda). In addition, the refrain "Barnacle Bill the sailor" is going through my head, although I'm not sure where it originates from in my past history. LOL! Did Steve sing it? Did my dad? I can't remember!

I don't know if the dermatologist will want to remove the barnacles or not. That question at present is in the realm of the unknown for me.

*****

I got an e-mail today saying that when I go in to have my oil changed, I won't go to the fast lube area any more, but to the local Ford dealership's service area. Fortunately, I will be able to make an appointment to do that. I still have 2,000 miles to go before my next oil change and lube job is due.

*****

It is such a relief that today is the last day of Primary elections. It will be very interesting to see how they turn out. Hillary has been squashing rumors that she plans to concede; I wonder if either she or Obama will do so. It could make the convention in August what I would call quite wild.

*****

I forgot to mention my arm. I am icing it often, and since I am going to be so busy over the next few days, I will wait to contact my doctor on Friday if it is still bothering me a lot. I hate being in pain! I am out of Vicodin and have ordered a refill with no results so far -- not a refill coming through or a phone call or e-mail telling me that they are unable to refill it or wondering why I need more. I imagine I will survive without it. I'm truly not hooked on it, though, other than to ease the pain in my arm. I was taking 1/2 tablets haphazardly, when the label on the bottle said I could take 8 per day. I never came even close to that! I can understand how people with chronic pain can get hooked on pain pills, though. It is definitely no fun!

COUGH SYRUP POPDue to

COUGH SYRUP POP

Due to shopping at a different store for pop than usual a couple of weeks ago, I wound up having to buy diet Dr. Pepper in the cherry-vanilla flavor. When I tried drinking a can of it a couple of days later, I found that it reminded me more than anything of cough syrup. I wasn't sure I was going to be able to drink the small case of 12 cans that I had bought, but I seem to have gotten used to it in the time since then. However, I don't plan to buy more if I can help it.

*****

The following cartoon, which came in a mailing last night, reminded me of a picture of Socks when she was quite little. I am posting that shot after the cartoon:
























Hee hee -- I get such a kick out of Socks. She is very different from any other cat I've ever had.

*****

This afternoon is my appointment to have my moles checked. In the meantime, I took 1/2 a Vicodin this morning, for my still-sore arm. My nurse friend, Sheila, feels that I need to have the arm re-evaluated. I am not quite sure how to go about that. I will wait until after the moles are checked before tackling the question of the continuing pain in my deltoid. The Vicodin is making me very sleepy so I will likely nap, setting the timer so I don't go over the time I need to leave for the clinic this afternoon. I will report on the suspicious spots and the evaluation of them when I get back.

CHARLIE WILSON'S WARLast

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

Last night, I watched the movie "Charlie Wilson's War", which I hadn't realized was rated R, and I discovered early on exactly why that was. Even the generally squeaky-clean Tom Hanks (in my opinion) used an occasional F-word. There was some nudity as well. Hanks played Texas congressman Charlie Wilson, and Julia Roberts was his wealthy married supporter in more ways than one. Here is a picture of the two of them in the movie:














The movie was based on the true story of how Congressman Wilson developed a deep concern for the Afghan people during the invasion by the Soviets. He learned that the Afghans had primitive weapons that were no match for the heartless Soviet soldiers, who committed horrible atrocities against them. The Soviets would even scatter items that looked like candy or toys so that when children picked them up, the "candy" or "toy" would blow up and thus there were many little children who were amputees.

Together with a rather oddball guy named Gust, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson was able to call in enough political IOU's to come up with a budget enabling the U.S. to supply the Afghans with weaponry that could shoot down the merciless Soviet helicopters and jets.

It was quite interesting to watch the portrayal of the political wheeling and dealing that went on in order to assist the Afghan people. Also, it was a good explanation of what might make the subject of another movie: How the Taliban came into power and the ultimate turning of some Afghans' aggression against the United States.

Charlie Wilson himself was quite easy-going morally, and there is a description of him in the movie that is very on-the-mark. Still, he had a big heart when it came to the plight of Afghanistan.

I would recommend the movie to mature adults who are interested in recent history and can disapprove of Charlie Wilson's foibles while still appreciating the good that he did for an oppressed people.

*****

I was very glad to hear yesterday that Barack Obama had quit his church. I don't see that he had much choice due to the continued political lampooning of Hillary Clinton from that church's pulpit, this time from a guest preacher. In doing this, Obama proved that he is truly a person who will make peace with Clinton when the time comes to do so and also that he is not just talking the talk but walking the walk. I didn't sense a lot of rancor, either from Obama or from the church leaders, in Obama's taking this step. I think Obama has a lot of wisdom for so relatively young a man on the political scene.