Monday, July 31, 2017

Weather, weather, weather...!

She came she saw and she conquered that is EMILY, short lived tropical storm forming in record time from last night's inception of a depression to this mornings creation of that tropical storm, but apparently made her mark on thirty-one of our sixty-seven counties in this fine Sunshine State of Florida, the governor has declared a state of emergency!
Sorrowfully it reminds me a very, very little like Hurricane Charley where our area was physically devastated with homes destroyed and truck in trees and roofs in canals and our own Gazebo gone too and less than ten miles away was untouched. That was a category 4 with 145 miles an hour winds storm/ HURRICANE, and little Emily was just a tropical storm that was at its fiercest had 45MH with 65 MPH gusts, without causing us anything more than a rain storm here. Many areas away from us saw more, erosion on beaches with choppy surf  south of us in Cape Coral, a large branch going through a pool cage in Naples also south of us, with a hotel resort having its roof torn off and causing damage to two of its rooms on Ft. Myers Beach, also south of us! North in Tampa a mobile home had a tree land on it creating a devastation for them. Flooding was sporadic and is receding now.
But now the gal EMILY has tamed and has diminished into little more than a tropical depression and on her way exiting our state via our east coast!
Just in: All watches and warnings have been dropped!

A sampling of what's to come this coming month, tomorrow August the notorious high time for hurricanes!

Let's hope not.

Moving on...

So much else going on such as the "mooch" has quit: https://www.yahoo.com/news/anthony-scaramucci-white-house-communications-director-11-days-reports-190158404.html

General John Kelly has been sworn in today as the newest Whitehouse Chief of Staff, which these days means within days he will be swearing as he leaves! But he is not a quitter; good luck!https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kelly

Two words: calm cohesion.

Moving on once again...

I signed up for a class to learn about CKD, chronic kidney disease, the class is this month in a few weeks and taught by a dialysis nurse.
I spoke to Laurie Carpenter on the phone today, the nurse teaching the class.
And mentioned my avid reading since I found out about my newest diagnosis of stage three renal failure. She agreed with my theory that the very high protein diet I was put on after my bariatric sleeve surgery may be contributory to my condition that shows up in blood work in January not in August of 2016, and in fact according to pre-op blood work done in September there was no indication of any kidney disease with all blood work in normal range.
Any-who, and also that I am not a type two diabetic with an A1c of 5.7, which is a slight pre-diabetic, but distorted due to the IV steroids infusions done a month prior to testing.
And through other investigating I have found that Multiple Sclerosis can be responsible too as it is progressive for CKD.
Odd that once I stopped taking too much high protein drinks daily I leveled off in my blood work for the GFR, which determines that I have stage three kidney failure, mine is only 53, the range for stage three is 30- 60, which means kidney failure. Sadly, once it begins it cannot be reversed, but it can be slowed for years and years and that is what I want to accomplish. There are two stage threes; a 3a and 3b, and I am stage 3a, the lesser of the two three stages that means better than stage 3b.
Stage 4 you need dialysis and stage 5 is when you need a transplant and you should get your paperwork/ life in order, actually that is always, getting yourself in order, ha... I know not that that is not funny in this context.
Why stages one and two are barely discussed I have no idea, but I do believe we should have.
Than maybe three wouldn't have happened?

I heard back from my chronic care nurse who was supposed to follow up on my referral for the nephrologist, and it was ready to go in on Friday except for the nephrologists name!
That long Indian name that I could not pronounce sadly, and so I said I would go into the other room and get it that it was written down and we ended the phone call..., oh well.
The name of the group was easy and Debbie the chronic care nurse remembered after all and took care of it and so now it is delayed probably till Wednesday!
And that is the day my Copaxone will be delivered again.
We have to sign for it since it is refrigerated.
So we are here all day, but UPS once delivered it to the wrong house and here it is usually always hot and it sat there all day long since they were not home!
Thus the signing for it.

Next I had called the nurse Cindy, from Dr. Montoya's office the new neuro and told her what was still going on and not improving, my sensory issues and the four times a day with the Gabapentin, and I also mentioned my stage three kidney failure, since Laurie said I should.
And now I am scheduled to see the ARPN Lyn in a couple of days to see what can be done?

WHOA what a tangled web I weave when I tell all to all!
Sadly, I wish it was to deceive, but Dagnabit it's all TRUE!

I should change this title to speaking my truth, hmm?
NAH.

On that note allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly share all those blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!


 

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Sporadic working interventions

Sensory problems in Multiple Sclerosis, numbness, tingling, burning, electric shock sensations, spasms... if asked I would have to check all of the above box.
Once established and knowing the cause doing what should be done to take care of the problem(s) is what is next on the agenda!
Problem solving, a job that most of us are well familiar with in most all businesses, career paths or parenthood alike those muscles have been taught/taut to succeed, ha!
Fixing some problems are done by trial and error, or a way of exactness with well defined perimeters and known results.
So when it comes to medical issues that would mean science is involved so scientifically tried and true methods should be used, although, medicine in treatment is still called "a practice" though science is an exacting form of much substance, hmm?
Thus the conclusion one must draw from that, Geez, I gotta use the term, "assumption" is that it should by all rights work, true?
Especially when it has been proven to work in the past for someone using it for the same or similar use or purpose, true?
Albeit many a chemical product has been utilized for a patient and when not used for some time that person/patient might become immune or allergic to its benefits; also true.
Example me: I have been using according to doctor approved dose of 1200 mg. of Gabapentin daily for above symptoms and yet I must still use ice packs and the medication still takes an hour to kick in for its full but short lived benefits to kick in, the last time this happened with another drug I knew it was time for me and it to part company!
I cannot continue to use anything that fails to work and requires possibly higher doses than I am willing to take...only thing is I now have to wean myself off of something while still dealing with these major sensory problems!
Guess I will have to discuss it once again with my new neuros assistants tomorrow.
Thanks, you have no idea how I love these little chats and how much it helps me, and it is so nice to have someone who really just listens, a great sounding board, so thanks again, truly! HA! Nah.

Moving on...

Rained on and off all day long! So no boating or swimming due to thunder and lightning here; if just rain oh poo, no big deal.
What happened to this my sunshine state? (Kidding; it is our state's rainy season!)
Well, at least no hurricanes in the forecast.
Although, August is the historically busy season for such things, OH NO two days away!
September too has a reputation for nasty weather.
Stay tuned.
Hope everyone stays well prepared and has their plans at the ready!


On that note, allow me to be the very first to wish you all a very happy good night and ask you all to share those blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!


















 

Saturday, July 29, 2017

So I felt enough time has passed for me to try once more...

...and so I went into the pool again!
At first it was touch and go; all due to the sky opening up just when I decided to make the plunge and that wet stuff came out of the heavens and brought down a topping off of the depth as well as lowering of the too high chlorine, pretty cool too!
Yep, the more than likely too warm water dropped a few degrees; although still in the high eighties but oddly enough refreshing all because the air temps are in the sweltering feels like range of triple digits!
Ta Da!
I am here and so far my time spent in the luxurious enveloping of an enormous sized bathtub or rather large spa, never compared to a too small swimming pool!
But alas it is a peewee in that size department, and yet in this case size does not matter!
Hubby does not go in it and neither does our furry little four footed guy, Gus; both by choice so the whole swimming hole is gloriously mine!
And yet I chose to share my space with that giant cow of a Flamingo! CRAZEE????????
A few times I thought I might try to board the waterfowl, but it would not stay in position and I could not accomplish the height factor to ascend the beast!
The use of such a dandy item has lost its reasoning, and so I have decided to find out what its use is..., additional shade is provided, a rest spot if I should get tired while I exercise and would like to hold onto one of its handles straddling its long pink swanlike, make that flamingo-like neck, also a placement for my foam weights when not in use, and as time goes by perhaps more notions will come to mind, since usefulness is why most of us indulge in such things, hmm?
NAH!

Most of us just want things, the more the merrier, George Carlin had a great routine about this topic, STUFF: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvgN5gCuLac 

Again the more things change the more they stay the same.

I can remember saying I wanted to become minimalistic and for four years we did live that way, but then somehow we got back to having stuff!
Don't let stuff run your life.
Hurricanes teach you that stuff is not important.
For when its gone and there is no way to get it back, you gotta let go...!
Let it Go!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moSFlvxnbgk

Back to reality...the weekend and trying to be happy and not think about reality, huh?
Still my favorite video, Happy!
So enjoy your escapism too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM

Friday, July 28, 2017

Internist still working my case.


One test was redone for an infection that is causing a higher leukocytes count and so it was suggested that the nephrologist should look at it, okay... and it came back still abnormal, nothing to do with my stage three renal failure that is definitely diagnosed, but this has to do with the possibility of that infection. And the internist believes that it is caused by my chronic problem from the Multiple Sclerosis.
All communication is through the medical patient portal where I also have access to test results and to message the doctor as well.
And Dr. Nord, internist, does seem to want to help.
Flummoxed once more.

Moving on...

Tonight we did something we hadn't done in quite some time we had a pizza for dinner.
We ordered from a different pizzeria that we hadn't for quite awhile.
The name of the pizza place... are you ready....? Best Pizza!
We ordered a large thin crust plain, normally $12.99 and a small antipasto, but they have a discount for carry-out that was a nice surprise, which Hubby does anyway i.e. carry-out, and that large pie was only $5.99, total bill $11.99 including the small antipasto! And they were good.

I heat up my own toppings that I just like and Hubby doesn't want, and they were mushrooms, onions, spinach, and one breakfast turkey sausage link cut up small, all mentioned goes on half the pie, but I ate only two slices of mine, and Hubby ate all four of his, the whole other half, plus some antipasto. I had just a little antipasto, no meat, just a few veggies.
Most of what I heated up for the pie was vegetables for my side anyway.

I Googled the diet restrictions for CKD, chronic kidney disease, and it seems that less dairy, and lesser amounts of meat proteins, more veggies and fruits/ berries. I can live with that, but still need more specifics.

Today, Hubby and I combined that pineapple with the mango both grown in our own backyard; we  peeled and cut them up into small pieces and put all into a container with water and froze in our freezer, duh, and once partially frozen I then put them into our blender with more ice, vanilla and honey and pulsed them until they were the consistency of a slushy and put them back into the container into the freezer to access when I so desire as a healthy dessert sherbet!
I did sample a little bit and it did taste very good!

Below is our very first indoor experimental pineapple tree, wish us luck!
The top is from the one we cut up today like we have done previously with all our outdoor ones, but never before indoors.

I had suggested to a friend that moved out of state and who also enjoyed growing his own pineapples when living in Florida, but now lives in Colorado to try to see if they could grow them indoors? Well, I have no idea if he has, but I decided to try just because anyway. Hubby could always take it outside if it all goes terribly awry, and looks like it is going to not survive. Its amazing how many plants that do not do well in our very dry inside due to air-conditioning running all of the time, and you take the needy for humidity plant outdoors and wow it is revived!
So this a test, a harmless test. I could mist it, but unless natural too much or too little cannot help, rots with too much or gets moldy, and too little it will still keel over... notice I do not like to use the word, "dies" for any living thing, squeamish I suppose, nah I guess I just have that issue with plants, how odd. On this latest interesting idea, allow me to be the very first to wish you all a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly count all your blessings and share all those overages with you know whom and we will too!
 
And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Thursday, July 27, 2017

On the brighter side...

Our lawn filled in very nicely in this our rainy season.
Hubby gave one of our many Pinkie (All oddly enough named "Pinkie".) Flamingoes a refresh; one of the two metal ones, this time with Krylon spray paint. So pretty when in the pink! Sadly the last painting was just this past April, meaning the exterior paintings seemingly not to last as long as one would hope. As you can see he is a standing sentinel over our canal dock. The other metal one we determined color's stays brighter longer due to its location in the shaded garden. Strong sun here even in the rainy season!
 
Moving on...
 
 
OH Dear! Interesting afternoon: Spoke with my chronic care nurse Debbie, and she gave me the name of a local nephrologist with a very good background check and only a mile from my house. So I called and they still insisted they needed the doctor's referral even with me on a PPO not an HMO. So I called Debbie back and she said that she would contact Dr. Nord to send the referral...Next I get a call from Dr. Nord telling me that I have had stage three kidney failure since last August and that she had told me, but since I have everything under control that I was stable so nothing needed to be done! I said I did not recall her telling me, and if so I would still like a second opinion and maybe I can also help myself to reverse the problem with early intervention and diet! I definitely did not recall her telling me until yesterday and that something like that I would absolutely remember. She said all the nephrologist is going to do is have me come back every three months to check on me and since I am stable it is a waste of time, not those words verbatim, but the sentiments implied. I said most specialists have you coming back every six months now. I should know I see enough of them, and no I did not say that to her. In the interim I looked into my medical portal that holds all my test results since I have been seeing her. My January tests did show that the same blood work indicated that the stage three renal failure existed then, but when I went to look for last summer's actually July not August, all that was there was January, February and March of 2016 the rest of the year was gone! Odd since all tests for more than five years that I have been seeing here were all still there, hmm? I happened  to come across my pre-op September blood work from Dr. Chabli, the bariatric surgeon and those two tests were within the normal range as of last September!
I smell a BIG problem. I also read about the proper diet for chronic kidney disease is a low protein one and other lower things like potassium and phosphorus, but the protein caught my eyes, since after and prior to Bariatric Surgery you are placed on a HIGH PROTEIN DIET!  So in reality if I was diagnosed with stage three kidney disease in August of 2016, which I was not but she said that I was then my surgery that required that special diet of mega doses of protein literally could have killed me, at the very least have me in end stage 5 kidney disease!
In a way getting my rash and needing to go on IV Steroids again may have saved me, the protein drinks were causing vomiting the whole thing was a BIG mistake!
As near as I can see is that since January I have had this and that is about the same time all my other problems got worse, my bulging discs, stenosis, rashes, and then exacerbation of the Multiple Sclerosis, changing my eating habits to not exactly what I had been told by the bariatric doctor, higher protein that I could not tolerate!
 So far the nephrologists office has not called back, but originally I was told it might take until Monday, so I will wait. Meanwhile, many have told me it is time to move on from my internist, and I suppose I will. This reminds me before I went to see my pulmonologist, my asthma was thought at first to be emphysema that she was not concerned about either. Not only did I need daily medication that stopped my many respiratory infections; I received an emergency inhaler too! Thankfully no emphysema, allergic asthma, now under control! Due to me not her, squeaky wheel and self advocate, and this kidney issue is the same thing... Any-who, I am not a victim and I will always want to do whatever it takes to be as healthy as I can be in spite of all my ailments! Ta DA!

On this note of trying to keep on keep on...going... allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to share those blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear! 

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

In spite of...

What my doctor says I AM NOT A DIABETIC!
Now she is also intimating that I have third stage renal failure due to the type two diabetes that I do not have!
My A1c is 5.7 and that is barely a pre-diabetic!
Maybe it is time for a new doctor.
Oh, get this a stage three renal failure is not really bad at all, according to her it is the best, lowest, huh?
Not what I just read, it is very, very bad!

I need to see a nephrologist!

http://www.nationalkidneycenter.org/chronic-kidney-disease/stages/stages-3-to-4/

Not good at all!

Scared.

TTYL
Good night.
 

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Mini outing consisting of getting my hair coiffed and a tiny wild shopping spree!

 Boy, what an exaggeration!
Okay, here is what actually transpired, if I must come clean...
I had a 10:30 A.M. appointment to get my hair cut at Fantastic Sam's for seniors haircut pricing they went up two bucks during the week, Oy Vey, from twelve to now fourteen, still a bargain, hmm?
Any-who, my appointment was with Bonney, yep that is how she spells it, who did my hair last time in May on the twentieth.
Oh now we all know my memory isn't that great I had found the receipt in my purse.
Honesty here.
Anyway, my bangs were for the second time in the last month getting into my eyes, so that is why I decided to go today.
I did trim my bangs once, but not so easy these days with my right hand hurting so much, and me being a righty.
There was a time where I used to cut all the boys hair that is Hubby's and our sons, but these days I wouldn't trust me with the electric hair trimmers!
Too shaky.
So, I had my haircut and even with the tip still under twenty bucks, two under, and I looked human once again and NOT depressed! Last thing you want to look when you have a doctor's appointment looming.
So many of us with chronic ills need to pamper ourselves as often as we can to feel better about ourselves, look good feel good, hmm? Even without illness, feeling good is right for all of us.

From there we went over to Tuesday Morning in the same Promenade's Mall, and that's where just looking took a turn for Geez they have some stuff I need and a few items that we just wanted?
That's my story and I am sticking to it!
I have in my recent past been somewhat of a collector of old Florida iconic styling... translation Flamingoes, and we do have a small collection to date of nine, we had ten, but one either blew away or was stolen.
And so when I saw that the new renewed symbol of this fine water seabird had been turned into an attractive and useful piece of pool accessory and I saw it had gone down in price by twenty bucks Hubby and I decided to add it into our collection as its centerpiece, although only two are displayed daily the other seven sleep in the shed and come out only for special occasions!
Here she is the mother of all waterfowls, PRINCESS PINKIE!
Quite impressive and rather magnificent I should say!

 Less in volume but attractive to say the least is our new tissue box, the old one was white wicker and about forty years old, it had fallen into pieces! I like this new one, it prevents the matchy, matchy look I seem to on occasion fall into. Although, the white bathroom does have a seashell theme and this addition maintains that!
Well second to last is Gus's second Monkey toy, actually his third, but the first is ripped to shreds and hidden I believe in the garage knowing Hubby, he, Gus, loves Monkeys! And he has been a bit of a gloomy Gus these days and so we got him a toy to cheer him up and he does love it!


   Below are four of the six new washcloths I also went wild in purchasing! As you can see they are the perfect size to harbor the soft ice/heat packs that Shared Solutions  from TEVA who makes my Copaxone sends to me as often as I ask for them! I use four lately one on each thigh, yep righty got jealous I think and now is twisting torqueing burning too, one behind the neck for headaches and keeping me cool even inside with the air on and the paddle fan above me, and the fourth for my right hand once I stop typing here. The lower picture is the ice packs closed into the washcloths, my previous ones were not uniform in size that some were too big and some were too small or holey needing to be tossed! Now these are just right, six for $4.99.( I washed them all before I used them.) same price as Monkey, and the tissue box was $6.99, and our biggest purchase, super Flamingo Princess Pinkie Gal was $29.99, all others priced her at $49.99, so she was on sale! She is a float with handles on either side of her neck, so as soon as I get the okay I will be trying her out! Otherwise, she is a nice decorative touch to our backyard display, okey dokey? After Tuesday Morning's we went over to Winn Dixie in the same shopping center and picked up some vitamins and pretzels, yup that was it, odd items but yeah that was all from there.

 
On this note allow me to wish all of you a very happy good night and ask you all to kindly share all those blessings and we will too!
 And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Monday, July 24, 2017

Chilling

All I accomplished today was to make a frittata for breakfast that Hubby loved and devoured after he already mowed our lawn, then I made homemade spilt pea soup with homemade croutons for lunch another of his favorites, a few bowls of that too for him... therefore leftovers were for dinner; this time ribs, two for me and three for he, Hubby that is, with still two more left, mashed potatoes and the last of the fresh asparagus.
I did experiment with making brownies from scratch with chocolate pudding and marshmallows and using cocoa, flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla, an egg and a quarter stick of butter sliced into it with splashes of milk, but my not measuring method and missing something made it taste not quite right... I did not add sugar due to the pudding having it as well as the cocoa, and that could be it, so maybe it did need a bit more and that made the fail that I have nibbled at, but I have considered tossing; now looking probable. Sometimes I get lucky and it does work, i.e. my concoctions, from my forty plus years of cooking and eyeballing ingredients, ya know? And then sometimes...oh well!
We eat well even when at home though.

Many might think it odd to make soup in the heat, first of all we have central air-conditioning, secondly Hubby's Grandmother used to say eat hot in the heat and cold in the cold, well maybe not the cold in cold, but hot in the heat does seem to ring true.
Although, since we aren't really in the heat being indoors in nice cool air-conditioning we don't actually know for sure that it works, ya know?
The weather guy Vanilla Ice, nah, but his name is Robert Van Winkle was again saying the feel like temperature was in the triples digits, yep his name is the same as the rapper's real name as our meteorologist's, but not the same guy!
The rapper does also live in Florida, but on the east coast, in the Miami area and has a DIY TV show over there, flipping homes!

Moving on...

 This just in: Hubby brought it in from our backyard!
One of our pineapples, a mini one but ripe enough to come in, another homegrown product, yep from our backyard, to think that it all started years ago from the top of one bought at our local Sam's Club!
We now have about a dozen plants!
Just like my avocado tree from a pit and my mango tree also from a pit and Hubby's lemon tree from a seed too!

 Moving on again...

Even though I was a bit energetic with my cooking today I have been iced and medicated and paced myself accordingly.

Oddities happened today again to me on Copaxone shot day, been on this medication for seven years and the last two injections were beyond weird.
Today was the tummy location for the shot and as I do without feeling it I stare at it going in the right spot and the auto ject that I have been using all these years, with new ones sent periodically none have done this wicked trick, I stick the shot in and count down to ten or twenty while held in and then remove it and out shoots the medication again, that had not gone into me!
This time missing my eyes, but leaving the site bloody!
Weird, just plain weird.
So I have a nurse from Shared Solutions coming next week to figure out the problem, in the interim they did send me a new auto ject. 
This is what I have been talking about:
It comes apart and the shot goes into it, same as for the last seven years, only recently having this problem, strange.

Oh well, the nurse should be able to figure it out.

On that note allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and share those blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!


 

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Hubby was very busy this morning and me on the other hand...

...not so much.
Good that I got that sentence come out right since lately my words are screwing up in my head like busy for dizzy, surgical for cervical and so many more, some even appeared here, please forgive.
And also that forgetting in between words too. Just caught me short in the first sentence I wrote here, forgetting, I had forgotten to write, "come out".
Those bleeps or perhaps minuscule glitches in my brain waves can be due to many short circuits or lesions in my brain caused by the Multiple sclerosis as well as ischemia.
In actuality it is amazing that I can still put two sentences or is that two words together to write a cognitive thought or imagine a thought processes here for coherency, or maybe I don't and you are all too polite to say anything?

That busy/dizzy thingy happened when talking out loud, frightening!
But when you look it up, as we all do, or maybe many of us do it comes back as either the beginning of Alzheimer's or a stroke!
Both significantly in the family.
Believe me who needs more ills than what I already have.
I rather stick to what should could be the reasoning my existing problems.
Although...nah... I am not gonna go there tonight, I have a six month internist appointment this week, and I will mention it to her. Just these last two sentences I added an 'e' to the end of the word "mention", and left out the word "do" in the second sentence down in , "as we all do".
The leaving out words thing I have not heard if anyone else does that or what would cause that, except in my staccato brain burps?
Who knows?
Seriously, who knows, I would like to know, truly?
Considering that Multiple sclerosis is a neurological disease which means having to do with the nerves, the sheath covering them inflaming and, better yet:

"Multiple sclerosis (MS) involves an immune-mediated process in which an abnormal response of the body’s immune system is directed against the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves. The exact antigen — or target that the immune cells are sensitized to attack — remains unknown, which is why MS is considered by many experts to be "immune-mediated" rather than "autoimmune."
  • Within the CNS, the immune system attacks myelin — the fatty substance that surrounds and insulates the nerve fibers — as well as the nerve fibers themselves.
  • The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives the disease its name.
  • When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, producing a wide variety of symptoms.
  • The disease is thought to be triggered in a genetically susceptible individual by a combination of one or more environmental factors.
  • People with MS typically experience one of four disease courses, which can be mild, moderate or severe.

Saturday, July 22, 2017

I had enough!

Staying in that is.
Sure being indoors for two whole days doesn't qualify a person to call it true cabin fever, or does it?
I heard from a second cousin by landline earlier today, consequently right after I sent him our landline number, amazing!
It turns out that he is the son of my uncle's daughter, my Dad's younger brother, so I think he is a legitimate second cousin since his mom was my first?
You see, he was closer in age to me than his Mom was he is only five years younger than me.
My father was forty-three when I was born and my Mom was thirty-nine.
So many of my first cousins from his siblings were twenty years older than me.
He is the father of the young woman graphic designer that contacted me on ancestry.com.
Any-who, we had a nice chat and I realized that I wasn't in too much pain since by then I already had two doses of the Gabapentin in me.
My next step was ask Hubby if he wanted to go pick up that new front light that the mud daubers destroyed and a new pole saw for trimming our palms; we also needed a new pool thermometer as well as ph up, and so off to the Home Depot we went!
Nice to get out to anywhere!
They had the Fiskars brand for the pole saw and Hubby grabbed the fourteen footer, long enough for our trees with his additional  nearly six foot height and longer reach, just about fifty bucks.
His old one that broke was over forty years old.
Then we looked at the outdoor lighting and considered going in a different direction, more nautical being on the water and all, but in the end we bought the same one we had bought nearly two decades ago, around twelve bucks.
I had remembered I had looked at brass and fancy ones and even bought one but it looked wrong it was way too big and so the one we had and the one we bought we know looks just right!
Hubby wanted to after check the prices at Lowes and so we did.
They had a very similar one in the pole saw that was ten bucks cheaper but neither one of us recognized the brand and so we decided we would keep the Fiskars from Home Depot.
Same with the light only a dollar more but ours was a brand we recognized Hampton Bay, theirs was not, and this time the dollar was in our favor.
Then on to Winn Dixie for hot food dinner choices, Hubby chose a chicken pot pie and we both chose their ribs and I picked up two sweet potatoes from their produce, we share one.
And asparagus we still had four portions at home and so we picked up a few more items we were out of and went home!
It was after five and so we prepared the sweet potato in the microwave for six minutes and then the asparagus went in for three all done, ready for dinner!

That is why this is later tonight.

Have a happy good night, share those blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Hope you found a way to beat the heat or rain storms and survive all those horrid fires, love to all, be safe and find fun!
 

  

Friday, July 21, 2017

Uh oh does this mean Melissa McCarthy is out on SNL too? Damn, she will be missed as Sean Spicer!

Quitters never get any credit for at times doing the right thing, ya know?
Even though sometimes the reasoning's are skewed, when doing the right thing leaving a train wreck before implosion can be quite brilliant!
Although, Sean Spicer's reasons had nothing to do with what is right or wrong just what is in his mind.
Oh dear, the worse of all this is after the next couple of Live from New York Saturday Night's will be the loss of Melissa McCarthy's right-on portrayal of the spicy Spicer idiosyncrasies, terribly sad and will be sorely missed.
Although, Ms. McCarthy has the ability to move on to her successful movie career, Mr. Spicer on the other hand has no such opportunity, what will or could he do next, perhaps he will make a live and in person visit to SNL and play himself like Tina Fey had with Sarah Palin, or Kate McKinnon had with  Hillary Clinton, there were others I am more than sure, etc.?
Could happen, why not; at least he would have a paying gig, hmm?
Melissa is one of those lovable bawdy loons that makes you have to watch her, entrancing in a very good way!
Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett could give you that type of satisfaction with their over the top reactions, but cleaner, to others playing opposite them with countering actions, results always hysterical! Ahhhhh comediennes the need for laughter provided by them is generated by so much talent and in such high demand, especially these touchy days!

Moving on...

Four Gabapentin for me equals 1200 mg. AKA Neurontin, are better than three... not yet!
Twister, in one upper left thigh burning and torqueing ripping the skin off is how the sensory nasty sensation feels! Oh yeah, I am iced too.
Neuro nurse Cindy said stay inside stay cool hydrate rest and basically do nothing!
Sure.
Hubby does a lot, but I did laundry, true only one load of whites today, towel changing day, Tuesday too, only two bathrooms to take care of for that!
Any-who, I did a help yourself breakfast, so Hubby had scrambled eggs, and I had pickled herring with fat free Greek yogurt, and tomato corn salad, weird for breakfast but good.
Hubby doesn't care for it.
Lunch was finish homemade hamburger, no roll, from last night with tomato corn salad and homemade fries, Hubby had a similar lunch too.
Dinner was leftover chopped up hamburger turned into bolognaise sauce for over leftover linguini and angel hair pastas. My bolognaise sauce contains: (4) chopped garlic cloves, 1/4 of an onion chopped, handful of frozen sliced also chopped mushrooms, and chopped frozen spinach sautéed in extra virgin olive oil then in heart smart traditional tomato sauce, jazzed up with basil, oregano, powdered garlic, stevia and dash of lemon juice and parmesan sprinkled in too, salt and pepper to taste! 
I do not do as much as many, but I do earn my keep, I think, hmm?
Kidding.
But some days... I do feel as if I am a burden.
Sleeping, not really, again with my fancy head gear AKA CPAP, and cervical collar, iced left thigh and right hand when necessary, yep regularly too.
Lovely to look at ... NOT!

Lying in bed right now, and again, sadly even my back is hurting now, lying here.
Oh get this today I had to do my Copaxone shot in my left thigh, three times a week, in locations like you touch in the Macarena yep seven, and I starred at the shot going in since I cannot feel
 the injection, funny the same torqueing thigh painful skin ripping one, but do not feel injections so I look to see when the medications goes in and then I take the needle out.
 It goes into an injector type gadget and even has a count down... and I finished the dosage and lifted it out and it was not emptied and the medication shot into my eyes!
I had my dry eye drops nearby and used them right away, and then used my glass shot glass, yep the same ones you use for measuring alcoholic beverages for drinks, but filled with water and flushed both eyes!
Oh fun!
I spoke with a nurse at Shared Solutions the company for TEVA that makes my medication, Copaxone, for another reason and verified what I did was right.
Still a little blurry, but that is nothing new either, ha!

 My day, welcome to it...rained all morning so no boating anyway nor swimming so I missed nothing!
See how my mind works...oh well.
It does work.

Happy good night to all and to all share those blessings and we will too!
   
And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Thursday, July 20, 2017

So I contacted the gastro doc's office and... and OJ OUT!

According to Barbara the gastro's receptionist he was out of town and wouldn't be back till Monday and so no one was there to answer my question, "Is there anything other than Pepcid Complete and Nexium to treat my GERD/Reflux?"
Oddly enough about an hour and a half later the phone rang and it was Barbara saying the doc just texted her and he said that is the prescribe method of treatment, although, if I would like to discuss it that I should make an appointment and come in, hmm?
My questions would be are there any other prescriptions now safer than Nexium that has been deemed a temporary use product, not a long term use due to it shortening your life!
What would you do?
I already Googled it and it is true that is what is used for GERD and Reflux! But NOT for years like I have been using it!
Does BIG PHARMA want to get rid of us?
Sounds counter productive to me.
And yes, they do make OTC medications and some are better money makers than prescriptions, think about that one!

Moving on...

OJ Simpson.
I used to love this very handsome football player from his goofy acting in  the Airplane movies to his Hertz car rental commercials; he had me with those chiseled good looks; my first and to date my only African American man crush.

But fast forward thirty years and the Bronco chase taking over the TV airwaves and wow this guy must be guilty!
I watched the actual trial on TV as if I was part of the whole horrible thing taking it personally, no it couldn't be true... how could a guy who had everything do that to even his ex-wife and her friend?
But as I watched day after day to me it was proving that he did it!
So sad this guy who had it all ruining it by being a monstrous lunatic!
What could have possessed him to have that much pent up anger?
Nicole Brown was beautiful and the mother of two of his children, and he was jealous of anyone who interacted with her and it appeared that even Ron Goldman a gay friend of Nicole's, was not safe.

Nothing made any sense, but most all of the clues and evidence pointed to him being the doer... except on that notable day of the GLOVES, "if it doesn't fit, you must acquit!" was the cry from the courtroom!
And they didn't.
CRAZY! LIKE THIS LAST ELECTION!
It looked like a slam dunk!
He was guilty!
But those damn gloves in evidence proved what?
Maybe his hands were swollen, he does have Rheumatoid Arthritis, why didn't they take that into the consideration... come on?
That alone won the verdict for him in his favor to be released, but... in tandem the Browns and Goldman's got him in the civil court for the responsibility of the murders!
An enormous monetary payment from him was awarded to the families, tens of millions that has yet to be paid in its entirety, according to the latest news only about a few hundred thousand has been paid.
Today after serving nine years for robbery, OJ will gain parole this October and has decided to live in Florida!
Due to retirement and golf.
He is seventy now, and supposedly that alone makes him a lessor threat to society.
Now if he can figure out a way to supplement his retirement pension... I happened to notice that is less than even Hubby's, but his additional work related income will most definitely be garnished to give back what he owes punitively to the Browns and Goldman's... someone hire this guy so these people can get something for all their years of misery.
I lost my crush on him during the trial, don't worry.
Although, as scary as it seems even at seventy he is a very handsome old guy! MONSTER!
So that is what a monster looks like... see kiddies one never knows... I think of Ted Bundy the serial killer, so many were suave and good looking sweet talkers these truly madmen!

Judging people by looks, that'll teach you NOT TO!

Try and have a happy good night, the judicial system needs tweaking as we all know, since none of the previous history of a person is put into recent judgments, what's wrong with this picture?
A trail and historical behavior might indicate a continuing issue with a personality flaw and a persons ability to deal with the world on a daily basis.
PSYCH 101
If it smells like a fish, chances are it's a fish...
And one other thing... is that 1994 case of the murders is it still open even as a cold case and if so and if he, OJ was supposedly not the doer then why has no one been looking for whomever they think did do it?
I would at least think OJ would want to know, no? He still claims he loved Nicole.
YEP, he is guilty!
A lot to think about, again.


Count your own blessings and share them and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Yep, he is still guilty in the court of public opinion!

 

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Two days to forget!

Last night was nasty!
And I am no sleeping beauty with a CPAP; this time filled with three soft ice packs held in individual towels combining that with a decorative soft cervical collar!
Sleeping is too strong a concept when you're in so much pain and being seductive is not in your current repertoire so very sadly!
The pain emanated from my head, caused by my cervical stenosis, horrid, believe me. And my CPAP is for my sleep Apnea that I have to wear nightly, ugh. Well, it does prevent me from dying.
Good thing we have a KING SIZED BED, so in reality we are practically in two different zip codes, ha!
Out of sight, out of mind...oddly enough it was Gus that awoke Hubby not me at four A.M., barking to go out? That'll teach me, perhaps I too should bark? Nah, even less attractive.
Our neighborhood never sleeps these days, even go-carts go past our home in the wee hours!
Any-who, that wasn't it Hubby explained, it was the thunder that awoke our furry four footed child who's anxiety ridden by clashes of lightning and roaring of thunder our now calmer sweet little boy, fireworks are fine, but thunder and lightning, OMG, panic and jumping all over us!
Odd that I did not recall hearing it with my getting up several times too during the night.
Although, I must admit Hubby getting up with Gus around four AM. is the last thing I remember before arising around seven thirty!
So I did sleep apparently, three and half hours, wow!
Today was another fun day, blood work before my next week's internist appointment and another sample from another part of the body, which color was off to my eyes, pinkish.
Oh well, they have it now and the ball is in their court; I am sure they will tell me what it all means?
Only thing is with the A1c test and me being back on the IV Solu Medrol, steroids, just three weeks ago that might continue with causing that nasty label of "pre-diabetic". That one test that came back 86, was a fluke, now fasting first in the morning have been 108- 113, and today damn I had a 141, I am doomed.
Whatever will be will be, they do know about the prescribed infusion and that it does screw that up!
Today, I had that aberration of torqueing burning ripping off of my left leg this time, for a couple of years it had been my right. Horrible either way. I iced it with three ice packs in their customary towels, one underneath and two on top, it didn't really help when I tried getting up, same problem of my leg wanting to rip off of me!
Definitely a sensory issue caused by lesions due to the Multiple sclerosis's fun and games... not really! The fun and games part, but yes the cause is the MS.
All caused by my minuscule time spent in the pool!
I called my new neuro's office.
After I added in another 300 mg. dose of Gabapentin AKA Neurontin.
It seemed to work and then it failed thus my call to the neuro's office.
They determined that my call of taking additional Gabapentin was the appropriate form of action, but said it could take two to three days to work, and that I should call them back Friday morning to let them know how it was going
With the additional 300 mg. that makes a total of 900 mg., so not that much compared to when I had been prescribed 2100mg. a day, so I am good for now.
MS is no fun friends... I know you thought it was glamorous, since so many celebrities have had it or have it now... kidding not fun! These sites have their names...

http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/famous.html

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_multiple_sclerosis

Classy, huh? At least I am in good company, true?

Sorry folks but quite disturbing these last two days of agony.
Just when I thought it was SAFE to go back into the pool! I was told I was too exhausted by the experience.
And me a certified Aquacise instructor!
SCARY!
Oh well; I will have to wait to try again... someday.

On that note allow me to be the very first to wish you all a very happy good night, and ask you to share those blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Got into our pool today!

       Our backyard pool as it looks today in the first picture. This morning was very sunny as it is many days. Folded off to the right side is our sail cloth, okay a white tarp, does the same thing and costs significantly less! A few years back Hubby created a system with ropes and chains and hooks and posts to hang the whole contraption up, and below you can see it in action.
 
   Oddly enough I could not find any recent pics and this morning I just forgot to take any. Busy doing the touch up clean up and then using those weights in the lower picture and my blue band from PT attached to the railing for arm strengthening. Amazingly I was able to get into it with using my walker out the back door and holding onto the railing and once in I was OK! I did my additional clean up and used the weights for aiding me in shallow kicks lying straight out back and forth, only a couple of times. Same with my arm pulls with the blue band.
 
     The problem was getting out. I couldn't and I had to do that sit down on the three steps and push up with Hubby's guidance onto the seat of my transformer style walker! It has the ability to turn into a transporter, but for me it was a seat and Hubby was able to push me inside where I had the good sense to put my clean clothes in the bathroom for after my shower!
 
   Once showered I had forgotten to bring my Woolite into what was once only Hubby's bathroom, but is now my accessible roll in shower shared with him. Actually my old bath chair in my bathroom is perfect for hanging wet bathing suits on to dry after washed with Woolite and that is what I did. All in all I was outside in the pool there about forty-five minutes, give or take fifteen. I also since I had that nasty experience with squamous cell carcinoma on my left face cheek two years ago. I always wore a hat,
     sunglasses, and sunscreen but this time I caked on the zinc oxide, on my face neck chest and ears and arms! Even with the sail cloth creating perfect shade all over the pool.

                                                                          




    Lunch was leftovers, but of course! Hubby's was roast beef and American cheese = cheesesteak when cooked in the frying pan and put onto a hoagie/sub roll, mine was leftover homemade white clam sauce with angel hair pasta. Doxee minced clams are added in last with juices from can, into sautéed peas, scallions, minced garlic cloves into a combo of butter, just a smidge and olive oil and flour for thickening with no sodium chicken bouillon packet and water, sprinkle of old bay, dash of lemon juice, basil, and cracked black pepper, parmesan cheese added in too! Served over linguine or Angel hair pasta or any of your favorites, a side of salad and garlic bread, but mine was without those accoutrements!
 
   After I was very tired and felt myself falling asleep.
But unfortunately while in my bed for that purpose I awoke due to not being able to breath!
Coughing and could not catch my breath.
I had to use my emergency inhaler!
  
   I did not have my CPAP on for the nap... I am really starting to dislike that thing!
My napping has been infrequent, but I have learned when sleeping at anytime of the day or night I do need it all of the time.

   What I ate was probably most of the issue.
Me with my love of garlic.
Sauce was light compared to most.
So dinner was tomato basil soup, and tuna on crackers.
I know, I know, tomatoes too creates havoc with GERD!

   That all has been responsible for my Sleep Apnea, ( Now a link to Alzheimer's!), and even the asthma, whoa... yeah I know!
More Pepcid Complete, prescribed two times a day and even though the gastroenterologist had put me on also twice a day for the last few years with Nexium the news has nixed using it; saying that it shortens your life!
So several months ago I cut back to only once a day, at bedtime.
I don't know, maybe that was a mistake?
I should call him and ask his very nice nurse Ruth?
Sinuses are acting up too with a nasty headache, OY VEY!

   Any-who, this was my exciting day, laundry was also done as well, see exciting, ha, allow me to be the very first to wish you all a very happy good night and to ask you all to share your blessings and we will too!

   And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!

Monday, July 17, 2017

False emails and peekaboo photos!

Facebook has been all good to me over the years, the nine that I have been a member with them, and so I do not recall ever complaining about their services.
If I have, it has been few and far between thus the memory lapses.
Any-who, may I get a hooray for all they have done over the years with bringing friends and family members together?
Okay, now I am ready.
I am no techno genius.
No news there, hmm?
But over the years I do enjoy using whatever they have available within my small pocketbook's ability to pay, and so I am fortunate to have bargain access through the phone company for speedy as they have for me to use, so long as Hubby or I argue for our discounts every six months that we are entitled too, everyone is with CenturyLink, otherwise they charge you thirty dollars more a month, just ask them for their discounts for everyone who knows about them.
And for that we bundle with our landline at a mere fifty-four and change bucks a month with that discount for both.
So we generate simplicity and our only special access is Netflix for less than eleven bucks a month for two devices.
Our smart android phones with Consumer Cellular for two phones is less than $31 for two, yep you heard that right two, but just for 250 minutes and no texting that we do not do anyway! And on those we average 40 minutes a month.
And no, we are not specially getting some discounted deal with them, this is their price for everyone! 
So being frugal is a great way to have money for other fun things to do, ya know?
Facebook is free, we all know that and although that is so they are very good at what they do.
For two days, let's say maybe twenty-four hours, perhaps a bit less my pictures on my profile page and timeline were all missing, and all friends profile pics too, as well as my posted blog on my site pics.
Now no one told me if they could NOT see them too or if it was just me, but one very nice person, Dawn Wallace-Browning told me what to do about it, since it was some type of a bug, I guess she meant virus, or she did mean a "BUG"?
Anyway it worked, it did take a while, but I suppose most of you know how to do this go to the question mark icon at the top right of the screen and scroll to the bottom where it says report a problem, it asks for a description of the problem and it also asks for a screen picture, which I was happy to provide, and within a few hours, actually by four P.M. today all was back!
YAY!
Thanks Dawn!
Oh yeah, right, THANKS FACEBOOK!

Now as far as false emails goes I have received two over a several months' period from familiar friends, both from way back, actually one from over sixty years and the other from over forty!
So you would think with the woman, the one of over forty years, I would have recognized her email address was different, but instead I took it as just one of her other ones, maybe, logically?
I foolishly wrote a verbose response to what I thought was a friendly recommendation about ideas to help me lose weight. I should have known better that she wouldn't do that, she's not the type to assume that you don't know how to do something.
That was the first fake one, months ago, embarrassing.
Since after I responded and it came back daemon failure or whatever that thingy is it says, I copied and pasted my response to her known recent email address.
OH BOY!
She had no idea what I was talking about, and no she hadn't sent me anything.
Not angry, too nice really, but adamant that she never initiated this particular conversation.
All is well, now.
As I said months ago.
Fast forward to today when I received another "fake" email from an old school chum from elementary school, my 5, 6, 7 year old self, maybe he was my tween crush, and what he had sent was  just a hot key to a site saying that I might find it interesting, about a shule, a Jewish synagogue; the giveaway should have been that he is Italian Catholic. Although many non-Jewish friends have sent Jewish themed things to me.
After trying a couple of times and not getting anywhere, and also recalling that I had not given him my email address I copied the message and pasted it to his messages on his timeline and asked if he had sent it?
And no he hadn't.
No explanation's for either have come up, and this had nothing to do with Facebook!
I only mentioned it because it came up today with the disappearing photos, this second email incident, very odd? Related to one another... who knows?
I have no idea if anyone else has had these particular issues, but I bet some of you have had very interesting TECHNO EXPERIENCES to share with someone.
Don't keep them to yourself share and maybe we can all help each other?
Just another idea.

On this note allow me to be the very first to wish all of you a very happy good night and share those blessings and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!
GONE......!
THEY ARE BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!

 

Sunday, July 16, 2017

One eerily quiet Sunday on the waterways of Southwest Florida!

You decide...
My idea of a donut cloud hole! Pretty!

 No other boats on the horizon below!

Looking for civilization and human beings...!

NO LUCK!
Where's Hubby??????Did he leave too?
 
Ahhhhhhhh...No he didn't... he's drowning fake bait!

                             I on the other hand/ankles tried to stay cool with neck coolers that go around my ankles also, two and a half times, but do the trick! And that trick is keeping my ankles cool...but nothing else! Below is one HOT MOMMA! Gonna plotz Momma! (Sorry you had to see that, not a pretty sight! UGLY! Oh hey my second selfie, wow, that's something, hmm?  (PS Not acting, it was very, very, very hot!) My cooling attire all from Shared Solutions for Copaxone, my MS medication company, free 30SPF sunscreen too from them! To be fair though this weather is beyond any help, except for cold showers and air-conditioning!     
                                                                             
Thus the story of why even the waterways are so very quiet... hotter than ever before, harbor/Gulf water temp nearly ninety, some areas over that and the air mid nineties producing feels like temperatures well over one hundred!
Apparently, everyone else got the memo to stay inside in air-conditioning... nah we did too!
Not worth it to go out... no fish, no bait, no dolphins to be seen anywhere!
Although, you have got to admit that that BLUE SKY aint half bad, so is the water!
 
PLEASE KNOW THAT GLOBAL WARMING IS NOT COMING... THAT IN MY OPINION IT IS ALREADY HERE!
 
On that note please let me be the very first to wish you all a very happy good night, and ask you all to share your blessings and we will too!
 
And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!
 
KEEP YOUR COOL!
 

Speaking My Mind: Which way will the war go?

Speaking My Mind: Which way will the war go? :   My eyesight is going again... in case you missed it... Netanyahu snaps back against growing...