HORRIBLE MASSAGE

Today Brenda and I went for massages.  Brenda had a mint therapy massage and I had a hot stone massage.  That is my favorite type of massage.  Those lovely hot rocks heating up my body.

Well, today was a different story.  I booked my massage the way I always do.  I tell them I have RA and ask if they have anyone who has experience with RA.  Then when I get to the appointment I make sure I say it again.  Then when the masseuse takes me in the room, I ask them if they have any questions and tell them where it hurts.  Today I did my usual routine.  The masseuse seemed disinterested.  This should have been a sign.  He asked me if I have ever had a hot stone and I said yes.  He said his was different.  That should have been a sign. 

Then the massage began.  The face massage was fine.  Then he began getting rougher.  The massage part wasn't necessarily rough, a little hard maybe.  What was rough was when he moved or adjusted my parts.  So when he wanted my foot to move from one angle to another, he didn't softly move it.  He grabbed it and harshly moved it to where he wanted it.  But remember, I am on a massage bed with my eyes closed and don't know what he is going to do.  So suddenly he touches my foot and moves it.  It is so unexpected that it is a shock.  Then he is giving me a hand massage and he is really pushing on my hands and joints.  I told him "soft".  He said "what".  I said "softly".  He stopped touching my hand.  The same thing happened on my feet and arms.  He had to keep telling me to relax.  I wonder why.

I wanted to get up but I had 5 pounds of rocks on me and I was naked.  I waited it out and all of a sudden he patted me on the back and said all done. 

I went to the dressing room, showered and got dressed.  On my way out they asked me how it went.  I told them.  They brought the manager out and I told her.  She said that guy was on the rougher side.  I never should have been given him.  The manager gave me a free massage in a few days with another masseuse.  I hope it is a better experience.

Until tomorrow...

TRIP TO THE PARK

Today we took a trip to a state park. It was a bit more driving than anticipated but it was fun. We brought a lunch and ate at a picnic table. I thought it would be a place where we could walk from exhibit to exhibit but the exhibits were so far apart we had to drive. This meant we spent the better part of the day in the car or climbing in and out. I took some great pictures so I had fun.

Tomorrow I have a massage scheduled. Yay!

Until tomorrow...

SAVING MR. BANKS

I just watched the sweetest movie: Saving Mr. Banks. It is a Disney movie but not your typical Disney movie. There was no villain and no gorgeous, helpless female.

Instead there was this strong willed adult woman (Emma Thompson) and Walt Disney himself (of course played by Tom Hanks). The movie is all about how Walt Disney bought and had Mary Poppins made into a movie. Emma Thompson plays the author P.L. Travers. P.L. Travers does not want the book made into a movie for various reasons you will find out when you watch the movie.

It was a really good movie, although a bit slow for a Saturday night after going out to dinner.  I managed to stay awake but just barely!

I recommend this movie.

Until tomorrow...

EARTHQUAKE

I felt an earthquake a few hours ago. It was a 30 second rolling quake. I was at a show and thought the guy behind me was hitting the back of my chair. I almost turned around to say something but then I thought, is this an earthquake?  Then it stopped.  At the end of the show someone said there had been an earthquake. Other people thought someone had pushed on their chairs too.  Everyone began talking about the earthquake.

I had this awesome sandwich yesterday. It was a grilled vegetable sandwich on a roll.

Until tomorrow...

INSOMNIA

Woke up at 3am this morning and could not get back to sleep. It was torture laying there wishing that I could fall back to sleep. I had three hours until my alarm clock was set  to go off.  I tried to fall back to sleep and I finally dozed of 15 minutes before the alarm went off.

Today it is 11 pm and I can hardly keep my eyes open.

Until tomorrow...

MISSED A PHONE CALL

Don't you hate when you miss a phone call from a friend or a someone you where waiting for?  Today my good friend S called and I missed her phone call.  I was quite disappointed.  She lives in another country and I don't get to talk to her like I did when she lived in the US and when she lived a few blocks away.  It is hard when you can't just pick up the phone and call someone.  It is the wrong time or it will cost a fortune or you don't have any idea what time it will be in their country.  I do know that when I am going to work she is going to sleep or at least sitting down to read or watch TV.

I was very disappointed that I was in the room with Brenda and Brenda had the TV on so loud that I didn't hear the phone ring.  I swear Brenda is getting deaf-er and more hard of hearing every day.  When I saw the missed phone call my heart dropped.  I immediately sent her an email telling her I just missed her phone call and to call me again.

Until tomorrow...

LONG ASSIGNMENT ENDED

I am very happy.  My long assignment has ended.  It has been a long road.  I have been very tired on this assignment lately.  It has been long hours and long days.  I have had no time to take care of myself the way I feel comfortable.  I kept saying "if I wanted to work like this, I would have a full time job!"  The reason I work for myself as a consultant is that I like the flexibility I have to go to doctor's appointments and do other things.  If I have a rough morning, I want to have the flexibility to sleep in if I need to.  Or move slowly if I need to.  I need to get back to taking care of me.

It all starts tomorrow!

Until tomorrow...

REPORT FROM THE DOCTOR

I saw the doctor to night and she told me my "women parts" are all very healthy.  No evidence of cysts or any other nasty thing.  This is good news. 

Tomorrow I am going to call my gut doc and see what she has to say.  I think it is a gut issue. my OB/GYN wants me to try acupuncture.  I think I will give it a try. 

Oh, I finally got through to Blue Shield and set up auto paid for brenda. Turns out her bill had not been paid since December. The auto bill pay had been set up back in December but has not been working.

Until tomorrow...

RELAXING DAY

Today I spent most of the day relaxing. Sometimes I don't do the things on my list and I relax instead. You would think that would make me more relaxed. Well, it doesn't. It makes me more stressed. When I don't do the things on The List, I get more stressed out because that means I will have to do The List another day.  I tried to relax by taking a bath. It didn't work.

Tomorrow I see the doc about my test last Friday. Let's see what she says.

Until tomorrow...

TRYING TO RELAX

Okay I am trying to relax. I went to get my haircut. I took the pups to get a pedicure. Then I did nothing. It is really hard for me to do nothing. I keep feeling like I should be doing something. Of course I have things I could be doing but nothing I have to do. I feel well enough to do things but I have nothing in the urgent column. So I sat down and eventually I fell asleep.  I guess I was tired.

Until tomorrow...

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

Good News: I had the ultrasound and according to the tech, I have nothing. No cysts, no evidence of burst cysts. Good looking ovaries. Even the fibroid or other thing they found last time is no longer there. Clean as a whistle.

Now I have to figure out what to do. I think it is my Crohn's acting up in a way I have not felt before. 

Bad News: my friend didn't come to see me. First we were concerned that she had a cold. Then she felt better and we decided to meet at a restaurant. Talking across a crowded restaurant should be fine. I had spent the day on public transportation, at a museum and in a hospital. I think having dinner with someone with a minor cold is the least of my worries.  But then we realized that after my test, she would not have enough time on a Friday evening to get to our area and back to the airport in time for her flight.  She is coming back in two weeks. We will meet up then.

Until tomorrow...

FRIEND VISITING

I have a friend visiting and we are supposed to go to dinner tomorrow night.  She just texted me and told me she has a cold.  Here is the dilemma: do we get together and risk me getting sick or do we pass up on getting together.  I decided to wait until tomorrow and see how she feels.  If she is better maybe we will still go to dinner.

Tomorrow is my ultrasound.  I can hardly wait.  Results on Monday.

Until tomorrow...

ONE WEEK UNTIL FREEDOM

I have had a very demanding client who required a lot of hours.  I have worked with this client for some time and I finally made the decision that I am no longer going to work with this client beginning next week.  As you know I have been having many health issues and I made the decision that my health is more important than making money.  I have been counting down the days until my freedom.  I have a long list of things I want to do. 

Just the thought of having very little to do is so inviting I am almost giddy!  I have been working such insane hours for so long, I need a break.  Not just a week but a substantial break.  I still have other clients but none who are as consuming.  This will be a reduction in income but that is okay.  I will probably have less doctor's appointments and less days sick!

As I said I have a list of things I want to do:

• get ready for my bike ride
• get my old camera fixed and buy a digital camera
• clean my office and make it a nice place to work
• clean out the garage
• hire work people to fix some stuff in the house

 That is a fairly large list.  Should keep me busy for a month or two.  So much for freedom.

Until tomorrow...

FIVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS

How is it that I can go in to the emergency room, have multiple tests run, have five different doctors look at those tests and get five different opinions?   How is that possible?

One doc said I had a UTI.  Another said I had a burst ovarian cyst and a UTI. Still another said no UTI and ovarian cyst. A fourth said such a small cyst it couldn't have caused this kind of pain.  A fifth said maybe no cyst and no UTI.

I have come to the conclusion they have no idea what is wrong with me.  Just wait it out and see if the pain goes away.  Well the pain has not gone away. Now it hurts on the right side.

I went to see my OB/GYN today and she was so funny. I like that in a GYN. I was instructed to remove all clothes from the waist down.  Then the doc came in and  told me she would not be doing any poking and prodding today. She said I was already in too much pain she would not add to it.  I was told to put my clothes back on and she left the room.  I told her she didn't have to leave heck, she has seen me in worse positions than with my pants off!

She wants me to get an ultrasound on Friday.  I will get the results on Monday.  Maybe a definative answer??

Until tomorrow...

PAIN UPDATE

This morning I called my primary doctor and my RA doctor. I called my RA doc because she is the one who sent me to the ER. I gave her an update. She wanted me to talk to my primary.  An hour later I spoke to my primary and he told me two things: 1) I didn't ever have a urinary infection and 2) I had a burst cyst and may have more cysts.  He wants me to call my OB/GYN.  

I called and the office wants me to come in tomorrow.  So tomorrow afternoon I have an appointment.

I was feeling better today until this afternoon. This evening I am not feeling that good.  More update tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

THE PAIN HAS NOT SUBSIDED

I tried to take it pretty easy this weekend. Not as easy as I wanted to but pretty easy. Today I took it slow before I went food shopping. Then I went to a neighbors house but she was not home. Then I figured out how to synch my new iPod.  I had to load some of the music again.

I ate some soup that looked good but didn't taste very good. I am about to go to sleep.

I am going to call the doctor first thing.

Until tomorrow...

RIP BOB

                                                       

Our friend and neighbor passed away over a month ago. Today was his memorial service.  It was very sweet. The church was incredibly beautiful.  There were many neighbors in attendance.

We will miss you Bob.

Until tomorrow...

STILL PAIN ON MY LEFT SIDE

I am still having some constant pain on my left side.  I part of me wonders if I have another cyst. I plan on taking it slow this weekend.  Lots of TV and naps.

I tried eating something other than rice and toast today and I think that was a mistake.  I am fairly nauseous and I have heartburn.  Tomorrow I am going to stop by the super market to get a few things I can eat like mashed potatoes, a roll, soup.  Nothing too exciting.

Tonight we went and exchanged the iPod. We have not found the lost iPod so I decided to keep the new one and exchange the color. I chose red. The red is red the charity so some money goes to AIDS organizations.   I usually buy black electronics but this time I wanted to help a charity. Plus with a bright colored iPod I might actually find it in my bag!

Until tomorrow...

FEELING BETTER

I was feeling better today. I even went to a clients. 

Then I came home and worked on my taxes. They are done or as close to being done as I could get after this week.  I will take them to the tax prep lady and if she needs more I can do it over the weekend. 

This weekend I plan to go to a neighbors funeral and lay on the couch. Oh, and buy food. I am damn sick of eating rice and toast. My stomach was still upset today but seemed better tonight. 

Okay, I need to go to sleep. 

Until tomorrow...

BROKE DOWN IN TEARS

I guess I reached my limit today.  I finally got home from the ER at 2:30 am.  It was a really long day.  A tiring day.  Test after test.  I didn't have anything serious which is good.  I have a urinary tract infection and an ovarian cyst that burst.  That explains the excruciating pain.

They gave me antibiotics for the UTI and nothing for the ovarian cyst.  Just have to white knuckle it.  It is basically all gone now.  I have had ovarian cysts before and it felt more like a sharp pain that came and went.  It almost floored me when it burst but I don't remember being bedridden for two days.  I also don't remember having a fever.  I do remember being horribly nauseous.

I am on the mend and feeling better.  Still on the BRAT diet until my gut gets better.  Yes, my Crohn's is acting up because of all this. 

I have not been able to work on my tax prep.  I can only do what I can do with health concerns getting in the way.

Today my Kindle cover showed up but the envelope was opened and the charger was missing.  I called Amazon and they are going to replace it for free.  I think someone thought the package was a kindle or iPad and ripped it open to see.  The charger probably fell out.

Tonight my dogs got in a scuffle over a biscuit.  I gave them both a treat but somehow they got in a fight.  I jumped in the middle and somehow I got bitten.  It was the straw that broke the camel's back.  The tears flowed.  My car, the hospital, my taxes, the kindle package and now my hand.  Okay, I am feeling sorry for myself.  Maybe it is the drugs I am taking.  Making me emotional!

Until tomorrow...

AN EVENING IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM

I have been sick for the last two days. Abdominal pain. Today I was not feeling much better although my fever broke.

Last night Brenda and I went back and forth about whether I should go to the emergency room. I talked her out of it (we all know my fondness for emergency rooms)  Today I had an appointment with my RA doc and I stopped by my gut doc and they both said go to the ER. So I went to the ER.

Tonight was the craziest night ever in the ER. A nurse got hit by a patient. It was SO busy. I arrived at 4:30 pm and it is 1:20 am and I am still here. They did a CT scan, ran blood, urine, stool. Did a pelvic and so far nothing conclusive. Still waiting for the C-dif test results.

I just want to go home.

Until tomorrow...

STOMACH PAIN

Starting last night my stomach began aching. I had a hard time sleeping and didn't work all day. I slept and watched TV. My lower abdomen is killing me. Before you ask, I don't have my appendix. I don't know what is wrong but I have a temperature of 101. I am nauseous, feverous, and dizzy. I have been thinking of going to the emergency room. I will see how the night goes.

Until tomorrow...

TAXES AND BIKE RIDE

My taxes are due to my tax preparer on Friday so I am rushing to get them ready.  I am pretty organized but I like to give it to her really organized.  That way she doesn't have to do much and it keeps the cost down.  I am about half way done so I feel pretty good about it.  I have all day Tuesday to work on it.

Since I didn't have a car today I decided to go for a bike ride with my neighbor.  I rode 6.6 miles!  I don't feel sore or stiff yet.  Tomorrow will show the truth.  I had a great time.  The weather was really nice.

Tomorrow I will find out about my car!

Until tomorrow...

WHAT A DAY

I got up today just like any other day.  I ran some errands: got Happi's medicine, Lucky's dog food, picked up my NEW Kindle from the Post Office, got my medicine, etc.  I was home by 11 am.  I got on the phone with my brother to fix my computer problem.  We decided that I needed a to buy an external USB network adapter.  I got in the car and drove about 4 blocks.  I got to a stop sign and there was a car in front of me.  I pushed on the clutch to down shift and the clutch went pop and the pedal went to the floor.  The car kept rolling.  I almost rolled into the car in front of me.  I pulled over the best I could but I was still in the intersection.  I put on my hazard lights and called AAA.  The woman on the phone asked me the address where I was.  I said I was at the intersection of A St and B St.  She asked what street I was on.  I said literally in the intersection of A Street and B Street.  I had an hour and half wait.  I finally got two big strong guys to push the car out of the street.  A friend walked by and decided to wait with me. 

Finally the tow truck arrived and put the car on the flat bed.  He drove me to the garage.  My friend was working but there was nothing they could do today since it was too late.  I have to wait until Monday because they are going to have to take the clutch apart.  They think it is the bracket that attaches to the clutch and not the clutch or the pedal.  Since the rental car place is closed, I have no car all weekend. 

Since the garage is not too far from Best Buy, I decided to walk to Best Buy and buy the adapter I needed.  When I got home I got my computer working really well and set up my Kindle.  Now I am doing my taxes prep.  One of my favorite things to do (sarcasm.)

Tomorrow will be a better day and things will go a little more as planned.

Until tomorrow...

WORK CHANGES COMING

I am in a unique position. Since I work for myself, I don't have to take jobs I don't want to. A long time ago I worked for a person I call the The Devil. She was not always the nicest boss. In fact she could be very cruel and not realize it (or did she?) When I stopped working for her I made a pact with myself that I would never again work at a job where I was that miserable. I began working for myself and the majority of the time I have been happy. I feel appreciated. Until just recently. The situation at one of my clients changed and for the last few weeks I have felt that dread getting out of bed. I don't want to go there. I get no happiness from the work. 

I know what you are thinking, how spoiled. I have done my share of horrible jobs under horrible circumstances in my time. I have been on welfare for a short period of time. I appreciate what I have. I also appreciate the relationship between my health and my mental health. Working a job that makes me miserable and is taxing will eventually make me ill. I get more flares and have more issues when I am not doing work that is fulfilling. 

I decided today that I am going to end my work with them at the end of the month.  No amount of money is worth my health.  I know the work will come. 

By the way I still have a 100 degree fever.

Until tomorrow...

FEVER, FEVER, FEVER

This fever will not go away. I don't feel too bad, I just have a fever. Tonight it is over 100 degrees for the first time.  I wish I had some magic to make it go away...

Until tomorrow...

THANK YOU NOTES

I am old school. I believe in writing paper and pen thank you notes.  Maybe it is my age.  Maybe it is how I was brought up.  I just believe that when someone gives you a present or does something for you or is nice to you, you should send them a thank you note.  Not a thank you text. Not a thank you email.  Not a thank you phone call.  You can do those things in conjunction with a note but not instead of a note.

The thank you note should state what you are thanking them you for, why you like it or why you are grateful for the person's kindness and then what about it you like or what about what they did for you was meaningful.  I always end my thank you notes with a second thank you.

Thank you notes do not need to be long.  I received a thank you note from a friend today thanking me for the wonderful party.  It was four lines.

Thank you for the lovely party.

Fine Food.

Wonderful Friends.

 Great Fun!

See how easy a thank you note can be!   I have sent my thank you notes for my party already.

Until tomorrow...

YEAST JUST EVERYWHERE

I went to my gut doctor today despite still having a fever. She figured out my problem. Suffice it to say, since being on the antibiotics things have not been comfortable "down there".  She checked it out and it turns out I have an over abundance of yeast.  Imagine that!

She gave me some yeast medicine and some cream.   I am sure I will be feel swell "down there" real soon.
-------------

I ordered myself a Kindle last week. I have been resistant for so long because I love paper books and I don't want bookstores to disappear.  But recently I have occasionally enjoyed having a book or two on my Kindle software on my phone and iPad.  When I am waiting for a doctor appointment or reading at night it is helpful to have it on my iPad. But I don't like carrying my iPad around places. It is too heavy and too expensive. If I go t the pool on vacation, I don't feel comfortable bringing my iPad because it is too expensive. But a $100 Kindle costs less than my phone or camera. It still costs money but 5 times less than my Kindle!

Anyway, I ordered the Kindle and then today a friend sent me an email telling me they were on sale today. I was able to cancel my order and order it at the sale price. I saved $25 on the whole order. What do I care if it comes on Thursday or Friday?  Now my ebooks will be on my phone, Kindle and iPad and they synchronize between all devices.

Until tomorrow...

CRASH & BURN

Well, I knew it would be coming. The crash. And burn. Let me explain.

In November I got an infection. I stayed on Enbrel while I took the antibiotics the first two times. I don't like to do it. I don't think the antibiotics work well when I stay on Enbrel.  I have been off Enbrel since my third round of antibiotics in January.  

Then I have had one thing after another happen. Getting sick, the holidays, getting ready for the party, working a lot of hours, etc. 

These two things are a recipe for a crash and burn. Today it happened. I could barely get out of bed today. I spent the day on the couch. I slept most of the day. My feet, arms, hands, back are all killing me.  Now I have a fever.  Oh, and I have a cold sore. 

It is time to slow down and take it easier. Once I stop having a fever I can get back on the Enbrel. 

Oh, today I got the bill from the physical therapy place. $231.44. I sent an appeal to The-Insurane-Company-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to see if they can do something about it. 

Until tomorrow...

PARTY!

I didn't post last night because it was my party. The party went a bit late and them I needed to clean up and by that time I was too tired to post.

The party was fun! I spent most of the day cleaning and decorating. It was exhausting. Then we had a paper plate emergency. I thought we had 50 paper plates but we only had 23. Yikes! I rushed to the store to buy more.

I was ready at 8 pm. At 8:15 they started arriving. One after another. It was so much fun. Everyone enjoyed the photo slideshow with photos of me growing up.  The music was catchy.  The food was tasty.  For food we had pork and tofu teriyaki skewers, butternut squash and goat cheese tarts, toasted bread with goat cheese and sundries tomatoes and fig and olive tapenade, veggie crudités, and cheese platter.  We had way too much food as usual. I will be eating tofu skewers for a few days.  Luckily they are delicious.

It was a fun time.

Why choose one flavor cake when you have two?!

Pet rocks

Today I slept late (after getting up early to let the dogs out) and then walked the dogs. Then took down the decorations. I watched a movie with Brenda. Then it was Oscar time. Brenda gave me a present. A  cute shirt with bicycles on it.

Gotta get some sleep now. 

Until tomorrow...