Feeling Better and Worse

Chinese medicine is doing something.  Along with the acupuncture and cupping and heat treatment, the addition of liquid iron to my diet to help my anemia, I'm feeling like a human being.  Really, almost normal.  (well, normal for me!)  I don't have the dizzy spells I was having which leads me to believe it was more an iron deficiency issue than a POTS issue (hopefully!).  I've had 3 treatments.  I go for my 4th on Monday, then I have a couple of weeks off as there were no openings.  I'm pleasantly surprise, and a little relieved.  Feeling better was the whole goal here.  One step at a time.

In addition to the liquid iron supplement I am also taking barley greens once a day.  I have to mix it with V8 juice, just can swallow that "green" flavour on its own.  So, that is some much-needed protein my body was lacking.

I'm eating.  And I'm hungry!  And food is staying with me so I'm actually benefitting from the nutrients for a change.  I know, I know, it's only been 4 weeks, but I'm noticing the slight differences.  

Yesterday I went for an infrared sauna.  Very different from a traditional Finnish sauna that I'm used to.  It heats you, not the air, so you can breath and it is more comfortable.  It also doesn't just make you sweat but improves your immune system, cardiovascular system, detoxifies, improves the appearance of burns and scars... and the list goes on.  It is good for conditions like arthritis, bronchitis and much more.  I was roasted in about 25 minutes at 70C / 158F, but it doesn't feel that hot.  I know I can't handle a traditional sauna much over 50C / 120F.  

At physio we have started strength training.  Very very gradually.  I'm talking bicep curls with stretch banding - 3 sets of up to 10 reps.  Right now I manage 3 sets but at most 7 reps.  But it is a start.  And my shoulder blades are taped in place to 1 - minimize pain and 2 - reduce pressure on the brachial nerve bundle.  I'm happy with my progress so far, it's only been 2 weeks.

And on the puppy front... Macy's litter was born March 4th and China's litter on March 10th.  Hubby and I are sooooooooooooooo excited.   Sometime in May we will have our own sweet baby girl Weimaraner.  We've seen tons of pictures and chatted online with the breeder.  We send emails back and forth and she answers our questions as soon as she is free.  Poor breeder, she had the flu when the first puppies were born, moved (including her horse and all the dogs!), and was just settling in when the second litter arrived.  I don't think she's had much sleep!!  We are very happy with her knowledge and how quickly she gets back to us.  We can't wait until May!!

And on the worse front... I was supposed to go see my great-aunt this morning.  She was admitted to our hospital from her home 3 hours west of here.  But I'm running a low fever and feel blah so I don't want to pass on anything to her.  Probably a bit of a bug.  Ugh.  I hate feeling like this.  I'm hungry, but my tummy has been rumbly and I don't want to put anything in it except maybe some ginger...  I hope this passes soon.

Oh, and also on the better front - I have had headaches that go away within a few minutes, without taking anything for them.  Not sure why, but I'M LOVING IT!!  Headache "free" for a couple weeks now! (BIG SMILEY GRIN!!!!)

Back to Toronto

Because the nerve issues in my right arm are ongoing, I've plateaued in my recovery, and I'm still experiencing lots of nerve pain, my family doctor referred me back to Dr. Gentili on the recommendation from my orthopaedic surgeon.  And within a week of Dr. G's office receiving the referral, I have an appointment for an EMG (electromyogram) on January 28th at Toronto Western Hospital.  Wow!! 

I'm just so happy I'm being looked at and it's not going to take 6+ months to be seen!  We haven't yet decided if we will go down the night before or just for a day trip again. Flying to Toronto in January can be a little dodgy if there's a snow storm.  And I was forewarned by Dr. G's receptionist not to be late.  The doctor performing the test hates when his patients are late.  I'm not a late person, I panic if I'm there only 5 minutes early... but snow can wreak havoc on travel plans!

My return to work is coming along slowly, but it is coming along.  I start doing something I haven't done in 6 months and all of a sudden it's done and I'm not really sure how I completed it, but it is done.  I'm still a bit overwhelmed, some of the files that I thought would have been completed during my absence are still ongoing, and others have closed that I thought would be still around.  And just getting used to the new stuff... a whole new computer system with Windows 7 - and I'm a Mac user at home - and a number of changes to the programs and software... And soon, a new keyboard with a track pad so I can ditch the thumb-ball mouse I've been using since my last shoulder surgery in 2003.  So my learning curve will just have to curve a little deeper for a while longer... The young lady who was filling in for me is still helping out on a few files, but she will be finished with the firm on December 30th... Does panic set in now??? I'm still only working 15 hours a week... How am I going to do a full day's work in 3 hours???  I can't think about it or I'll start to have panic attacks...

I'm going to focus on planning our trip back to Toronto and getting my nerves working.  The rest is out of my control.

And just to brag a little... The tree is trimmed, the lights are hung in the windows, the presents are wrapped and sit beneath the tree.  The baking is in the freezer and I have all the ingredients I need for Christmas dinner...  And I have the next 6 days before Christmas to relax!

Hi-ho! Hi-ho! (I owe! I owe!)

It's back to work I go went.  Monday, 3 hours a day to start, with breaks every hour if I'm doing something continuous.  My bosses are easing me back into my role.  We have a new computer system and programs have all been upgraded during my 5.5 month absence, so I am learning how to do things again.  Monday all I could access was e-mail... Because I wasn't there to use the system the IT guy didn't set me up for most of the necessary programs... Oh well, it was fixed by Tuesday.  Today I used one of the new search programs with my boss and we're very happy - it's easier and faster than the old way!  Hurray for change!! (Usually I don't like change...at all!)  So I'm settling in... a little at a time.  I'm sure there are still a handful of people who don't even know I'm back at work.  I startled a couple of the lawyers - hey! Wait! You're back!  That's a good thing - at least they haven't forgotten who I am!

My orthopaedic surgeon basically discharged me from her care at my appointment last week.  My shoulder is not a surgical issue and she does not need to operate on me, therefore discharged with instructions to get back in touch with Dr. Gentili.  The ortho is fairly certain that my brachial plexus injury occurred when I had my decompression surgery and will be sending a note to my family doctor stating the same. So I'm being referred back to Dr. Gentili. 

Kinda scary... my physiotherapist and I were going through my return to work plan last week... she told me that if I do too much I could injure the brachial plexus further, resulting in permanent nerve damage.  I have to be very careful at work.  No overhead lifting.  Nothing over 5 lbs (basically, a pack of copy paper is too heavy).  And breaks when needed.  If I'm in pain for more than an hour after I finish work I've done too much.  Today, I've done too much.  I have sharp pain in my shoulder and upper arm, my wrist is sore, my hand is sore and I can feel pain up my trapezius into my neck and back of my head...  I picked up a minute book today - and knew right away it was heavy.  But some are full, some are empty.  How am I to know unless I pick it up off the shelf??  The last thing I want to do is have permanent nerve damage...  Guess from now on I will have to ask someone to get my minute books down... (insert heavy, feeling useless sigh... pffff!)

In other news, I've made is quite successfully through another craft show season.  I had my last show last Friday and Saturday.  It went quite well.  The day before the show my mother-in-law and I took my crafts to her old office (she retired in May).  The ladies there cleaned me out of my Christmas spiders!  I took 27, came home with 3!  Yikes! I had to go to the consignment shop and pick up some I have for sale there and then scrambled to make some more Thursday night for the weekend show.  They are my biggest seller at any show.  But I didn't expect my m-i-l's colleagues to completely clean me out!  Happily I had enough for the weekend and sold 8 more.  And I've sold 9 or 10 at the consignment shop too!  So now that you're going "what's the deal with the spiders" here's a pic....

And there's a legend which goes with each one on a scroll...

The Christmas Spider Legend

A long time ago in Germany, while a mother was busily cleaning house in preparation for Christmas, the spiders that usually stayed in the living room corner fled upstairs to the attic to escape from her broom. From the attic they could hear all the excitement from the living room as decorations were being made for when Santa was to come on Christmas Eve and bring gifts for the children.

Frantic to see the decorated tree, the spiders slowly crept downstairs for a view. Oh, what a beautiful tree! In their excitement, they scurried up the trunk and out along each branch. They were filled with happiness as they climbed all through the tree to see the glittering beauty.

But alas! By the time they were through climbing all over the tree, it was completely shrouded in their dusty-gray spider web.

When Santa came, he smiled as he saw how happy the spiders were. However, He knew how heart-broken the mother would be if she saw the tree covered with the dusty webs. So He reached out and touched the webs, blessing them and turning them to silver and gold.

Thus, the custom to have a spider ornament amongst all other decorations with tinsel of gold and silver on the Christmas tree was born.

And on that cheery note... ta ta for now!!

Up, Down, and Jumping Through Hoops - EDITED

Up... way up... We (well, hubby) buys a lottery ticket every Wednesday and Saturday.  And every draw he checks the numbers and like the weeks, months, years before, we don't win.  Okay, we won $94 once.  Once.  Pffttt!! Big deal.  That was ages ago.

So Sunday, I was at my first craft show.  And hubby shows up.  Uh, hubby doesn't come to craft shows unless I ask him to help me carry my totes in.  So when he arrived at the show I was pretty surprised.  I like surprises.  He poses the following question...

"How close can you be to winning 6-49 (our lottery) without actually winning?"  Think, think, think... One number off on every one?  was my answer.

"How about 5 out of 6, and the sixth number off by one digit.  We had 34, they called 35."  OMG - so what does that mean?? We were 1 digit away from winning $16 MILLION dollars!!! Yep... We got third prize... which doesn't amount to much in comparison... but $1500 and change is not a bad thing!! So that evening we walked to the corner store where we always get our tickets and let the owners validate the ticket.  This way they get credit for sell and validating the winning ticket.  Then on the walk home we contemplated what it would have been like to win $16 MILLION!!  Yeah... pipe dreams... but oh how we love to dream...

THE REMAINDER OF THIS POST HAS BEEN REMOVED BY THE BLOGGER.... Thanks to my loyal reader who did get to see the whole thing...

Look Ma!! It's my (new) brain!

I had my brain MRI yesterday for the post-op baseline.  I've sent the CD-rom off to my neurosurgeon this morning.  I was fortunate to get my old PC up and running yesterday afternoon and got to see my images before I sent it to Dr. Gentili. (craziness... can't load the CD on my Mac!)

Look!! There's all kinds room for my brain!! I'm so excited!!

With my diminished headaches and improvement with the other symptoms like my speech, vision and thinking, I'm sure the neurosurgeon will say the surgery has been successful.  (Okay, I had to spell check diminished three times to spell it write - maybe my cognitive is still a little off!)  I'm extremely happy with my progress so far.  If I had to, I'd go through it all again.  Well, maybe we could leave out the brachial plexus injury...

Speaking of the shoulder, I was back at physio this morning for another set of instructions and to report to my physiotherapist.  She was so happy with my little spreadsheet I developed to track my progress.  So I will continue and I will add the other activities as she assigns them.  Today she also did some assessing for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS).  I am positive for it in one of the 3 or 4 positions.  So, there is another piece in my puzzle.  I will also likely need a custom wrist splint made for me to go back to work.  I have the $25 one from the drug store, but it is aged and falling apart so when it comes time to replace it, it will be custom.  In addition to my typing and writing and grip strength I am also putting books up on a high shelf to simulate filing minute books at work.  And yes, I'm sore.  Time for some down-time before I make dinner.

Shoulder Update

I'm beginning to feel like this is a never ending circle of assessments, appointments, physiotherapy and MRIs.  And all I want is to get better and go back to my life!

I saw the orthopaedic surgeon yesterday for my shoulder.  She reviewed my MRI results - there are no tears in any of the muscles or ligaments of the shoulder.  There is a cyst on the head of my humorous, but it is consistent with the anchors placed during my two shoulder surgeries for the rotator cuff.  This is good news - no tears = no need for surgery. 

So where does that lead us??

Orthopaedic agreed with my physiotherapist's diagnosis of a possible brachial plexus injury.  And to see if this is the case, another MRI of my cervical spine has been ordered.  I'm already having an MRI on my head on November 7th as my follow up  from my decompression surgery, however the head shots only go to C2 at the most.  The brachial plexus anchors from C4 to C6 and T1. 

Because I am still in inconsistent pain and it is not fully diagnosed or controlled, orthopaedic said no return to work until she sees the MRI results in early December.  (Yes folks, it takes 2 weeks for the radiologists to read our MRIs after the scans are done, and then allow about a week for the report to electronically cross the hospital parking lot to her office, get downloaded and placed in my file.) If it is a brachial plexus injury then the orthopaedic will be sending a report back to Dr. Gentili and I'll be heading back to Toronto... They don't deal with it here unfortunately.   She advised my physiotherapist to start work hardening for a prospective return to work, if I can tolerate it.  My pain is so intermittent that this will be an experience.  Difficult, easy, painful, don't know how it will be.  I'm on my way to physio this morning to report to Bee.

Luckily I saw my family dr. in the afternoon yesterday as well and he ordered the C-spine MRI with a 10 day window, instead of the up to 12 week wait.  He recommended that they have my C-spine done at the same time as my head MRI - I doubt it is possible, but I can only hope the booking clerk can fit both scans in on the same day!

But gotta run!! I'll report on my lunch with my best friend and phyio's reaction to the orthopaedic's notes later!

I don't like Thursdays...

Or at least my body doesn't.  

Last Thursday I had an optic migraine which started when I walked past a fence through which the sun was shining as it rose.... like a strobe-light effect.  Gee, thanks - can't even enjoy a walk without a trigger!!  It laid me up for a couple of hours in bed, no major pain, just exhaustion.  And I had to have my hubby drive me to physio that afternoon because I still couldn't see straight.

This Thursday, well, it started Wednesday night, was a headache 8/10.  And I'm thankful it wasn't a Chiari headache, but it had me in bed for 30 out of 36 hours... and I only got up Friday when I did so I could go to physio.  I was fortunate that by then the headache had disappeared, but it took a lot out of me.  Like a limp rag doll I made it through physio and then took my husband out for lunch - his 39th birthday.  I just hate days like that.  I'm through the pain, but I'm still utterly exhausted and could use another day of rest.  Physio is helping my range of motion, but so far not my pain - which is still very intermittent.  Bee is still convinced it is a brachial plexus injury.  And from my reading, I'm inclined to agree.

This coming Thursday my head and body need to co-operate (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE) as I have an 8:30 appointment at the fracture clinic with my orthopaedic surgeon, a 3:30 appointment with my family dr. to review what the ortho said and my return to work (or not) plan.  And I'm meeting up with up to 3 other Chiari sisters Thursday night for tea.  I'm going to be good on Wednesday so I can hopefully have an excellent Thursday.

By good, I mean not a day like today where I completely overdid it and knew I would before I even got started.  I wanted to get some stuff done around the house.  I have a long list of stuff I need to do and got through a couple of things today.  My house is not quite a mess, but it's untidy right now and it is driving me crazy.  So after my walk and breakfast I undertook cleaning the kitchen.  I cleaned the toaster oven we borrowed from my mother-in-law while our toaster was shipped back to Cuisinart for repair.  (Got me a brand new toaster delivered yesterday!! Good customer service at least!!)  So, wipe out the inside, and get out the stainless steel polish for the outside.  Well, I have the stainless polish out, might as well clean the face of the dishwasher.  Oh, there's smutz on the cupboard.... grab the magic eraser.  Oh geez, look at the fridge.... wipe that down too.  And OMG, look at the countertop - scrub, wipe, dry.  And the sinks - how did they ever get so filthy??  Scrub brush, stainless cleaner, rinse, wipe.... repeat on sink # 2. All sparkly and shiny.  The oven?? Nope, can't face cleaning the oven today, even if it is self cleaning  No, I didn't wash the fry pan.  I left it sitting on the stove.  PFFFFTTTTT!!!!! It can wait for Sunday morning.

By then I was tired and my shoulder was on fire, but only 2 or 3 / 10.  Not major pain, yet.  I sat down to take a break. Hubby went to his mom's with the shiny toaster oven.  I took a look at the aquarium across the room... OMG I can't see the fish!!  Poor fishies haven't had their home cleaned since before my brain surgery.... That'd be almost 4 months ago!  Or more likely over 4 months ago.  I'm surprised everyone hasn't gone belly up on me!   I got the buckets and drain line upstairs and proceeded to drain the tank as far as is safe, half a bucket at a time so at least I could carry it!  About 2 gallons at a time. Ugh, carrying is still not good.  I pulled out most of the plants and ornaments, filter, heater, thermometer, and about 1/2 of the stones.  Everything needed a good cleaning.  I'm surprised the filter hadn't packed in it was so full of algae.  Hubby came home in time to help me move the stand and tank and then refill it.  Thank goodness.  I was exhausted and my shoulder was singing soprano by the time the water was drained, not to mention the scrubbing and wiping and drying and cleaning everything thereafter!!  And then I had to re-clean the sinks and wipe down the counters again with tea tree oil cleaner - don't want any bacteria in the fish tank or on my food later!  I always clean the sinks before and after I clean the aquarium.   

My tank looks awesome now!! So I treated myself to a trip to the pet store to celebrate my clean tank.  I bought myself a new dwarf frog - Alfie, a bright red Betta - Hell Boy, and 5 black neons.  I don't name the neons and tetras because I cannot tell them apart.  It's just a 20 gallon tank, but I do enjoy my fishies.  I've had the tank nearly 12 years now and it's time to upgrade - the life of a tank is usually 8 years.  So now we have to decide if we want to stay with the 20 or go bigger.   Bigger tanks are easier to maintain.  But when it comes to cleaning day, it will take me longer.  A full clean takes me about 4 hours.  Today I took about 2.5 hours.  So, not a full clean.  And my shoulder singing in a pitch to break your finest lead crystal....  Don't think I'll be getting a bigger tank.