Wednesday, November 4, 2015

DO YOU EVER, JUST WONDER????

Need to start by saying I heard from a sweet crafter friend, Auntie Bernie sending lovely well wishes.  If you are so inclined to watch a very talented lady, stop by YouTube and visit Auntie Bernie, it will not be a waste of your time ;)

Now for today's question.  Do you ever just wonder if you are taken seriously when you speak to any doctor?  I am now over 24 hours from my last injection.  A lumbar selective nerve root injection.  With this one, I will have to admit, it didn't hurt as bad as the hip injection 3 weeks ago, but I was still 'white knuckling' that table, just in anticipation.  She went in just above an old fusion I had years ago.

The reason for my question, was a comment she made as she was coming close to her target area.  She said, 'Oh, I see why you have such pain, you have a very bad back and I was really finding it hard to get any space for the injection, with the compression and all the bone spurs'.  She went on to inject and then explain that she was able to let it run down one of the spurs and the medication drained from the spur into the nerve root she was aiming for.  She said we were both lucky it was that easy, you better believe I was a happy camper, but don't know how excited I will be if she feels another will be needed.  What happens if we are not lucky the next time, Oh my!!  I don't want to know.

I almost had to giggle, wondering if all our doctors just take what we say with a grain of salt till they have proof.  That would be x-rays, lab work, or seeing for themselves.  Are there that many patients that present themselves with wild stories of dis-ease, just to get attention, have a place to go for the afternoon?  Surly not for the darling outfits where your fanny hangs out, or for a little rest on the cement x-ray tables (at least they feel like they are cement) or the vampire with the needle waiting to hit some vein or another to 'drain your blood' into the cute little vile.  

Why, oh, why don't they just believe us, or at least not sound surprised when they discover real problems for real pain and dis-ease??  Now, I know she made that statement to let me know there was a real reason for my allowing a needle to be poked into my spine, and that she was a bit surprised it was as difficult as it was to even give the injection.  I did appreciate her statement, as I prayed that it really works, it doesn't always and I will not really know how much relief I will get for another 7 to 10 days, for that is how long it takes for the full effect.

My next adventure is to get an x-ray of my left knee, which is useless right now, I had to ditch the cane and am now on a walker, for the dumb knee is such a pain and also my left shoulder, which seems to come out of place and I have to use my right arm to guide my left arm back into place.  This poor woman is going to be so tired of me before this is over.  And, the best part is that I am well aware that all this is just a cover up and not a fix, so I can look forward to all this fun at least once a year if not all 3 allowed in one year.  One of the few reasons I am happy to be in my 70's, how many years will I have left :)

Am also happy hubby is home from his fishing trip, for this weekend is our biggest craft fair of the year, and I really am not up to doing this one on my own.  Will have fair fun to write about my next post, much to my delight and I am sure if you have been suffering my baby blubbering over 'poor me', you will be too!

Hope this find everyone happy and healthy 


Monday, November 2, 2015

I'M NOT TALKING

It has been a while and I may be close to being able to explain each area of pain and give it a # for my appointment tomorrow.  Did you see the little shiver that just ran thru me???

I am still not ready for this treatment, just can't get the original injection, years ago, to leave my memory bank. The few zaps I got with the hip injection brought back anything I was able to bury, rats!!!


This really is like an onion, as the pain eases in one area, I notice the nagging pains that the one 'holy cow' pain was covering.  Like, Oh, hi! I remember you from a year or so ago, didn't know you were still there, was so busy with the cover-up.  So, as delighted as I am that the #8/10 is gone, I am dealing with the uncovered #6/7.
 

To change the subject, I broke even, plus a little, on my first little church craft fair and am praying over this shot tomorrow, for we have a much bigger, 2 day fair this coming weekend.  I had plenty of items in stock, so haven't had to make a thing this year.  I am keeping busy with a new quilt.  The one I showed you the 1st of October, I was silly enough to post on my Facebook page and my sister-in-law wanted to know if I would tackle some counted cross stitch squares she had started when her first child, my beautiful Goddaughter, was a little girl.  Now, mind you she is grown, married and the mother of 2 little ones of her own.  The oldest, being a daughter, just helped my SIL finish the last block, how could I refuse.  



I am going down to continue working on it when I finish here, will get a picture and attach here and will try to remember to take a picture when I am finished.  Am also working on a bakers apron for a lady chocolatier I met at the last fair.  She will be doing a very big wedding show in downtown St Louis, in January and wanted to know if I could make her a white one with her company name embroidered on the front.  Again, how could I say no???

All this and the Christmas cards are only half done and haven't even started on the children's gifts or the grandchildren's ornaments yet.   IT'S NOVEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!  WHAT AM I DOING??????????  I am ending,

Hoping you are enjoying happiness and good health  

Saturday, October 17, 2015

TINY NOTE

I guess this is just proof that I was almost out of my mind, or not in my right mind.  I just came to talk a bit about the results and my pain diary and guess what?????  I didn't publish the last note.

Oh I wrote it, I just didn't hit publish, was feeling pretty good, pain med hadn't worn off and guess I was a little too happy, just wanted to walk while I could.

Today is not a good day to talk about the 'rest of the story' so will be back!!


Health and happiness

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

STAY OF EXECUTION

Mind you I am not complaining, but I now have a little understanding for those on death row who have been given a stay of execution.  You have worked thru the problem, gotten yourself as ready as you can and bingo! They put it off, so you will have to get ready, all over again.

Am now full of mixed emotions.  After having a, face to face, with my doctor, discussing the x-rays and MRIs and just talking about the 'evil' pain spots, she decided to attack by peeling the onion layers.   BORING WARNING  You can only have 3 shots in your knee a year, 3 shots in your shoulder, 3 shots in each section ie: cervical, lumbar, etc, of your spine.  I didn't ask why, was busy being scared.
With every level of the lumbar spine having 'severe' attached to it, she had me show where the very worst pain started and radiated.

Rather than guessing which level to start the injection, she opted to, first, do my right hip, hoping it gives some pain relief and I am keeping a diary about just where I am feeling some relief.  With that blueprint, she will have a better idea what level of the lumbar to inject for the remaining pain, which means much less chance of injecting the wrong level and wasting one of the magic 3.  I was so impressed that she was taking the time to investigate me, and not just sticking a needle in, where she felt it should be.

It was not a bad thing that I tried to prepare, it was still an injection, by x-ray guide, into the hip joint and at one point she hit something that sent, like an electric zap, down the side of my leg, which prompted a little more numbing agent.  The pressure points while inserting the needle are, for me, a little like what I imagine a cow feels when a cattle prod is used.  Like a little bitty zap that makes you go ouch, but you can't move, you have a needle in your hip.  I just groaned and figured, if a cow can handle it, I can!  Very soon the needle was in place and the cortisone type meds were injected and it was over.

Dear diary, I will share tomorrow, just how I am doing and give you a little bit of my pain diary, no jealously please, the new diary is strictly for the doctor.

Health and happiness

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

MOVING FAST

As bad as the cervical MRI results were the lumbar MRI results are worse.  I am not doing a happy dance.  It's no wonder I am 2 inches shorter than my first 60 years!!

Years ago I had the worst experience of my life with a pain management doctor and an injection to 'help' with back and leg pain.  Picture taking a bundle of inflamed nerves, sticking a needle into the bundle and continuing, for what seemed like 15 minutes, to inject who knows what.  There was a pain killer given before the procedure, it was done with radiology guidance , it was done by a doctor who had a good reputation.   I prayed to pass out, didn't happen, but I prayed!

Well, yep, that's what is suggested for both the neck and low back.  Now, I know 10 to 15 years in medicine is like cave man to astronaut, but, everything I have read sounds just like what I went thru before and I don't mind saying, I am close to panic.

Now I weighed not being able to walk and constant escalation pain #'s and the chance that things have changed enough that there will not be a repeat of that horror from years past. Everyone I have talked to, is encouraging me to give it a try, so when I got the call this morning, giving me the scathing report and the doctor's suggestion for a chance for some freedom from pain, I put on my 'big girl panties' and said yes.  

The only regret is that I can't have both injections, cervical and lumbar, at the same time.  They will only do one at a time, I can, in 2 days, have the second one done, but not both on the same day.  Which to choose?  The burning in the neck and loss of function and depending how I hold my neck, having one or the other arm start to get pins and needles or walking?  Didn't take me 10 seconds to pick the low back first.

I won't be writing again, dear diary, till after the 13th, when I get the first shot.  I will just be hiding under the covers and wishing for a miraculous healing.  Short of that, I don't want to look back and  relive the mind numbing fear of the next few days.  Yeah for the 'Golden Years'....

Wishing health and happiness

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN

Guess it can't be too bad, for today I only have 2 complaints. One is ME, yep, I need to complain about me.  I have found that prolonged time in discomfort makes me a complainer, makes me crabby, grumpy and just plain hard to live with. 

 Where do I go to not have to live with me.  Poor hubby delights in my retreating to the basement craft/sewing room after morning coffee every day.  But, I have to go where ever I am.  I can't seem to get away from crabby me.  I will think I have me, in control, and something will go wrong, the color paper I need is not the right shade, the seam I just sewed was off kilter and needs to be ripped out and restitched.  I will start mumbling mean words to myself, yep, even 'stupid'.  I would never let the children use that word, but here I am being grumpy with myself and I can't send myself to my room, first, I can't walk all those steps and second, if I did go to my room, I would go with me!!

In my natural self, I love to see sunny skies and everything is always half full.  Now after years of escalating pain #'s I go around just like Joe 'Hapless' Btfspik.  Anyone old enough to remember Li'l Abner comic strip and the fellow with the dark cloud hanging over his head? that's me, Joe.  Must put, working on this, on my to do list.

The second complaint is that silly online posting of your tests and x-rays.  As I stated earlier, I am torn, as to whether this is a good thing or a bad thing.  We know the x-rays and the cervical MRI, are posted, correct?  Well the cervical and lumbar MRI were done at the same time, the results of the cervical MRI was posted before the weekend and the call from the doctor's office was already recieved. I even got the mailed information sheet on Cervical Epidural Steroid Injections, promised by the nurse.  What is missing???  

If both MRI's were done at the same time, why do I have one on Thursday and as I checked, thru Monday, I have nothing on the other.  Did one get lost, is one so bad that they are trying to figure how to tell me, did my doctor go on vacation??  Where is it? why isn't it on line? Don't they know this is a worry, a stress?? complain, complain, crabby, crabby!!!!

Wasted, worry, wasted stress, wasted crabbiness, yesterday evening (Monday) the test was posted.  Tomorrow, dear diary, we will note the words I had to look up and maybe even the reason for my turning into Joe 'Hapless' Btfspik.

Wishing good health and happiness....  

Monday, October 5, 2015

PROCRASTINATION SETTING IN

Yes, when you are really good at something, it is difficult to put it aside while doing a long term project.  Once started with my 'dear diary' journal of experiencing 'The Golden Years', I was sitting at the computer nice and early each morning, who can sleep in the throws of #8?  I had my coffee at my side and have been trying to put this experience in order while it is happening, or close enough that I still remember just what went on and just how I felt.

Today, it is getting close to lunch time and I have been looking for just anything, checking email, facebook, making some lists for hubby, paying a few bills......to keep from sitting and getting today's entry down.  OK, must focus.

The cervical MRI was on line and would have been funny if it were not about a real persons neck.  For it started out with the first, I am not going to do the C1, C2,C3 thing, I am just going to talk people talk, few vertebra, not so good.  The next few, a little worse than the first, the next few really ugly, you get the gist.  I was tempted not to read the rest, I was understanding how this was going   And, before I could digest the results, I am answering the phone from my doctor's office suggesting an injection that could relieve some of the pain and even give, the nerves being damaged, a little relief.  I will be mailed a booklet about this injection.

Would this make it easier to use my fingers again, could I pinch well enough to not have everything I touch, fall on the floor, could I do some hand stitching again without the use of the pliers to pull the needle thru each stitch, would I be able to turn my head to the right or left without sending the tingles down one arm or the other ???????    

Wait!!!!!!!!!!  I went to pain management because I can no longer walk, sit or lay down for any length of time for the pain from my waist to just below my knee.  I loved the fast response, but, would this injection give me the ability to walk?   What was the most important, or maybe, why don't we start with the worst offense to every day living and work our way to next.  Kind of like peeling the layers of an onion, start with #8 to 10 and working our way to the #5 to 8 and so on?

I was torn between the speed of handling the problems she saw with the first result available, and the disappointment of having no results or solution for the worst of the problems.   

I have mixed emotions about weekends.  Even before retirement, when would the children cry thru the night holding an ear or tummy or when would be a good time to break or sprain something, or run a fever without a clue why??  It would have to be Friday night, right?  How do you get from Saturday to Monday to get them to a doctor, without the dreaded trip to the emergency room??  When do you get the note from the teacher about Johnny's naughty behavior?  Before online banking, when did you get the letter about the math mistake you made and you are short $2 of the amount needed for your last check you wrote, to clear, ??? Friday, always Friday, that gives you the weekend to stew over what ever the problem is and not being able to do a thing about it till Monday.

This was my dilemma, cervical was on line and call from doctor had been recieved, but what I was really waiting for was not available and guess what day that was??  Friday!  You know there will be no hope for any swift solution for walking !!! till at least after the weekend.

We have come to the, up to date post, dear diary, and I will just be on watch, with my phone by my side till the next post. I believe I will try to do some craft projects, to keep my mind and hands busy till I have more to add to this journey....

Wishing health and happiness

Sunday, October 4, 2015

NOT SURE I LIKE THE NEW SYSTEM

I haven't decided if I like this new system of online sharing of tests and x-rays.  Guess we have all wanted to see these things and not have to wait for our doctors to share the info with us at our next appointment.  But, are we really prepared to see the results of these things and really understand what we are seeing?  

Don't we have enough stress in our lives, without seeing results with big Latin based words that we don't understand and that look so ominous?

I got an email letting me know my x-rays were posted and I could go see them.  Well, I am just nosy enough that I can't resist.  I logged in and started reading the results.  Now for the real work, to make my list of all the words I need to look up, just to see what the reports are saying.

Just for the x-rays of my neck, hip, low back and knee, my list consisted of: anterolisthesis, uncovertebral, osteophylic forminal encroachment, psteopenia, scoliosis, identulous, subcortical cyst and last but not least impacted tooth in maxilla posteriorly.  That last one through me for a loop till I remembered the last x-ray for my neck included my opening my mouth as wide as I could and he took, I guess, a picture down my throat???

After looking for all these words and trying to find a description that didn't include more words I didn't understand, I was left with knowing no more than what I had read on the original report.  Which is usually what happens.  

Back to the reason I agreed to see a pain management doctor, for the most part is that I can no longer walk without a walker and at that, on my right side from my waist to below my knee and just my knee on the left, provide me with my #8.  I was pleased that within one day of the x-rays I got a call from the nurse letting me know that there were some problems and that the doctor wanted an MRI study of my back, upper and lower.

Even though this would mean another 3 hours spent to ready myself for another trip to the hospital, it was reassuring that my doctor was right on the ball, not making me wait 3 weeks to give me that information.

The MRI was tolerable, but you are back on a cement like slab and you must close your eyes before they roll you into the tube so you don't know you are in such a tiny space.  They give you a little ball to squeeze if you start to panic, which I was determined not to use and put ear phones on you to listen to the music of your choice to try to block out the nasty loud noise the machine makes.  This was of no use, for the noise is so loud, you can't hear the music anyway, but I wasn't there to be serenaded, so no matter.

The neck took over 20 minutes and every time the little voice would say 'now don't swallow or clear your throat during the next set of banging' you all know what the results of that statement was, all I wanted to do was clear my throat or swallow.

I was offered a little sitting up rest before they started the low back, but I didn't want to prolong the ordeal, so off I went, eyes closed and back into the tube.  This was not as long, but being on the cement slab for now over 30 minutes, my back and right leg were starting to really move from #8 to #9.  

The low back was to be done without dye and then I was pulled back out to have some dye injected into my arm and eyes closed and back into the tube.  Now the #9 had gone to #10 and I was feeling tears starting to drip down my face.  I wanted to know if anyone could see me crying, so I took a chance and peeked with one eye to see if anyone in the booth could see me and low and behold, I could have had my eyes open the whole time, for my head was sticking out the far side of the tube and I didn't need to be afraid of feeling panic stricken.  AND, no one could see my head from the booth, so I freely, let the tears fall till the voice said, we are done, and we are bringing you out.  Yeah!!  Home to an Aleve!!!   

I am also encouraged, that even with my propensity to put things off, I am almost up to date with the happenings, on my quest for relief in 'The Golden Years'.

Dear diary, tomorrow I will tell the silly story of my call after the cervical MRI findings were released.  And, I will be up to date with reporting on my quest.

Wishing you happiness and good health

Saturday, October 3, 2015

X-RAYS OF THE GOLDEN YEARS

On to the x-rays....This was mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out, after returning to the reception area, that if I wanted, and had the time, I could just go to the x-ray dept. and have the x-rays done.  Since I was already registered as an outpatient with the pain center, I would not have to go home, call to set up an appointment, go thru the 3 hour getting ready process and travel back another day and fill out all the important forms.  So you know this is the 'good'.

Down the hall we went with my little 'bracelet', you have to have a little 'bracelet'.  Within minutes a young man came for me and off we went.  How great was that?

We got to the room with some light covers of hot air balloons on the ceiling, I guess to watch while you lay on the table. Then came the bad.   Yes, I no longer can 'hop up' on the table, that I believe is made of cement, it is a long process of sitting, lifting the bad leg up and then having to have help from the tech, to get the leg that is like a dead, fallen tree trunk lifted to the table, lay down on my side (as directed years ago, by my neurosurgeon) and then roll on my back.  Phew, have accomplished the bad.

On to the ugly, yes, after a few minutes of  'hold your breath, OK breath', we started to have to turn and twist, especially the knee, to the right, a little more, hold it!!!!!!!  Did I mention I live in #8 and turning my back or my legs, to far in any direction, moves me to #10.  Now, you can't cry, so I grit my teeth, and held!!!  I will say, that my tech was very good and fast and I didn't have to 'hold' for very long in any position.  Good job!! 

As I was wheeled back out to leave, I was already a #10 and hubby and I still had to get some groceries before going home.  What we discovered was that if we shop when I am in the throws of #10 we have a lot of pre-prepared dinners and cold cereal for breakfast and our bill is a little less than when I am an #8 and can stand to shop a bit longer to buy the meat and ingredients for home cooked dinners.  Hummm,  a little less money, no prep, throw it in a pan, microwave or oven and poof, time to eat.  I think we made it back to 'the good'.

Dear Diary, tomorrow I will share the results of a few of the x-rays and the MRI that the results prompted my doctor to order.  We are on the way to week 2 of  'The Golden Years' with nothing done to help me walk yet.  But, I still have high hopes.

Be Happy and Healthy    

Friday, October 2, 2015

THE GOLDEN YEARS


In order to keep this diary honest, I guess I need to go back to 1972, which was the beginning of the 'pain years'.  The hoops I jumped thru for the next 30 years, is just more than I could convey.  Lets just say, tests, psychiatrists, medication and not one full nights sleep in those 30 years.  This was over after a surgery on my cervical spine and I commented to my surgeon that I felt better, but wished he could fix the creeping jerking that went on all night every night and he said he could, by sending me to the very office I tried 30 years earlier (who after tests, sent me to a psychiatrist).  But, he was correct, just walked in (by this time there were new Dr's) sat down told my story, doctor said that's restless leg syndrome, gave me a pill to take, poof, all fixed!

Now off to the disc degeneration, first in the cervical area, that prompted the first surgery.  That was scary, but what is a gal to do, who is degenerating?  Several years later, yep, the same diagnosis at the lumbar area and, yep, another surgery.  Now, we can travel to the right knee, yep, degeneration and got a new knee.

We are now getting to the 'Golden Years'.  We all know, those of us old enough to remember not knowing anyone who didn't smoke, everything that was wrong with you, from a cavity to an ingrown toenail was caused by smoking.  I was hooked to the point that it took me to my 60's to finally quit.  Being someone who just trades one bad habit for another, I just swapped smoking for eating. Ending up in the category of morbidly obese.   So, you got it, everything wrong with me now*see cavity/ingrown toenail* is due to weight.

Finally, it has come to the point, that, for pain, I can't walk, stand, sit or lay down for any length of time with out crying.  I live in the world of '8' on a good day to a '10' on the bad days.  (see the little faces on the chart at your doctor's office for the pain chart)  At the last physical, I was no longer able to rationally explain how I felt and my doctor really listened.  How many of you can say that about your doctors????

All this to get to my adventure with pain management and the Golden Years.

Need to record the first visit in this blog because it was about 2 weeks ago and I have a very short memory span.  First, you get a 13 page form to fill out at home, with pictures to draw your pain spots.  The whole time I am working on it I am betting with myself as to whether  anyone will really read this short story, or if it is just to make me feel like I am important in this examination. 

 Finally the day arrives and you have to be there 30 minutes early.  This means that I will have to start at least 3 hours early to get ready, (refer to the places that hurt) including the 20 minutes it takes to get my pressure stockings on, for the lymphedema I just up and got, out of the blue, a year and a half ago.  

At the point of my needing a nap we arrived and signed in and had more papers to fill out and sign.  We didn't wait very long in reception before I was called and taken to the exam room, where the normal weight, blood pressure and pulse was taken.  He left, saying the nurse would be right in.  7 minutes short of an hour later, in a small exam room with no windows, nothing to read and not even 'mu-sack' to hum with, the nurse came in.

Are you remembering the pain level 8 to 10, after sitting for an hour on a nasty little chair, the only bright spot was that the nurse was asking me, with my 13 pages in front of her, questions about the things I had checked off.  Within a reasonable amount of time after she left the room, the doctor came in.  Again, we went over the things wrong and the places and severity of pain in each place.  No matter how bad I hurt, I still have to smile when asked to squeeze their hand and pull their fingers.  I just have visions of the old grandpa with his young grandson, asking that same question.  What an old joke.   I am not sure I passed, because she said the first thing she wanted was x-rays of neck, back and knees.  And, she would see me in 3 weeks.

Wait, 3 more weeks ???, I was so in hope that we were all on the same page about my, 8 to 10, and the fact that getting ready to do or go anywhere was always pushing the #10 and we are just going to take pictures and see each other in 3 weeks????  Oh, well, I was on the road to the Golden Years so might as well give it a try, could I hurt any more??  

Tomorrow's post, the x-rays.  Just how exciting is this journey? Dear diary, will see you tomorrow.

Healthy and happy wishes 

Thursday, October 1, 2015

THE VERY BEGINNING OF PAIN AND THE GOLDEN YEARS

I just can't believe more than half a year has gone flying by with out a post.  Could be an indication of the most boring life on the planet or that my PhD in procrastination is so advanced, even I can't comprehend my genius.

This will end up being my own diary of the loss of movement especially on the right side, but before I start my journey into the 'Golden Years'.  I want to share a few things I have been doing to keep myself out of trouble.


First, the most fun I have had in a year, of course, would be the visit of Flossie and Mr Wonderful.  We, for the first time since they moved to The Villages, FL, did not get to go visit, Disney Land for the over 60's.  But, God is good, and they, just so happened, to feel the need to make a visit here, to connect with family they have not seen for several years.


We had so much fun and a great domino tournament.  Of course I won with no one even close.  Oh, wait, the one with the highest score isn't the winner, oh rats!!!!!  We visited, ate good food, shopped, laughed and cried when it was time to part!


We needed some plumbing work done and one of the gentlemen, who did the work, saw my sewing machine.  He and friends had been saving Crown Royal bags for years and he was looking for someone, anyone, who would make a quilt for him.  He had been looking for someone for a while and was about to give up.  I said I would give it a try, having never made a quilt before, let him know I couldn't promise it would turn out like a pro.  

Well this turned out to be an, all summer project.  Not that you will ever need to know, but the pretty gold stitching that holds the 3 pieces of fabric together will melt, so it all needed to be cut away, before I could wash and iron the pieces.  Then, cutting each bag into 4x4 squares, as Pinterest advised me, took over 2 weeks of solid cutting and many cutting wheels.  Then came the math.  Yes, I said math!!!!  How to configure the # of squares to get 2 pillows, one valance, and a queen size bed spread.  It couldn't be done with the squares I had, they would have needed to collect for about 3 lifetimes to have enough for that.  After a month of drawings and measuring and purchase of backing/coordinate material, I started sewing and piecing and in the end this is what I ended up with:






He said he was pleased, but I knew each little square that was off a bit and each little stitch that wasn't straight as can be.  Maybe he will never notice :)

As for my craft online club, Creating The Crafty Life, these are a few things I made:







I made, maybe, only one video all summer, just wasn't up to much and will explain, if you follow my 'search for a cure' diary.  

Signing off to start my diary, and hope this finds you all, healthy and happy,

Barb, aka Tilly 





Thursday, February 5, 2015

The Heart Post

This has been a difficult few months.  After a wonderful 90th birthday for Mom and another fun time with Flossie and Mr Wonderful, at The Villages, Fl, you turn around and it is holiday time.

Hubby's, 93 year old, Mother was not up to par, Thanksgiving, but she is not a complainer.  So, we all dug in for Christmas celebration.  If you follow, you know I make the 12 grandchildren an ornament every year.  For years the ornament got tossed to their parents so they could dig into the homemade candies, cookies, and hot chocolate mixes, pretzel rods with molded chocolate tops and a bit of $$'s at the bottom.  

I am now happy to report that some of the 12 are just now starting to enjoy the ornaments, 2 now have their own trees!!  And, are using the neatly tucked away boxes of  'gram's ornaments' to start their trees. 

This year, I crocheted snowflakes from twine and then dipped them in a glue/water bath and pinned them down to dry.  Just as they were very tacky, I sprinkled glitter on them and just had to hot glue a little bling on them: 

The hardest part was the pinning and making sure the pins were
made of material that would not rust.                                         

   We have also had some hard times at the end of 2014.  My dear     mother in law had been having much difficulty breathing at the slightest amount of activity and right after Christmas her doctor hospitalized her.  That turned out to be a blessing, for she need 3 stents and 48 hours later a valve replacement.  From beginning to end, she was in the hospital just short of 3 weeks.  Now for the miraculous part, she went home with one of her daughters and had occupational therapy for less than 2 weeks and was ready (at 93) to return to her own home!!!!  She is one happy lady.  Here with her babies, hubby is the ugly red Christmas tie, guy ;)                          

You would think this would be enough, but when this family gets started we do it up right.  Two weeks ago at a hockey game, one of my nephews passed the puck back to his Dad and the puck went right by him as he dropped to the ice.  My baby sister's husband of  38 years at age 52 had a massive heart attack.  His son skated to the bench and grabbed his phone, calling 911, one of the goalies had CPR training and started it right away and a young lady worker for the rink also trained and with a portable defibrillator kept bringing him back till the ambulance got there and had to continue the shocking 3 more times before they reached the ER.  Once in the hospital, and thru an artery, two stents were placed and he was then kept in a coma for 48 hours till he was approved for a :

“Impella CP” heart pump  

This is a relatively new procedure that doesn't require cracking the chest open.  Within 5 days from the heart attack he was home!!!!  Yes I can see all of you out there, who had their chest cracked open and a part of a vein from your leg to create a bypass to the blocked artery, wishing you were as blessed as this guy, surrounded by his children:

 


  

Now we are all ready to have a completely uneventful rest of 2015, as Ernie Ford would say 'Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise!'

Next time I promise to have a few pictures of some of the things I have been working on....teaser with thanks to thefrugalcrafter on YouTube: 
                                      

May this find you all healthy and happy,                                              
Barb aka Tilly