Sunday Stroke Survival: Yet Another Trip to Emory!

My appointment with Dr. Boules' partner happened on the 4th, Instead of writing another scathing post of the long, drive, the fighting Atlanta traffic there and back, and the rests, I decided to wait a few days to post.Y'all by now now it's winter and the trip to Atlanta hasn't gotten any easier.

I decided last year that this was going to be it, as far as these trips if I wasn't satisfied with the results. I wasn't going to waste another year in pain without something positive happening. I'd go back to Botox injections, if I had to.

Well as usual, I arrived 30 minutes early for my appointment. You can never tell whether you'll run into an accident or something else delaying you like trying to find a parking spot and having it be a 1/4 mile walk to the office. Even though my gps thingy says travel time from my front door to theirs is 65 minutes, I always allow myself two hours. My jogging days are ancient history. I could say I gave it up for Lent, but it's been almost seven years. (Grinning) Anyhow, I checked in and took a seat. I plugged my ear bug in and queued up up the latest Audible book I purchased.

At the allotted time,  my  name was called. The nurse couldn't get the automatic blood pressure machine to work. I told her that those machines didn't like my low blood pressure. After three attempts, she finally took my word for it. Oh darn, she'd have to do it the old fashioned way with an actual stethoscope. (snort) I was nursing long before those new fangled machines were created. I believe today's nurses depend on machines too much. Anyhow  she got my blood pressure after two attempts. 90/59 with a pulse rate of 72. All my meds were keeping them right where the cardiologist wants them with minimal stress upon my damaged heart and valves.

In saunters Dr. Boules' associate. He mentions the two options he was considering a baclofen pump or a SCS (Spinal Cord Simulator). He started explaining the basics when I stopped him. I in turn began telling him about the four years of research that brought me to Emory and why. He quickly realized that I wasn't an uneducated person. We started to discuss the matter in best outcomes and most benefits for my specific case. I simply cut out the preliminary BS.

We both agreed that the SCS was the best option while awaiting the more permanent rhizotomy. There were two hurdles to jump through, a MRI with contrast of my spine, and a pysch exam required of all pain management patients. The MRI is scheduled for the 26th at 8 PM. While I don't relish the idea of driving to, around, and from Atlanta after dark, I'll do it. The pysch consult, they'll call me back with the date.

Am I worried about either one? Nah. I love playing with the minds of professionals. (wicked, evil grin) As far as the MRI goes, it's like an old, comfortable pair of shoes. I've had so many since this scanning technique was born in the 80s, I can't even remember how many. I usually nap through them. Again there is hope for pain relief and function.

Nothing is impossible.

Sunday Stroke Survival ~ Botox Revisited

Well the long awaited date is almost here. Monday I have the second series of Botox injections for my spascity. I say long awaited because the last series wore completely off inside of two months instead of three. A month with Charlie Horse pain in my muscles despite muscle relaxers is a long time to wait.

My body will be happier. Maybe the tremors in my left, good hand will stop if I'm able to reduce the amount of meds I'm currently taking. I know my cardiologist will be pleased when I can reduce one of my muscle relaxers that has created my hypotension. Hopefully, everything I've read and talked about with therapists will be true. The second series should produce better and longer alleviation of spasms. That would be a blessing. I will have more effective therapy sessions.

Luckily, it's a new year for my insurance. It means another $7,500 of therapies coverage. No more paying out of pocket for them. Maybe at long last, I'll get some more active movement in my elbow and wrist. Now that the shoulder issue is almost a mute point, OT should be less painful. This will be the main focus of my insurance bucks. A physical therapy office closer to home has a $15 a month plan where I can come in and use their machines twice times a week for PT. I would pay more than that for a gym membership.

I'm still planning on getting the Bioness H200 I told you about last year. Probably now I'm looking at February. Seventy-five miles is still a long drive for me. My oldest daughter, who has been chauffeuring me around, graduated from college with her criminal justice degree and immediately got a full time job with benefits. It's going to depend on her schedule, but I'm happy for her.

The cold weather has finally hit us. So gone are the easy to put on shorts and t-shirts for another two months. Arise a new problem. Donning sweatshirts or sweaters, and long pants. I have found it is easier to to put the long pants on in the bed after I put on my AFO, and before my shoes. Then I'll get up and go to the bathroom in the morning. Yes, it is time consuming but it is easier to do instead of going to the bathroom, taking off my shoes, pulling on my pants, and putting my shoes back on.

We don't run our central heat unit because it runs on gas. They charged us every month even if we didn't use the gas. It was an added expense we didn't need.

We do have a wood burning stove that we burns pucks in and a small electric space heater. Our bathrooms have a in floor heating pad under the tile. Basically, it heats up the rooms we do use to a toasty 75 degrees. When we have guests over, which isn't often, we fire up the wood burning stove. For how we make heating pucks, check out my book on Amazon or Smashwords Are You a Survivalist or a Prepper? They are made from wood chips and leaves from our yard, and old newspapers. Basically free fuel for heat. Can't beat it.

No this is not me!

I don't know whether it's just me getting older, or my Yankee blood thinning, but I start getting chilly at any temperatures under 70 degrees now. I could wear t-shirt up until the temperature dropped below 50 degrees before. Either way it's a nuisance. My DH is the same way, but he has an excuse...he has no bulk on his body at 133 lbs as he did when he was forty pounds heavier. Maybe that's it for me too? I have lost forty pound in seven months, but I still have a sizable amount of fat on me. I used to be six ax handles across the butt and thighs but now I'm only four. LOL A lot of mine is still muscle where he is now losing muscle mass due to his illnesses.

On a much lighter note, I've decided to make Don't Get Your Panties in a Wad into a collection of short humorous essays. I realized it was going to be impossible for me to join it all into a chapter book like I normally do. I'm just too dizzy like all the dumb blonde jokes to do it. Since I have extreme difficulty writing in a linear fashion, why fight it. I figure I can get it all written by the end of the year, and edited and published 2014. At least I'm crossing my fingers to finish the rough draft and two editing passes by the end of the year. I'll be getting a lot of help from my Compuserve and Southeastern Writers Association buddies. I'll need all the help I can get. I'm at 35K words of rough draft as of today. So far it's 35 essays like Chicken Soup for the Soul books although mine are longer at roughly 1,000 words a piece. I figured short reads on points was better than a lot of fillers tying them all together. At least to my damaged brain it makes sense.

Keep writing and loving the Lord.