I spent the weekend in some of the worst pain I’ve experienced.  My left ankle froze up….I couldn’t bend it at all and it was pretty darn painful to put any weight on it.  That kind of threw a big monkey wrench in the weekend plans.  I just sat around most of the time.  Well, that and took naps.  Of course, I couldn’t really sleep because anything touching various parts of my body caused some pretty intense pain.  That makes a gravity-free chamber sound like a worthwhile investment…I’m just afraid something like that would probably wipe out my life’s savings and I might just need that money down the road for silly little things like, oh I don’t know, medicine?

I woke up this morning before the alarm went off.  I think the sounds I made when I tried to roll over scared at least one life out of the cats.  They both sat up and stared at me, wondering what language I was speaking and what it meant.  When I finally was able to struggle to the side of the bed, I tried to stand.  I’m thankful I never put full-length mirrors in my bedroom.  I’m pretty sure I was hunched over like a 90-year-old woman.  After hobbling around for a couple of minutes, I knew I wasn’t going anywhere today.  So I made the dreaded call in to work.  Fortunately, there were no threats telling me I better get in there or else.  Seriously, I’m lucky to have a great boss.  He’s understanding…or at least as understanding as someone who knows very little about RA can be.

After placing the call, I used the furniture and walls to support myself as I made my way to the bathroom.  I thought about going downstairs, but gave that thought up and climbed back into bed.  I couldn’t really go back to sleep, but Spooky snuggled up next to me, emitting her warm, healing cat vibes.  Amazing how much it helps to have a pet right there with you when you don’t feel well, isn’t it?

I finally struggled back to the bathroom and took a hot shower.  I really wanted to soak in the tub, but I was afraid I would have to crawl out of it today and that didn’t sound all that appealing to me.  I did finally get dressed…well, sort of…if you consider putting on a clean pair of pajamas getting dressed.  I think that’s as close to getting dressed as I’ll get today.

I made my way downstairs and fed the cats.  I looked at the juicer sitting there on the counter but couldn’t dig up enough energy to make some fresh juice.  I did have tea in the fridge that I’d prepared the night before for work.  What the heck, it’s wet.  It works just fine to wash down that handful of pills I take every morning.  And who knows?  Maybe I’ll feel like making some juice later on…it’ll taste just as good later in the day.

When I sat down at my computer, I started reading and replying to the posts of some of my favorite blogs.  That’s when it hit me.  I still have a week and a half before I see the rheumatologist.  I have no idea what to expect.  I do know this first visit won’t be that magic cure we’re all hoping for.  I think, in the back of my mind, I’ve been telling myself that once I see the rheumy, everything will be better.  I’ve read enough of other people’s experiences to know that that’s not likely to be the case.  So I’ve just got to suck it up and accept that this is apt to be a bumpy road. Guess I’d better look around and see if I can find a soft cushion to help me tolerate those big, bad bumps in the road, huh?

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Green juice

I used a couple of apples, 2 carrots, 1 stalk of celery, and a couple handfuls of spinach…yeah, not all that tasty.  I think the celery did it for me…I know it’s supposed to be good for you, but…uh…not really doing a lot for my taste buds.

Yesterday I juiced a couple of apples, two carrots, and 12 cherries…much better!  Tonight I juiced some oranges…for, you know, orange juice!!  My favorite so far…surprise, surprise!  I also juiced an apple and 12 cherries…tasty and such a pretty color…sorry, no picture of that…maybe later.

One thing I’ve quickly realized is that I’m going to have to figure out something to do with the pulp…I feel so wasteful just throwing it away.  I’ve read that some people use it in smoothies or soup…might be worth a try, you think?

If you have some suggestions for combinations that would make a tasty juice (or if you have any ideas about what to do with the pulp), let me know.

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Juice Machine with Fruit (Photo credit: careyelaine)

We’re just about at the end of another week so I figured it was time to post a little update.  I know I haven’t been posting as much as I had been.  Seems like I come home from work just exhausted every night.  I do what I have to do at home, get online for just a bit, then head upstairs to bed around 7 or 7:30.  That’s ridiculously early, isn’t it?  But that’s the only way I can make it through the next day at work.

This was kind of an odd week at work.  We had two managers on vacation at the same time.  Believe me, I put in enough hours to cover for both of them.  I ended up calling our DM early in the week to okay overtime for myself.  I knew there was no way to get the work done in only 40 hours.  And yes, I know, overtime is probably one of the last things I should be doing for my health right now.

I finally broke down and ordered a juicer after researching them for weeks and weeks…debating myself about whether or not I would actually use one enough to justify spending the money.  I finally decided to take the plunge…I’ve really had no appetite of late and often find myself consuming 800-1000 calories a day.  I know enough about nutrition to understand that’s not likely enough to get proper nutrition…so…the magic elixir steps in…juice.  I haven’t used it yet although I did unpack it this morning,  washed it, and read through the instruction booklet (ooh…I see all my guy friends rolling their eyes at that!!).  I’m getting ready to make a juice recipe that I found on SparkPeople.com that has a lot of veggies in it as well as an apple.  I’ll let you know how my juicing experiment goes.

One very positive note, I’ve managed to lose some weight…18 pounds in the past couple of months…see, there are a few advantages in being sick!!

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English: Red Pinterest logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Okay, I’ll be the first to admit this, I spend way too much time on Pinterest.  Usually I pin things to my food boards, or IU basketball, or gardening…but one thing I’ve been seeing a lot of pins about lately have been these itty bitty teeny tiny homes.  They’re so darn cute and mega affordable.  With just me and the cats, how much room do I really need?  I’m thinking perfect retirement home back in the area where I grew up and where so many of my good friends still live.

Of course, you can build your own for even less, but that wouldn’t be practical for me.  Surprisingly, there are numerous companies  that build them for you for not much of anything.  Who knew that people all over the country make a living building tiny homes?

There’s one here in Bloomington that I drive by every once in a while.  I’ve always thought it was absolutely adorable, complete with fenced in yard and flowers and vegetables.  If I’m remembering correctly, it also has solar panels.  Maybe I’ll see if I can find out who built it…

I’ve been thinking about moving to a smaller place for a while now (I live in a townhouse).  As much pain as I’m in all the time now, I’m finding it more of a burden to have all this extra room.  Extra room means more stuff and more cleaning.   It would be nice to pare down, to get rid of a lot of things that are just taking up space.  Funny as it seems, I think I’d have more space in a tiny home simply because I’d get rid of so much stuff.

In the meantime, I guess I’ll keep pinning anything that catches my eye and dream…

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They do love each other…when they’re asleep!

I couldn’t believe it when I saw this yesterday.  I ran (okay, hobbled) to get the camera, hoping I wouldn’t wake them up before I got a picture or two.  Who would ever have thought that they’d sleep next to each other?  Now the next step is to get them to sleep cuddled up together…anything’s possible, right?

Wow!  I hadn’t felt that good upon awakening in a long time…months really.  So I slowly rolled up until I was sitting on the edge of the bed.  When I stood up, I still hobbled around like an old lady, but at least not an old lady in unbelievable pain.  I even managed to do a little housework today…more than the bare minimum which is what I’ve been doing for, oh gosh, what’s it been?  Six months?  I cleaned the tub (after a nice long soak in it), vacuumed the bedroom (even moving some of the furniture), went through a couple of piles of stuff and tossed out most of it (why do I save things like catalogs and magazines?  why not just throw them out once I’ve looked at them?), dusted the upstairs, took some things off the walls to either donate or sell (I’m tired of looking at things, don’t you get like that?),  and hung this organizer I bought months ago to put my nail polish in (the nail polish I haven’t used in months…but I will).  I’m pretty pleased with how it displays all of my polish for me…no more digging for just the right color.  Of course, I had to climb up on a step-ladder which was a little scary…I’ve been having dizzy spells with the various meds I’m on, so ladder climbing is supposed to be a big no-no for me.  But I’ve got Spooky trained to call 911 if anything happens, so it’s all good.

Looks so simple, but has taken me months to do.

I must admit, I did take a few breaks throughout the day, but I’m still feeling pretty good.  Pain level between 1 and 10 (10 being excruciating), I’d say I woke up at a 3 and never went over 5 for the day.  I think that’s a reason to celebrate…hmm…maybe I’ll do that by digging out some nail polish…

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Atrium inside Mayo Clinic Gonda Building, Rochester, Minnesota (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Well, okay…that’s not exactly the truth.  What I should have said was that I have yet to see the specialist so I’m not really sure where we go from here as far as the medical treatment goes…but, as you can see, that would be entirely too long for a title.

However, I do have information…I had no idea there was so much info out there about RA.  (Makes sense since I never really gave it a thought before, right?)  My first stop was the website of the Mayo Clinic and there’s an abundance of information there.  I’ve also visited the sites of several other hospitals (Cleveland Clinic being one since I have a friend who has a son who was treated there for several years and I know how well-respected their pain management program is) to gather info.  I’m trying not to become immersed in this…I’d prefer it not control my life.  But knowledge is power….who said that, anyhow?

And then there are the blogs!  Oh my goodness, I had no idea how many wonderful people are willing to share their journey with us.  It really does help to hear from folks who live with this from day to day.  Doctors are one thing, having gone to school and been in practice for a while, but people who live with rheumatoid arthritis have a unique perspective.  Those who are in the trenches are sometimes better able to provide encouragement and suggestions.

After doing some research, I realized how dumb I was.  When the doctor told me it was rheumatoid arthritis, I thought it was no big deal.  I’d be able to pop a few pills and continue on my merry way (and that could be what happens…will have to see how it runs its course).  Then I began reading.  Whoa!  I had no idea it could be so serious.  But, I’m trying to remain positive…no use worrying about things that may never happen.  See the specialist and then proceed from there.  Hey, really what else is there to do?

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English: http://rheumatoidarthritis-symptoms.com – Rheumatoid Arthritis in the hands (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I think about how I’ve felt in the past six months (really, six months…hard to believe) and how many doctors I’ve seen during that time, I get to feeling a little discouraged.  I start asking myself if we’ll ever figure this out.  Well, I got a few answers this week.

I saw my doctor Monday because I was in so much pain…joint pain…just about every joint in my body.  She had me move around, doing some range of motion movements.  Then she said she wanted me to have some lab work done, checking for autoimmune ailments.  I went down to the lab where the tech proceeded to take about a gallon of blood (okay, I may be exaggerating a bit), vial after vial.  She said they’d be able to do some of the testing themselves but would have to send some of it off.

Then they called me later in the week to let me know that just about everything came back normal with the exception of the markers for rheumatoid arthritis.  So, okay…I don’t really know a lot about rheumatoid arthritis, but it doesn’t sound like it’s as bad as some of the other things.  Of course, that’s me talking when I know very little about it.

My doctor is setting up an appointment with a rheumatologist (?) for me, so I’ll know a lot more then…at least I hope I will.  I’ve put off doing any online research about it, not wanting to worry myself…the old ostrich with its head in the sand thing.  I suppose I ought to do a little research about it soon, you know, so I at least know what questions to ask.

I’m not sure if this is THE answer, but at least it’s part of the answer.

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English: By Michael Katz Aldi in Bethlehem, PA taken at sunset, gamma corrected to make it lighter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After my visit to the pulmonologist today, I stopped at Aldi to buy some produce.  I don’t shop at Aldi very often simply because they usually only have one check out open (granted, those cashiers are lightning fast), but I was off work today and needed some veggies.

After picking up some tomatoes, strawberries, avocado, lettuce, and cucumbers, I made my way to the front of the store.  Yep, you guessed it…the line was long.  Several folks were in front of me and only one register running.  As I got closer, I could hear the cashier talking with the customers as they came through her line.  Holy moly, this lady was just chatting with everyone while ringing them up.  She was so friendly and actually remembered several of her customers.  The lady in front of me forgot to pay for a couple of bags until after we were already into my transaction.  The cashier told her not to worry about it, that she’d buy the bags for her as she quickly made a note of it.  I was getting ready to tell her to add it to my order, when the guy behind me reached over and handed the cashier some change.

I walked out of the store with a smile on my face just because people were so nice to one another.  Oh yeah, and I emailed the corporate offices of Aldi when I got  home just to let them know they have a great employee in Cheryl.

Kindness really does breed kindness, doesn’t it?

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Developing Understanding when Reading (Photo credit: Ken Whytock)

Since I got my Kindle, I’ve been reading a lot of books that are not necessarily best-sellers.  Some of them are firsts for the author, others are from previously published authors.  I always try to pay attention to writing styles when I’m reading.  Of course, we all notice spelling or grammatical errors.  I also notice editing or publishing errors that distract from the joy of reading.

But lately, I’ve really been paying attention to dialogue styles.  It seems that some authors write their dialogue in proper grammatical form (those are probably the folks who paid the most attention in English class!).  My issue with writing (and reading) dialogue written in this manner is that it’s not really how most of us speak in our everyday lives.  I suppose, if we’re highfalutin’,  hoity-toity, upper crust, tea and scones in the afternoon types, then that could be how we actually talk.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t know anyone like that in my life…and I sure don’t talk like that.  So I tend to write dialogue as I imagine my characters speak.  In my opinion, that allows the reader to better know and understand the characters.

I have to admit, I get distracted when I’m reading a book and the writing style is such that I get the feeling that English is a second language for the author.  I find myself constantly telling myself it would have been easier to understand had it been written this way, or had they not hesitated to use contractions.  Am I being overly picky?

As I throw my hands in the air in admission that I completely understand that I am by no means the most accomplished writer, and that anyone who has ever written anything at all can either take or leave my criticisms, I must stress that I’ve been an avid reader since I first learned to read.  And I know what I like to read as well as what doesn’t appeal to me at all.  Really, aren’t we all like that?

What distracts you from the joy of reading?

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