SteamyDreamer

Day 53 - Dreams vs Reality

2009-07-13T21:18:00.005-06:00

Have you ever had a dream that you swore was real and had happened? I do rarely but this case happened last Friday.

The time was noon and I had been up since 6:30am with little sleep for 3 nights prior due to working and my ankle not liking being up and walking on it even though it is in a cast. To say I was cranky was probably putting it mildly. One thing hubs promised me was that he would always carry his cell and he made me agree to stay in bed for most of the day Friday to rest my ankle.

I guess I drifted off at one point that morning and woke at noon thinking I was hearing my husband yell at a patient who had called that morning since she was in severe pain. He was telling her that she had been up on it too much and he had told her she had to be non-weight bearing which meant no weight. I swear that happened.

I was pissed at him yelling at the patient so I called him on his cell. The cell started ringing next to the bed. Ok he forgot his cell. He promised me never to be away from his cell if I gave up the foghorn to get his attention. So I called the house phone. Ok he didn't answer that. So I got up and went to the window thinking he was outside chipping with his golf club in the pouring rain in the backyard but he wasn't there. So I ~~yelled~~ calmly called out to him (yeah the neighbors probably heard me) and he didn't answer.

By this time I was really pissed. I got up, threw on a robe, put a shoe on my good foot (which isn't really good since it has been abused by the other one not taking its fair share of everything), and slid down the stairs. I hunted all over the house for him. I was getting really really pissed by then. I went to the garage and there was no car. I am thinking great - I am all alone in the house and no one cares and someone was going to be in deep doo-doo. I called the flower shop next to the office hoping he had the decency to go see the patient at the office but nope - car was not there. I start fuming at the kitchen table. Steam was arisin'.

30 minutes later, he walks in the garage only to be attacked by me yelling at him for what he has been putting me through and that he left me and that he woke me up and that he yelled at the patient. He didn't know what hit him because he had just gotten home from the surgery. In reality he had not been home at all yet.

The real story is that I dreamed it all. I did get a phone call from the patient who I did tell that he would call her back when he got out of surgery. That was probably right before I dozed back off which is why it was on my mind. Pretty realistic dream.

I had to do some major sucking up afterwards to hubs. He kinda got yelled at for a lot. Most times he does deserve it but in this case, it was all in my dreams. Kinda afraid to get this dream analyzed.

Now today is a whole different matter. Now he needs to suck up to me big time.

Day 52 - Handicap Spots

2009-07-12T12:17:00.005-06:00

Yesterday after we worked one of the offices, we went to a birthday party for 2 dear girls who are pretty special to me (Happy Birthday Kayla and Kylee)! Afterwards since we were in the town my parents live, we stopped by to see them since we hadn't been there since Mother's Day (too long of a drive and too rough on me to get into their house with way too many steps). We decided to take them to Texas Roadhouse for dinner.

We went to park in a handicap parking spot (I have a temporary placard because of my ankle, my father has one because a student pushed him off a stool and shattered his leg and ankle when he was teaching so he is still disabled, and my mother has one because of her COPD, emphysema, and inability to walk more than 3 steps without coughing a lung out although her smoking 5 packs per day doesn't help either but that would be a whole different post).

But basically we have full rights to park in a spot since in our car, of the 4 in it, only my husband was considered a non-handicapped person. 4 other cars pulled into handicap spots around the time it took us to get to the front door. They all beat us to the door, were seated, and had drinks and appetizers before we even got to a table (no - there was no waiting for a table). I didn't see one of them that would have something so threatening that would require their use of a permanent handicap parking placard, let alone a temporary one.

Every time I go out, I see more and more illegal use of handicap parking permits. This type of fraud and abuse has become so commonplace that many state and local places have begun crackdowns. There is even a link on your state's website to report the suspected violation. I know my MIL tried to use my FIL's once and got caught. This was before her strokes this past January - when she could run in the Olympics as a long distance sprinter. She would usually leave me in the dust when I stayed with them after she got her pacemaker. I remember she had asked the doctor for a placard then but was told no because they wanted her to walk. She did finally get her own after she suffered the strokes as she then had a legitimate handicap since she needs a walker now.

So how do people abuse the system? Common abuses according to my state's website are: people using other people’s placards without them in the car (this is what my MIL did), using the placard of a deceased person, or using altered or counterfeit placards, and using the spot while the handicap person stays in the car.

So why the big hoopaloo? I know I get pissed when I enter a parking lot and there are empty 25 places in the handicap area and I have to park a mile away to even find a spot. I know I need the exercise but I just needed to run in for 1 item. The stores should have quickie spots for those shopping under 5 minutes. Have I ever parked in one though? No. Have others? Sure have - I have seen them.

So who is actually turning these violators in? Citizens! Some states have organized citizen patrols (Florida, Georgia, Maryland. Nevada, Nebraska, Ohio, California, Washington, and Tennessee). They are authorized to issue citations to violators on the spot.

Illinois does have a new law that raised the maximum fines for parking in a handicap accessible parking space. The fines have a minimum and maximum depending on the violation. Here is the IL website for private citizens to report violators:
***www.ilsos.gov/ContactFormsWeb/disabilitiescomplaintform.***html***

So who can get a placard? In IL there are temporary placards and permanent placards (note that even though there are permanent placards they have to be renewed every 2 years). The temporary ones are for 3-6 months. I have a 3 month placard. In order to get one, you need to download the application from your state's website, then take said application to your doctor where he will certify and state why you need one and your full extent of your disability. There is also a part for you to fill out either as the disabled person or the driver of the disabled person. In our state, 3 month placards can be obtained at your local township office and in some cases at the DMV. Any placard over 3 months has to be sent to the State of IL. There are also license plates available but truthfully I always advise others to get the placards. The placards can be moved from car to car. The plates are stuck on that one car.

Please remember that one cannot always tell if one is handicapped. But most handicaps are visible - those with a limited ability to walk, a visual handicap, or a debilitating heart or lung condition. You can spot them a mile away as they walk slow or limp or use an assistive device such as a cane or walker or wheelchair. Many of us are not qualified to make an assertion that the other is handicapped. But we can help thwart the offenders by reporting what we think is abuse. The state will check it out. That is actually how they caught my MIL. Her fine was $500.00 and a few words from her 2 sons and me.

Yes, I reported the convertible with 4 teens, the van with a family of 2 kids, the BMW with 2 adults in their 30's, and the 4 door sedan with 4 older adults but no visible handicaps talking about their latest bicycle trip of 60 miles.

Day 51 - Ever Play Chicken?

2009-07-11T20:19:00.007-06:00

I am right now. You all know I am the oldest of 6 and there are 38 currently planning on going to my family's reunion this summer. We are renting out this farmhouse which will hold all of us (I found it a few years ago and we have been going there ever since then). We get free use of the kitchen, our own swimming pool, and a whole lot of other things on the property (tennis courts, horseshoe courts, hot tub, etc). Since I am the oldest I seem to be the only person who ever does the planning, cooking, cleaning, etc - actually not only for this but every single time my family gets together.

Last year my husband's mother had a pacemaker inserted the weekend of the reunion so we never made it there but all the food I had precooked did (one of my sisters picked it up for me). I heard there was a lot of complaining that I wasn't there to do things. I am sure you can imagine what I told those who complained.

This year I am playing chicken and waiting to see if any of my siblings will do anything before I have to do everything once again.

Anyone wanna place a bet that I will have to do it in the 3 days I have between our trip for our anniversary and annual meeting/seminar and the reunion?

Day 50 - Old Thoughts

2009-07-10T12:21:00.006-06:00

So are old thoughts a sign of old age?

Who out there has any of my brain cells?

Hubs was up and out early this morning to do a surgery on one of our patients. Of course, he makes no noise so I wasn't disturbed at all and slept peacefully through the ton of elephants and alarms going off (insert eyeroll). So I was up at 6:30am. Yes - me. Yes - it does happen every single time he gets up before me and thus wakes me up. I really think the old time idea of separate bedrooms has some merit. I mean I would get to keep my half of the covers (although I never use them but they are mine so I should be able to even see them). I would be able to sleep a full 6-8 hours instead of in spurts. I am sure there are more but can't think of any (getting up that early must have something to do with it). ***sigh***

I regress. It's those missing brain cells that are full of old thoughts I am telling you. So the purpose of today's post is about old thoughts. You know, those thoughts you considered way super important and wrote said thought down on something (in my case it's a post-it note since I am queen of the post-it notes). But you lose said note and can't remember what you were trying to remember. Or maybe didn't even write it down and now can't remember what you were thinking about or going to say or do. Or you write something down on the note, can't find it again, then maybe a year or more (in my case it could be even be a day) you find said note but now you try to figure out what the cryptic mess you have written down means.

I have no clue on one note. I should try to remember dating them so I know if it is important and maybe that would spark a flicker of memory. But this one note in question consists of 2 letters and 4 numbers. My thought was a license plate number but it wasn't mine. Whose it is, I have no clue. Why I wrote it down I have no clue. Why I kept it I have no clue. What it means I have no clue. The memory must be in that brain cell that went ***WHOOSH***

So if anyone finds that brain cell that had that old thought and all the reasons, please call me. Actually I am missing quite a few as I age. It's really starting to bug me now and so much that while I was composing a letter to the United States Department of State, Passport Agency, to get my passport with my newly certified certificate from the county I was born in, I was telling them about the note.

I think I got up too early.

Day 49 - Vibrating Mascara

2009-07-09T19:00:00.004-06:00

Yep you read that right. Maybelline just released it.

***http://***www.maybelline.com/Product/Eye/Mascara/Pulse-Perfection-Define-A-Line.***htm*** (as always remove the ***'s).

I have no words except *snicker, snicker, snort, snort, cough, gasp, breathe, snicker, snort*. OMG I have to go to the bathroom.

My imagination runs wild.... did anyone go gutter surfing with me?

Think maybe it's delivered in a brown bag?

OMG I have to stop..........

Day 48 - 123456789 Day

2009-07-08T18:25:00.002-06:00

Yep, it's 123456789 Day. Exciting, right?

For the digitally inclined, Wednesday marks a cool spot in sequential history. At exactly 12:34:56, the time and date will be 12:34:56 7/08/09. That only happens once or twice every 100 years. It actually happened twice today (12:34:56 am 7/8/09 and 12:34:56 pm 7/08/09) if you want to get real technical.

So for all of you who need a reason to drink or celebrate - here it is. Have fun and be good and don't name it after me :)

Day 47 - Frustration

2009-07-07T20:48:00.004-06:00

Today's topic is frustration. Why you ask? Because that has been my day. Ever go into work with the best of intentions and a plan of what you wanted to get done that day? I did. I had a list of what I wanted to get done and had even itemized each task with its importance and in what order they were going to be done. There were 20 items on said list. I got 2 done. But somehow another 20 or so things got added to said list and bumped the order to smithereens.

So how do you cope with frustration? Are you a Type A personality and blow or do you just hold it in?

I actually alternate, depending on the situation, the person, and the circumstances. There are some things you just have to toss over your shoulder and let go. There are others that make me erupt. Lately one huge frustration I have is the attitude of TV media and CNN and all news. I hate this political division we are still seeing. Sorry and although I am and will always be impressed by Michael Jackson as a musician, why do I have to be confronted with him as the topic of everyone for a while now and probably a while to come.

After all, some of us are celebrating a new life or moaning a loss of a loved one, or just coping with the normal day to day life and business. Is the media then there to distract us? Lately all it does is piss me off.

I leave you with a few of my favorite frustration quotes:

“Forget your enemies. It's your friends you frustrate that cause all the problems.” ~ Anonymous

“Our frustration is greater when we have much and want more than when we have nothing and want some. We are less dissatisfied when we lack many things than when we seem to lack but one thing.” ~ Eric Hoffer

“Life is not an easy matter... You cannot live through it without falling into frustration and cynicism unless you have before you a great idea which raises you above personal misery, above weakness, above all kinds of perfidy and baseness.” ~ Leon Trotsky

“No matter how discouraged we get, God has not asked us to do the impossible” ~ George Grace

"I've come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy" ~ Anthony Robbins

“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion . . . . I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut Jr

Day 46 - Back in a Cast

2009-07-06T20:38:00.004-06:00

Well, the MRI results are in. I have a whole lot of inflammation still in the ankle and the joints - more than I should at 6 and 1/2 weeks postop. So I got a cortisone shot in the joint of the ankle near the back where most of the inflammation seemed to be. Interestingly enough, my doctor did it under fluoroscopic unit guidance so he could place the medicine at the right place. As soon as the medicine started going in, I felt that same sharp pain that I have felt whenever I am walking on the foot and ankle and the initial pain I felt when I fell. He put Lidocaine into the ankle joint too so after he had me stand on the foot. It was a miracle because that pain had disappeared (it has been a constant sharp pain since I started walking on it again a week and half ago). That was why I had the MRI.

So the diagnosis is that the syndesmotic injury I had sustained has never totally healed which is what was giving me the feeling that my ankle was going to give out on me and was contributing to the instability of the whole ankle joint. So mid August or September I have to set up a date to have that repair. I do have another bone chip but they aren't concerned about it as the MRI showed it not to be in the joint or moving or touching any vital parts. My body should just absorb it.

I am just happy they found that pain I had been having as it was hard to describe and would go away if I sat down and has been hard to find on any test (it was blocked by prior MRI's and the CT scan because the screws would distort the picture in that area). This MRI showed it had not completely healed, then the injection hit the spot and we finally recreated the pain. Voila - a diagnosis.

I was then casted to the knee and this cast will be on for another 2 weeks and then the doctor will re-evaluate. I leave for Toronto then probably still in a cast - that is if I get a passport since it still hasn't arrived yet although my husband got his over 3 weeks ago. I guess that's what one gets for being born on an Air Force Base and thus have a government issued birth certificate and not a county or state like other people.

Nothing is ever simple with me.

Day 45 - Hope

2009-07-05T20:05:00.004-06:00

What is hope? As a friend, how can we offer another hope? Better yet, what can our friends or any of us do to find hope? Where do we turn when tomorrow offers no happy promises?

Some turn to vices like smoking or drinking in times of stress. Others turn to religion. I decided to see exactly how many Christians there are in the United States and was kinda surprised at how high the number was: 173,402 of 216,367 surveyed by the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS) in 2008. So this survey shows there is a high number of Christians in the United States. If this is true, then why do we still look for help and hope?

According to Wikipedia, "hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best".

This was also the topic in today's sermon at our church. The pastor tells us to turn to Psalm 103: 1-14. In the middle of trouble, acknowledging God’s role in our lives can redirect our thinking from the hurts of our hearts and force us to dwell instead on the greatness of our God. In Psalm 103, David lists reasons to turn our attention to God, who gives us many benefits: He forgives us, heals us, redeems us, crowns us with love and compassion, satisfies our desires, and renews us. David reminds us that God provides justice and righteousness, and He is gracious and loving. Therefore by praising God's greatness, we put hope in our troubled hearts.

While personally I turn to my faith, I find hope in my own religious belief system and that hope is not always what we might want to hear or accept.

So what do I say to friends who ask us to help them? Be there. Comfort them. Pray for them. Let them talk and let them hope that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best. After all, hope is an individual feeling.

Day 44 - Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T13:40:00.002-06:00

Have a safe and happy 4th! Happy Birthday to one of my nieces and one of my sisters.

I don't know if we will make it to the fireworks today or not - down to a light rain with temps at 68 degrees. If the rain stops and we do make it, we will stay in the car to watch them so I don't have to fuss with the scooter and all.

Please please be safe around fireworks. I remember being an ER nurse on the 4th. The most common fireworks injuries involve the hands, fingers, eyes, head, and face. Some of these injuries are severe, resulting in permanent health problems such as missing fingers and limbs and vision loss. I would post pictures but would gross too many of you out.

Day 43 - Toilet Seats

2009-07-03T11:33:00.005-06:00

I am willing to bet you all are thinking that I certifiable now. I mean I am still counting the days of not being able to walk to do anything. Then on top of that I have been posting the craziest things. I mean who talks about toilet seats?

I do. Especially when I fall into the toilet at least once a day because SOMEONE in our house "forgets" to put the seat down (not mentioning names but there are only 3 humans in this house and only one other person shares a bathroom with me). I am beginning to think he is sadistically enjoying hearing the splashing I make because he goes into his cackles whenever he hears the splash.

So I offer a logical rebuttal (no pun intended).

First and foremost - the logistics: a toilet seat is a hinged unit consisting of seat and lid which is bolted onto a toilet bowl for a flush toilet. A toilet seat consists of the seat itself, which is contoured for the user to sit on, and the lid, which covers the toilet when it is not in use. Why make a toilet seat like this if it was not going to be used properly?

So let's consider statistics: Females generally do not raise the seat for anything but cleaning, while males use it both ways. BUT the statistical analysis on how many times it is used in the lower position is 63%, therefore the seat should be left down the other 27% of the time. Clearly when considering the statistics, the normal state of the toilet seat is down. Therefore the work of putting the seat up and down should be that of the man who is the one taking the toilet seat out of it’s natural state.

Now let's consider aesthetics: a toilet is not the most attractive household appliance. Closing the lid improves its appearance and prevents things from falling into the water (like me). If the lid was not meant to be closed, then what is its purpose and why was it made?

Now let's consider the real world of what happens when said seat is in the wrong position. If the seat was down when a male does one of his functions, a wet seat results. Unpleasant and poor manners but not life threatening. However, if a female SPLASHES, repercussions will result. Of this I have great knowledge. Have you ever tried to hop on one leg using crutches, pull down your pants while carefully practicing the balance act, then lower yourself to the toilet, only to go SPLASH? So we can postulate that the seat not in the down position is a whole lot more serious.

Now let's consider what happens if the toilet seat is up and you dare to flush: did you know the spray from the toilet bowl can land several feet away? This fine spray unseen by the naked eye contains a whole lot of bacteria and viruses which can survive for hours or days and will make you sick. If you flush an average of just 5 times a day for over 1 person in the house, that means in our house, the floor and walls and everything within 6 feet will be covered in raw sewage by the end of the day. And who wants to clean the bathroom and toilet more than once a week?

In conclusion, one does not need to be told that all the criteria has been met and the toilet seat should be in the down position. For an added benefit, all males would then please the female and might - just might - not piss her off any more than the male already does.

I rest my case.

Day 42 - Social Security Numbers vs Brain Farts

2009-07-02T18:55:00.003-06:00

I have this problem. My husband's social security number, tax ID's, driver's license, medical license, DEA number - you name it I can rattle them off at the drop of a hat.

My info - another matter all together.

Today I was checking on the status of my passport application online. The form called for the last 4 digits of your social security number. Couldn't remember mine for the life of me and on the off chance I do remember it, I have to mentally say all the numbers to get the last 4.

How many of you can rattle off 4 obscure numbers like that? Why can't they do the 1st 4? Are the 1st 4 numbers banned or do they deliberately make it difficult for us?

How many of you even know that there are parts to a social security number? The SS# is a 9 digit number divided into 3 parts.

The 1st part is the 1st 3 digits and represent a geographical area. Before 1973. that geographical area meant the area where you first applied for your number. Since 1973 the Social Security Administration began assigning numbers based on the zip code of your mailing address on the application for the card. Generally the people who live on the east coast had the lowest numbers and the people who lived on the west coast had the highest numbers.

The middle two digits are the group number. These numbers have no special meaning; however they are assigned in a special way. The group numbers range from 01 to 99 but they are not assigned in consecutive order. For administrative reasons, group numbers are issued in the following order:
1.ODD numbers from 01 through 09
2.EVEN numbers from 10 through 98
3.EVEN numbers from 02 through 08
4.ODD numbers from 11 through 99
As an example, group number 98 will be issued before 11.

The last four digits are serial numbers. They represent a straight numerical sequence of digits from 0001-9999 within the group.

Now brain farts are a spontaneous stupid (stupid the noun, not stupid the adjective) usually accompanied by loss of train of thought and saying something fantastically stupid without realising it. These I am proficient in.

Day 41 - Brown Paper Bags

2009-07-01T18:43:00.002-06:00

Today was supposed to be a brown paper bag day - containing a special present for a special person. It got postponed for a week because my foot went nuts after my MRI today. Said friend is a wee bit afraid of what is in the brown paper bag but then again I have teased her just a little bit about what could be in said bag. My friends know that with me said present could be just about anything.

For some people brown paper bags conjure up all sorts of evil mysterious things. For me, they remind me of the olden days when we would have to use a brown grocery bag as a book cover or they would hold my lunch for school. They became nefarious in the early 1900's when they were used as a color litmus test to see if you would be admitted into a party or restaurant, etc. The idea was that one had to be lighter than the paper bag in order to enter.

But did you know that the humble brown paper bag is actually a technological masterpiece that solves many practical problems? Neither did I until I did some research. But if you think about it, unlike a plastic bag, it can stand upright by itself. Plus you don't need an extra hand to hold it open while you fill it. And it has the added bonus that it folds flat for easy storage. It actually took inventors years to come up with a design that would behave this way. Early paper bags had "envelope bottoms" and wouldn't stand up at all. Then in 1867 Margaret Knight invented a machine that could make the standard bag's rectangular "satchel bottom" in a series of three folds. Another inventor added the accordion folds on the sides of the bag.

Today, paper bags have an infinite number of uses. They are used to carry groceries, they are recycled and used to store garbage. They are also used to stuff things in them to carry said items somewhere else. Since they are not transparent, they are used to conceal items from others, like being used as wrapping paper to conceal gifts.

If you are really crafty you can give them to your kids and make homemade masks out of them, or puppets. I remember my brother used to think it a riot to blow a small lunch bag up then smack it and surprise the beejeebees out of me. If you put one upside down on your head, they make an excellent costume. They can be drawn on, colored, penciled, cut, shaped into origami figures, or anything your imagination will take you. My cats loved them and my kids loved to tap the top when they ventured in, making the cat jump and the bag move.

They can also be used in the kitchen - if you place green tomatoes in a paper bag and roll the top down, the tomatoes will ripen. They make it easy to remove candle wax from a rug or carpet - just scrape up as much as you can, then place the paper bag over the wax and run a warm iron over it. The wax will melt and the bag will absorb it. I use paper bags to make patterns too, especially patterns I love since the tissue paper patterns seem to not last long.

My FIL used to cut shapes and designs out of the upper sides of the paper bags. Then he would put sand in the bottom of the bag and place a candle in each. Set the bags (luminaries) outside and light the candle. This was a Christmas eve tradition my kids love. We would take bets on how many bag fires we would have!

But my friend seems to think I have an ulterior motive. Maybe I do. After all, typically brown paper bags conceal contraband—alcohol and pornographic magazines and material.

She won't know until she opens her bag next week.

Day 40 - Naps

2009-06-30T20:22:00.005-06:00

The circle of life. Take for instance naps.

When your children are infants they take a nap more than they are up. As they age they slowly decrease the time they are asleep and increase the time they are awake until such time they no longer need a nap. I remember my oldest got down to one nap a day by the time she was a year old. I thought my brief time alone during the day would last longer but alas she was a curious child who thought naps meant she couldn't be making some mess somewhere. In fact I used to rejoice when she was even quiet for a few minutes until I learned that meant she was into something she wasn't supposed to be.

Then along came son who decided as an infant to toddler to adult that he just needed to eat every 2 hours around the clock. So until I taught him where the Cheerios were and how to get his own breakfast during the night, I was doomed to be perpetually tired. I would ~~bribe~~ calmly talk my daughter into laying down beside me while son would nap so I could outlast them both. But then again I was younger.

Up until today I have not been able to work the entire day. But I thought that today was the day I could be up all day. It also happened to coincide with my first day back to work at the main office coupled with the end of the month stuff. But by mid afternoon, I could no longer keep my eyes open. I was trying to do payroll and just couldn't remember what numbers I was supposed to add - although I don't think the girls would mind if it was in their favor. I finally got up and stole a patient room and curled up and snoozed. I had the girls promise to wake me if I snored. I had a good catnap.

But come on now - even though I am the legal speed limit now, I am still young. I don't even qualify for a senior citizen discount most places. Yet, I need my midday nap now.

Life has come full circle. Next it will be diapers - wait that has already happened. Okay, so next will be soft pureed food - wait that has happened too when I was going through the tooth and dentist from hell.

I can only imagine what is next.

BUT there is hope for me:

A study by Boston's Harvard School of Public Health showed that older adults who took a half-hour midday nap at least three times a week had an amazing 37% lower risk of death from heart attacks and disease than those who did not nap. The researchers suggest that the key factor in the effect of napping on heart disease risk could be stress reduction. Napping has also been shown to improve mood, increase energy and endurance, boost memory, focus, and comprehension, and enhance libido.

So looks like I am keeping my naptime.

Day 39 - Prayers for Charlie

2009-06-29T19:29:00.004-06:00

Charlie is a friend and the husband of a friend and the father of a friend so he's a pretty special man to me. He is a Vietnam vet who was affected by Agent Orange. He is currently in a hospital fighting for his life. My prayers are with him and his fight and his family. Prayers are needed from all of you too.

Thanks.

Day 38 - Need Another Surgery

2009-06-28T13:08:00.002-06:00

Have you ever gotten news that you didn't know whether you wanted or news that all you didn't know if you wanted to cry, laugh, or throw things? That was me Friday.

I was told that once again at 5 weeks and 1 day postop from my 3rd right ankle surgery, that I needed surgery again. This is all from a fall in Philadelphia that happened on August 15th, 2007. I don't think I have totally wrapped my brain around it yet.

So Friday I had a doctor appointment to have my cast removed which did happen. The doctor told me to stand up and try to walk. I couldn't. The outside of my heel had a very very sharp pain that went up my leg and the heel felt like it wasn't stable and the outside of the ankle felt like it was not supported by anything. So the doctor immediately took me over to the fluoroscopic unit and we found 2 bone chips on the outside of the ankle. They were missed in prior x-rays because an x-ray is only one dimensional. Actually the place the bone chips were, no x-ray would have picked them up. I have had MRI's and CT scans which never showed them either, mainly because with any test that was done, there were always metallic screws and anchors in my ankle from the prior surgeries. Those screws and anchors would distort the picture and the distorted place was where the chips were.

This last surgery I had those screws and anchors taken out so I am scheduled for another MRI this Wednesday. They will not only be looking at those 2 chips but any damage they might have done to the posterior part of the ankle (the back part) and to the 3 ligaments that provide stability to the back part of the ankle - the posterior talo-fibular ligament, the posterior inferior talo-fibular ligament, and the calcaneofibular ligament. The actual incidence that these ligaments are torn and never repair themselves is rare. Of course, me being me, nothing is rare for me.

So I await the MRI results. I can shower and pretty much have no restrictions - the doctor said my ankle will tell me what I can do or not. Friday night I was able to walk in a walking cast boot with crutches although pretty slow. I went back to the scooter by that evening. The ankle throbbed all day yesterday from all the movements the doctor did to it on Friday and because of the storms that rolled in last night so I pretty well just stayed off it and in bed.

Up until this point the thought of suing Philadelphia had never entered my mind. But gotta tell you, the way the medical bills are stacking up, the thought has occurred to me now. All the pain and everything I have been through the past 2 years is all because Philadelphia can't repair a sidewalk.

Day 37 - Happy Birthday Chris!

2009-06-27T21:23:00.005-06:00

A Big Happy Birthday wish goes out to my son-in-law.

He and daughter went camping this weekend

and of course grandma and grandpa get the grand doggies.

We will celebrate tomorrow night at the restaurant of Chris's choice.

For a Very Special Son-in-Law.

Love brought you into the family...love brought you into our hearts.

It's hard to ask for a better son-in-law than you are

and still harder to imagine our family without you now!

Hope You Have a Wonderful Birthday

Day 36 - Chinney Chin Chin Hairs

2009-06-26T19:47:00.005-06:00

Ok somewhere there I lost a day. Figures - day late dollar short - story of my life. But today's topic is on chinney chin chin hairs compliments of a friend after she read the leg hair post.

Her question was: Why do hairs suddenly appear....... and appear to be 1-2 inches long overnight? I actually have thought of this before to research and blog about. Problem is I have senior brain farts a lot and never remembered this as a possible blog post when I am wracking my brain trying to think of what I am going to blog about. I have often thought of carrying around a tape recorder to record those thoughts but then I would have to remember where I put the tape recorder. For those of you who would say, well then just leave it on all the time - I answer nope - I talk to myself. I wouldn't want to actually listen to myself and weed through all the crap I say before I got to what I was looking for. That would be kinda scary. I could put it on a post it note but then again the problem is finding the post it note plus I have been known as the 'post it note lady' already and quite a few get fed to the washer quite often. Actually more often than naught.

So back to the chinney chin chin hairs. I remember my first chin hair. It was like having a gigantic pimple on your face, yanno the one that the whole world sees right away? But there it was, a single hair growing from my chin, about a half inch in length, all by itself, blowing in the wind, appearing out of nowhere. At first, I thought I had drooled and it crusted or my lunch had hit my chin instead of my chest and it was dried and caked on. So I excused myself and quickly went to the bathroom holding my chin. But after scrubbing, I realized it was the dreaded chinney chin chin hair. I went back to work but I was sitting there rubbing my chin thinking - Wowsers.....is this a beard? Everyone was looking at me, I just knew it. So I kept my hand discreetly up on my chin for the rest of the day.

My first hair was just the one easily tweezed thick hair (the rest of my body has really thin hair so I knew this was definitely an alien foreign thang). But this came out overnight. As soon as I got home, I got out my makeup mirror and put it to the magnifying side, picked up my tweezers and plucked that baby out spit spot. But a month later, there came 2. Soon there was a whole crop bursting out (the more light you put on them the more they seemed to show up).

It was like one day I had a nice clean chin. The next day I had one. Few months pass I feel like I looked like a nanny goat. Then to top it off my hairdresser said to me one day: "Yanno Steamy, I think we need to start shaving you." I about peed my pants. I think I screamed but I am not admitting to anything. But sure enough, with her mirror that magnifies everything a zillion times, there was a whole crop that popped up on my face too. My only consolation was that at least they were light in color. Hairdresser says: "Don't worry about it - you can hardly see them." I was like now that you pointed them out, I can see them. So I decided I would handle this by never looking in magnifying mirrors or be anywhere in public in the daylight. I also learned to dab my makeup on with a sponge instead of rubbing it on with my fingertips since that makes the hairs less prominent. Every once in a while I allow my hairdresser to shave me.

Back to chinney chin chin hairs. It’s so humiliating to have chin hairs. They just seem to appear out of nowhere. Not there one day, here the next. It doesn’t matter whose terms I’m going by, the chin hairs invade my sense of self in such a horrible way. I think though I was more upset because this ran through my mind: why hadn't anyone told me I could pass for Santa complete with a beard?

Recently, the overgrowth has migrated to my nostrils. Men are just as prone to the wild hair phase of aging which manifests as mad scientist eyebrows and back hair, so I guess I should be grateful for a few chin whiskers and a hair or two in my nose.

So the brainiac in me wanted to know the why. Why did I get this? As a younger woman, I dealt with thin eyebrows after a close encounter with the windshield of my car. But as I aged, those thin eyebrows became even thinner. So did they migrate down to my chin? Everything else sags south as you age, why not chin hairs too?

Well, although that might be one possible reason, facial hair may begin to grow in women as a result of the natural aging process. Every woman has a normal amount of male hormones (called "androgens") in her body. As we age, our body produces more of these androgens which may cause an increase in hair growth on the chin, upper cheeks or neck area. It is also related to the decline of estrogen. Though heredity or age are most of the reasons, some facial hair growth can be linked to underlying medical conditions that can cause an increase in androgen production, which in turn causes facial hair. One cause of excess androgens in the body is obesity. Fat retains androgen, so the more overweight a person is, the more androgen is kept in the body, potentially causing some male-patterned hair growth. Other medical causes for excessive hair growth can be polycystic ovary syndrome, or hormonal fluctuations due to pregnancy or menopause.

So now that we have the wire chinney chin chin hair, what can we do about getting rid of them? Googling the subject, I have picked up a few hints on removal:

1. Put some eye shadow on your chin. They really seem to show up then. If you have dark chin hairs use white eyeshadow. If they are white or lighter ones, use a darker eyeshadow. If they are those wiry stick straight out ones, you don't need shadow at all. Remember to wash off the shadow though. You could get some strange looks. I did that once. I just said I was trying out a new makeup style and it was supposed to take inches off off your chin and make you look younger (they actually believed me which proved to me they weren't high in the gene pool). Anyway, get yourself good tweezers and go plucking them away. Just remember tweezing can cause that hair to become ingrown so you might have to try exfoliating before they turn into a huge red pimple on your chin. Tweezing them is also why they suddenly pop out overnight - there is actually a bump there with the hair in it curled up as if it was in its cocoon. It waits until it is about a half inch then it pops out, much in the same way a chick comes out of an egg when it is ready.

2. Dye or bleach your chin hairs if there aren't that many and/or they're short. This will make them much less noticeable and save you the hassle of the next steps.

3. Shave and exfoliate if you have more than a bit of bristle. Shaving your chin hairs is a continual, short-term solution but it's simple and safe.

4. Wax persistent chin hair or just to achieve a smoothness that shaving cannot. Home waxing kits are readily available, but make sure you have time to spend by yourself as your face can become very irritated.

5. Apply hair removal cream such as Nair. Alternatively try a hair retardant like Vaniqa which will inhibit key enzymes causing hair to grow back slower and thinner which makes plucking/waxing more effective and easier. As a person who is allergic to hair removal creams, please make sure you follow the directions on the box carefully and do a test spot first. Nothing like a really red chin to get you noticed. Maybe a bandanna if that happens?

6. You can always let them grow and if you get three of them you can braid them. Maybe even put a bead or two on the ends and say it's the latest fashion trend.

Day 35 - Casts vs Leg Hair Growth

2009-06-25T19:00:00.004-06:00

I am so not a vain woman. I do my hair and makeup in the morning and I don't look at either for the rest of the day. Just not my style. Which brings me to why I chose this topic today. I am pretty fair skinned person who has very little leg hair and it is pretty blonde so I rarely have to shave.

That is until I got my cast. Now I shaved both legs with a 5 bladed razor a day before my surgery on May 21st. I have not shaved since. My left leg hair (the one not in a cast) has barely grown and one could never tell it needed shaved. The right leg in the cast - whole different story!

The hair on my right leg is dark and over an inch long. I am sure I can braid it. So curious me got to thinking. Do they put Miracle Grow in the cast material? Why does my leg hair not only grow faster but change to a dark color when I am in a cast? It goes back to normal after I am out of the cast after about a week. What causes this?

Some people say that being cold causes leg hair to grow faster, supposedly because when cold, the body and all things in it regenerate faster to produce or accumulate heat. Ok not me since I have an internal temperature at HOT HOT HOT. The only time I get cold is if the temperatures are at least 20 below zero.

But this is actually not true. The only reason your hair looks longer in cold weather is because one tends to get goosebumps and your hair seems to stick out of said goosebump a bit more. Get rid of the goosebumps and your hair is back to normal.

In reality, hair is like an iceberg. A hair shows only its tip; your true adversary, the root or follicle, lurks below the surface. Follicles follow a repeating three-phase life cycle — hair growth, hair death, rest. The growth phase lasts about 6 weeks; the resting phase, up to 6 months. Only about 30 percent of your follicles are sprouting hair at a time. The rest are hibernating until a new growth cycle begins

So the reason why the skin under a cast seems to grow faster is because it does. It is subjected to tiny amounts of friction as the cast moves. The friction is not enough to rub away hair, but it is enough to stimulate the hair follicles in the skin to produce new hairs. As the skin is subjected to its normal wear and tear, the excessive hair will gradually disappear (which is why it disappears after a week or so). There is really no Miracle Gro in the cast material.

A cute fact: The longest leg hair is 16.51 cm (6.5 in) long and belongs to Wesley Pemberton (USA), as measured on the set of ‘Lo show dei record’, in Madrid, Spain, on 9 February 2008.

Day 34 - Bruises

2009-06-24T20:09:00.005-06:00

We all know I can be a klutz. I mean, the reason I have had 3 ankle surgeries in 2 years is because I fell on a wonderfully even Philadelphia sidewalk (sarcasm here).

This is day 33. Each and every day it seems I accumulate more bruises. Week one I had 2 close encounters of the door kind and got my right elbow and arm and shoulder. Week 2 I had a huge bruise from a close encounter of a wall kind on my left hip. Week 3 I had a close encounter of the shower door kind on my left shoulder and elbow. This is week 4 and of course I couldn't let a week go by without a few more, right? The above picture is one bruise on my left knee. There are actually 7 in total there now. They were close encounters with my scooter.

So why am I bruising so easily? Well, a bruise is a skin injury that results in a discoloration of the skin. Blood from damaged blood vessels deep beneath the skin collects near the surface of the skin resulting in what we see as a black and blue mark.

There are many reasons why we bruise. They are:
1. Deficiency in vitamin C can make a person more susceptible to bruising. Actually this is one of my problems since anyone who has surgery decreases their levels of Vitamin C in their body. I am currently taking more than I should but there are other reasons I have too.
2. People who are on blood thinners or plain aspirin or even a baby aspirin (which is what I am on also because of the immobility. Nsaids also will cause thinning of your blood. (Yep me again)
3. People typically get bruises when they bump into something or when something bumps into them. (Yep moi)
3. Bruises can occur in some people who exercise rigorously, such as athletes and weight lifters. These bruises result from microscopic tears in blood vessels under the skin.
4. Unexplained bruises that occur easily or for no apparent reason may indicate a bleeding disorder, especially if the bruising is accompanied by frequent nosebleeds or bleeding gums.
5. Often, what are thought to be unexplained bruises on the shin or the thigh, for example, actually result from bumps into a bedpost or other object and failing to recall the injury. (Me again)
6. Bruises in elderly people frequently occur because their skin has become thinner with age. The tissues that support the underlying blood vessels have become more fragile. (If you ask hubs he says I fit here too but I say since I don't qualify for a senior citizen discount yet I don't qualify as an elderly person).

Initially, a fresh bruise may actually be reddish. It will then turn blue or dark purple within a few hours, then yellow or green after a few days as it heals. Bruises are commonly tender, and sometimes even painful for the first few days, but the pain usually goes away as the color fades although mine aren't unless I bump them again. Because the skin is not broken in a bruise as with a scrape or cut there is no risk of infection.

How to care for a bruise:
1. Applying a cold compress or ice pack will reduce swelling.
2. Take 2 or 3 regular Tea bags, and soak them in warm water until they are saturated. Then drain off the excess fluid from the Tea bags and apply them firmly to the bruise for at least 20 min. Do this twice a day early morning and before you go to bed.
3. Now this one I could get into and it could lead to some kinky treatments: Apply melted chocolate directly to the bruise and wrap it in gauze overnight.

Yep, just bathe me in melted chocolate.

Day 33 - Weather Affects Health

2009-06-23T18:32:00.002-06:00

Finally, proof I am not nuts. Okay.....maybe only partly nuts. I was actually starting to feel a whole lot better and even was considering going to all the offices to work instead of only working one of the offices. But since the temperature went up in the Chicago area, my foot and ankle have been going nuts. At first I thought it was because of my zero tolerance for heat and the fact that my leg is wrapped like a papoose. The cast on my leg and foot feels like I am my own personal fur coat smothering me - it just doesn't smell like mothballs.

Google is interesting, especially when one is bored and has time on their hands. I found hundreds of studies that link temperature, humidity, air pressure, or wind to arthritis, asthma, migraines, and other health problems.

Here are a couple of things I found:
1. Rising temperatures causes heart, vascular and respiratory problems. This is because those high temperatures force your blood vessels to constrict and your blood pressure to increase so your body will release heat through your skin. This will cause all those health problems. But menopausal women can't cool ourselves like this and our body overheats way too easily with the slightest effort of any kind.

2. Just like temperature, humidity plays a huge role in how you feel. The studies offer conflicting evidence but all recognize that high humidity appears to increase aches and fatigue. They think it is because normally your body perspires to cool you down but when the humidity is high, you become trapped in a moist environment where your perspiration can't happen and escape which causes you to use extra energy which leaves you feeling sluggish or tired or unable to concentrate.

All I know is that I have an almost constant headache even taking Naprosyn 2 pills twice a day to reduce the swelling in my ankle, my body is totally exhausted even doing the littlest things, my ability to concentrate and play games is reduced, and my leg and foot are getting claustrophobic. If the doctor does not take this cast off for good on Friday, I might have to use a crutch on him.

Day 32 - Chicago Heat Wave

2009-06-22T21:52:00.004-06:00

I know this is the 2nd day of the official start of summer. I don't care. Chicago is currently in a heat wave. Now to most a heat wave is described as a prolonged period of excessively hot weather which is sometimes accompanied by high humidity.

Yeah.....my definition is any degree over 30. When it reaches 90 it is horrible. Now picture a hot flashing woman trying to hop around on one foot with the other foot encompassed in a winter fur jacket of many layers. Now picture said woman with her makeup streaking down her shirt and someone asks said woman, "Why are you sweating"?

First and foremost - woman don't sweat. We perspire. There are times we perspire a whole heck of a lot. Older women do this. Don't ask us anything when you see the perspiration. We are the older version of a PMS'ing female or a typical crabby male that gets told he has to do chores. Same difference. Just give us a fan and air conditioning and have sunglasses ready because you never know when we will start stripping. Plus an additional warning - I have learned to throw crutches like a javelin and hit the right spot every time.

I want winter back.

Day 31 - Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T13:26:00.002-06:00

I think the above says it all. I love you honey honey honey! Happy Father's Day!

A big Happy Father's Day to my own father and father-in-law and to all the fathers out there! May your day be as special as you are!

Day 30 - Resting and Relaxing

2009-06-20T22:08:00.003-06:00

Today I spent the day resting after all the excitement yesterday with the storms, a hair appointment, locking my son out of the car when he so kindly took me to the hairdresser in the pouring rain and then wasted a half hour of gas while waiting for N to bring us my purse with a spare key.

I read a few more books. I am going to have to start posting reviews. A lot of them are authors from Romance Divas and have no idea I got their books nor read them. I wanted to keep it kinda hush hush because I didn't want to be influenced. Plus I believe one should actually buy an author's books when reviewing them and not get them pro bono. I believe that is the only fair review then. Luckily for them, all the authors to date I have read, I have loved.

Currently I am reading the Chandler Brothers series by Carly Phillips. I am on the 2nd book which I started around 5pm.

Tomorrow I plan on trying to attend church with the family for Father's Day then going out for brunch. It will be my first attempt at doing more during the day but I figure I can always take a nap in the afternoon before starting laundry.

I also watched a couple of movies today - Hallmark Channel romances.

So what do you do when you are resting and relaxing?

Day 29 - Spring Storms

2009-06-19T19:14:00.002-06:00

For the most part, our area has not been hit with spring storms like other towns around us. The storms coming in from the west seem to split in 2 with one going north of us and the other south. Last night and today we weren't as lucky. We are currently in another wave of huge storms so I am sure the total number of inches will be a lot higher. Before this storm started, O'Hare had 3.6 inches which broke the last record set in 1961.

Around our house, one could not go west or east or north or south. Hubs had a few surgeries today to do at the hospital and he had to really wind around to get home. Normally the hospital is 15 minutes away but it took him over an hour this afternoon. The above picture is a low point just east of us, blocking off the road and making a new lake of the road. Thankfully we have not taken on any water but we do have a river on either side of us running between the house to the north of us and the house south of us. When we built this house, we deliberately put in drain tiles and a dip between the houses to allow for rain run-off.

We have lost power on and off today which is why I haven't posted earlier. It's also been an interesting day. Thanks N for going and getting my purse then bringing said purse to son and I who were stranded at the beauty shop. I kinda did an OOPS when I got out of his car - I pushed the auto door lock, locking him out of the car after he had dropped me off. We thought he would run out of gas but thankfully he was ok and made it to the gas station.

Curious to see how much more rain we got tonight.