This is where I think out loud about Life, the Universe and Everything. I consider life an adventure and this is part of mine whether I'm ranting on politics or taking you on a ramble through Kay's World.
I'm tired. Surgery always leaves me drained and this one has been exceptionally so. Still, I am healing and that's a good thing. I'll be glad after I see Dr. Maria and Dr. Dave next week -- mostly because I want to be able to drive as I hate having to beg people (who said "Just call me!" to take me where I need to go.
* I had to go to the optician the other day because a lens popped out of my glasses and couldn't find anyone but the ex to help. He's done more than his share and I really hate asking as he's taking me to my appointments next week.
* The scar that runs from my right ear to my collar bone is healing. I hope it starts to fade, too. I'm pretty self-conscious about it and it will prolly keep me home a lot because of total strangers stares and queries about it -- like they really care or it's their business. Hopefully, Vitamin E will help when I get the okay for it.
* Alec called to ask me if I'd go get Jeff's house ready as he and Shaughnessy are coming back from Florida. I explained that I absolutely couldn't this time and didn't tell him why -- I don't need or want his son bugging me.
* I signed a petition from the Democratic party against the Republicans' radical budget that will gut Medicare and Social Security. It's a death sentence for many of us -- especially women who don't have a lot of money or those of us who aren't well. Y'all can sign it here and I hope you will.
* This came in my email this morning and I think it's right. It also applies to elders in my not so humble opinion.
* And Willie Nelson, the farmers' best friend, makes a powerful statement on the plight of the family farms today and as the granddaughter of family farmers, I have to pass it on.
And here's Willie at Farm Aid (where he appears every year-- I respect that) with a great medley . . .
Some of you may be wondering where in the hell I've been. I've been in hell aka the hospital since last Wednesday when my right eye decided to go haywire like it did a few months ago when it precipitated a batch of tests with Dr. Dave the vascular surgeon. Soooooooooo I called Dr. Dave and he told me to report to the hospital immediately. Diagnosis? Carotid Artery Disease. Soooooooooooo I've been in the hospital ever since and had my surgery yesterday instead of today as originally planned. There was also talk of my being sent to a nursing home for a few days because he didn't want me to be alone -- and I promptly threw a hillbilly fit on that. Michelle brought the kids to visit me along with a pot of yellow tulips. (big smile) Fortunately, Michelle's mom volunteered to come and keep an eye on me for a few days so I'm back home now. AND I'm not allowed to drive which I hope will end soon. The Ex has been a champ and took me to the hospital and back home again (including the grocery and my scrips) and as well as checking in daily. I'm on a pretty strict low cholesterol diet. Sigh. I'm also supposed to rest and eat healthy and I'm not allowed to drive. (Yeah, right. We'll see about that.)
Hopefully, I'll get to feeling better soon and get back to ranting and raving as usual!!!!
I feel older than dirt today so here's a fave anthem on aging for a giggle!!!!!
I had read in my travels that Bernie Sanders was going to do what the press is now calling a "Berniebuster" but until I checked my blogs (which now number around 100 and thank God they all don't post every day) and learned that Bernie Sanders had the floor of the Senate. I cancelled my plans for the day and I went there and I stayed with him until the very end. This is a brave, strong committed man who is a champion of us ordinary mortals. I do allow the naysayers their stance but not here and not today. I'm against making the rich richer and the poor poorer and endangering my life and survival.
If you're interested in what he said in the 8 1/2 hours he spoke, you can find it here. As I've said before, Bernie Sanders is my hero. I don't expect anyone to watch/listen to the whole thing but if y'all can spare about 15-20 minutes, you'll get the gist of what he talked about yesterday. If you're an ordinary mortal, you will think what Senator Sanders proposes is right. If you don't, go away.
I'm pretty proud to be an Ohioan right now. My senators are doing the right thing and supporting Bernie Sanders' stance on the tax cuts for billionaires.
The surprise is that my retiring GOP senator, George Voinovich, is downright militant!!! Sean Hannity called him a traitor which, for me, is a badge of honor. I nearly choked on my cornflakes watching this short video. Goooooo George!!!!
My other senator, Sherrod Brown (D-OH), has mobilized. He has a petition and y'all can sign it to support the defeat of the 'tax cuts for billionaires' bill. He was on Rachel Maddow and sounded great!!!
I hope y'all take the time to check out the links and video. Now is NOT the time to bury our heads in the sand.
Thank you, Bernie for standing up and speaking for all of us!!!!!
Lots has been happening and my alleged brain has been reeling. I'm hoping that things settle a bit in the next couple weeks but then again fresh hell is always just around the corner in Kay's World.
* My least favorite sentence: "The National Weather Service has declared a snow emergency until noon on Tuesday." (Like we needed 6-8 more inches of the white stuff.)
* Jeff and Shaughnessy left for Florida this morning at about 9:30 after guilting me for not going with them. The good news is they left about six hours ahead of the snow storm and they are in Charlotte, NC for the night as he called about an hour ago and said they made great time and will be in Florida tomorrow night. I'm glad I wasn't with them -- he probably drove like a maniac.
* I was at the lab at the medical foundation this morning to feed the A- vampire so Dr. Maria can check my B-12 levels and then went to look at an very nice apartment complex I've been hearing about that might be my next home. They are full and have a waiting list but that's okay with me. I wouldn't be interested in moving until the weather breaks anyway. This winter tells that being some place more convenient might be a good thing so I'm thinking about it.
* Today I'm tied to the phone dealing with bureaucrats -- it's renewal time for a lot of things. Sigh.
* Never re-read old love letters/emails; they are not good for your mental state.
* The first rule (law) of an impending snow in Ohio is to report to the nearest grocery store and join your friends and neighbors to kvetch about the weather and stock up on staples. I didn't bother to go last week and I didn't go today. Sigh. Big mistake. The good news is I have canned goods and coffee so I will manage but some eggs, salad, and fruit would have been nice.
So that's the way it is on a snowbound Tuesday in Ohio!!!! Hope y'all are having a great day!!!!! I appreciate y'all stopping by and I hope I can get around to all y'all for a visit later today!!!!
I am so stressed out and depressed from what's been happening in our country that I didn't even want to post today. I wandered over to YouTube to see if I could find something fun to no avail and I finally just typed 'laughter' in the search box and found the video on Laughter Yoga below that features John Cleese of Monty Python fame. It's a great mood brightener and I suspect that Dr. Kataria is onto something and y'all can read more about it here. I was impressed!
Wow!!!!! It's Saturday and we're in the midst of our first real snow -- I actually had to get out my snow brush and I put on what I call my stomper boots. I'm not certain how much we're due to get but I brushed over an inch off Miss Ruby this morning because I had to go to the bank to deposit a check which seemed rather surreal.
I realized how rare my visits are to that institution -- I have my SS check on automatic deposit and do most of my banking online but I recall the days when my appearance there at least once a week was almost mandatory and all the tellers knew me by name. I sort of miss that. The computer is making the comfort of human contact a thing of the past and de-personalizing us. Sad. I have whole weeks where I have no real contact other human beings other than my computer. I'm not certain that's a good thing -- convenience isn't always what it's cracked up to be.
* I got my Part D fixed for the coming year and am keeping my current provider. I'm going to pay the $7.66 (which works out to sixty-three cents a month) that Ohio wouldn't pay. Letters have gone out to my state senator and state representatives asking how much the lobbyists paid them because there doesn't seem to be any benefit for us elders. I also mentioned that my vote will be damned hard to get next election and won't hesitate to pass on what I've learned.
* Saw Dr. Maria this week and I have a new scrip -- she said my potassium was a little high and not to worry about it too much but my daily banana has got to go. Sigh.
* Dr. Krishna's (hare hare) PA called and there was no mention of potassium so I guess the diet is off but he ordered another scrip that Medicare doesn't pay for and that's twelve bucks I can't afford every 2 months. He sent me for a thyroid scan last evening so I'm sure they'll call next week with results. Pray.
* I actually felt human a couple days this week and got some things done. I think I have put my finger on part of my health problems.
* Tuesday I see my favorite doctor -- Dr. Jamie, my ophthamologist, for my annual exam and follow-up on my eye infection that I'm pretty sure has healed. He is handsome and fun so it's always a joy. He always pats me on the head because I've done so well since my cataract surgery and always asks about my blog. He thought it a riot that I wrote about it on my blog. His office is a happy place.
* My stepmom sent me a small check for Christmas. I am grateful -- she isn't rich so I, in some ways, wish she hadn't. It also means I can't say I got nothing for Christmas. I have had an itch all week to head up north but the white stuff this morning sorta was a gentle reminder that I really don't want to take that risk. And my undone dental work is also a factor. Sigh.
* Boston Tea Party anniversary responses: From my Congressman: 'We have received your email. Thank you for contacting our office. Due to the increased interest in how Congress is working for Ohioans, please know it may take some time to respond to your particular inquiry'; from Senator Voinovich: nada, zero, zip -- he's retiring and hardly did anything useful anyway-- I liked him when he was governor here; from Senator Brown: "We have received your email. Thank you for contacting our office. Due to the increased interest in how Congress is working for Ohioans, please know it may take some time to respond to your particular inquiry." No one even read it. I have never voted for this idiot and never will. At least Boccieri was polite. I was heartened when I saw 'increased interest in how Congress is working for Ohioans'. It tells me that I'm not alone in my frustration -- we're all mad as hell and want answers! I hope y'all had better results than I did. The phone calls went slightly better but not great.
* Word to the Wise: Y'all may be having teen visitors during the holidays, be careful about letting them use your computer. I don't care how good they are, they go to junky sites the collect all sorts of crapola. Brice was over the other day and he screwed up my computer to a fare-thee-well! I had to do a system restore and assorted other nonsense that I hate to do. And I'm still not sure I have everything right yet.
I hope y'all are ready for the holidays! My decorations are up but my heart really isn't in it. I got my Straight No Chaser CD and it's a delight -- it almost cured my malaise! If you missed my post on them, check it out!!!!!
Here's a video that I found that is a definite mood brightener. It's a blast from my misspent youth and it actually got me out of my chair and dancin' around the house! Enjoy!!!!!!
It's been a long exhausting and nerve-wracking week on several levels but I think I've weathered it well except for not getting a post up sooner.
* Thanks for your great comments on the Sarah Palin thing. I'm so glad you liked it and the video. Also, I'm glad y'all liked Straight No Chaser's vocal offerings. I think these guys are awesome. I ordered both their Christmas CDs as my present to myself.
* After writing the Palin post, a few light bulbs went off in my head. I remember how, despite the press' best efforts, Jackie Kennedy defended and enforced her children's privacy like a proper mother should. Rosalyn Carter and Laura Bush also did a good job of protecting their girls in the White House. However, the one who sorta surprised me was Hillary Clinton. After Bill got elected, she called Jackie Kennedy Onassis and asked for advice on how to protect Chelsea. Hasn't Sarah noticed that other women in the public eye protect and closet their children from the public instead of dragging them around on display? If she did, David Letterman couldn't talk about them. (By the way, Dave keeps his young son shielded from everyone so I figure he knows what's right in parenting.) That said, I'll probably get hate mail from Palin supporters. If it strikes me as funny and/or stupid, I'll use it as a blog post -- look for 'Just in from Wasilla' . . . LOL! If I don't like it it will be flus . . . er . . . ah . . . moderated (yeah, that's it!)to Never-Neverland.
* On the medical front, I was on the ER on Tuesday due to chest pains. Tests and blood work were run and scrips given and filled. They didn't work so I'm toughing it out. Good meeting with Dr. Krishna (hare hare) on Wednesday. Blood work on Thursday. Call from Dr. K's (hare hare) office on Friday telling me I needed to go get blood work again on Saturday and that my potassium is too high and they were sending me a diet. I got home from the lab and the mail was there and I read what I'm not supposed to eat/imbibe. I put it next to the list of all the things I'm not allowed to eat because of my high cholesterol. Guess what? There isn't a damned thing I can eat between the two. First, I cried; then I started thinking (here I go again) and realized that I've had FIVE blood tests in the past six weeks and the only thing different is the two scrips given to me at ER on Tuesday. Not a syllable was spoken about potassium on the first three. You can bet I'm on the phone asking questions on Monday.
* I don't know if this is good news or not. I have been going over what I want to do here: scouring the archives and old posts; checking for new decor; and considering new ideas for the New Year/decade. Starting tomorrow, The Groaner of the Week will return!! It will be combined with the Friday Groaner. "Why?" Y'all ask. Because my personal groaner archives is dwindling and many of the groaners from y'all are repeats. Kent McKamy sent me over a dozen groaners recently -- and all but one have been published here. I will still accept submissions and give attribution to contributors but there only be one groaner a week.
Welllllllll . . . I'm about ready to fall asleep soooooooo . . .
My friend and fearless leader of the Elderbloggers, Ronni Bennett of Time Goes By has begun a crusade to encourage Oprah to support and address the issues of aging in our society. I say, "Amen and Hallelujah!" It's about time, Oprah, that you realize that, at 55, you're no longer a spring chicken, as my granny used to say and that aging can be a rich and vital experience if approached properly.
Besides, we elders of today aren't the same as our grandparents. We are great in numbers that are growing by leaps and bounds. Most of us are still active and interested in being included in society. All one has to do is read our blogs to learn what a diverse, active and engaged group we are. Oh, and I forgot "fun"! We like fun. We are not caricatures or objects for derision or disdain. We are here, for better or worse and we want you on our side, Oprah.
Dr. Bill Thomas, a physician, geriatrician, author and blogger at Changing Aging, made the excellent video below and makes an offer you shouldn't refuse, Oprah. Please join with him to improve the future for elders.
"Right now I'm wracking my brain for a post for tomorrow."
I typed those words in an email to my darling friend Fran of Sacred Ordinary who some of y'all might know (and the rest of you should) and she suggested I write about my day. The more I thought about it, the better I liked the idea because I already had a paragraph from my email to her and the light bulb in my brain lit up as I remembered that I'd also written about it over at Virginia DeBolt's First 50 where I go (and you can, too!) for writing practice.
I had to be at the hospital bright and cold and early this morning for blood work (The itsy bitsy vampire in the lab was craving A- again!) and a thyroid scan. I was on a fast for the blood test and crabby after twelve hours with only water and black coffee for sustenance. I stopped at the doughnut shop and picked up a couple to nosh after the blood work. It turned out I didn’t have time for that because they took too long at the lab and I had to rush downstairs to Nuclear Medicine to take my pill before the scan. After I took it, the nurse told me I couldn’t eat for another hour (yikes!) and that they would see me at one o’clock when I returned for the x-rays. I was not happy. I was hungry. I dragged myself shopping for an hour to take my mind off food and picked up a few things I needed and then stopped at Pete’s and any concerns for my cholesterol level got tossed out the window as I ordered the Farmer’s Breakfast: two eggs, two sausage patties, two dinner plate-sized pancakes with butter and maple syrup, hash browns and toast (with grape jelly, of course). Did I eat all that? You bet your sweet bippy I did!!! That’ll teach ‘em to starve me!!!! LOL
I went back to the hospital at one like a good girl and went through the tests. I am now radioactive. I even have a card to prove it and I'm to carry it with me until Groundhog's Day. It reads:
KAY DENNISON Rad: I-123 Caps Dose: 284.000uCi@01-26-09 08:58 The carrier of this card has undergone a nuclear procedure. The residual radiation may be detectable externally.
I'm threatening to go out to the airport and see how many bells and whistles I can set a-jangling. I think it would be kind of fun -- nothing exciting ever happens at our airport. However, I really don't want to get up close and personal with those bozos from Homeland Security who aren't known for their sense of humor.
Instead, like the good girl I try to be, I went home. An old flame called to say he's going to be in town and asked if I'd have dinner with him later this week. I said yes because he always takes me places that don't fit my budget and we're still friends.
This isn't the first time I've had this test. I have nodules on my thyroid and they cause hyperthyroidism and it's time to decide what to do about them. The options are either more radioactive iodine or surgery. I'm praying for the former. I have a thing about surgery.
Now I need to get to bed early because I have to be at the hospital at 8:30 AM to finish my thyroid test. If I remember correctly, it will be more x-rays. The good news is I'm not on a fast. I can't get the habit of Pete's fabulous Farmer's Breakfasts or Doc Smith will throw a hissy fit and I'll gain a jeans size or two and we can't have that, can we?
Something that's been nagging at me for the past couple weeks and with the vast knowledge and experience all y'all have among you, I just want to know what you think.
When I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago, I told my doctor about some pain I was having in my right arm and hand. She tried to blow it off but I insisted that she listen. As y'all might know who have read my history at HIGTBM, I cannot have any problems with that. Her reaction was to schedule me physical therapy -- no exam; no questions; no referral to an orthopedist. Correct me if I'm wrong but going to physical therapy without a diagnosis seems pretty damn stupid to me. Physical therapists are not doctors -- they follow instructions.
I have no idea what she ordered for me -- God forbid she tell me -- but since she didn't even try to find out what exactly the problem is, I really don't think I should even attempt to see the physical therapist. I can't risk an incorrect diagnosis given my situation. I also can't let this get worse -- which it will, if I don't get proper treatment.
So I ask y'all: What do you think? Am I nuts? Is the doc nuts? Any advice or assistance is welcome.
If y'all are over 55 and answered a resounding "YES!" to the above questions, then ElderExercise just might be for you!
It's an online exercise support group founded by two of my favorite Elderbloggers: Claude of Blogging in Paris and Naomi Hagen Bloom of A Little Red Hen as a result of a discussion they had about the frustration of starting and maintaining a diet and exercise program. The result is a really nice blog where you can state your goals, make your own program (and adapt it as needed) and talk about your progress or lack thereof. No guilt (except your own if you mess up like I did) -- no recriminations or nasty rules. Just pure, unadulterated, sincere SUPPORT from really nice people. So far, it's just us gals but men are definitely welcome.
Pretty cool, huh? I joined not because I need to lose weight but because I need to maintain a healthier lifestyle by eating properly and getting some good exercise to build strength and I like the idea of having a cheering section for when I'm succeeding and support when I get frustrated because I'm not.
Interested? Membership is by invitation and you can register here. We're not exclusive but it was decided that it be a closed blog out of respect for privacy. Claude is our moderator/webmistress and you'll receive an email from her in a timely fashion. And if you have trouble navigating the site, she is a wonderful helper.
Stop by -- it's a great group and we'd love y'all to join us!!!!!
