Celebrate The Small Things -- Dec 9

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  The brainchild of Viklit, Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

Today I'm celebrating...

• I started using a new medicine last week, in hopes of controlling the nerve pain from my occipital neuralgia (click here for more information on what this is and why I have it). I'm happy to say, so far, so good! I still have pain, but the medicine puts a good dent in it.

• I made my first body butter in two years! My aging skin (boo...hiss...) had started to really dry out a few years ago, so I started making my own soaps, in hopes of healing and moisturizing my skin (click here to see some cool soaps I made). I also started on the path of lotions and body butters. As soon as I started getting into the swing of things, I had a very bad arthritis flare up in my thumb (click here to see my very helpful thumb brace) and had to stop my new diy adventures for a while. I lost momentum and here we are two years later. But I am happy to report that my comeback body butter is great! I've been slathering it on after I get out of the shower, and periodically on my hands during the day. It's good! 

• my awesome brother. It seems like I mention how great my brother is every few months, but he really is! This is what he sent me in the mail last week:

• my children's humor. My son got glasses a couple of weeks ago, and here is what he did the other day to Emmie...

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, Lexa @ Lexa Cain for more information.  And don't forget to visit her wonderful co-hosts:   LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge and Tonja Drecker @Kidbits Blog

I got an instagram! If anyone is looking for more pictures of Emmie, head on over there and give me a follow @thecyborgmom

Celebrate The Small Things - July 8

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  The brainchild of Viklit, Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

Today I'm celebrating...

• A visit from my brother! He makes me laugh...a lot :) I got to see him and his family a couple of weeks ago when he drove from Nebraska to visit with my parents in Delaware for a week. My husband drove me and the kids to DE so we could see them for a few days, and while we were there, two of my aunts and my cousin and her kids came too. It was like a little mini family reunion.

• Being first in line at the gas station to get my emissions test done for my daughter's car. In total, I spent about 30 minutes getting that done. Not too bad! It certainly beats the two hours and forty five minutes I spent at the DMV registering and titling it! grrrrr

• My acupuncturist. My hands have been hurting a lot over the past few weeks and my last two acupuncture treatments have helped a bunch. I'm hoping that after another treatment next week, the arthritis that has been flaring will finally calm down. (This is part of the reason why I have yet to post about my facet joint shots...waiting for the hands to feel better so I don't have to do the two-finger-pecking-routine on the keyboard).

• Our new car! Our 2003 Ford Taurus finally died, so we picked up a 2015 Prius with only 7,000 miles on it...it was a pretty good deal. For those who have not been in, or drove a Prius before...they are so weird! You push a power button to turn the car on, a parking button to put it in park, and it barely makes any noise at all while it sits idle. It's very strange and different, but in a good way. Let's hope that my husband gets a good long time out of this car and doesn't kill it!

• Some beautiful local views. I dropped off my daughter to paintball the other day, and this was the view...

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, Lexa @ Lexa Cain for more information.  And don't forget to visit her wonderful co-hosts:   LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge and Tonja Drecker @Kidbits Blog

I got an instagram! If anyone is looking for more pictures of Emmie, head on over there and give me a follow @thecyborgmom

Facet Joint Injections 5/12/16

Many of you know that I have been suffering from occipital neuralgia for several years, and have tried everything from physical therapy to acupuncture (you can read more about my acupuncture journey here) to trigger point injections to facet joint injections.

The next step is a procedure called a radiofrequency nerve ablation (here is a medical link that explains the procedure). Basically this means that I will get the nerves in my neck burned off...it sounds way worse than it actually is, at least according to my doctor. Here's the catch, in order for medical insurance to pay for the radiofrequency nerve ablation, I first need to have two identical, successful facet joint procedures done.

I had my first set of injections done in Nov 2013 (which I documented here, here, and here), and another done just a few weeks ago. The first time I had facet joint injections, the procedure almost gave me a panic attack, I was pretty sore for many days after, and they didn't give me the lasting pain relief that I had hoped for. I did not want to try them again, even though my doctor wanted me to give them another shot (pun intended!).

The problem is that the facet injections I had done a few weeks ago were done at different points in my neck in hopes that I would get better results. And the results were better this time around, but the pain relief only lasted about a week. Doc says that as long as I got relief, even for a short amount of time, that the chances of the radiofrequency nerve ablation neck procedure working are much better. That really is a mouthful.

So, today I go for my second (even though it's really my third overall) round of facet joint injections, in the adjusted spots. Wish me luck! I'll try to document these and report back. The really short version of the procedure from a few weeks ago...I was sore for a few days, but overall it was a much easier procedure (less painful) and quicker recovery. My doc prescribed valium for my anxiety, which helped a lot, and I have another prescription for today's visit :) Let's hope the relative ease of last time wasn't a fluke and I get similar results this time!

Zero Pain #AtoZChallenge

...zero pain.  Well, that's a dream for a chronic pain sufferer like me.  But a sweet dream I will keep on hoping for!  Come on medical science...catch up!

For anyone interested in knowing a little bit more about me and why I have chronic pain, please see my About Me page.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello to me during this year's A to Z Challenge!

For a complete list of all my posts from this years challenge, please visit my A to Z 2016 page here

Ankle Replacement and Subtalar Fusion Updates

As some of you may know, last January I had subtalar fusion in my right foot...this is after having a total ankle replacement in the same foot a year prior (Dec 2013). I also had total ankle replacement in my other foot prior to that (June 2013). To read about my ankle replacement journeys, please click here. Below are my updates...

A short summary of the Ankle Replacements...

Going into my ankle replacements, I was very hopeful. My surgeon told me that the replacement surgeries would take all the pain I was experiencing in my feet away. Did it? Well, not really. The best thing to come of the surgery is that my “bounce back time” has greatly improved. Meaning that if I overdue it today, I usually get a restart tomorrow. Before the surgery it would be days. And a couple times I overdid it so badly that it actually took several weeks...meaning that I either could barely walk on it, or, on better days, I was using a cane to get around. So that's the major pro of having the total ankle replacements.

The negative effect of the ankle replacement surgeries is that I can only stand or walk around for about 10-15 minutes before I'm completely done for the day. This is extremely frustrating and severely limits me.

Subtalar Fusion time...

Because I was so limited, I went ahead with the subtalar fusion in my right foot in January 2015. My surgeon said that I still have a lot of arthritis in the rest of the foot (really, both feet) and this may give me some relief. I wasn't as hopeful going into this surgery, but I was trying to remain optimistic. I knew it would be a much longer recovery time, but I also knew I could soldier through if it meant making a difference in my pain while walking/standing. The plan was that if this worked, I would get the left foot done after the right was was completely healed.

When I saw my surgeon last, in September, he told me that I needed to give the fusion a full year to heal before passing judgment. Well, in another week it will be a full year. This is my judgment...I've wasted the last year trying to rehab from the subtalar fusion and it is no better than before the surgery. If anything, it's more painful when I walk.

I've been putting this blog post off for a while now. I guess I was hoping that things would turn around and my ankle would suddenly start feeling better. I hate sounding so negative, but I need to be honest in hopes that it may help someone else.

Not every surgery is going to be a success for every person, and I know that with my SED it makes everything way more complicated than the average person. Up until this point, I've been very lucky with my surgeries. But the past three surgeries (both my ankle replacements and now the subtalar fusion) have been a let down for me, especially the last one. To think that I've wasted the past year is a hard pill to swallow and it depresses me whenever I think about it.

But, things could be worse. At least I have my feet. At least I can walk. I have a supportive family and a husband that is a superman for me. And my kids are 90% of the time, pretty awesome (they're teenagers, so that accounts for the other 10%!)  And I have this squooshy face to cheer me up... 

What does the future hold? I'm not sure. I know I won't be having subtalar fusion in my other foot, unless all of a sudden that foot starts to hurt worse than the other. I may have to look into a scooter sometime in my future (God help my local public!). 

Mostly, I'm hoping for a miracle breakthrough in medicine...where they can grow bone back and instead of giving you metal and plastic replacements, you'll get a new and improved bone instead. How cool would that be?

Celebrate The Small Things -- March 20

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  The brainchild of Viklit, Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.  I am thrilled to co-host this wonderful bloghop!

This week I'm celebrating walking!  I got my walking cast on this Tuesday, after the x-rays showed that my fusion is healing the way it should.  I will be partially weight bearing for the next couple of weeks until I feel comfortable to be full weight bearing.  Yay for walking!!  Who cares that I'm slower than my husband's ninety something year old grandmother?!?!

What are you celebrating? 

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, Lexa @ Lexa Cain for more information.  And don't forget to visit my wonderful co-host:  LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge

 

To celebrate with us, sign up with the linky below: 

Celebrate The Small Things -- March 13

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  The brainchild of Viklit, Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.  I am thrilled to co-host this wonderful bloghop!

This week I'm celebrating being 4 days away from walking!  St. Patrick's Day I will get this cast off, and a temporary look at my wookie leg before they cast it all back up again.  So, another cast for 6 more weeks--which sucks--but I'll be able to start walking on it--which is awesome!  Any suggestions on what color cast I should get?  I should also get to take home some x-rays, which is always exciting for me.

Also celebrating some warmer weather this week.  It's always an adjustment when the weather changes, so this week has been rough on my body.  But I'm definitely done with the winter.  If only it could stay 65 degrees and sunny year round...

What are you celebrating? 

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, Lexa @ Lexa Cain for more information.  And don't forget to visit my wonderful co-host:  LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge

 

To celebrate with us, sign up with the linky below: 

Celebrate The Small Things -- Dec 12

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I'm celebrating this wacky looking brace on my hand, because it seems to be helping!  So weird.  It's made of a rigid plastic, and I find that wearing it around the clock was causing a bit of heat bump/hives to happen on my hand.  So I stopped wearing it while I slept, and that seems to have done the trick.  I can type easier, fold laundry, eat, and brush my teeth again!  And I can even take care of bathroom duties (doodies LOL I stepped right into that one...ohhhhhh!  I couldn't resist) again...with it off.  It's the little things my friends!

Also, we went to my daughter's orthopedist this week for the results of her MRI.  Her right (throwing) shoulder has been hurting since September and she hasn't progressed with her physical therapy the way she should have by now.  The findings came back that she has NO tears or rips, and her shoulder looks like a healthy shoulder...so no surgery needed!  This, of course, doesn't account for the pain that she's been struggling with, so we are seeing a shoulder specialist next week for a second opinion.  Please keep her in your prayers!

Happy Weekend!  

What are you celebrating? 

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, VikLit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author for more information.  And don't forget to check out her co-hosts:  Diana Wilder, LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, Katie @ TheCyborgMom, and CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

 

Celebrate The Small Things -- Dec 5

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I'm celebrating:

• My finger is finally feeling better.  I have arthritis in my hands (I have arthritis everywhere) and my thumb joint decided to flare up a couple of weeks ago.  It swelled and hurt like a mofo.  I saw the doctor yesterday and he prescribed an individually made splint that I have to wear for the next few weeks.  Luckily, it's not too much of a hindrance, although I'm not quite convinced it's going to help...it doesn't look like much!

 

Apologies to everyone for my lack of visiting and hopping around.  It's been super hard to type, and typing with my super slow left hand has been driving me crazy!

• Our family is also celebrating my daughter's confirmation this Saturday!  This means that she will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and be considered an adult in the eyes of the church.  We are very proud of her!

Happy Weekend!  

What are you celebrating? 

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, VikLit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author for more information.  And don't forget to check out her co-hosts:  Diana Wilder, LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, Katie @ TheCyborgMom, and CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

 

Voodoo Dirt Helps Arthritis

The drastic temperature changes over the past couple of weeks have been especially hard on my shitty bones, causing my arthritis to kick into overdrive and make me ache all over.  It will be 70 during the day, and drop to the 40's overnight.  Imagine if you took a hot glass straight from the dishwasher and put it in the freezer...it would shatter, right?  Well, my body seems to react with a similar anger to the temperature change.

This past weekend I barely made it out of bed because I was in so much pain.  Luckily, over the past couple of days, the temperature seems to have evened out a bit, although now I'm dealing with the achiness that comes with all this stupid rain!  My acupuncture treatment today has already granted me some relief...thank God.  God bless my acupuncturist...she is a true healer.  I asked for some herbs to help over the next couple of weeks and she gave me this concoction.

I have to take three small teaspoons a day, before meals. The taste is pretty terrible, and it looks like dirt, but all the herbs I've taken in the past have helped.  Let's hope I'm as lucky again this time around!

Here's a closeup of the ingredients:

Don't ask me about the ingredients...the only ones that are recognizable to me are cinnamon and licorice!  But if this bottle of voodoo dirt helps...then bring it on!

Have you ever eaten or taken anything out of the ordinary just to help you feel better?

I Just Want To Nap

I woke up to darkness this morning. And not because it was the middle of the night...oh no. It was 7am and I could feel the dreariness before I even opened my eyes. I hate days like this, when there is no sun to be seen and the dream of a good hair day just laughs in my face.

Dark mornings like this make me just want to stay in bed. The depression from lack of sunlight gets to me and the achiness that I feel in all my joints doesn't help with my mood.

But I couldn't stay in bed today...I had to take my son for his yearly medical checkup. And because he's going into middle school in just a few weeks (how is my baby growing up so fast???) he needed to get a tetanus shot. And guess who was even grumpier than me this morning...yup...my boy! Luckily, the shot wasn't as bad as he thought it was going to be, and as a reward I picked him up some Chik-Fil-A for lunch...complete with a vanilla milkshake.

Perhaps I'll snuggle into my bed and take a nap. With all this rain, and my creaky joints, I feel like it's a napping kind of day.

Hoping for the sun to come out tomorrow.

 

New Pain Medicine Routine

I don't know why, but over the past couple of weeks my arthritis has really been flaring up.  I've lost a lot of sleep and finally got tired of feeling so terrible.  My doctor that I see for my neck pain had originally prescribed this new medicine and I decided that I should give it a try.  It's a non-narcotic pain med called ConZip, which is really a slow release Tramadol.  I've been using it for my overall arthritis flare ups and it helps take my pain from a 5-6 to a 2-3...which is a huge difference.

I still get localized pain in my ankles if I'm on my feet too long, and in my neck/shoulder area because of my occipital neuralgia.  For these areas I have compound cream that has been helping take the edge off.  The cream I have for my ankles is a bit stronger and I'd like to try it on my neck, but it's super greasy.  After twenty minutes of absorbing into my ankles, I wipe it off with a wet washcloth otherwise it's too sticky to even get my socks back on.  I'm afraid of getting it into my hair and not being able to get it out if I try it on my neck...I'd have to be super careful.

Ankle cream ingredients

side note:  When I got my new ankle cream a couple of weeks ago it came in some very impressive  packaging.  There was a cold block in there (I guess in case it got too hot during shipment) and it was cushioned to the max.  Seriously, look at the big cushion that was in this thing.

The cushion was bigger than my 10 year old...

Also, I got 3 containers of it.  Does it get used that quickly that I need this much???  I guess we'll see.

Anyway, this has been the routine for about two weeks or so.  ConZip in the morning, Celebrex (anti-inflammatory) and Soma (to keep my back spasms at bay) at night...and cream on various body parts as needed.  It has helped keep the pain in check enough that I was able to take part in cleaning the house in anticipation of my family visiting, and I was able to enjoy the time with my brother when he was here last week.  Let's just hope this all continues to help and that I don't die of kidney or liver failure by the time I'm 50!

Bee Therapy?

As I was getting my weekly acupuncture treatment today, my acupuncturist, Tuan, told me about how he suffers from chronic pain in his shoulder due to several injuries to it in his younger years.  He said he had seen a few doctors, and three different doctors told him that he needed surgery on it to relieve the pain.  Even though I've been seeing him for 5 years or so, I've never known that he suffers from chronic pain because he has always seemed in good health.  Tuan told me that for many years now he has been doing bee therapy, also know as apitherapy, to help with the shoulder pain and that he only has to do it every six months or so to find relief.

Bee therapy is exactly what it sounds like...you get stung by honey bees.  Chinese medicine uses the bees to sting the patient on various acupuncture spots.  Tuan says that bee venom has been used since ancient times, going back to the Egyptians.  He uses it on himself, my other acupuncturist, and has had other patients that have found relief with this practice.  The bee venom causes the body's immune system to react strongly, which is what helps patients find relief.

Tuan told me that he just performed a treatment on my other acupuncturist, Thuc Dan, this past Saturday.  He treated her with only five stings, since she is much more sensitive and reacts more than he does.  Tuan says that since everyone's body reacts differently, people will have varying results and require treatments at different rates.  After speaking with Thuc Dan, she told me that after the treatments she feels like she has the flu for a couple of days, with the day after the treatment being the worst.  To feel a bit better, she took some anti-histamine, which helped to relieve some of the symptoms she was suffering from.

This isn't the first time Tuan has told me about bee therapy.  He mentioned it a few years ago when he told me about a patient of his that suffered from multiple sclerosis.  He had been treating her for years and she had found great relief with the treatments.

So, how crazy is this sounding to you?  If you are a regular, “normal” person, you probably think it sounds nuts.  And it sounds crazy to me too...but it also seems like something that I may be open to.  Suffering on a daily basis sucks, plain and simple.  If I could find something that would relieve my pain on a temporary basis...even if it sounds completely nutty...well, why not try it at least once?

Dear Readers...Have I lost it completely?  Or do you think this may have some substance?

Celebrate The Small Things -- June 20

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

This week I'm celebrating having my brother and his family over for the week.  My little bro lives several states away, which equates to a 20 hour car ride, so we don't get to see each other too often.  I'm loving having him here and visiting with my adorable niece and nephew...they are too cute!

Below is a pic of my son and my nephew watching tv together...they look the same :)

I'm also celebrating good medicine.  My arthritis has been going crazy the past couple of weeks and so I've been taking my newest pain medicine, ConZip (extended release Tramadol), almost every day.  It has really helped take the edge off.

Also celebrating my orthotics...I think they may be helping a bit and I'll take anything I can get!

My brother just reminded me...celebrating old school music that makes you dance in your car like a crazy person.  We heard "The Humpty Dance" twice in three days!  Woot!  Special thanks to Sirius XM radio's 90's on 9!

What are you celebrating?

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, VikLit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author for more information.  And don't forget to check out her co-hosts:  Diana Wilder, LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, Katie @ TheCyborgMom, and CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse

 

Should I Move To Arizona?

The weather this week, so far, is killing me. It's been humid, muggy days that call for thunderstorms at any moment and my arthritic body has not been a happy camper. As much as I love where I live, it's times like these where I entertain the thought of moving to Arizona! But moving to a more dry, desert like state would mean that I'd have scorpions and snakes to deal with. I think I prefer the monster size mosquitoes of DC :)

It took a long time for me to fall asleep last night because of all the aches and pains, and I felt like a truck hit me when I woke up this morning. Seeing as I promised my daughter that I would take her out to lunch after we got her allergy shot, I got up and lathered on some of the pain cream my pain management doc had prescribed for my neck. My shoulders have been the bastards of the week, so I greased them up, along with my neck, and took a ConZip (slow release Tramadol) and layed back down in my comfy bed and watched tv. All these meds needed time to kick in.

Just a couple of hours later, I feel much more like a real person. Not pain free, but manageable for now. I leave soon to spend a little munchkin-mommy time with my girl. Prayers that my “real person-ness” lasts the afternoon!

Total Ankle Replacement 1 Year/6 Month Update – Good News And Bad News

Yesterday I made the trek into DC to see my surgeon for my 1 year (left ankle) and 6 month (right ankle) check up.  My original appointment wasn't for another month, but considering the pain I've been in, and the lack of progress, they wanted to see me earlier.

If you've been following along with my progress, then you know that I've plateaued in the past few months.  Since March, I haven't been able to do more than 10 minutes on the treadmill without being in a ton of pain.  Seems like 10-15 minutes on my feet is the absolute most I can do, and by then I'm hurting like a mofo.

 

 

The Good News

My ROM (range of motion) is great.  And looking at some newly taken x-rays, it seems like the implants are healing up nicely.  Everything concerning the ankle joint is perfect.  My surgeon was very happy with his work :)

I explained to my doc that I still can't be on my feet for more than 10 minutes without being in pain and asked why that would be.  And then came the bad news...

The Bad News (with a little Good News (sorta) sprinkled in)

The bones in my feet are shit!  Because of my condition (SED—aka: shitty bone disease) I have severe arthritis in my feet.  I'm looking at future surgery on fusing a few of these bones in order to help with the pain.  When I heard the word “fusion” I freaked out.  At first I thought he was talking about fusing my new cyborg ankles that I just busted my ass for a year to get to work right.  But he assured me that it's not my ankles he's talking about, but my feet.  Apparently ankles and feet are separate things...duh! :P  Doc says that fusing the bones in my feet won't affect my ROM because any ROM that I would have had in these bones is already gone.  I asked if my walking would be affected and he said that it would probably be better since I won't be in pain.

The circled pen marks are the spots where he'd do the fusions.

Now, he won't really get into the knitty gritty of the surgery just yet.  He wants to see me back in 6 months for my one year anniversary on ankle #2.  If I'm still having pain at time, then I'm thinking this foot-bone-fusing discussion will happen then.

So I'm looking at another surgery in the near future, but it should help with my pain...that's the sprinkle of good news just in case you missed it :)

What do I do now for my feet pain?

He's hoping that my new orthotics will help relieve some of my pain.  Since I've only had them a week, it's still too early to tell.  My husband asked how long it would take to see some improvement with the orthotics and Doc said for a “normal” person it usually takes about six weeks...but for me he thinks I'm looking at a couple of months.  Either way, this is a longer time frame than Ryan (the orthotics fitting dude) gave me.  Oh well.  Fingers crossed!  Anyone else have orthotics?  If they've helped, how long did it take for them to start helping?

Doc is also prescribing some compound pain cream to rub on my feet twice a day.  I have some pain cream that I use on my neck (to read about my neck problems click here) and this sounds like a similar cream.  The cream I have helps with my neck, so hopefully this new one will help with my feet.

I'm also supposed to start actually taking my Celebrex twice a day as it's prescribed.  On the bottle, it says to take one pill once in the morning and once at night.  Well, I try to take as little medicine as possible so I usually only take it at night.  I guess now I'll change it to twice a day and just suck it up!

Figuring it couldn't hurt to ask, I asked if cortisone injections would help at all with the foot pain.  Doc basically laughed out loud.  Apparently my bones are so shitty that they'd react to cortisone with a "bitch please!"  Oh joy!

At least I have some answers now as to why I haven't been getting any better.  It's always worse when you don't know what's wrong.  Don't you think?

______________________________________________________________

To read about my full ankle replacement journey, please click on the Total Ankle Replacement tab.  

I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have.  Please comment below, or email me privately at:  thecyborgmom@gmail.com

Going For A Road Trip

My stress level has been pretty high over the past few weeks...with dealing with my plateaued progress with my ankles, and some upcoming family events.  But this past weekend I noticed my anxiety getting markedly worse than it's been.  This upcoming weekend we are going out of town for my brother-in-law's wedding and I'm really dreading the whole trip.  Don't get me wrong, I love my BIL, and my future SIL, and I'm happy to attend their wedding, it's all the other stuff that's a problem for me and my medical state these days.

The only long trip I've made in the past year was when I went to visit my parents in Delaware back in November.  Visiting them is a 3 hour car trip each way, and although it took a lot out of me, there was nothing expected of me.  We didn't go anywhere...I could wear my sneakers...I could put my feet up when needed...and I knew that if I didn't feel well, I could always go and lay down and rest.  Bottom line...I didn't have to pretend to be happy and well if I really wasn't.

 Most people don't realize how much pretending, or putting on a happy face, goes on when you are a chronic pain sufferer.  Even the simple question of, “How are you?” is a difficult one to answer.  Are they just making conversation? “Okay, and how are you?”  Do they want the short version of the truth? “I've had better days, but things could always be worse.”  Do they want the whole truth? “I want to go home and load up on pain meds until I fall asleep and don't have to deal with the pain any longer.”  By the way...I usually go with the short version answer so I don't have to freak people out and make them feel uncomfortable.  Aren't I nice? :)

This weekend allows me a limited amount of options.  Not only is it a longer car ride, but I can't wear my sneakers, I can't put my feet up, I have to go about things on my own (without my husband's help since he's in the wedding party), and I can't just leave and lay down if the pain gets too much.  Not only will I be bringing all my pain meds along with me for this trip, but my Xanax for the stress of it too.  It's amazing how much more anxiety I get when I feel like I'm backed in a corner and have no plan B.

Say prayers for me my friends!  I have a feeling the anxiety is only going to get worse.  Hopefully the pain will be less than the anxiety, although I have a feeling it probably won't :(

Arizona Braces and Custom Orthotics

Monday morning I had my appointment to get fitted for my custom orthotics.  So, in other words, I'm full on my way to being a grumpy old lady ;)

I went to the same place, and had the same dude, that I got my arizona braces (AB) from.  Those arizona braces basically held off my ankle replacement surgery for about two years.  Wearing them helped me to stay on my feet just a little longer because they work by simulating a fusion.  They're not the most comfortable things to wear, but without them I would have been so much worse than I was.

For those who have never seen these braces in person, they are made of a rigid plastic and covered in leather.  The inside, where they touch your leg, has a thin foam layer.  You put them on (with socks, or they will end up stinking to high heaven), lace them up, and then wear them with a rigid shoe...I sized up a half a size, took out the insoles, and wore them with sneakers.  The worst part for me was that they got very hot in the summer and I even ended up getting athlete's foot and had to treat my feet with over the counter spray.  Yeah, not so sexy.

Looking at the picture, you may ask, "why are they different?".  One is taller than the other and the heels are different on them as well.  The only answer I have is that since these are custom made, and I had them made about a year apart, they will vary.  I do think that the one that did not have the rigid plastic on the heel was more comfortable than the other.  At times my right heel would go numb because of the plastic.  So if you have to have these made, ask for a soft heel.

When I was fitted for my ABs, it was all very hi-tech.  I placed my foot on a stool and then the tech, Ryan, used what looked like a grocery store scanner to “paint” my foot and leg with the laser.  The images came up on the computer and are then sent to whoever makes them.  It takes about 2 weeks for them to come in.

Getting fit for my orthotics was different.  No laser beams that look like a scanner.  Instead, I had to place my foot into this blue foam.  Actually, Ryan took my foot and gently placed it in there and then pushed down on my toes and in the correct places on my foot to insure that I had a perfect footprint.  The foam felt like I was stepping in sand, but when I took my foot out it was all clean...no debris left.  I did this for both feet and we were finished in about 5 minutes.  Easy peasy.  Like the ABs, they should also take about 2 weeks to come in.

As a kid, I had custom orthotics made for my flat feet.  They were horrible and very painful to wear.  I asked Ryan if my new orthotics would be like those, all the while hoping that in the past 30 years that medical science had greatly improved in this area.  He said that they don't even make those kind anymore because they were too rigid.  Thank God!  Ryan said that the new ones will be firm, with a thin padding on top.  I'm just hoping that they will fit into shoes other than sneakers.  I've been confined to sneakers for the past 3 years or so because of the arizona braces.  I'd really like to wear some boots!

I miss my boots!

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Reading Is Fundamental

I know, most of what I've been recommending has been a lot of TV watching...but I'm a TV junkie, so what do you expect?  I just don't devour books the way I consume entire seasons of television shows in a matter of days.  But when I find a good book, it's hard for me to put it down.  I really enjoy books that are a series because I like to get to know my characters really well.

Reading is a fantastic way to pass the time and it's certainly better for your brain than TV watching.  There is scientific research that suggests that it helps improve your memory, reduce stress, and expands your vocabulary.

Immediately after surgery, I couldn't read.  I was on too many drugs to concentrate on reading...which is why I watched a lot of TV.  I tried the whole audiobook thing, but it just puts me to sleep.  It was only after I got off most of the heavy duty medication that I was able to read again.

I enjoy reading e-books on either my Kindle Fire or my Nook.  Because of my medical condition, I have arthritis, and reading on an e-reader is just easier on my hands.  And the fact that I can get stuff from the library directly on my e-reader or buy books online...the instant gratification factor is undeniable.

Do you have an e-reader?  Do you prefer to read “real” books or e-books?

_____________________________________________________________

 

For a click-able list of all 26 How to Keep Busy While Recovering posts, click here.

How To Keep Busy While Recovering: Hot Baths

The medical condition that I have causes me to suffer from arthritis.  Anyone who also suffers from arthritis knows that some days are worse than others and things like your activity level or the change in weather can affect how achy you feel.  

Solution?  Take a nice long hot bath.  

Fill it to the brim, get the water as hot as you can stand it, toss some Epsom salts in there, and soak until you can't take the heat any longer.  My favorite time to soak is at night, right before bed.  It not only helps with my arthritis, but it also helps to relax me for bedtime.  I turn off all the lights, light some candles, put on my favorite Pandora channel, and just soak.

This winter has been especially hard on me because of all the snow we've had.  So one day I woke up...and it was one of those days that I just didn't want to get out of bed because I was so achy.  So I stayed in bed all morning, then took a nice hot bath around noon...got back into my pajamas and that was my day.  I don't normally do that, but it was really needed and totally worth it.

Do you enjoy taking hot baths either for relaxation or as a form of therapy for your aching body?

_____________________________________________________________

 

For a click-able list of all 26 How to Keep Busy While Recovering posts, click here.