Bits and Bobs

I have a whole lot of little things to mention, but not a lot to say about each item. It's a bit of a potpourri.

Went to my water class today. The usual Friday instructor was out, and we had a sub. The sub was nice enough, but fairly detached from reality. A lot of her moves aren't practical for people with arthritis. Our bodies just don't move that way anymore. Not to mention that you'd need a snorkel since some of the yoga positions she wanted us to take would put our heads under the water.

Spent a good chunk of the afternoon curled up in bed with What Happens in London by Julia Quinn. Enjoying it greatly.

Making nice progress on my two scarves and clapotis. I'm working up the clapotis from Knitpicks Imagination in Mermaid Lagoon. There's a little bit of an olivey green in the colorway, which I wasn't keen on at first. At the beginning the whole thing was a little stripey, but once I got further in I started getting a really nice pooling effect. And once I started on the second hank there was a nice little pop of electric blue that was missing in the first hank, even though they're supposed to be from the same dye lot. The overall effect is very watery and pretty.

I was out of vitamins, so I went to Target this afternoon, straight from the pool and soaking wet. At least I was clean! They had Lean Cuisine French bread pizzas on clearance for $1.17 a pop, so I cleared them out. Gotta love a bargain! The freezer is now crammed full (not just with LC pizzas- there's a lot of other stuff in there, too), and I should be set for a while. I also picked up a couple of books and the most recent Tori Amos cd.

For once I'm having no difficulty getting Trouble to take his medicine. He's been chewing all his fur off again, so the vet put him on an oral steroid. It's a liquid, and they put tuna flavoring in it. He LOVES it. Yesterday morning I was sitting on the couch after breakfast when he started screaming at me for his morning dose. I turned around to look, because it sounded like he was in the kitchen. He was standing on the breakfast bar, near where I put the syringe! We had words after that. Trouble is most definitely NOT allowed on the counters, and he knows it. I made him wait until he settled down before giving him his medicine. I don't want to encourage that kind of behavior. He's not acted up (at least nothing beyond the usual) since.

The new earpiece for my cell phone arrived in the mail today! I know that doesn't sound particularly exciting, but the wire is broken on the old one and it desperately needed to be replaced. I use that thing all the time. My elbows give me fits, and one of the most painful motions is to bend my arm and put my hand near my face. As in, you know, holding a telephone to your ear. (Strangely enough, eating doesn't bother my elbow at all. snort.)

I spent about an hour this evening reprogramming my Comcast DVR. Somehow, all my regular recording options got deleted. Maybe when the power blinked this afternoon. I really miss my Tivo. It was so much easier to program and maintain than what I have now, even if you don't consider all the malfunctions and problems I've had since switching over. I really wish the stupid digital conversion hadn't made my old Tivo basically obsolete. Stupid Congress.

Well, I guess that's all I have to say right now. Not terribly interesting, but if you've made it this far you probably didn't have anything better to do anyway! ;p

Can't...stop...SNEEZING!

I had an appointment with my Rheumy yesterday, and in the constant quest to get my fatigue under control we've decided to switch out my antihistamine. I've taken Claritin daily for ages, and I don't believe it was making me tired. But it wasn't doing much to keep my allergy symptoms under control, either. So as of yesterday I'm on Allegra. I guess (hope) it takes a little while to reach full effect, because I've been sneezing like mad for the last twenty-four hours. Ugh!

I also went in to the office to talk to my boss after my doctor's appointment. It was scary, because I had to admit something to him that I've known for myself for a while now- I'm not physically capable of working a 40 hour week right now, and it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon. Fortunately, it looks like one of my greatest fears isn't going to come true. I was afraid that if I admitted I couldn't come back that I'd be terminated, and I'd lose my disability insurance. I'm still not 100% sure what my status with the company is, but the LTD is safe. The policy stays in place as long as the disability is "medically supported". Since my Rheumatologist flat out told me that I'm in no condition to attempt full time work, I should be OK for the moment. And in the meantime we'll continue to tinker with my meds in the hope of getting me up and running again.

Harper's Island

I just finished watching the Harper's Island finale. I'd rewatched and gossiped and theorized enough that I wouldn't have been surprised no matter which of the suspects was the second killer. But I didn't see that last hour coming. It was weird and a bit of a let down. I'm going to have to think about the killers' motivations for a while. Mostly my reaction is "yeah, but...." It's disappointing because up to this point I really enjoyed the show. But the weak motivations make the whole thing feel pointless. In the real world murder may be stupid and pointless, but as part of a narrative all that death needs to have some sort of meaning.

I did it!

I've been going to a water arthritis class at the gym for almost two months now. The class is offered three times a week, and from the beginning my goal has been to make it to all three classes. This week I finally succeeded! The teacher today was a substitute, and I felt a little bad for her. We're a loosey-goosey group. It's more like herding cats than leading a typical exercise class. Our jaws get at least as much exercise as the rest of our bodies. But she still pushed us hard. I woke up sore this morning, and I was glad to get home after class and take a pill. And a nap. It was a lovely nap. :)

I'm worried about my friend Betty, though. Betty is a lady I met in the class and, like most everyone else who attends, she's at least in her seventies. Betty's a real character and was the first person to introduce herself when I started the class. She's known as the class troublemaker, because she's there for the gossip. Any exercise is strictly incidental! She didn't seem like her usual chipper self last Friday, and she hasn't been to class since. I found out the other day that she has some pretty serious back problems, and her doctor has told her no swimming. I suspect he doesn't really understand what we do in the class. It pretty low-intensity, and I can't imagine it would be harmful. If nothing else, the movement should help to keep her limber and moving. But I'm not a doctor. I just miss her in class and hope that she feels better soon. If you've got an extra minute, spare a good thought for my friend Betty. I'm sure she could use a few.

Funniest Thing EVER

I saw the funniest thing last week. I realize I'm showing my age here, but I am so sick of seeing droopy drawers everywhere I go. I feel like Denis Leary. PULL UP YOUR PANTS! So anyway, I'm driving down the street and come along a car that's apparently broken down. There are two guys behind it, pushing. As I'm coasting behind them, waiting for a chance to pass, one of the guys' pants start to fall down! So now he's waddling along behind the car, one hand on the bumper trying to push, and the other hand trying to hold up his pants! I just about lost it right there. What a perfect illustration of why this "fashion" trend is completely ridiculous.

Being Brave

One of the things you hear a lot about people with chronic diseases is how strong it makes them. That used to drive me nuts. "I'm only strong because I don't have a choice!" I'd think. "I want to be a wimp like everyone else!" But at two years in, I've discovered that there's a different side to all this.

It's not that I'm so strong. It's just that I've faced a lot of things that scare me, and I survived. That makes it easier to face your other fears. I've spent at least 10 hours in the dentist's chair this year. It's something I've needed to do for years, but I just kept avoiding it. On Friday I had a wisdom tooth removed. And you know what? None of it was a big deal. The extraction didn't even hurt. I wish I'd done it years ago.

Strangely, things that never used to bother me are the things that bring me the most anxiety these days. Before I got sick, I never had a problem leaving the house. I was always out somewhere- at the movies, meeting a friend for a meal, at the bookstore or just grocery shopping. Now leaving the house is an event. I plan carefully where I'm going, and half the time I put it off at the last minute.

So I guess I just appear strong because I no longer fear the things that healthy people do. Needles? No big. Medical tests? Bring it. The dentist? Been there, done that. But I still struggle. I still have fears. It's just that the things I fear are things that most healthy people take for granted. I think the lesson for me- for everyone- is to push through those fears and do it anyway. So far, nothing has been as bad as I thought it would be. Lately I've even started appearing in a bathing suit in public. After that, what else is there to be afraid of?

Easy Peasy

I'm happy to announce that I came through the wisdom tooth extraction with flying colors. I didn't even bother to take pain pills this morning- not even Tylenol- because it doesn't hurt! My cheek is ever so slightly puffy, and I have the tiniest shadow of a bruise, but that's it. I was told that the uppers are a lot easier to deal with than the lowers. It makes me feel pretty good about the next one that needs to come out (it's a lower), because even if it's more difficult than this one it could still be pretty easy.

The worst part of all of this has actually been dealing with the side effects of the pain medication they gave me. I haven't taken any in over 12 hours (it's supposed to last for 4 hours), and I still feel groggy and slightly nauseous. I was warned not to drive for at least 24 hours after taking my last dose, which is no problem because I laid in provisions and wasn't planning to go anywhere anyway. But that should have told me how rough this stuff would be. That and the fact that it was specially formulated with anti-nausea ingredients.

Well, writing and proofing this has taxed my brain about as much as I can stand right now, so I think I'll go back to bed and read some Amanda Quick!