Quarantine and chill and kindness chatty clubhouse: Jump in and join the conversation! All is welcome!

[flyingdumbo127]

Merry Christmas in July, everyone. Thank you dear Bobbi for the merry reminder. Pre Covid, I enjoyed a Christmas in July service at church. I will look for one online. C, my roommate, daily listens to a song called, "Living Hope," by Phil Wickham. The message is Easter based with a message that is a reminder that Christmas is everyday because Jesus, Who is all that is merry and bright, is Forever.

Dear Snowysmom, please take care of yourself. I love (always) your spirit and outlook.

God willing this Christmas in July day will gift me moving forward. Love to all.

 

[lynxstch]

Good sunny morning. Excessive heat warning for today. Temps mid to upper 90's and it may feel like 105. I got everything done outside that needed to be done already. I watered last night, and again this morning. Maybe some rain tomorrow. I mowed yesterday so that's done until next week.

Stay cool everyone, have a great Friday

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Cute dear Lynn. I am so glad to be able to use smilies again! This place is crazy. About half an hour ago, maintenance workers started polishing and deep cleaning the hallway right outside my room. Yesterday, they did this in part of the connecting hallway, it took all day to be re-opened! I am not about to stay trapped inside here all day. Here's to hoping the floor dries quick. Not smart planning at all!

 

[lynxstch]

Good morning. Going to be 89 with humidity of 91, so not a good day to be outside. Chance of storms this afternoon.

I need something at Aldi's, and I want to stop at Gabes and Ollies. Then a stop at the Farmers market to get a couple of cantaloupes, and that will be my outing for the weekend and I can stay inside where it's cool. Getting a move on right now.

Have a good day

 

[Snowysmom]

Good morning. It is cooler here today, not as humid temps heading to 83 or so. I took an early morning walk and it was really nice. I changed the bed, cleaned the bathrooms, and did some misc stuff. Heading to Kenny's to go to buy an iPad. Never had one so new to me. My less than 3 year old laptop seems to be having issues with the display "jumping". I did google it and it looks like some diagnostics need to be run. I will let my IT team aka Kenny and Jeff look at it when they have time. It is still completely usable as it only happens occasionally. On our Legoland trip Kenny set up and took a picture of the whole family. I had requested that before we left and he brought his collapsible tripod. The pictures are so nice. I rarely end up in any pictures so I requested a family photo. I have to print it out and put it up in a frame.

Have a good Saturday

 

[Judique]

Good morning all!

Hope everyone is having a good Saturday!

Today is a day when I normally would be out playing with my plants, mowing grass and getting hot and sweaty. However, I need to stay away from all that until it's cooler. I need to hire a yard guy to cut and trim but have not made any serious efforts.

My biopsy is coming up Tuesday morning. I don't think there is too much to worry about there other than going through the procedure. I feel it's more in the 'take a good look so that it can be tracked' category.

Same day I will have an MRI on my spine later that afternoon. This is in my opinion a serious mobility issue. I have been in constant pain in various areas on my left side and the meds blunt it but it's never gone.

The back issue is something I've been aware of pretty much all of my life since I was a child. I've had various levels of pain at times, such as during pregnancies, and I've had searing pain that came and went as quickly as it came based on position. There has been narrowing between my disks and this has increased. I had the pain for months after a little collision where I was rearended. That pain was more manageable than this and eventually it subsided. Many years ago I used to get chiropractic adjustments and that is a possibility after the test shows more detail. We will see.

It reared itself during/right after my bone density scan. I off course had to be in certain positions while the test was being done. No one forced me into anything that 'snapped' or anything like that. It's just that I was uncomfortable as soon as I got off the table but figured it would feel better after resting. It didn't go away. Yet. In fact it's taken over my life at the moment.

One example is for the biopsy I have been instructed to wear a sports bra. Sounds simple and I had a couple. However while trying them on they fit too tightly right now to get them on and off easily due to my pain so off to Target to get a larger size. DD had asked for something at Costco so I was going there next. But after leaving Target, I couldn't easily face the normal walk back to my car at Target or from the parking lot at Costco into the store. This from someone who walks all over Disney World while there, and who sometimes beats the boat into Epcot from Boardwalk. Got in my car eventually and came home. Thankfully the lumbar in my car's seat worked well for driving the relatively short distances.

I'm taking this one day at a time and hoping that my back issue will resolve itself. Therapy has also been mentioned and I have a sheet of exercises I'm trying to do meanwhile.

Thanks for listening. On here you can just skip it if I'm rambling too much. It's more difficult in real life because I don't want family to be burdened by this. Plus, everyone is so busy it's hard to expect others to make a lot of time for this.

 

[lynxstch]

@Judique You're not rambling, you're sharing with your Quacker family, and we all care.

Sending you a and pixie dust for you to feel better soon.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Dear Lynn hug and smooth and easyprayers. Please do stay home afterwards and enjoy some extra rest and relaxationEditing to add Amen to your kind and very true words to Judique!

Dear Snowysmom. As I get older, pictures with both my dad and I mean a whole lot to me. Happy shared moments with those we love are such a grace from God indeed

Dear Judique God has connected and kept all of us a Quacker family because He trusts us to love, support, and care for each other as we grow in faith and serve. We CARE and are here for you. Thank you for blessing us by allowing us to do so!

Good morning friends

I was blessed extra to have gotten a very good night's sleep. No one came in last night which was wonderful! I wish that would happen every night. This morning is June in July gloomy with bright rays of joy and hopealways. Yesterday, by God's love I was led closer to my answered prayer. I believe Monday I will get it. Love and Who is Right always wins.

The hallways were opened up by lunchtime yesterday. A relatively small section was done as opposed to on Thursday. Crazy though and not at all smart planning!

Dad, God willing, is coming to visit again today. I should have my regular, sweet morning shift CNA too. Have a great Saturday, my dear Quacker family. I will check back in later

 

[Judique]

Thanks all for the support!

I do want to share one small positive. I'm also just finishing a Doxycycline prescription because of my latest tick bite. Either that or my pain, has made me slightly nauseous at times. This has cut down on my constant desire for anything with sugar that is mainly empty calories and of course not good for my type 2 diabetes. I'm moving slower and eating less and more conscious of what I'm eating, which has resulted in me dropping 5 pounds!

Small victory there as when you are trying to eat right it's not easy when you love cookies and everything like that. You also tend to plateau as your body accustoms itself to the caloric intake. I've been able to sort of maintain a weight goal over the years but not always a healthy eating goal, although I'm well aware of what is good for me and what sets me back. This encourages me to be more discerning about what I spend my calories on.

On that note I picked up a packaged salad at Costco last week that I had not tried. It was fresh spinach with almonds, a bit of parmigiano Reggiano, a bit of croutons - small size and tender, with a honey mustard dressing. It was very good and worked well as lunch with some leftover chicken. Even DD loved it. Hopefully I can get another soon, if not I'll still get salad, just something else.

My Mil used to make a spinach salad that was delish that I also have made. Fresh spinach with bacon, mushrooms, sliced hard boiled eggs and blue cheese dressing. A little on the heavy side but delicious for once in a while.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Extra hug and for you dear Judique. Good for you, my friend. You got this. God always has you!

 

[lynxstch]

Thanks all for the support!

I do want to share one small positive. I'm also just finishing a Doxycycline prescription because of my latest tick bite. Either that or my pain, has made me slightly nauseous at times. This has cut down on my constant desire for anything with sugar that is mainly empty calories and of course not good for my type 2 diabetes. I'm moving slower and eating less and more conscious of what I'm eating, which has resulted in me dropping 5 pounds!

Small victory there as when you are trying to eat right it's not easy when you love cookies and everything like that. You also tend to plateau as your body accustoms itself to the caloric intake. I've been able to sort of maintain a weight goal over the years but not always a healthy eating goal, although I'm well aware of what is good for me and what sets me back. This encourages me to be more discerning about what I spend my calories on.

On that note I picked up a packaged salad at Costco last week that I had not tried. It was fresh spinach with almonds, a bit of parmigiano Reggiano, a bit of croutons - small size and tender, with a honey mustard dressing. It was very good and worked well as lunch with some leftover chicken. Even DD loved it. Hopefully I can get another soon, if not I'll still get salad, just something else.

My Mil used to make a spinach salad that was delish that I also have made. Fresh spinach with bacon, mushrooms, sliced hard boiled eggs and blue cheese dressing. A little on the heavy side but delicious for once in a while.

When Don was alive, his spinach salad would consist of the same things as your MIL, with the addition of red onion slices and french dressing. I don't care for mushrooms or onions, so mine is just spinach, hard boiled eggs and Catalina dressing. In fact, I have some hard boiled eggs and fresh spinach from the farmers market in the fridge. I may make a salad to go with my chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole for dinner
We just hit 91 degrees, so much for their 'expected temp in the 80's. No sign of the storms they say we will get either.

 

[Snowysmom]

Judique Sending healing thoughts and prayers to you.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Good afternoon! We were up early this morning to meet DD for breakfast on her way home from work. Found a little place that makes the best egg sandwich (besides my own) - I’ve been craving them lately and it didn’t disappoint.

I love a good spinach salad, too. (Now I want one.) The best I’ve ever had was at a diner once. The diner is still around and when I’m up that way, I say I should go back in there and get that spinach salad again but always wind up going elsewhere. Will have to make it happen next time. DH and I shared a really good wedge salad the other night when we went out to get a bite to eat. This one had pickled onions instead of plain red onions and I thought it gave it a good taste. Plenty of crumbled bacon and blue cheese too, more than enough for the two of us. I’ve been craving salads.

Moving along somewhat in my recovery. Still in a lot of pain as there are a lot of incisions with swelling and numbness. Hard to sleep due to comfort issues and I have to practically hold my breast as we drive as the bumps in the road are brutal. I can’t lay on that side. Alternating tylenol (which doesn’t do much for me) and motrin. The chair pillow I bought has helped somewhat but by morning I’m sprawled across it, lol. It doesn’t help that the dogs share the bed with us. Toto is fine he’s small and usually stays next to DH, but G is very large and somewhat of a bull in a china shop, and he’s on and off all night on my side. I’m afraid he’ll jump on my leg that has an incision from where they took the vein out to put in my arm (for lymphatic drainage where the nodes came out) so I tend to keep my legs up and it gets uncomfortable. Most normal people would probably just keep the dog(s) off the bed but they’ve been with me throughout this whole thing and I enjoy having them near me, even if it gets crowded. Thankfully our bed is king sized! Both of them were groomed last week and nice and clean. G’s fur is silky, shiny and beautiful, he’s really turned into a stunner.

I saw my oncologist this week and had a good visit. Unfortunately I have to start on a new oral medication to prevent the cancer from returning and in reading about it, not loving the potential side effects. I have to see my second surgeon coming up this week for post op, already saw first surgeon (had two, with a ten hour surgery if I didn’t mention that) who took the drain out finally. I can’t go in the pool or any type of water for a month, but at least I can shower, but that is still not easy as the whole area stings. Thankfully it’s getting better though. I bit the bullet and got my hair cut yesterday even though it’s just starting to grow back. I hadn’t had a trim since March and usually go once a month so the hair that was preserved was getting too long and it looked crazy when I woke up, sticking up and out in every which way, lol. (Brought a picture to show my hairdresser and we had a good laugh about it.) Seems a little weird to work so hard to preserve my hair to then have it cut but I feel a lot better now, actually went out today without a headband which hairdresser said could be breaking the front part of my hairline. It’s sparse but for the first time in a long time I styled it in my normal way.

Came home today and took a little nap in the cool air at home. Felt nice.

Snowysmom, glad you got an iPad - that’s all I use! (I have the Pro 12 inch w Magic Keyboard and it’s like a laptop.) Glad you had a good time at Legoland. Prices are ridiculous everywhere now. At many restaurants if you want seafood now ie basic fried scallops and fries it’s like $35! Fortunately I had a sandy scallop and moderately bad clam back in June so I haven’t wanted that since, but it is generally something I really love, especially in the summertime.

Mona I hope you get good news soon. How is your walking coming now? I hope you are still burning up the hallways there so you can go home in the fall and get to Disney soon!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend everyone!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I made this separate as my post was getting too long!

@Judique so sorry to hear of your ongoing pain. I made some posts about that and my DH’s experiences back within the past several months for Mona’s dad. Once you have an MRI they can try a cortisone shot to your back if it is a disc issue that’s pinching the nerve. DH had the same type of pain and could barely walk but still had to go to work and all that. I had never seen him so down. He had many shots (it can take two to get relief, then you often wind up needing more in a year or two as the disease progresses, ie degenerative disc disease). But eventually when he maxed out the shots he was sent to have a minimally invasive discectomy at a hospital that specializes in orthopedic treatment and it was the best thing that could’ve happened, he wished he’d done it sooner. Got there around 5am and by the time he walked out several hours later he was in almost complete relief for the first time in years. That lasted for a good long time, maybe ten or more years, and he’s since had to have more shots again - as I said, degenerative disc disease is progressive, but fortunately he’s still doing ok with that. I know the pain is really awful but many, many people go this route to get relief, and I hope you can, too. (Personally I don’t do chiropractors.) HTH.

Also, good luck with your biopsy Tuesday, I’ll be thinking about you. Bags of frozen peas can be helpful post biopsy, and take some motrin when you get there for the procedure, a hearty dose. (Not too long before as it can cause bleeding.) I have been wearing sports bras too post surgery and had to buy some more at WalMart yesterday as I have to wash them daily as there is still some drainage that gets on them. But the type I found I really like are the Fruit of the Loom that hinge in the front and are extra comfortable. The other type I always had were the pullover ones but these are better. When swelling subsides I have to be re-measured as I had a reduction so I think I might have to go down a cup size now. (Other side was already smaller from previous lumpectomy.) Might have to buy all new bras. I got on the scale the other day and was surprised to see I’m down several more pounds too so I’m going to try to keep up with the healthy eating, as well.

 

[Judique]

I made this separate as my post was getting too long!

@Judique so sorry to hear of your ongoing pain. I made some posts about that and my DH’s experiences back within the past several months for Mona’s dad. Once you have an MRI they can try a cortisone shot to your back if it is a disc issue that’s pinching the nerve. DH had the same type of pain and could barely walk but still had to go to work and all that. I had never seen him so down. He had many shots (it can take two to get relief, then you often wind up needing more in a year or two as the disease progresses, ie degenerative disc disease). But eventually when he maxed out the shots he was sent to have a minimally invasive discectomy at a hospital that specializes in orthopedic treatment and it was the best thing that could’ve happened, he wished he’d done it sooner. Got there around 5am and by the time he walked out several hours later he was in almost complete relief for the first time in years. That lasted for a good long time, maybe ten or more years, and he’s since had to have more shots again - as I said, degenerative disc disease is progressive, but fortunately he’s still doing ok with that. I know the pain is really awful but many, many people go this route to get relief, and I hope you can, too. (Personally I don’t do chiropractors.) HTH.

Also, good luck with your biopsy Tuesday, I’ll be thinking about you. Bags of frozen peas can be helpful post biopsy, and take some motrin when you get there for the procedure, a hearty dose. (Not too long before as it can cause bleeding.) I have been wearing sports bras too post surgery and had to buy some more at WalMart yesterday as I have to wash them daily as there is still some drainage that gets on them. But the type I found I really like are the Fruit of the Loom that hinge in the front and are extra comfortable. The other type I always had were the pullover ones but these are better. When swelling subsides I have to be re-measured as I had a reduction so I think I might have to go down a cup size now. (Other side was already smaller from previous lumpectomy.) Might have to buy all new bras. I got on the scale the other day and was surprised to see I’m down several more pounds too so I’m going to try to keep up with the healthy eating, as well.

Sorry your husband had to go through this pain. It's definitely no walk in the park. My back has been an ongoing minefield for most of my life. I actually feel lucky that I've made it this far without too much ongoing pain. The stimulus this time was having a bone density scan. As I left the table I felt it 'shift' but not in the flash of pain I'd felt in the past. The flash of pain would almost always resolve quickly almost as if the disc slipped back into a comfortable spot and stayed there. This time it just got worse. We will see what my doc says after the MRI. I'm already pretty familiar with orthopedic surgeons and the dreaded cortisone shots. Had one a couple of years ago for tennis elbow, another fun affliction.

I am not looking forward to the biopsy but will get through it. Frozen peas and all! The radiologist spoke to me after the ultrasound and really downplayed what they are looking at, and I think they are just ruling out anything much at this point but will be monitoring in future. I showed it all to my son who works peripherally in cancer research and he has been very encouraging to me, having seen the worst of the worst. I shopped at Target for the bra and didn't see fruit of the loom. I would have liked a hinge in the front as opposed to pulling it over. The ones I had pulled on but were not easy to pull on, so I went with bigger.

Thanks for taking the time to share you and your husband's experience.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Sorry your husband had to go through this pain. It's definitely no walk in the park. My back has been an ongoing minefield for most of my life. I actually feel lucky that I've made it this far without too much ongoing pain. The stimulus this time was having a bone density scan. As I left the table I felt it 'shift' but not in the flash of pain I'd felt in the past. The flash of pain would almost always resolve quickly almost as if the disc slipped back into a comfortable spot and stayed there. This time it just got worse. We will see what my doc says after the MRI. I'm already pretty familiar with orthopedic surgeons and the dreaded cortisone shots. Had one a couple of years ago for tennis elbow, another fun affliction.

I am not looking forward to the biopsy but will get through it. Frozen peas and all! The radiologist spoke to me after the ultrasound and really downplayed what they are looking at, and I think they are just ruling out anything much at this point but will be monitoring in future. I showed it all to my son who works peripherally in cancer research and he has been very encouraging to me, having seen the worst of the worst. I shopped at Target for the bra and didn't see fruit of the loom. I would have liked a hinge in the front as opposed to pulling it over. The ones I had pulled on but were not easy to pull on, so I went with bigger.

Thanks for taking the time to share you and your husband's experience.

Of course! The way our doctor explained it was that there is a gel in between the discs for fluidity of spinal movement. When a disc ruptures, the gel leaks out and hardens, and that hard piece is what then presses on the adjacent nerve, causing pain (that’s often unbearable, going down the leg, etc.) The steroid shots decrease that inflammation enough so that the hardened disc isn’t touching the nerve anymore, though new ruptures as well as advancement of the old ones can happen as time goes on.

The beauty of the minimally invasive discectomy is that they go in very simply with some surgical “scissors” and actually cut away the hardened gel so that it doesn’t touch the nerve anymore. It’s more of a semi permanent solution (keeping in mind that disease can advance). The surgeon who did my husband’s surgery was amazing, made it look so easy. (Works on professional sports players from our area.) I do have a friend who also had the surgery last year at a different place and didn’t have as great results from it, not sure why. But we wouldn’t hesitate to go back to this guy (not sure it’s an option for DH but will look into it next time there are pain issues). It’s important to find someone really good who does a lot of these surgeries, even if it means a little bit of travel into the city or whatever.

I can feel your distress through your posts so I hope at least some of this is helpful. There is relief out there, but it sometimes takes time to get to the right people. That’s why I share, having had similar experiences that were hellish.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

These are the bras. (They make two types of similar bras but these are labeled “comfort”.)

https://www.herroom.com/fruit-of-th...XhzOrOMWONi5QqQzdLbQ-O5u8zVjC5zlx3kwp23mGP5zg

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Just extra loving prayers to both of you dear Pea and dear Judique. Thinking of you both right now.

Dear Pea, God willing I will be burning up the hallways walking early Tuesday morning!

 

[Judique]

These are the bras. (They make two types of similar bras but these are labeled “comfort”.)

https://www.herroom.com/fruit-of-th...XhzOrOMWONi5QqQzdLbQ-O5u8zVjC5zlx3kwp23mGP5zg

Thanks for the link. They look great. And the price is right as well as the fabric looks lighter. With the heat in the 90ties this week coming I would not want some of the bras I saw.

 

[Judique]

Of course! The way our doctor explained it was that there is a gel in between the discs for fluidity of spinal movement. When a disc ruptures, the gel leaks out and hardens, and that hard piece is what then presses on the adjacent nerve, causing pain (that’s often unbearable, going down the leg, etc.) The steroid shots decrease that inflammation enough so that the hardened disc isn’t touching the nerve anymore, though new ruptures as well as advancement of the old ones can happen as time goes on.

The beauty of the minimally invasive discectomy is that they go in very simply with some surgical “scissors” and actually cut away the hardened gel so that it doesn’t touch the nerve anymore. It’s more of a semi permanent solution (keeping in mind that disease can advance). The surgeon who did my husband’s surgery was amazing, made it look so easy. (Works on professional sports players from our area.) I do have a friend who also had the surgery last year at a different place and didn’t have as great results from it, not sure why. But we wouldn’t hesitate to go back to this guy (not sure it’s an option for DH but will look into it next time there are pain issues). It’s important to find someone really good who does a lot of these surgeries, even if it means a little bit of travel into the city or whatever.

I can feel your distress through your posts so I hope at least some of this is helpful. There is relief out there, but it sometimes takes time to get to the right people. That’s why I share, having had similar experiences that were hellish.

That's basically how it has been explained to me. The cushion is gone. My problem at the moment seems to be L5 to S1. The pain is almost phantom in that it can appear to be just in the soft tissue of your leg and then later it has moved to another area. I seem to have about 3 spots that are getting the nerve reaction this time. An interesting thing about the nerve pain: my Doc suspended my statin for cholesterol for the next week because he says the statin absorbs enzymes in the nerve area that could help mitigate the pain. I don't know if there's really anything to that but I trust this doctor and his practice. I've been his patient since the early 90ties and he's guided me to wellness in many ways over the years. He keeps up with the new stuff and he takes his time and listens to you.

The first time years ago that he saw images of my spine he called me at home in a bit of a tizzy because based on what he saw, I should have been in pain. I wasn't at that time. I find that movement, exercise and therapy are usually best for me, but I will be asking him about discectomy. I'd heard the term but didn't know how it was done.

Sounds a bit like when I had shoulder pain the orthopedic surgeon went in arthroscopically and trimmed the bursa. Tiny incissions and outpatient surgery.

Almost time for my pain med.
At least with the med I'm taking I'm getting sleep. A few hours at a time.