I got a couple emails asking, so I thought I’d give you an update.
After taking down the Christmas decorations, I began to feel numbness in both hands and in my arms. I had a lot of swelling in my hands and feet. I also had joint pain. After a video visit with the doctor, I was given a muscle relaxer and steroids.
I was told if the numbness didn’t go away to make an appointment. After the meds were gone, the numbness remains. So she worked me in on Friday.
At the appointment, she had me raise my hands and arms and such. She moved them around, poked around and thinks it’s something in my neck. I don’t know how that fits into everything else, but ok. She told me that she wants me to go get an EMG. So now I am waiting to get a day for that. I need to call on Monday.
I’m not sure what happened with my Blood Pressure, either. On Thursday, when I was at the ADHD doctor it was 130/80. That’s good for me! But at the Primary doc on Friday, it was 140/100.
There was all kinds of confusion with my Upper GI test, too. For some reason they had me down as cancelled. I spent way too much time on the phone trying to figure out whether I was getting it done or not. Once it was sorted out, we figured out what happened. It is now rescheduled to this coming week.
So in a nutshell I have more questions than answers. When I wake up, that’s when it is the worst. Pain accompanies the numbness. Some swelling, too.
I will keep you posted. Thanks for checking up on me.
I’m forcing myself to write today. I have some funny things to share, and these are the type of things that have kept me going the last couple weeks.
Feeling … not right
When I got the diagnosis of ADHD recently and began the new medication, I had hoped that I would start to feel some things change. They did, but not in the way I expected. Now, I’m told that it takes 4-6 weeks for this new med to really do what it is supposed to do, and I have only been on half of the dose for a month. They are supposed to up the dose the next time I see them. I have an appointment with the place where I got my diagnosis this week, so I hope to get things sorted out.
I should not be feeling more depressed than I was before the medication, but I am. I am supposed to have my yearly physical next week and I am embarrassed to go in. All the weight I lost is back. Bad choices and emotional eating are to blame (ok, I am to blame, too!). There is no motivation. I have tried to psyche myself up to no avail. There is a program through work that I just stopped doing because I wasn’t feeling like myself and didn’t think it was helping. I have to go get bloodwork tomorrow and I always fret about what that is going to show.
I’m not saying meds are the answer, but something isn’t right. Here’s hoping that we figure it out.
Vet Visit
Daisy had a vet appointment today. She is 21 pounds already. The vet seems to think she will be bigger than we anticipated. “At least 100 pounds” Sam said.
She is totally puppy and chewing everything in sight. Housebreaking remains a challenge, but she starts her “Puppy Obedience” classes after Thanksgiving.
Ella went to the vet with Sam. When they got home, Sam says, “Hey Ella, tell daddy how they had to take Daisy’s temperature.” Without skipping a beat, she yells, “They used a butt thermometer!”
She’s still giggling about it.
Holiday Decor
While Sam and Ella were at the vet, Andrew and I put together the 8 foot arch that we got for out front. It wasn’t as difficult as I anticipated and I was able to get it up in about 30 minutes. Each bulb and the Merry Christmas sign have LED lights, so I cannot wait to see how this looks at night.
With the construction finally done, and our yard being semi-put back together, I need to get out and get some of the leaves out of the way. They have that hay with the netting all over the lawn so the grass will grow back, so I’m not sure just how much I can actually rake.
The majority of the holiday decorating is done, however, there are still a couple small things I need to do. I have those light nets for a couple of the bushes I need to get up and some lighted garland that I will put around the front door. Normally, when that is done, I am done. Not this year.
Sam wants to put an artificial tree out on the side porch this year. We didn’t want to buy a new one, so we kept an eye on Facebook marketplace for one. I asked a coworker if she knew anyone who was getting rid of a tree and she actually said she had one that had been sitting in the garage since they got one from her parents. At some point this weekend, there will be another tree to decorate.
Grades
Over the past two weeks, I finished up three tests for my Bible classes. This semester, we are in the books of Romans and Matthew. We are also in an Old Testament Survey class and a Preparation and Delivery of Sermons class.
I aced all three tests. They were tough. I plan on using my lunch break at work daily to watch the classes and take tests. It’s a nice, because usually no one is in the building, so it is uninterrupted.
Brotherly Q & A
My brother, who has written a couple times for this blog in a “guest” role contacted me and said he really enjoyed it. So he thought it would be cool to think of some holiday themed questions to ask each other. He sent me his, and I was surprised that I had a lot of the same questions on my list. I combined the two lists into one and we’re going to share with each other. Some of the questions are more personal or family oriented, but I may share those answers here. We’ll see.
As I mentioned in a previous blog, I had my annual physical this week. “I’m gonna put on my mad face …” is what the doc said to me when she came into the room. It broke the tension.
I knew it wasn’t gonna be a good visit. My bloodwork results hit my electronic chart before the visit, so I knew what to expect. My cholesterol is not where it needs to be. To be honest, I don’t know if the “good” or “bad” cholesterol level is high or low. I just know it wasn’t where it needed to be.
My weight has been a discussion for some time now. Last time I was in, she suggested doing some sort of intermittent fasting. This might work for people who keep the same schedule all the time, but it is next to impossible to do it when you work midnights. For four days, I am on nights, then on my days off I switch back to a day schedule to be “normal.”
Lately, with all that is going on we’ve been making quick and fast meals. We were relying on Hamburger Helper and stuff like that, which you know is not healthy. If we forgot to pull something out for dinner, we would naturally just go grab something. Usually it was pizza or burgers.
My doc wants me to get back on Weight Watchers. I can do that. I know there are plenty of people who have had great success with other programs, but these are usually very expensive, and money is kind of tight right now. So I will do what I can to get back on the wagon.
That means finding healthier choices, more protein, less carbs, and smart snacking. I did it before and I can do it again. It’s just more difficult at age 51. Ideally, I’d love to lose about 100 pounds….
My A1C levels this time around were right on the cusp of prediabetes. This is something I need to get under control. All the more reason to start eating better.
Once I get my weight down, I am sure it will help with my blood pressure. It was pretty high this visit. Granted, I knew it wasn’t going to be a good visit, so I was probably stressing a bit about it.
My doc has me taking my blood pressure twice a day and I am going to follow up with her in two weeks to see if any meds need to be changed. I have a blood pressure cuff at home, but my upper arm is too big for it, so I have to take it on my forearm. Those readings have been a bit high. At work, however, we have an extra large cuff and when I take it there, it is a little more normal. So I am not sure what to think.
I will keep tracking it and hopefully, I can get it back under control.
In essence, the results of my physical have basically helped me write my goals for the new year! Wish me luck – and help keep me accountable!
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 