I finally met my new doctor. It was supposed to be another phone appointment, but when his office called to confirm I asked for a video conference at least, because the doctor needed to see my hands and my shoulder/neck.
Waiting to go in to the office.
I was really impressed with this doctor. He took the time to listen to me. He even noticed when my eye watered.
I have appointments scheduled to get some answers and hopefully some relief for the pain in my neck… Finally after months of waiting I get physical therapy. And I am waiting for a call from a surgeon for my hand.
Dupuytren’s contracture.
It has grown fairly quickly since the lockdown and gripping things is getting harder. The doctor is concerned that it may affect me opening my hand. I am glad I went in.
Mine is PEACE! Add your own word to fill this jar in the comments.
Since we can all use some positivity in our lives, I thought I’d post this after seeing it on Facebook. It is a good exercise. Trying to come up with one positive word is a simple thing we can do everyday. It can help set the mood for the rest of it. So today I am choosing PEACE. Tomorrow I may choose love or maybe peace again. Perhaps I will combine them. My yoga practice (Yoga with Adrienne) often tells to breathe love in and breathe love out. I like this instead of telling you to breathe out the toxic stuff she tells you to put the good stuff back out. We should always try to put out good vibes.
With Ralph not working it feels like summer vacation. Except we can’t travel anywhere. Usually we would have been camping or on a cruise or something. So many things we planned have been canceled or postponed. Baseball games, plays, concerts… Still waiting to see if my birthday present will be possible… Ralph got me tickets to see Garth Brooks in August at Allegiant Stadium when they went on sale before everything went crazy… The way things are going I doubt that will be happening.
Sunrise at Bryce Canyon
Lately I have been staying in bed longer. My recliner is my best friend. I miss being able to just get out and go to the movies or a casino. I know casinos are open, but I am not comfortable since the virus is still going strong. We do go out to eat, but usually order and bring home.
A Side trio while attending Angels vs Astros Game
I’ve been wanting to go hiking at Mount Charleston, but fires up there made it dangerous last week and I am not sure people are allowed back yet. So sad that it was a human who started the fire.
We have a trip planned to return to Anastasia Island in August. I don’t know if it will be happening if the virus continues to spike. Ralph’s cousin is hosting us at her lovely home.
View of the house.View from the house to the beach.
I am looking forward to it. I hope it happens. We can use some R & R away from home. Ralph &Rita need R & R.
Certainly if Ralph gets a job, this could all change. We’d be okay to get back to a normal routine. In the meantime we are praying for a vaccine for Covid-19 and that we can establish a new normal where we can live again. I am okay if I have to wear a mask in public settings. If it keeps everyone “safer”.
Who know maybe we’ll have less colds and flu if we all wear masks. Wouldn’t that be something. And if sick people actually stayed home until they were better. Wow, what a concept.
What does your new normal look like? My days run together. If it weren’t for Zoom/Houseparty meetings and my weekly online book club, I would never know what day it is… I literally need to look at the calendar to see the day.
I spend much of my time reading. Or binge watching tv shows. We have left our bubble to go to breakfast and lunch… A few times to the in-laws. Mostly we remain in our bubble.
Ralph is ready to get back to work, unfortunately until the casinos & hotels do better they won’t need an analyst. Once he returns to work my days will not blur together anymore.
It feels like the blank pages in Blue Moon… probably some of the worst writing or should I say non-writing ever. Our lives don’t revolve around a boy… Life does go on. However, life might as well have stopped during the pandemic when everything closed down. Instead we sat in our houses trying to entertain ourselves.
Movies, musicals, plays and concerts all went online. Meet-ups with friends, co-workers, etc. went online too. My calendar is a little fuller… I am glad I get to connect with friends and writers through the internet.
In person is better, but this works since we’re all over the country.
Sorry I haven’t taken any screen shots of our Brady Bunch moments. But that is what it looks like. It’s fun.
This is hard to do… there are two sides to every story. This world would get very boring if we all thought the same. I think the difference comes down to right and wrong for me.
I am not always right. In fact I make comments that I wish I could take back all the time. I think with my heart which can get me into trouble when it forgets to fact check with my brain.
My basic philosophy is to treat everyone as human serves me well most of the time. However, when I am arguing with others about issues near and dear to my heart I forget that the people I am arguing with deserve that too.
I need to find a way to get my point across without doing this. I usually do a good job, but when people put others lives in jeopardy I get over emotional and forget.
Fortunately I can do better. I learn from my mistakes and hopefully won’t repeat them.
One of the biggest excuses I hear to not wear a mask is that they cannot breathe. There are different kinds of masks, so find one that isn’t real thick. A bandanna works. Or even a face shield can be an alternative.
This by far is the best mask I have. It doesn’t steam up my glasses and gives me room to breathe.
I have had trouble with wearing one myself, so I know it’s not easy. And I have asthma. I think it’s anxiety that gives people the fear of being unable to breathe. This is something you can work on. How?
Slow your breathing to a regular (normal) rate and that will help with that feeling of not being able to breathe.
Practice and build up to longer periods.
Try not to pay attention to the mask. Get your mind on other things.
Repeat as many times as you need until it becomes easier.
This year there doesn’t seem much to celebrate… our country is in turmoil and the world is trying to beat a pandemic.
I took this many years ago on the 4th celebrating in Chillicothe Ohio with my family.
Though it’s definitely not a patriotic song One Tin Soldier by The Original Caste keeps running through my mind. The treasure turned out to be “Peace on Earth”. Very ironic after people were murdered for it. Right now we need to find a way to peace without destroying each other.
Independence Day has a way of uniting this country, but since much of it is in lockdown or still socially isolating its harder to feel the connection to one another. Hopefully, people will be able to connect with their families and stay safe.
Listen to Lee Greenwood and ponder his words whether or not you believe in God the rest of the words ring true. I for one want our flag to continue to stand for freedom, everyone’s!
While your celebrating our country’s freedom remember we all deserve to be free and to be free from persecution! Happy Independence Day, America!
Columbus Ohio has removed its statue of Christopher Columbus from City Hall. Other statues have been removed from around the city.
This is just one example of the changes being made across the country. History is full of bad things. People walked all over others, used and took advantage of those who couldn’t fight back. Christopher Columbus was no exception. He enslaved and captured people to trade when he landed in the West Indies.
While we should not celebrate the man for these things, he did open up European immigration to the Americas. I won’t miss these statues, because I never really stopped to look at them when I lived in Columbus. I know blasphemous.
We can’t erase history, but we need to learn from it. We don’t want repeat them. All we can do is show kindness and understanding toward those who are upset by the statues and by those who are upset by their absence.
From this day forward instead of screaming about why it’s good or bad, say I hear your upset and I am sorry. Maybe find out why your friend is so bothered by it. Sometimes just listening is all one needs of you.
As a patient, I wish they did. But the cold hard truth is they don’t have all the answers.
Sometimes we as patients know more about our disorders than our doctors, which sadly makes us the smartest person in the room.
A great doctor is willing to learn and research when he or she doesn’t know the answers. And is always willing to listen to the patient and send you to someone who can help find answers.
I have have good doctors, I have had a great doctor and I am on a quest to find an acceptable doctor. I wish I could fly to Ohio to see my great doctor, but that isn’t feasible.
Today I am waiting on blood tests to help my new doctor determine what he can do to help me. Hopefully, the non-dairy ice cream didn’t send my sugar too high.
How are you coping with everything happening in today’s world?
Bunnies
I am trying to take one day at a time. I spend less time on social media than before. I’m spending more quality time with my hubby.
Here are some coping strategies:
Avoid Social Media
Do things that you enjoy (read, paint, play games, walk, etc.)
Exercise (I walk daily, but you can find armchair exercises on YouTube or something like yoga to suit your needs.)
Talk with others (there are online support groups for almost everything.) I have been meeting with friends on Houseparty and writers on Zoom.
Keep a journal or blog. Believe me it helps to be able to share your thoughts.
Eat healthy- I know when things are overwhelming it’s easy to turn to food for comfort, but in the long run you pay the price and it makes you feel worse.
Breathe- pay attention to your breathing. Take time to slow it down.
Relaxation/Meditation are helpful skills to learn. There are plenty of YouTube videos to get you started. You may have to try several before you find what works for you.
