4 Weeks

I am up and around a bit more since my fall.  Went to church for the first time in over a month.  That was great and good for my outlook.  Didn't try to make the entire 3 hours, figured that would be way too much for my ribs to tolerate.  The pews, I find, are much too uncomfortable for me normally and certainly would be with a bunch of hurt ribs.  I was able to tolerate the main service pretty well.

While I was in the hospital 'K' was running the show by herself.  Her CRV started dying on her

at every stop light.  It had been running a little rough for awhile and we ignored it.  She didn't even bother me with it.  I guess being in so much pain she knew I couldn't try to work on it and it would just worry me.  So she managed to get it to a garage and get it fixed up.  It wasn't cheap but now it runs like a new car.  While it was there I told her to have them replace the spark plugs that I had tried to do once but passed on when I saw how Honda does them.  Probably spent about half what the car costs but it's paid for and we can keep on driving it without adding a new car expense.  We were looking at a Tacoma until we saw that the dealers are adding 5k to the sticker price.  NOPE!  I can't imagine anyone would pay that.  

I may try to cut the grass in the back yard this week.  The winter grasses (weeds) have exploded with all the rain we have had and it looks pretty nasty.  We almost can't see the dogs when they are out there LOL.  I don't anticipate any trouble doing that with my ribs, they are doing pretty well.  

I don't have much else.

Happy Trails

Three Weeks

Today marks three weeks since I broke myself.  Three weeks of near constant pain.  Pain that is now getting to be much more manageable thankfully.  This morning is the best morning that I have had since I fell.  I even made breakfast for us both but that wore me out.  After being virtually off my feet for those three weeks I have zero stamina.  I hope to start trying to get some of that back this week by walking a bit down the street and back.  Nothing stupid that's for sure.  I may try to get 'K' to drive me around a bit just to get out of the house and see something different than the cieling and the TV.  My appetite is starting to return a little too.  This is all much earlier than the doc preditcted, 4-6 weeks.  I am thankful.  I am not off all pain relievers.  Tylenol and Ibuprofen are around the clock for the most part.  I haven't taken any of the narco stuff in a couple days or more.  I do have a muscle relaxer I take at bedtime and that helps with the sleep.  All in all encouraging progress.

My thoughts have been turning to this blog of late.  Even with all this time on my hands I have struggled to write about anything other than my injury.  I started this blog almost ten years ago to document my for myself my battle with prostate cancer.  I posted nearly every day at the start and now I struggle to get once a week up.  This December will mark the 10th anniversary of my cancer surgery that literally cured me.  I will have another appointment with the urologist this July.  It appears they will release me then.  One less doctor appointment.  But he did caution me to have my PSA checked annually anyway.  Which may seem strange since I have no prostate, why would I need that test?  The cancer also produces whatever that test detects and would signal a possible return of the cancer.  As you can see, even though they say I am cured, they will NOT say it won't return.  It is less likely to this far into the game now and will be less likely each year but never say never.

Oh, and as far as my intentions with the blog.  I will probably cease writing it soon.  No set date, I am still attached to it I guess and can't say goodbye yet but it will probably happen this year.  I will let you know when it does, I won't leave you hanging.  

Happy Trails

Short Update

I am improving since my fall on the driveway.  Still pretty painful at times but I have been able to use less and less meds.  I think all those meds were messing with my guts on top of all that.  So my appetite has taken a big hit.  Nothing tastes or even sounds good to eat.  

We have a new pharmacy plan with my medicare insurance.  They have not been very quick to get meds filled.  They tell you that it takes an average of 10 days (once they actually accept the prescription-which can be several days) for the prescription to ship.  I am waiting on several related to my fall that were ordered the 22nd.  They just now shipped.  Not sure how long that will take to get here.  Most of the meds are pain meds that I am now out of.  Fortunately I am not feeling as much pain and am able to get by.  I don't have much choice.

I haven't been very mobil and my attention span is very short due to the discomfort.  The blog suffers bcause of it.  I am so looking forward to just a ride in the car for a short bit.  I still can't drive yet.  Too much stress in the broken bones.  

Happy Trails

What a Week

I have been absent for bit.  Momday the 23rd we had another ice storm.  Not real big but big enough.  I had a doctor appointment that afternoon and it was supposed to be thawed out by then in order for me to make the appointment.  So I do the usual thing I do every ice storm we have ever had.  Check it for ice.  It's on a pretty good slope.  If there is any significant ice on the driveway, we can't go anywhere.  This looked like we might have a chance.  Until I stepped on the driveway with both feet.  Next was like a Saturday cartoon.  Both feet went up in the air over my head.  While in the air I had time to tell myself...self, this is gonna hurt, ribs are going to get broken, elbow will get broken, don't hit your head.  After the dust cleared from between my ears about 2 hours later I knew I couldn't get by without a little chemical help.  Even breathing was very painful.  Off to the ER.  Enter on Monday, came home Friday.  

You may be asking, what can they do for broken ribs?  Literally nothing unless you have a punctured lung.  It boils down to pain management.  Finding the right mixture of drugs to work well enough I can function a bit.  Not pain free, mind you, just well enough to get in and out of bed or a chair and use the toilet and shower.  It also turns out that being a red head has some effect on pain meds.  I read about this before but it was confirmed with this hospital stay.  Redheads have some sort of enzyme that inhibits certain pain meds.  I also had a reaction to morphine.  They finally got it down to three meds, Oxysomething, gabaotherthing, sillysomething.  I'm sorry I can't remember the correct words with all they were pumping in me, I turned all that over to 'K'.  

I couldn't wait to get home.  But once home and getting settled in we both were thinking it was too soon.  Just figuring out ways to do things were the biggest challenge but we have over come most of that and I feel much better most of the day.  Night time is still a major issue.  It seems when I get tired of sitting around and those ribs get very grouchy and let me know it.  Once I get in bed and settled it can be pretty good.  Getting up is another story.  They say it will be 4-6 weeks before I get close to normal.  It's just a very slow painful process.  I hope those Oxycosomething doesn't run out.

Pray for 'K'

Happy Trails

First Freeze

Monday is supposed to be the first freeze at my house for this season.  While others in the area have had theirs already, we have not.  All this week the weather guessers have been breathlessly proclaiming the bad weather headed our way.  They are quick to point out that it won't be anywhere close to the Smowmageddon we had in 2021.  That has become a measuring point for them and most anyone else who went through that.  My Mother mentions it every time she hears there will be a freeze.  She was without power for several days until my cousin was able to get to her and bring her to her house.  She said you could see your breath inside her house.  That's much too cold for a 90 year old living alone.  We could not get there due to the roads.  She is more relaxed about it now that she lives where she does now.  

Anyway, I have been making a few minor preps to the hose bibs and outdoor plants.  It is supposed to get into the teens in the mornings for three days.  That requires the preps here.  We rarely get that cold.  But then this is the third year in a row.  Climate change anyone?  We are also supposed to get a wintry mix of preceptation early Monday morning and rain prior to that.  So the roads will most likely be a frozen slick mess.  Great timing for the doctor appointments I have early Monday and Tuesday.  They will most likely get rescheduled at the last moment once we see how bad the roads are.  One is a fasting lab so that is a morning must.  The other not so much.  

Had my last appointment with the Pain Specialist.  He and I are both pleased at the results.  I will check in with him in a year.  Hopefully it lasts that long and longer.  I will have to think long and hard about doing it again but I am sleeping better without any pain meds which is what we were hoping for.  

Happy Trails

Weekebd Fun

We were headed to church yesterday and the Explorer acted weird.  It rolled out of the garage fine and then jerked into gear (thought it was in gear) and a warning icon for the drive train popped up.  I backed out of the driveway and put it in Drive and it would just barely creep along and then BAM! it jerked into gear again and the warning icon went out.  What?  We went on to church.  I did a quick internet search and most of the returns told of a wiring harness or heat sensor for the transmission.  I called Ford this morning, and they said if the light went off and it's not doing it they can't tell me anything even if we brought it in.  I figured as much.  They want me to bring it in right away if the it does it again, 'and the warning light is on.'  If they can't read a code they won't even try to fix it.  One of the reasons from what I read is that the grill and radiator have to be removed to access that sensor.  So I get it.  They don't want to perform any work that they don't have at least some indication of what it wrong.  I miss the days of less complicated vehicles.  Most of the repairs were replace a part until you find what's wrong.  But usually we had an idea what it was since they were so simple to diagnose and work on.  I freaked 'K' out by telling her we should take it and trade it in on a Tacoma.  I wasn't really kidding.  But Toyota is jacking around with adding 5K to the sticker prices down here.  I hear that may be happening everywhere.  Are they trying to go out of business?  I don't know of anyone that will buy a car with that going on.  

I also have to have a plumber out.  I have a leak from the expansion tank on my hot water heater.  Not sure if it has failed or it's just a random leak.  While they are here, I will get them to fix a leakey faucet.  Hopefully it's just cartridges but it's been there for 30+ years with extremely hard water and it's not easy to get to if it has to be changed.  So I will let the experts deal with it.  They will be here Tuesday.

So, how was your weekend?

Happy Trails

Happy New Year 2024-Resolutions?

We went to bed early last night, somewhere between 10:30 and 11.  No partying for us.  Which is pertty normal.  We aren't partying folks, at least I'm not.  Plus, none of our friends are either, so we don't get invited to any.  I am fine with that.  Even the massive amount of fireworks that happens around us was subdued thankfully.  We live out in the county so there are no regulations on fireworks.  Our neighbors usually go all out with them and must invite all their friends with the amount we usually hear.  We were not awakened by them this time.  We usually stay up till midnight when most of them are set off because we know there will be NO sleeping.  Thankfully our pups don't freak out from them like every other dog we have had.  If you have dogs you will know that is a blessing.

Do you make resolutions?  We don't.  I have tried and failed in the past.  In my younger years, one of my aunts was surprised that I didn't and told me we all need to take stock of our lives and make improvements to be better.  So I was humbled into doing it.  After a few years of trying and realizing how silly it was I quit.  I also realized that my religious beliefs pretty much caused me to do that all year long.  Not so much resolutions, but becoming a more godly person.  Yes, I fail that too, but that is the beauty of the repentance and forgiveness we are offered through the blood of Jesus.  We can be for given through true repentance.  Well enough preaching for today.  

I hope you all have a great and happy new year.  The last 3 have been pretty rough in our country and I am not sure much will change this year but I always pray for that and only work on the things I can control.  I guess if I have a real resolotion it would be to do just that and not worry about the things I have no control over and put them in God's hands.

Happy Trails