INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours

Ummm Ms. Sas, are you speed-reading again? You had dear Susan and me mixed up.

Thinking about you Ms CHEVY. Pain that bad should be looked at again. I am glad you going in to bug the Doc.again.

He's being a total chit about this. For 3 years we've had a 4' real tree. We have a big 7' fake one. He says he's not going to do a tree anymore. Eyeore strikes again. I think I can do a 3' tree. He won't help. Arsehole.

Susan- Love your birthday idea! DH gave me my wish! He's a soft hearted guy and was a Golden Retriever in another life I am sure. Before we were married back in 1988 DH gave me a "Plan International" little boy from Sudan. The little fellow was Muslim and I still have the picture of him and his Mom in the desert smiling. That was my Valentine's Day present - the joy of giving to others. We have been members of Plan International from that day forward without missing a beat. All the kids we have helped through the years and written to. We have had kids from India, Nepal, China, Sudan, Vietnam and my kids wrote to them, us too. My DD2 and a young girl from a rural area in China really hit it off. It was a great penpal experience for the 2 of them. They connected as teenagers will. I think of it as sending little doves out into the world.

Back to reality.. the cat just hacked up a hairball. Gotta go. Why is it she can't do it on the wood floors and always hits the carpet hmm???

Mammaray- I didn't like radiation either.. scary and errie. Hugs. Chevy hugs your way too. Hope they get the pain sorted out.

We went to the ER.... glad we did! She gave me another oxycodone, so I could tolerate the pain..... took x-rays.... No hardware or shifting of the bones...etc. THAT Doc said "Arthralgia".... also the Sciatic nerve is involved... I guess muscles wrap around it, and can cause more pain and numbness, like going from my knee down my lower leg.... Got another prescription in case I need it....

She also advised to use ice packs for 20 minutes, THEN the heating pad for 20 minutes, and explained why.... And TO STAY OFF THAT LEG AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AND LAY OFF THE GARDENING AND PAINTING.... for awhile.... I knew that.... but a little late....

So it's still the muscles and Sciatic nerve .... I had Sciatica before, before I had the double laminectomy.... That was in about 1985.... I will do stretching as soon as this phase is over with......... And sitting in one place is bad also........ Anyway, my PC was on the right track.... but glad I also know it is Sciatica.... and that's why the numbness and those muscle spasm's wrapping around the Sciatic nerve.... I HOPE I understand it better.... thanks you guys, for all your help!

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Arthralgia-Caus...

Whew!!!! Glad you don't have any more loose screws!!

Listen to the doc, will ya??

Queenie, you mean cat training as in when the cat trains us, right? Never had a cat that could be trained. They just let you know what is acceptable. Sophie, for instance, is not a box or bag cat. Does not like enclosures or tight spaces.

Susan, I think OKC has more hospitals per capita than any place in the world. You can't throw a cat without hitting some kind of medical facility. And LMG is near, and I of course am here. Always a spare bed.

Rose, so glad you're getting relief. Chevy, been there, done that, feeling your pain.

No word yet from doc on MRI. I finally got a neurologist appointment for October 27.

Magdalene: partly how cats train us, but I was thinking rather of the training cats receive in how to inconvenience their humans.(Mine have always puked on the carpet right next to the kitchen linoleum.)

Good afternoon ladies- just stopping in to say hi. Busy week on contract set up and biz meetings.

Today I am having at "at home" day that involves many thing. I started my morning by getting to some garage trim painting that has been calling to me for awhile. Bit of peeling and got that sanded down and the whole area freshen up. In October, I have some indoor trim painting to do. Something checked off the to do list that has been there for awhile. Cooler dry air finally to paint!

Loverly- any news on the hip pain/tests?

Rose- I find asking your husband to donate to the Syrian refugees so touching. I am going to donate as well, figuring out the best places where I can be sure the money goes to help the people and not in someone's admin pocket. I hope you are feeling comfortable with the fluid drain.

MammaRay- I am not currently in active treatment, outside of taking aromtase inhibitors which most people don't even know about, but here is what I found out when I was in the throes of things. The people who could hear it the best were either a) cancer survivors themselves or b) had helped someone else through it. Dealing with other people's questions (and judgement) about my treatment process was probably one of the worst things I dealt with. I did not tell a lot of people about my bc for professional reasons, but of those I did tell, I got a barrage of questions about things I could not even answer. I had opinions from people about what I should be doing to treat my cancer. And I had people judging me how I was coming through it. Bottom line, none of that helped anything.

What I learned to do in the beginning was just to figure out quickly who could help me when I needed it, and just really did not share that much with the rest. Pay attention to what people do for you, they are the ones who can support you. If someone started asking me probing questions that were not helpful, I changed the conversation. I would say "listen, I am really having a hard time so here is how you can help me." Give me a ride, pick up groceries, stop by for a visit, whatever. Give those people a JOB! It is okay to put yourself first and to not let them put themselves first with wanting to know everything.

I guess what I am saying is figure out who your inner circle is. The people that can be present with you around this. Not that they may not be scared, always know what to do, etc. but that they don't have a need to try to control the situation or conversations with their own fears. That they are genuinely supportive. Even now three years down the road, I don't talk about much of anything with people outside of my sister (who also had bc and is a provider) and my bc medical team. I have a couple good friends who helped me and will ask casually from time to time how I am doing? I will just share follow ups going well, doing okay so far.

Have you also considered a support group in your area? Some ladies here do that too, others (like me) don't for various reasons. I bet they have some great suggestions for dealing with the hard conversations with family we often have.

Forgot to say I am glad the screws stay where they belong. i am sorry you are still in pain.

Ms. BLONDIE, terrible when people don't do their job as they should. Someone always endsup suffering as a result of that. I am really sorry u get the short end of the stick too.

Goats, you having a hard time cutting the cord? Hug

Rose- I believe we need to help our brothers and sisters everywhere. When one of us is suffering, we are all suffering.

I was at my fav consignment store yesterday and the owner told me how these two missionaries that had been in Syria and left with the clothing on their backs were in her store. Apparently the woman came in recently and bought a number of the things I took there on consignment in August. The missionaries are aged 86 and 94. The owner told me "your things went to a great home." There are people doing great things in the world we don't know about and can hardly believe when we hear about it. I feel glad to know she was able to refill her closet with some of my things.

Jazzy, doing XRay tomorrow after seeing GYN. I have been having painful cramps throughout my cycle on top of piriformis and lumbar pain. Thanks for asking. I was hoping to have an off day to relax without a doctor's appointment SIGH

Ms. Chevy, the stretches really help with the butt sprain besides alternating between hot and cold compresses. Tylenol does not help with inflammation. Aleve does. AHEMMM.....Ms. Sassy, I do listen. Sometimes it seems like I don't with my ADD, but I do. I still have the other ear hah! Hugs and thank you

So far my week has turned out pretty okay. My aunt is doing a bit better and is at the rehab facility. Had no big homework assignments this week, just continue with the discussions of last week's reading.

Chevy- glad you are doing better. I am always grateful when I have a pain free day.

We get trick or treaters in my neighbhorhood, but I stopped doing it few years ago. The kids start at 5 p.m. and can go until later, but I would always turn the light off around 7:30- 8 p.m. The ones that come around later don't seem like "kids" to me and seem to be up to no good (casing homes, etc.) I love the fall season and Halloween, just not into the whole candy thing.

Same thing with my neighborhood. I usually shut the light off at around 7:45, by then the kids have pretty much stopped coming or the candy supply has run out.

Thought I was going to get away with not having to read anything for class this week.... ha! Gotta read Virginia Woolf's "A Haunted House" and then in an 600-750 word essay due by the 28th of this month compare it Poe's "A Black Cat" in the manner of the dream state both are written in. The story by Woolf is only two stinkin' pages. Trying to figure out how I'm gonna pull off another stellar essay on these two. The previous essay was a piece of cake compared to this one!

Sas, you've been here, where can I leave a tree all year? It's gonna be ok, I'll think of something, I always do. Besides.

Scorpios don't get mad, they get even. You'd think that dumb chit would have figured that out by now.