Getting better

Well I just got up and its feeling better, thank goodness the steroid must be kicking in. In fact my tendonitis feels better also. I can now chalk that up to something I won't have done again.......Ever!

Work was very busy again last. We are always busy this time of year. Again working in the hospital has a way of making you feel guilty about complaining about a little ole sore wrist and back. I had 3 patients my age that were in such bad shape. Oh my. I am so lucky to just have my little issues with my bones compared to what these poor patients are going through. And they are MY age.

Now I realize I am getting older. 50's is the new 30's but I am still relatively young and inspite of my constant witching about something hurting I am in pretty good shape. After all I would have to be to work 12.5 hours, right. So last night as I was working with my painful wish I was also doing a mantra. I am lucky, I am lucky. I Can work. I Am employed. I don't have anything life threatening. I am only on 3 medications, I am contenant. Very good. So it is eye opening and good to put things in perspective.

Our department is completely bare of Christmas decorations. No one is really in the mood this year, everything is so expensive and everyone I know is cutting way down on their spending. what about you guys. Are you all spending less. I am but the cost of things is so expensive it seems like I am spending about the same but getting way less for my money. Not a single Doctor has given us anything or families. That is completely different then years past.

We use do have decorations all over. Now our tree has to be on a cart so we can move it quickly. They limit what we can put up. And we are usually very busy and running our tushes off and have to work the holiday so who is feeling very Christmasy anyway. Families will bring small trees and holiday flowers if it looks like their family members will have to stay and that will be that. Our new male nurse is really bummed about it. He remembers being in the hospital during Christmas and the decorations. Reality sucks, LOL.

Well, this is dragging on and going no where fast. 2 more days down. I have to jump in the shower and then work on some Christmas cards. Thank you everyone for allowing me my whine. It helps to crab about it. For a little while.

Ouch

9 hours later, my wrist is killing me. Like a bad sprain. Work is going to be so difficulty. Times like this you just have to say.......HEEEELLLLLLPPPPPPP. Hope this part doesn't last long.

The shot

Well I had my injection today on my wrist. I dreaded it all night and we were sooooo busy the hours just zoomed by. And, it wasn't as bad as I feared. Didn't feel good but compared to when they injected the tendon, not near as bad. Thank goodness its over.

I heard some news on my cyst but the didn't have the entire report. It sounds like it is a lobed cyst, I can't remember what he called it but that is what it boils down to. Lobes on the cyst. I don't know what that means for the surgery itself.

Anyway. I have been up since 7 am yesterday. Time to sleep. If we are as busy tonight I will need it.

Almost finished

We must be getting slow in our middle years and here we are entering day 2 and we aren't quite done, almost though. I am ready to call it good. Store the containers, vacuum again, kick the feet up and enjoy.

However. I have to go to the store and get my meals for the weekend figured out. Launder my clothes. Take a shower. Take a nap. Go to work. Get tortured in the morning. Etc........

Can you tell we have been collecting Santa's for years. I have several on the tree. My oldest is over 100 years old and has been handed down from my in-laws to us. I do have some nativities also as I know the meaning of Christmas. I am just a sucker for a cute Santa though. We have to stop as I have no more room on my tree or on top of my TV. Hummmm the kitchen still has room

MRI's, what fun.......Not!

I hate MRI's. Not that they are painful like my last test, just you have to squeeze your build for comfort body in a tube built for a model, they strap you down and then they use a jack hammer right above your head. Every once in a while a far away voice reassures you your doing well and only 20 more minutes to go.

For this one you have to lay on your stomach and put your arm above your head like superman. Since I have a pinched nerve in my neck this made my arm immediately cramp up and my fingers curled into a claw. so they put these pads all over to hold your arm in place and keep it from moving. Except your muscles are still spasming the entire time. Its like a 25 minute charlie horse in your upper arm. Being the macho nurse that you are you smile and grit your teeth and tell them your fine when they ask. Because if you can't handle it, if you move in any way......it takes twice as long. And you don't want that.

So now I have achy sore muscles from my spasming muscles and my wrist is killing me. My head hurts because at least half the lights were broken for no apparent reason and we had to run to the store to get new ones because until the lights are on the rest of the tree can't be finished. I have plastic tubs all over my living room and it looks a disaster and I am starting to wonder why I insisted the tree go up. No wonder sometimes it stays up until March.

Whats up with these darn lights anyway. They all worked when we put them away carefully 2 years ago. Does some Christmas tree light eating ghost make its way into your basement and chew on your lights you've so carefully stored. And we noticed the lights we had had fuses but they don't sell fuses for lights anymore. And did they ever? They change them just enough every year to make you crazy running all over town looking for replacement bulbs and fuses just to find out they don't make that kind anymore. And they wonder why people go postal at Christmas. Its not the season, its all the other crap.

So now we are back and I am sipping on a Chai latte while Rick works on the new lights. We got LED's. They probably won't be compatible with the old lights that still work. Zoey is plopped down in front of tree making the circle around it while adding a new string difficult and she is pretending deafness when we ask her to move. Why is it on TV this always looks so charming and they are all laughing and sharing tender moments while decorating the tree. Why Why Why.

Friday after working 12.5 hours I get to go to the Doc's and get my wrist injected. My appointment was a hour late last time. So in stead of sleeping I will sit in a doctors office and wait for some PA to stick a long needle in my wrist and then send me on my merry way to try and get some sleep before I go to work that night. I have a feeling it is going to hurt. As a nurse I know better when they say, this is going to pinch a little.

Life, take it or leave it right......guess I'll stay.

Another of Donna's lovely designs. My house is getting ready for Christmas. I am hiding out in the bedroom and Rick works on the lights. Of course half the lights have burnt out so he is getting them all fixed and adding them to the tree. I forgot we packed the tree with cinnamon sticks and pine cones 2 years ago. What a thrill to open the box and smell that smell instead of fake tree. Last year with my MIL's death we didn't put the tree up.

I always use the artificial tree. We had a tragic fire years ago where the entire family perished and it scared me so much I got a artificial and have used one since. I had one year where a light string shorted out and the tree started to melt. If it had been real I don't like to think what would have happened. I am maybe too careful but heck. I sleep all day, I could sleep right through it.

I go for my MRI today. I was just reading Helen's post about the cost of her surgery and tests and am tempted to just cancel again. I should just learn to live with pain. After all it won't kill me, just hurts. The cost is going to be so high. I have canceled this surgery twice already, LOL. Can you tell I don't want it done.

It takes me about 4o minutes to type an entry these days. I have to type a little and then stop for awhile. I type all night at work. My hand hurts so bad by the time I get home I have trouble sleeping. It is better with my brace on but I wash my hands so often it is a pain getting in and out of the brace. Sigh. Sucks when your parts start falling apart, LOL.

Tonight I am doing my Christmas cards. I would love to do a card exchange f anyone is interested. Email me and let me know.

I see the family of the man trampled by greedy shoppers is suing the store. Why the store? It sounds like other workers tried to save him. Go after the greedy shoppers who acted like monsters instead of the store. This will probably end another tradition like sledding, ice skating, bon fires. People sue, we lose traditions. Lets just all stay home.

Well, I have to get ready, take all my jewelry off and give Rick a hug. I think it sounds like he needs it.

Managed care, yuck

So what a difference 4 years makes. 4 years ago is when I started messing around with this carpel tunnel and a ganglion cyst. I saw my hand doctor and he diagnosed both conditions. I had my right had done and was going to get my left hand done later.
Well I kept putting it off. My left wrist didn't bother me much except for off and on and I didn't think it was worth having the surgery.

Now however the cyst is quite large and I have that tendon that is inflamed. My carpel tunnel isn't bothering me much except for when I ride my bike, but with the pinched nerve in my neck I am not sure if the numbness may be from that.

So anyway, where is this leading. 4 years ago the doc looks at my wrist and says, yup, its a ganglion cyst. Yesterday he decided they need to do a MRI to make sure it is a cyst and not some other condition. Now I hate MRI's. I get claustrophobic and it is expensive. But they won't do the surgery without it.

Turns out fixing my tendon is a little job. Fixing my tendon, my cyst and the carpel tunnel is a big job. Arteries are close to the tendon and under the wrist. Bottom line? No surgery until next month.

Now next month my out of pocket doubles. So that doesn't make me happy. Then they had to gall to say I should have come in earlier if I wanted surgery this year prompting me to remind them that They had canceled my appointment that I had had for 3 months. Sigh. And it hurts. So 2 months to go. They have me scheduled for surgery on the 29th of next month.

The good thing is I get through the holidays working with double pay. I can work extra and put as much money as possible away. It gives my boss some time to arrange staffing. I will be off 6 weeks. I could go back in 2 weeks if I didn't have to use my left hand. Now that would be interesting in my job.

So I have been wearing my brace and resting my hand. And I have 2 months to lose all the weight I have gained. But will I?