Tag: Good News

SOPA and PIPA dropped by Congress! And Good Days.

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness14 Comments

Yay!  The Blackout worked!!  SOPA and PIPA were dropped by congress today!!!  I’m so thrilled!

I’ve had some good days recently, unfortunately today isn’t one.  I woke up with a migraine today that has left me feeling icky.  Meds worked but left me feeling a bit off….then headache returned.  It’s minor right now, waiting to see if I need more meds.

On to the Good Days!

This photo is not enhanced. The sky really was that blue!

Remember when I said, I was going to take advantage of every good day and live it to the fullest?  Well, I’m keeping my promise.  Now, what one might call living life to the fullest, and what I call it, may be vastly different things.  Just remember for about 6 months I was barely able to get out of bed, so the small things mean the world to me!

Has a wonderful day earlier this week, just enjoying the unseasonable warm weather.  As you can see from the photo above, taken from our back yard, it was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky.  This color sky is unusual for our neck of the woods, I haven’t seen a sky this blue since moving from California.

On Wednesday had my eyes examined, and have new glasses on the way!  Afterward, I didn’t want to go home, so Stuart and I went to the mall.  Just window shopping really.  He wanted to try on some shoes he was interested in to decide if he really wanted them.  He loved them!  So, surprise!  I ordered them for his birthday.  Of course, they arrived today, and I couldn’t wait to give them to him…so he got his birthday present early!  (his birthday is February 6th, shh, don’t tell him, but I have another surprise planned.)  He’s so thrilled with his shoes, he’s been wearing them ever since he opened the package.

We walked all around the mall and had a nice afternoon together.  That night, I was in much pain.  My hips and lower back…oh my goodness.  I took a hot bath with Epsom Salts, and felt better, but still had a hard time sleeping.

I’ve been in the kitchen quite a bit this week.  You all know how much I love that!  I have a lot of things to add to Wendy Cooks!  We bought some plain ground pork and I made Italian Sausage without onion or garlic!  I cooked that with potatoes, and kale.  What a nice dinner.  The next day I made Sticky Pork Chops.  Served those with roasted green beans and rice.  Stuart’s feeling spoiled.  He’s so happy I’m cooking again.  We also made a big pot of chicken stock. (Stuart actually got this one going.)

This is Sandy and Max while we were traveling across country. See how well they do in the car together?

Yesterday we took the furry babies to the vet.  Sandy really just came along for the ride.  She did have a pedicure, but the main reason she was there was to calm Max.  It’s so funny, Max really loves his dog.  If we take him to the vet, he does so much better if Sandy is with him.  Max got his annual check-up and shots.  Our vet is so in love with our pets.  Sandy is referred to as the “Wonder Dog!” If you read my blog regularly you probably know this, but Sandy is 19 years old, she has bladder cancer, cataracts have taken most of her vision, and she’s very hard of hearing.  In July of 2010 we were told she had probably 3 months to live, but she may last up to a year.  Well, she’s still going strong!  Still runs and plays…she acts like a dog less than half her age!  Our pets also have very good temperaments.  They don’t fight the vet, as long as they are together, and mommy is near they have no troubles.

Last night I had a challenge.  We took a friend out to dinner who is moving away for a new job.  She wanted steak, so we went to the Texas Roadhouse.  If any of you have ever been to a Texas Roadhouse, you know how noisy it can be.  Normally they seat us in a booth with a very tall back, it’s much easier for me to hear if there is no noise behind me.  This time, we sat in a booth with a low back.  It was a challenge for me to hear.  Stuart sat to my right, on my hearing aid side.  Our friend sat across from me.  Luckily, she has a voice I hear pretty well, and she remembers to look at me and speak clearly (most of the time).  I think I only had to ask her to repeat something 3 times.  Yay!  Stuart on the other hand, I could barely hear.  It’s amazing how much I depend on lip reading (they call it speech reading now, I don’t know why).  We stayed at the restaurant for nearly 3 hours.  So,I feel I passed this challenge fairly well.  I was so excited!   But I know it would not have gone as well with more people, or with someone who has a voice with a frequency I can’t hear well.  (I’ll take the victory though! Eating out with a friend, something I haven’t done in a VERY long time.)

Unfortunately, the GI stuff hasn’t gotten better.  Looking forward to find out what the dietitian has to say about getting the Fructose Malabsorption under control.  I’ll be seeing her Wednesday of next week.

Whew, today is a bit of a rough one.  My head hurts.  Think I need to get off of the computer and take some more pills.  I planed on making Spaghetti tonight with the rest of the Italian sausage.  We may have left overs instead.  Unless I can talked my dear hubby into making the spaghetti.  It’s times like these I wish I could just eat sauce from a jar, but alas, it’s not to be.  Plus, homemade is so much better!

Good Days, Wonky Days, and Great News

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness13 Comments

What shall I start with…  How about the GREAT NEWS!

Stuart accepted a job yesterday.  He had two companies make offers and it was hard to choose between them, but he chose the job that allows him to telecommute.  I believe his title is Senior Software Engineer at MEDSEEK.  (he’s been working with the medical industry for a long time and enjoys it.  Hopefully, he will be very happy in this new position.)  We’re excited!  He starts on the 23rd.

Also good news, Stuart’s sister had her second child today….well technically yesterday.  He will be sharing the same birthday as my sister.  (I hope that doesn’t jinx him, at least I’ll never forget it!)  His name is Johnathan David…after his grandfathers.  Looking forward to pictures.

I’ve had some good days, today was a pretty decent day.  We got out of the house, and went grocery shopping.  Yes, I was excited about that!  I cooked a great meal a couple of nights ago, and am looking forward to cooking more often.

However, I’ve had some Wonky Slosh Head days too.  The 11th…not a good day.  It was overcast or raining all day, and my head felt like it was full of goop, and my brain was sloshing around inside of it.  For the first time in weeks, I felt I needed help walking.

Today, I had the strangest tinnitus.  I always have some sounds, and at times they can get pretty obnoxious and just odd, but this time I could feel it.  What comes to mind is the poem, “I heard a Fly Buzz” by Emily Dickinson, luckily I wasn’t dying.  However, I could also feel the thing in my ear.  The vibration was so annoying…and dang it all…strange.  I sincerely hope I do not have that sensation again.

My hearing, is also strange.  The ear I had operated on in December had 0% word recognition in November.  Now it’s fluctuating, a lot!  Sometimes I hear nothing out of that ear, sometimes I can hear Stuart talking when I don’t have my hearing aid in the other ear.  And I promise I’m not hearing out of that ear!  Speaking of that ear, I think my hearing is dropping and/or simply getting more distorted.

the sign for ASL (American Sign Language) - photo from Lee Clarion University where ASL counts as a Foreign Language Credit

I’m so happy we are starting our ASL classes in 2 weeks.  I really need a back-up way to communicate.

I have a question, for those of you with Meniere’s.  How many of you were told you would have “burn out”?  I learned today, from a hearing loss specialist, that they no longer believe burn out happens.  I’m involved in an email group from The Say What Club (SWC), they have a few groups for people who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.  I’m a member of the Meniere’s Group.  Everyone on there has some pretty profound hearing loss.  I’ve found that a few on the board are a bit older than I am.  I know one man is 76.  No one has experience “burn out”.  Only one member has no vertigo any longer, and he had Streptomycin injections, so he had no balance center.

On another note, there are a few on there who have Cochlear Implants, and love them, they say they are they are much clearer than hearing aids!  I’m beginning to look forward to the time when I can get one.  Then I think, I may just want to embrace the deaf world.  I’ve been pretty conflicted.  Then I thought, why do I have to choose?  I think I’ll probably do a bit of both.  If I can get a CI, I probably will.  But I want to know ASL and be involved in the deaf community too.  You never know when technology may fail.

Coming soon…learn all about a different part of my life.  Bipolar I Disorder and Me.

 

Hard to believe it’s Winter.

On By WendyIn Chronic Illness16 Comments
Sorry, Not an actual photo of us, but I'm sure you can feel of the sensation! Whee!

On January 6th, and 7th, we went driving around in my Little Yellow Bug with the top down!  That’s right, the convertible was being used with the TOP DOWN, in JANUARY!  Woot!  Last winter was full of snow, and rain, and ice…and well it was just miserable.  Much colder and much more snow than North Carolina normally has.  However, if there is one thing I’ve learned about living in the South East, weather is anything but normal.

This winter has been mild so far, just a few freezing days, I think I could count them on one hand.  I’m loving it, but it’s odd, even for N.C.  We will often have a warm patch in the winter, but this is like Spring.  The plants are so confused.  My herb garden has new growth, my neighbor’s Irises are coming up, yes, the people and plants alike love this weather, but I’m afraid the plants will suffer greatly when the freezing days arrive again.  It looks like it will be cloudy and/or raining for most of the week.  I bet it turns cold after that.

Pink Wildflower from my garden 2011
I took this photo from our wild flower garden, Fall 2011

I’ve been feeling better than I did before the surgery, some days I feel really good!  Like yesterday, it was a good day.  We had to do a little shopping, so we put the top down, and took the long way through the country to the store.  It was blissful.  We came home and I worked in my studio for an hour..maybe two.  Earlier in the day I threw some things in the Slow Cooker, so I even made dinner!

I’m still having a lot of GI issues.  I can’t figure this fructose thing out I guess.  I finally found a book I’ve been told will help me so very much!  The book is not available in the U.S. (at least not yet.)  It was published in Australia.  I started to give up and order it from Australia, but it would have cost me close to $70 with shipping and tax.  I just couldn’t do it.  Finally  I found the book at a used book store on-line, thanks AbeBooks.  For less than $45.  They only had one copy.  I snapped it up!  So I should get it in a couple of weeks.  I also found a nutritionist who is “well versed” in Fructose Malabsorption and the low FODMAPS diet.  Woo Hoo!  Finally!  I may start seeing her later this month, or early next month.  I want to see what the book says first.  This running to the bathroom 6-10 times a day is old!  I’m really tired of my GI system just refusing to work right.  **TMI time…I had a rush moment to the bathroom today, I’d already been 4 times, this one was very loose and black…yes, black.  Scared the crap out of me (pun intended) .  I thought OMG I’m bleeding internally.  Then I remembered I took Pepto Bismol last night, a bit more than I intended to.  Please, if you  take Pepto, remember it can turn your stools black, and your tongue a funny color too, but I’ve only had that happen once.  So don’t let it scare you….like it seems to always catch me off guard.

Today,  I have Slosh Head.  I feel stuffy, and woozy.  I’m nauseous most of the time lately.  If I’m eating, the nausea is relieved, but shortly after I eat it returns.  ick.  But today is worse.  The tinnitus is screaming, my hearing is down!  (I only heard 3 dings..barely..when I turned my hearing aid on, I normally hear 5…they are different frequencies, so I’m not hearing some of them)  The TV sounds tinny, Stuart sounds muffled.  I just don’t feel good at all today.  I feel like Mr. Meniere’s is battling with Allergy Man and Human Barometer is getting his licks in too!  All inside my head..and tummy!  Just ick.

**GREAT NEWS**  Now the reason I can even consider spending money ….Stuart has been offered a job!

Actually he’s negotiating with TWO companies.  One is telecommuting, one is ‘local’.  Stuart has asked the recruiter for the ‘local’ job, if they would consider allowing him to telecommute and come in perhaps one day a week.  (commuting to and from Raleigh. the next city over, is not fun!  Rush hour is horrible, he’d spend at least 3 hours a day in his car…plus the wear and tear on the car, the extra pollution, and parking…ect…it all ads up.)  They have until Tuesday to make a decision and an offer, he told the other company he would give them a decision on Wednesday.  They both sound like excellent companies, and Stuart enjoyed his interview with both.  So, either way, I think he’ll be happy.

He’s been out of work since Halloween.  I knew it would be hard to find a job over the holidays, and it was.  But he wasn’t idle.  He sent out resumes…lot’s of resumes, had interviews, sold things on eBay, cleaned out his office, is preparing to sell the other car….he’s been a busy man…plus taking care of me wasn’t easy right after my surgery.  I’m actually grateful he wasn’t working for a while there.  Now that the holidays are over, he is in demand!  I know it feels good.  You can tell he’s feeling good about things.

That’s all for now.  I feel like I could just talk and talk.  I think I need to write more than I have been lately, shorter posts more often?  That may be a good idea!