Pretzel Boy

Not sure how the hell his neck got like this but he's been a mess since our trip. 

At first, we thought it was just from being twisted like a pretzel in the airplane, or maybe it was the lousy beds and pillows at the 2 hotels and he slept funny. Whatever it was it was killing him and making him cranky.

Upon our return, he has been in such pain. He called the chiropractor for an adjustment so he could move his head/neck. No one could get him in until Monday. So he waited 4 days. He went to this man who Rick tells me was his size. 

A big fella with pictures of himself and a chocolate labrador retriever on the wall. Rick bonded. 😊

He was adjusted and felt immediately better. He made an appointment to go back on Wednesday. Sometimes after being out and then being adjusted you can feel worse after the adjustment for 24 hrs. Rick and I expected that and he took Tylenol and that was that. But then Tuesday night he was not feeling so great again. We both were glad he was going back.

This time they had his X-rays to go over. He has a bone spur in his neck. Rick took a picture of the x-ray to show me. Apparently, that is the 'catch' Rick feels and hears sometimes when he moves his neck.  He was given some ice and then heat and adjusted. The doctor asked if he'd been in a car accident or some type of accident. Nope. He found it odd to see what he had on the x-ray and the person was not in an accident.

Either way, Rick is out of the excruciating pain and left with some pain. I am beginning to see that this is our life now. He will visit this big guy with the big hands in a couple weeks. They plan on making a plan for at-home care etc. I say he needs to see an orthopedic surgeon but he has to come to that on his own. I've known him long enough to know that I can't tell him he has to come to this on his own. He heard me out but he'll do it in his time. 

We are a hot mess here, aren't we? 

I had to begin my intake of calcium for all the steroids and to take vitamin D and B12 and Folic Acid to keep my hair in my head. I already take biotin for hair and nails so it won't hurt to add folic acid. Besides the doctor really encouraged me to take folic acid so I am. I do not want to lose my hair.  This 2nd drug is used in cancer treatment as well.  I am never going to get my eye back to 100%. I know that. This is irreversible. We are trying to keep me from being 100% blind. I know for sure that hair loss does not help me in this stressful situation. Know what I mean? I know it seems silly but it's me, it's who I am.

The amount of these pills is overwhelming. 

Day 1 - 7- 12 pills at once of prednisone (steroids.) in the a.m. with food

The cancer drug for my non-cancerous eye,  I have to take 10 pills every 7 days. This is what suppresses my immune system.

Along with all the vitamins and supplements and my normal thyroid pill.

I start with steroids and then on day 4 take the 10 pills. I was told to expect to be overwhelmingly tired the day after my first dose of those 10 pills. To adjust my schedule accordingly. I know I will have to keep this on a calendar or I'll screw this up. The 2nd week I take like 10 pills at once for a week and it goes like this for 3 months. Since this makes your bones a hot brittle mess I must take the calcium supplements. I had a bone density scan and I was in great shape and they were surprised how good for a woman my age. I think that will be out the window now don't you? They also made me have a syphilis test before I could start this medication. For some reason, I found that funny.  He asked if I had it and I laughed and said No. He said well we have to be sure. That was not a good response Dr. S.

I don't know what is coming. I fear it all a bit. I think the side effects are going to be awful. I surely hope the outcome is worth it all. 

Okay, I am sorry, enough of pitiful me b.s.

I will be fine. I will move forward and I will smile.

In happy news.

We have a 'mound' if you will on our property with the sign of our development and the previous owner planted shrubs on this mound. The sign looked like shit. 

It was faded and the paint was peeling. 

Rick sanded it on Tuesday and then we painted it. 

For all the detail on the sailboat, we used some old makeup brushes that were skinny and tiny. Worked like a charm. At first, Rick laughed when I suggested it but when I came back with them he saw they would be the perfect size we needed. 

Rick not using makeup brushes, he didn't understand my explanation so I just went inside to get them and sure enough, we knew this would work. We needed teeny tiny angle brushes for some areas, like the stripes on the boat sail.

We didn't need much paint at all. I got outdoor paint in sample sizes since that was all that was needed. It worked great. 

That paint freshened it up a great deal and next week we should have the mulch delivered to spread around it to set it all off. 

I walked to the mailbox at the end of the driveway and someone who lives in the development stopped and rolled down their window. She said she noticed the sign was painted and it looked good and thanked us. 

Sure, no problem I said, and off she drove with a wave of her hand.

Normally I wouldn't paint a random sign for the neighborhood but it's in my yard and it looked awful so it didn't help my curb appeal so we had to. 

Besides, in all honesty, it is gorgeous out right now and I want to be outside and not think about what I can't see and focus on what I can. The coffee table is one thing I can't see apparently. Depth perception is a bit off with only one eye. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it. 😀 I'm also incredibly clumsy.

Last night I had a bowl of stir fry and we were going to eat in the living room. I know, I know that isn't right. But we do it from time to time. Anyway, I thought I had set the bowl on the table but my sight being what it is right now I missed the table just a bit. The entire bowl hit the table perfectly and landed upside down on the floor. 

I cleaned up the mess all over the carpet. Soy sauce on the carpet smells great let me tell you but the stain is worse. I treated the stains on the carpet and that was that. All out! 

I did not see that any food had gotten into my sneakers. 

I mean my sneakers were so far away. 

That is a great diet tip. Drop food on the floor and then you can't eat your dinner. 

This morning when I put on my sneakers and my foot stuck to broccoli, peppers, and a water chestnut it was so gross. I jumped out of my shoe wondering what the slimy hell was that?! I emptied my shoe into the garbage and threw the sneakers in the wash. Rick thought it was funny but he too couldn't figure out how the food could have possibly traveled that far away and into my one sneaker.  

I didn't tell him this was because of my eye. He thinks I'm clumsy naturally so I let it go. Eventually, I will have to tell him. 

Maybe he's already figured it out. 

I'm just not ready yet.