When it rains, it pours.........

Jezibel, with her most favorite person

I’ve had a pain in my lower back on the left side for over a year now. I know it’s been over a year because I went to a chiropractor over a year ago. I thought it was helping, but the pain never really went away. Sometimes it was just a dull annoyance. I still went about my daily routines. I continued to walk every day.

A couple of months ago I noticed that I was thinking more and more about my back pain. I have not been to the chiropractor since before our RV trip in May. I had planned on seeing him when we returned, but I didn’t.

Instead, I talked to my doctor and she recommended X-rays. I was told that I had “mild”arthritis in my back, whatever that means. I asked if I could be referred to physical therapy to see if I could learn some good exercises to do that might help.

I started physical therapy on August 30. At my evaluation, I was told that I should take four weeks of therapy, two days a week. I set the appointments for Tuesdays and Thursdays. My therapist, Mike, is a sports medicine guy and he seems to know what he’s doing. He works a lot with high school kids who play football and soccer, etc. and he also coaches at the games when he’s not helping with sprains, etc.

He has shown me some stretching exercises, which, by the way, are the same ones my chiropractor also showed me. Only instead of “cracking” my back, Mike, stretches my legs and gives me deep tissue rubs. I always feel fine when I leave, but the next day, I am so sore sometimes.

I finished my eight session last Wednesday. My back is still sore and now I’m ready to try something else. Mike suggested that I do at least four more sessions to see if I felt better. I set those sessions up, but yesterday, I called my doctor. I want to see if I should get an MRI to see if something else is causing my pain. It doesn’t seem to be a dislocated disc, according to X-rays at least.

I’ve known people who have had back pain, and I really couldn’t relate. One of my friends was in such pain all of the time. She actually got hooked on pain medication and pain patches. For a couple of years she was completely “out of it”. She lost huge blocks of time that she doesn’t remember anything about.

I’m not on medication, but there are days when I feel so tired and sore that I think I would love to take a couple of the Tylenol with Codeine pills that I had one time when I broke my arm.

I just remember how I felt when I was in such pain. I’d take a couple of those babies and I felt so good. Of course, they are habit forming and after my first prescription ran out, I got half a prescription because the doctor would not keep me on them. I learned to use the rest only when I really needed relief from the pain. But, my arm was healing and I soon didn’t need them any more.

As if my back wasn’t trouble enough, I discovered a red rash under my left arm. I really didn’t pay any attention to it until I realized that I was waking up in the morning, scratching under my arm. I looked in the mirror and was surprised to see the red rash.

I thought it was from shaving or deodorant, although I had not used a different deodorant. When the rash didn’t go away and looked like it was even worse, I went to the dermatologist. She thought it was a fungus from moisture. It has been warm and I do walk so I guess I might perspire “just a little”. Anyway, she scraped the rash to send to the lab.

In the meantime, she gave me a prescription for a cream and some powder. I laughed when she told me she was giving me a powder.

When I had shown the rash to Charlie, he said “Put some powder on it”. I thought he was joking. Then a few days later, I had told him that my rash was really bothering me and didn’t seem to be better. He said, “Put some powder on it.” Frustrated, I said, “What is all this about ‘putting powder on it’? But, I guess powder does tend to dry the skin.

I will go back to the dermatologist on October 4 and find out if the lab cultivated anything from my rash, which sounds weird, but that’s what they do. I think the rash is getting better, although it does still itch off and on.

I’ve always heard that things happen in three’s. In my case, that’s seems to be coming true. My third dilemma is what seems to be a problem with my teeth.

I have my regular six month cleaning appointment on the 29th. It was set up six months ago. A couple of weeks ago, while brushing my teeth, I noticed an incredible sensitivity on both sides of my mouth. Then I started feeling an “ache” somewhere with one of the upper right molars. I know that I had root canal done up there a couple of years ago. I wouldn’t think that I’d still have pain there.

But, I do remember that one of the dental technicians told me that she had had root canal on a tooth and still had pain. She had to have the tooth pulled. I hope that’s not going to be me.

Last year I had my bottom teeth straightened, using the Invisalign plates. I had to wear them for about eight months. I love the results, but since going through the treatment, my bite has been off. When I was at the dentist six months ago, she did some adjustments. I know that my bite on my right side is off and I had planned on trying to get something done when I go in.

But, I don’t know what’s going on with the sensitivity that all of a sudden has appeared.

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Mr. Creme, doing what he does best....look sweet

On the positive side, everyone else is doing just fine. Mr. Creme does have a little limp and I don’t know if it’s from him jumping our six foot high fence, but I kept him inside for a couple of days. Then yesterday when I let him outside in the yard, I opened the gate just big enough for him to go out. That way he wouldn’t have to climb the fence. He jumps to the top from the ground and then drops down. He may have landed wrong. Since he’s 11 years old now, I am going to see if I can make things a little easier for him.

Rhody and Jonesie
Little Buddies

Rhody is back to normal. His front paws are completely healed. I let him and Jonesie out in the backyard almost every afternoon. I leave the door open and they are free to run in and out. They really like that. When you see Jonesie, Rhody is not far behind. They are really close.

The Twins with Jonesie and Rhody
having their dinner together

The twins, Jason and Kaci, are welcome to go outside as well. I don’t know if it’s because we kept them in most of their life, but they usually will just go out and look around the yard a little. Then Kaci likes to get on the patio glider and sleep all afternoon. Jason usually comes back into the house and gets up on the cat tree and naps.

The two of them used to escape into the yard when we forgot to lock the screened patio door. Jason knows how to pry it open. They would run out into the yard and it took both Charlie, Sheila and I to catch them and get them back into the house. That was before we decided to start letting them go into the backyard. Now it’s nothing special since it’s not forbidden.

Jezibel

Ellie

Jezibel and Ellie have asthma and sometimes they are so congested that they can’t smell their food. The medicine we have for them really helps though. Both of them hate to take pills, so I have learned that if I crush the pill dose, which is 1/4 of a very small pill, dissolve it in a little water, then put it in a syringe, it goes down well and no one is traumatized.

Lexi, before

Lexi, after
(she has to eat to forget about it)

Lexi is starting to look like this again
(That's Toby inside)

Lexi, our long haired calico, was shaved just before we went on our RV trip in May. We took her to be groomed and really didn’t expect that the groomer would actually shave her down to her skin, but that’s what happened. We thought she would be trimmed very close, but not SHAVED. We’ll never do that again. But, Lexi’s fur has almost completely grown back and she is looking like herself again.

Debby

Debby, our little black feral cat, is doing fine. She gets along with all of the cats who go out into the garage and visit her. She loves Mr. Creme. Sometimes when I go out in the garage in the morning, she and Mr. Creme are sleeping next to each other.

We still can’t pick Debby up or hold her, but she really has nothing against being petted. Sometimes I leave the door from the house to the garage open and she is welcome to come into the house, but she never has. I’m hoping that one day she will get curious and walk in.

Marcus, one of Debby's kittens on the left
with his "new brother", Oreo

Debby had two kittens when I found her. One was a short haired male tabby (Marcus) and the other was a long haired female black and white (Thumbelina). Both are in good homes now.

More later.........