Spring Has Finally Sprung

Dear Readers,

It's finally happened!  Spring is here!   Last week at this time we were being warned of a possible big snow storm.   We ended up with about an inch, that promptly melted the next morning.  The Big Storm missed us by about 150 miles - it was close.

The tulips are starting to come up and also the Daffodils.   As you can see, the grass hasn't turned green yet, but hey -  we can't expect a miracle in one week.  LOL.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that Mr. D, my other half, is probably headed for knee replacement surgery once again.   He saw the doctor about 2 weeks ago.  The X-ray showed he had no cartilage.   He had knee replacement of his other leg about 15 years ago, so this is not totally unexpected.   Right now he says the Cortisone has helped.   We know he is buying some time - eventually it will have to be replaced.   

We are very thankful for the stair climber we had bought about 4 years ago.  Thankfully he is  riding in it now, whereas before he only used it to transport "stuff" up and down the steps.  I think it was a male ego thing.  He still insists on going with me to the grocery store, but refuses to ride in one of those auto carts available in most larger stores.   Time will tell.

I'll try to be more regular with posting now -  maybe at least once a week.   But will still visit all of you hopefully on a daily basis or every other day anyway.

Thanks for visiting. 

Mary

Finally An Answer

Hi Friends,

Happy St. Patrick's Day!   I've always loved this holiday even tho there is not even a tiny drop of Irish in my blood.   I think it's because I've always loved this song, and it usually means Spring is around the corner.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure 'tis like a morn in spring.

In the lilt of Irish laughter, you can hear the angels sing.

When Irish hearts are happy, all the world seems bright and gay,

And When Irish Eyes Are Smiling, sure, they steal your heart away.

I'm so please that I went to my regular doctor this past week. I suggested he check my Thyriod levels again because of tearing up so easily, body hurting all over, feeling tired, and on and on. I've been on Thyroid meds for 25+ years, so I know the symptoms pretty well. It was not the generic Synthroid making me feel that way, although it may have played a tiny part in having the symptoms. The doctor prescribed Synthroid at 0.112 MG - I was taking 0.138 in a generic. He also put me on Cymbalta to help with the pain and mood. So all in all, it was a good visit.

There isn't much that can be done about my back. He said the same thing a couple of other doctors have told me - You never want to have surgery on your back unless it's absolutely necessary because you sometimes create more problems than before.

Spring is slowly coming to our state.  We did have one day this past week where the temperature actually hit 50!.  Woohoo - It was fun to see people walking or jogging on the street once again.    We still have about 8 inches of snow on the ground, but it is slowly melting.   

Hope Spring has arrived where you live.   Enjoy the  "wearing of the green."

Until next time,

Mary

Here We Go Again

Disclaimer:  This is written from my perspective only and based on my experience.  I am not a doctor nor a pharmacist, nor do I have a medical background.   I'm just the normal person who experiences problems with SOME generic drugs.  I just want to raise awareness  to the fact that generics are NOT exactly the same as Brand Name drugs.


Dear Friends,

Those of you who have been reading my blog since the beginning might remember I've touched on the subject of Brand Name drugs versus Generic.   That blog post was primarily talking about Parkinson's Drugs.  Here's the post if you wish to read it, click here.    Well, now I'm having problems with a generic Synthroid for my Thyroid.   

I've been on Thyroid medication for something like 20+ years.   On January 1st, we switched insurance companies for both insurance coverage and prescription drug coverage.     When I saw my doctor in January for new prescriptions, he requested a generic version of Synthroid (I think I remember telling him - let's try them again because it's so very much cheaper.)   Well, bad decision.   

I held off cracking open the new bottle because I still had older ones to use up. I decided to try the new generic last Monday.   By the second day my system felt hyper - felt like it was rushing rushing rushing!   People who have anxiety attacks tell me that is how they feel when they are having an attack.   I kept taking the drug for 2 more days by thinking I'll get used to it.  WRONG!   Over the weekend, I went back to taking my left over Synthroid drug - symptoms went totally away.   Yesterday I decided to take another of the generic - back to anxious feeling again.  So, on Thursday I'll be visiting my doctor to get a new prescription for Synthroid.  Guess I'll just have to pay the outrageous price.   I don't know for sure that it's the generic drug, but I'm suspecting that it is.   Generics only have a fraction of the original ingredients found in the brand name.  That is a percentage approved by the FDA.

I don't have a total dislike for generics, but I use them cautiously because I've had several bad experiences.   It's a shame that drugs have to be so very pricy that we have to resort to a lesser quality.    if generics work for you - that's great.  I wish more of them worked for me.  But it is "buyer beware."   The consumer also has no knowledge of the "fillers" used in the generic.

Dr. Oz has a great article that I ran across yesterday when I was researching generics again.   It was written by a physician and is  easy to understand.  You might find this interesting and helpful.    http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/what-you-need-know-about-generic-drugs

Until next time,

Mary

Goodbye RFA - - Now What?

Hi,

It's been awhile again since I've posted or visited any blogs.   Sorry about that.  

Got some bad news the other day.  It's been 6 months since I had the last Radio Frequency Ablation Procedure done at the hospital for the Sacroiliac joint.  The nerves have since rejuvenated and are back to their angry selves - causing pain.  Medicare has decided they will no longer pay for that procedure because they feel it's experimental.  Never mind that I had 2 last year, which they paid for, and which got rid of the pain in the sacro joint.   Now I'm up a creek without a paddle!

The doctor told me they have done appeal after appeal with Medicare, and they deny all of the preauthorizations.  Other insurances are doing the same.  

I did have a Cortisone shot in the Sacro joint last week, which only took the edge off the sharp pain.  But sitting in a car continues to be a problem and getting into some cars is impossible.  The ice pack and/or heating pad are my dear friends.

I have to meet with the doctor's Nurse Practitioner in 2 weeks, and meanwhile I have to start Physical Therapy again next week - never mind that I'm still doing PT on my own for my back.    Sorry if I'm sounding negative - I guess I'm just mad!   I did ask the doctor about paying for the RFA myself, but she said no!   I suspect maybe it's a liability issue if I were to sue or something like that.

I shouldn't complain because there are many people in worse shape.  But I don't deal with chronic pain very well.  As my dentist says - may pain nerves are all close to the surface on my body.

The good news here is that the temperatures are warming up.  We'll be in the 30's most of this coming week.  Woohoo - good bye frigid nights - I hope.

I just had to share the picture at the top of the page.  It was taken about 4 years ago when we took a cruise to Alaska.   This was the scene as we left Vancouver, BC and traveled up the Intercoastal waterway to Alaska.   Beautiful country.   I will feature pictures from that trip in weeks to come.

Thanks for reading my blog.   

Mary
   

The Ice Age Commeth Again - And A Happy Ending

Hi Friends,

A new record was set in our city last night - 50 days of subzero temperatures this winter.   Sigh!  They are promising to give us temps around 27+ next Thursday!   This is getting very old.

I've talked before about our wonderful Mr. J who does our snow clearing for us.  Well, there is more to the job than just shoveling or using the snow blower.   About a week and a half ago - after another snowfall - Mr. J decided the mountains were getting too high along the driveway. Winter is far from over here and the piles would only get higher, making it difficult to shovel.   Even with the blower it was getting hard to blow the snow up and over.  So this wonderful man stayed on that day, after clearing the driveway and patio of snow, climbed the mountains and manually shoveled the snow farther out into the yard.   He knows we still have the month of March to get through and we can sometimes get a big snowfall of 12+ inches.  He said he is just trying to stay ahead of the game.

We just can't thank him enough for taking care of our snow.  He is our guardian angel of the snows, and we wouldn't be able to stay in our house if we didn't have his services.   We are so blessed to have him in the winter and our special yard crew (Harrison and Dad) in the summer for yard work.

We lost another wonder Twitter human to Lung Cancer last week - Ingrid, human of @nocrybabydogs.   I had known Ingrid for 5 years.  Mario did a nice blog tribute to her at http://mariodacat.blogspot.com

last week.  But then this morning I received this link that appeared in the newspaper of the lady (@DanaPixie) who adopted Ingrid's dog.   Thought you might find it interesting.   After the sadness of losing Ingrid, it was heartwarming to read this amazing story.

http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/1832820-151/twitter-friends-bring-kansas-dog-to-bend#

Daffy and TSK (Dana and Jim's kitty) are getting along fine.  Daffy arrived at her new home on Wednesday night and slept in the big bed with Dana, Jim, and TSK. I teasingly asked Dana if she had given Daffy and TSK catnip  before bed to have them both so peaceful and low key!  Pictures of Daffy's journey were posted at each "hand-off" stop so we could easily keep track of her journey.   There was a round of cheers on Twitter when Daffy was placed in the arms of her new mom, Dana.  All eyes were glued to #4Legs4Daffy for three days while she made her journey.  Three special Twitter friends had volunteered to each take a leg of that journey.   We are so thankful that they all made it to the destination and back home again.

The power of the social media never ceases to amaze me.   I have met so many wonderful people through it - including all of you blog readers, Twitter friends, the Blogosphere friends, and Face Book friends.  Plus we have a group of special local friends who are near and dear to us.   We are blessed!

Until next time - stay warm and dry.   Maybe by June we'll have some warmer days!

Mary

How Many Pieces?

Hi everyone,

These are the photos I wanted to post last week, but deleted them from the camera before downloading.

What is so special about this?  As quoted from a sign next to the replica: "It's a replica of Green Bay Packer's Stadium, designed and built by 15 Engineering Students from Milwaukee School of Engineering.  It was  completed August 5, 2013" and is exhibited in the lobby of Bellin Hospital in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

"It took 1500 hours designing and building the project.  The design is based on pictures and computer projections.   The replica is built on a 1" : 6' scale.  The replica measures 15' x 13" and is 27" tall."

"Over 130,000 pieces were used, equaling to approximately 500 pounds of plastic."  Most of those pieces, if not all, are Legos.

It is pretty awesome to see that in the huge lobby of the hospital and boggles my mind every time I look at it.   ha ha - I always wonder how many times the a chain reaction was started and it toppled.   I think now they have it permanently affixed together so there is no chance of that happening.  Mr. D says it was made out of a whole bunch of Legos!

Just had to share this with you because I find it fascinating.

Thoughts are with all our friends living in the southern states and Eastern seaboard.   The latest winter storm sure is raising havoc down there.   I can't complain about the 1 inch we received today.  It's peanuts compared to what others are receiving.

Take care everyone - stay safe, and I hope your power stays on.

Mary

Dumb, Dumb , And Dumber!

Original Oil Painting by Mr. D, who is a hobby artist.
Other Paintings by him can be found in Mario's blog

Hi,

I had something totally different planned for today's post, but I pulled a "Mary."   

Yesterday Mr. D and I went to the hospital again as I had an appointment in their Wound  Center every Tuesday.  (I have a wound on my ankle area that has been stubborn at healing.  Somewhere around Thanksgiving I hit the ankle on the corner of something (can't even remember what), treated it myself at home with Peroxide.   After about 3 weeks of it not healing, I kicked the same area again, breaking it open and deepening the wound.   Meanwhile I continued to go to my water exercise class thinking the heavy Chlorine would really clean it out.   It did, but still didn't heal (No I'm not diabetic).

Finally just before Christmas Mr. D suggested I go see the doctor.   He prescribed a salve and suggested I go downtown to the hospital and visit the Wound Center because they have "all kinds of special things that can be used to heal a wound like yours."

Once a week since right after Christmas I faithfully go to the Wound Center where the doctor measures the area, digs around in it, cleaning it out some, treats it with a piece of Pomogram (which looks like felt) and then a layer of Medihoney Gel over the top of that.   Of course it is wrapped and protected.   I continue the treatment at home every 3 days.  This is not serious, so don't worry about me.  It is healing nicely but ever so slowly.  I should have paid more attention to treating it and protecting it when I first injured it.   It does not pay to let things go too long, and I should know that but just didn't want to give in on something that seemed so stupid at the time. 

Anyway, there is a very unique display set up in the lobby of that hospital.   Mr. D went with me and was assigned the job of taking pictures of the unique object so I could post it in my blog yesterday.   When we came home in the afternoon, I downloaded the pictures, thought I saw them downloading, so deleted the pictures from the camera (usually I wait a couple of days to do that).   Well, guess what - the pictures never downloaded and I have already deleted them from the camera!  Dumb, Dumb, and Dumber!

We'll take pictures again next week when we're downtown so I'll have something nice to talk about next week - but it was very frustrating.

i've been reminded of two lessons: 1. Seek medical attention if something doesn't start healing in a few days.   2.  Don't delete pictures from the camera without actually looking at them, cropping, etc and saving where you want them stored.  Then delete.   We should all know to do those two things anyway - it's just common sense - "dumb, dumb, and dumber!"

Mary

P.S.  My heart goes out to all the people in the path of this latest storm - two in a row is simply not fair and both bad ones.   Hope everyone is safe.  I always worry about the many friends I have scattered across the US that I've become close to on Twitter.