A Tale of the Chiropractor or How I Came to Love My Surgeon Pt.I

When I was a kid, I used to move my bedroom furniture. I was a budding design student or architect or I was just bored - I'm not sure. It wasn’t light furniture, either. It was huge, dark, antique furniture that I hated. That might have had something to do with the re-arranging. I may have been hoping to push it out the door. Didn’t happen.

Over the years, the habit stuck. I moved many times in my younger days and each time I had to re-arrange the furniture several ways before I was satisfied. Yes, I drew diagrams and measured and pictured it in my head, but I had to live with it to decide if it was really what I wanted.

All of this created a bad back.

Fast forward several years to my 20’s. I am married to my Hubs, have four children under the age of 7, and suddenly am stricken with lower back pain from hell. I can barely move. My parents, who have been going to chiropractors for years, try and encourage me to try one. Me? I’m scared of things I don’t know and go with what I do know. I go to my medical doctor. In medical lingo, my “primary care physician”. You know, everyone must get their piece of the pie! You can’t just jump right to the specialist, you have to get a “referral” that takes 10 minutes and costs $200. No wonder our health care system is such a mess. I could go on and on about this one, but I won’t. At least, not right now.

I then am sent to an orthopedic surgeon who pokes and prods and sends me to a neurologist who puts needles in my legs and sends electric current through them. (Remind me not to be taken prisoner anywhere at anytime. I can’t take the torture.)

After all the x-rays, exams and god-knows-how-many questions, I am told I must have 6 weeks of complete bed rest and take muscle relaxers and pain pills. I will say this, as much grief as I give my MIL, she did step up to the plate on this one. Between Hubs and her, they managed to take care of all the kids for those 6 weeks. Me? I never knew they happened. I was so drugged I didn’t know if it was day or night. I slept 24 hours a day and only got out of bed to pee and nibble on something.

Unfortunately, when the 6 weeks were up, nothing had changed.

Back to the “professionals” who recommended physical therapy. Okay… did that for several weeks. No change. Back to the docs. Now what? You guessed it… 6 more weeks of bed rest and meds. You have Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me.

I finally called my parents and had their chiropractor recommended someone in my area. What did I have to lose at this point?

We made an appointment and Hubs went with me. We had the x-ray, the thorough exam, the questions… always questions… and finally the chiro said, “We need to have you come every day, twice a day for awhile, but I think your husband needs to take you out to dinner and a movie tonight - you’ve been cooped up in the house waaay too long.” Did I mention I fell in love with him on the spot?

To be continued…

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Look What I Did!

New! For Spring!
Don't say I never give you anything...

Daughter

I watch you
Carefully
Looking for signs
Signs of sorrow
Signs of fear
Signs of lonliness
You hide them well

I listen to you
Silently
Looking for words
Words to say "Give it time"
Words to say "It will pass"
Words to say "I love you"
They stick in my throat

My heart beats
Fitfully
Looking for strength
Strength to give
Strength to share
Strength to let go
It isn't working

Take from me
Experience
Hope
Love
Trust
Promise
I wish I had more.

Frazzled Friday Wrap-Up

* Hubs got done planting the corn
* We had Chinese food last night to celebrate (rice is on the "no" list for diabetics)
* He took his blood sugar reading and it was too low - after Chinese - I'm back to questioning whether he is really diabetic
* My blood sugar reading was high this morning - after Chinese - but that wasn't totally unexpected
* It wasn't ungodly high
* I'm proud of that fact
* I've been so good on my diet that I don't even crave Pepsi anymore
* I'm telling the truth about being good
* I'm lying about not craving Pepsi - Pepsi One is not the same, however both are brown and fizzy
* There is 100% chance of rain tomorrow, but looking at radar it appears to be 100% today also
* This is good for the grass patches we are trying to grow on our lawn - places that had gotten gouges from rain run-off and that Hubs dug up, re-seeded and covered with matting and that I have been watering daily.
* This is good for the new corn
* This is good for my gardens
* The 40 mph winds they are also predicting for tomorrow are not good
* Em got a new laptop so she could play WoW faster
* I got a new laptop so I could play WoW faster
* I'm telling myself it's a reward for being so good on my diet
* I'm actually a techno-junkie and my daughter got a new one (same one) and was so much faster I just had to have one
* We got Em moved back
* Her critters (dog and frog) have made themselves at home
* My dogs are thrilled
* My cats are not
* I have to work again tomorrow
* After work tomorrow I'm going to visit my parents - it's my mother's birthday
* I have only seen them once since Christmas
* I do not like to visit them
* I do not feel comfortable
* I feel guilty for this
* I'm going on a month without a vaccum
* I soon will have enough cat hair collected to make another cat
* I'm going to stop at the vacuum place when I go to my parents' - it's in the same town
* I'm going to verbally thrash the salesman if he doesn't have my parts in yet
* After that I'm going to sic my Hubby on them
* I have not spent near enough time with my blog friends
* I have not forgotten you
* I have been lurking to a certain extent
* I'm hoping by the low number of comments on mine that you have been lurking too
* Give someone you love a hug today
* {{{{hugs}}}}}

* Have a good weekend

Doncha?

Don't you hate it when you're so busy at work that you don't have time to blog, read other's blogs, or play games? Yeah, me too.

Springtime?

We had frost last night. Frost. Keeping my fingers crossed that all my tulips and other plants survived unscathed. I can hope, can't I? I was a bad gardner... didn't go out and cover them all up with blankies last night. I did, however, go out and take pictures. Posting soon...

Chaos

That pretty well describes my weekend. Not a whole heck of a lot of relaxing going on.

Saturday we got an early start and made the 3-1/2 hr drive to Kansas to move Em home. Although only a state south of us, it was hotter than blazes - and humid. You'd think it was the middle of summer. All of us were dripping by the time we got done. Off to the nearby BB-Q joint to have a delicious lunch, then we hit the road heading north. Things went smoothly and we were back at our house by 7:30 p.m.. Unloading the trailer and vehicles seemed to take less time than loading, and we were all done before long. True, she is now living in a room packed to the walls with boxes, but she's got some time to figure out the organization of it all.

Yesterday was a day spent cleaning. Hubs took a day off from planting to mow, clean out the garage, wash the front of the house and porch, and cut up a dead tree for us to have a nice bonfire last night. I did the usual, laundry, cleaning, dishes, so forth... without benefit of my vacuum which I still have not received the parts for. I am NOT a happy camper about that one. (Hello! When the salesman goes on vacation, wouldn't you hope he would order the parts you need before he goes??? Grrrr...) Overall, it looks nice again - for a day or two.

I didn't even hardly have energy to WoW at all over the weekend. You know that I'm tired when that happens!

Hope you all had a good one!

Good News Bad News Friday

* Good news: Going to get Em tomorrow! Yippee!
* Bad news: I hate moving.
*Good news: My eldest daughter, her hubs, and my eldest son are all going to help. It will be nice to see them all and get to spend some quality time with them.
*Bad news: I hate moving.
*Good news: We're going to see Em's hubs. We really do still love him and wish him every happiness, too.
*Bad news: It's gonna be sad. ... oh, and I have I mentioned I hate moving?

* Good news: My tulips and croccuses (crocci?) and hyacith look gorgeous. My pear tree is blooming. The groundcover is blooming. The pansies came back in full force and are striking. Things are alive and coming up all over the garden. I've taken lots of pictures!
* Bad news: I've been working so much that I see the garden for all of about 15 minutes when I take the dogs out at night and I've not had time to download the pictures for you to see. I have one of my two new apple trees that didn't come back to life after winter (and they say they need two to make apples. grrrr), and even though my redbud trees show teeny-tiny leaves, they are not blooming in profusion as the rest of the countryside is. Why is it these things can grow on roadsides like weeds, but when you put them in your yard and "nurture" them, they struggle?


* Good news: My blood sugar numbers are coming down to an acceptable number. I've been so "good" it's scary. Hubs came down about five seconds after he took his first pill and hasn't gone up again. It's debatable whether he is really diabetic or just had a bad spell last winter with lots of sugary and carb-filled eating. Maybe God really DID make him have this scare to make me take better care of myself. It seems to be working, anyway...
* Bad news: I'm sleeping all night and still tired, having headaches all day long, and craving all the things I can't have.

*Good news: My father appears to be doing okay. He's had an MRI which showed nothing. They know he had some small strokes earlier on, but don't think it had anything to do with this episode with his vision. His vision has cleared, but he has another eye doc appt. He and my mother both stopped drinking. Didn't think they could, but apparently these things can happen. Next thing you know they'll find religion again. Isn't that what old people do? (I'm going to hell.) *Bad news: He had a bone scan of his neck, as he's been having pain and sometime weakness and dizziness associated with it and now has fallen about four times in the past month. My father is 6'5" tall - if he falls, it's a long drop. I'm sure the falling has not helped the neck, either, so round and round we go. Will see what they come up with next.

*Good news: Planting is going well. Hubs may even take Sunday off and still be done planting corn by Tuesday. Too early to start planting soybeans, but he doesn't have near the acres of them this year so won't take long to do once the time is right.
*Bad news: The work pickup truck had ignition troubles last night and I volunteered to go get the parts for it in town. (I was already in my jammies!) Hubs got it fixed, but we didn't get home until 9 p.m. and then had to get supper. Didn't make for a very relaxation-filled evening.

*Good news: While Hubs was fixing the pickup, I went up to the house and visited with my mother-in-law. She was actually pleasant and it was a relatively nice conversation.
*Bad news: I had to hear all about my sister-in-law being in Sweden for a "conference" and how hard she and her husband have been working to sell out their dairy herd.

*Good news: I get to see my eldest son tonight. He's coming to get stuff he left at my house when he moved out that he may or may not want to see again before his sister moves into that space and it gets buried.
*Bad news: I don't get to see him as much as I'd like.

*Good news: Miss Sizzle's birthday was this week. Tuesday, as a matter of fact. She's a bright and beautiful 33. Go wish her a happy Belated Birthday!
*Bad news: I was sick on Tuesday and didn't realize I'd missed her birthday until yesterday. What a bad blog-friend I am!

That's about it for now... when things slow down a bit I'll try and get caught up with all of you!

Animal Humor*

Entries in a Dog's Diary:
7 am - Oh boy! A walk! My favorite!
8 am - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9 am - Oh boy! The kids! My favorite!
Noon - Oh boy! The yard! My favorite!
2 pm - Oh boy! A car ride! My favorite!
3 pm - Oh boy! The kids! My favorite!
4 pm - Oh boy! Playing ball! My favorite!
6 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Mom! My favorite!
7 pm - Oh boy! Welcome home Dad! My favorite!
8 pm - Oh boy! Dog food! My favorite!
9 pm - Oh boy! Tummy rubs on the couch! My favorite!
11 pm - Oh boy! Sleeping in my people's bed! My favorite!

Entries in a cat's diary:
Day 183 of my captivity ... My captors continued to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal.The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from clawing the furniture.Tomorrow I may eat another house plant. Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded. Must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair. Must try this on their bed. Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body in an attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear in their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a "good little cat" I was. Hmmm...make a note: this is not working according to "the plan."There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the food. More important, I overheard that my "confinement" was due to my powers of inducing "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage. I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant. She speaks with them regularly. I am certain she reports my every move. Due to her current placement in the metal container, her safety is assured. But I can wait; it is only a matter of time....
Signed...the cat.

*stolen from Amy

Counting the Hours

...until we go get Emily!

She's Got Nothin' On Me

If you are squeemish about bodily functions, you just might want to skip this post. Otherwise, consider yourself warned.

Dooce has nothing on me when it comes to poo. I am the queen of poo mis-adventures. In the 'bad old days' when I ate what I wanted and enjoyed my Pepsi's and my Hershey bars, it was nothing to find me constipated for a week at a time. Yes, I said a week. This, I've come to learn, isn't an ideal situation.

After the week of being poo-less, I would suddenly cramp up and feel as though I was trying to give birth to the Alien baby. I would "camp" on the toilet (Hub's is sooo creative with the descriptions, isn't he?)... and he would yell in, "Do I need to get the dynomite?" After passing the um, blockage, then floods of liquid poo would pour out of me for the next several hours. Needless to say, after the purge, I felt pretty damn good... for about another week.

Now that I'm taking such good care of myself (Yes, you skeptics, I really, truly am!) I'm finding the opposite to be occuring. I am pooing. All. The. Time. Everything I eat creates runny, foul smelling poo. I know things like raw veggies and salads will do this, but everything? I find instead of "camping" to make things move, I'm there because I'm afraid to leave! I get back to the other end of the house and whammo! Gotta go again! Yes, I eat cheese. Lots of cheese. Cheese is supposed to be um... binding. It's not working.

Yesterday I stayed home. Again. Why? Because I couldn't get more than five feet from the toilet. On the plus side, I'm getting caught up on my reading...

Is It Really Monday Already?

The weekend turned out to be shorter than I anticipated. I was hoping to get off work at noon, but no such luck... had to stick it out all day. That gave me one day to make some semblence of order around the house, catch up on laundry, dye my hair (shhhh), do my nails, and try to make some progress with WoW.

On top of it all, Cleo, the newest cat, must have gotten into the catnip a little too hard yesterday, as she was a pest. All. Night. Long. You know how when you are really tired sometimes you wake just enough to know there are things going on, but not enough to do something about it? Yeah. I kept thinking ... get up. Close the door. Shut her out. Especially when she spilled a half a glass of water on my head that was on the night stand. *sigh* By that time it was time to get up anyway...

Have I mentioned I'm tired?

Odds and Ends Friday

Is it just me, or is this weather really weird? Yesterday, here in mid-Iowa, I found out we made it into the 90's. The 90's! It's April! That's August (State Fair) weather. It better get normal before summer comes...

One week until we move Em home. Counting the days!

Go over to Amy's site and give her a hearty Congratulations!! She just had a beautiful baby girl.

Planting started "officially" as of yesterday.

With spring officially started (meaning the farmers are in the fields) work is chaos. The guys I work with are running in and out of the office, filling and delivering anhydrous tanks, helping with chemicals, fixing things that have broken. Phones are ringing off the hook - if not the two lines in the office, it's their cell phones. Farmers wanting tanks, water, chemicals - all the fun stuff that goes with spring planting. I was bored. For just a bit... until they started doing some new soil sampling. That's my area. Now, suddenly, I'm swamped with work and having to work all day, every day, and Saturday. Yep. There went my weekend... oh, well... part of the job.

Hubs and I are being good on our diets. It's killing me. I miss things. Yesterday was really hard, but I toughed it out. Bonus? I've lost 10 lbs. Yeah, I know, I needed to anyway. It's all good. Hard, but good. Makes it easier that he has to eat the same things... keeps me doing the right things. Is interesting trying to come up with lunch solutions for us both, tho'... he takes his lunch to the field and I'm having to do a "Hubs" lunch and a "son" lunch. So far, so good...

A good bloggie friend is having a hard time. Go over and tell Darrell "hi" and make him feel better... Tell him Sue sent ya.

Last, but certainly not least... in case you missed it, this has been Sizzle's birthday week. She's been working up to her actual birthday on Tuesday, the 18th. Put it on your calender and go over and wish her a happy one! She's got a lot on her plate right now, too - a big move on the horizon and all that is entailed with picking up your life and taking it to another part of the country. At least I know WE won't lose touch with her... will we, Siz?

Have a Happy Friday (Good Friday, to those of you to whom it applies)... and a good weekend (to those of you who actually get one!).

Happens Every Time

Wouldn't you know it? One of the guys brought big sub sandwiches for everyone for lunch today. *sigh*

If A Tree Falls in the Forest and Nobody Hears It...

We built our house two years ago. Two years... hardly seems possible. We built it on the edge of an 80-some acre field surrounded by timber and a creek running behind the house. In the summer time when all the leaves are out you can't even see our house from the road. You see the mailbox, and the drive, and you have to follow the drive to see the house. Either that, or you go to the road that runs the next mile over and look at it through binoculars.

In the winter, it's a different story. The trees get bare and you can see the back of our house from the road. I've planted some evergreen trees along the road that will block the view of our house in the winter time... in about thirty years.

This winter and spring have been hard ones on our timber. We've had several storms come through with 50-60 mph winds. What once looked like a very full and vibrant timber is suddenly looking like, well, crap. Trees are down willy-nilly. We think most of them are elm trees that were already dead from disease... we'll know when the rest of them leaf out and we see where the gaps are. We have no shortage of firewood!

Spring is here and the buds are coming. The 70 or so bulbs I planted last fall are starting to come up. The grass is greening. The male goldfinch have come back with their bright yellow plumage. I even saw the one remaining chipmunk the other day. I only hope that the timber will be as lovely as ever when it gets it's summer "coat" on.

Pity Party

Can you hear that sound? It’s a high, irritating noise – almost into the “only dogs can hear” range. It’s me. Whining. You can leave if it becomes too distracting.

I hate diets. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them. I hate them more when I really do not want to me on them. Does anyone want to be on one? Probably not. Do I need to be? Yes. Do I want to be? Hell no.

Drug addicts, alcoholics, sex addicts… they are told, “stay away from it”. Don’t even have one drink. Don’t hang around others who do. Please tell me how do I avoid eating and people who are eating? It’s right up there with breathing… one of those things we really need to do to survive.

Everywhere you look there is food. There are advertisements for food. There are people eating. In their cars, on the street, in my living room.

I like food. Hell, I love food. Chicken and noodles with mashed potatoes, gooey macaroni and cheese, simmering beef stew, buttery stroganoff, homemade bread – still warm, tall glasses of frosty cold milk, right from the oven chocolate chip cookies, I could go on and on. Why can’t I be one of those picky people who can eat three pieces of lettuce with a side of twigs and be happy?

I’m trying to be good. I am. I’ve almost totally eliminated the Pepsi from my life – again – and have been a huge grouch (sorry Hubs). We took our readings this morning and his is normal – better than normal. I’m still in the ozone. I’m eating all the same stuff he is and most of it is edible. Still, I feel like I’m missing something. I’m walking around with an empty feeling. I can hear the psychologists having a field day about now. Yes, I understand I’m using food as a crutch. Yes, I’m medicating myself with food. Yes, I’m using it for comfort. Yes, yes, yes… I know. But I’m hungry.

I’ve been told I am a good cook. I take some pride in my cooking. My cooking is the “homestyle” cooking, though. It isn’t the 1” square of meat with the three string beans arranged artfully across it. It’s the fill up the plate with something substantial and the health charts be damned.

I feel guilty for whining. There are people who are dealing with way worse things – cancer, breathing problems, chronic pain. Me? I just whine because I can’t push myself away from food. Let the pity party begin.

The Reveal

A while back I mentioned my heart was breaking. Now I can finally reveal to you why.

My youngest daughter is getting divorced. I ache for her. She agonized over this marriage before it ever happened… wanting to be sure this was it forever and not to repeat the mistakes of her mother and her older sister.

If there can be such a thing as good news associated with the act of divorce, there is some. For one thing they are being adults about it. They realized they were the best of friends when they married, just didn’t realize there should be more than that. In ending it, they are managing to end it as best of friends. I find that remarkable in this day and age and says volumes about the two of them. I hope that he knows we still love him, too… and only regret that it didn’t work out for them.

In the other ‘good news’ department, she will be moving back to Iowa. It makes us, her family, feel terribly guilty that we are all so friggin’ happy about this. I mean, doing cartwheel type happiness. She’s coming home. She has a job, she has friends, she has us, and she has spring… what a glorious thing!

I ache for her as I know as well as everyone is handling this, it still hurts. I know if still feels like a failure to her. She feels as though she is going backwards in her life.

Truly, she is only taking a step forward into a new life. She’s learned a lot this year about herself and what she needs to be happy. She’s learned that as wonderful as a friendship can be, it isn’t enough. She’s learned she can be stronger than she ever thought. I love her so much and admire her. I wish I’d have had the courage she had.

She’s a lovely young girl who, corny as I know she’s going to say this sounds, has blossomed into a beautiful young woman – with newfound wisdom – and so much hope and promise ahead of her. We all love her so much and wish her only the best for her future.

Dear Driver

You are a moron.
You drive a light gray car with no headlights on a day when the fog is so thick I can't see two car lengths in front of me.
...and you wonder why I gave you the finger.

What Does Your Birthdate Mean?

Your Birthdate: December 18

You are a cohesive force - able to bring many people together for a common cause. You tend to excel in work situations, but you also facilitate a lot of social gatherings too.Beyond being a good leader, you are good at inspiring others. You also keep your powerful emotions in check - you know when to emote and when to repress. Your strength: Emotional maturity beyond your years Your weakness: Wearing yourself down with too many responsibilities Your power color: Crimson red Your power symbol: Snowflake Your power month: September

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Interesting... Very Interesting
Saw this over at Manda's site.

Let the Torture Begin... or What Have You Done With My Husband

Ugh. I want my husband back. This stranger that has invaded my home is gonna be the death of me.

I know, I know. I've been diabetic for about 15 years. Most of those years I've been a bad diabetic. A few of them I was good. I was very good. Some years in the middle there. Then we took a trip and I fell off the wagon. My drug? Alcohol? No. Chocolate? Maybe a little, but I'm allowed a little. No, my downfall is Pepsi. Dumb, I know. You'd think it was crack the way I'm addicted to it. I know it's bad for me. I know it's sugar. Pure. Unadulturated. Sugar. I know I can go blind or lose my feet or have a heart attack. I know all this. I am an intelligent, reasonable adult. My husband doesn't have to tell me this.

He's a gem, my Hubs. He really is. I love him with my whole heart. But since he found out he's diabetic, he's gotten on the bandwagon whole hog. That's a good thing... for him. Probably, in the long run, a good thing for me. Right now? I'd like to cut off his nose so he'd quit sticking in my business.

Gotta go figure out something we can both eat for supper. *sigh*