playing catch-up
April 04, 2012

I'm gettting really bad at keeping up the diary these days. Mainly because I don't have anything going on in my life that's worth writing down. I don't feel much anymore, and I certainly don't DO much anymore, and I am so sick of "hearing" myself complain that it doesn't feel like there is a point. Still, I apparently keep "living" a life, so things happen, significant or not.

Here's a recap of the last week or so, just for "posterity".

I stayed home from work on Monday, March 26th, because work gets me so churned up with dread and stress on Sunday nights that I occasionally stay awake all night, and therefore cannot function on the following day. On Tuesday I went in to work and came home, made dinner, did dishes, etc. Ordered an Isabel Bloom Easter Bunny sent to my mom for her 75th birthday.

On Wednesday, I managed to totally screw up my right knee by the simple action of walking down the stairs to lunch. So I took it easy Wednesday night, and called in again on Thursday--as did Spouse, since it fell to him to take me to the hospital walk-in clinic and get my knee checked out. Which was a complete waste of money, because they don't do anything but take x-ays, and they tell you those aren't worth anything on a knee injury anyway, even before they take them. (They still take them, though--gotta run up the bill!)

I ended up with a brace, a cane, and some advice I knew going in: take advil, take it easy, and follow the RICE protocol.

Yes, a cane. I wasn't going to be satisfied with just the grey hair and the bifocals, baby--I wanted the TOTAL package, ya whippersnapper!

So anyway, I hobbled into work Friday and stuck it out the full 4.5.

And I came to the conclusion that I just can't put up with my doctor's office any more. I can't afford to have a doctor's office that can't get a prescription right, AND a pharmacy that can't get a prescription right. And since I am not allowed to change pharmacies...well. Anyway--I tried to get my prescription fixed, never heard back. Tried to book in with a new doctor for my follow-up. Never got a response. Very frustrating, so I waved the white flag and took a nap. Got up, went with Spouse to get the taxes finished. Had to have her fix a mistake that meant our quoted refunds were reduced by about two thirds. We went and got pizza, came home, ate, and Spouse did most of the laundry while I took it easy. (I KNOW, RIGHT?) Then back to bed early for me. (This bum leg is exhausting.)

Saturday, I popped some canned cinnamon rolls into the oven, brewed some fresh-ground coffee, and wrote my Easter cards to my folks and my Arizona folks--the latter of which has to include a note of at least 6 paragraphs for Uncle to pore over. While I tended to that, Spouse called Mom to wish her a happy 75th birthday, and called Auntie for their usual chat.

Then we got cleaned up and did our shopping. Despite the cane, it was a hellish ordeal for me. Spouse wanted me to get a wheelchair, but I was mortified at the thought, and instead, I wracked myself up royally by dragging myself all the way through Wally's. Then I went and walked SOME MORE--I checked out that store called "Tuesday Morning". Surprisingly, I actually found something good quality, inexpensive, and useful there--a new shower curtain and liner. Mostly crap useless crap that my mom would adore, though. Mailed the cards, went home, put away the purchases, and I came crashing down in pain after that.

Oh, yeah--Spouse sold the Harley on Saturday, too. Some guy from up by Waukesha arranged to buy it for $3750.00 and put a hundred down on it. I was kinda shocked that he wanted to sell it, but he needs a car (lease is up) and needs the money, plus he NEVER rides the dang thing. Guy picked it up Monday, paid cash. Pretty close to blue book for a bike that's got a wreck on its record, so we were pleased to get it.

Sunday I had some time to myself; Spouse and his brother and another friend took a road trip down to the City to get polish food for Easter. I used the time to bake butter cookies to send to Uncle as a sort of "Easter Basket". Did most of the work sitting down at the dining room table, though, sine I was trying to rest my knee. I did the thing where I dip the cookie tops into various decorations before baking--I found a 6-in1 jar of springtime decors at Aldi's the other day, so I had pastel sugars, jimmies, and little paste eggs, butterflies, and bunnies. Plus some parti-colored coarse sugar and some nonpariels to add variety. I did up a tin of about about four dozen or so, and Spouse very kindly packed them for shipping, then posted them off Monday after work.

Monday was back to work, still hobbling. Sunday night wasn't my typical Sleepless Sunday fiaso, but I did wake up with a hideous bout of reflux, early in the night, and a couple of rounds of diarrhea towards the end. So I was feeling peaky AND wobbly. At least I managed to succeed where I had failed on Friday--got the Rx ironed out, got the doctor visit booked. FOR TODAY! Can you I did get some relief from the chiro, though--went for my monthly visit and he was able to do a trigger-point thingy on the charley-horse in my calf (walking funny ends up screwing everything up). That hurt like a sumbitch, but the muscle unknotted, thank goodness.

Once I got home from work, chiro, and picking up my prescription, Spouse and I talked about dinner, and decided to just run out to the cafe (Tommy's) for a bite. I was, to be quite frank, wiped out. I barely made it to 8:30 before I just had to crawl into bed and crash.

Today was a day of work, a doctor visit after work, and to the polls for voting after the doctor visit. Not the Primary--I'm not a Republican, so that isn't for me to have a hand in. I mean, there isn't really anyone going against BO. But I did have to see to some politics closer to home, and vote for a new mayor, a new alderman, county board supervisor, school board members, and various judgeships. Gotta live in the real world. Don't want to get caught up in all the lies and spin and rhetoric, to the detriment of what really matters down here where people actually live their lives.

Oh, and I have a tear in my medial meniscus--exactly what I figured it was. Two weeks conservative care, and if it doesn't heal, we are probably talking some kind of surgery.