Balloon Feet and Empty Boxes

I'm truly NOT trying to break any world records for going to the E.R. and Dr's office, but these feet are pretty concerning. We *think* we may have had a breakthrough, but we're not absolutely sure. Yet.

So, about a month ago, Al and I decided to add a new "vitamin" to our daily regime (along with the multi-vitamin and the calcium supplement) -- it was Glucosamine-Condroitin -- good for what ails you (and aging joints). Or so we thought. About a week into it, I noticed my right ankle starting to swell. Now, mind you, this was about the same time I spent mega-hours driving -- from Bass Harbor to Stamford, from Stamford to Merrimack, from Merrimack to Bass Harbor. A lot o' driving.

On my return leg (pun intended) to Bass Harbor, I decided to stop at the ER in Ellsworth. "Take off both of your shoes and socks so we can compare 'em," says the nurse. I dutifully obey, knowing that they're not going to see a thing on my left . . . Ooof! Yikes! The left ankle is working hard to catch up to the right ankle. Damn.

Nah, the doc says. It's probably just from lifting heavy things (while packing up the last few big items from Merrimack). You strained the ligaments. Try to keep your feet up, she says. I mention the Glucosamine. And that I had just discontinued it. Nah, I'm sure that's not it, she says.

SO...a few days go by, I'm obeying my orders, but they're getting worse. I call the doc's office and get an appt with the PA (or maybe it was a NP? I don't remember). They draw blood to rule out rheumatoid arthritis. Yes, I agree. Let's rule out the nasty stuff. Two days later, I get a call back. RA panel is negative (whew!) but we'd like to do a D-Dimer test; it requires going back to the hospital and waiting for the results. If the results are positive, more tests. By now, it's Halloween. Al drives me to the hospital.

Five hours later (after "Superman" takes my blood twice), they've concluded that even though the d-dimer is positive, I do NOT have any blood clots in my legs. They came to that conclusion after doing ultrasounds of the venous systems in both legs. Actually pretty cool -- thank goodness the tech wasn't dressed as Dracula! They decide to put me on a diuretic (a high blood-pressure medicine) and more leg elevation. O.K., I can do that.

Another week of good behavior. There isn't really any change and certainly, I'm not impressed by the diuretic. I don't notice any difference at all in my # of trips to the bathroom. On Thursday morning, I decide to take a Glucosamine-Condroitin tablet. Thursday afternoon and Friday morning were about the worst yet. The swelling is now nearly equal, and it goes down to my toes. It KILLS to wiggle my toes; walking is nearly impossible. I call the doctor's office again. Yes, I'm due to see the doctor (previously-scheduled 'new patient appt') on Monday morning, but I really want someone to SEE these balloons at the end of my legs. Come on in at 4, they say.

Al (such a trooper!) takes me in, and I hobble to the exam room. The nurse (same one who checked me in the previous week) takes a look at my feet - YIKES, she says, they do look worse. I breathe a mental sigh of relief; I'm not crazy. A wonderful PA comes in (Wendy) and spends about 40 minutes with us. The long and short of it? She's seen THIS reaction to glucosamine-condroitin a few other times in her career. She's somewhat sure that's what it is, especially since it got so much worse after taking ONE tablet the previous morning. She strongly suggests TONS and TONS of water (as she said, it seems counterintuitive but it's really what helps to draw away the excess fluid) AND. . . compression hose. It's official. I'm O.L.D.

To say that putting these socks on is painful would be a terrific understatement. However, while they're on, I have the sleekest feet and ankles in town! I have to take them off for one hour mid-day (what quickly appears are bagel-like swellings on each ankle) and overnight. I have to put them back on before my feet hit the floor in the morning. And I was actually able to be up on my feet for about an hour altogether yesterday (which is quite amazing!). I actually made (a quick) dinner AND finished unpacking one last box in the kitchen!

I'm eager to see the doctor tomorrow for another once-over. I sure hope we're not going to have to change any of our plans for the coming two weeks. And it would be really nice to have a firm understanding of what caused all this edema.

And it's SO nice to have empty boxes. We're almost done . . .

Congratulations, President-Elect Obama!

Yahoo! What great news!

And how wonderful to know that we will once again have an intelligent, articulate President of whom we can be proud!

Fantastic. Just fantastic!

And what promise he holds for our children's and grandchildren's futures.

Thanks for voting!

(photo by Truda Bloom)

I'm SOOOOoooo Ready . . .

for this campaign season to be done. D.O.N.E. Others have said it, and I couldn't agree more. Just IMAGINE how much GOOD could have been done with all of the money that was paid for the hundreds and hundreds of hours of campaign ads, "debates" (nothing like the debates I remember from HS), and thousands and thousands of campaign signs (yeah, like they'll be gone tomorrow. Riiight.). Yes, I know. It's all a part of the democratic process. But seriously. Imagine what good could have happened in places like New Orleans.

And what ever happened to fact-checking? One of the biggest challenges this "campaign season" has been tracking down the truth. Where does one go? Who has the facts? Does anyone? Whose "facts" do we subscribe to?

And it certainly wouldn't be the good ol' USA if there weren't a way to sexualize even the ELECTION! Jeesh. What's with that "Obama girl"? Good grief.



My favorite "Get out the vote" video is this one. Be sure to watch to the very end.

The best thing about this election is the way it has mobilized voters. The expected record turnout is just fantastic. And the fact that some places have had as much as 20% of their eligible voters vote EARLY is incredible!



I'm looking forward to voting today. It's the first time Al and I are voting in Maine. And we'll be proud to cast our ballots. We're certainly voting on behalf of our two favorite little ones. We hope that our votes might help to make the world a better place for Graham and Dean.

Who are you voting on behalf of?

Take a Breath

The last couple of weeks have been such a whirlwind.

My sister is home from the hospital and is recovering well. We sold our NH home; the closing went without a hitch. The moving van came and left behind mountains of boxes and more furniture.

I need to sit still. And breathe. Doesn't that sound delicious?

We're settling into a routine here in our new home and community. Al and I enjoy singing in choir at church (Bar Harbor Congregational Church) which is great fun. And I'm also singing with the Acadia Choral Society. So that's two nights a week that I'm out.

I haven't found time to really investigate a local rughooking group. But I'm able to get into the local yarn shop (Lilac Lily) once a week or so; it's where I stop when I'm struggling with some persnickity part of a knitting pattern. It's quite a lovely refuge.

While working full-time (at least for now), I need to balance my extra-curricular and work activities. And then I need to balance those BOTH with just being. An old friend used to remind me from time to time, that we are human BEINGS and not human DOINGS. Good point. Easy to forget. Why is it that we find ourselves so busy that we almost need to schedule the down time. The empty time. With my short commute (walking from the kitchen to the sunroom, aka my office, doesn't take but a moment), I can maximize that quiet time before and after work.

One of the best parts of living somewhere new is meeting new people and making new friends. Maybe it's because there are so many of us here who are semi-retired or retired altogether, but it does seem that folks here are willing and eager to take the time to get to know each other. Visiting with new friends over dinner is such a great way to spend an evening.

Reading back over this entry --- it's got quite a jagged feel. Maybe even on the edge of frenzied.

For now, I'm going to sit here. And just breathe. Yummy . . .

There's a Madness to my Method . . .

Today I unpacked. And unpacked. And unpacked. It felt GREAT!

I know I have to take good care of my back. So I work in the same position for only a few minutes at a time, and then move on to the next room to do something different. Today I hung clothes, paired shoes and put them in the closet, shelves dozens and dozens of books (really! How much can TWO people read??), stacked CD's in the entertainment center, flattened hundreds of sheets of newsprint and 15 or 20 boxes (we're recycling --- Mike and Laurelyn just sold their house), and rearranged some furniture. I'm sure if anyone retraced my steps throughout the day, I'd have looked like a whirling dervish, but my method really worked well. I accomplished quite a bit and not a back twinge in sight.

And the living room and master bedroom are taking shape -- the living room feels light and airy again, and there's actually a FLOOR in the bedroom. Ahhh. . .

It feels SO much more like home now . . . Yippppppeeeee! Pictures soon--I promise.

Building Strong Bodies Ten Ways . . .

So. I wonder . . .

Why does it take soooo much, much longer to unpack boxes than it did to load and unload the moving van?

So...we're on! How quickly will we be able to see all the walls in each room? Hmmm . . .

There's another yard sale in our future or more free-cycling. I'm sure of it!

Enjoy this GORGEOUS weekend. Between unpacking boxes we'll be kayaking in Northeast Creek. We're hoping to pick some ripe, wild cranberries. We're still at peak colors here in a few spots.

Off to open another box . . .yikes.

A Deep Sigh . . .

How do you spell relief?

I woke up this morning in my own bed. With my darling Al. I knew where I was immediately.

I am home. And it feels great!

Even with it raining here today (which can sometimes make me feel a little blue), I can look outside with a big smile. We're here for good. It's just us...and oh, yeah, the stuff that will be delivered tomorrow, much in big cartons (thank goodness they're labeled!) and a few things wrapped in heavy blankets.

And I only found two more tiny splinters of glass in the kitchen today. Still no bare feet here!