Pain Pain GO AWAY!!

The big pile of snow we received this week has given me a pain in the neck!! (and shoulder and back!)  I had to use a broom to reach the top of Dougie and had to put a lot of energy into it as there was a good inch or two of frozen rain under the snow. I could my muscles pulling but figured it would be fine once I was finished. Wrong.  It's like when you get up in the morning and feel you must have slept all wrong - hurts to turn my head or do neck rolls etc. It's in the same area as when I had that pinched nerve in my right shoulder a couple years ago. The only thing that helped then was acupuncture so I'll make an app't on Monday to get needled :)

Projects are lying all over the house.  I bought new yarn for Kazi's infinity scarf as black yarn is really hard to work with - can't see the stitches!! Shoulda listened to my seester...right seester?? My sculpture is half way finished and is calling out to me. I did some rug spooling for a couple of nights but that repetitive motion was painful. I haven't hiked (due to weather) but have ridden my bike and am doing yoga.

Grrrrrr....pain makes me mad!

I will leave you with Foto Friday's fotos since I didn't post yesterday: oh, what a surprise!! One year ago today I took more kitten photos! Some bunny wants a belly rub! Oh, it's Lily, with her pink tongue hanging out in anticipation!

 Whatcha waiting for??

  My tummy is right here!!

 Sigh...

 Oh, and I completed my first sculpture in a number of years!! And have been busy in the workshop ever since :)  

Update

You're right 444 - it's time for an update!

On the physical side of things I'm not getting any worse.  I've had the occasional day when I thought the pain was a bit less, but not often. I've tried topical gels and creams with some temporary relief of symptoms. Pain pills, even those with an added muscle relaxant, haven't really helped. And, very sadly, acupuncture isn't having its usual magical effect.

So, what did the doctors recommend? Well, the acupuncturist said to walk 8-10km per day and to also do something different like swimming. I don't swim but I will consider an aquafit class if I can find one.  And my GP gave me an "exercise prescription" as well - HOT YOGA!!

She sees a LOT of people like me (walkers, runners, hikers) with very tight muscles and hot yoga can help relax those muscles. So, starting tomorrow, I'm off to a beginner's hot yoga class. I've also started doing some yoga at home thanks to the recommendation on Carla's "blog of the "Yoga Studio" app.

**You know what would be a cool idea? A blog called "Bloggers helping Bloggers"! A forum for people to post their "problem" and other bloggers could post suggestions and ideas that worked for them.

Anyhoo - on to the depression. Through my own reading I've discovered that I'm going through the stages of grief due to a number of losses over the past year and a half: loss of relationship, loss of 20 year old pet, loss of meaningful work (retired), loss of PEI home and future life with partner, and loss of pain free movement. (loss of ability to pursue my hobbies - all of which require sitting)

The stages of grief are: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. I'm stuck - I'm done with denial and bargaining....still feel some anger and definitely some depression. So my doctor gave me a referral to a counsellor and I've made the initial phone call, now just waiting for a call back so I can set up an appointment. I have NO idea how long I'll have to wait. In the meantime I'll continue doing what I'm doing: getting out into nature for long walks/hikes, visiting with family and friends, going to the trailer, doing the fix ups I can manage in the condo and at the trailer, yoga etc.

Today I have a couple of not very physically demanding jobs to do - put new little bumper pads on all of my kitchen cupboards and start prepping the walls in my bathroom for painting. And tonight I have a 2 hour hike. Every hour on the hour I'll stop whatever I'm doing and get down on my yoga mat for some stretches.  Sounds like a fun day...no? Hey, it makes me feel a wee bit better to be productive in some small way.

In other news....

Kazi bought one of these earlier this week:

It's a terracotta money pot! She's saving for "trips and MOVING"!! Of course when she says "moving" she means somewhere like Texas or California...so I'm not going to worry about that yet - it could take quite a while to fill her money pot! With this type of pot there is NO way of getting the money out except to smash it when it's full reducing the temptation of taking out what you've already put in (like I do with my piggy bank!!)

My accomplishment for yesterday was to write a reference letter for a student who helped out with my Best Buddies program at school.  I was dreading it but once I got started it was surprisingly easy. It also brought back a lot of good memories and I had a few tears. Part of me is glad I'm retired from THAT job but a big part of me misses the students and the fun times we had connecting through Best Buddies.

That's it for now...time for some stretches and blog reading!

Suggestions and Comments

Thank you everyone for your support, suggestions and comments. Putting it "out there" isn't easy but I know my blogging friends and readers don't judge. There is still such a stigma attached to depression/anxiety/mental illness in general which makes it hard for those who suffer to speak up. There is a genetic link with my dad suffering terrible anxiety and long term depression. I was a witness to his pain and it wasn't pleasant. My mom helped as much as she could plus he had drug therapy, talk therapy and shock treatment. (Glad no one suggested THAT!!)

Many of you were in favour of medication as a temporary stopgap. That's a tough one for me as last year I weaned myself off of two drugs - one for anxiety related to menopause and one for back pain. If at all possible I'd rather not use any other drugs but I'm not totally closing the door.

Also appreciated are all of the hugs - even the puppy and 14 cat hugs:) Those of you who are pet lovers know how therapeutic it is to have a fur baby to stroke, snuggle and kiss. I think I'd be in much worse shape without Lily and Luna sprawling themselves all over me every chance they get.

As I type this Luna is cuddled up on my feet. Maybe it's my Icelandic socks she's enjoying - it's a chilly 12c today.

I saw the acupuncturist yesterday. Unlike when he treated the pinched nerve in my shoulder I am NOT getting instant relief for my back. He encouraged me to walk 8-10km everyday as it's good for the spine and discs so I've hiked Kilally Meadows yesterday and today. It's also a known fact that being out in "nature" is good for one's mental health so maybe I can kill two birds with one stone. He also encouraged me to keep stretching and to get back into yoga. So I don't forget I've set my phone's timer to go off every hour and then I get down on my yoga mat for some fun.

Speaking of fun I liked  the suggestion of watching/reading things that are funny. Thanks for your list 444 - I won't take it lightly!!

Finally thanks to those of you who've shared their experiences with depression and Sluggy you never know when I might turn up at your door...nah...I'd give you fair warning. And Kim, you DO make me laugh :)

On the Mend

I am happy to report that my back/hip/buttocks area is feeling somewhat better! And heeding doctor's and acupuncturist's advice to "use it or lose it" I went on my first hike yesterday in 3 weeks. And oh what a loverly day it was! Not a cloud in the sky and the temperature rose from -1c when I got up to 17c by the end of the hike. It felt good to be alive!

Here we are gathering for the hike. Over the course of the next couple of months (every other Sunday) we are walking the entire length of the Thames Valley Trail (around 150km). Sunday's hike was about 10km.

We stopped occasionally for water and snacks. Those who needed to slipped off into the woods for a pee break but without any foliage there wasn't much coverage!! (Glad I can hold it!!)

Much of the trek was along the borders of farmers' fields and it was pretty mucky!

This is when I need a good zoom lens! Can you see the heron sitting in her nest?

And perhaps this is dad on guard nearby.

Not much shelter in this teepee!

I just couldn't get enough of the blue sky. The buds are on the trees so any day now leaves will bust out! Or is that burst?

After about 30 minutes of hiking the coats came off.

A lot of the area was under water still.

While my boots are water proof they are NOT mud proof.

I thought this tree was missing a chunk of its trunk but it's just an optical illusion.

One method of not leaving mud from your boots in somebody's car! Her boots are bagged! I brought a big bag to put my boots in and another pair of shoes to change into.

The first leg is complete - only 140 more kms to go!

Unfortunately, while still mild, it is pouring down rain today. The house is dark as a tomb. So I took myself to an indoor track for some walking today - I listen to the band The Cars when I walk as the songs are just the right speed.  I was going to pack up Dougie the Dodge with stuff for the trailer today but not in the rain. I think I'll go on Wednesday to start cleaning the trailer and taking inventory of what I need to get. I like my zero gravity chairs so much I bought another one today - I'm going to leave one here and take two to the trailer.

I also want to pack out boots away in bins but I'm afraid I'll jinx it. So I'll leave them be for now - better to have them out and not need them than put them away and have it snow again!!

Has spring sprung for you??

BUDGET Bonanza!

There is no bonanza, nor any lesbians either so move along to the next blog if you want...

Just another dull look at the budget...but, it keeps my spending in check (sorta)  to look at the numbers weekly. I am thankful that so far April is going better than expected. Now there's something to celebrate right? (completely disregarding that it's only the 9th of April?)

So what's so darn great about April's money so far??? Well....the acupuncturist said I might only have to get one treatment (she says while burning her butt on a heating pad...)

HEY, I JUST SAID BUTT!!(that should increase my readership!!)

I took $500.00 out of savings to cover said treatments @ $50.00 a SHOT that would amount to 10 treatments. So...I could possibly save $450.00!! (some of which I spent already - EEK!!) Money is getting muddled - OH NO!! I hate that! I took $200.00 of the $500.00 designated for acupuncture and put it in my wallet. I paid for one treatment and still have $80.00 left so that means that there is $70.00 unaccounted for!! I bought a book today ($30.00) and lunch ($5.00) so that leaves $35.00. I did spend some money to make a nice Easter - a bit on candy and wine...see how it dribbles away!?! I cannot be trusted with cash in my wallet - it DISAPPEARS!! And if I don't keep my receipts I can't track where it goes!!

Anyhoo I still have $380.00 left for the acupuncturist if I need it.  If I don't then either it goes back into savings or I use it to purchase some things for the trailer.

Speaking of the trailer...I used my misc money this week to buy two zero-gravity lounging chairs!!

I thought they would be nice for my back/butt area and they ARE!! At only $38.00 a piece I consider them a bargain! And that's all I spent (other than what was mentioned above), so my misc budget is in very good shape - see, it all works out in the end.

Gas budget stands at $145 left out of $170 (this budget will have to be increased once I start going to the trailer) and there is $180 left out of $276 in the food budget. Foodwise we are in great shape - there will be no food shopping until there is actually room in the fridge to put more food!!

And that sums up this week's edition of Budget Bonanza!! How's your budget looking?

Lesbian Acupuncture*

*Taking a leaf from Sonya Ann

Lesbian acupuncture - now that creates some crazy visuals doesn't it?

Had my first acupuncture treatment this morning for my back but I don't think he was a lesbian. Just as well. I wasn't really in the mood.

However, it went really well and I might not need any more treatments. I'll wait a few days and see. The doctor said that sometimes muscles just need a reboot, like software, to get them working right again. I felt really good after the treatment and went to the BMO Centre to walk for 1.5 hours (one hour fast, 1/2 hour slow).

This is the BMO Centre - a great photo taken out of my truck window as it was pouring down rain. It continues to be a dismal dreary grey awful wet day - I'm not impressed.

However, that's what makes the BMO Centre so great - it has an indoor walking track!! The main floor is used for soccer but on the 2nd floor is this awesome track which is available to anyone FREE!

                                    

The track goes all the way around the perimeter of the building - it's quite long. I took my iPod and walked along to the beat of the music.

Although there are many many signs clearly posted (left lane for slow moving folks, right lane for fast moving folks and for passing the slow folks) there were still lots of people with their walkers shuffling along in the FAST lane. And there were also groups of people 4 or 5 across strolling along as if they were at the park on a Sunday afternoon clogging up BOTH lanes. Oh well, I made the best of it. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the 3 men jogging on the WALKING track. Diversity - it just makes life interesting right?

As if that wasn't enough fun I went and picked up a few things at No Frills and then bought 2 zero-gravity reclining lounge chairs for the trailer from Walmart. I set one up in the living room as I thought it would be a good way to rest my back. But it seems the cats have sore backs too so we are in the process of wrestling to see who gets to sit/lay there!!

Meowwwwww!!

Checking in...

Hi everyone - thought I should check in cuz I miss you all!  I'm trying a new blogging position - laying on the couch with the laptop propped up against my knees. The back is still healing - I found some exercises today from a book called "Treat your own Back"; well actually is was a couple of Youtube videos that demonstrated the exercises so I'm trying them out.  I've done them twice and already feel that the pain is leaving my legs. Keeping my fingers crossed!

I'm scheduled for acupuncture next Wed. Wish I could have gotten in sooner but he wasn't in at all this week. When I missed a month of work 2 years ago due to a pinched nerve in my shoulder the only thing that helped was acupuncture so I'm eager to try it again.

The good news is (aren't you glad there's good news?) I bought a trailer at the same park we were at before. We're just a short distance from the one we previously owned, in the quiet section. (Well...it used to be quiet:) !!

Here's a few photos from last fall when I looked at it before...and I just realized I've shown you these pics before, however, that was before it belonged to me!  It'll take some work to make it mine but I'm looking forward to that. And Lake Huron is just a few minutes walk away!

Nice big living space with a slide-out section that makes it feel much roomier...

A pull-out couch, ceiling fans, TV, air conditioning... (I likely won't use either the TV or the AC)

The master bedroom has a brand new mattress, never slept on...yet!!

Something I was looking for - a second bedroom with 3 bunks and lots of storage space.

 Dining area...

 Kitchen - full size stove and fridge, built-in microwave, double sink...

Cute shed for my lawn mower, extra chairs, bike etc...

Nice big porch...

The trellis stuff was being used to build a sort of fence, I'm not sure why...they aren't high enough to cover the window of the adjacent trailer so not too sure what the idea was...

You can see one of the trellis fence pieces in the photo below...I'm not going to bother with them - I'd rather just plant some tall grasses if more privacy is needed...

And the lovely bathroom - wow - counter space!! And there is a large shower to the left which we can't see here.

So now you're updated on me...pain is dominating my life at present but I have much to look forward to when this passes!!

This too shall pass, right???