7/31/14. The post where I am reminded to save money.

7/31/14: woke up feeling pretty rotten this morning.  When my alarm went off, I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but my foot was throbbing so much I doubted that was possible.  So I compromised with myself.  I agreed that if I would let myself lie there for a few minutes, I would get up and take an abbreviated walk.  And I did.  It worked out well and I felt a little better after my walk.

I went to work and felt pretty well all day.  I'd call it a 4-5 kind of day.  I left work early for a meeting with my financial advisor.  I like to be reminded every six months or so that I have no money and I need to save so I don't die on the street.  It is very effective motivation.  The kind of motivation that requires me to have a drink afterward.

So I went to visit some very close friends who have just bought a house nearby.  They are still moving in, but their bar is always open for business.  One of the many reasons I love them so much.  We had a lovely time chatting and I forgot all about my meeting.  Feeling refreshed, I met my patient, long-suffering husband for a brief dinner and returned with him to church, where he and some volunteers were rewiring the building for a new sound system.  Not exactly in his job description, but he is a standup guy who wants to make sure everything is done correctly.  One of the many reasons I love him so much.  I gave him some support (mostly of the moral variety) and made sure he got home before midnight (barely).  

I had a brief period where the bottom of my foot started to turn purple and get into the 6-7 range pain, but it passed pretty quickly.  Looking forward to a pretty low-key work day tomorrow and then a visit from my niece, who is in state for the summer from college.  36 days and counting...

7/30/14. The post where I have a good, noisy day.

7/30/14: woke up feeling okay this morning and took another slow walk.  That seems to be doing the trick, at least this week.  I was particularly productive at work this morning, doing some analytical work I hadn't felt up to doing for the last few days.  This was despite all the racket going on outside my office.

Apparently my employer decided to be productive today as well.  For much of the morning, someone was in the hall outside my office with an industrial-strength vacuum, eliminating every last trace of dust on every floor, wall, and piece of furniture in the tri-county area.  While I'm happy to be working in a lint-free environment, it would also be nice to work in a noise-free environment.

After Mr. Vacuum took his implement of ear drum destruction to another part of the office, it was relatively quiet for awhile.  Then about 30 minutes before I needed to leave for my property tax hearing, there was suddenly a loud rumbling noise and then high-pitched beeping.  I looked outside my office window and saw this:

In case you are wondering, that's my green MINI underneath the crane.  So not only was there a lot of noise right outside my office, there was also a large piece of machinery blocking my car from leaving.  A large piece of machinery that might crash down on top of my car.  I became a little less productive at this point and focused my attention out the window.  I'm not quite sure what was going on up on the roof, but it went on for quite awhile with a lot of maneuvering, which of course required loud beeping.

Fortunately, the crane drove away a few minutes before I needed to leave.  I went to my property tax hearing, which could not have gone better.  I had to wait for about 45 minutes in a room full of grumpy complainers.  But once I was called in, I spoke with a very professional, friendly appraiser, who looked at the documentation I brought and immediately found the error.  She corrected the square footage in their database and gave me my new home appraisal value, which should decrease my property taxes by about ten percent.  It was a good experience, but one I hope not to have to repeat in the future.

Afterward it was back to work for awhile, a haircut (extra sassy, please!), then out for a fun dinner get-together with our choir friends.  I did pretty well all day and evening.  I don't think I ever got over a 6, and I spent much of the day at a 4.  I think I'm back in a pretty good groove again.  Now I just have to get the ringing out of my ears.

7/29/14. The post where I confirm my theory...I think.

7/29/14: put more cream on before going to bed last night and slept pretty well.  I woke up feeling a lot better.  I thought about skipping the walk completely today, but then I remembered I have a pair of shoes riding on dropping ten pounds, so instead I decided to slow it down and walk a shorter distance.  This morning, it did hurt less when I slowed down, which was encouraging.  

Once again I spent most of the day in the 4-5 range. The time passed surprisingly quickly and before I knew it, the work day was over. I worked on some paperwork this evening for an informal hearing tomorrow on the property tax appraisal for my home.  I have never protested my property taxes before, but coincidentally, I discovered recently that the county has overestimated the size of our house in its records.  It is only off by about 200 square feet, but that is enough to cause it to be significantly overvalued compared to houses on our street with identical floor plans.  (Wish I had known this when we bought the house four years ago.)  

Sounds easy enough.  All I have to do is convince them of the correct square footage and we could save up to several K, which should just about cover the cost of my stimulator surgery.  Even-steven, right?  I'll let you know tomorrow if it works as well in reality as it does in theory. 

And speaking of theories, my foot felt better tonight than it did last night.  Still not as good as it felt during the day, but more like a 6-6.5.  I guess walking more slowly was a good idea. I guess I can walk more slowly for...I don't know...maybe about 38 more days?  

7/28/14. The post where I have good news and bad news.

7/28/14: got up this morning and decided to try my first post-stimulator walk.  I kept up the quick pace I established last week, because...well, I'm not quite sure why.  I just got accustomed to it last week, I guess.  And I see a light at the end of the tunnel, so I'm a little more brave (or stupid).  Yes, it hurt, but I slowed down the pace a few times and that didn't feel any better, so I decided to go for it.  I went to work and felt okay for most of the day, in the 4-5 range.

The good news? They scheduled my surgery today!  September 5.  While I wish it could be even earlier, it was the first available time.  I'm certainly not looking forward to the procedure itself or the recovery, but I am definitely looking forward to the result.  The sooner I start the process, the sooner I reap the reward.

The bad news?  I hit a 9 tonight for the first time in a long time.  Not sure what happened, but things went quickly downhill soon after I got home from work and for a brief time I thought my big toe might spontaneously explode or burst into flame.  (Now I understand why they require a psychiatric evaluation before implanting the stimulator.)  I had to use the magic cream, which didn't seem quite as magical as it has previously.  I'm suddenly reminded of what my PT said months ago.  I won't know if I've overdone it during or immediately after an activity - the real indicator is how I feel later.  Which is terrible in this case.  Normally I don't post photos of my foot unless it is to show my shoes, but I decided to make an exception today, because I'm hoping it won't look like this very many more times in the next month. 

Okay, early to bed tonight and I'll slow it down tomorrow.  Or maybe I won't.  After all, I just have to make it to September 5.  

7/27/14. The post where we have a pop-up party,

7/27/14: today started like a normal Sunday.  My patient, long-suffering husband left early for work and I joined him later. I felt horrible and did not want to get out of bed, but after much discussion, my foot finally agreed and we decided to face the day.  Lots of chores and then church and lunch with family.

Our plan was to run errands and do some more chores this afternoon and then go to our friends' house for a party to watch the final stage of the Tour de France.  Two hours before the party, we got a phone call.  Their air conditioning was out, so no more party, at least at their home.  We did not hesitate.  We told them to bring the party to our place.  

Two hours later, we had a house full of food and friends, without any work on our part.  As long as there was going to be a party, we took the opportunity to invite our friends who live down the street.  A fine time was had by all and we got to introduce a bunch of nice people to each other.

Moral of the story? Always have a pop-up party when the opportunity presents itself.  You can do chores anytime.  At the end of your life, it is unlikely that you will say, "I wish I had worked more and spent less time with friends and family."  So have fun any time you can.  You won't regret it.  No matter how much your foot hurts.

7/26/14. The post where I make a cake.

7/26/14: slept fairly well last night, but immediately upon waking up, my foot reminded me that the stimulator was gone, much to its (and my) chagrin.  Since it was a Saturday morning, I was able to get moving at a slower pace, which made it easier.

I spent the late morning and early afternoon making a cake for a celebration of my mother-by-love's birthday.  I used a new recipe, which is always a bad idea when you are making something for an event.  All went well until the "making of the frosting" portion of the day.  In my defense, there was clearly something wrong with the recipe, but it took me an extra hour and my most clever baking tricks to turn it into something that could actually be spread on a cake and consumed by humans.  Eventually, I made it work and it tasted good.  My decoration skills still leave something to be desired and at my age I'm afraid I can't hope for very much improvement.  However, my mom (ever the optimist) promised to give me a refresher tutorial the next time I visit. 

After the making of the cake was done, it was time for the buying of the gift.  Unfortunately, my foot would have preferred that it be time for the resting of the self on the couch.  It was red, swollen, and generally unhappy during the entire shopping experience.  I tried to take a few quiet photos of my foot for my doctor, but I was caught by another shopper who is probably blogging right now about the weird girl with the foot selfie fetish he saw at the antique mall.  

After the purchase of an appropriate gift, it was home for a quick change and then out to dinner.  We had a fantastic dinner at a nice seafood restaurant in town and my foot felt much better than it had all day.  (In the interest of full disclosure, it is possible the recovery may have been aided by wine.)   After a lovely dinner, we came back to our home for cake, coffee, and opening of gifts. It was a very fun evening and I made it through quite well.  One more day down.  I can get through this.  Unfortunately, I have a feeling the stimulator is not going to help improve my cake decorating skills.

7/25/14. The post where my foot remembers it hurts.

7/25/14: today was a Wide World of Sports kind of day.  "The thrill of victory...the agony of defeat."  (In case you are too young to remember it, this is what I mean.  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Asxr5v9arH4)  I slept decently, but when my alarm went off, I woke up in shock at how much my foot hurt.  It's amazing how quickly you can forget.  Thinking about it objectively, it wasn't any worse than it was before the stimulator, but after a week of feeling good, it certainly seemed worse.  I had to give myself a serious pep talk just to get out of bed.  

On the plus side, my lower back felt much better.  I have a pretty gnarly bruise, which may explain why it hurt so much during the trial, but it improved as soon as the wires were gone.  I did not try to do my walk this morning.  I'll try it this weekend.  But I was able to stretch, bend, and take the stairs.  On the super-duper plus side, I took my first shower for a week!  I survived the last week by washing my hair in the sink and using wet wipes.  A few days ago, my friend brought me some samples of a new (fancy) wet wipe, which was grapefruit-scented.  I much preferred smelling like grapefruit to smelling like baby.  After my shower today, I smelled like...well, whatever I normally smell like.  Not sure exactly what that is, but I imagine it is more pleasant than grapefruit or baby.  

On the plussiest of plus sides (pretty sure I just made up a new word there), my patient, long-suffering husband came home today.  After the world events of the last week, I spent a very uncomfortable afternoon at work obsessively checking the news to make sure there were no reports of new plane tragedies.  Thankfully, he returned safely (and on time).  We celebrated with a pot of mussels, a bottle of French Chablis, and an evening of saved episodes of the Tour de France.  

Looking forward to a nice weekend.  Other than a fun family birthday dinner, not much on the agenda.  My foot was at a 4-5 much of the day, but it increased to a 6 in the evening and got red and swollen again.  I'll do my best to take it easy over the weekend and see if that helps.  Hoping for more thrill of victory than agony of defeat. 

7/24/14. The post where I part reluctantly with my stimulator.

7/24/14.  Had a strange night with lots of dreams, which my health monitor (for once) accurately recorded.  Tons of REM sleep and I did not feel rested when I woke up, although I slept for plenty of hours.  

I planned to do one last long walk while I still had my stimulator and as I was ready to head out, the heavens opened unexpectedly and the rain came down.  Rain we needed desperately, for more than half an hour.  I was disappointed to miss my walk, but glad for the rain.  

My trial was over and I went to the doctor's office to turn in the stimulator and have the lead wires removed.  I kept the stimulator on until the last possible moment, to the point that I made the nurse laugh.  When she removed the wires, it did not hurt, but it felt very strange.  A couple of bandaids and I was on my way, with a promise that the permanent device would be implanted in September.  

It takes less than five minutes to drive from my doctor's office to my house, but by the time I got home, my foot had already started hurting again.  Wow.  On one hand, it's great to know that the stimulator does such a good job of masking the pain signals.  On the other hand, it's not good to know that I have to wait until some time in September to have the stimulator again.  I changed into my work clothes and my prescription shoes (sigh) and went to the office.  

It was a short work day.  I left a little early to meet some friends at my house.  Just recently I read an article that said happy people regularly schedule time with friends.  Since I was alone this week, I tried to spend some time with friends I don't see often enough and I was very glad I did.  It helped me get through a week that would have been otherwise even more difficult without my patient, long-suffering husband.  

We met relatively late in life, so we have a two-step philosophy.  Number one: we try to spend as much time together as we possibly can.  Number two: our careers are also very important to us, so when we have to be apart for work, we try to make the most of it.  He is working really hard to prepare for a big fall concert while he is gone and I am trying to make it easier for him to be away by staying occupied.  I spent a lot of fun time with friends and it made the time pass quickly.

I'm back up to a 5 tonight and my foot has gotten red and swollen again.  But this time I know it is only temporary.  I don't know my exact surgery date yet, but I am already starting the countdown to September.  Enjoy your next six weeks, prescription shoes, because they will be your last...

7/23/14. The post where I enjoy the last day of the trial.

7/23/14:  today was a repeat of the last few days - pretty good sleep and little foot pain.  I'm starting to get used to this.  Another good walk.  Here's a photo of a little guy I see most days I walk.  

He's not especially outgoing, but he'll sit still long enough for me to take a picture.

I wore heels to work again today.  Not huge spiky heels, but higher heels than I've worn in some time.  They felt great. (And they looked great, at least compared to my prescription shoes.)  My foot still turns red, but it doesn't hurt.  I suspect that will change after tomorrow.  Even if I can't wear my fun shoes for another few months, I got to wear two pairs this week, so it was a good week.  

It was a fairly quiet day at work.  I got to talk to Mom after her trip to the infusion center to start her seventh round of chemotherapy.  We're starting to count down now - just five more to go.  I'm already looking forward to the celebrating we are going to do in October after she finishes her last round.  

After work, I met some close friends for a marvelous evening of dinner, drinks, and fun.   I am constantly amazed by how lucky I am to have such a good support network.  This has been a difficult journey so far, but friends and family have made it so much easier.  I probably don't say thanks enough, so...thanks.

Tomorrow morning the trial is over and I have the lead wires removed.  I'm hoping my foot will reap the rewards from the trial for at least a little while longer.  In any case, the device rep is already working to get my permanent implant procedure scheduled.  Bless her.  I can handle anything for awhile.  (To quote my patient, long-suffering husband, I am "one tough broad."  Which is much easier to be when you know it is just temporary.)  Guess it's back to the prescription shoes for the time being.  But now I've had a taste of "normal" life, so I will be anxious to get back to it.  

7/22/14. The post where I try an experiment.

7/22/14: up early this morning to get my patient, long-suffering husband out the door so he could make his flight.  I took my walk and was able to pick up some speed.  It's hard to call a 15 minute mile "speedy", but considering that earlier this year my PT had me walking a 60 minute mile on a treadmill, it feels pretty fast.  

It is a little frustrating that my lower back is still so sore from the insertions.  I guess having a wire shoved into your tailbone is a little more serious than I expected.  (Oh, I'm sorry.  Did I say "shoved?"  I meant "carefully placed with skill and precision.")  I won't miss the wires when they are removed on Thursday, but I will miss the stimulator.  A lot.  I hope it doesn't take too long to schedule the permanent procedure.

My doctor told me to try some activities this week that I've had difficulty doing (while being careful not to disturb the wires, of course) to see if having the stimulator helps.  Do you know what activity I've had difficulty doing?  Wearing most of my shoes.  So I decided to go for it.  I jettisoned the prescription shoes for a pair of espadrilles with a medium height heel and went to work.

It was a successful experiment.  I was able to wear them all day at work with no additional pain and the stimulator did its job.  It went well enough that I intend to try it again tomorrow, my last full day with the trial version.  I'm two for two with activities since I started the trial.  Maybe tomorrow I should try a few additional activities I've had difficulty doing.  Like winning the lottery.

7/21/14. The post where I get dizzy.

7/21/14:  didn't sleep quite as well last night, but it wasn't because of my foot.  I think my body may have been confused after several nights of good sleep.  In any event, I woke up feeling rested and took my walk.  

Last night, I noticed I was feeling a little lightheaded.  When I got to work this morning, I was still dizzy and it got worse as the day progressed.  After calling my medical device contact to be sure it could not be an effect of the stimulator, I decided it was probably the antibiotic and left a message for my doctor.  I heard back from him later in the afternoon verifying that it was likely a result of the antibiotic.  Since I only have two days left of the trial (time flies when you're having fun) and I don't have any sign of infection, he told me to discontinue taking it.

Darn.  I so enjoyed taking a pill as big as my thumb twice a day.  Having to plan my dairy and vitamin intake around them and avoid being out in the sunlight was also a joy.  The nausea and dizziness were just an added bonus.  But I guess I should listen to my doctor.

My patient, long-suffering husband is going through his own medical tribulation right now with a herniated disk in his lower back.  He started physical therapy this morning, just in time to get on a plane tomorrow morning for a few days of music lessons with his long-time teacher.  He's left me in good hands, with a few friends to provide assistance until the end of the stimulator trial.  I just hope he is in good hands as well.  At this rate, we are going to need a full-time caretaker before the year is out.  Know anyone who works cheap?  And by "cheap", I mean free.

In the good news department, the stimulator still seems to be working on my foot.  Today was my first "normal" work day and I made it through the entire day without any major issues (other than being dizzy).  I have noticed that I am changing the amplitude and programs a little more each day, which I guess is the point of having all the options.  And I am on battery number three.  The permanent device works differently, so they assure me I won't spend the rest of my life changing batteries every other day.  Although I guess it would be a small price to pay.  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to eat a piece of cheese and take a bunch of vitamins to celebrate the end of the antibiotics.

7/20/14. The post where I overthink things.

7/21/14: slept pretty well again last night, although my health monitor did not believe me.  Every now and then it gets confused.  It thought I was sleeping while I was watching the Tour de France last night and while I was running the slideshow in church this morning.  (I promise, Mom, I was not sleeping n church.  There are at least 100 people who can vouch for me. If I had been sleeping, they would not have been able to follow the service.)  At least it only showed me as being in light sleep and not deep sleep.  Apparently I need to move around more.

I also felt pretty good again today.  I did another long walk without much pain, although my foot did turn red.  I had a few more instances of pain breaking through today, but increasing the amplitude or changing the program on the stimulator still does the trick quite nicely.  I'm surprised at how much my back still hurts where the wires are inserted.  I expected to get over that more quickly.  

The stimulator is working so well that I am starting to dread having it removed on Thursday.  I know it will take some time to schedule the permanent implant and I am not looking forward to going back to pre-stimulator pain levels while I wait.  Nor am I looking forward to the recovery time after the implant.  (But do you know what I am looking forward to?  A shower.)  I have quite a talent for overthinking things.  I should just enjoy this brief respite while it lasts and appreciate the fact that I appear to have found a longer-term solution.  I'll try to do that for the next few days.  In the meantime, if you are looking for me, I'll be the one dancing around and moving my arms wildly so my health monitor knows I am awake.

7/19/14. The post where I am overwhelmed by rules.

7/19/14:  another pretty good night of sleep.  Just a 90% sleep score this time, but much better than my pre-stimulator average.  I changed the "volume" on the stimulator a few times in the night when I felt some pain creeping through.  I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

I am still quite sore from the procedure, but less so than yesterday.  A few more days ought to do it.  And my foot is still vastly improved.  The only time it got over a 2 today was when I unplugged the stimulator while I took a (sponge) bath.  It amped up to a 4 within about ten minutes, but compared to potentially electrocuting myself, I decided it was a good trade.  Once I plugged it back in, my foot improved immediately.  I also took a two-mile walk this morning.  It was slow going, but because of my sore back rather than my foot.  Another good sign.

Those of you who know me know I am a rule follower.  To the point of absurdity, if you listen to my patient, long-suffering husband and my family.  But the rules associated with this trial are getting ridiculous, even for me.  Here's a list of all the rules I'm trying to follow this week.  (This is mostly for my benefit to help me remember, but I thought you might enjoy it as well.) 

Because of the temporary placement of the wires and device:

- no showers or otherwise getting the dressing wet

- no stairs

- no twisting, bending, or stretching

- no lifting more than 5 lbs

- antibiotics twice a day (more on that below)

Because of the nature of the device itself: 

- no driving while it is turned on

- turn down volume when changing positions (standing to sitting, sitting to lying down, etc.)

- no going through metal detectors or anti-theft devices while it is turned on

Because of the antibiotics:

- take with food because it causes nausea (as if I take any prescription meds that don't make me nauseous - it's like my Kryptonite), but the food had better not contain dairy, because

- no dairy for one hour before or two hours after taking it

- no antacids or vitamins two hours before or after taking it

- take it no less than 30 minutes before bed

- stay out of sunlight

There may be others that I've forgotten.  I'm doing my best to keep up with them, but I'm sure I'm making mistakes left and right, with no ill effects so far.  By the end of the trial, I may turn into a scofflaw.  The next thing you know, I'll be wearing white after Labor Day and turning left on a double yellow line.  

I took it easy much of the day and we had a nice dinner out to catch up with some dear friends.  But don't worry, I didn't have dairy.  I had an antibiotic to take, you know.  Here's a picture of the stimulator.  (The permanent device that would be implanted is much smaller, thank goodness.) All I need is a cassette tape with the greatest hits of the '80s and a pair of huge headphones and I'm ready for a jog.

7/18/14. The post where I try out my new equipment.

7/18/14:  guess who got a 97% sleep score last night??? And I was able to sleep with my foot under the covers.  Rolling over was quite a chore between the soreness in my lower back from the lead wires and trying not to disconnect the device accidentally, but apparently it didn't bother me too much.  When I woke up this morning, my back felt terrible, but my foot felt great.  

I had considered staying home, but I had a second day of class today and I felt well enough to try it.  Fortunately I was attending the class with a co-worker who also happens to be a neighbor and one of my closest friends, so he drove and helped me get my things inside.  Because I could not get through a day of class with less than five pounds of supplies, of course.  In addition to my purse, which could already get me through a month stranded on a desert island, I needed a sweater, an umbrella, my iPad, some reading material, a water bottle, spare batteries for my device, and several days' worth of food (no repeat of yesterday's mealtime disappointment, please).  

I made it through the entire day.  Standing was great, sitting was okay, the process of standing up and sitting down was unpleasant.  I went through each program the rep had set into the device and wrote down what each one felt like and what the differences were.  If you have ever sat in a massage chair, it is a very similar feeling.  (Except that in my case, the massage chair is sitting in me instead.)  Some programs have a constant vibration, some pulsate, and the programs are set to affect different areas of my foot and leg. They had warned me that the stimulator is "positional" - in other words, the intensity of the vibration changes based on gravity, pressure, etc., so you have to be careful when shifting positions.  I managed to shock myself just once.  Maybe shock is too strong a word.  It is not an actual shock and not painful or dangerous, just a very unexpected, intense vibration.  Which can be quite shocking.

I also managed to unplug the device from my back accidentally just once, another thing they'd warned me might happen.  I caught the wire on a cabinet handle when I turned around.  It results in the opposite of a shock.  The vibration completely stops because the device is disconnected and an alarm sounds.  Now that I think about it, it can also be quite shocking.

The good news is that the permanent device will not have the same issues, at least not to the same extent.  Because it is completely internal, it can't catch on anything and the intensity does not change as much based on your body's position.  So I just have to get through the one-week trial without giving myself a heart attack.  

All in all, it was a very successful first day.  I had very little pain in my foot and when I did, a change in program or an increase in volume did the trick.  I think I'll have an even better idea of its effectiveness in a few days when I have healed from the wire insertion.  While I plan to take it easy this weekend, I am going to walk tomorrow and see how it feels with the stimulator.  I'm hoping for another good night of sleep.  Who knows, if I keep my sleep score up, I might get into the honors sleep program.

7/17/14. The post where I start a new chapter.

7/17/14: had a little trouble sleeping last night, partially because my foot was at an 8 and partially in anticipation of my procedure later today.  I woke up this morning at closer to a 6.5 and did my slow walk, which went okay.  I had a continuing education class today away from the office, so it was already going to be an unusual day.

I was not supposed to eat anything after noon or drink anything after 4pm.  I knew meals and refreshments were being provided at my class and I was hoping for breakfast tacos, but alas, it was pastries for breakfast.  My last chance for food was lunch, which was typical conference fare - bland, overcooked lasagna, wilted salad, and breadsticks that appeared to have been salvaged from a dumpster behind Olive Garden.  I ate as much of it as I could tolerate, knowing I would be really hungry before my next meal opportunity.

After class, my patient, long-suffering husband took me to the doctor's office for the procedure.  For what seemed like a fairly simple procedure, they had quite a team assembled - my doctor, three nurses, and two representatives from the medical company that supplies the device.  The device reps did a great job of explaining the procedure to us and gave my patient, long-suffering husband some reading materials so he could read up on the device during the procedure.  It was a pretty short affair and I was awake, though slightly foggy, for the entire thing.  To be honest, it was not too bad and I spent much of it cutting up with the staff, as is my tendency.  I even convinced one of them to go out and get my phone so he could take a few pictures, since I would not be able to see what it looked like.

The doctor inserted two lead wires into the epidural space of my spine - one just above what I will indelicately call my "plumber's crack" and one several inches higher in my lower back.  Then the device rep attached the device to the wires and turned it on, increasing the intensity until I could feel it buzzing and then asking me where I felt it.  Using this method, they were able to reposition the lead wires as necessary until they were stimulating the areas where I have pain.  Once the wires were in place, they taped up my entire back to ensure it was sterile and then wheeled me into the recovery room to meet up with my patient, long-suffering husband, who by now was an expert on the device.

The device reps then set multiple programs on the stimulator so that I had plenty of options for pain relief and showed us how to use the device.  The rep who is permanently assigned to me said she would call me every day during the trial to check my progress and see if I needed assistance.  The goal for the week was to reduce my pain by 50% - for instance, from an 8 to a 4.  If that happens, the trial is considered a success and they can schedule a permanent implant.

There are a lot of restrictions for the next week.  Because the lead wires can easily move around, I have to limit bending, stretching, twisting, and lifting.  And because there is now an open conduit from the outside of my body into the epidural fluid in my spine, I have to be extremely careful about infection.  I will be taking an industrial strength antibiotic, I can't remove the dressing, and most importantly, no showers.  Yep, no showers.  I guess the water leak experience from earlier this week was a little preview of things to come.  Forget what I said about not going to work without showering.  At least I can wash my hair and give myself a careful sponge bath if I stay away from the dressing, so you needn't be too frightened about running into me.

I was famished when we got home, so my patient, long-suffering husband made me some delicious spaghetti.  Because he's awesome that way.  Made up for the unpleasant lunch experience.  So far, the experience has been strange and fascinating.  And while it is way too early to say for certain, so far it seems to be working.  My foot is completely confused and while I have some weird sensations, they seem to be doing a great job of masking the pain.  The insertion points of the lead wires are already really sore and they warned me it will be worse tomorrow.  I feel fairly certain I can tough it out, though.  These days I feel fairly certain I can tough just about anything out.  

Here are a few photos of the procedure for those who aren't too squeamish to look.  (Nothing too gory, I promise - other than my plumber's crack.)  Enjoy...

7/16/14. The post where there is no water.

7/16/14: last night, shortly before going to bed, we received an email from the president of our homeowners association with a subject line in all caps: EMERGENCY.  Uh oh, that doesn't sound like good news.  Turns out there was a massive water leak in a home near ours and the shut-off valve to their home broke when the plumber tried to shut it off.  This meant that the water to our entire block had to be shut off.  The email warned that it might be off all night.

Great.  Wish I had filled up my water glass earlier.  Or at least gone to the restroom.  I used the tiny bit of water left in my glass to take my medicine and went to bed, where I had my first good night of sleep in multiple days.  When my alarm went off this morning, I walked into the bathroom to get ready for work and turned on the sink faucet.  Nothing.  Apparently it was still not fixed.  Ironically, it was pouring rain and for a moment I considered taking a glass outside so I could get a drink.  Instead, I decided to get back in bed for a bit.  I wasn't going to be a hero today and try to work out in the storm, so I could get a little more sleep.

I checked the water every 15 minutes or so, with no luck.  Eventually we got another email saying the water would be back on a little later in the morning, so I told my employer I'd be in late.  I did as much as I could to get ready without the benefit of water (which, as I learned, is not much) and waited for it to come back on.  And waited.  And waited.  Around 11am we got another email saying the water leak was more serious than expected (not just to one house) and would take much of the afternoon to fix.  

At that point, I had a decision to make.  I could stay home all day, try to find an alternative place to shower, or go to work European-style.  In the interest of time, I used a jug of distilled water to wash my face and brush my teeth, slapped on some deodorant and makeup, and drove to the office.  Fortunately, I didn't have any meetings scheduled, so only my co-workers had to witness my condition.    There have been plenty of times during my 20 years with my employer where I have spent so many hours at work that I needed a second shower.  But this was the first time I'd ever gone to work without a first shower.  No one seemed to mind. Or even notice.  Not that I intend to try it again.  I didn't spend that much time in Europe.

The water finally came back on, in time for me to go home for the day.   My foot was slightly better today, but it's still hanging out in the 6.5-7 range.  I had a quiet evening and did a few last minute chores so I am ready for the stimulator trial tomorrow.  The procedure is late in the day, but I hope to be able to give everyone an update in the evening.  I'd appreciate good thoughts.  

7/15/14. The post where I try to be Alberto Contador.

7/15/14:  by bedtime last night, my foot was back up to an 8.  I decided to try the cream again at the maximum dose, and it took the edge off enough for me to get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep - hallelujah!  

When my alarm went off this morning, I wanted to turn it off and go back to sleep.  But I've been watching the Tour de France.  Last night, Alberto Contador, a previous tour winner and a favorite to win this year, had a freak accident.  Although he was injured and his bike was ruined, the doctors patched him up by the side of the road so he could get another bike and ride like a demon to try to catch up with the peloton.  Eventually it was clear he was too injured to finish and he had to abandon the race.  When they took him to the hospital for x-rays, they discovered he had a broken leg.  If Contador could ride with a broken leg, I could get out of bed and try to walk.

I started my walk and it seemed to be going okay.  In fact, I was able to find a comfortable gait and pick up the pace a little.  Suddenly, something hit my arm.  Was I dive-bombed by a bird? Then something else hit my arm.  Water.  It was raining, which was completely unexpected.  Luckily, I was near the house so I could give up and go home.  Then I remembered Contador.  If he could ride with a broken leg, I could walk in the rain.  So I picked up a baseball cap at home and finished my walk.

I got home with a little time to spare, so I decided to get on the trainer for awhile.  After a few minutes, I felt a shock wave of pain through my foot.  Hey, if Contador could ride with a broken leg, I could ride through this.  Then came shock wave #2.  No big deal, I can shake it off.  Then came shock wave #3...and I'm done.  Frankly, it wasn't that smart of Contador to ride with a broken leg.  And even he eventually figured out it was time to abandon the race.  It's important to know when to quit.  (Spoiler alert - the following clip contains comedic fake spurting blood): http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhEw7nD9C4

The day went surprisingly well and by the afternoon I was at a 6.5.  I stopped by a friend's new house on the way home from work for a tour, drinks, and great conversation.  Hoping for a better night's sleep tonight.  And wishing Contador a good night's sleep, too.  I imagine racing on a bike with a broken leg can wear you out.

7/14/14. The post where it feels like Monday.

7/14/14: another fitful night, but I got up with the alarm this morning and got ready to take a walk.  It would not be a real walk like the ones I took last week, but I thought my foot might feel better with a little movement.  I took a few laps around the block at a very slow pace.  No luck.  I kept slowing down until I was moving at a glacial pace, but it still didn't feel any better.  By the time I gave up and went back inside, I felt like I was going to be sick to my stomach.  Whether it was because of the foot pain or nausea from the medication, I don't know, but I decided it would be a good idea to lie down for a bit.  

And it was.  I fell asleep for awhile and when I woke up, my stomach and my foot both felt slightly better.  Good enough for me to finish getting ready and go to work, at least.  As I was packing my lunch, I happened to look out the front window and saw a huge moving truck parked in front of my house, completely blocking my driveway.  Great.  I carefully considered my options: a) take out my frustration on the driver, or b) go back to bed again and give up on the day.  I settled on option "a" and finished packing my lunch.  I gathered my things and went out into the garage, ready to cause a scene.  Luckily for the driver, as my garage door was going up, he was closing the back door of the truck and getting into the driver's seat.  By the time I loaded my things in the car and started my engine, he was gone.  He probably has no idea how close he came to having a very bad day.

As I pulled out of the garage, I heard a beeping sound and suddenly remembered I was almost out of gas.  When I made the trip home from my parents' house on Friday, I knew I had just enough gas to make it.  My plan had been to fill up on the way to church Sunday, but my foot had other plans.  My gauge read 21 miles to empty - enough to easily make it to work.  After about 100 yards, it suddenly dropped to 19 miles, then 18.  This was not the day to take a chance, so I stopped to fill up.  

Eventually I made it to work, still in a lot of pain and feeling puny.  I wasn't very good company most of the day, but gradually started feeling better as the afternoon wore on.  This evening, I'm still in the 6.5-7 range, but I'm feeling a little more optimistic.  Is it Thursday yet?

7/13/14. The post where my foot has a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

7/13/14:  my foot felt pretty bad when I went to sleep last night, but I woke up in the middle of the night feeling much worse.  It's a little hard to describe - it was at about an 8, so It was not the worst I've been, but it was spread over a larger part of my foot, so it felt really miserable.  There was no way to get comfortable enough to get back to sleep.  The best position was to hang my foot completely off the bed out of the covers so that nothing was touching it, but even that didn't help very much.  Even the magic cream didn't make a difference. I have no idea what I could have done yesterday to cause it.

And to make matters worse, being awake in the middle of the night reminded me that the Cymbalta makes me nauseous.  The point of taking it at night is that you sleep through the worst of the nausea, but that only works if you are asleep.  So, as you can probably imagine, it was a long night.

This meant that most of my plans for today were out the window.  I stayed in bed most of the morning until hunger/nausea finally encouraged me to stumble down the stairs to get some lunch.  (While it may sound counter-intuitive, eating makes me feel less nauseous.)  I spent much of the afternoon lying on the couch watching the World Cup final game.  I rallied a little in the late afternoon and was able to do some chores and a little cooking.  I would like to have stayed in bed all day, but I know that next weekend will be shot because of my stimulator trial.  No stretching, no bending, no twisting, no lifting more than five pounds.  For a week.  Not sure how that is going to work, but I figured I'd better get as much done today as I could.

Hoping this will disappear as quickly as it appeared and tomorrow will be better.  Regardless, I just have to make it four more days to the stimulator trial. I feel increasingly like Charlie from the novel Flowers for Algernon.  For those of you who have not read it (or seen the movie based on the novel), if you are a serious literary nerd, you can find out more about it here (major spoiler alert): http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowers_for_Algernon

Otherwise, I will try to give you a short synopsis.  It is a science fiction novel in which Charlie is a man with a lower than average IQ who works as a janitor in a science lab.  The scientists in the lab are conducting a surgical experiment to increase the intelligence of a mouse named Algernon.  It appears to be successful, so they perform the same surgery on Charlie.  His intelligence increases each day and he begins working in the lab with them.  However, they discover that the effects are only temporary and Algernon's intelligence begins to decrease again each day, eventually becoming even lower than it was prior to the surgery.  Charlie begins desperately researching to find the error in the experiment before he meets the same fate as Algernon.

Feeling better for awhile has made it harder to deal with bad days like today.  While I am excited about the stimulator trial, I am trying not to get my hopes up too much.  The stimulator has a 50% success rate and even if it works, it comes with its own set of issues.  I will take it easy for the next few days and see how I do.  I wish there were a Wikipedia synopsis for my story so I could find out how it ends, but I guess I'll just have to wait it out.  And so will you.

  

7/12/14. The post where I tell you about my visit.

7/12/14: made it back home last night.  I had a great time with my family.  In fact, if it weren't for the reason for my visit and missing my patient, long-suffering husband, it would have been perfect.

We spent most of the day Wednesday at the cancer center for Mom's chemotherapy.  When we got home, my brother and sister-by-love brought over a delicious meal they had prepared and we had a nice family dinner with them and my aunt.  

Thursday was an event-filled but relaxing day.  Mom and I took a walk in the morning.  While I don't think she agreed, I though she looked quite glamorous in her dark sunglasses and large straw hat.  "Please, no autographs today. Can't you see I want to be left alone?"  The rest of the morning was spent watching (or more accurately, critiquing) Cupcake Wars and shouting out answers while watching Jeopardy.  My afternoon activities might make it appear that I broke my diet promise - I bought two new pairs of shoes and made an apple pie.  Appearances can be deceiving, though.  The shoes and the pie were both for Mom.  It was actually very satisfying to be able to scratch my shoe shopping and baking itches without paying for them, either literally or figuratively.  Thursday evening, Daddy and I teamed up to make dinner and had the family over again.  Another very pleasant evening, filled with fun stories.  Some of the concoctions in Mom's treatments make it difficult for her to sleep the first day or two, so we watched a late night movie before going to bed.

We took another stroll Friday morning before returning to the cancer center to have her pump disconnected.  It was quite busy and we were there much longer than expected.  Afterward, we went out for a late lunch to celebrate.  She is officially half-way done with chemo.  Six treatments down, six more to go.  She's been a real champ throughout this ordeal, enduring it with grace, dignity, and most importantly, humor.  And while Daddy's always been my hero, he has officially achieved superhero status.  How they have handled this is a testament to their individual character as well as the strength of their relationship.  At age 45, I am still learning important life lessons from them every day.  

I left late Friday afternoon and made the longer-than-usual drive home, managing to hit rush-hour traffic in about three cities.  I went out for a late dinner with my patient, long-suffering husband to catch up on our respective weeks before falling into bed, exhausted.  I woke up this morning feeling pretty refreshed after a long sleep.  

Things have not been the same with my foot since my gardening incident last week.  I've also amped up my exercise since that time, which could be contributing to it, but I haven't seen a 4 in a while. It's been mostly 5-7 this week, with a couple of very brief forays into 8 territory.  I'm not too concerned about it right now, because my spinal cord stimulator trial starts Thursday.  If it works, it should clear things up pretty quickly.  If it doesn't work, well...things will get significantly more complicated.  No point in worrying about it right now.  I have more important things to worry about.  Like what shoes I am going to buy when we reach our goal.  My friend is a little ahead of me, but I managed to lose 1.2 pounds the first week.  (Yes, I am measuring it down to tenths of a pound. I need all the help I can get.)  Guess I should be looking for fall shoes.  

7/8/14. The post where my best intentions go awry.

7/8/14: woke up feeling a little better - more like a 6, which was good since I had a long day ahead.  I took my walk (minus the big hill) and went to work.  

I decided to take my car in for a professional car wash for the first time in way too long.  The first time I got in it after our trip, I noticed that it didn't smell very good.  And the windshield and tires were filthy.  Running it through the car wash at the gas station periodically just wasn't doing the trick.  I wouldn't mind if it were just me, but I was going to be driving Mom around and I wanted it to be presentable.  It looked great when they finished and I resolved to take it to the pros more often.

After work, I packed up my car, said a slightly weepy goodbye to my patient, long-suffering husband, and got on the road.  I had leftover cupcakes and decided to take some with me.  I knew Mom and Dad would appreciate them, just like they appreciated my vacation bible school art projects and my grade school guitar recitals.  I packed them carefully in a sealable container made specifically for cupcakes (yes, such a thing exists) to be sure they made it safely.

There is a lot of construction on the highway between my home and my parents' home, which has been the case for the entire 24 years since I moved away from my hometown, and probably will be the case forever.  Since you never know where the slowdowns, accidents, and lane closures will be, I have a few landmarks where I check in so they will know when to expect me.  The last check in is after all the construction and usually about an hour away from their house.

My trip was generally uneventful.  There were a few lane closures for construction, but traffic was light, so it didn't slow things down too much.  As I should have expected since I was driving at sundown, my freshly cleaned windshield became a final resting place for an appalling number of bugs.  No problem - I'd just squirt some wiper fluid on it and let the wipers get to work.  As the wipers streaked across the windshield I remembered...oh, yeah...I was going to replace the wipers because they were no longer fit for their intended purpose.  Now I had a huge, gummy, streaky paste of insect parts where my windshield used to be.  Kind of like rubbing Vaseline on your glasses. 

I called at my last check in spot and gave my parents a definitive arrival time.  And I would have made it, too, if it weren't for the unexpected lane closures 20 minutes from their house.  From three lanes down to one, just as you enter a large metropolitan area.  The most cars I'd seen on the entire three-hour drive, and apparently they were all going to the same place.  So much for my definitive arrival time.

Even with all the high speed driving and sudden construction-related stops, the cupcakes did fine, thanks to the handy carrier.  When I finally pulled into my parents' driveway, I was pleasantly surprised to see they hadn't moved so much as a millimeter.  Feeling relieved, I pulled them out of the car.  And caught the carrier on the passenger seat, knocking it sideways and spilling the cupcakes into a big, jumbled mess.  Sigh.

So, to recap: I showed up to my parents' house late, with a filthy windshield and a messy pile of what used to be cupcakes.  All I was missing was a macaroni necklace and the world's slowest out-of-tune version of "When the Saints Go Marching In."  They were still happy to see me, because parents are awesome that way.   Still, I could have saved myself a lot of time and effort and had the same result.  Oh well, it's the thought that counts, right?  Right???

7/7/14. The post where I start my diet by hosting a party.

7/7/14: slept horribly last night (as evidenced by the 63% sleep score).  Was it my foot or the cupcake at 11pm?  Hard to say, but I was still in the 7-7.5 range this morning.  Not the best way to start a Monday. 

And not just any Monday.  As you know, I've been trying to come up with a way to lose the weight I've gained since my diagnosis.  I have a friend who would also like to lose a few pounds.  Neither one of us is inspired by competition, but we are both inspired by shoes, so we came up with a different plan.  We made a deal that beginning today, neither of us can buy a new pair of shoes until we have both lost ten pounds.  So now the pressure is officially on.  While she is probably much more disciplined than I am when it comes to losing weight, I am very motivated by guilt.  I have already seen the shoes she wants to buy when we make our goal, and I do not want to be the reason she can't have them.

I'm not off to a good start, though.  Today after work, I threw a small get-together for a friend's birthday.  Along with the other snacks I prepared, my patient, long-suffering husband grilled pizzas.  Yes, you read that right.  He grilled pizzas. On his grill.  And they were fantastic!  He is a food genius.  I tried to exercise moderation, but between the pizzas and wine and cupcakes, I doubt I am going to happy when I step on the scale tomorrow.  And I doubt my friend is going to be happy when she reads this.  I promise to do better tomorrow.

I tried to balance the effects of tonight's dinner by going on my long walk this morning, despite my foot's protest.  (I did make one concession and avoided the big hill.)  It really is much more pleasant than walking up and down the same street four times.  Here are some things I wouldn't have seen if I had stayed on my street.

My foot stayed in the 7-7.5 range all day, which was a rude awakening. I'm hoping this is just a short-term reaction to my "gardening incident", because I've grown accustomed to having better days over the last couple of months.  Tomorrow after work I will make the drive up to my parents' home for the first time in awhile to accompany Mom to her next chemotherapy treatment.  I sure could use a 3-4 day.

On a side note, if any of you are concerned about the fly who took up residence in our house over the weekend, I'm sorry to report that he violated the terms of our agreement and met an untimely demise. The insect goodwill I built up from our vacation only goes so far.

7/6/14. The post where I'm glad I have a day job.

7/6/14:  woke up at about a 3.5, so I decided to do something bold.  I went on my full, pre-diagnosis morning walk for the first time in nearly a year.  It is approximately two miles, with some rolling inclines and something I call "the hill" at the mid-point of the walk.  I know from cycling up the hill that it has an 11% grade - not much by Tour de France standards, but enough.  I figured that after two weeks of walking up and down stairs, hills, and cliffs in Europe, surely I could stand the hill.  

The walk seemed to go fine.  Did it hurt?  Sure.  But not much more than walking on flat surfaces.  And frankly, not much more than sitting on the couch.  I remember my PT saying that what's important is not what it feels like when you are doing it, but how you feel the next day.  So I decided to do a controlled study.  If everything else was the same (shoes, activity, etc.) and I felt worse on Monday, I would cut back on the walk.

Since the trip and the grill purchase, we've been spending a lot more time outside, even in the heat.  Our tiny backyard (is "yardlet" a word?) is on the east side of the house, so it is mostly shaded by noon, which makes it a little more pleasant.  Sunday afternoon, I was doing some work on our patio container garden while my patient, long-suffering husband grilled.  

All it takes is one moment of inattention.  I was crouching forward on a knee pad repotting some plants and when I stood up, I bent my toes forward and stood up by rocking back and putting my weight on the balls of my feet, just like anyone would.  Unless they have CRPS from a damaged nerve on the ball of their foot, that is. I felt a momentary shock wave of pain go through my foot that can't be described using the 1-10 scale.  It knocked the breath out of me and I stood there for a moment, stunned.  In normal circumstances, I would have guessed I had a broken bone and headed to the minor emergency clinic for an x-ray.  

And this brought up a question I had not previously considered.  In the future, how will I know if I really do injure my foot?  Visible blood will be an obvious clue, but swelling, redness, bruising, pain?  All could be associated with the CRPS.  I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, presuming I didn't come to it on Sunday.

Other than continuing pain, there was no other indicator that I had done anything wrong this time.  A little pinkness and bruising, but it was contained to a very small area and nothing like the discoloration I've had at other times with no obvious cause.  Hopefully not a serious setback.  But it ruined my controlled study.  Now if I have more pain on Monday, I won't know if it was from the walk or the gardening episode.  Good thing I'm not a scientist.

While my foot felt pretty rotten the rest of the evening (7-7.5), it was not so bad that I couldn't make cupcakes for a friend's birthday.  For those of you who don't know my family very well, my mother has been well-known for her baking skills my entire life.  Not only are her baked goods delicious, they are beautifully decorated.  They could be on magazine covers or in store-front windows.  While I inherited her ability to make tasty treats, mine leave something to be desired in the aesthetics department.  They are more like what you'd see at the factory seconds outlet for half off.  

What I lack in skill, I make up for in enthusiasm, and I was determined to make some pretty cupcakes. I decided my best bet was to go for elegant simplicity. Vanilla and chocolate.  Nothing too intricate or complicated.  When I finished, I was pretty proud of myself.  These cupcakes might not merit store-front window status, but they could be sold for full price.  Maybe all my effort is paying off.

Then I looked a little more closely at the chocolate cupcakes.  Since you are reading this blog on a computer, you probably know what an emoticon is.  Those little smiley faces, etc. people use to dress up their text messages and emails.  There is one emoticon used to express the sentiment that things aren't going well.  Since it's a little delicate, rather than try to explain it, I'll just show it to you.  💩  And I realized that was exactly what my chocolate cupcakes looked like, minus the smiley face.

No worries, I had a backup plan.  I got out the colored sugar crystals and went to work.  And when I finished, guess what they looked like to me?  A pile of droppings from a dog who had eaten an entire jar of glitter.  Good thing I'm not a professional baker.  I decided to leave bad enough alone and hope my friends didn't make the connection.  I tasted one and they are quite delicious, if I do say so myself.  As long as you close your eyes while you eat them.  

7/5/14. The post where it almost feels like we're on vacation again.

7/5/14: my foot felt pretty bad all night and I woke up early.  But there was nothing on the calendar today, so guess what I did?  Took a nearly two hour nap this morning.  And I felt much better the second time I woke up.

We had some "errands" to  run this afternoon.  I use "errands" in quotes because they included going to the specialty olive oil and vinegar shop, the specialty spice shop, and the new Trader Joes that just opened near our house.  In other words, an afternoon of food porn.  

We came home with our bounty and started cooking.  My patient, long-suffering husband was excited about using his new grill and I was excited for him.  After all, he doesn't ask for much.  (Maybe I should rephrase that.  He asks for plenty.  He just doesn't get much of it.)  A steak for him, swordfish for me.  Plus corn, bell peppers, and onions.  I contributed a salad and potatoes.  And no, we didn't eat all of those things.  We decided to cook once for the weekend.  The grill was a good investment.

We ate dinner outside.  Yes, it was hot, but we ate outside for two weeks in Europe in the heat, so we figured we could do it at home.  And it was great.  We were in the shade and there was a nice breeze. I have long been a fan of traveling as much as you can.  Every trip you take changes you in some way.  For instance, we have had a fly in the house for two days.  Normally I would not rest until the fly had been eradicated.  But after a week of living in harmony with the insects in Italy, the fly seemed natural.  He wasn't bothering us, so live and let live.  

While my foot felt pretty rough all day, it's feeling better tonight.  Instead of going from a 4 to a 6, it went from a 6 to a 4.  At least I'm keeping things interesting.  

7/4/14. The post where we do a lot of celebrating.

7/4/14: my foot was pretty cranky all night, but I still managed to get a decent night's sleep.  Today was going to be a casual day.  We were going to friend A's party around dinner time, so I expected to spend most of the day doing laundry and other chores. 

Around 11am this morning, my patient, long-suffering husband asked, "What time is friend B's party?" My response?  "Uh..."  I was not aware friend B was having a party.  Turns out the invitation had gone by email to my patient, long-suffering husband.  And the party started at 11:30.  Just enough time for a quick shower.

It was a very nice party.  By coincidence, I had friends there from several different walks of life, which made it even more fun.  After mingling for awhile, I got a plate of food and headed toward a group of church friends, but there were no seats available.  Not one, not two, but three gentleman friends (and I emphasize the word "gentleman") offered me a seat.  Furthermore, they determined among themselves which was the most comfortable chair and moved it into the shade for me.  Moral of the story?  Chivalry is not dead.  And I have excellent friends.

We left the party a little early, because we had one very important task to accomplish today.  My patient, long-suffering husband has wanted a grill for some time, and we just got confirmation from our homeowner's association that we can have one.  (Long story...)  He had done some research and already knew what he wanted, so we went to the hardware store and brought it home. We spent the rest of the afternoon assembling it and building a small pad for it in our equally small yard.  After ensuring that it was properly assembled and would produce heat, we went to our second party of the day.

Another lovely time.  While it had been a really hot day, the evening brought a nice breeze and it was quite pleasant out.  We spent some time chatting with friends, then headed back home for fireworks to end the evening.  We live on a bluff on the west side of a large city with multiple surrounding towns and we have a pretty good view.  The two best days to live in our house are July 4 and December 31.  Sitting on our balcony tonight, in addition to our city's fireworks, we could see fireworks from at least four other towns and multiple other unauthorized displays.  My neck is sore from spinning around to try to see all the different displays.  It was a pretty good day to be an American.  

My foot was pretty irritated all day (pain level 6-7) and I had to elevate it several times.  I'm starting to think it may not like really hot weather any more than really cold weather.  Thank goodness there is still a weekend waiting in the wings.  All this celebrating can wear a girl out.

7/3/14. The post where I am outwitted by my clothing.

7/3/14: didn't sleep well last night (64% sleep score), but I think I am over the jet lag.  This was just my normal not sleeping well.  My foot started the morning at about a 4, which has become the recent pattern.

Since it was effectively Casual Friday as far as the office was concerned, I decided to wear the wrap skirt I bought in Italy.  In a stroke of good luck (or maybe I just have too many clothes), I already owned a blouse, sandals, and jewelry that matched the skirt, so I had an instant ensemble.  I got out the skirt and realized it was like no other wrap skirt I've ever seen.  When I bought it, the shopkeeper explained how to put it on. Her explanation was about 1/3 English, 1/3 Italian, and 1/3 Charades, but I thought I understood.  Clearly, I did not.  After about 10 minutes of attempted wrapping, I gave up and went with plan B.  I guess I'll try to figure it out again sometime when I have a free afternoon.  Somewhere in Italy, a shopkeeper is laughing quietly to herself.

It was a pretty quiet day at work, with many people starting their holiday weekend early.  I came home after work to spend a little more quality time with the guest dog before my friends came home from their trip.  I've known myself my whole life, so I don't know why I was surprised that I bonded so quickly with the little guy and was so sad to see him go.  Good thing he's only 12 doors down and I know how to get into their house.  My friends may regret ever asking me to watch him.

Some thunderstorms moved in this evening, which may explain why my foot has been so unhappy.  It's been at about a 6-6.5 all night, which is also becoming a recent pattern.  While it's certainly better than the pre-Cymbalta pattern, I'm glad the spinal cord stimulator trial is coming up soon.  There was a very brief period after I started the Cymbalta when I considered postponing the trial.  That would have been a mistake.  Kind of like buying a skirt you aren't smart enough to wear.

7/2/14. The post where we breathe a sigh of relief.

7/3/14: woke up just 10 minutes before the alarm.  Progress!  I tried to take our guest dog for a walk, but he was just too sleepy, so I brought him back inside to snuggle with my patient, long-suffering husband.  Instead, I took myself for a walk and then rode the trainer for 10 minutes.  My foot felt pretty good, maybe a 4. 

While I would have been happy to continue ignoring the issue with the upstairs AC, cooler heads prevailed (Get it? Cooler heads? I crack myself up.)  My patient, long-suffering husband called our AC company out of concern it would completely quit working over the holiday weekend, which would be either outrageously expensive or miserably uncomfortable, neither of which sounded like a good option.  

After a thorough inspection, they determined that - hallelujah! - it was just a little low on freon.  Not low enough to be an issue most of the time, but just enough to make it hard to cool back down in the hot summer after three weeks of little use.  And the best news? They told us it was covered under our service plan.  We were a little skeptical at first.  After all, the wine cellar chilling unit was under warranty, but it still cost several hundred dollars in shipping and expediting delivery to ensure our wine was still drinkable by the time the replacement came.  But the AC company really meant it - the total cost of the visit was zero (unless you count what we paid previously for the service plan, I guess).  I can afford zero.

We only have one more day with our guest dog.  While he seems to have grown quite fond of us, he still misses his "real" parents.  They live on the same street we do, so we pass their house on our walks and he always heads right toward their front door.  You can't really blame him.  If I moved to another house on the same block, I might go to the wrong door a time or two myself.  However, if someone pointed out my error to me, I don't think I would fling myself onto the ground and refuse to move until someone carried me to my new house.  Good thing he's a little guy.

My spinal cord stimulator trial is two weeks away, so I am starting to do more research on it.  I found out that the specific brand of device my doctor uses is made by a company for which one of my oldest friends is a representative, so I contacted him to get his thoughts on it.  He gave me some good information and some questions to ask my doctor.  I've already gotten some good advice about it from other friends and everything I've read indicates it's the right thing to do, but it was nice to get another confirmation.  

We had a great dinner out with our choir friends tonight.  After about a month without rehearsals, we all missed each other and were ready to catch up.  My foot has been a little angrier this evening, but still no more than a 6.  One more day of work and then a three-day holiday weekend.  Thank goodness.  Living back in the real world is hard.

7/1/14. The post where I get twitchy.

7/1/14: slept all the way to 4:30 this morning.  By the end of the week, I should have this jet lag thing whipped.  Woke up with my foot feeling pretty good, back down to a 4.  Took our four-legged guest for an early morning walk and then rode my trainer for 10 minutes, for the first time since vacation.

I started Phase 2 of my "catch back up at work" plan today.  This is the phase where I start actually doing all the work that I prioritized yesterday.  I made some good progress.  With the 4th of July on Friday it will be a four day workweek, and I'm hoping to have things in good shape by then so I can enjoy the holiday.  I was also able to sneak in a mani/pedi, which I desperately needed after being a vagabond for three weeks.  In honor of the upcoming holiday, I chose Dining Al Frisco, a pretty shade of blue from the San Francisco collection, and Big Apple Red, a pretty shade of...well, you know...from the New York collection.  I look quite patriotic.

Here's a photo of the little guy who's visiting us this week.  

With dogs, just as with children, I love being the aunt.  It's impossible to say no to that face, so it's been a week full of walks and treats and snuggling.  I may not be allowed to watch him again in the future, but we sure have had a nice time.  One of his most interesting habits is his eating style.  He sneaks up to his food dish on tiptoes (imagine Fred Flintstone bowling), grabs a few pieces of food, and then runs across the room to set them down and eat them one at a time.  A pretty good way to stay in shape, now that I think about it.  Maybe I will start taking a bite of food and then getting up from the dinner table and walking across the room to chew and swallow it.  Then again...maybe I won't.  On a dog, it's cute and endearing.  On a human, it's just creepy.

I am still taking the Cymbalta and having pretty good success with it.  My nausea is almost completely gone, perhaps owing to the fact that my stomach has not been empty at any point during the last four weeks.  Sometimes I get a little dizzy if I get up or turn my head too fast, but that's a small price to pay for the relief I've gotten.  I've had one other side effect that appears to be increasing rather than subsiding - muscle twitches.  It is usually most pronounced at night right after I take the medicine or when I am really tired, but it can happen at any time of day and with any muscle, it appears.  

Tonight was a doozy.  My foot was starting to become really irritated, so I decided to sit down for awhile and watch a baseball game.  Suddenly, my arms, legs, and feet were twitching wildly.  Fortunately I was home alone at the time.  Except for the dog, who didn't seem to mind.  I guess when you regularly run across the room to chew each bite of your food, you can't judge.  

After about 15 minutes, it slowed down and eventually stopped.  It doesn't hurt - in fact, it is kind of interesting and makes me laugh.  But I suspect it may get old at some point.  I hope it will go away at some point, but even if it doesn't, I probably won't be taking the medicine forever.  Again, it is worth it as long as the medicine continues to work.  In the meantime, pay no attention to Twitchy Girl and her sidekick, OCD Dog.