2/28/15. The post where I cook.

2/28/15: the rain turned to sleet, which then turned to ice.  When we woke up this morning, the freeway outside our home was completely shut down on the northbound side.  That doesn't happen often, and it is always very interesting to see a completely empty freeway.

I slept really well last night...I suspect the hot toddy might have had something to do with it.  We spent a lazy morning waiting for the ice to melt.  As soon as it did, I went to the grocery store, because we had a big day planned.  We have some friends with a teenage daughter who is like a niece to us.  She stays with us when her parents are out of town, and hangs out with us periodically even when they are in town.  She loves to cook and we planned to spend the day making a big, complicated meal.

When I got to the grocery store, it was clear we weren't the only ones with this idea.  It seemed everyone intended to spend the cold, rainy day cooking, so they were all buying exotic ingredients for complicated meals or desserts.  It was actually a fun grocery trip, because everyone seemed happy and conspiratorial.  Lots of peering into each others' shopping carts with knowing nods.

She and I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking, with my patient, long-suffering husband supervising and helping with the trickiest procedures.  Then we invited friends over for dinner and spent a really nice evening eating, drinking, and chatting. I fear for the next generation sometimes, but tonight I felt like they will be okay.  At least some of them.  My foot was fairly cooperative considering the weather and my activity level, but it is happy to have some rest.  The rain continues tomorrow, but it should be 20 degrees warmer, so I am optimistic.  And I have lots of yummy leftovers to get me through the day.

2/27/15. The post where it gets cold again.

2/27/15: another cold and rainy day.  I've been riding the trainer all week since it is too cold to walk outside.  Although the trainer is right next to my indoor garden, so it's almost like being outside.

It was a blissfully quiet work day after a long and difficult week.  I moved the stimulator around quite a bit today and kept things (relatively) under control.  After work, I met some colleagues at a nearby bar, where I had a hot toddy that was exactly what I needed on a day like today.  Then I hightailed it home before the rain turned into sleet.  

Looking forward to spending the rest of the evening in my warm pajamas under a blanket.  While my foot is not feeling as bad as I expected, I am starting to get foot and leg cramps that I suspect are related to the high amplitude I have set on my stimulator.  I decided to turn it down a few notches tonight, so we'll see what happens.  As I've mentioned, I am a member of a social media group of CRPS patients, and I am shocked by the number of people who are resisting getting a spinal cord stimulator, either out of fear that it won't be effective or out of concern for the recovery time after the surgery.  While I may have had more surgery experiences than the average person over the last ten years, the stimulator surgery seemed like it had a fairly simple recovery.  And compared to the prospect of continuing my pre-stimulator trajectory with no relief in sight, I would do the stimulator implant again even if the recovery were three times as long. 

In general, reading the posts of other members of the group makes me feel very fortunate.  I was diagnosed pretty quickly (although it didn't feel that way at the time), which meant that the stimulator has been more effective. I am not on any medication. It hasn't spread anywhere else.  I can work full time, exercise nearly every day, and lead a pretty normal life.  Remind me of these things when I am whining about the weather and my pain level, which I feel certain will happen over the next week.

2/26/15. The post where I bounce back.

2/26/15: got a little more sleep last night and woke up feeling better.  The morning showed promise, with the sun finally showing itself.  It was an illusion, though.  By late morning, the clouds had come back in and the temperature started dropping.

I spent half the morning in the office and then went to a board meeting for our music series.  This afternoon, it was back in the office to catch up on paperwork.  My foot behaved pretty nicely today.  I changed the stimulator program again to a slightly less obnoxious one, but it was still strong enough to do the trick.  I looked at the ten-day forecast and there is not a single day without a chance of rain.  While that is great news for our local water supply and area lakes, it makes me nervous.  

Time to brag on my patient, long-suffering husband again.  He is halfway through his liquid diet and he has lost 25 pounds!  He's also managed to keep a good attitude and still be fun to be around.  That's a pretty big accomplishment, in my opinion.  My weight loss has not been as significant during the same time period, but I have managed to lose six pounds.  And more importantly, I am only 2.5 pounds away from new shoes!  

Or, I was until tonight.  I may have ruined it.  I went with two of my BFFs to a local charity event where local restaurants and bars sampled their wares and celebrity judges voted on the best cocktail in the city.  It was a great event and we had a really fun time.  Maybe not the best diet activity, but it was worth it.  I'd like to say I'll make up for it the next few days, but the weekend is coming and I'm not making any promises. 

2/25/15. The post where I am pooped.

2/25/15: yesterday was every bit as tiring as I expected it to be.  No ice on the roads, but it was still cold and I had to be in and out quite a bit, so I bundled up again. I also changed my stimulator program again, this time to a particularly obnoxious pattern, and turned it up to warp factor 7 for maximum distraction.

At lunchtime, I had my voice recording project.  Having never done anything like it before, I wasn't sure what to expect, so I thought I'd better do some vocal exercises in the car on the way there.  It sounded something like this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ro_LMuIs3Ek

It was a very interesting experience.  The studio was recording voices to be used as an algorithm for voice recognition software.  They described it as "the next generation of Siri."  Since I can't get the current generation of Siri to understand a word I say, I am hoping to benefit personally from their work.  I sat in a recording booth for about 30 minutes and read a script containing hundreds of voice commands.  Like, "Turn on the security system."  "Turn off the bedroom lights." "What time is it?"  "Pour me a glass of wine."  Well, okay, maybe not that last one, but you get the point.

The studio employee doing the recording complimented me on my work afterward.  My first grade teacher would be so proud - I can read simple sentences like a pro.  My "payment" for participating in the project is a free voiceover demo recording at the studio.  What will I do with a voiceover demo? I have no idea. Am I going to make one? You bet!  

I spent the afternoon (and part of the evening) in my legislative work group meeting, where I spent most of the time trying not to say anything that would get me fired. (Now that I think about it, that voiceover demo may come in handy after all. I may need the work.) I went straight from the meeting to my acting class, which was great, but which also ran late.  All my activities made for a long day and not enough sleep.  Today was also a busy day, but at least I spent most of it in the office, so I didn't have to move around as much.  The weather also got a little warmer today, and between that and my obnoxious stimulator program, my foot was a lot more manageable.  I hope it lasts, because I will have to change the program to something a little less frenetic very soon.  

2/23/15. The post where I spoke too soon.

2/23/15: this morning the cold front was officially here and my foot was officially miserable, but I had some things that I needed to do at work, so I got up anyway.  I skipped my workout and used the extra time to slow down my make-ready process to a more manageable speed.  I dressed as warmly as I thought I could handle once I was in the office, changed my stimulator program, heated up my car seat, and took off.

I spent the morning in meetings, so it went fairly quickly.  My PT would have been proud, because I remembered the way he taught me to walk without limping on days like this.  It's a little slow going, but it works.  As luck would have it, my employer sent us home this afternoon because of the potential for icy roads, so I was able to work from home in the afternoon, which was a huge relief.  

It is forecast to be slightly warmer tomorrow and I hope the forecast is right, because it is a big day.  In addition to the normal work day, I am helping someone from my acting class with a voiceover project during my lunch break.  A late afternoon meeting with my legislative work group, and then acting class.  I don't know if I'll have time to post tomorrow, but when I do, I'll have lots to tell.  Wish me luck.

2/22/15. The post where I don't hurt as much as I expected.

2/22/15: church this morning and then lunch with our visiting musician friends.  This afternoon, we attended their concert.  It's rare for me to get to attend a concert with my patient, long-suffering husband.  Yes, I know, you are thinking, "What? You guys are at concerts all the time!" True.  But most of the time he is performing, or I am working the box office, or both.  Today's concert felt almost like a date.

It drizzled most of the day and the temperature continued to drop throughout the day.  After the concert, we moved the garden inside, where it will likely stay most of the week because of the weather.  Not many people have an indoor garden.  Unless they are growing things they don't want anyone to see.  In case you are wondering, here's what our indoor garden looks like:

My foot felt better today than I expected, given the weather.  Don't get me wrong...it feels terrible.  But I had convinced myself it would be even worse.  I guess that is one of the benefits of having low expectations.

2/21/15. The post where I show my foot who's boss.

2/21/15: by bedtime, my foot was miserable and I didn't think I'd be able to sleep. But I did.  I slept really well.  What a relief.

Not sure how I slept so well, because my foot didn't feel any better this morning.  I fiddled around with the stimulator programs a little more, and then I decided to just ignore it.  I went for a long walk with our visiting friend, I ran some errands with my patient, long-suffering husband, and then we came home and started in on our spring container garden.  

We cut back all the old plants, potted the new plants he bought yesterday, watered everything, and cleaned up the patio.  Now we are ready for spring.  Unfortunately, winter isn't over yet.  While the weather was warm and spring-like today, the next week will be a very different story.  Which is one of the good things about having a container garden.  Tomorrow, it will become an indoor garden.  

A few more chores and then a little rest before heading to a friend's house for a get-together.  My foot still feels rotten, but I suspect it is no worse than it would have been if I had spent the day on the couch.  I may not always be able to show my foot who's boss, but today I did.

2/20/15. The post where I get lots of little surprises.

2/20/15: first things first...I forgot to tell you about my manicure yesterday and I know you are dying to know the color.  Vampsterdam, from the OPI Holland collection.  With my earlier bedtime, I got about 30 additional minutes of sleep last night.  Hey, I'll take it.  

It was just enough warmer this morning that I was able to walk outside before work.  While my foot didn't feel great, I did not have any crazy colors or swelling afterward, which I took as a good sign.  I got my first little surprise when I put my boots on before work this morning.  They've seen a lot of miles over the last two years and it shows.  Or rather, it did show. My patient, long-suffering husband polished and shined them last night after I went to bed and they looked brand new.  Yep, he's a keeper.

I spent much of my work day trying to keep people from making mistakes, with varying degrees of success...a typical work day for me.  I broke up the work day with a nice, long talk with Mom, which always makes the day better.  When I came home, I got a lot more little surprises.  My patient, long-suffering husband is off work on Fridays (in theory, at least) and he had been very productive.  He bought new herbs and tomatoes for us to plant this weekend.  He also combed a few local thrift/antique shops and found some unique cocktail glasses and cheese plates to add to my collection.  It felt like my birthday, only better, because I got presents without having to be a year older. I'm a very lucky girl.

I repaid his kindness by not asking him to go out to dinner with our musician friend.  He's been very patient about going to events where he has to watch everyone else eat and I figured he deserved a break.  And I had a lovely dinner, so everyone won.

I changed my stimulator program this morning, but it didn't do much good.  My foot didn't have a great day, but the rest of me sure did.  It will be another fairly quiet weekend, with another cold, rainy front coming in.  At this point, I have no idea what to expect, but I hope my foot will be as full of nice little surprises as my patient, long-suffering husband is.

2/19/15. The post where I press my luck.

2/19/15: I have figured out that I need to work on my bedtime schedule before I start to look at other sleep aid options.  I can't expect to get seven hours of sleep if I am only in my bed for six hours.  Even if I could fall asleep quickly and stay asleep for most of that time, the math still doesn't work.  I resolve to do better.

The only word to describe my work day today is boring.  Not that I am complaining - I need boring days every now and then to gain at least some semblance of control over my workload.  And today was one of those days.  I spent most of the day reading and writing.  Not very glamorous, but I accomplished a lot.  This evening, our Lenten study group started in earnest, and then we came home to visit with a musician friend who is staying with us for a concert series this weekend.  I excused myself early to try to make good on my promise to go to bed earlier.  Even if I am unable to sleep, at least I am giving myself a fighting chance.

As I've mentioned previously, I've been trying to change stimulator programs more frequently at the suggestion of my medical company rep, but I must admit I have developed a favorite program.  And it happened to be the program I was using when my flare up finally calmed down last weekend, so I've been afraid to change it at the risk of jinxing myself.  Late this afternoon, I started to feel my foot getting worse, so I decided (reluctantly) I'd better change the program.

Bad move, I think.  My foot got gradually worse all evening.  Would it have done that anyway, even if I hadn't changed programs?  Or maybe it got worse because I kept the same program for too long this week?  Either I changed the program too soon or not soon enough.  Or it's just dumb luck and no stimulator program in the world could have helped.  Tonight's pain was not the red, splotchy, burning kind. Instead, it was the completely pale, several degrees colder than the other foot, numb stinging kind.  This kind doesn't happen as often, but it is just as annoying. I will give the new program the rest of the evening to do its job, but in the morning I am moving on unless it feels significantly better.  

2/18/15. The post where Lent begins.

2/18/15: another night with not quite enough sleep.  A friend of mine who is taking melatonin to help her sleep at night suggested I try it.  And it sounded like a good idea.  But, as I always do, I did some research.  And it turns out there are some studies saying that melatonin can increase inflammation in people with CRPS.  Man, this is complicated.  

My work day was filled with necessary, but unremarkable, tasks.  The highlight of the day was lunch.  Normally, I eat at my desk while working.  (Yes, I know, probably not a good idea.)  But today, I ate lunch with two work friends. Sure, we ate lunches we brought from home while sitting in one of their offices, but hey, at least it wasn't my office, so it was a step in the right direction.  

This evening was our Ash Wednesday service, so we had choir rehearsal early, then sang at the service, then rehearsed some more after the service.  My forehead is covered in ash and Lent has officially begun.  My foot felt pretty good most of the day, but tonight it's ready for some rest.  Hoping for a better night's sleep tonight.  Not melatonin-induced, of course.

2/17/15. La poste où je laisse les bon temps rouler.

2/17/15: slept a little better last night, but not for long enough.  My own fault for going to bed too late, I guess.  I rode the trainer, got ready for work, then finished making my shrimp creole and packed it up to take it to the office.  By the time I left home, I was already tired again.  

We had a fun office luncheon.  At least, as fun as an office luncheon can be.  I tried to show a little self-restraint, but who can resist king cake? After all that food, it wasn't easy to concentrate on work in the afternoon, but I had some pretty substantial business to finish, so I kicked it back into gear.  It was another cold day, but the sun peeked out in the late afternoon.

It would have been a nice evening to hang around the house and rest.  It also would have been a nice evening to celebrate Mardi Gras with more fun than can be had at an office luncheon.  But my acting classes started up again tonight after a few weeks' break.  And I'm glad I went.  We got off to a good start and I am looking forward to the next few months.  In addition to our class work, one of my classmates has written a screenplay he wants to film so he can show it to potential producers, and he's asked a few of us to be in it.  While I have never had any designs on being a film star, this sounds like it will be a fun experience.  (Remind me I said that when I am complaining about all the work and my lack of free time at some point in the future.)  My foot did some good acting work today as well.  It was playing the role of a normal foot, and while it won't be winning any Academy Awards, it was fairly convincing.

2/16/15. The post where I continue to be confused.

2/16/15: slept poorly and woke up really early with the rain.  So much for sleeping in on a holiday.  But the odd thing is, my foot felt better.  Cold and rain is usually a recipe for disaster.  But this weekend, I felt much worse when it was warm and sunny.  Go figure.

I spent the morning at home doing chores.  I didn't venture out until the afternoon, when I thought it would be warmer and less rainy.  (I was wrong.)  After a few errands, I went to visit some dear friends, one of whom had an accident a few weeks ago that resulted in a shattered femur.  (I can't even write that without shuddering.  That must have been incredibly painful.  He's a tough cookie.)  He looked great and was in good spirits, and I enjoyed catching up with both of them.  Then it was back home to make food for our office's Mardi Gras luncheon tomorrow.  Shrimp Creole.  It is one of my patient, long-suffering husband's favorite meals to make and to eat, and it didn't strike me until later that it was kind of cruel to make it while he is on his liquid diet.  Fortunately for him, it doesn't taste nearly as good when I make it.

Still feeling okay this evening, even with the weather and a full day of activity.  I'm not complaining, but I sure don't get it.  And since it doesn't look like the nice weather will be back any time soon, I hope my foot continues to confuse me.  

2/15/15. The post where I make ice.

2/15/15: I wasn't much fun to be around on Valentine's Day.  (No one who has ever been married to or in a romantic relationship with me is surprised by that statement, but at least this year I had a good excuse.)  I felt marginally better in the morning, but decided not to push it by getting out too much.  In fact, the only time I ventured out of the house was to go to a funeral.  I still managed to be pretty productive for most of the day, but by early evening I was completely useless.  So we had a movie marathon.  My patient, long-suffering husband let me pick the movies, and I chose two of my favorite Bogart classics: Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon.  It just doesn't get any better than Casablanca.  If you have never seen the movie, please rectify that oversight at once.  Here's a short clip that doesn't give away any major plot lines, on the off chance there is someone out there who doesn't know the plot: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SjbPi00k_ME

I still felt pretty rotten this morning, but I didn't want to waste a perfectly good three-day weekend, so I switched back into action hero mode.  Before I went to church, I had already taken a long walk and done several loads of laundry.  Part of the reason I got moving this morning was my enthusiasm for the anthem we were singing today.  My patient, long-suffering husband (who is famous for his music programming skills) selected one of the most beautiful pieces I've ever had the privilege of singing for the Sunday morning after Valentine's Day.  It was written by a composer who is ten years younger than me, which I have to admit makes me feel like a bit of a failure.  While our performance this morning was not recorded, here is a version with the composer himself playing the piano.  It also has a string section, which we did not have, but in my mind, I feel certain our version was just as good.  http://youtu.be/4lf26JLbVF4

This afternoon, we got out for a bit, doing some window shopping at a nearby outdoor mall.  Then we came home and worked on a few scientific experiments in the kitchen.  (How my patient, long-suffering husband does kitchen experiments while on a liquid diet is beyond me.  His will power is amazing.)  One of the projects was making ice.  Yes, I know that doesn't sound very difficult or interesting, but this wasn't just any ice.  I'm sure I've mentioned my interest in mixology, the art of making cocktails. I've spent nearly two years trying to find a way to make perfectly clear ice cubes at home, with no success.  As part of my Valentine gift, my patient, long-suffering husband found me a kit with the tools I need to do just that.  I won't bore you with the details, but it involves a contraption that makes a long, rectangular piece of ice, half of which is perfectly clear.  Then you chisel off the cloudy end (saving it for crushed ice, of course), leaving a clear cube.  It works just as well as advertised.  The only drawback is that I can only make two cubes in a 24-hour period.  So I guess I'd better get on it.  Here's my first attempt:

Not sure why my foot has been so angry this weekend.  While a cool, rainy front came in today (which doesn't bode well for tomorrow), Friday and Saturday were gorgeous.  As usual, I am confounded by this.  Looks like it will be another movie marathon tonight.  A little Bogart, anyone?

2/13/15. The post where things escalate quickly.

2/13/15: made it all the way to 4:39am this morning.  Maybe the streak is over.  It was a cold morning, but it turned into a beautiful day.  For the first time in awhile, I had a full day at work with no meetings scheduled, so I was able to catch up on a lot of paperwork.  I ran some errands at lunch, which included getting my car washed, and then the convertible top went back down.  My foot felt good, and Friday the 13th didn't seem so bad.

With a three-day weekend ahead of us, we planned to start a major home project.  We moved into our house nearly four years ago, and a lot of things were unpacked and stored "temporarily" while we decided what to keep and what to toss.  One of our New Year's resolutions was to go through the house one room at a time and make some tough decisions.  This weekend, we are starting with the guest bedroom and closet.  That may not sound difficult, but that is where most of our extra storage is, so there is a lot of stuff to sort.  

About an hour in, I started to feel that all-too-familiar burning.  By the time we were at a stopping point, I took off my sock and saw exactly what I expected to see...a splotchy, bright red, shiny foot.  I went from a 3 to a 7 in less than two hours.  In the words of my favorite anchorman: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FONN-0uoTHI. I have spent the rest of the evening on the couch with my foot up.  The color looks better now, but it doesn't feel any better yet.  I do not intend to spend my three-day weekend this way.

Today I came across an interesting interview with Paula Abdul.  I just realized I probably gave you an unreasonable expectation regarding the article.  It is an article about her experience with CRPS.  I think I knew at one time that she has CRPS, but I had forgotten.  Of course, I have also forgotten the titles of most of her songs.  My memory is not what it used to be.  http://www.rarediseaseawareness.com/quality-of-life/paula-abdul-putting-the-spotlight-on-rare-disease

2/12/15. The post where I am glad I bought an automatic.

2/12/15: 4:20am on the nose.  This is starting to get ridiculous, but I am also fascinated.  How long can I keep it up?  As forecast, it was significantly colder today.  I rode the trainer inside this morning, and the top went back up on the car.

Today was a big work day.  In the morning I had a meeting of my employer's governing body, and in the afternoon I had a meeting of my legislative work group.  Time to dress like a grownup, so I wore a suit. Or something closely approximating a suit.  I wore pants and a jacket, which I couldn't have done even a few weeks ago.  (No, the jacket would not button, but that can be our little secret.)  

The morning meeting went swimmingly.  Then I headed to the afternoon meeting, less than seven miles from my office.  Forty-five minutes later, I arrived at the meeting place, stressed out and frazzled.  Too much construction and too many road closures.  Oh, and too many cars on the road.

The afternoon meeting also went well.  I got my action item and decided to head back using a different route, one I hoped was quicker.  No such luck.  Just as much traffic and construction.  About halfway back to the office, I figured out that I was just as close to home as I was to the office and I could save about 30 minutes by heading straight there, so I did.  My foot was not too happy, between the change in the weather, lots of walking around between meetings, and too much driving.  The round trip took about an hour and a half, and I couldn't help but think I could have made it to an awesome weekend getaway in that amount of time.  At least I am no longer driving a standard.  That was a hard decision to make when I bought the car, but on days like today, I feel like a genius.  

This evening was the kickoff celebration for our Lenten group, and it was wonderful to see everyone.  While it doesn't seem right to say I look forward to Lent, we have a group that has been getting together for fellowship (and even a little bit of study) during Lent for six years and it is always nice to be together again.  I didn't have quite as good a foot day as yesterday, but we are in for another few days of nice weather, so I am optimistic. Plus, there is a three-day weekend coming up.  What could possibly go wrong?

2/11/15. The post where I do something very silly.

2/11/15: still woozy last night from my blood donation, so I went to bed early.  Which meant I woke up multiple times in the night, including...wait for it...4:29am.  I am on a serious roll.  It was extremely foggy this morning, so I rode the trainer again.  Maybe not the best idea the morning after donating blood, but I muscled through it.

At lunch time, I took my patient, long-suffering husband to pick up his car from the body shop, nearly a month after he dropped it off.  He was a very happy camper to finally have it back, and it looked as good as the day we bought it.  Afterward, I went to the post office to mail a package.  It was another beautiful day and I had the top down on my car.  This meant that when I parked, I spent some time stowing away items that could be easily stolen and making sure I had my package together and properly addressed.  I finally exited the vehicle, but when I tried to lock it, the lock would not engage and I got a warning beep.  I made several additional tries, with the same result.  My car, like many new vehicles, has a key fob that does not have to be in the ignition switch or in the door lock to work.  It just has to be near the vehicle.  I decided the battery in the key fob must be dead, which was highly annoying since I had just replaced it a month ago.  I didn't see any shady characters lurking around and I had stowed all my valuables, so I went in without locking the door.

I took care of my business in the post office and returned to my car about 15 minutes later.  As  I got near the car, I could hear a strange humming sound.  I stood there for a moment trying to figure out what it could be, when suddenly it hit me.  Holy senior moment, Batman...the engine was running!  In all of my fiddling with things in the parking lot, I failed to kill the ignition and didn't notice because I did not have to remove the key from the ignition switch.  The car tried to warn me, but I didn't understand it.  ("What, Lassie? Timmy fell down the well?")

So, to recap...I left my car in the post office parking lot for 15 minutes with the top down, the doors unlocked, and the engine running.  Fortunately for me, the car will not move without the key fob in close proximity (don't ask me how I know that), so even if there were any shady characters lurking around, I don't think they could have driven away in it. It's a good thing my car is smarter than I am.  I'd love to blame it on me being a pint or two low on blood, but I just wasn't paying attention.

While I didn't have a very good brain day, I had a great foot day.  After a few days in a row of warm, sunny weather, I'm back down to a 3.  It's supposed to be about 20 degrees cooler tomorrow, but I'm hoping that won't be enough of a change to cause an issue.  Because if I'm this absent-minded at a 3, I fear for the safety of my car when I'm at a 6.

2/10/15. The post where I give blood.

2/10/15:  4:21am.  The streak continues.  And forget what I said about walking again.  It was about 10 degrees colder this morning than yesterday morning, so I decided biking would be okay.  

Time to brag on my patient, long-suffering husband.  Four weeks into his diet and he has lost 20 pounds!  He looks amazing...of course, I thought he looked amazing before, but I'm a little biased.  And he started cycling again this week.  Real cycling, not riding on the trainer like I've been doing.  On the other hand, my weight loss has stalled at four pounds.  But on the other, other hand, at least the weight appears to be moving around.  I was able to wear a skirt today that hasn't fit for more than a year.  And since my foot was feeling better, I put on a pair of black leather boots with impossibly high heels.  Then, in a rare fit of good sense, I traded them for a much more sensible pair of low-heeled riding boots.

Today was the day I donated blood at a drive for my friend.  I ate a good lunch and drank lots of water all day.  The water was so they could find a vein.  The lunch was so they wouldn't have to scoop me up off the floor afterward.  And both worked out pretty well.  I felt a little woozy when I got home, but I had no evening obligations, so I was able to hang out on the deck until I felt better.  And it was a beautiful day to hang out on the deck.  Now I just hope my blood is a match for my friend's.

2/9/15. The post where I get some relief.

2/9/15: for about the last week, I've gotten into a pattern of waking up at approximately 4:20am every morning.  I can usually fall back asleep, at least for a little while, but it is very strange.  There is nothing significant about that time, or at least there wasn't anything significant about that time before last week.  I hope this pattern ends quickly.  Maybe by telling you about it, I can hasten its departure. 

I decided to walk again this morning and I'm glad I did.  Riding on the trainer is good exercise, but I miss out on a lot of interesting things.  Like the guy I saw this morning.  Apparently he was exercising, but his exercise consisted of walking for awhile while stretching up and down and flailing his arms wildly like he was rehearsing for a big Bob Fosse dance number, then running for about 100 yards as if he was being chased by a bear.  His version of Cross Fit.  Or maybe he's just a dancer who is very scared of bears.

My foot felt okay on the walk, but when I got home and took my tennis shoes off, it looked pretty scary and it felt rotten for the rest of the morning.  I turned up the stimulator to warp speed seven after I got to work.  I had a meeting on the other side of my work campus that lasted most of the morning and when I walked outside to go back to my office, the weather had officially become beautiful.  Temperature in the mid-70s and not a cloud in the sky.  And like magic, my foot improved for most of the afternoon.  Was it the weather, or the stimulator, or the walk, or a combination of all of those things, or just coincidence?  I have no idea.  The important thing is that it improved.  And I hope it will last.  It didn't feel quite as good tonight, but still much better than the last few weeks.  

I think I will keep walking as long as the nice weather holds out.  Who knows what I might see on my walk tomorrow?  If I see a bear doing a Bob Fosse dance routine, I'll know these 4:20am awakenings are getting to me.

2/8/15. The post where I try to make sense of things.

2/8/15: woke up at 4:30 this morning and it was raining.  Unbelievable.  Although maybe it explains why my foot hurt so much yesterday.  Maybe.  (Apparently, a weather forecast of 0% chance of rain doesn't mean it won't rain.  Maybe they should have gone with 1%, just to be safe.)  I went back to sleep and when I woke up later, it had stopped raining, but it was still overcast.  I wanted to stay in bed all day, but that's a habit I can't start.  I also wanted to skip exercising, but that is another habit I can't start.  Since it was warmer today, I took a walk instead of riding the trainer.  I felt better immediately afterward, but it didn't last.  The sun came out later in the morning, too late to do me any good.

After church, it was a quiet afternoon and then some good friends came over this evening so we could catch up.  (Fortunately, they are the kind of friends who don't mind eating leftover cheese and crackers while I sat on the couch with my foot elevated.  Everyone should have friends like that.)  Today was a rough day, but I have it easy comparatively.  I belong to a Facebook group of CRPS patients, which may or may not be a good thing.  It is a very supportive group, but I see a lot of examples of folks who are really suffering.  Sometimes I'm not sure if I should feel relieved or guilty.

I know I've said this before, but the most frustrating thing about this is not being able to make sense of it.  There is no logic, no predictability.  And I'm all about logic and predictability.  There are a few things the medical community does understand about CRPS and I try to follow the rules.  Like continuing to do as many normal activities as possible, especially where my foot is concerned, even when it is the last thing I want to do.  I am also doing a lot of research on my own.  For instance, today I ran across this article on healthy eating for people with nerve pain.  http://www.loseweightbyeating.com/nerve-pain-relief-with-food/  Was it written by a doctor?  No.  Has it been scientifically vetted?  No.  Are all of the food items spelled correctly?  No.  But it seems to make sense based on what I already know about nutrition and healthy eating.  Frankly, I imagine it is probably good advice regardless of whether you have nerve pain.  And I already follow most of the recommendations in the article.  Maybe that is one of the reasons I am faring better than a lot of other patients.  But there I go again trying to make sense of things.  

2/7/15. The post where we enjoy the nice weather.

2/7/15: Iast night I went to book club, where I had a great meal and lots of fun with friends I don't get to see often enough.  By the end of the evening, my foot felt pretty rotten, but I was able to get to bed relatively early and slept surprisingly well.  

I was really looking forward to today.  Besides the fact that the weather was finally supposed to clear up, I had nothing on the calendar but a nail appointment.  I woke up this morning to find...it was still overcast and dreary.  Oh, come on!  Seriously?  I got up and got ready for my nail appointment.  On the seven minute drive, suddenly the clouds parted, the angels sang, and hallelujah!  It was going to be a beautiful day after all.  

I got my nails done ("Peace, Love, and OPI" from their San Francisco collection) and met back up with my patient, long-suffering husband at home.  Since it was such a pretty day, we decided to get out and enjoy it.  So the top went down on the convertible and off we went.  After a few errands, we found ourselves at an outdoor mall.  We spent several hours wandering around, browsing the shops and watching people.  The people-watching today was excellent.  People were out in droves after all the miserable weather of the last few weeks, and everyone seemed to be in a good mood.  A little sun will do that to you.

Unfortunately, my foot hasn't noticed the sun yet.  As the afternoon wore on, I had to stop and rest more and more often.  Tonight, I spent a quiet evening on the couch.  Tomorrow should be even nicer.  Here's hoping someone tells my foot.  

2/6/15. The post where the sun comes out.

2/6/15:  yesterday was a very busy (and productive) work day.  My patient, long-suffering husband and I had plans to spend the evening with our BFFs to celebrate her birthday.  We spent the evening with them, but it was not exactly a celebration. We got the sad news yesterday morning that their dog had passed away.  While he was in his twilight years, he had been in good health and it was very unexpected.  It was a rough day for our friends, who in addition to dealing with their own grief, had to deliver the news to their college- and post college-aged children, who live in other states.  Somewhat fittingly, the day was colder and more cloudy than had been forecast.  

My patient, long-suffering husband had a little surprise for me - a new hairstyle.  How different can a man's hairstyle be, you ask?  Pretty different, as it turns out.  His transformation to hipster, which has been a long time in the making, is officially complete.  (I think this may also have been payback for my December hair color shenanigans.)  I can see that I am going to have to step up my game fashion-wise if I am going to keep up with him.

And speaking of hair, I had a fun conversation with my mom today.  Since her chemo began last summer, her hair has been a continuing topic of conversation.  She has always had fantastic hair, and we have been curious to see what effect the chemo would have.  Before she started treatments, her hair looked something like this:

Well, okay, a much more modern version of this.  But you get the idea.  She informed me today that her hair now looks more like this:

 I suspect she is exaggerating just a bit.

The sun finally peeked out this afternoon and the temperature is warming up.  It looks like it will be a gorgeous weekend.  I hope the sun comes out figuratively as well.  In the last few days, in addition to our friends' dog, four church members and a retired colleague of mine have passed away, and two friends have had emergency surgery.  For the next few days, I am only accepting happy news.  I hope my foot heard that loud and clear.

2/4/15. The post where I get a sneak preview of the next few months.

2/4/15: woke up feeling a little better this morning.  The rain was mostly gone, but it was still very cloudy and quite cold.  Not cool, weather forecasters.  My morning was spent playing catch up at work with people and paperwork.  I realized this morning that I was all out of lunch supplies, so I went with a standby.  I keep a stash of non-refrigerated lunch options around the office in case there is a zombie apocalypse...or I am busy and need a quick meal.  Today was one of those days.  (A busy day, not a zombie apocalypse.)  

I selected a dry soup in a disposable cup. The directions said to fill it with water, microwave for two minutes with the lid off, then let it sit for six minutes.  Hmm...that sounds potentially messy.  But it must be okay, since that's what the directions said to do.  I set the timer and went back to my office.  I came back to the microwave approximately eight minutes later to find a black bean soup volcano erupting.  It took me about five minutes to clean out the microwave and I vowed never to buy this brand of soup again.  But then I tasted it (or rather, what was left of it) and it was pretty delicious.  So maybe I'll just alter the cooking directions next time.  Or put the cup inside another cup.  Or just eat it directly off the bottom of the microwave.

I ate my soup/lava and read some materials for a meeting.  I am representing my employer in an industry/legislative work group and this afternoon was the first meeting.  The meeting went well, except that I volunteered to be on a committee.  And by "volunteered", I mean "begrudgingly agreed" because I knew the consequences of not being on the committee would be worse than the consequences of being on it.  While I was told the committee would only last for a few weeks, based on the scope of the overall project I feel certain our work will be measured in years rather than weeks.  Ugh.  It is making me tired just thinking about it.  

The meeting lasted past the normal end of my work day, and then I raced to a dinner meeting on a different issue.  This is how the next few months are going to be.  I managed to put in a brief appearance at choir rehearsal before coming home and collapsing into bed.  My foot felt a little better today than yesterday, or at least I didn't notice it as much.  It is supposed to get warmer each day for the next few days, so I am optimistic I will continue to feel better.  

2/3/15. The post where I am ready for better weather.

2/3/15: today was a travel day.  It was still cold and rainy and we were glad to get out of town.  But the weather followed us.  It followed us for four hours to my colleague's home, and then it followed me for another hour and a half to my house.  I wanted to crawl into bed and burrow under the covers, but the cleaners were at the house, so instead I went out for a late lunch/early dinner.  (Yeah, I know, First World Problems.)  

The rain continued.  I met my patient, long-suffering husband at home and we decided we needed to get out and get a little exercise, since I'd been in the car most of the day and he'd been stuck indoors because of the weather.  So we headed to the mall for a little shopping. Or more accurately, a little mall walking.  Or even more accurately, a lot of mall walking.  We spent nearly three hours wandering around, catching up after a couple of days apart.  It was nice to stretch our legs, but by the end of our wandering, my foot was pretty wrecked.  

If the weather forecasters can be trusted (and that is certainly not a given), the weather should be much better for the next week.  Please, please, please let it be true.

2/2/15. The post where I remember that my life is strange.

2/2/15:  time to play catch up.  Saturday was cold and wet.  It rained steadily all day, which is highly unusual for my little slice of the country.  I had a lot of administrative work to do for Saturday evening's concert, so I was able to stay hermetically sealed in my warm, dry home for most of the day.  As soon as I left the house for the concert, however, my foot figured out that it had been tricked and immediately went into "tantrum" mode.  

After the concert, the musicians and a few friends came over to celebrate.  Our house guests were witty and interesting and the hours passed quickly.  A little too quickly.  Before I knew it, it was 1am.  Which meant I had to be packed, ready, and in the car within six hours.  Which didn't leave much time for sleep, presuming my foot would have allowed it.  I had no one to blame but myself, though.  

Sunday was a blur.  I was traveling for a work meeting involving a lot of fancy people flying to a remote location, which meant the logistics were difficult.  (Herding cats kind of difficult.)  An hour and a half drive to meet up with a colleague, another four hour drive to get to the meeting location, rental van pickup, multiple airport pickups, a group dinner, and a trip to the hotel. My foot was really angry with me, and rightfully so, and it responded by holding its breath until it turned purple.  I guess I deserved it.  At least the weather was warm.

Until this morning.  The bad weather followed me to the meeting location and today was significantly colder and more wet than yesterday.  I spent the first half of the work day shuttling said fancy people between multiple locations and the second half of the work day in a meeting.  Not my two favorite things.  But I made it through without any permanent damage to me, my (fancy) passengers, or my rental van.  And I think the meeting was successful.  I am neither a tour guide nor a chauffeur, but you wouldn't know it from seeing me for the last few days.  

I capped off the evening by having dinner with a federal judge.  (Long story...)  My foot is not thrilled, but it is much better than it was this time last night.  Tomorrow is a travel day and I hope to get some rest before being back in the office the following day.  Musicians, judges, generally fancy people, all in one weekend - yes, my life is strange.  But there is rarely a dull moment.  

2/1/15. The post where I do a quick check in.

2/1/15:  the last two days have gone quickly, with not much time to post.  They have been filled with, among other things, a lot of rain and a lot of driving.  While my foot has felt better than I expected (or feared) for most of the time, tonight it is the reddest and most swollen I've seen it in some time.  I'll have lots more to post in the next day or so, but for now I need to try to get some sleep, because tomorrow will be another long day and it starts quite early...