11/29/14. The post where I am a whirling dervish.

11/29/14: woke up this morning with the realization that I had nearly a full Saturday with no appointments or social obligations.  And the realization that there are only a few days before musicians descend on our city and home for an annual three-day music festival sponsored by our church and run by my patient, long-suffering husband.  Lots to do, and not much time in which to do it.  So I got busy.

I spent most of the morning and early afternoon putting together the program and all the other necessary paperwork for the festival.  I unpacked suitcases, straightened up the house, and did three loads of laundry.  After all that, I was still standing, so I decided to start getting out Christmas decorations.  Which required cleaning out the closet where the tree is stored so I could get to it.  Then I put the tree together.  I have an artificial tree which I purchased several years ago pre-lit.  Of course, the lights that came on the tree did not meet my exacting standards for the appropriate light-to-branch ratio, so I added about four times as many lights.  Enough lights that airplanes try to land on our roof.  So every year, the annoyance of stringing lights on the tree is replaced by the annoyance of untangling the wires that somehow got knotted up and wrapped around the branches while sitting in the closet and trying to remember where to plug them in so all the strands light up.  Maybe it would be easier to just re-string them each year. 

After wrestling with a Christmas tree for about an hour, all the lights were functional and I was ready to be done with decorating.  I did a few more small chores and then went to my patient, long-suffering husband's concert.  A long, but productive, day.  Much too busy to think about my foot.  

11/28/14. The post where I am reminded of the power of positive thinking.

11/28/14: it was a Thanksgiving for the ages.  My patient, long-suffering husband did most of the heavy lifting and cooked an amazing meal.  Our entire family was there, including my godparents, so it felt really special.  Some of us did a 5K "Turkey Trot" in the morning, and I got through it without too much trouble.  As I expected, the walk didn't come anywhere near making up for everything I ate, but I guess it was better than not doing anything.  

Like most families, we spent the rest of the evening watching football, chatting, and complaining about how much we had eaten while continuing to snack.  All four nieces and nephews from my side of the family were there - ages 19, 14, two, and eight months.  As you know, I try to protect everyone's privacy on my blog, so I won't include any photos.  You'll just have to trust me when I tell you I have the best nieces and nephews in the history of ever.  It was truly a day to be thankful.  

We spent a little bonus time with Mom and Dad this morning, then after lunch (because, of course, we needed more food) we packed up and planned our escape route.  There are three outlet malls between their house and ours, so traveling on Black Friday was a bit of a gamble.  We took a route that, while a bit longer, would avoid the first one.  The traffic got a little heavy before the second one, but we got through it without much of a slowdown.  Another hour and half to the next one, so we had some breathing room.  Or so we thought.  About five miles after the second mall, things suddenly came to a screeching halt - literally.  There was an accident on a part of the freeway where there was construction going on and concrete barriers on either side, which meant no shoulder.  Of course, at the time, we did not know there was an accident.  All we knew was there was a sea of vehicles at a complete standstill.  Three lanes of traffic were diverted onto the frontage road, and chaos ensued.  After about forty-five minutes of inching forward and trying not to wish ill on any of the vehicles around us, we got past the remains of the accident, which by that time was just some broken glass and a few emergency vehicles.  It did not appear there were any serious injuries, another thing for which I am thankful.

We made it past the final outlet mall with no difficulty and got home at a reasonable hour.  My patient, long-suffering husband practiced for a concert he is playing tomorrow while I went to the grocery store for dinner fixings.  And the evening of Black Friday is the best time to go to the grocery store.  Seriously.  I wish I had made a list of everything I needed for the next month, because I was nearly alone in the store.  I started to get concerned that there had been some sort of catastrophe in the city and no one had told me.  The store was so empty that when I asked an employee for the location of an item I couldn't find, he followed me around the store looking for it just because he was "curious" about where it was.  

We spent a nice, quiet evening at home. My foot has felt a little better the last few days, but off and on it has been pretty distracting.  I always try to keep a positive attitude and I am convinced it makes me feel better.  I came across an article tonight that makes me feel justified.  http://www.rsds.org/1/publications/review_archive/BruelCBT.html. While the article is specific to CRPS, it seems like it would also be relevant for other types of physical pain and injuries.  So call me Pollyanna (just like my patient, long-suffering husband does), but I'm going to keep thinking positively.  And I encourage you to do the same.

11/26/14. The post where I enjoy a day with family.

11/26/14: we got in very late last night, but Mom and Dad were waiting up for us.  After chatting a little, we all went to bed, but not before I was reminded that daddies never quit being daddies.  He said he would take my suitcase upstairs and I replied that I could do it as I picked up the handle.  He gave me a look that I probably haven't seen since I was three years old and said, "Valerie Anne, do you read your own blog?"  Uh, oh, when the middle name comes out, he means business.  I dropped the handle and let him take the suitcase upstairs.

Today was a really nice day.  One of my brothers lives halfway across the country, and he and his wife had braved the airport on Monday with their two-year old and eight-month old, so we got to spend the day visiting and playing with the kids while we cooked.  We don't get to see the kids very often and they were a little shy at first, but they quickly remembered us, or at least decided we were okay.  The two-year old got a little rambunctious this morning and got sent to "time out", which we learned was not as effective as his parents probably hoped, because when Mom (his grandma) entered the room, he proudly exclaimed, "I'm in time out!"  Being the aunt often means stifling laughter (with varying degrees of success) at inappropriate times.  I am not a good influence.

I made three pies this afternoon and my foot behaved remarkably well, all things considering.  It was a little discolored after the pie-making episode, but quickly returned to normal after I sat for awhile, and it stayed in the 4-5 range all day.  I changed stimulator programs again today, but I actually turned the amplitude down a little since I was feeling better.  Sometimes the combination of pain and heavy vibrations gets a little overwhelming, so the lower I can keep it, the better.

We spent the evening with family, including our other brother, his wife, their two kids (one of whom was home from college), my aunt, and her friend.  We ate entirely too much for a pre-Thanksgiving meal.  Maybe it will keep me from overeating tomorrow. I doubt it, though.  Some of us are walking in a 5K in the morning, which makes me feel slightly less guilty, but only slightly.  I don't know if I will check in tomorrow, so I will wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving.  Enjoy your time with loved ones and remember all the things for which you are thankful.  

11/25/14. The post where lanes are closed.

11/25/14: my foot wasn't any better in the night, but it also wasn't any worse.  It was cold enough this morning that I didn't want to walk outside, so I rode my bike on the trainer instead.  I needed to make a trip to the grocery store at lunchtime, so I wore a comfortable pair of loafers and an uncomfortable pair of pants to work.  At least they kept me on my diet.  There's no way I could have overeaten in them.  Come to think of it, maybe I should have packed them for Thanksgiving.

Traffic was really light yesterday and I figured a lot of people were taking the day off work, so I was surprised when everything came to a sudden stop.  At least, I was surprised until I saw the "left lane closed" sign.  It looked like some kind of utility work. It's a good thing a lot of people had taken the day off, or traffic would have been even more snarled up than it was.  It's also one of those days I'm glad I bought a car with an automatic transmission this time.  I don't think I would have been up to that kind of clutch work today.

I was dreading my grocery store trip, so I left a little before lunchtime.  And I'm glad I did.  Because a lane was closed.  This time, a traffic light was out and an officer was directing traffic.  When I finally made it to the store, it was actually not that crowded.  Maybe because traffic was so bad no one could get there.

I finished up at work and came home to start packing.  My patient, long-suffering husband had a meeting at church tonight, so we knew we'd be getting a late start.  A late night drive was probably our only chance of staying out of holiday traffic, so we didn't mind.  (The three hour trip to my parents' house regularly turns into a five to six hour drive on Thanksgiving weekend, so you have to plan carefully.)  As soon as he got home, we loaded up the car and got on the freeway.  To find one of the lanes closed.  Of course.  Fortunately it didn't last long and things quickly started moving again.  

I was able to get an appointment for Monday morning to have my stimulator updated.  Until then, I'll keep rotating between existing programs and amplitudes and hope this flare-up disappears as quickly as it came.  I'm writing this on the road while my patient, long-suffering husband drives.  Here's hoping for no more closed lanes. 

11/24/14. The post where I face facts.

11/24/14: my foot pain didn't keep me awake last night, but I felt it every time I woke up.  It was still unhappy this morning when I got up, but as I got ready, it improved quite a bit.  I took my walk and it didn't feel too bad.  Although I was feeling pretty good by the time I left for work, I decided to go a little more conservative in my shoe selection today.  It was a beautiful day, nice enough to take my car out at lunchtime to be washed after its scary weekend journey and make the 10 minute drive back to work with the top down.  

I hadn't been in the office in nearly a week, so today was catch up day.  It was a relatively quiet day and I spent most of it at my desk.  As a result, it was mid-afternoon before things started to go south again with my foot.  But they did go south.  I continued to slog through the day, making it through handbell practice and doing a little cooking afterward.  But my foot was back to the familiar red splotchy color and I noticed a bruise in the "usual" place.  I changed the stimulator programs several times, but it didn't seem to make any difference.  

I will call tomorrow for an appointment to get some new stimulator programs, but I'm not convinced that is the issue, or the cure.  Something else is happening.  I guess this is officially a flare-up.  I'm back at a 6 again, but I wonder where I would be without the stimulator. The timing on this sure could have been better.  (Like, for instance...never.)  Tomorrow is my last day in the office before the holiday, and then we will pack up and head to my parents' house to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.  And guess what? I intend to enjoy it.  Flare-up or not.  

11/23/14. The post where I take a step back.

11/23/14: by bedtime last night, my foot was pretty riled up.  It was splotchy and swollen and the pain level had inched up to a 6.  http://youtu.be/lTSVOnhLtCs  I changed the program on the stimulator, turned up the amplitude, and went to bed.  The thunderstorms continued all evening and much of the night.

By morning, things were looking up.  My foot felt much better and the sun was back out.  I took my morning walk without any major issues and made it through a full morning at church, complete with choir and handbells, in a pair of my favorite suede pumps.  Must have been a fluke.

My patient, long-suffering husband had to travel for another gig today, but this time I stayed home because I was having a couple of friends over.  It was a makeup date from last week, which I had to cancel because of my stomach bug.  We made brunch and binge-watched a TV show we all like but rarely make time to see.  It was a fun, low-key afternoon and everyone was gone by dinner time.  I had plenty of time to do some chores and start some advance Thanksgiving meal prep.  

Or so I thought.  My foot objected.  Pretty strenuously, in fact.  Normally, I have a policy of not negotiating with terrorists, but it was all I could do to get the most pressing chores done before giving in to my foot's demands.  I tried to turn up the stimulator again, only to discover that I had already turned that program up to the maximum amplitude.  So I went back to the original program.  This time, I don't think I turned it up all the way.  At least, I hope not.  

This is really disheartening, but I hope it is only temporary.  I'm still willing to blame it on the storms, the likes of which I doubt we'll see again for some time around here.  It looks like the weather will be beautiful for the next week, so I'll know for sure in the next day or so.  I knew this wasn't going to be an easy journey, but things had been going so well I had convinced myself the story was coming to a conclusion.  Now, it appears there is a plot twist.  And this is one story where I can't just stay up all night reading to get to the end and find out what happened.  

11/22/14. The post where it rains.

11/22/14: when I last checked in, I was about to leave DC for home.  I made it home with no snafus.  Both flights were uneventful except for the three servicemen on the first flight with their canine units in tow.  The dogs were supposed to lie under their feet, which sounded terribly uncomfortable for both dog and handler.  Fortunately, the flight was not completely full and some passengers moved around so the dogs could sit in a seat next to their handlers.  One of the dogs was on the row in front of me and it was fascinating to watch.  He had a window seat and he spent most of the flight sitting in his seat looking out the window.  I have no idea whether he understood that he was in the air, but he seemed to enjoy the view and he did not even flinch during the landing.  The dogs were better behaved than most human airline passengers. 

I got home just in time for a haircut ("Sassy, with a side of sassy, please!") and a race to choir rehearsal.   After a long week, I took a day off work on Friday, because my patient, long-suffering husband had a concert in a city about an hour and a half away.  We decided to make a micro-vacation out of it, staying overnight in a fun tourist area, and one of my dearest friends accompanied me.  She and I wandered around the pedestrian area of town enjoying the sights until concert time.  The concert was held in a historic church.  The historian in me spent quite a bit of time ruminating over the fact that while the church existed during the lifetime of the European composers featured in the concert, it is highly unlikely that either the composers or the worshippers at the church knew of the others' existence.  Still, the music seemed perfectly suited to the setting.

After a beautiful concert, we had a late dinner and a nightcap, and then enjoyed a restful sleep, courtesy of a steady rain.  It was still raining this morning as we ate breakfast at the hotel and checked out.  We were in two vehicles, and the girls had planned a leisurely trip home with a few fun stops, but that was not to be.  Because the rain continued to increase, until it became a gully washer.  A frog strangler.  (Insert your own regional colloquialism for a heavy rainstorm here.)  It took both of us, and every bit of concentration we had, to get home without injuring ourselves or others.  And we made it.  We're a good team.  

After getting our two new cars home safely, neither I nor my patient, long-suffering husband were anxious to get out again, so we spent a quiet afternoon and evening at home.  Our biggest decision was what we could put together for dinner without a trip to the grocery store, which was more difficult than it sounds, because our pantry and refrigerator were nearly bare. We came up with a main course but it really needed bread and we were all out.  But guess what? We did have all the ingredients we needed to make bread, and we both know our way around a kitchen.  So we made our own.  

Oddly enough, after my foot made it just fine through a week of air travel, sub-freezing temperatures, and a long, rainy drive, the bread-making was one step too far.  After about 20 minutes of mixing and kneading, it was suddenly red for the first time in a long while, and started to really burn.  Was it the kitchen work, or a combination of everything that has happened over the last week?  I don't know.  It's confounding.  Time to turn up the stimulator.  I guess it's all part of the grand experiment.