2/22/16. The post where I talk about the new normal. And purses.

2/22/16: a little backstory about myself.  While my love of shoes is well known throughout the kingdom, that love does not extend to purses.  I see purses as a necessary evil - a way to drag my stuff from point A to point B. (And as you may recall from previous posts, I drag a lot of stuff from point A to point B.)  It pains me to spend money on them, so generally you will see me carrying whatever pleather or vinyl bag came as a free reward with my shoe purchase or was on the best sale at the local outlet mall.  

My Christmas gift from my parents-by-love changed all that. For the first time in my life, I am carrying a real, grownup purse.  One I actually fear might get stolen. Not for what is in it, but for the purse itself.  Fortunately for me, it is monogrammed, so only someone with my initials would steal it.  Why am I telling you this, you ask? Well, keep reading...it will make sense at some point.  I hope.

Now, back to my foot.  I feel like I have settled into my new normal over the last few months.  In terms of pain scale numbers, I'd say I spend about 85% of my time at a 2-3, 10% at a 4-6, and 5% at something greater than a 6.  If you had told me two years ago I would be feeling this great, I would not have believed you.  (Of course, if you had told me five years ago I would consider this "great", I also would not have believed you.)  The only real issue recently has been the alarming frequency with which HAL seems to turn itself off these days. After a few days in a row of mysterious shutdowns, I decided to do something about it.  

I contacted my assigned technician and she was stumped, so she referred me to the people who handle "tech support" for my device.  (Yes, I officially have "tech support" people.) The person on the phone listened to my story, did a little research while I was on hold, and then started troubleshooting.  Do I have a mechanical bed? Nope.  Have I bought any new appliances or electronics recently that might be interfering? Nope.  Have I been carrying around the magnet that was provided to turn off the device when the programmer isn't working or available?  Nope.  Have I started spending a lot of time in a new location that might have a magnetic security system?  Nope.  He was just about out of ideas, and we were starting to discuss the possibility that too much scar tissue had built up on the lead wires and was shorting out the device. (Sort of the equivalent of corroded battery cables, except that a surgical procedure would be required in this case. Not something that is covered by AAA.)  Then he thought of one more possibility. Do I have a purse with a magnetic closure? Nope...I mean, yes. My fancy new purse does in fact have a magnetic closure. A pretty heavy-duty one, now that I think about it. I got off the phone and did a little experiment. And yes, I can turn HAL on and off using the magnet on my purse.  Mystery solved.  In the interest of full disclosure, it happened a few times before I got the purse, but it has certainly been much more frequent since I started carrying it.

So I've learned a few lessons.  I need to be a lot more careful around magnets.  I need to always carry my new purse on my left side. And in the future, no purses with magnets.  Maybe those free pleather bags weren't so bad after all...

2/14/16. The post where I talk about smells.

2/14/16: wow, it's been awhile since I've posted.  It's not that I haven't had anything to say, it's that I haven't had any time to say it.  Work, family, and friends have kept me hopping recently, and for that, I am grateful.  Sometimes I think back to the advice my PT used to give me about "consistently moderate" activity.  I am a pro at the "consistent" part.  It's the "moderate" part I need to work on.  My right foot has largely behaved this winter, although HAL has been turning itself off with increasing regularity in the last month.  Magnets can turn the stimulator on and off, and with all the magnetic doors, security systems, and other devices out in public these days, it looks like I will have to monitor it more carefully. The nerve blocks I had last May for my left foot have lasted quite awhile. I am starting to notice an increase in the frequency of the nerve pain in my left foot, but the duration is still very short when it happens.  I have convinced myself I am two bad days away from scheduling another round.  Here's hoping that won't be any time in the near future.

Right now I am more concerned with allergies and upper respiratory infections. I'm working on the second infection in about two and a half months.  The weather has been beautiful recently, but where I live, "beautiful" usually translates to "allergen-filled."  And I can't help myself. I love to eat outdoors and drive around with the convertible top down in this weather, even though I know the consequences.    

It could be worse, though.  Until about six years ago, I spent every winter in a fog of sinus infections, bronchitis, and pleurisy.  Yes, people still get pleurisy.  At least, this person does.  Then I had surgery to repair a deviated septum and several other related nasal issues. Probably the result of too many foul-tips to the face from my days as a catcher.  From the moment the splints were removed from my nose (and trust me, you don't want any additional details about that), I have had a superhuman sense of smell.  Which, as it turns out, is not always a desirable superpower.

For instance, on my morning walks. I live on the edge of a neighborhood and a commercial district, so my morning walk is always an interesting mix of sights.  And smells.  On my last walk, I encountered the following smells:

- dryer sheets from a home on my route that was already doing laundry at 6am.  Not sure exactly what the scent was called, but probably something like "spring lavender mist with a hint of citrus".

- a clean-cut college student with a book bag waiting at the bus stop who smelled of...no, "reeked" of is the proper term...pot. Mary Jane. Weed. Maui Wowie. He wasn't smoking anything when I saw him, but based on the smell I'm guessing he had been smoking within five minutes of our encounter.  Have I mentioned that it was 6am? 

- fresh baked doughnuts from the grocery store down the street.  You'd think that would have been the highlight of the morning, but it was more a combination of doughnuts and the grease in which they were fried.  Enough to make me swear off doughnuts for awhile.  And last, but not least,

- gasoline, from the tanker that was refilling the pumps at the gas station on the corner.  Good thing the pot-smoking college kid wasn't nearby, or there might have been an explosion. 

On second thought, I may not have an upper respiratory infection at all. My nose may just be rebelling against the olfactory assault it endured on my last walk. I don't blame it at all. Frankly, I'm a little relieved not to smell anything for a few days.