I used it on my morgy when he had bone cancer. the first time I used a remedy he straightened out his leg. I use arnica. I fell flat on my face and knocked in my teeth. I couldn't close my mouth and it was bloody. I was in such pain.
I pushed them so I was able to close them. the next day I remembered arnica and the pain went away. my cat snowball had severe constipation and a homeopath recommended something for him and that helped. he had two prolapsed colons. Queen Elizabeth uses one.
Nocookies | The Australian

I'm so sorry about your fall! I fell and knocked my front teeth out on a toilet seat, so I know how much that hurts... I'm glad that the arnica worked for you, and for Morgy.

I'm weary about homeopathic medicine:
Homeopathy | NCCIH

In the past, I seriously considered experimenting with Chinese medicine for my MS, but I was on sooooo many meds back then (and still am), I decided it was too risky. The side effects and interactions of many herbs are unknown.


We were so worried about having to pay a lot for damages to the old apartment, but I got an email from the office at the old place saying they were going to return $57/$99 of our security deposit!!! :)
However, we haven't received a statement or check in the mail yet, and they have 30 days from the end of the lease to settle matters relating to the security deposit/damages, so we'll see what happens.

The cats aren't puking all the time anymore, Dottie isn't sneezing constantly, and I'm not blowing my nose every 5 minutes... I think the old apartment was toxic. More reasons to be happy with the move.

I have to drop my car off to get the brakes fixed. I'm not thrilled about spending the money, the hassle of dropping the car off and picking it up, or being without it, but the work has to get done... it should have been done a long time ago. We were just waiting until we put a little more money in the bank. Moving is expensive.

I've been very anxious and irritable. I'm sure the pain in my neck isn't helping. I should have already dropped my car off, but I'm still sitting on my *** procrastinating because I don't want to get in the shower or leave the apartment...

Last night my husband told me his boss is going in for the same surgery I had done on my neck in 2009, and it got me freaked me out about the possibility of another surgery for me somewhere down the line, and I don't even want to think about that.

Hi Kay,
Did you fall currently and bust your teeth or was that A while ago?
I hope you have a good day and get back your cleaning deposit entirely as you worked so hard to clean it.
Glad that you have a nice and clean new apartment to live in.
Have a nice shower this morning.
sorry about your brakes, we want you safe!
((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Oh, that fall was about 2 1/2 years ago.


I dropped my car off at the shop about 2 1/2 hours ago and haven't heard anything back yet. The cab ride home was $20 because I live in the sticks now… OUCH.

Shortly after I got home, my cellphone suddenly shut off and wouldn't turn back on again even though I had plenty of battery life. I had a problem with it turning off on its own recently, but I could turn it back on. I went to the Genius Bar for a "fix," which helped up until now. It's charging, and I hope I'll be able to turn it on later, but I doubt it… I think it's DEAD. And it's not like I can go anywhere or do anything about it without a car.

The problem is how I'm going to get in contact with my husband if I have questions about the car repairs? He can sometimes get texts, but usually has a hard time getting calls at work. I've already tried calling him from our landline and he didn't answer. If I can't get in touch with him, he's just going to have to live with whatever decisions I make…

I hope your car is ok and that your phone is ok.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

I didn't need Corey to help me make any decisions about the car. To be honest, I rarely do. I make most decisions like that. We needed front brakes and rotors. I had them do an oil change, and we got new cases for our key FOBs because they were worn out and not working. It wasn't cheap, but I spent a lot less money than I would have had I taken the car to the dealership as I originally planned. I'm glad to have my car back, and I'm glad the work is done.

After about 6 hours of being plugged in, a low battery icon appeared on my phone (it was around 80% when it shut off on me) and it began charging. It took another 2 hours to get up to 100% battery life, but since then it's been fine. When I went to the Genius Bar last time they said it wasn't a battery issue, it was a software issue, which I don't think is covered by the insurance. Right now it seems fine. I guess I will just wait to see what happens. I don't feel like dealing with it. Going to the Apple Store or the AT&T store are not high of the list of things I'd like to do today.

I was extremely irritable yesterday afternoon. It was a crap day, but still... wow.

I am glad that you were able to get your brakes fixed!
How has your mood been?
You are a bit quiet for the past few days.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

I've been dealing with a sinus infection that's getting worse vs. better, so yesterday I broke down and asked the triage nurse to have my PCP call in antibiotics for me (I usually don't have to go in for stuff like that). Augmentin has been waiting for me at the pharmacy, but I felt too shitty to go pick it up yesterday.

Between not getting enough sleep, the pain in my neck, and the sinus infection, it's hard to tell if I'm having a mood disturbance or I'm just being moody because I'm just not feeling good. The sinus infection is a bad one, so maybe I'll be in better spirits after a few days of rest and antibiotics...

But for some reason I haven't been taking my meds, including the 1mg of Klonopin, early enough in the morning and my anxiety has been pretty bad. Even after I take it, it's bad. But that doesn't necessarily mean I'm having a mood disturbance. Pain, and worrying about my neck in general, could be driving it up.

Anyway, I don't know. At least mood-wise I'm feeling a little better this morning.

I'm going to have my nails done today. Red this time, I think.
Two days ago the handle broke off my cat **** scooper. I've been putting my hand in a baggie to hang on to it while scooping out the boxes since then lol. I NEED to buy a new one today.
I was going to go grocery shopping, but it's supposed to pour out, so that will have to wait until tomorrow. It's probably for the best because I think doing it today would be too much for me, but I'll still have to pick up a couple of things. I think Target is my best bet. I can get everything I need there.

No wonder you don't know how your mood is.

I am glad that you have an antibiotic waiting for you. Maybe you can pick that up today.

Red polish is so pretty!
My 101 year old client always wears red on her toenails and fingernails.
It is so unforgiving taking it off though!
It stains my fingers and cuticles...I really hate getting it off. It usually takes 2-3 cotton balls to remove it when normally one will do.
any way,
Enjoy red or what ever color you choose.
Thinking today of you, hope you feel better.
Do hot showers help your neck at all? or a heating pad?
How is the water pressure there?
I took a shower yesterday and almost ran out of hot water, hate that!
I would love to have endless hot water but that would really steam up my bathroom which is already starting to effect the paint.
Have a good day, rest when you are able.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

I hope you have a quiet weekend.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

I did go with the red polish again: OPI's "I'm not really a waitress." I love it. Not my first time. They do a clear gel base coat, so the polish never stains no matter what shade you choose. My toenails are still pink, but who cares? I don't need a pedicure every two weeks. The girls were REALLY busy yesterday, so I was there FOREVER. For some reason being there tires me out.

We get great water pressure here, and plenty of hot water. I get a hot shower every day now, so I feel like a freaking princess!!! We have two different massage settings on our shower head. They feel pretty good while they're massaging my neck, but there's no lasting effect.

I'm getting brief respites now where my neck feels "better" until it doesn't again. But it is an improvement, and I'll take what I can get. Aside from the unavoidable laundry, I'm trying to be very careful. I haven't touched the mess in the spare bedroom, and that's been hard for me.

I have to go grocery shopping today... YUCK.

I am jealous of your hot water!!!!
have a good and careful day.
bizi

I have nothing to do in the coming week with the exception of doing laundry on Tuesday, if I stick to the schedule I've been on, and grocery shopping sometime later in the week. It will be nice to stay at home and rest.

I've noticed I've been hunched over. I don't know if that's been helping or hurting my neck. I think I will make an effort to sit up straighter to find out.

I've been sneaking Advil occasionally, so I'm retaining some fluid again. I know it's not a good thing, but between my neck and the sinus infection IDGAF right now. Tylenol just does not do anything.

Since waking up this morning, my neck has felt much better!!! :):):)
Trying to sit up straight did not help tho. It made the pain worse.

I know that I'm going to continue to have problems with my neck, so I'm going to ask my pdoc if I can stop taking the lithium so I can take Advil or stronger NSAIDs to treat my pain. I don't like the idea of changing my meds, and she won't like the idea either, so I don't know what she'll say. I don't have an appointment with her until Sept. 8th, but my appointment with the ortho is the 30th. I'm thinking of calling her, but she may want to see me first.

We have continued to sweat at night even though the nights have been cool now. I think that part of the problem is we're not benefiting from the breeze from the open window because our mattress and box spring are still on the floor. Corey has poo-pooed the idea of buying a fan up until last night, when he woke me up because he was too hot to sleep (yes, he wakes me up if he can't sleep). So now I have to FIND one, a good one, which will be hard this late in the summer. I'm not going to run around tho. I'll have to search online for one available locally...

I wanted to stay home today. But we'll both benefit from the fan in the bedroom. I just wish he had consented to me buying one sooner.

vornados are good

Good luck on your search for an fan.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

Good luck finding a fan this late in the game.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Kay,

If they do not have fans exactly in stock in the local store they can have it in the store within
a few days I believe.

Good luck online shopping.

It takes a little while to get everything you need even when you
have an absolutely perfect apt. :grouphug:


M

I'm getting brief periods where my neck isn't too bad, but the pain always comes back. All I can take is Tylenol, which doesn't do ****. At least I haven't had a MAJOR flare up since the beginning of the month.

I've put up with a lot of pain and a lot of unpleasant MS symptoms because I don't want to be on too many meds or deal with side effects. My mental health has been my main concern. The pain is so bad now that I'm considering going off lithium, but that scares me. It's a small dose because it's being used as an adjunct med, but I assume it's still serving a purpose. I think I will wait to see the ortho before I talk to my pdoc about going off of it. Maybe there is a treatment aside from an NSAID that will help.

Corey wanted a "regular fan... something quiet." I got lucky and found Honeywell "Quiet Set" stand fans ($40) online available at a local Target, so I bought one for in store pick up. I had to go find a MUCH less-damaged box myself tho.
It IS super-quiet and I think it does a good job of cooling the room. I slept with the covers on last night for the first time in a long time. I don't know yet how well Corey slept last night... I really hope he's happy (enough) with it... all I know is I bought exactly what he asked for, and IMHO it was a definite improvement.

I tried to withdraw cash from the Capital One ATM while I was at Target, and it didn't dispense my cash. I tried calling the customer service number on the ATM, and they told me I had to take the issue up with MY bank. I checked my checking account online when I got home and got settled, and it showed a debit and a credit for the ATM transaction... weird, especially so soon, but at least I don't have to deal with filing a claim :)

It's going to be over 90 degrees out today, so no laundry. In fact, I'm not going anywhere. I may do some light cleaning, but that's it.

I hate banking issues.
grr.
((((HUGS))))
bizi

If you think you are stable enough then maybe you could get off the lithium so you could take the pain medication. If you had better control of your pain, maybe that would help to improve your mood?
I think that is a sound judgement call that you are proposing.
Have you asked your pdoc yet?
((((HUGS))))
bizi

Yesterday I was intent on clearing a wider path in the spare bedroom so I could vacuum, so I ended up lifting things I had no business lifting, and I did more than I should have done in general. Corey was pretty mad at me.

So my neck is REALLY all ****ed up again, but I have no right complaining because I knew what I was doing was likely to aggravate it.

So, no laundry today, and IDK maybe not this week, unless Corey will help me this weekend (lol). I've been forbidden from doing anything, except going to buy cigarettes if I'm up to it.

Water is leaking from a pipe under our sink and spilling out from under the dishwasher (I haven't run it in a couple of days). This is the third time this has happened since we moved in. The maintenance staff here responds to calls right away, which is great, but I'm losing my sense of humor about the whole thing. Since they've been unable to permanently fix the problem themselves, they're sending the plumber who installed the sink over this afternoon. Hopefully he'll be able to get it right this time.

I should buy more paper towels just in case. I went through almost a whole roll trying to clean the spills up last night.

I'm stable right now... ON THE LITHIUM tho. When you discontinue a med, a lot can change.

I haven't talked to my pdoc. I want to hear what the ortho has to say first.

I would prefer not to screw around with my psych meds if I don't have to...
If he is insistent that I take an NSAID, I will take the script, then speak to my pdoc about going off the lithium, then taper off of it before taking the NSAID.

My mood is fine now. I am experiencing agitation, but I think it's related to anxiety and pain tho.

Kay

I personally hope they find something that will help. That wouldn't
make you have to go off your meds.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

I agree...maybe they can come up with an alternative to you stopping your lithium.
(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

I forgot to mention that Corey said the fan I bought was "perfect," and he had a great night's sleep the first night we had it, but said he couldn't sleep last night because the room was too hot (I slept with the quilt on again).

Some good news: I've been using Flonase, and have been on antibiotics since Friday, and I think my sinus infection is pretty much gone :)

Usually when my neck really flares up, the symptoms are only REALLY INTENSE for about 24 hours, but I'm still really suffering this morning. Usually the pain is mostly on the left side, but it's switched to the right side this time.

There's no way in hell I'll be able to do laundry tomorrow. I checked and Corey has plenty clean underwear. I'll ask him if he will help me do it this weekend, but I don't have high hopes of that, so I'm shooting for Monday. There will be a lot of laundry by then, but I will try to resist the temptation of taking it all.

I don't know if I mentioned that my father and brother saw the ortho I have an appointment with...
I thought they both disliked him, but I talked to my dad yesterday, and he said he liked the doctor, but not his PA. I guess she gave him a lot of **** for showing up for appointments and injections drunk, the type of thing that doesn't go over well with him. He said the doctor doesn't like to give out pain meds, but his experience may have had something to do with the fact that he is a severe alcoholic. IDK.
My father's pretty hard on doctors, so I'm much more optimistic about my upcoming appointment now :)

Oh I am glad that you are optimistic about your appointment coming up.
Tell me again when is it, soon right?
I hope you have a nice day.
Am so sorry that your neck is awful...hoping you have some relief soon.
Ask/tell corey that you need help this weekend with the laundry.
You do so much for him, he should help you when you really need help. IMO.
(((((HUGS))))
bizi

Please for give me if I can't remember what you have shared with us.
My memory sucks.
I know this frustrates you.....
bizi

Hi, Kay.

Happy to hear that you have the perfect fan.
This link might help re positioning of the fan
24 Tricks to Survive Hot Summer Nights (Without AC) | Greatist


We used to put ice /cold water on our pulse points before going to bed/ throughout the night.

Putting pillows in the fridge or freezer might help.
=-=-
It would make sense that your father's PA gives him a hard time re drinking if
he is over the top during the actual appointment.
I hope the upcoming appt goes well.

Happy to hear that your sinuses are better. :hug::hug::hug:
I hope that your neck is o.k. :hug::hug::hug:

Good Luck with laundry.


M

Thank you for the tips Mari :)

I don't think my father would have been much of a problem patient at his regular ortho appointments, even though I'm certain he was drunk at all of them. He's usually well behaved in those kind of situations, but I remember being surprised that the doctor was willing to give him his injections when he showed up drunk because of the increased risk of bleeding.

Summary:
I had one failed X-Ray guided injection in my neck for a different disc herniation (at C5-6) in 2009 before having surgery.
I haven't had any treatment of any kind for my current neck issues (herniations and spinal stenosis) at C4-5 and C6-7, and haven't taken anything for pain other than Tylenol and Advil.

My appointment with the ortho is on Wednesday the 30th.


I'm going to do some very light food shopping today... I still need to make a list, but I know I really don't need much, and I can always go again later in the week. I need to get away from the Saturday shopping schedule I've been on anyway.

I don't know if I'm even going to ask Corey to help me with the laundry this weekend because I don't want to deal with the laundromat on a weekend because it will be ****ing crazy. I hate crowds, especially since being run down at the supermarket. He's also very unpleasant and rushes me when doing this kind of thing... It may be well worth it to just wait until Monday and do it myself. I'll see how I feel tonight after I do the food shopping, but I doubt I'll ask him.

(((((HUGS)))))
bizi

The grocery shopping went okay, so I will wait until Monday to do the laundry. There is A LOT, but I won't be taking it all, even though that means it will be really backed up (which I HATE). Having the laundry room right down the hall is the only thing I miss about the old place.

I have two different Feliway diffusers. There is one to prevent scratching and urine marking in the spare bedroom, and the other one for calming cats in multiple cat households is plugged in between the kitchen and living room.
They ran dry before the refills arrived (Amazon let me down- second order in a row), and I noticed that Rocky hasn't been as over-the-top affectionate, and Buddy and Dottie are spending a lot more time in the living room now. So obviously, whatever's in the multi-cat Feliway was effecting the cats differently. Having Rocky super-affectionate was nice, but plugging another one of those multi-cat things in would not be fair to the other two cats. They have settled in, so now it's time to just let them be.
I've been using the spray every day tho, and haven't seen or heard them scratching the furniture in a while, and they are using the scratching post a lot more :)

thank God for using scratching posts that work

It sounds like the cats are settling in.
Do they enjoy catnip at all?
Jeff gives it to ours occasionally. they like it.
although it does leave a little mess cause they roll around in it etc.
have a good weekend.
love you
bizi

The Feliway ==interesting stuff and you see that it works.


M

Only about half of cats react to catnip, but all of ours LOVE it! It makes a mess on carpet... I don't even want to think about the mess it would leave on the laminate floors, but I know Corey will be throwing some down at some point soon. KONG makes a really potent blend.

We have two cat condos with pretty tall scratching posts that I had to repair. They like the job I did on the smaller one, but they're not happy with the work I did on the taller one because I had to use a lot of glue. When they scratch, they tend to avoid that section. I would like to buy a new tall free-standing one.

All I can say is the Feliway stuff takes time (at least for the scratching problems), but the stuff works. At least it has worked for us. But even buying it on Amazon or eBay, it can be expensive.
It turns out I had anti-scratching/anti-urine marking solution (not the multi-cat) plugged into the diffuser in the socket between the living room and kitchen. A couple hours after I put the refill in, Rocky started to become a lot more affectionate again, but it didn't effect the other cats in the same way this time. So I don't know if there was something off about the solution I used the first time, but the cats have been much more active and have been raising hell even tho I put the new one in!!!
Since Dottie hasn't been peeing inappropriately at all anymore, I guess I will replace the one in the spare bedroom with another multi-cat one in case the problems were territorial in nature? IDK.

They are my babies, and I get a lot of joy out of having them around :)

Yes they are family to us.
(((((HUGS))))
bizi

I guess today is laundry day. UGH. I think I'm dreading it more this time because I haven't had to do it in almost 2 weeks.
Last night I packed up most, but not all of it, and Corey put it in my trunk this morning. Last week I used the laundromat up the street. It was deserted, and the machines were fast, but it's a total ****hole and I got no internet or cell signal. I'll probably go back to using the one by my old apartment even though it's not as convenient. It's not as sketchy, and at least I can play games and read the news on my phone while I wait. Hopefully I can get off my *** early and get it over with.

It's been in the mid to low 70s for the last few days, and has been in the low 50s overnight, but I've still been outside between 5-6:30am smoking my butts and drinking my coffee on the deck lol. What am I going to do when fall comes? Or winter for that matter? I wonder if I'll end up cutting back, switching to the e-cigarette, or quitting... or maybe I'll be out there smoking butts in a snowsuit?

it would be great if you could cut down and the cigarettes would be more precious

This morning my cigarette cravings are terrible because my anxiety is high. I was smoking over 2 packs a day before we moved, and I've cut that down to less than 1. It's a significant change in the month we've been here, and I hope I can build on that.

Having OCD+laminate flooring+cats is hard. I sweep every day, or at least every other day because the cat hair and/or cat litter gets everywhere. I started out by "just" sweeping the floors yesterday morning, but I got on a roll and cleaned more than I should have, especially since I was going out to do laundry later.

The "good" laundromat was packed, and at least half the dryers were broken. I had to wait for a couple of crappy floor-level dryers that took forever to dry my clothes. I was there for almost 3 hours, but I should have been out of there in about 2. There's a third laundromat I can try next week if I'm feeling adventurous... NOT on a Monday tho.

I was so tired driving home, it was kind of scary. I have to be much more careful now because there are so many twists and turns on the roads around here. I need to reassess my readiness to drive criteria, stop just putting 1mg of Klonopin in my am pills, and go back to taking it in halves. As a rule, I may not even take more than a half if I'm going to drive now vs. 1mg in the past. IDK.

I don't have anywhere I need to GO today, and after yesterday, there really isn't much to DO around here. I'm banged up and should just take this opportunity to lay on the couch... those fugly sand-bag-like pillows are surprisingly comfortable and good at propping up my neck. I hope I can sit still.

I see the ortho tomorrow morning.