I'm glad that you're sleeping better, even though it's not perfect :hug:

I looked up the side effects of Xanax and "jitteriness" is one of them, but I guess it's rare. Maybe the Xanax is making you feel jumpy?

I hope that the aspirin helps with your pain, Bobby. Do you have a lot of it? You never complain about it... you are a trooper :hug::hug::hug:

last night i didn't sleep well. I kept on waking up. I finally got out of bed at 7.
I was painfully depressed.. I am still depressed but the pain went away a couple of hours ago. I bet it is the xanax because I didn't have the jitters before.
My legs hurt when I walk. The aspirin seems to help. My legs are weak. My left leg has arthritis around the knee also.

I am sorry you have arthritis.
I have it in my knees, hips and neck.
My neck is a mess right now. painful with range of motion stretches.
hope yours settles down.
bizi

I don't see how you can do all that you can do with your conditions. I can only walk two blocks and then I have to rest for five or ten minutes. when I get down on the floor to feed the cats I need to use my hands to place them on the floor to get myself up. I sometimes have to roll off the bed to get myself off of it and use my hands to get myself up. I don't know if physical therapy is helping.

Bobby,

Sorry to hear about those difficulties. Keep moving when you can.
Movement is helping you even when it might not feel like it.



M

thanks. even my balance is off. I have gotten worse since the stroke. sometimes I have to try three times to weigh myself and I can't stand in one place for long.

my balance is off too. I can hardly stand on one foot to put my pants on.
I am supposed to do balance exercises but don't do them.
bizi

what exercises are you supposed to do?

kind of like tia chi.
You should use your walker to do this, read thru the entire message/post before starting.


I go to my bed room closet with bifold doors open so I can hold on to the knobs to help me get into a balanced state. hold on to the knobs/ walker arms, and slowly lift one leg up off the floor and try to balance with out touching the knobs/walker arms., they are there to regain your balance if needed then just restart counting. Try to balance on one foot ( not holding) for 30 seconds.
I start off at 5 seconds. Do them early in the day when You have better concentration. Do both legs. start raising it slowly up a small amount then gradually raise your leg a little higher until you can raise it so that your thigh is parallel to the ground. This alone could take a long time to do.
These exercises take time and consistency...some days will be better than other days.
with practice and concentration you will improve your timing.
When you can work up to 30 seconds then try this closing your eyes. These are hard to do.

But you can safely do them using your walker as a balance. You can start by gently resting your hands on the walker while getting your balance.
I need to start using/doing them again.
I hope these directions are clear. Let me know.
This is something simple but very hard to do at first.
You really have to concentrate.
Try doing them morning and night.
When I was doing them it took me a month to get to 20 seconds. I stopped doing them and now I am back down to 5 seconds.
Bizi

thanks. I am a bit confused. at first do you hold onto the walker?

yes stand up straight holding onto your walker.
then stand on one leg with your foot off the floor an inch. let go of the walker. and see if you can stand on one foot.
After doing this a while raise your foot off the ground in front of you.
use your walker to help support you or get back to "center" balance.
eventually you will be able to raise your foot in front of you for longer periods of time...like a few seconds....like I said this will test your patience.
But if you do this on a regular basis you will improve your balance.
I would pick a solid surface in study shoes or barefoot. like in the kitchen.
bizi

thank you so much

I'm sorry that you have arthritis in your knees, and it's so painful :hug::hug::hug:

People have arthritis to varying degrees. It usually gets worse over time and with more wear and tear. I have arthritis in my knees (and other places) too, but I bet it's not as bad as yours.

Mari is right... the more you move, the better :hug::hug::hug:

How are you doing today, Bobby?

I know you have a Keurig. I forget what you usually buy, but I just bought a a 12pk of a new pod that's really good that you may want to try...
It's Medium roast from Green Mountain called Costa Rica Paraiso. I will definitely be buying it again.

I have been having the painful depression. It is still with me. I feel so lonely. I wonder if that is part if growing old besides being bipolar. Yesterday I had so much ice cream. Marci came yesterday and Abby put on on a real show. I buy this 96-count Variety Pack Revival Roaster (1 amazing blends) Gourmet Roasted Coffee for Keurig K cups with 1 Bonus Cups (Compatible with Keurig 2.): Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food because it is cheap and I drink so much coffee. I had to descale my coffee maker. Had to do it twice. what a pain.

I am sorry you are having painful depression.
((((HUGS))))
bizi
Yes I think as you get older and more isolated, it contributes to your depression.
bizi

Your stroke could also be contributing to your depression :hug::hug::hug:
I wish you were feeling better, Bobby. You need a break... a longer break (((HUGS)))

I HATE having to descale my Keurig! We have a 72oz (?) water tank on ours, so it's a total PITA!!! I will have to start doing it more often here because even the "clean" water is gross. We haven't had this one for very long, but I just had to change the filter because it was BROWN.

I buy Green Mountain K-cups, and was buying 100 count boxes for $44 or less at BJ's, but I let my membership lapse because it was due at the same time we had to pay for the AC fix.

The 13 Attributes of Mercy | My Jewish Learning
I was trying to find out if Jews believed that God was a kind God. I was comforted when I read these.
I think my difficulty in walking is bothering more than I realize. I can't go grocery shopping for instance and have to buy online. I don't see any progress from the physical therapy. My back still hurts from one of the exercises I stopped a few weeks ago. My endurance might have even gotten worse. today I am skipping xanax for the day time dose because it adds to my tiredness but won't tell the doctor. last night I took for the full dose but couldn't fall asleep til 2:30. I have been thinking so much about God. I am reading a delightful book.

How did you do without the Xanax?
I wouldn't stop taking the Xanax cold turkey for more than one day tho because you may have unpleasant withdrawals. :hug:

I'm glad that reading "The 13 Attributes of Mercy" was comforting to you. I thought it was very interesting.

Are you still in PT? I would discuss your concerns about your lack of progress with your therapist. There should be goals for your PT, and you should know what they are, so you have realistic expectations :hug::hug::hug:

I am glad you liked them. They just don't apply to Jews. My p.t. has been on vacation for almost two weeks. I have been doing the exercises. I will ask her what to expect. I will tell her I have no energy. I am just skippin the day time dose for a while.

I don't feel well.i missed my pdoc's appt this morning. I received a call about a half an hour ago from my pdoc's office. they call me two days before the appt. I was home but the phone didn't ring and donna said a message was left but it didn't show up. I don't know if I have to pay 75 dollars. rats. i made a mistake this morning about a drug. it turned out to be no big deal but i think it was related to my stroke.so frustrating. i also gained two and a half pounds. i have had the ac running non stop for at least five days and so worried about money.what a mess

I am sorry you missed you pdoc appointment.
I don't know what your dose is of xanax is but you could easily get some withdrawl symptoms if you mess with your dosing too much.
bizi

I hope the hot weather cools off so that you and the a/c can get a break.


M

I don't know what to do. It really helps me sleep and klonopin didn't. The other night I was scared when I thought it wasn't working but it finally kicked in. Last night it finally kicked in. I will take it today even though it makes me more tired during the daytime. I don't know what to do. I know how important sleep is and how deprived I was but I have no energy. I missed the appt because I relied on the phone call reminder than than checking the date. I will start checking the date from now on and put up with the tiredness. I probably had the ac on for two and a half weeks, My bill last month was 120 dollars and I didn't use it as much.

Bobby

We all miss appointment I'm sorry you missed yours. Just don't keep
beating yourself up on it. See if they can figure away to get you in.

Now for the xanax, maybe you need to take it at a different time of
the day. Or with different food. Or food period.

Not sure how you do it. I wish I knew more.

Donna :grouphug::hug:

I see him on the 23rd at 10:15. I wrote it down besides my computer :-)

Can you 1/2 or 1/4 the daytime dose of the Xanax? I know with some pills it's really hard to get to quarter it. Maybe Robert, Cecilia, or one of your other friends can do it. Most pharmacists will also do it for you if you ask...
If you want to discontinue the daytime dose, you should to go very slowly down to a very small dose before you stop.

I don't think your pdoc would be okay with you taking Klonopin with the Xanax.

I'm running my AC constantly, too. Our electric bill almost doubled last month, and at the beginning of this month, we had temperatures approaching the 100's. I'm not looking forward to getting our next bill.

He did half the daytime dose. I decided to keep taking it.If I don't have the ac on my apartment gets humid besides hot but the ac also I think might contribute to my tiredness. I don't know. It is also contributing to my appetite.
I try not to ask robert for any extra favors. He has helped me so much when I run into computer problems. right now Mickey, his super dog, has prostate cancer and is on chemo. I saw him last night and he looked better. Cecilia I only ask for help with the kitty cats. there really is no one else.
the bill is scary isn't it? it is is scarier without the ac. I try to use the fan when I can.

Bobby

Can you turn the air down or up which ever makes it a little hotter.

And even off for a little while like a couple hours and then back on.
This was something I used to do when it got to cold in my house.

Weird that it sounds this helped me.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

it gets humid too fast

Okay, makes sense. Then just have the air on. See if you keep
an fan and air both on I think its the same amount of electric isn't
it. I'm honestly not sure.

See we have both fans and air conditioners at my house because
I like it a little warmer it seems than Derrick or anyone else.

And my bedroom is also hotter, which is honestly because.
My air conditioner doesn't go in there. So I have a little air conditioner
on my head all year round.

Donna :grouphug::hug:

Is this because of menopause?
bizi

ac takes a lot more energy. i also don't have windows open or terrace door open because of the cats. Abby is too clever.

Bizi

I honestly don't know if its menopause or just the effects of having
had mastectomies. But it could also be from having the medications
from the breast cancer meds. Its honestly hard to say.

I have had fans on for a few years. Just I like the breeze in my
face also.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

I made an appt to see the eye doctor on thursday. the other night I was so worried I started catastrophizing that something was really wrong and that I was going to go blind. I was amazed that I called so quickly for an appt. rather then hiding and staying with my fears. I am such a fearful person.Then for a while I was wondering if God was punishing me.

I am glad that you made the appointment and that you were able to get in so soon.:)
Has any of them said anything about cataracts?
mine did last time, just normal age related he said.
I need to go get a check up too.
bizi

a year and a half ago he said they were tiny.

I have small cataracts too.

And I need to figure out how to get in to the eye doctor.

Um, that is not new.

But not in my schedule it seems. I had to much else that was
necessary. As soon as school starts calming down it will
be in my schedule.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

My apartment is the same way as yours. As soon as I turn off the AC the heat and humidity almost immediately comes back. I can only turn it off for a few minutes. I set it to "energy saver" where it shuts off at 75 degrees.

Like Donna, our AC never gets into our bedroom. And per our lease, we can't put one in there.

You should be able to apply for extra help with your electric bill. I don't know exactly how to do it tho. If you have a case manager you can ask, that would be best. If not, try going to the electric company's website.

I am sorry ladies who have a/c issues. We sleep with the air at 72 degrees. I like to snuggle under the covers and have hot flashes too.
Our a/c runs constantly, we set it to 76 during the day.
bizi