Sue, I'm so sorry you are having to swim again. My family's all from Mississippi and they have been fighting that river all their lives. I'm just so sorry it has affected you all like it has.

The avatar is my Cami. She's not the youngest but she is my problem child.

While I was at Mayo, my best friend who was the dogsitter, took some photo's of my babies. I didn't know about them and they were a pleasant surprise in my email bucket this morning. I can imagine the shell shocked looks when the flashbulbs went off. (I didn't know about this) No wonder they were loathe to come out.

I'm having this procedure if the insurance comes thru.

Billye

We've decided it's time to downsize. Our house is so very large and I have a huge upstairs studio that I cannot even get to because of my broken bones. Beautiful place and built just for me and furnished just the way I wanted it. Can't use it. I have all my jewelry makings in plastic towers behind my chair in the breakfast room. They block almost half the bay windows. But I use them constantly. We looked at one place this morning. I hated it. So I've spent the rest of the day looking on line at real estate offerings in our area. What a shock. We're getting a professional appraisal next week so we know how much we have to work with.

I've decided we will look at the housing I think is usable. I need to keep in mind a wheelchair is in my future and probably pretty soon. If I don't find one, I think I will build. I can then draw in everything I need. I don't need much in the way of beauty. Only doors that are big enough and the access to tub and shower, etc. But I found an online site that has house plans for handicapped people. So this is my next project.

For some time, I've experienced terrible nerve pain in the sacrum and down one leg to the knee with it only occassionally extending down the calf. It's not my neuropathy. The sacrum pain is of course a break, the knee is another story. That knee hasn't been right since it was replaced. It has an adhesion that is now causing blood vessels to break on a regular basis. I saw a vascular surgeon who agrees with me. The ortho who did the work says it's fine. But armed with the letter from the vascular surgeon, I'm going back to the ortho and ask him to fix it. It hurts terribly. This morning, I put 1/2 a Lidoderm patch over the knee area and we split a full Lidoderm patch and put it over my sacrum and down each side. I think this is helping me a lot. Usually I am in tears this time of the night. Instead, I'm planning houses. We will see the ortho again after I have a copy of the vascular surgeon's letter in hand. I think a lot of the pain I've thought was neuropathy on the side is actually other things. It's easy to blame it all on neuropathy.

Billye

Billye,

I couldn't agree with you more. It is easy to blame the pain on Neuropathy. I just wanted to pop in and say I have had the facet injections and have had an RF. They work beautifully for me! Just had the lumbar facet injections done on the left 3 days ago and the pain relief is fantastic! Actually, L4/L5 ande S1. IF the pain comes back, I will have the RF. I also had an RF done in 2007 and it worked wonderfully...so...when the time comes to get another done I won't hesitate. I hope the procedure works as well for you as it has for me. Truly, by having these injections and then an RF, I have been able to keep the pain meds very low. Good luck if and when you have the injections and/or RF. I was amazed at how much relief I got whereas pain meds didn't really touch it except to take the edge off. Oops, forgot to mention that I have also had the coccyx (ganglion impar) blocked as well. That also helped a great deal.

Been kinda off-site this week - and first, hoping that you can get that insurance approval and that it will help your pain - read your link about the procedure and sounds really good if it will help Keep after your insurance company - you know what they say about the sqeaky wheel!

I'm saddened to hear about you thinking of moving though - I know you love your studio - would be very hard to give up... if the surgery worked would you be able to get to it? Is is very hard to find handicapped accesss! That is great if you do move if you can customize first - people dont realize how just one or two stairs can be impossible to navigate for some of us - and of course having wheelchair access around the home with lower counters, more accesssible shower, bath, etc. would great IF it comes to that....... I hope this works out for you......

AND, didnt even recognize you - you've had that avatar for years! But Cami is a doll!

Take care, sending lots of hugs....

maybe billye should put the old avatar in her signature.

how is the housing there billye? is there much for sale at good prices? its such a buyers market now. you might even be able to talk people down if you have to make renovations.

I am in the same position... We live on a HILL...a really
difficult thing to climb all the time!

Soon we will have to move too (this is a 4 generation family home and hubby is very resistant).

So I can understand your dilemma!

As far as the avatar goes... I also sort of rely on those.
What is really horrible is when people CHANGE their names.
Once a whole forum did that at BT and I couldn't follow anything there anymore. I know changing names is not possible here without moderator support. But still name changes can be awful. Some people have more than one name.. they have their username here then sign their posts with their REAL name, so then we have to memorize TWO names when people use the given name in answering posts.
That can throw me too. I guess I am getting old...sigh

what is rf?

im one of those name changers.....heyjoe

Billye:

Can you put in one of those private elevator thingees. That way you can get upstairs to your studio!!

Is this not a possibility or am I talking A LOT OF MONEY HERE??

Melody

Even tho I live in a 'ranch' house, there are steps and doorways that aren't quite compatable with our current and maybe [hope not?] future needs.

After spending a couple of months last year in a wheelchair, I really found that I detested going into the kitchen! Why? Because everything was pretty much at NOSE-height! Really, I was in no mood to see my counter that up-close and personal at such a time for sure.

I can understand about stairs as well, I've not been down to our washer/dryer in the year plus since that 'chair' incident. Honestly? I am more than chicken! [I've a dear husband tho!] There is a step into each entry door to the house and put a 'capper short handle' in-between the door and storm door so's I can hold onto it going in and out of the house. Even with hands full toting things? I now automatically grab that handle and I believe it's kept me from doing the OOOF COLLAPSE 'event' more than once! Worth a shot? Railings are another essential in the interim?

I understand about missing your studio....That is a key part of your life and being limited as you are now is a rough thing to deal with. I know, as I used to do cloisonne, and fabricate, forge and cast various metals. To do so now would be well? Insane! Rite now? Safe is stifling, but let your mind run with the ideas until you can put some of them into reality! Hugs and hope always to you dear person! - j 's

You are talking a lot of money, especially if we don't stay here. All the things KMEB mentioned are wrong with this hose. The only place I will be able to roll into and out of the house is our garage entrance. And our driveway is white rock. So I will be stuck in the house.

DAhlek,
What is a capper short handle? I've been thinking of just putting a handhold in the doorways except it hurts to step up even if I hold on to the doorway to pull myself in and out. The physical step hurts.

Billye