It's Friday - Check In.........
 

Happy Weekend to all. Please check in!

I don't have much to talk about. We are going to Dirk's brother's and sister in laws for a get together for Dirk's, mine, his brothers, his sister in law and a friend of theirs, we all have Oct birthdays so we are celebrating all of them.

Supposed to be a nice pool day today, and this weekend, so will get some sun and chill out time.

Hugs to all, Nikko:grouphug:

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M FIRST TO REPLY. Usually I don't make it until Sunday ;). Today is the weather changeover day - rainy, etc. We've had temps in the high 80's, which is just too hot for the end of Sept! This week-end will be in the mid 70's and sunny, now that's more like it! :cool: This week-end is the Mercer County Italian American Festival, and I'm looking forward to going! We've gone each year, and each year it gets bigger and better! Ya' know, Italian music, delish sausage and peppers, zeppole, pizza, stuff to buy and lots of fun for all!!

I'd better enjoy myself, cause on Monday afternoon, I have my ESI at Rothman. I hope it does the trick. Apparently, what's been hurting me so much is called 'facet joint hypertrophy', and it's when the facet joints are enlarged, perhapes swollen, and it's pressing on the nerve on the left side, affecting whole butt, left hip, and leg. When will it ever end??

Enjoy the week-end, everyone! Di, enjoy your trip to MickyWorld! I was only there once when I was in college, and that was only for about 5 hours! We could never take our hyperactive kids there when they were little (or even when not-so-little, for that matter!) Now, I'm too achy and old to go walking around any park :(

Hugs for the room, J.

Sending hugs to all.

Not sure I'm doing anything this weekend.

Donna

So Jackie has a dental appt monday and I am dreading it, he's been upset by an allergy medication and so we've changed him from it to the old one he used to take hoping it's going to be strong enough to help him. His behaviro has really gone down the tubes this past couple weeks and we think its the new allergy medication. WIsh us well on the dental trip monday, we'll need it, he can't have anything to eat or drink until AFTER the appt. :( Just stinks. Try telling him that he can't eat or drink? Huh, so darn hard...

Hey Jacquie that Italian festival sounds yummy and fun. I used to go to one every year when I lived back East, loved it, music and all.

Donna, sometimes we all need a weekend to just do nothing and relax, especially when you aren't feeling well.

I suppose after my surgery and I am housebound for awhile I will go stir crazy and get cabin fever. At least the weather is still beautiful and warm and can sit outside with my dogs.

Oh well, this too will pass, but not soon enough for me, I just know it.:confused:

Just talking and venting and all that blah blah blah - duh on me. Nikko:rolleyes:

WE are invited to a small cook out at some friends of ours...
I attended an inservice today about alzheimers patients...it was informative...I have many symptoms by the way....I am serious!
hubby is going fishing on sunday and monday, fall break for him....not sure what I am going to do....my yard is calling me to weed...
Started a drawing class last tuesday....meets for a couple of hours for 8 weeks....need to get some supplies for the next class.
I hope that you guys are able to rest as much as you can over the weekend....
bizi

Hi all,

Tomorrow a girlfriend will be coming over to visit and Sunday is Doug's memorial.

befuddled2

Off to the Fair
 

Last day of the Bloomsburg Fair. My Katie had a Sunflower she entered and won a third place ribbon in, so back for good food and fun. At least this week the weather is a lot cooler.
Have a good weekend,
di
Upper left cornor with the white ribbon.
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/P9220419.jpg

Grandson on yard tractor
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n...1/P6100348.jpg

Sounds like fun!!!!
nice pictures.
Good to hear from you sweetie!
bizi:hug:

Yeah, nice pictures - thanks for sharing. Your grandson is adorable.

Sounds like fun.......and good food too....YUMMY

Enjoy!!!!


Hugs, Nikko:hug:

A local town had a harvest festival today. So Derrick and I went and
did that. Its been a long tiring time for me. Just have no energy it
seems. But its not fair to ask him not to do anything. But he and I
had a great time.

Donna

saw pdoc on Thursday
 

Hi,
I saw my pdoc on Thursday.
Usually I tell him that I am fine so that I can leave and come home. This time I asked him to lower one of my meds because I have brain fog and feel sluggish. He took my blood pressure -- fine, thank God -- and then wrote out a lab request for some blood tests on my thyroid. I told him that my thyroid is fine: I'm not eating right and not feeling good. He said it won't hurt to check the thyroid.

He remembered that the last time we lowered the mood stabilzer, it didn't work. I said that that was three years ago and I was on Wellbutrin at the time. I am not on an AD now so maybe the mood stabilzer can go a little lower. Next time I see him I want to lower my benzo. I am tired of feeling like a slug.

I wasn't even able to respond to his questions properly. He asked how I manage at work. I told him that I am faking it.

Today or tomorrow I will pick up the meds from the pharmacy and start on the lowered dose of the Verapamil (my mood stabilizer). I hope that I am ok with the lower dose and that it does it fact help my cognitive stuff.

Mari

Mari

What dose of verapamil are you going too. Out of curiosity.

I'm on that, and its something I just got lowered and I really wish
my neuro hadn't lowered it. So I'm wondering how much you were
on before it was lowered.

I'm going to be very curious to see how you do after you have been
lowered for a few days.

I know why I was lowered but have a feeling its why I got so much
worse and now can't seem to recover.

Donna

Hi,
I've been on 240 mg Verapamil since the early nineties. It was the only mood stabilizer available at that time that I could tolerate and that didn't cause cognitive dulling.

When I tried to go to a lower dose 3+ years ago, I started getting anxious.

I think that my new dose is 190 mgs but I have not picked it up yet.
These heart meds can have a powerful effect on mood.


BTW, are you taking extra Calcium? Calcium interferes with Verapamil. I forgot this a while back (duh) and decided by myself that I needed extra calcium tablets. It made the Verapamil less/not effective and I got anxiety again. The pdoc then told me to also stay away from stuff like certain orange juice and other stuff that has extra calcium added.

I stay away from all citrus because lemon juice interferes with Verapamil. I suspect that all citrus interferes -- we just don't have the exact studies yet.

I'll let you know how I do.

'Hope that this helps a little.

Mari


PS
My blood pressure is 120/80 -- I have no idea what it would be without the Verapamil.

Well mine got cut in half. So this definately is a interesting thing.

But mine isn't for mood. So that makes me really wonder, if it was helping my mood stability and its now effecting things. But I also have been drinking some orange juice because I am supposed to get as much sodium in my system a day as I can, and juices are one thing that has lots in it.

So its one of the things I can drink. So this is interesting.

Thanks for the interesting things that might help.

Donna