Back & Catching up
 

I'm back and catching up on all the posts. Seems as if there are a lot of new folk since I disappeared. We are almost moved. Just a few more carloads and then a few pieces to be donated to the local women's shelter. The housekeeper comes tomorrow and we will hopefully get it all done faster. The new place is starting to feel more homey. Still can't find everything I've put up tho. This will come with time.

The knee will have to have a second opinion. Seems the vascular surgeon didn't send the letter with the info in it that he told me he would. I asked for and received a name for a second opinion. The veins continue to break badly but according to the local guy, there's nothing wrong. Come on now!!...

I've done a lot of things during this move that have caused problems and all of it was done because of just being completely exhausted. I won't even bore you with all the details. Just stupid dumb stuff because of being over tired.

I see the neuro this Weds. My neuro symptoms have excellerated but I think it's because of the increase in inflammation. We will see. I can't seem to spell words correctly. That's probably because of being too tired also.

I'll try to catch up with all of you.

Billye

Welcome back!!!!:hug:

It's good the move is almost complete, then you can relax!!!

nice to see you are back!
 

Thanks for the progress report, Billye.

Say, this vein thing... are these spider type (small varicose)
veins, that are breaking?

If so I have some suggestions.

If it is mechanical-- the veins being pushed against the hardware, then my ideas won't work. But if it is internal, that is another thing.

PM me if you want or answer here. ;)

Not sure
 

we believe it is an adhesion. That the area is somehow not freely moving. We may be totally wrong. But my Rheumatologist and his PA agree with us. The ortho just did an xray and said "It's fine." But it's not fine.

Billye

Hey amiga--
 

--hope you can get a little more rest and relaxation now, at least.

Personally, I think that the setting up of your new household, and the discarding of the unneeded, can take place over a long period of time. (Say, two decades. :) )

Hang in there, and drop in when you are able. (I'll try to do the same, as soon as insane Fall test prep season slacks off a bit.)

Hi. I'm glad to see you back on the boards.

Hope you are getting along okay!!

Take care,
Melody

Many thoughts. I hope you are feeling better now. I am sorry again for all your struggles. How do you like your new place?

Thanks to all of you
 

Appreciate all the replies.

Daniella, what I've seen of the new place is good. We know most of the neighbors. It's a quiet neighborhood which we like since we are used to being in the country where it is quiet. I was dreading all the noise of the city but it seems to really be peaceful here. The only time there is a lot of activity is when the soccer teams are playing. There is a small city park right behind the house and a couple of houses over. I've not been here too much because moving, etc. has been non-stop. Now we are thru with the painting and I spent all morning shopping for the items it takes to "stage" a house to sell it.

Everyone cross your fingers that this happens fast. We now start the deep clean (having it done) and carpet replacement and then we will just wait and cross our fingers it sells fast. It's not a good time to be trying to sell a large expensive house. It's also hard in the country to have a house that is unlived in and keep it free from copper theft. It means a lot of running back and forth to keep it looking lived in.

Back to nerves....I saw the neuro yesterday and she thinks all the current symptoms are due to inflammation, exhaustion and changes in diet. So I'll try to clean up my act before my next visit. I'm to call her in one month if things aren't better.

Billye

Idiot ouchies
 

We had to dig a small drainage ditch from the patio to the paved alley in back of our house. Seems the french drains don't do the job when the rain comes in buckets (seemed more like washtubs). This is a problem we will have to address with a plumber. The patio was flooding and we were worried about the water getting into the house. When the rain stopped, we fine tuned it and I suddenly discovered I was standing in a small bed of Texas Fire Ants. No matter how hard or fast I brushed those things off, it wasn't fast enough. So I ran, well sort of, to the patio to get the water hose and wash them off. They really stung me badly.

I've got 18 bites on one foot and 12 on the other. A fire ant leaves a toxic necrosing bite. They look infected immediately. And the name is appropriate. They burn like fire and itch worse than my neuropathy ever thought of itching.. Nothing like fire ant bites on top of neuropathy to make a person really miserable. The foot with 18 bites is swollen, very swollen and my heart keeps fluttering. My eyes are really dry dry dry. Inflammation is up badly. We'll see what it looks like tomorrow. Doctor visit may be necessary. I've iced them the last two nights. It helps.

Stay out of the fire ant beds. They aren't fun.

Billye

you can make a paste
 

with baking soda and put it on. Some also use meat tenderizer to break up the venom.

I'd get to the doctor ASAP, esp since you are getting that heart reaction.

When I had the necrotizing spider bite ...the doctor gave me Atarax high dose and Prednisone, and a Zpak (in case it was a tick bite).
The steroid really helped.
Here is a site with recommendations:
http://www.muschealth.com/healthyaging/fireant.htm

If you have antihistamines like Benadryl...start ASAP.
Claritin/Allegra are LESS effective.

how are the ant stings?
 

Are you okay, Billye?

Sorry Mrs. D
 

I am o.k. I had a couple of bad days with the left foot and my breathing from it. But a little Benadryl topically and small doses of the children's liquid seemed to get me over the worse of it. I think the thing that saved me was icing the bites. The feet swelled but not like they could have. Every time they fired up, I'd wrap ice in paper towels and rub over the swollen part. There are still a few bad looking spots but I was taking anti-b's for a bad sinus infection so I think they will be o.k. I'm also putting neosporin on them now.

One of our neighbors mowed thru a mound today and fortunately I was in the yard. So we doused his bed with the drench the nursery suggested. I'm watching for them now and also watching my little dogs. I've also alerted my neighbors.

This development is on the edge of a city park where they play soccer. I see them mow before every soccer match. I plan to tell the parks manager to watch for the ant mounds. I'd sure hate to see kids getting into these things. They are bad business. Very painful bites.

Thanks for your concern.

Billye

Hi Billye:

I cannot imagine in my wildest dreams, being bit by Fire Ants. You are ONE BRAVE WOMAN, my dear.

I hope that after you took care of your bites and iced them, or put baking soda, or WHATEVER you did to give you relief, that you marched over to he ant mound, and SET FIRE TO IT.

Give those creatures a taste of their own medicine.

You did do SOMETHING to that ant mound, right?

Melody

Killed them dead
 

Melody,
We got a mixture called "Mound Drench". It was recommended to us by the people who sell us our plants and yard products. Setting fire to the mound would have ruined a really nice patch of carefully cultivated grass that we and our neighbors have managed to grow on either side of our alleyway.

Being from New York, I'm not sure you have seen houses that have garages in the back of the house and a shared alley way behind all of them. The folk on our side of the next street over also use the same alleyway. So the houses are back to back with an alley between them. All of our fences stop just short of the concrete drive thru the alleys. Each of us mows the grass behind our respective house. It's about a three ft wide strip. Anyway, the chemical is supposed to be good for the environment and not good for the fire ants. Fire ants are a part of life in this part of the country. But I plan to kill out any I find in my yard or the neighbors yards. They will too. It's just almost impossible to kill them out completely.

Thanks for being concerned.

Billye

Billye:

You said: "Being from New York, I'm not sure you have seen houses that have garages in the back of the house and a shared alley way behind all of them. The folk on our side of the next street over also use the same alleyway. So the houses are back to back with an alley between them."


YOU JUST DESCRIBED MY NEIGHBORHOOD. lol lol

But we have two houses attached to each other, separated by an alleyway (that is shared by the other house (that is attached to yet another house).

What it boils down to is this: "my landlord lives next door, he owns HIS house and My house. he bought MY house, just to own the driveway and the two garages behind the houses.

and god forbid someone parks in front of the street and blocks the driveway (sometimes delivery men, or people just stopping to read a map or something). He goes nuts and yells "why do they have to stop their car in front of MY DRIVEWAY".

I say "hey, calm down, you'll get a stroke". he calms down.

I am learning much from you guys on these boards. Fire ants, mounds, mulching, etc. I gather I won't live long enough to ever purchase my own home, but god help any fire ant mound that makes it's way to my section of the area.

They WILL NOT BE HAPPY FIRE ANTS!!!

lol . Take care

Mel

Still catching up
 

I'm finally back and will be catching up. We put the house on the market today. All of the preparation is done. Now the maintenance starts. I now have two houses to clean and take care of and two yards. I'm so tired of all of this. I haven't even unpacked here. But the sale of the old house is the important thing right now.

And now my oldest stepson has decided it's the time to come visit and stay two weeks. NOT!!!!! My husband asked him to please delay the visit for a few months. This boy has lots of problems and just wants everyone to do what he wants them to do. It's him first. I imagine you all know someone like that. But this time I just said no. I'm just too tired and I refuse to unpack and cater to him right now. And my puppies haven't had time to adjust to people. But they are better.

Back to the original subject, there are so many new people on this site. If you are one and I ask a retorical question, please excuse me. I may have read your original posts when I was so very braindead after the move. I'll get back up on the curve soon.

Billye

Hey. I was just thinking of you though I have been on and off the boards so am lost too. I am glad you used your voice with your step son. I really am concerned with how much you are doing and all this cleaning. Please be careful and I hope you can get some help or actually I hope you can get someone to do it for you. How is the new home? Are you in the new house completly now?

All in
 

Hi Daniella,
We are entirely moved in, just not completely unpacked. Still searching for things. And a lot of our things are being used at the old house for staging. So I'm really trying not to do the decorating thing here until I get everything in one house. I don't want to do it all again. I'm getting really brutal with what I keep and don't keep. It's amazing what you can collect over the years.

Thanks for the note.

Billye

Hi Billye!
I am one of the "newbies". I hope you are feeling better. Ugh, that had to be awful with the fire ants and your inflammation.. I hope you are taking it easy .. easier said than done huh with a house move.
Just take care
jess:)

Glad to see you back!!
 

And in spite of what you've said you "sound" very good! It's easy to overdue it sometimes. And then, too, sometimes you hit a situation where if you don't do it who will and that gets a person into trouble... Sigh.

Rest up and I hope you recover from the move quickly! :hug: