by Judy Handley | May 12, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 132: Book Club Day and More
Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny; High 53, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The thermometer this morning read the same as yesterday morning, so I put on my winter coat and hat to take the dog out for a walk. I immediately had to come back inside and change into a lighter weight jacket and get rid of the hat. The sunshine and the lack of high winds made it feel much warmer this morning despite what the thermometer said. But despite the lovely weather, I had to get back inside to get ready for my 11 am Book Club meeting on Zoom. After the meeting, I ran some errands. I drove over to Bruce and Jane Woodin’s to pick up something, drove through town to fill my car’s very empty gas tank, dropped a couple of early voting ballot requests in the mailbox of a Book Club member, and then headed home for a late lunch and a long afternoon walk with Shadow. A long walk right now for me just means one mile. Hopefully when I get my ‘back’ issue under control, those walks will increase in length. But for now, a mile is good once a day, with two half mile walks spaced out at different times during the day. The more I research, the more I think my issue is not my back, but something called Piriformis Syndrome. I had never heard of this, but in researching stretching exercises to do for sciatica, I learned that sciatica is usually caused by one of four things, Piriformis Syndrome being one of those. This is usually caused due to compression or contraction of the piriformis muscle on certain areas of the sciatic nerve caused by overuse or trauma. The overuse in my case was carrying heavy boxes during the move. I was constantly told by Heather and Jed to stop carrying the boxes, but I refused to listen. I really must become a better listener! But I didn’t, and here I am. As I understand it, the piriformis muscle runs down through the buttock on both sides of your body and the sciatic nerve runs along with it. When the muscle gets inflamed, it swells and puts pressure on the sciatic nerve and you get excruciating pain. The good thing is that if this is my problem, the right stretches or exercises can alleviate the pain. I was assuming I had a disc misalignment causing undue pressure on a nerve, but when the visits to the chiropractor weren’t working, the chiropractor suggested I look into other causes. Finding out about Pitiformis Syndrome is making so much sense to me. If that is the problem, it is why this back issue has been so different from others I have had. In talking with my primary care physician yesterday, I learned that there are hoops that I have to jump through for insurance purposes before I can get an MRI that would reveal the problem. My PCP asked me to decide where I would like to have physical therapy because that is one of the Medicare prerequisites. I made calls yesterday and left messages but didn’t hear back from the two places until today. The physical therapist that I used prior to my knee surgery was excellent, but if I choose him, I have to go the office and have one-on-one hour-long sessions. I know they would be helpful, but right now I am not comfortable doing that. I also called the Falmouth Hospital Outpatient Rehab center and they do online sessions. So, I am choosing that one for now. Tomorrow morning I go to the hospital to get the required x-ray and blood test. Thankfully there are zero COVID patients at the hospital right now. Then I wait ten days, talk to my PCP again, and hope the problem has either gone away or I can get an MRI to see what is going on. But I must say that I am impressed with how the medical community is adapting during COVID. Zoom meetings with a physician worked great and I’ll soon find out if physical therapy sessions on Zoom are effective. I am very thankful for Zoom, Skype, and any other online method you might use to keep in touch with family and friends, work from home, take classes, and take care of medical issues. A whole new world.
by Judy Handley | May 11, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 131: Still Wearing My Winter Coat
Date: Monday, May 11, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny, Rain in the Afternoon; High 54, Low 41 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I’m still wearing my winter coat and I’m still struggling with the sciatic pain in my back and hips, but I am hoping the weather will soon warm up a bit and that I will get this pain under control. I had a 4 pm Zoom meeting with my primary care physician and he reiterated what my chiropractor told me. Getting Medicare to pay for an MRI is not easy. It is going to mean first getting an x-ray and physical therapy. If those things don’t solve the problem, then I might get the referral. I certainly don’t want to go to get physical therapy, but evidently, after an initial meeting of some sort, the physical therapy can be done through Zoom. I will try these things and hope that at our next meeting in ten days, I can get the referral for the MRI. Then I can at least know what is causing the problem. In the meantime, the sciatica stretches and exercises and my walks with Shadow help, along with icing every couple of hours. I do hope this too shall pass as it truly is a pain in the . . .
Heather reported this morning that she is feeling a bit better, but then she pointed out that she is doing only what is absolutely necessary for survival. Today when I heard the President say that anyone that wants a coronavirus test can get one, I just rolled my eyes and shook my head. Not so. It could be that anyone that a doctor says needs one might be able to get one, but just having symptoms doesn’t do it here on the Cape. You have to have symptoms and be ‘old’ and have underlying conditions. So, Heather could not get one. Hopefully she can continue to curb her normal activity level for another week and will then be fine. That is my hope.
The sun was shining this morning and the extreme wind we had this weekend was under control, so I took Shadow outside and let him run around while I sat at one of my outdoor tables and threw tennis balls for him to fetch. I have never been able to get him to bring the ball back to me, so I usually throw one and then throw a second one. He drops the first one and goes after the second one. I walk to pick up the first one and then throw it. But my back did not feel like walking early this morning, so I tried giving him treats if he would bring the ball back to me. This worked about 80 per cent of the time. Yay! I got to sit and enjoy the sunshine and Shadow got a good work out. Win, win. Later in the morning, after more stretches and exercises, I was able to walk a half mile with him, and this afternoon we had our mile-long walk. The only other activities I attempted today were to get ready for my Book Club Zoom meeting tomorrow morning and to plant Matt’s Wild Cherry tomato seeds and some zucchini. It is a little late, but they will get a head start inside and will be planted outside in early June. I keep thinking I will get the basement reorganized, but I am very successful in finding ways to procrastinate. Maybe tomorrow.
After talking to Jo yesterday, I got a couple of photos from her showing the transformation of Finca Maravilla since Hurricane Maria. Both photos were taken from the front of their house looking up the drive-way. After Maria, the were no leaves on the trees and everything looked brown and stripped. The transformation of that one little section of their property is amazing. Jo has put in a hillside garden and nature has put leaves back on the trees. A friend from New Hampshire wrote this morning saying that she read an article this weekend written by a couple who just spent a month in Puerto Rico and were pressing for statehood in order for Puerto Rico to survive. That may or may not be the answer, but I am so pleased that Justin and Jo have been able to keep their little corner of paradise going strong. I know it is not always easy. Still there are times when they have no electricity or no water, but they persist. I am so proud of how they have improved their little farm.
by Judy Handley | May 10, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 130: Happy Mother’s Day
Date: Sunday, May 10, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny, Still Windy; High 51, Low 46 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
It was a different kind of Mother’s Day, but it was a good one. Jed’s mother, Marti, and I got an email from Heather early this morning thanking us for the various ways we show how deeply we care about her, Jed, and the Goldpebbles, as well as our commitments to our communities and our world. “In that spirit, I have made a donation in honor of each of you to the International Rescue Committee. They are a top-rated charity responding to COVID-19, by serving the health and education needs of moms and children in crisis around the world.” What a beautiful way to celebrate Mother’s Day. Thank you, Heather. And she also invited both of us to an 11 am Zoom concert where each of the boys would show off their musical talents for their very proud grandmothers. Just before that Zoom call, I got a text from Justin wanting to Skype, but we had to postpone that for a couple of hours.
The three-way Zoom concert was great. When we got online at 11 am, Marti started the call with her own little surprise piano concert. Then Jonah played his base guitar. When he first started playing the electric guitar, I challenged him by telling him I would pay him $500 when he could play Iron Man. Well, today, he played Iron Man on his bass. I might be in trouble because he is getting very close to meeting that goal. Ollie then played a set of Scottish tunes on his violin and ended with a couple of classical tunes. Sam played drums for us and then Jed gave Marti a tour of their new home. I stayed online for most of the tour, but then got off so I could talk to Justin and family. It was cold and windy here today, but so hot in Puerto Rico that they ended the call early to jump in the pool! But I had plenty of time to have great conversations with everyone. Jo got all the seeds I sent her planted yesterday. Hurray! And I learned that Ziggy and Coco are already out of school for the summer. In fact, they ended school a couple of weeks early at the first of May so parents wouldn’t have to pay tuition for a partial month since money is tight due to the coronavirus shutdown. They are still in shutdown mode, so Coco plays dollies with her girlfriends on Zoom. Ziggy has not found Zoom to be a satisfactory way to communicate with friends, but he has started playing MineCraft with one friend and is enjoying that. Like here, they are trying to figure out what the summer is going to look like. The big question is whether or not the kids are going to be able to play with friends at some point. I know Heather and Jed are wrestling with that issue as well. Like so much in our lives right now, we shall see.
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Justin took me on a bit a tour of their property by taking me down to see their horse Hopi and her baby Barnaby. Justin could not get Barnaby to come close enough for me to see, so he called on his little horse whisperer, Coco, and Barnaby came right way.
Friend Jane Woodin stopped by this afternoon to drop off a book and we sat outside wearing our winter coats and our masks and used proper social distancing to visit for a bit. Peter and Karen Baranowski were next door visiting with Karen’s aunties, so when they saw us, they come over to visit as well.
And then it was time for me to get dinner ready for the Goldstones. They spent their day working on renovations and my contribution was dinner. We once again had hamburgers and hot dogs (uncured, pasture-raised organic beef, but still hot dogs) on those 40-minute buns that have become a favorite. And then just sitting and visiting with family in person was the greatest Mother’s Day gift of all.
by Judy Handley | May 9, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 129: Windy and Cold, Even a Little Icy Snow
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2020
Weather: Partly Cloudy, Really Windy; High 49, Low 35 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The high temp today was 49 degrees, but with the 25 mph wind, it felt colder. For me it was a winter coat, winter hat, and gloves day for my walks with Shadow, even when the sun was shining. It is not as windy tonight, but the wind will return tomorrow. But hopefully we have seen the last of the icy snow. I had heard that areas north of here were going to get snow today, but I didn’t expect to see any here on the Cape. But on my morning walk with Shadow, he looked like he had a bad case of dandruff. Little icy balls were falling from the sky and accumulating on his black coat. He would shake it off, only for it to accumulate again. The snow only lasted about 15 minutes. Then the sun came out, but the wind didn’t go away. So, I kept on my winter gear and Shadow and I headed to Melissa Berryman’s for a people training session. This was a one-on-one pep talk to convince me that I have to come down harder on Shadow when he does something that is not acceptable. I do say no, but Melissa explains that I need to say it like I REALLY mean it and add a little bop on Shadow’s head when he jumps up on people. We’ll get there.
After the class with Melissa, Shadow and I went home to have lunch and then I left him at home while I went to Heather and Jed’s for the afternoon. Because of my back, I really can’t help much with the renovation work, but I offered to pitch in as the laundry lady. Most of the clothes were already washed and dried and just needed to be folded. Then I headed home for a 5 pm Zoom call with my dining-in group. During the afternoon, Olivia White had delivered a little bag containing some of her famous lemon cake to each of our homes, so our first order of business was to thank her for that. This was her Mother’s Day gift to each of us and she included a card that read, “God could not be everywhere, so He created Mothers.” Thank you, Olivia.
by Judy Handley | May 8, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 128: More of the Same
Date: Friday, May 8, 2020
Weather: Mostly Cloudy and Cool; High 55 degrees, Low 38 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
Today was more of the same. More walking and exercising to battle the sciatic back pain, more overcast and windy weather, and more success in doing nothing. I walk the dog, come back and ice my back while doing some computer work, then walk the dog again, and then do a little cooking and more stretching exercises. Then I start over. Today I spent a good deal of time preparing for my book club meeting on Tuesday. The book this month was suggested by me. It is Barbara Kingsolver’s Unsheltered. I read it when it was first released in 2018, so reviewing it today was quite interesting. I had remembered the science connections in the book, but I had totally forgotten that it also includes a lot of references to our current political situation. I’m looking forward to our discussion via Zoom on Tuesday. And speaking of Zoom, this evening I had a Zoom meeting with my wine group. It is a very eclectic group of great people and I always enjoy our Friday Zoom meetings. Tomorrow evening I meet again on Zoom with my close friends in our dining-in group. It will be the second time that we have met on Zoom and I am looking forward to the sharing of ideas.
Tomorrow morning I have an 11 am People Training class with Shadow and Melissa, the trainer. Then in the afternoon I am going Heather and Jed’s to see how I can be helpful. I think folding laundry is my easiest contribution. I can do while sitting down so that it doesn’t involve any lifting or bending over. It is not a huge contribution, but something is better than nothing.
For Mother’s Day, I think we are having a three way Zoom meeting with me, Jed’s mom Marti, and the Goldstones. Then I have invited the Goldstone’s here for dinner on Sunday. The weather tomorrow and Sunday is supposed to be overcast and extremely windy. So it sounds like a weekend of inside activity.
by Judy Handley | May 7, 2020 | 2020 Life Logs |
2020 Life Logs, Day 127: Practice Makes Perfect
Date: Thursday, May 7, 2020
Weather: Partly Sunny, Cool; High 56 degrees, Low 44 degrees F
Location: At Home in The Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
I’ve been practicing doing nothing this week, and I’m getting darn good at it. I guess practice really does make perfect! The reason for the ‘do nothing’ policy is the sciatic nerve pain in my hips, originating from a problem in my lower spine. It is not getting better and today the chiropractor insisted I call my primary care and try to get him to refer me for an MRI. My chiropractor wants to see what’s going on before he continues to try and adjust things. Usually my back issues are caused by misalignment, but that is not the case this time. My primary care is not seeing patients unless it is an emergency, but I do have a Zoom appointment with him on Monday. Hopefully, I can convince him to make the referral for the MRI so that it can be determined if the problem is a herniated disc or bone spurs or just general bone degeneration in my spine. Ugh. This getting old thing is just no fun.
Heather saw her doctor this morning, but she really doesn’t know much more. The doctor thinks her problems stem from stress/anxiety and exhaustion but did test for thyroid and anemia. But no coronavirus test. The doctor’s prescription is light exercise, meditation, and sleep. The problem is that the reason for the exhaustion is not going away. So, we’ll see how this works out.
Tonight, I had my now nightly phone conversation with my sister who lives in the Nashville area of Tennessee. The extreme weather events there are really wearing her down, but today was a calm weather day and she seemed a bit better. Living totally alone during these coronavirus lockdown days has been really hard for her, but I was happy to hear that she seemed better tonight. Then I talked with my friend Helaine Kanegsberg. Alan and Helaine live in a multi-leveled retirement community. They live in their own home on the campus and life is good for those in independent living conditions. Dinner can be ordered and delivered to their door and there are planned online activities all day and all evening. There have been a number of cases of coronavirus in the nursing home facilities on campus, but the staff has been able to control that and are being sought out by other assisted living and nursing facilities for advice on best practices. We agreed that we are blessed to live in a state where Republican Governor Charlie Baker is leading by setting policies based on science and facts. When I see what is happening in different states across this country, I am so glad I live in Massachusetts. At this point, Charlie Baker certainly has my vote of approval.
