The new campfire thread...ooooh purrrrty!!!!!!

[Fenlason]

Rain over night.. Drizzle and 60.. this morning when I went out there to walk. The pain was so-so today.. it's been better, but it's been a lot worse. My problem today... was my stomach.. I held "it" off with ginger ale.. then coke and crackers.. then.. oops.. hurling.. which.. @#^#$@& hurts. I thought I would stop the meds to rest the stomach.. wondering how much pain the meds were masking..and it didn't take too many hours to say know to that.

It's been a rough one today... I am sort of in-between on everything at the moment.

Laurie has her ride tonight.. she is just home from work and was going to skip the ride.. but I am ok.. and I don't want her to miss her rides.

[toypusher]

Sorry you are having troubles. I just can't imagine throwing up in your current condition.

Should be a nice day here. Sunny and low 80s, but getting a bit more sticky.

[Fenlason]

This has been a bit of a roller coaster... and things can change pretty quickly. I don't like being on the meds.. being High and such. Yet at times I want even more drugs for the pain is still pretty bad. There are times I can get semi comfortable.. but others not. My mood around it is quite variable also.

I do have my appointment with my PCP tomorrow.. so I can get some feedback on the meds... and just get checked out. ... then my follow up with the surgeon next Tuesday.

I did sleep pretty well again last night. I am taking my meds right before bed. I alter my bed time, so that I get the longest possible stretch in bed on them. I think I get up once to pee.. and that so far has been a long enough time I can take more. I am at least far enough along I can sleep... between some healing.. and I have a memory foam neck pillow.. and I can lay on my side and be comfortable.

I have tried napping and haven't done much of that in a few days.

[toypusher]

Another bad night last night. And I was doing some cleaning and hit my head on the corner of a dresser. Now I have a 1 inch or so cut on my forehead.

Should be another sunny and nice day here today.

[Fenlason]

Another bad night last night. And I was doing some cleaning and hit my head on the corner of a dresser. Now I have a 1 inch or so cut on my forehead.

Should be another sunny and nice day here today.

Sorry about the bump on the head.

I did a bit more of a walk yesterday.. I went further into the woods.. into hillier stuff. It is more than they told me to do.. but I am not sure why. Perhaps the risk of falling? I did take a good nap yesterday.. a 3 hour nap.. which in someways sucks.. I was soooo very foggy waking up.. I had no idea when it was etc. but I was glad to get the rest... and I can't say that it negatively affected my sleep last night. It took a few minutes to fall back asleep.. when I got up to pee, but not horrible.

I did wake up in a bit of pain this morning... but I did take a LOT less pain meds yesterday. I hope for a walk shortly... I kind of want to go up and check out a trail.. but it's a little ways out.. and I am afraid that is too much of an increase.

[Fenlason]

My appointment went well.

He does not want me backing off on my meds as much as I have been. I was both worried about what I was taking for drugs.. and at the same time [at least earlier] wanting more.

He assured me I was on a pretty low dose. It's not like I can do anything yet.. so it's not a big deal to feel a little "high". He did give me a refill for my prescription, so I don't have to ration, or worry about running out. He did also give me a prescription for a muscle relaxant. He had given me one a little over a year ago.. when I had that bad bought of TMJ.. I tolerated that one well, and it worked well for me.

My BP was up and in general.. toughing out the pain, isn't good for me. He did think the incision looked good. He did say right now with all the changes my spinal cord has been through.. I could have all kinds of weird pains or sensations.. [anywhere in my body] He did also say that my numbness etc. might not get better. I was aware of that and am ok with that. The numbness in my left hand has been there, to varying degrees for years.. that peripheral nerve might be permanently damaged. The primary reason for the surgery was to take pressure of the spinal cord to prevent worsening problems.. and to hopefully prevent some serious damage from a fall.

The way it was.. it would be all too easy to be permanently crippled. I knew all that going in.

Angela came over to do something with Laurie.. ride.. or walk. Laurie was sore from her fall Tuesday.... and preferred a walk. I went out with them for the start.. getting in about a mile... They brought me back home and headed back out again.

[toypusher]

Sounds like good news overall for you! Glad to hear it.

We had a couple showers overnight, but should be a pretty nice day today. Should be a short work day also, but we will see.

[toypusher]

Nice day today, just a bit humid. Been working on trimming up some shrubs and a hedge row that is pretty overgrown.

Expecting Mark anytime now. We are going to the range and then he is going to help with some trimming and I am going to work on his computer for him.

[Fenlason]

I have been in a lot of pain for the last couple of days.. I went from pretty good.. to not so. It's not nearly as had as I first was, but bad enough and sort of discouraging. It could just be weird nerve stuff as my PCP mentioned. Perhaps I did too much while I was feeling better. I don't know.

So once again.. just reading.. or on the computer...

[toypusher]

Spent a good share of the weekend trimming up a hedge row and some other shrubs. Also, trimmed some big evergreen trees too. Have some posts that I am removing too. Still have to paint a screened shed out back and trim back the ground cover that is growing through the fence across the front of the property. Lots to do yet that I want to get done before winter.

Working today - doing hedge and bush trimming, some tree liming, and some mulching too. Should only be a 4 or 5 hour day though. Sun is supposed to come out for a while and then turn cloudy this afternoon and possible rain this evening.

[Fenlason]

We have a gorgeous day on tap for today. We did a fairly good walk yesterday.. while out there, we heard a neighbor cutting. This is on the opposite side that Lee is on. I had noticed some cut trees a couple of weeks ago. I assumed it was them cutting it, but sort of wanted to check.. Anyways..we walked that way. It is a more distant relative to Laurie. He himself doesn't live here.. but in another town. His brother and mother live more nearby. I had never met him... so that was good.


I was a little sore later last evening.. but I had again cut back on meds quite a bit.. so who knows?


Today.. more of the same...

[sakrebleu1]

I'm going with about 15-20 friends in the woods in a few days. We didn't even plan this, we just said "hey wouldn't it be cool if..." and everyone agreed. I'm really excited!

[Fenlason]

I'm going with about 15-20 friends in the woods in a few days. We didn't even plan this, we just said "hey wouldn't it be cool if..." and everyone agreed. I'm really excited!

Have fun!

[Fenlason]

Well we are back from my appointment... X-rays first.. then the appointment with the surgeon's office. {We met with a PA and someone new.. a trainee.. of some type}
We got better news than we expected. Once again.. I am way ahead of schedule. I can start cautiously moving... and regaining my strength and range of motion. I can start biking inside.... I can drive.

They took the stitches out.. but I still can't submerge it etc.. for another 2 weeks. I am still a month away from mountain biking.. and doing trail work... but even that is much sooner than what I was expecting.

[toypusher]

Sounds like great news there.

It is FOGGGGGGYYYYY! her this morning. So, will not be starting work for at least another couple hours and probably longer than that. Just have to work late. We are already almost a whole day behind this week due to rain Monday night and it being overcast and damp all day yesterday. We should have gone back out about 3 yesterday and work 2 or 3 hours. Hind sight is great!

On the bright side, I got some of our vinyl fence cleaned and it looks a lot better. Also, got some post pulled out of the ground that I have been meaning to get out since I moved here. May have to take out a couple small trees out along the fence in front - looks like they are dying.