Tuesday, March 21, 2017

TIME TO LET OUR CONGRESS PEOPLE AND OUR GOVERNEMENT KNOW OUR ISSUES WITH CUTTING FUNDING TO THE NIH, MEDICARE CUTS, AND THE RIDICULOUS EXPENSE WHAT THEY CALL INSURANCE WILL DO TO US!

https://votervoice.net/Shares/B_sgLAoYACnXMAZQzYQ7FAA

ABOVE IS FROM THE AMA! YOU CAN GIVE YOUR OPINION TO YOUR CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS. 

 

 

 

This one BELOW IS FROM THE ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION:


http://af.aristotleactioncenter.com/ActionAlert/TakeActionSinglePage.aspx?aam_GUID=342222da-d063-4162-89e4-02a2f8fa8998

And go to your REPRESENTATIVE AND CONGRESS PEOPLE'S WEBSITES! MOST OF THEM HAVE EITHER POLLS OR CONTACT THEM PERSONALLY WITH YOUR VIEWS! EMAIL, SNAIL MAIL, BLOG, TWEET, PLEASE JUST GET YOUR PERSONAL FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS CUTTING OF NIH AND OTHER VITAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DO TESTING AND RESEARCH FOR OUR SERIOUS ILLNESSES... 


AND TELL THEM HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THE "HELP WITH HEALTH CARE INSURANCE" THAT WILL GIVE MANY NO WAY TO EVEN THINK ABOUT PAYING FOR IT, OR CUT OUR MEDICARE BENEFITS... WE MUST TELL THEM... THIS IS A NATION OF THE PEOPLE! THEY ARE WORKING FOR US!

Rheumatologist appt today, hoping for Xeljanz, severe finger, thumbs, wrists pain, stiffness, swelling & needing relief - Also thinking that I have "shingles" and not something biting me

Today is the day! To the Rheumy I go. So far, my hand fingers, thumbs and wrists are hurting and swollen I hate when I go to a doctor and by the time I get there whatever is going on seems to be "better" that particular day! Since this has been going on now for a good while, they have been really bad on my right hand where i do well to type here, cannot open jars, cannot carry much of any weight with that hand and arm to the point it is really affecting my left arm and hand. My left elbow is now a mess I think. I know some of it is coming from my neck, but I knew the elbow has been bad for a long while. I've spoken about it before, after surgery on it in about 1998, now it is getting bad again, and I know it is due to me having to use my left hand, arm, wrist and shoulder much more than my right one. I could barely get my tea holder open this morning, because it hurts so badly to pull the lid off of it. I dread the drive up there though. His office means going on I-45 but then I have to make this horrid couple of miles that is a nightmare in order to get over to I-35 where the offices are for the SW Med Center. 

So, I always hate the traffic. My appt is early afternoon so that will help some, plus I will leave in plenty of time just in case there is issues with traffic, but still just the regular traffic that particular way is terrible any time of the day. Plus the drive home is almost as bad... same deal you HAVE TO be in the CORRECT LANE in order to make the cross back over to I-45 and that is about a 6 lane or more highway there, and goes all directions. Plus they have been doing a great deal of construction in that area so that even makes it worse. Then you have the idiots that don't get in their right lane until they have to cross over 4 lanes of traffic at the last minute and risk a chance of hitting someone with their stupidity. 

I know most of them are from that area and they think the "know" just how to move in the lanes, but usually even if they are driving like maniacs, it gets them no quicker there, than me, who is driving in the correct lanes with the flow of traffic. Speeding, is something I just don't do, BUT as many know in huge cities, with that much traffic sometimes driving the "speed limit" will get you ran over also. So, I've learned over the years in those places to try and drive with the flow of regular traffic, thus usually it makes it a bit easier to be in the lane you need to be and give yourself time to be there. I am a good driver as far as I am concerned, but it the other fools on the road that bother me... trying to look out for all of them, in so many lanes at once, and then trying to not hit someone when they cram on their brakes, or avoiding someone behind you hitting you because they are not watching to see brake lights coming on or they tail gate, which pisses me off to no end. Those that tailgate are just accidents waiting to happen. Anyway, I am hoping we try Zeljanx. 

That is my hope BUT since I am facing cervical neck surgery in probably a month, my fear is that they will not want to put me on the medication, until after the surgery, and a few weeks after it until I am kind of out of the woods for any type of infection. BUT, hopefully that won't happen, and I can get approved for it and get started quickly. I know they will have to send paperwork into my insurance company to get that medication approved. After all of the crap going on now with the government, my fear is many of us will wind up having to either NOT take our medications, because they will not cover them, or our co-pays will be higher, or we will have to try and get the drug companies to help with the costs, which many of them will do now just to be able to get the meds out there and hope the insurance will finally wise up, but I think it is worse when you are on any type of Medicare, especially a Medicare Advantage Plan. So, I am going over things and checking email etc. I will have to get out of here a couple of hours before I need to be there. by the time I get to the Valet parking, and then get in to check in, fill out paperwork since it has been so long since I was there and then all of the things to tell them. They are not aware of my hip fractures and my ankle/foot issues, or the complication with the hematoma on my hip and so forth. So, hopefully this visit WILL help and be one that is not worth going for as they do sometimes. 


I feel that maybe is my what I thought was some type of "bite" or sting, could be shingles. With them being on one side of my body, on my upper arm and on my torso, it sounds like and kind of appears to be those... I take the medication daily for my cold sores, which is the same family of virus that the shingles come from, so my thought it that my case might be "less" due to the medication... 

Monday, March 20, 2017

NIH CUTS IN SPENDING??? TAKING MONEY OUT OF RESEARCH FOR US WITH SO MANY ILLNESSES, My own priorities and doctors, Rheumy visit coning & Neck Surgeon, and updates for all

Been a very BUSY and beautiful weekend for me! I FINALLY got that OLD A/C OUT of the window and cleaned that mess up. In fact, I went out this morning to take the trash to the road and someone had already picked it up and taken it thank goodness! I mowed my front lawn, knocked down about 5 BIG old WASPS nests from last year! BUT, those darned things showed up this weekend! I've been waiting, and are already trying to build nests! I had one can of wasp spray but went and bought 2 MORE, which will probably NOT even be enough. The honey bees are also about to drive me nuts.... I am having to watch them, because they may try and rebuild the hive in that old bus. The guy that came and got them last year told me to watch out this time of the year. If I saw many, then let him know and he would bring a box so they would go in there rather than building in the bus again. It took him about almost a month all in all last year to remove all of the hive he could get out, get the QUEEN then all of the workers etc. He came back over like 3 weeks time, and kept getting more and more that he waited to come into the hive, and he got LOTS of bees. He said he felt like that may have been 50,000 or MORE when he finished up. It was scary but amazing! 

But, the damned thing "follow" me around. Yesterday I was working on my porch (I ALSO GOT OUT ALL OF MY HOUSEPLANTS ON THE FRONT PORCH) OMG, TWO OF THE HUGE ONES were difficult, but I have that dolly I can put them on and take them out on it... so I did that, weed eating more in the back lawn, sprayed for weeds again... put out more moth balls around the house and the storage building,did laundry, went to the market, I never made to washing the car, or getting to the cemetery yet... I HAVE THE FLOWERS, for Mom and Dad and my Grandparents all, but the weather was terrible at first, then the wind has been so bad, and that is fine for my parents... but my Grandparents are located where the wind is terrible so I have to actually tie down and anchor the flowers around the bottom of those "vases" on theirs so they will stay in... the flowers have been in the back of my car now for weeks... maybe I will get to that either today or sometimes this week. I have my doctors appt tomorrow FINALLY with my RHEUMATOLOGIST!! When they see how TERRIBLY MY THUMBS AND FINGERS, KNUCKLES ARE SWOLLEN ESPECIALLY ON MY RIGHT HAND I HOPE THEY DO SOMETHING. 

I am getting to where I lose more and more use of that hand daily. My grip is terrible. I barely can carry anything with that hand, and it stays so stiff, sore and swollen... if I get out and do anything, that involves my hands and fingers/wrists, they will swell and just almost not bend they are so stiff. BUT then next week I see my neck surgeon and my Cardiologist, and hopefully I can get the neck surgery done very SOON! The ONLY thing that SUCKS, IS that I MADE A RESERVATION TO GO TO WINSTAR on SUNDAY, NEXT SUNDAY, and my DAMNED APPT WHICH I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT WHEN I WAS MAKING IT IS ON MONDAY! So, I am not sure if I will change one or just "time" the drive back from Winstar to my doctors office, and drive back from there and see him. He is in Dallas, but I will have to really watch my time due to Dallas Traffic.

 It will be kind of mid-morning, my appt with him is at 1:15, so the drive usually takes around 2 hours from my home... so back to that Dallas area, would probably be about the time I would leave the Casino anyway. ALTHOUGH, NOW they are showing we MIGHT HAVE LOUSY WEATHER!!! OF course, always happens when I have something to do that means Dallas driving or if I make plans to run up to Winstar!!! GGGRRR... but that is TX weather this time of year. Anyway, I have got to look some stuff up and have 50 things, on my list... of course I maybe lucky to get 2 or 3 of them done today LOL... but hope all is well with everyone!!! BY THE WAY, DID EVERYONE HEAR ABOUT THE PRESIDENT WANTING TO CUT SPENDING WITH THE NIH???? THAT MEANS LESS MONEY TO HELP WITH RESEARCH TO CURE MAJOR LIFE THREATENING ILLNESSES! HE WILL build a damned wall, BUT does not CARE ABOUT OUR LIVES... WHAT A DAMNED JOKE! It makes me sick to even hear his name, what an ass... I SAID THAT IF HE WAS ELECTED WE WOULD BE IN A WAR IN LESS THAN 3 MONTHS, AND HE WOULD SCREW UP MEDICAL ISSUES FOR US... AND IT APPEARS MY PREDICTIONS COULD BE HEAD ON STRAIGHT!

Thursday, March 16, 2017

Thursday’s Addition of my Newspaper "Life Chronic Pain & Autoimmune Systemic Diseases & Dementia



For those of you who may not be aware of my daily Newspaper I have and put out everyday here is a link to today's latest addition for today's paper! LOTS of great information here on Chronic Pain, Lupus, RA, other Autoimmune Illnesses, Dementia, and more. There are usually pics, along with articles, and video's daily. 


Please stop by and see the daily additions. I usually update it at least once daily in the mornings, and sometimes twice daily if I feel there is more I should let you know. There is also a link that has that information on the side of my blog pages if you can't find it one day. I've been getting quote a good deal of positive feedback, even from Twitter, IN, FB on several of my pages, and more.... 

Come by, visit and give me your feedback!

Wednesday, March 15, 2017

Getting tired of yet another Acute Severe Pain from my Elbow to my hand for two nights - joints, nerves sick and tired of pain, surgery, and it taking over my life!



Well dammit it happened again this morning about 4AM!

 This searing, burning, tingling, pain from my elbow down into my hand and my hand seemed to be "swollen".... of course that is the elbow I had "tennis elbow" in in the late 90's about 1998 or so and had surgery. You can feel the screws etc where it was repaired. I know before it gave me problems about 8 years ago, and the diagnosis was it needed surgery again. BUT, so happened, it began to not hurt as badly, thus I avoided surgery. NOW, though I found out this has to be a "nerve" issue just as I thought. For some reason the nerve "ulnar" nerve that runs down into the elbow and then down into the wrist and hand has have a narrowing of that space it is in, or the nerve is impinged at the elbow... and it happening at night is the primary time this happens.

We usually bend our elbows at night, so that is when it entraps the nerve, causes the pain that is so severe, and the numbness and tingling... like my arm is asleep but rather than just "tingle" it burns like it is on fire and no amount of rubbing it, moving it etc helps. I got up, took everything I could take including my bolus this morning, and caught it before it was as bad as the morning before, and finally it eased enough I could sleep for a bit.

But, I know some of this has to do with the "old surgery" and that elbow beginning to wear and tear for one. due to my right shoulder, and arm after the complete reverse shoulder replacement on the right side, I use my left arm, and hand because up until now it was stronger, and I could do more with it... my right one I do well to hold a plate without me helping to hold it with my left hand etc.... so either that nerve entrapped is due to wear and tear of me having to almost overuse my left arm, or that elbow is definitely wearing down from the surgery before, and it could be a splint keeping it straight at night "might" help but as bad as it got and so quickly... dammit why could it not have happened on Sunday night?

Then I could have talked to my Orthopedic Surgeon who did my hip and actually he did the surgery on that elbow in the 1990's... so he would be familiar or have documentation about that issue. Now i don't know what to do. Do I just "wait and see" what happens? Or do I go ahead and be seen for it and what is happening? Now I was just going to be "set" to have the neck surgery, which will help with MUCH of my ongoing shoulder, arm and hand pain on both sides BUT it won't help that nerve in my elbow...

Plus I go to different doctors for the neck and shoulder replacement, than I did for the elbow issue years ago and then he repaired my hip. I thought yesterday, it was just a "fluke" thing because I've been doing so much with both arms, between yard stuff, and cleaning out that back room, putting that cabinet together, but I did use my cordless drill to screw those screws in etc... not a regular screwdriver that would definitely contribute to what is going on with this "new damned mess"... my joints SUCK, SUCK SUCK... and I am SO SICK AND TIRED OF surgeries, but I cannot live with the pain, the atrophy, the weakness, the loss of being able to type, to do MANY OF the things I love to do so much.... I am just at a loss now what to do.... and to top it off the past three days I CANNOT SEEM TO GET WARM! I know the weather is nuts and it is cold, especially with the wind, but dammit I just cannot seem to get warm, not unless I get on the sofa, sit on my butt in there with the heater going and watch TV! Well hell, I cannot waste my life away watching the television and sitting on my butt all the time.... this just sucks!



 Here is the UR: is to exactly what is going on:

http://handtoelbow.com/ulnar-nerve-compression/