Home at last

Homer at last!

Paul and I made it home yesterday evening. It took us a week and a half but we made it.

We visited Chris in San Clemente, Sara from Huntington Beach, Candy in Elk Grove, Kimberly, Julie, Kelsey and Dad in Paradise, Bobby from Brookings and Kristi in Portland. I saw all 7 of my children between Nov. 24th and Dec 9th, That's no small accomplishment, they live in Oregon, Colorado and California.

We cleaned out the motorhome and put in storage in Chehalis WA. It's only one flight home from Seattle and one flight back.

Paul is doing very well with his weight loss. He's down about 30 pounds. He has a VERY quick recovery from his surgery too. We're both very happy to be home.

Fantastic News

Paul had his lap band 2 weeks ago today. The doctor said it was a difficult surgery and Paul would be very bruised. Well, he had almost no bruising at all. He has 5 very small incisions on his abdomen and tape over them. He came home the following day and only took 2 doses of pain meds. Wow, he did great.

These last 2 weeks he had to be on a liquid diet. There goes Thanksgiving dinner!!! Instead, we drove to Cedar City Utah to visit my son and his family. We were away from tempting foods and had a wonderful visit with the 3 grand kids too. Courtlyn had a loose tooth for 2 months that she wouldn't let her daddy or mom pull. BUT, she did let grandma pull it, Wow, I'm honored.

Her parents teased her about how much the tooth fairy would leave under her pillow for several minutes. I whispered in her ear that grandma would give her $5 for it and she answered in a heartbeat, "YES, that's more than the tooth fairy would pay". I told her I've pulled many teeth from my own children but that's the first grandchild tooth I ever pulled and it would be a good souvenir. We both won!

We went to the doctor yesterday for Paul's first follow-up appointment. He was very pleased with the nearly painless outcome and 15 pounds weight loss. He said we can go home and have another doctor do the lap band adjustments.

Wow, this is the shortest visit for doctors here in Las Vegas we've had so far.

We made flight arrangements for Dec. 13th. We will visit several children on our way to the airport and store our motor home again. See you soon.

3 Weeks and No Internet

Surprised to hear from me? I'm surprised to be here, lol.

I haven't had internet for the last 3 weeks because the download time on the air card for the computer was used up until this weekend. And the wifi at the RV park is off and on (mostly OFF).

So to get you up to speed, we are back in Las Vegas and ready for Paul's lap band procedure this coming Wednesday. We have been waiting for the approval from the insurance and then waiting for the next opening in the doctor's schedule.

Wednesday morning at 6:30am Paul goes to Desert Springs Hospital and will spend the night. The procedure is only an hour but with heart and diabetes, they probably want to watch him and be sure he's fine. He should come home Thursday.

The doctor told Paul that he only needs to spend 3 weeks or so after the surgery before he can go back to Alaska. WOW, this will be the shortest visit here, EVER!!!

2 Wild and Busy Weeks

Well, we've just spent 2 very busy weeks.

Last week we had several doctors appointments, sometimes 3 in a day. So far, all has been well and the doctors are satisfied.

Then, this week we drove to Hurricane and St. George Utah to visit family. Unfortunately Jerry left town for the day and forgot to tell us. So, we visited with Deb. Then we stopped in St. George to see Nancy Lisonbee and pick up some Real Salt for my daughters. It was nice to see Nancy and her husband and son. We had lunch at Cafe Rio with them and visited a little bit.

Then the big adventure begins. We drove to Paradise to the baptism of a granddaughter, Hailey McKenna Noel Wilson (Kelsey's only girl). While there I had the chance to spend a day with my very good friend, Sandi Talbot on Thursday and that evening, Julie and Kelsey came to visit.

Kelsey had throat surgery on Tuesday and in not allowed to utter ANY sound so, she's signing constantly. The only problem is that I didn't take the class so I have a hard time understanding her. She is very patient and writes almost everything to me. The funniest thing is, that if Julie doesn't like what Kelsey is signing, she puts her index fingers over her eyes and sings "La-La-La-La-La-La-La-La". It caught Kelsey off guard and almost made her laugh (a no-no) and she started coughing.

Then on Friday, my best friend drove down from Anderson to spend the day with me and to see Kelsey and Kimberly. Kelsey had a new remodel of her house (adding 2 bedrooms and Kimberly has a new baby boy just 7 weeks old (that I had not met yet). We also got lucky and attended a church dinner with my dad that evening.

Saturday, I ran to the bank to sign some papers and off to the soccer games of Michael and Hailey. By 10:30am I had free time so I went to Cheryl Peterson's house and helped her and Dad load the dump truck to go to the dump. I got to spend a little time talking with my dad on the way to and from the dump. He's so busy helping others that he had almost no time to visit with me. But that's okay since I had so little time to spend in Paradise.

Sunday we attended church where I renewed acquaintance with many friends and saw Tom and Medi Fowler. Tom rented my little cabin many years ago and moved away shortly after their daughter was born. Now his daughter moved back to Paradise and became best friends with my daughter (neither knowing of the history of their parents). When their two daughters were old enough to be baptised, they wanted to do it together (they are also best friends). What a surprise when the pieces of the puzzle came together and we had a great time visiting.

The baptism was great and I've never seen so many in attendance for 2 little 8 year olds. The chapel was almost full, so many people that we couldn't fit in the Relief Society room, where we usually sit.

Monday, we got up and I went to make a deposit at Wells Fargo and found out that I had about 12 fraudulent charges on my account. That took about an hour to remedy and I still met Kelsey and Kimberly for a donut before driving out of town.

Next, we stopped for a short visit with Candy and dropped off her Real Salt. She looks healthy and happy. She's been working in convalescent hospitals and has just recently been hired by Hospice for 40% more an hour, WOW, what a blessing.

We drove to Tehatchapi too sleep where it was much cooler (oh, did I forget to mention that our air conditioners broke while in Las Vegas at 94 degrees). This trip was very timely. The repair man has ordered the capacitors and should repair them the day after we arrive.

See, I told you it was a wild 2 weeks.

L A S V E G A S , Again

Well, we made the 12 hour day to fly 3 flights from Homer to Las Vegas on Tuesday. Exhausted, but safe and sound, Paul's sister, Arla, picked us up at the airport. She kept us at her house then the next morning drove us (1 hour) up the mountain to pick up the motor home.

We thought we were so smart to turn off the batteries to save them but they were DEAD anyway. It probably took us an extra hour to charge them enough to start the engine. We drove back into town and set it up in the Thousand Trails and rushed off to the first doctor's visit of the trip.

Paul's diabetes doctor gave him some good pointers and sent him off to get lab work done. Today we have one doctors appointment and tomorrow we have 2 doctors to see.

I love my (motor)home away from Home(r)!!! It's comfortable and familiar. All the comforts of home except no friends or family (until we go to see them).

On the 18th we are planning to go to Hurricane and visit Deb & Jerry (Paul's brother) and my niece in St. George but it will be a one day round trip. More on that later.

Then, on the 19th, we are going to drive to Paradise, CA. We will visit my dad and 4 daughters. While there, Kelsey's daughter, Hailey is going to be baptised. It will be so good to see some of the kids but unfortunately not all.

Okay, now that you know what we did and where we are, don't be strangers. Come by and visit, ol.

Silly Request

I got a phone call from friends the other day. They were concerned because I had not posted if a few months. I said "The name of the blog is 'Spilsbury Travels', you see since we're not traveling, I don't post".

Well, I guess I could post something once in awhile, if I remember, lol. It seems that 'Life' gets in the way and keeps me much to busy.

Paul and I have been home over 3 months now and keeping busy. We have had 3 wonderful visits from friends this summer. First, Marianne and Albi von Dach came for a visit from Arizona. The first thing they asked is "Do you still have Tucson?" (Really, the cat gets first billing?) It was so nice to visit with them.

Then we had a visit from Maureen and Richard Haralabatos from New York, we met them in Florida. They also remembered Tucson but were kind enough to say "hello" to Paul and I first. (Tucson is always so memorable, she gets right in their face to sniff them.)

Then we had friends from Oregon come in to town. Norm and Jerri Pawson came from Aloha OR. They too remembered Tucson but for a different reason, Norm is allergic to cats. So sorry Norm.

Paul and I felt very honored that friends would take the time to visit with us. We have made some wonderful RV friends over the last 9 years.

Well, besides all the cleaning and organizing of the house, that sums up our summer. We will be flying to Las Vegas again on October 11th. Paul and I have a few follow-up doctor's appointment before returning home. I'm planning of visiting Paradise CA to see my newest grandson and attend a granddaughter's baptism the end of October.

HOME(R) at Last

This is the news you've all been waiting for, lol. Oh yeah, this is the news I've been waiting for. We arrived safely in Homer yesterday at 4pm. Of course, there were no groceries in the house, we made a short stop at the market for staples and a couple frozen dinners.

It was a long day, up at 5 for a 5:25am shuttle to the airport. There were so many people we just made it thru TSA to make boarding. I have no idea what TSA thinks is wrong with me but it seems I always get wanded or x-rayed. Oh, and they almost always go thru my luggage (this time they went through 3 of our 5 bags).

We had a short (2 hour) layover in Seattle before our flight to Anchorage. There we only had 1 1/4 hours before our flight to Homer.

I'm so happy to be home and hold my cat, Tucson. She was happy to see us and had to sniff us over and over again before she was content to sit on my shoulder and purr. She quickly fell back into her old habits with us. She's a fun pet.

Going Home

Well, the latest neurologist did new lab tests to eliminate other possible causes and the results are negative. That's good news, sort of, it means I don't have some terrible diseases. On the other hand, it means the cause is still unknown, maybe inherited?

The final try is Cymbalta, for nerve pain and changes the way the brain deals with pain. It takes up to a month to see if it helps, so far I think it is making a difference in the burning pain. Since we've eliminated the scary possibilities, we're going home.

May 20th we fly out at 7am. I'm excited but it still feels unreal. Since Paul's diabetes doctor must see him every 6 months (the insurance prefers 3 months) we will be back October 11th for doctors appointments the 12th - 14th. It should be routine visits and a short trip, you've heard that before, huh?

Still Hanging Around

Paul and I are trying to be patient but we're so bored.

Paul had a treadmill stress test and the results were good. The doctor said the heart has improved since the bypass surgery. He also had a lung function study and that looks like minor problems with breathing. The doctor hasn't called with results yet so it must be minor.

Me, on the other hand, I'm still looking for a correct diagnosis on my foot burning and numbness. I've been sent to a second neurologist. I was very impressed with the intake exam and blood work ordered, he was very thorough. It will still be another 2 weeks before I get the results. The blood tests had to be frozen and take 2 weeks to complete.

I decided that I'm giving up and going home after I see the neurologist. Either he has a diagnosis and treatment or not, and I go home. This has gone much too long, even if I have to survive on pain pills!

Well, What Can I Say?

I know that there are some of you that are reading my blog to see what's happening. I hate to say, "I don't know what 's happening". I saw the pain specialist doctor today and there is so much unknown about the cause of the pain and numbness in my feet, we've gotten 'nowhere', it seems. She is concerned about adding any more steroids to my body right now so there will be no more injections. I have not found any relief in my feet from the injections and she feels that the neurostimulator will be just the answer. W E L L , Paul and I are not so sure. We are both afraid of the procedure and it's inherent dangers. I'm afraid of having someone touch my spinal cord in any way. They want to place a little strip of plastic with electrodes on it along side the spinal cord. SCARY!!!

There are other issues keeping us in Las Vegas right now too. Last week Paul had a treadmill stress test. The primary care doctor said yesterday that she got the copy of the test report and there is a problem I guess Paul heard her say he'd need an angiogram to decide the next step. He's not thrilled about finding a problem but willing to explore the issue and possible help.

We will be coming back to Homer in a few weeks (if nothing serious exists for Paul) and if something becomes available for my feet, we'll return to Las Vegas and try that out. I've gotten pretty discouraged because doctors have no answer. Oh well, I'm grateful to have medical insurance and a safe place to stay while here.

After the Funeral

We are finally back in Las Vegas. We had good roads and weather for the trip. The funeral was very nice. Carl Turner offered the eulogy for my brother. He did a fantastic job. He told stories from 29 years of being best friends. Craig (son) told his story of his dad. He told of the Plan of Salvation and that he knows he will see his father again when he also passes from mortality to immortality. After the graveside prayer, the family returned to the church where the members of the Paradise First Ward of the Chico California Stake of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-saints provided food. That was a good time to visit with all the family and get the much needed hugs and kisses. Denny had 7 children and 12 grandchildren. I have 7 children and 28 grandchildren. Ric had 4 boys and I don't know how many grandchildren (none of his grandchildren were there). Most of the grandchildren were at the funeral and food. What a wonderful time. All the little 2nd cousins pairing up and trouping around. I have a wonderful family and extended family. It's a sad event but it was still a sort of reunion. I have been blessed beyond what I deserve. No matter how things go from here, I can't complain, I have children, grandchildren and a father that love me!!!

Saddness Mixed with Reunion

Thursday afternoon (April 7th, 2011), my brother, Dennis Keith Tovey passed from this mortal life. He battled Acute Leukemia for 10 months. He is survived by his wife Becky and ex-wife Jeri, his father Keith Tovey, sister Karen Johnson Spilsbury, brother Richard Tovey, seven children: Christopher, Jennifer, Wendy, Craig, Nancy, Doug & Vicky and 12 grandchildren. No one should have to bury a son, kids are supposed to outlive the parents, that's from the Book of Karen. Denny was 61 years old, too young to die, in my opinion. He ran a successful auto mechanics business in Paradise for many years including servicing all the police and town vehicles. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-saints Paradise 1st Ward for about 30 years. His funeral is/was Monday, April 11, 2011 at 1pm at the Buschmann Chapel and he will be interred at the Paradise Cemetery. Yesterday we had a family gathering at a local park to share some love and hugs between cousins. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet outside of the funeral atmosphere. There were 4 generations enjoying food and happy hugs. It is a sad event that allows us a huge family reunion. But the chance to visit family, separated by great distance, is such a rare and wonderful time. Family traveled from: the greater Salt Lake City Utah area, Parker Colorado (Denver area), Orange County California, Hillsboro (Portland) Oregon, St. George Utah, Las Vegas Nevada and parts in between. I love my children and nieces and nephews, I'm so glad to see them and hug them.

On the Road Again (Houston to Las Vegas via Dallas)

We sure had a nice visit with Jyn and her family. We really enjoyed playing and talking with the grandkids. They are all very smart and conversant. The 3 year old is a kick in the pants, he played with his grandpa with his legos. He was insistant about sitting on his lap to build and take apart his structures. Sunday afternoon, Morgan played her viola which she does beautifully. She just turned 11 but you'd think she was much older to listen to her play, amazing. Emmerson was pretty artistic for 5 years old. She made several paper dolls with alot of detail like, jewelry, crowns, and high heels. And Kennedy also plays violin, is artsy and does a good job knitting. She also likes to paint and draw like her sister Morgan. Monday morning found us up at 7:15 am with the road grader ready to plow up the driveway where we were parked. We hussled like traumatized ants and got out of "Dodge" in about 15 minutes. We parked in the parking lot and made a breakfast protein drink and double checked the rig for travel. We got the car hooked up and we were off about 8 am. We made a few mistakes on the highways of downtown Houston but finally made it to Dallas by 12:30 pm to visit my Uncle Gordon and Aunt Arlene. I haven't seen them in 3 years and don't know if I will again. They treated us to a very nice lunch and showed us their apartment in a retirement residence. Wow, it was really nice, and all the staff are very attentive. We had a nice, but all too short, visit and headed down the road again. The traffic out of town was very light and peaceful so Paul just kept driving. We made it all the way to Amarillo Texas, 625 miles in one day. We found an ELKS Lodge there and spent the night for $10 with electricity and peace and quiet. Today is more of the same, if the road and traffic are good we will make good progress toward Las Vegas. We're hurrying to speed up doctors visits by a week, so I'll be free in case I need to go to California to my brother's funeral. (If you haven't seen it, his blog is http://www.dennytovey.blogspot.com/ )

In Houston

We made it to Houston today. We made a brief stop in Tucson to play cards with good friends, Barb and Craig Stephens. What fun. We also got to see the little place they bought and fixed up for long stays in Tucson. (They are travelers at heart and will still be on the road in their motorhome.) They have 2 married sons in Tucson so they'll be there often and that's where we'll probably catch up with them.

I've been watching the blog about my (15 months) younger brother, Denny. You might remember that the last time we thought we were going to Houston, my brother had a turn for the worse and Paul and I drove to San Francisco. That was January 31st. Well, things are not looking too good. If you know him or are interested in what's happening, here is the blog address: http://dennytovey.blogspot.com His oldest daughter, Jennifer, keeps the blog updated.

Paul and I will visit Lyn for the weekend and start the 1490 mile drive back to Las Vegas on Monday. (I don't have a doctors appointment till April 7th.)

The Verdict

I did see the doctor today. She thinks that I am sensitive to drugs and medications. She thinks that we should wait 3 weeks before the next injection. Fortunately the next 2 planned injections are low dose shots and shouldn't affect me so adversely. There has been some improvement so we're going to move forward with the next neck and low back injections. The insurance has been notified for approval on the neurostimulator trial, that takes about a month or two. Moving forward.

Friday we have a few doctors appointments and when we're finished we can leave for a few weeks. I think we'll go to Texas to see Lyn and her family. It's been a few years since I've been there (less for Paul).

The Jury's still out

I did have the injection in my neck at C5-6 three days ago. I'm not sure if there's any change. There might me less needle pain in my toes but numbness is still there. I'll see the doctor Tuesday and make a better evaluation then.

She is scheduled to inject my low back again BUT, I'm not sure that's a good idea. I have had a really hard time since the last one. I may not be handling the steroids all that well. I talked to the anesthesiologist because I thought what he was using was causing me so much sleeplessness. He said everything he used was quick and short acting. He did say that the steroid could keep me from sleeping.

I have felt so lousy since Thursday that I called the doctor and asked for a sleeping pill. (any of you that know me, know that's TOTALLY out of character for me) I did take one Ambien on Friday night and slept for almost 11 hours. But, I felt lousy all the next day. (I don't even feel like knitting). So I took 1/2 a Xanax before bed on Saturday night (I thought the Ambien was too strong for me). I slept 10 hours but still didn't feel any better in the morning. I went to church and came home to take a nap. I don't know what's wrong, I have no fever or any other symptoms. The only thing I can figure is, it's the steroids. Maybe I shouldn't have injections weekly? I see the doctor again Tuesday and we'll discuss this new situation and decide.

I'm a Little Down Today

I saw the pain doctor again, today. I'm getting discouraged again. I've had no relief from the last injection. I was so hopeful. She has one more trick up her sleeve. She's going to inject specifically at S1 right and left. (She is going to still inject the neck this Thursday, we'll see what the effect is there.)

She also suggested neurostimulation. That's where they surgically implant wires at the spine and hook you up to a battery operated stimulator. (It sends electrical impulses to the brain so the pain signals can't get through.) There is a trial stimulator first and if it's successful, they do the permanent implant under the skin.

Her last resort is to refer me to the spine surgeon.

You can see why I might be a little down today, right?

Woo-Hoo, progress

I'm getting hopeful again. I saw the pain management doctor yesterdays and made more progress. I'm now scheduled for a low back injection tomorrow. Follow-up on Tuesday. Injection in neck C5-6 bi-laterally Thursday. Follow-up for that on the next Tuesday!!!

Are you seeing a pattern here? Injections every Thursday (as long as they're helpful) and the follow-up for that the next Tuesday!

I don't need as much help in my neck as I do in the low back so it won't take long there. Unfortunately there is permanent nerve damage there, bummer.

Maybe that is daylight at the end of the tunnel, lol.

I sure have has a couple good days recently. Having some of the pain in my low back relieved has allowed me to walk around the RV park for 15 minutes without support. I've had more energy and accomplished more each day too. I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for his care and blessings, I AM RICH beyond my wildest dreams!!!

Hope in sight

I got an appointment with the pain management doctor tomorrow (Tuesday March 1st) to evaluate my neck MRI. I think that means that we can do an injection every Thursday, one week on my low back and the next on my neck. (It takes 2 weeks to jump through the hoops and have the next injection on each individual area)

I'll let you know if it's going to happen this way. That would surely shortcut the process. I keep praying that it happens fast (but in the Lord's time of course) so I can go home(r) and get back to my life.

First Injection, it's a start

Last Thursday I had my first injection in the low back. Today was the first visit with the doctor for follow-up and make the future plans.

The first one was helpful. I usually needed to lean over a grocery basket to walk thru the store. Friday I walked in to Walmart and out without hanging over the basket. Woo-hoo!!!

I didn't get any relief for my painful feet yet so the doctor decided to skip the second shot in the same place and opted for a different approach. She's going to insert a catheter and inject the medication on several levels down the low back. We're both thinking that should effect the feet.

It will take two weeks to meet the insurance guidelines for each successive injection BUT, I also need my neck fixed so we're going to try to alternate between low back and neck and then I can have an injection every Thursday. Time will tell if that works, it's great in theory.

There is still no light at the end of the tunnel yet so we don't know when we'll be home. When I finally do see the light, I may be fearful that it's the train and not the end of the tunnel.

Busy Week

Busy Busy!!!

Paul and I have been in San Francisco visiting Denny, Gilroy having dinner with Tim and Irene Day, Elk Grove celebrating Candy's birthday, Lake Mindon (just north of Sacramento) visiting with long time friends Sandi and Duane Talbot, and finally Paradise visiting my dad, Kimmie, Julie, and Kelsey and their families. All this between Tuesday and Saturday, see what I mean?

Oh, did I forget to mention that I spent 4 hours today with Kelsey and Kimmie's families watching the Super Bowl. AND, we rooted for Green Bay, HOORAY!!!

I'll do a little more visiting for a few days and then we'll meander back to Las Vegas for the next round of doctor's appointments. Tuesday is Paul's follow-up and Thursday is my first back injection. Pray for me.

Unexpected Change of Plans

Some of you know that I was planning to use my two weeks without doctors appointments to go to Houston Texas to visit Lyn and her family. Paul drove the little RAV4 down from Homer to leave it with the motor home so we could tow a car when we travel. All looked settled. We would leave Monday morning and start the 3000 mile round trip.

Sunday afternoon I got a call from my dad and Kimmie that my brother was in bad shape. He has been having chemotherapy for Acute Aggressive Leukemia since June/July. We all thought he was 'out of the woods' and having his last treatment when we got the news that the leukemia was back in full force. It looks like he's as bad off as he was in June when the told him he had 2 weeks to live.

Needless to say, I'm in California to visit my brother! Paul arrived from Alaska Sunday evening and we hit the road Monday at noon.

Paul and I parked the motor home in Morgan Hill (85 miles south of UCSF hospital) at the Thousand Trails campground. From there we drove the little car and visited Denny for 1 1/2 hours Tuesday afternoon.

His spirits are up and he's confident and patient. His energy was pretty good too. He was able to talk fairly clearly (for being on pain meds) and hold a thought beyond interruptions. I feel better now that I've seen him and talked to him. He's not out of the woods yet and he has some pretty serious junk to endure but it looks encouraging.

Since I still have a small break between doctors visits, we're going to visit friends and family for a couple days. I will go back and see Denny again before we leave Morgan Hill and tonight we're having dinner with Tim and Irene Day. We've been friends since 1969 or 1970.

Patience, hard to come by...

Well, I know you've been expecting to hear about my back injections BUT, it's been postponed for a month.

On January 8th. I woke up with my right foot/ankle stiff and hurting. I figured I had slept on it wrong and it would eventually get better. I drove off to the yarn shop to knit with the girls (and guys). By 4 pm I was in such pain I couldn't hardly bear any weight on the foot. I had one errand to run to the pharmacy for Paul's prescription so I made the great Herculean effort. When the pharmacist said it would be an additional 25 minutes, I bolted for home. I told Paul he MUST take me to an urgent care or emergency room.

I was admitted to Desert Springs Hospital over night with cellulitis in my right ankle. There was no break in the skin and no one seems to know how it got there. I took morphine and duladid (It turns out that I'm allergic to this pain med also) for pain and by noon Sunday I could walk on it again. They released me by 3pm with 10 days of oral antibiotics.

Interesting side note here: The hospital doctor said I had pneumonia, noted in my chest x-ray. I didn't have a chest x-ray, she was looking at the wrong patients paper work. Then she said she was releasing me with amoxicillan (which I'm allergic to) and I asked her "Have you read my chart?". To that she said "No" and left my room. I don't have much confidence in her.

My ankle seems to be fine and the pain and redness are completely gone. Unfortunately, when I saw the doctor for my back injections, she said NOT for a MONTH because of the antibiotics.

Boo-hoo, see what I mean about learning patience?

Another interesting development: I "yelled" at Paul about being bored and depressed. I told him to find something to do to keep busy and interested. The next day, when I got home from the market, he announced that he was flying back to Alaska. That wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I told him to find something to do, lol.

He got a call from the Camper repair people and they wanted the camper ASAP, the rest is history. He and Ben are driving down Wednesday through Sunday this week.

I did get a consultation with the hand doctor about the numbness and pain in my hands. He said the carpal tunnel wasn't bad enough for surgery but he could inject the arthritis in my right thumb and left wrist. It helped and maybe one more injection will complete the relief ( Feb. 28th).

Life is good even if 'she' is a tough teacher, lol.

Karen's Continuing Saga

I went to the pain specialist today. I had such great expectations and now I have great depression.

Yes, they think they can help with the pain in my back and feet with injections in the spine but they expect it to take 3 to 4 months of treatments. Apparently there are 5 or 6 vertebra that are deteriorated and are causing the pain. The insurance will only allow them to inject 2 spots and they want to do 10 to 13 (that is on both left and right side of each vertebra). They wait a couple weeks to a month before re-injecting the same area and they can do up to 3 injections per area...I think? In 2 weeks I'm scheduled for the first injection and a week later for the follow-up visit to determine the success.

I'm still waiting on the diagnosis of the neck and possible treatment for that. I guess it could end up the same as the low back, oh mercy me. I wish I had a crystal ball and could tell you when I'll be home.