Saturday, February 22, 2025, MN

I had my appointment with the neurosurgeon, Dr. Charles Watts on Monday and most of my symptoms have dissipated. Ben came to the appointment with  me and we both felt it was a thorough exam and we covered all of the details and he thought there might be a chance that the warm, tingly, prickly sensations could be due to a Vitamin B12 deficiency and ordered a blood test for that and also an EMG that looks at the condition of the nerves.  I had that test (a very uncomfortable) tesr that sends electrical signals into the affected body parts (my left arm & leg) with either a pad that was stuck to my skin or a needle that sent an electrical signal into my skin. My B12 levels are normal and also the nerve study proved to be normal.  The neurosurgeons comments after seeing these results were a possible neurological exam that would be repeated every six months to look for neurological issues.  My follow-up appointment is not until March 17.  Ben and I went to lunch at the Perk Up Cafe in my neighborhood after the appointment. 

It has been another frigid week with temps barely reaching 0° until today when our high was 37°.  That meant that Joey and I did not get any good walks in but resorted to quick in and out jaunts just long enough for him to go potty.  I am spending the weekend ar Ben and Jill’s house, so Lois and I met up at the Minnewashta Dog Park this afternoon and both Joey and Yoshi had a blast running and chasing and meeting lots of other dogs. It felt so good to be out in nature and have a nice companion to chat with.

Our food shelf this week was organized by me and Cindy and we did a great job of pulling it off.  It became our responsibility when our Service Coordinator, Maureen, was fired just after the last one.  Weird - she was fired and escorted out the door by the local police, came back on Monday to get her personal items and was escorted by police on that trip too.  I kind of get the feeling that she might have made some threats or became violent but I really don’t know.

My sweet little frail 97 year old friend, Beverly, called me last week to see if I was interested in buying her car.  I must have said something to her in the past. I am seriously considering buying it and selling mine.  It is a 2002 Toyota Camry XLE with 127,000 miles on it for $3,000 compared to my RAV4  that has 190,000 miles on it.  The Camry is the top of the line model with leather interior, heated seats, power windows and seats, sun roof, clean as can be, and there is hardy a blemish on the body. It has been stored outdoors in her friend George’s driveway for the last 6 winters and has been driven, but not a lot.   I took it to my mechanic, it turns out that he has also been her mechanic, and had it checked out, it will be needing a starter, but everything else checked out (other than possible future shocks and struts and exhaust - just general wear and tear.  I will be meeting with George on Tuesday to see if we can come up with acceptable terms for both of us.

Monday, February 17, 2025, MN

 I have felt better each day since Friday, finally waking up without feeling intense sinus pressure this morning and actually slept in 3-4 hour shifts last night instead of waking up hourly.  Woo Hoo!  

I do feel some anxiety about my appointment with the neurosurgeon this morning, but am determined to face it, fix it, recover, and get on with my life.  Ben is going to the appointment with me and then we are going for breakfast.

Saturday’s temps were reasonable enough that Joey and I were able to get a couple of decent walks in. That will not be happening for the next 4 days as temps are expected to linger in the 0° range.  I might be tossing the ball down the hallway for him to chase.

Yesterday was Ben’s 48th birthday and the girls had a time trial swim meet early in the day but I stayed home and watched it all on You Tube.  Jill planned a fun birthday celebration for him and we all met at the bowling alley and played 2 rounds and then ween to Woodfire Grill for dinner.  I did not bowl, as I do not want to put a strain on my spine and do any additional damage.  

Charlotte announced that she has made it to the Junior Swim Team and will be competing at a higher level now.  She came in first  in the 500 yard freestyle today, winning by an entire pool length and she told us that she really likes the distance swimming.  I sat next to her at dinner and she is such a pleasant teenager who is excelling in school and always has a big beautiful smile on her face.  

Norah and Camille are also growing up to be such sweet girls, getting great grades in school, having lots of friends, and stick together like glue.  I gave them some money to play the driving game at the bowling alley and Norah waited until Camille could drive the car next to her.  The twin thing is so evident in many things, although they have their own individual personalities and interests.  Ben and Jill are such good parents, strict in the sense that they need to behave in a respectful manner but yet fun and engaging and willing for them to learn through life experiences. 

Friday, February 14, 2025, MN

 This week continued with feeling mostly sh*##%, due to taking the antibiotic for sinus infection and the recurring symptoms that I have had since last Thursday. When I woke up this morning, I thought “I feel pretty normal!” But still have some slight sinus pressure and got sleep but not good, interrupted sleep.

I had made an appointment with physical therapy based on what others have told me of options to help with back issues and also to see if there were things I could do to strengthen the area before surgery, if needed.  After talking with her, they would not suggest anything other than seeing the neurosurgeon and the surgery will be necessary because of the location of the severe compression in the spine.  So I guess I’m getting my ducks in a row for that but will know much more after my appointment on Monday.

I did manage to do the majority of my house cleaning job at Ben’s on Thursday, the only thing I didn’t do was the vacuuming.  It felt good to be up and about and he and I had a good conversation.  I also delivered the pop up valentines that I made for the girls that were just cute as could be.   Each one was slight different and they were fun to make. 

When I got home last Saturday, my friend and neighbor, Beverly, called to ask me if I was interested in buying her car.  Apparently, I had told her in the past that I might be interested, and yes, I am.  It is a spotless 2002 Toyota Camry XLE (loaded) model with 122,000 miles and year old tires. Compared to my 2007 RAV4 with 190,000 miles, tires that are almost due to replace, and a few body dings, it makes total sense to me and my sons agree,  The last few years, it has been stored at her friend George’s home during the worst of winter as she didn’t drive in snowy conditions and it has been so slightly driven the last few years.  I will be dealing with George on the sale, having it checked out by my mechanic, Eric, and then dealing with selling mine.  They are fine with having no rush because of my current health issues but I would like to take care of it quickly if I can. 

I made it through another anniversary of Mike’s passing and really try to do just that.  The events leading up to it can’t be forgotten but I would much rather celebrate the life we had together on our anniversary and his birthday, 45 years together for a roller coaster ride is nothing to forget!

Monday, February 10, 2024, MN

 What a week! And I’m going to say what a shitty week!  Last Wednesday, food shelf day, me and the other helpers weren’t sure that we would even get a delivery since our service coordinator was fired last Friday.  Several of us showed up and the truck showed up and provided us with some nice groceries. And now, Cindy and I are going to coordinate until they get a replacement coordinator hired.  The management here, especially at Building 2, are so unhelpful and unfriendly that they have made the tone a bit uncomfortable. People are gathering, writing letters to corporate, and complaining amongst themselves and it really hasn’t been too pleasant.  I just try to stay out of it.

Things turned really sour when I came in from my early morning walk with Joey on Thursday morning and felt a warm, flush, numby feeling from the waist down that only lasted a minute or so.  I thought it was strange, but set about my day and headed off to clean Cassie and Tommy’s house.  As I was getting organized, another similar feeling struck and I sat down and waited for it to dissipate.  And those sensations came back off and on for the next 24 hours, more frequently through the night.  So I called my doctor and was told to head for the ER.  Leslie gave me a ride to Methodist hospital where I was checked in and tested. 

They started with blood work, then I had a CT scan that showed no signs of any blockage or stroke or any related issue like that, my heart is working good and there is no cancer or tumors. Since the symptoms continued, I spent the night and had an MRI the next morning.  Bingo! Found it! The MRI showed stenosis (narrowing of the space between backbones), putting pressure on the spinal cord and nerves that travel through the spine.) at the C5, C6 and C7 levels of the spine and surgery is suggested to put spacers in the spine to relieve the pressure.  I was released, Ben brought me back home and I am reading up on what all of the options are.  I will be scheduling appointments with the surgeons this week, getting a second opinion and seeing if there are any other treatment other than surgery, but it kind of sounds like surgery might be the only option as it can cause paralysis. I'm definitely shook up, as it means a 3-month recovery and is a painful procedure. I'm going to gather all the information I can to make a wise decision and my sons are good at asking the questions that I don't come up with. 

The episodes continue occurring every 1-2 hours, don’t last long, are not painful or harmful (unless they get worse) and I feel ok in between other than not getting much sleep and the effects of antibiotics. 

Mike and I sure had a couple of good sons - Ben was with me most of time and he kept Pat informed and Pat is willing to head this way if needed. They are both very sensible and will be here for me through whatever comes about.

Sunday, February 2, 2025, MN

 It was an early start to the day when I headed out at 7:45 for the U of M Aquatic Center where each of my 3 granddaughters were swimming in four swimming events.  Norah was not happy that all four of her events were 200 yard competitions.  She did well, was especially strong on the backstroke.  Camille did well, improving most of her previous times and Charlotte took 1st place in the 100 yard freestyle and had a big smile on her face when she came out of the water.  There were two goggle malfunctions and both were disqualified from those events but not because of adjusting goggles - I’m not sure the reason for it.  It was a good morning for the Bridge girls and always feels good to be cheering them on, along with their parents and maternal grandparents.  

Cathy came over and delivered some yummy valentines cutout cookies to me in the afternoon and we had a glass of wine and nice chat.  

Saturday, February 1, 2025, MN

 Today started out on a fine note with a lovely morning walk that was followed by a welcome conversation with Pat.  We didn’t talk last weekend and I certainly missed hearing his voice.  We talked a bit about the current state of political affairs with Donald Trump setting the tone for a term of chaos.  Pat could see some of the changes that he is making to be sensible and he told me that he sees it all as just another reality show that we have to put up with for the next four years.  We agree that the Dems had better get their shit together and come up with some choices for a candidate that can do some of what the people of America want.  We also agree that nobody in government is really in it for ‘the people’ but all are after power and money.  

I ran went to the credit union, picked up a few groceries, and stopped at my favorite little Assistance League Thrift store.

When I got back home, I learned that my friend Joann passed away yesterday.  She was the first friendly face to welcome me to this apartment complex, introduced me to her circle of friends, and we became good friends.  Joann was a very interesting person who had lots of good (and bad) stories about her life experiences and even a few about previous lives - she firmly believed that she was reincarnated at least twice.  She was also a lover of animals, a contributor to many helpful causes, a staunch Democrat and just a real good person. We got together pretty regularly for a drink or a trip to Willy McCoys with Elaine. She moved to Nebraska last September after getting a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.  I will miss her, as I have since she moved away.

I had a meeting yesterday with a gal at the Senior Center Boutique where I am going to try to sell some of the crafts that I make - mostly so I can continue to make things.  That led to a 4-hour per month volunteer position so my take-home on the sales is 85%.  I dropped off several of the needle felted whirligigs and some gift bags and note pad holders.  We shall see.

When I got home, Joey and I went to Staring Lake park to meet Ben and Yoshi for a walk around the lake.  It was a nice afternoon and always good to hang out with him.

There was big news here at Penelope this week when they fired our Service Coordinator, Maureen, and she was escorted out of the building by the local police.  Dang!  I wonder what the is all about.  And shortly after I heard that news, I learned that the regional director is also leaving after more than 18 years with the company.  Lots of drama around here!

We had a record breaking 52 degree day here on Thursday. Unfortunately, that was my cleaning day at Ben’s but I did take Joey for an early evening walk after some unwinding and relaxing.  Woohoo!  A sign of things to come!