On homemade magic bags and shots

First of all this is my magic bag, hand made by my fabulous other half.

Isn't it pretty?

Second of all, this pain won't quit! Another run to ER about 24 hours ago, this one ending with a firm suggestion to call my neurosurgeon (Like I hadn't thought of that already!) It's much worse than last year, and I was sobbing between double doses of P*er*co*cet. I don't like being on meds that strong, Sam I am. I like it even worse when they don't work.

So anyway, chat with the doc, again, have my neurological function checked, again, and this time get a scrip for muscle relaxants on top of the Perc and a shot of m*o*r*p*h*i*n*e.

That seemed to break the cycle, and after coming home and sleeping for 8 hours, topping up with another perc as directed, and sleeping some more, I felt well enough to get up and get a shower.

So here's to meds that work... at least a little better.

I am so glad I don't have to worry about the cost of my health care!

PS: Honest nurses are great. When Paulette the RN came back with my shot, she said, "Okay, I have your medication here. It's a needle, it's morph, and it stings like a bugger. Once it kicks in, it's good. You won't mind."

She was right. On all counts.

A Day in the Life

Corey, over at Watching the Waters, asked what a day in the life was like.... I keep waiting to have an interesting day :P

Am in a lot of pain right now from a bulging disc at S 5 L1 which is known as sciatica. I'm sure all of you probably knew that anyway. Sciatica plus Cerebral Palsy is no fun. I've been dealing with it off and on since Fall 2008, and when it flares it flares *badly*. All of this is just meant to say that I took a spin to the local ER the other day because I had outgrown my pain control regimen and am now on something different that has me a little loopy.

So there's not much on the go in the life here, so I thought I would do a day in the life of Mackers instead.

Wake up, jump on Dad, (Lady) make all kinds of noise so Dad knows I'm hungry. I bite Dad's shins and follow him upstairs so he can fill my bowl with Crunchy food for cats and make sure my fountain for cats is full. Cats drink filtered water in this house. Then I eat and drink, and get bored, so I check my window for birds and bicycles before making more noise so my people will get up.

Mom might need a shower, and I have to supervise if she needs one. I go in the bathroom and meow at the tub and check it all out. I stay on her shower chair until the water starts- Then it is too wet for cats. Then I chase the people upstairs for the day. Dad might give Mom her medicine- Mom has a big ow right now- and Mom might lie down. I might lie down with Mom, but I also might check my window a lot and sleep in my cardboard box. I do not *need* to sleep in a cardboard box, I just like to pretend.

If Mom gets up to go in the bathroom I need to follow her, and if Dad goes downstairs I need to follow him because he might be doing something for cats.

It's very hard to be me, you know. No wonder I need so many naps.

Revisiting an Oldie but a Goodie

So some of you may remember this post, which was a brief foray into my other passion, writing. I love to write fiction, and some tell me that I do it well, but the important thing is I love it, so I would probably do it forever for free.

I came across this article today, which some of you may enjoy reading, which revisits my point. It's very important for kids- especially "different" kids- to find mirrors of themselves in literature, but it's also *hard* for our different kids.

Just food for thought. I'm doing fine, kitty is big and handome and that's really all I have to say. Big hugs.

Ashley

Okay...so...Corey said....

That I don't blog enough. So blog I will...

Hair – growing

Your Mother – young

Your Father – absent

Fav Food – french fries, and it shows...Oh well

Dream Last Night – Don't remember

Fav Drink – Organic Irish breakfast tea

What room are you in? – friend's living room

Hobby – blog

Fear – abandonment

Where were you last night? – home

Something that you aren’t – graceful

Muffins – Oatmeal

Wish List Item – job

Where you grew up – St. John's NL

What you are wearing –sweats

Your Pet – one cat, the infamous Mackers

Friends – as family

Something you’re not wearing – shoes

Fav Store – Walmart. Seriously. For the student on a dime?

Fav Color – pink

Last time you laughed – today

Your Best Friend – Tayley

Best Place you go over and over – Blockbuster Video

Person who you email regularly – blogger folks

Fav Place to Eat – Ches' Fish and Chips- Newfoundland exclusive :)

Now I tag…

Tuba

Tayley

Linda

And anyone else who wants to play


As for my future blogging- Tell me.

What do inquiring minds want to know?

Further foot info, especially for Linda B. but also for anyone else who might be interested.

I fixed my blog colours so that links will show up in green now. There are a few links on the last post to explain some of the medical-ese, but visual aids can be fun too!

Basically, the triple fusion I talked about would salvage my left foot. The doctor would go in and place screws and plates in the three major joints. Sounds drastic, and it is, but I had one done 10 years ago on the right side and its holding up great.

Why does my foot need to be salvaged? Well, the CP has twisted the bones and muscles in my foot (and elsewhere) all out of shape, so my foot, in repose, looks a little something like this :)

It looks painful, and it kind of is, especially when walking and especially since the break

In other, foot related news,

I realised I didn't update anyone on the specialist visit I alluded to in this post.

Thank all things holy, I saw someone competent. I had a triple ankle fusion on the right foot, not the one I broke, back in early 2000. I was on the cusp between the recommended procedures, one for adults and one for children, so my pedes surgeon asked an adult surgeon to assist him. That surgeon, lets call him Dr. Rock, happened to be the one I saw in February.

He came in and said, "Your name looks familiar." I told him he had done my first fusion and he grinned, asking if I wanted a matching set. I told him I wasn't completely closed to the idea, but that no one seemed to be able to make up their mind whether or not I had broken the left foot, and although I could walk, it was extremely painful.

He furrowed his brow and got Lady to take off my shoe and sock. Looking only, he said. "What do you think happened to your foot?"

"Avulsion fracture." I said readily, having done some research since the brush off in December.

"So it hurts here?" He asked, putting out one finger and finding the *exact* place where pain was at its worst.

"Exactly!" I said, relieved.

"Let me look at your X-rays," he said. "Avulsion fractures are common in CP."

(Keeping in mind that the X-rays he's referring to are the same ones everyone else has been looking at)

He came back in shaking his head in disbelief. "Yes," he said. "That's broken. It's on the side, so having it out of cast hasn't been detrimental to its healing... just painful for you. I'm so sorry."

I assured him that I didn't blame *him*, not in the least. We discussed casting it again, but decided against it for now. We will be looking to do a fusion in late May, early June so that I can heal properly and this won't happen again.

Frick, frick , frick... Breathing in and out, because it seems to be the only thing I can do right, lately.

So okay. Big brain dump in the post the other day, and I really, really bigtime appreciate all the loves. But right now I'm kinda mad and need a safe place to jump up and down (figuratively, I mean, having never actually jumped up and down in my 24 years on the planet.)

I work with a fantastic, yet underfunded, organization. I do presentations for them. I occasionally get a stipend for doing said presentations. It's brilliant.

A week or so ago I went to meet with a second organization about doing a presentation tacked on to, or perhaps in to, their Paralympic events. So I was given two evening slots, told that they'd do some of the promotion for me, and that I was to do some on my own.

Now, I *did* do some on my own, but I've also had the world coming down about my freaking ears. So I thought "Okay, I'll just go with organization #2s kids, it'll be grand, and get my foot in the door with them."

Not *once* did someone from Org. 2. check in with me to see how things were going or to tell me that registration for my first talk (tonight) was going *infintessimally* slow. (I don't even know if that's spelled right, but it looks...kind of right.

As they were handling, on their end, registration for this event, I feel that someone could have at least dropped me an e-mail, though I admit that I could have done the same.

Just now, I called to be all responsible and get a headcount.

I've got 1 person. 1. Maybe.

I acknowledge that I didn't have a whole lot of success in promoting this, but I also got no help or contact. And Org 2 was the one I was hoping to work for full time in the very near future!

There's got to be a break in these clouds somewhere. There's just got to be....