Hey Ya'll,
Well it's been 2 months since I made a "real" post!! All I can say is that we have been crazy busy! I will attempt to catch you up on whats been happening, while leaving out some stuff so as to not post a book...(oops, sorry, it happened anyway!!)
So....What do you think about my new Blog Layout??? I like to change it with the Seasons, so this one is obviously for Summer!! LOL Unfortunately, when I redo the Layout, a lot of the Blogs that I Follow gets dropped!! So if you look on the right hand side....all the way down under the Buttons and Awards, under the heading of: Blog's I'm Following. If you feel that your Blog should be there, and it isn't, then please let me know, and I will add it in!! :)
I got my Cervical Collar off at 6 weeks after Surgery!! I was really dreading having to wear it, but really, once I got past 2 weeks, suddenly it loosened up and I could bear it! I am guessing it was because the swelling in my Neck went down. So the only time it was difficult was when I was trying to sleep in it. But even that got much easier. But let me tell you, I am really grateful that I didn't have to wear it during the Summer!!
Now that I am 3 months out from Spinal Surgery, I am going through with the Lap Band Removal Surgery. In fact....I am having it removed next week on Tuesday!! So my Surgery will be on the 26th. The reason that I am having it now instead of the possible Lower Back Surgery first, is because my Insurance Company is trying to slow down the procedure, hoping that I will be delayed long enough to not be able to have the Surgery until next year. This is because I am maxed out, for out of pocket Medical for the year!! So anything else I have done, is covered 100%!!!
So when my Neurosurgeon sent in the request to have my Lumbar MRI approved, they declined it saying they want me to undergo Physical Therapy first to see if it would help me. Except for the very first MRI for my Back done many years ago, I have never been denied approval for any MRI's!! And I have had at least 4 of them through the years just for the Lower Spine. So now all of a sudden they want Physical Therapy! And it won't help me...it never has...it always makes me hurt worse!!
So, I have to undergo Physical Therapy for at least a few sessions. Or however long it takes for me to reach the point of not being able to bear it anymore. Then the Dr's Office will tell the Insurance Co that the Physical Therapy isn't helping, and in fact, it is making me hurt worse. Then they will request the MRI again!!
So since the process of going through the Physical Therapy, getting a new approval for the MRI, then waiting to get an appointment with the Neurosurgeon, will take somewhere between 1-2 months, then another 3 weeks for a Surgery date (assuming the MRI shows that I do have a problem that Surgery will help), we figure that I can slip this Surgery in between!!
So....I am having the Lap Band removed next Tuesday, and 2 weeks after, I should be released to have the Physical Therapy. Especially since the Physical Therapy should be light exercises for the Lower Back. If all goes well, and the MRI shows that I do have something that can be corrected by Surgery, then I should be able to have it done before the end of the year. Possibly as soon as late September to early October.
And Walt has been undergoing Tests too! After Walt underwent a Lumbar MRI, and our Neurosurgeon read it, he had Walt go in for an appointment. At first he wasn't sure if Walt needed Surgery. But during his Neurological exam, he noticed that Walt was having issues with his Neck as well. So he decided to have Walt undergo a Cervical MRI as well as an EMG for both the upper and lower extremities before he makes his determination. We go in tomorrow to find out the results of all the Tests and what, if anything Dr Lynch wants to do. So who knows....Walt could be on his way to Neck and or Back Surgery too!!
And because of all of my Spinal issues, Walt has decided to sell the Motorcycle. He won't even let me get on the Bike anymore!! So once he sells the Bike and Trike Wheels (we have already sold the Bike Trailer), we will be purchasing me a new Vehicle to drive. Hopefully really soon....(Walt (hint, hint)), we will buy it!! So right now I am in the extensive research period. Trying to decide which make and model to buy.
Another thing that I am researching is my Ancestry. We have been told that my Great Grandmother was a full blooded American Indian (I believe she was Choctaw), and my Great Grandfather was a Sheriff during the days of the Wild West and Gunslingers. In fact, he had the often depicted in Western movies....shootout with a bad guy in the main street. They shot each other and both died! This was in Oklahoma. So I am eager to research this as well as the rest of my family history.
And get this....Walt just signed a new 1 year contract for work!! He almost didn't sign it as he wanted an increase in pay as well as a raise in position. Well, they had no problem giving him the raise in position, but they only gave him a smaller raise in pay. But after careful consideration, Walt decided to accept it. So we will be staying in the Northern Nevada area for at least another year.
Walt is so excited and proud of his son Russ. Russ has decided after careful deliberation to attend the College that Walt attended many years ago, Santa Barbara! So I believe Russ begins in September, because they are on the quarter system. He has Orientation in August, so Carolyn, Walt and I will be flying down with Russ to check out the School etc. Walt and I are really looking forward to it. While down there, Walt and I are thinking about driving to Solvang. I was there briefly when I was a teenager and always wanted to check it out again. Walt says that they have the best Pea Soup, of which I won't be partaking!! LOL I told him that I would taste it. I tasted it years ago and wasn't impressed.
Now....about my home Office. Walt has been telling me ever since we moved into the RV, that he was going to setup an Office for me that would be totally inside the slide out. I just couldn't believe that it could be done, since I would have to have room for the Desk as well as my Chair, among other things!! Well, he finally did it. We found some inexpensive narrow Desks at IKEA that works! We drove down to Sacramento last weekend to purchase them and bring them back. We could have ordered them online, but it would have cost us over $90 just for the shipping!!
So we have the Desks setup in an L Shape with a space for a Bookcase next to it. This leaves me room to have my new Office Chair sitting on the inside of the Slide. In order to keep it from falling off the slide floor (which is about 2 inches higher than the regular RV floor), Walt attached a board (which he will be replacing with a better option later) to the slide to make the slide floor a bit wider so the Chair won't fall off onto the RV floor, with me on it!! LOL
We still have some stuff to do with my Office before it is finished, like adding more storage bins on the walls, etc. But let me tell you, I wish that we had done this sooner!! Walt, I am sorry that I doubted you!! This setup is so much better. I actually have room now. And more than one person can be in my Office without touching each other. LOL
Now what I am about to tell you, I am still fuming about....I had some talks with my daughter Christa last month about my ex-husband (not Christa's father). He really had me fooled. These talks began when she told me that she always felt that he hated her!!! He always treated Christa fine when I was around. But apparently whenever I was at work and he was home with her. He always told called her names and told her to get lost, so she always just hid out in her bedroom! He even called her names in front of most of his friends. I was so pissed when I found this out, that I wanted to go to him and kick his A**!! And I am not a violent person, but you don't mess with our kids!!
What really pisses me off, is that he used me to get his permanent Residency for the US. You see, he is from Jordan. So he sweet talked me and convinced me to marry him, knowing that it would be easier to get his Residency this way. And apparently I fell for it. I am just so glad that I made the decision to divorce him back in 1989!
He told me that he was missing his family and wanted to go back. He wasn't sure that he would come back to the States (even though he had a half ownership in a Liquor Store). There was no way in He** that I was going to take my daughter and go there. I knew all the horror stories of how women are treated once in the Middle East. Once there, I would have no rights, and he would even have say over Christa!! So I told him that if he was going there, to give me a divorce.
I WILL be contacting him, even if only by letter to give him a piece of my mind!! If I had known how he was treating her then, I would have divorced him sooner, and contacted the Federal Government to see if there was something that I could do to get his Residency revoked!! Christa was between the ages of 12 and 16 when we were married. Christa when you read this, I am really sorry that you had to live with someone like him!!
And last but certainly not least, an update on my parents.
My Dad went through his Radiation treatments for Lung Cancer and the Dr's says that everything is looking good. He will be starting Chemotherapy soon. And hopefully the Cancer will be gone!!
As for my Mom, she is still in constant pain. And to see her try to walk is just painful. She is now almost doubled over. The Dr's tried to tell her 25 yrs ago to have Back Surgery. They told her that if she didn't, she would end up in so much pain, and unable to stand up and walk. As her Spine would stop being able to support her own weight. Well, she has been at that point for some time now, but somehow, she keeps trying.
About 2 months ago, shortly after my last "real" post, we thought we were going to lose her. She had went in for her Infusion Therapy for her Paget's Disease of the Bone. The day after, she had such a strong reaction, that we didn't know what was wrong. But she had lost all control of her Bowels and Bladder, not to mention that she wasn't able to walk!! So my Dad, Brother and myself all tried to convince her to go into the Hospital. To no avail. Luckily, my when my Sister got off work and saw what shape she was in....basically didn't give my Mom a choice!! She cleaned my Mom up and called 911. So she was taken by Ambulance to the Hospital.
Walt was going to drive me down to California. But my Nieces Son, who my parents are raising, had the Chicken Pox at the time. I wasn't even allowed to get my Teeth cleaned until at least 3 months after Spinal Surgery, so I knew the Neurosurgeon wouldn't want me to be exposed to Chicken Pox. I am not positive whether or not I had them. I remember having the Mumps and Measles, but not the Chicken Pox.
So my gut instinct told me to wait a short time before driving to California. Luckily my Sister called and told me that my Mom was doing much better and would be released from the Hospital. My Mom didn't want me to go down and get exposed. So we didn't go. But we did see them last weekend. And as usual, they tried to put their best foot forward, so we don't worry about them.
Well, now that I HAVE written a book, I better go for now, I have been writing this thing all day it seems!! Till next time....
Aloha My Friends :)
