Friday, March 30, 2012

In Like a Lion...Out Like a Baby Lamb

March, which blew in on a rainy, blustery Thursday, is headed...meek-and-mild...out the door this coming Saturday. We are paused to turn the page over to April, but before that occurs, I thought I'd post a pic or two of Casa 3917.

Iris blooming at the mailbox:
"
Rock Star"
Spring arrived way before the calendar told us it should.  The Weather Wonks tell us that's due to La Nina, a weather phenomenon where the Eastern Central Pacific ocean temperatures affect our NC Winter. Most people in general are thankful that this winter was so mild.  Most gardeners, on the other hand, are of mixed emotions.

True, Mr. T was able to check a big item off his list when he finished re-mulching the garden paths and the Rondel (the oval shape in the center of our Way Back garden), thanks to an abundance of mild March weather. Mulch makes it all seem so well-tended.

The dogwood and the azaleas (photo, right) are beginning to bloom, just as the forsythia, the daffodils and the hyacinths are finishing. The iris (photo, left) and the candy tuft in the front are even beginning to flower.


Azalea...after the rain...
I welcome the warmth, as every seed and every transplant I plant switches into hyper-grow the minute the soil is back in place. In the Kitchen Garden in the Way Back, the lettuces and spinach are green and lush.  The cabbages and broccoli are tall and strong.  The asparagus (on its second Spring) is producing lovely spears for the first time. The potatoes and the onions are both growing ahead of schedule. Only the carrots haven't made an appearance...which is more due to the crusty, clay soil than to the weather.

In the Way Back Orchard, all 11 of the newest fruit trees are leafing out, and all except one of the other apple trees (planted last Spring) have shown signs of life.  We will be fertilizing them and adding mulch-rings this weekend, if the weather stays as gloriously beautiful as it is today.  We purchased a swing on our last Tractor Supply run and plan to install it here soon...a perfect spot to rest while working in the Way Back.

In the Berry Patch, the blueberries are all abloom, and the blackberries have leafed out spectacularly.  The grapes along the fence are even breaking bud (which isn't necessarily a great thing, since we had wanted to relocate these guys...that will now have to wait until they go dormant next Winter). The new strawberry bed (created by transplanting runners from the old bed) is not only showing the signs of growth on the new plants...there are also flowers on many!  I'll need to get some straw on them soon.

And, in the newest addition to the Way Back, our Rose Garden, all 12 of the new David Austin English Roses have growth.  Woo hoo!  Mr. T got these guys in the ground as soon as he could after we received our shipment, even finishing by flashlight.  We have 9 hybrid teas coming from Roses Unlimited in South Carolina next month, along with another DA order of 14, for which we will be digging holes this weekend.  We have outlined the path through the Rose Garden, and Mr. T has assembled and stained the new teak glider that will be placed on a stone pad (to be installed...:) soon...a perfect spot to enjoy our morning coffee.  We will be moving a feeder and the concrete bird bath to that location so that the bluebirds who have moved into the newest bluebird house on the fence will have a bistro to call their own.

So, what's not to love about this, you ask? Well, a mild winter...and this has been one of the mildest on record...means (1) we will be battling an abundance of bugs come summer-time...and (2) an earlier appearance of my least favorite gardening cohorts, the snakes. Yes, I saw my first snake the other day...and happily lived to tell the tale.

It was a "good back" day for me, and I finally tackled a chore that has been on my To Do list for months: get the "new" strawberry bed planted.  [Mr. T had already tilled the new row...and tilled it again...and tilled it a third time to create a wide, raised bed over the Winter.]  I  had worked in the "old" strawberry bed (which was slated to be tilled under and become a part of the new Rose Garden) for several hours, digging up and removing runners to go to the new bed.  For this chore,  I used my handy-dandy new (purple!) kneeler that I'd ordered from Gardener's Supply...and which I pronounced "GREAT!"

After we planted the new bed (finishing in the rain, I might add...), we had so many runners left over I decided to keep them and plant them in containers:  a strawberry jar that I used previously for herbs; several hanging baskets; and many, many pots here and there.   The next day, as I was finishing putting the last 2 runners in my last empty basket, I thought it needed one or two more to fill it out...and Mr. T had not tilled the bed under just yet.  So I grabbed my trowel (but not my kneeler) and dropped down on my hands and knees amongst what remained of the old strawberry bed for "just two more."  I stabbed the trowel into the straw around a promising runner...and the straw moved.  Well, slithered actually.

You can probably guess what happened next.  I screamed...got up and outta the strawberry bed faster than I thought I could move (what bad back?)...and made it to the garden gate (like that's home base...:) in record time. Mr. T came a'runnin' to see what was wrong.  Of course, he started asking all those pertinent questions: what color was it?  How long was it? Where did it go?  Like I had loitered long enough to know the answer to any of those queries...

The next thing that happened is news-worthy.  Instead of retreating from the Way Back for a week (like I did the last time I saw a snake in the garden)...or, telling him to "sell the house" (like I did 32 years ago, when I saw a water moccasin in our back yard in Cordova)...I said "I need those strawberry runners to finish my basket."  No, I didn't return to the scene of the sighting myself, but I stood nearby giving encouragement and great directions to Mr. T...who recovered both the runners and the trowel without seeing said snake. He also complimented me on how much I have matured in my snake phobia...and I beamed with pride.

"Old dog...new trick" comes to mind...:)


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

One...and Done...

"The sun will come out...tomorrow..."
Our newest bird feeder, after the rains
I guess by now you already have figured out that my NCAA Tournament bracket is toast.  Burnt. Toast.  My Tigers didn't even make it out of the starting gate, losing to St. Louis in their first game...AKA the Second Round.  One and done, as they say.  Sigh.  I won't bore you with my thoughts on WHY this happened...let's just say that I wouldn't shed any tears if Coach JP got another opportunity. Big sigh.

Moving on...

I have happier news when it comes to my back.  It feels fantastic!  I am moving about with much, much more flexibility...and much less pain. Hooray!!

So, was it all attributable to that epidural steroid injection procedure-thingie, Patricia? you may ask. Hmmm.  Not sure.

Here's what I do know:  IT HURT.  I mean the procedure, not just my back. You will recall I have had 3 or 4 of these same procedures when we lived in MO.  Only...and this is probably the big part of it...I was "asleep" during those former procedures.  "Asleep," as in not conscious of what was happening during the procedure. The doctor (a Pain Management specialist) did not need my participation, and I was happy to be OUT.

Not this time.  I was conscious...wide-awake...capable of feeling everything that happened.  And, I am here to say, IT HURT.  I kept saying things like "you know, I'm still with y'all," and "you don't really need me now, do you?" Hint, hint.  The Dr. (a Neurologist) had promised he'd "give me something extra in my IV" to ensure I would not feel anything.  Well, because they couldn't get my IV inserted as planned (like, the first try...or the second...or even the third), "they" didn't get the extra something in the IV until too late.

Here's how it played out last Monday.

I take the pre-procedure meds as directed (3 doses of prednisone, tagamet, and benadryl), and Mr. T drives me to the appointment.  I am nervous...but feeling pretty good about things.  Oh, little did I know...

They call my name.  I say goodbye to Mr. T, who waits in the waiting room with his Blackberry and my iPad...he shouldn't be too bored. I go back to the procedure room, get undressed/dressed for the procedure, and get up on the table.

Dr.'s nurse tries repeatedly, unsuccessfully to insert my IV...never an easy thing to do, with my teensy veins...and (normally) low blood pressure. After FINALLY calling in reinforcements (in the person of a nurse who formerly assisted an anesthesiologist), the IV goes in.  They are concerned it would come out, so they double-tape me up to keep that from happening.  I'm still wide awake, so I do some deep breathing to help me relax and get to my happy place.  The Dr. laughs and asks me where that is...the Caribbean?  OK...sounds good....anywhere but in this procedure room, says I.

They get the Xray going (since this type of procedure is done "under scope" as they say) and locate "the Scotty dog," as the Dr. uses a visual cue for the technician to know where to focus. Lots of conversation about that. Since the MRI I'd had told him that the worst place is the space between L4-L5, that is their target.

Dr. says "I'm inserting the needle...tell me if you feel anything." OK. Just a little pressure...so far, so good.  Then...  He hits the nerve.  Lightening-pain goes down my left leg, into my foot.  I jump (which ain't easy to do while lying face-down, with your face in a donut-like holder, and with one arm strapped down). I let him know.  I holler "I felt THAT."

Dr. says "I'm stimulating the nerve."  [Really.  No sh.....er, kidding.]

Dr. also says "Better give her some more."  Nurse says "I did." Dr. says "Maybe some more."

Too late. After that, it is all downhill. I am in pain, both physical, from the nerve contact...and psychological, from fear that he is going to do that again.  I can barely breathe normally, much less do any deep breathing.  I am crying.  I say "I've lost the Caribbean."

They apparently find that very funny. Ha ha.

Mercifully, he injects the steroid, the dye (?), and a pain killer.  That is the order he tells me.  I personally believe the order should have been reversed, but they didn't ask my opinion. And, he says those seven beautiful words that I am still awake to hear:  "Well, I'm done and removing the needle." Finally.

As they are removing the IV, I realize that I am having an ocular migraine (which are annoying but rarely painful, lasting about 20-30 minutes before clearing.  Follow that link to see a great visual representation of what one looks like).  The nurse says "wonder what caused that?" I say, "they are usually caused by stress...or, in my case, drinking red wine. I'm guessing you didn't put any red wine in my IV."

Again, they find that very funny.  Ha ha ha.  I'm killing 'em.

As I roll over to get off the table, I have a vertigo episode (remember, my BPPV is triggered by a sudden "change in head position with respect to gravity").  Room is spinning.  And NOW the "something extra" they put in my IV finally kicks in, and a great fog descends on my brain, making it difficult for me to think...or talk...or walk.  Also, my left foot is numb...residual effect from the "nerve stimulation".  I ask you, could this get any better?

Most of the next week was pretty grim.  I struggled to climb back out of the hole into which I felt like the epidural procedure had knocked me. Struggled mightily. One of the stated side effects to epidurals is headache...and I had those in spades.  Deep, throbbing, rolling, nauseating, blinding headaches. Oh, and a side effect of the steroid for me is severe leg muscle spasms in the night.

Feeling better...and doing something
I probably have no business doing.
Finally, this past Friday, I awoke feeling like a "human bean" again, as Mom would have said.  All of the negative effects had disappeared (with the exception of the nightly muscle spasms in my left leg)...and so had almost all of my back pain.  I felt like I was emerging from a long, dark tunnel into the light.

The round-up report:  I have stopped the pain meds.  I am still using my TENS unit...and heating pad. I continue to use the topical pain relievers (LidoDerm patches on my back, BioFreeze on my leg muscles).  I am doing my flexibility stretching exercises/PT.  I have gotten into the garden (photo, right), bending and reaching...but trying to avoid any heavy lifting if I can. I talked Mr. T into letting me use the Mantis (I love this tool!)...and I found that one row was quite enough for now, thank you very much.

The Big Question:  will I return for a second epidural, as I'm sure the Dr. will suggest at my follow up appointment next week?  These procedures tend to provide only temporary relief...and the length of time of that relief is typically increased with more than one procedure.

Or, am I "one...and done?"

Now, what do you think?

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Let The Games Begin!


Go Tigers Go!
Have you done your NCAA Basketball Bracket(s) yet?  I have!  I'll just let you guess who I've picked on my #1 Bracket to be the upset winner.  Hint:  photo (left).  I'm picking from the heart, don't you know?  My Tigers haven't exactly made positive impressions this year, especially whenever they tip-off on TV.  Hopefully, they will continue playing like they have been for the past month or so.  Fingers crossed...toes, too!

Speaking of crossing body parts...

I know many of you have been checking this space to see if I had any good news about my back issues. Let's say I'm cautiously optimistic.  Of course, my natural state is optimism, so that may not sound like a news item...but, I have to admit to a few hours of negativity over the past couple of months.  OK...maybe a day or two.

You see, I have been struggling since January with back pain that "isn't what it was like 'before'".  I've said this all along.  'Before' was when the disc(s) in my lower back actually herniated, pinching various nerves, causing pain to radiate down my left leg, into my foot.  The first time this happened, we were moving from GA to FL in 2002; I ended up having surgery in October...a partial ('hemi-") lamenectomy on the disc/space between L3and L4.  (If you have back problems, you will recognize the technical terminology and the numerical designation of lumbar discs in the spine.  If you don't...well, be happy and move along...:)

That was the beginning of the saga.  After the surgery, I said to anyone who would listen...and that did NOT include the orthopedic surgeon in Orlando...I am still having problems; I can't seem to get back to 'normal.'  He said I just needed to keep doing physical therapy...walk 2 miles a day...lose weight...move on.

Well, I did move on...sort of.  We moved to Missouri in 2003...and I eventually found an answer...sort of.  I connected with the Pain Management Doc in St. Peters who was treating Momma (for back pain, following her lumbar fusion surgery in 2005).  He ordered an MRI, and then we had a better picture of what I was dealing with.  I have apparently inherited my spine directly from Momma, as I also have Spinal Stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal column) and Degenerative Disc Disease [AKA: 'slipped discs,' at L2-L3, L3-L4 (yep...where I had the surgery) and L4-L5...more on that later]...all aggravated by osteoarthritis.

Then, bless him, he prescribed what I have come to call my 'arsenal:'  Celebrex (for the arthritis, in general...marvelous stuff!); pain meds (because I am extremely sensitive to the narcotic effects, he finally found a really mild one for me in Ultram/Tramadol); muscle relaxers (I have tried several...they give me some temporary relief, but I can only tolerate 2-4 days usage); topical pain relief (I use a 12-hour patch called LidoDerm, which is lidocaine); and what I refer to as The Zapper (a TENS unit, or Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator, that provides pain relief by using electrical pulses to stimulate the nerves of the lower back). He also advised a series of epidural steroid injections, of which I received 4 over about a year and a half.

Moving on...

Well, I did...again.  This time to North Carolina, as you know.  And, you also know what my time here was like through last year.  I guess I was fortunate not to have too many back attack episodes...until...

January.  When I took that shortcut down the stairs, I thought I'd bruised my tailbone.  Owwww.  Apparently not. I apparently caused an annular tear at L4-L5, which is the final lumbar disc...just above the tailbone. Whatever...it hurt...and it has continued to hurt for weeks beyond when it should have stopped hurting. Enter:  a Neurologist.  He's a nice guy who apparently was absent the day they taught all the other Neurologists their terrible bedside manners.  I hate to generalize, but this one is the ONLY one I've met who actually seems to care...and to want to help.

Blah, blah, blah...more medical stuff.  Anyway, he ordered a new MRI, since the previous one was 5 years old, and that confirmed the annular tear, as well as the state of  the 3 herniated discs. He gave me an injection (he called it a nerve block) to alleviate the pain in my hip (probably due to bursitis, he says), and he recommended another round of epidural spinal injections for the back pain. Enter: the insurance company.

Apparently, the SAME insurance company we had 5 years ago looked at the new MRI of the SAME spine...which itself was now 5 years older...and decided that they would decline coverage for the SAME treatment(s) they had approved 5 years ago. Go figure.  They also did this two days before the procedure was scheduled, so it had to be cancelled.

Oh no they don't!  While I felt discouraged and so lacking in energy to fight, Mr. T was of a different mind, shall we say.  He soon found out how to contest their decision...they said they needed 'more information from the doctor'...which they got...and now I'm rescheduled for the injection on Monday the 19th...just a two-week delay. Way to go, Mr. T!

So, how am I feeling...really?  Better...really!  I've been using my TENS unit ('The Zapper') regularly...and I find I don't need the meds nearly as much. I'm trying to be a good patient by not overdoing it, and I've gotten lots of knitting done (more on that in the next post)...but...

It has been SO beautiful lately...and the Garden Siren is calling.  Spring has arrived, no matter what the calendar says, and in honor of the Season, I have changed my blog's skin...out with that wintry background!.  Well, it's actually more like Summer this week, with record-breaking temps in the 80's.  Yesterday, we were warmer than Phoenix!

Anyway, it's difficult to be an invalid when it is so warm and welcoming outside...and I have to admit to a few hours spent in the garden...well, the broccoli, cabbage, spinach, potatoes, lettuces, onions, carrots, and beets won't wait any longer to get into the ground!  Of course, I also have to admit I paid the price for those hours...by having to spend the next two days recovering.  Ah well...

Maybe the Tournament is coming at the perfect time. That should keep me inside...glued to the new big-screen TV (yowza!), knitting at near-record speed...and allow a few more days of "rest and relaxation," right?

If you believe that, you have obviously never been around me when there is basketball involved.

Oh yeah.  Let the games begin...indeed!

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