It's Been a Hard... Week!

I've been having fibro flares out the ying-yang.  In fact, it's probably more like two or three weeks.  Sitting at a 7-9 most days.  meh.  I've had two sick cats, being denied again by SSD and weather weather weather.  Next week doesn't look like it's going to be any better.  Four days of being "out and about".  Even using the wheelchair I'm going to be flat on my back.  And if I hear one more person say I could "work from home" I think I'll go ballistic.  I rarely have a week when there isn't one doctor visit or another.  The cpap machine at the titration study seemed to help while still being comfortable for me... at least I wasn't stopping breathing.  And evidently I've developed restless leg syndrome, because about the time that the klonipin would be wearing off my legs started twitching.  So, of course, the next morning my husband says, "I haven't seen your legs moving but you often move your hands when you're sleeping."  Maybe that explains why they hurt so much when I wake up.  My sleep is all funky right now which I hate.  This can stop anytime now.  No, really!!

Pdoc, Sleeping & Cats...

So today I went to see my pdoc.  Dr. Baron is cool.  He specializes in pain patients which kicks since in addition to my ever so lovely bipolar & PTSD I've got chronic myofasical pain (last pain-free day was Oct '87) & fibromyalgia lalala yada yada yada.  I got rid of the osteoarthritis in my knees when I got bionic knees in 2010 but now I've got the joy of arthritis in my other joints.  wheeeee!  The weather right now is rainy rainy righty wristy going crazy.  I'm totally right-sided, even though I'm slightly ambidextrous, and that's where I have tons of fun stuff going on.  I double dislocated my right ankle a few years ago and it hasn't been right (no pun intended) ever since.  I was in a cast for some time but the swelling hasn't ever gone down.  I'm constantly straining it.  And because I have to compensate for it... well, you get the picture.  Where was I?

Oh yeah.  Dr. Baron.  He asked how I was.  HA!  I just lost my first appeal for SSD.  SSD seems to think I'm perfectly capable of working.  Well, I went to Nashvegas to see Dr. Baron today.  I didn't have anyone who could take me.  This means I won't be able to leave my house for two days.  Right now my pain level is at an 8.  With the percocet.  I'm depressed, anxious, in pain, and living on the edge.  On Thursday night I get to have a titration study because the sleep study found that contrary to the last sleep study I had a couple of years ago, now I have sleep apnea.  Wheeeeee!  Hello, you stop breathing at least 7 times an hour while you sleep.  Oh?  Really?  Okay.  That sounds like fun.

So, what was I talking about?  Oh yeah.  Dr. Baron.  He's upping one of my meds & gave me something prn for anxiety.  This is good.  I spent the weekend nursing the 'baby' of the house Audrey.  She's 10 months old and had a fever of 105.8 which was 106 when the vet met us at his office on Saturday.  He said it was a good thing we'd taken her in because we'd probably have lost her if we'd waited until Monday.  I trust my gut.  So, even though my husband thinks "oh we can just do it ourselves and save the money" my gut says go with the lawyer for the second SSD appeal.  I'm not in any shape to do it.  But Audrey got better very quickly and by yesterday was back to playing with her hair bands and making me laugh.  Laughter is good.  It helps.

I had four cats hanging around with me this afternoon once I got home.  I haven't had fewer than two on the bed with me.  They know what kind of shape mom is in and they want to make me feel better.  Cats help me cope.  I'm just trying to figure out who's going to clean their litterboxes when the kids graduate college.  ::rueful grin::

Audrey & Star managed to talk Jennifer & Corwyn into fixing me dinner.

Sleep Apnea & the House... meh

Dr. McGovern from Vanderbilt's Sleeping Disorder called me today.  My AHI is 8.5 so yep, I have mild Sleep Apnea.  wheeee!  The last sleep study I have a few years ago only showed I wasn't reaching Delta sleep.  So I now have an appointment for a titration study on May 5th.  It's so wonderful finding out that you stop breathing 7+ times an hour while you're sleeping.  But at least now I know why I don't feel rested when I wake up.  ::sigh::

Right now my ears hurt... again.  It's another thing that's been driving me nuts.  Along with my headaches being more and more and more... meh.  And I'm starting to agree with Dale that the house is being the House from Hell.  I mean, I've always had a wee bit of trouble with the fact that it's not all one level but I like the 24' above ground pool outside because it gives me a place to exercise in the late spring, summer & early fall.  I like the floors in the living room and the upper level bedroom because they're made from church pews.  But there are problems..

This is the worst of it.  The front bathroom.  There was no way to tell when we moved it.  No way I guess since he didn't say anything, for the inspector to catch it.  But the walls around the tub were done in regular drywall and NOT greenwall the way you're supposed to do with bathrooms.  The house needs painting.  The windows need sealing.  The gutters need replacing and we'd really like to replace the wood siding that's on the section that was added onto the brick.  It was the garage.  If we could afford to replace it with vinyl or something we wouldn't have to repaint it.  I don't even want to think about other things that might need to be done.  And in the realm of dreams would be redoing the master bed/bath.  Our closet is small and if I had a genie to give me whatever I wanted I'd change the bath into a walk-in closet, our current closet into a linen closet (we have none at the moment) and make a larger bathroom with a longer/deeper tub, a double sink & a higher toilet.  Then I'd enclose the patio area so the cats could roam 'outside' and maybe put a roof on in hopes I could heat the pool and use it in the winter.  While we're at it, maybe a hot tub!  ::grin::  Where's the lottery when you need it?  Not likely!  I just got turned down on my first appeal for SSD.  Which means I'll need to get a lawyer or I can hang it up.  And I can not work, no matter what they think I can do.  ::head:laptop::