Years ago

I was plagued by something called plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the fascia on the bottom of the feet that hurts to high Heaven, particularly when you haven't been standing or walking for awhile.  I was in two of those 'walking boots' of velcro and plastic, one at one point, and one at another.  Then the ankle tendonitis set in.  My feet were a mess, mostly because I had a job at a gas station where I was on my feet for up to ten hours a day.

Then I moved to just a desk job, although I still had foot problems.  And then I got hit by the car, broke my metacarpals and ankle, and was off my feet for three months completely.

And everything resolved as I healed, so that when I went back, my feet didn't feel like they were on fire or in pain anymore. I was still dealing with the injury, but so much was better.  And it stayed that way for a couple of years.

Recently, I've been having trouble with my feet again.  They get painful when I walk, particularly at the beginning of the day or when I get up after sitting or sleeping, and at the end of the day, and it's hard to walk through the pain. I know it's the fasciitis again.  So when days are rough and the pain is great, I break out a soda bottle full of water that's been frozen, and run that under my feet to take away the pain as much as possible.

But the last few days I've been away from my iced bottle and have walked all over the place on rough sidewalks, in museums, and on the streets of Chicago.  At times it was a toss up as to whether my feet or my back would give out first.  I'd slow down, and like the gazelle on the Serengeti limping along but trying to stay with the herd as protection against the lioness, I persevered, figuring I'd be an easy mark for any crime if I didn't keep up.

Now I'm home. I walked not so much today, under 4,000 steps, actually.  And I don't think I could do much more.  It's probably time to go back to the podiatrist, although I'd rather not be in the boot again.  But since my ankle injury, I have an excellent podiatrist (he even does ankle replacements), so maybe he has a better option, or at least something that will help, since I'd really like to increase my walking as the weather gets better.

I woke up feeling refreshed, before my alarm went off

although my foot is stiff and difficult to walk on. Usually the kinks relax by the morning, but I've just got to hope that it'll get better after I've been up and about. A shower would probably help, too.

I'm trying to get back into the habit of recording my blood sugar and medicine to stay on track (it's gone back up now that I'm active again, and sometimes I forget to take my insulin), so I downloaded an application I've used before to the phone, appropriately enough called 'On Track'. It tracks my glucose, hA1c, medication, and weight. I could have it track other things like blood pressure and pulse as well, but my blood pressure, thankfully, is usually good. I also downloaded some applications I'd gotten through Amazon awhile back. One is 'Calorific', which tracks food, and one is 'CardioTrainer', an associated workout application that tracks your time, route, etc. and gives you how much you've gone in a nice soothing British voice. :) I'm finally to the point where doing a little walking around the hospital parking lot might be possible, although I don't want to push it. But maybe a short walk.

On the agenda today:

1. There is no game. Brenda is at a doll meet.
2. Stop by Kroger for a couple of things YKWIA needs.
3. Eat the wonderful food we made yesterday.
4. Help clean up a bit.
5. Work on a project.

I'm hoping to get home tonight and do a little straightening up, but I've said that a lot and I haven't done it yet. But it is getting messy. I did water the plants just now, as they were pining for water. So is the fish tank. I'm a bad mom.

I actually wound up

Cuddling up in bed and reading the rest of Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgaard, the first book I've completed this year. It was a gift from a friend, and I enjoyed it so much I ordered the other six books of the series in paperback from Amazon. They should be here Friday. It's been awhile since I've read a nice paperback book; I forgot how comfortable they feel in the hand, and how handy they are in a purse. [I love the purse I'm currently using; not only is it purple, but it can carry a paperback, my Kindle, my tablet, and all the diabetes, glasses, and other supplies I need to have with me. Oh, and my camera and wallet. :)] Most of the library books I get are hardback, and of course most books I get these days are on the Kindle. These are available in other formats, including Kindle, but I got the others to match the format I had the first book in.

I also broke down and bought the complete series of a show I loved as a child, and still really enjoy--M*A*S*H. The price has come down so that you save more off the list price than it now costs, and I thought it might become unavailable if I waited too much longer. It worked out to be about $2.61 per disc (there are 36 discs, including the original movie, all eleven seasons, and bonus features).

My foot was throbbing terribly towards the end of my reading and so I got up and walked around a little and that seems to have helped. I'll take some Tylenol before bed to make sure it doesn't keep me awake.

Tomorrow I work, I need to pick up my meds from the pharmacy (I would have today, but they had to order one, and it should be there tomorrow, so I thought it best to just drive across town the once), go to physical therapy, and then over to my friends' house.

I'm sneezing up a storm, despite my Claritin. There's something, trees, I think, that blooms in late January, early February that sends my allergies into overdrive. It's always when I first notice buds on maples, although I must confess I haven't looked at those of late to see if they are open, I've just noticed it before, but I don't know if I'm allergic to those specifically. It could be something else. But I actually had an asthma attack on my way in to work today, which is rare for me. I have a rescue inhaler, but even when I got to work I had a hard time getting air and talking. I guess the allergies coupled with the cold air triggered it. It's no fun. Thank goodness my asthma is mild and I rarely use my inhaler.

It's only 10:30 but I think I'm going to head on to bed. I need to leave work a bit early to get to the pharmacy and then to physical therapy, so I'm going to try to go in early. Hope you have a good night.

A productive morning

I didn't go to bed until almost 1 am, but I slept well, waking up only a couple of times in the middle of the night. This morning I got up, showered, had a light breakfast, and immediately started working on those thank-you cards. I have twenty in the mailbox ready to go out, and seven more addressed but I didn't have stamps for them. I also checked on a friend who's not feeling well and contacted another about arrangements for laundry. The plan is to take it over there. With a little help, I think I can do it myself, since their house in much more accessible than my laundry room.

So I'm just now sitting down to the computer and haven't looked at the news yet, although lately the news has been fairly depressing, so maybe that's not a bad thing. My only plans today are to do my exercises as directed and send some e-mails. I might have a visitor today, I'm not sure.

It's sunny and supposed to be in the 50s. Tomorrow it's supposed to be warm and rainy, and then the temperature plunges. Friday we could have snow and winds up to fifty miles an hour. Since the laundry is slated for tomorrow, I'm glad I should be able to make it up the stairs without crawling on them.

Although I hate things unnecessarily on my feet, I'm wearing a sock and shoe on my good foot because otherwise even walking around the house, the discrepancy between the booted foot and the good foot is too great and it hurts my back. I'm not putting a lot of weight on the bad foot yet; the physical therapist said to use the pain as a guide. It's not incredibly painful; I'm not having to take pain medicine or even Tylenol, and in general it doesn't hurt if I'm not actively on it, but it does hurt somewhat, so the walker is still bearing most of my weight on that side. Still, with the exercises and gradually increasing the weight on that leg, the idea is that I'll strengthen everything and be up to going back to work. I'm hoping I can do that right after the beginning of the year, in about three weeks, but the doctor hasn't given me a clear idea. That's contingent upon getting rides to and from work; I don't think I'll be up to walking the nearly half-mile to the bus stop, and trying to cross the road with a walker twice is probably not tenable. Someone suggested Wheels, LexTran's service for people with disabilities who can't use the regular buses, so I'm going to check into that. It would be a temporary measure, of course, but might help.

Speaking of that, I should go look into it. Hope you have a good day.

Well, I had hoped for better

1. I got the worst case scenario--I have an ankle fracture as well as the two metatarsals in my foot.
2. If we can get the swelling down, I'll be having surgery on my ankle sometime next week. Good thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.
3. I'm off work for now, unsure of when I will go back.
4. I e-mailed the coordinator for the trip to Chicago and said that in all likelihood, I need to cancel. So, no Field Museum, no giant T. Rex skeleton as I take care of my bones.
5. A little down tonight as a result. But I'm alive, at least. And also I have some more medicine for the pain, plus something to bring the inflammation down. This morning when they unwrapped my foot, it was this sickly swollen yellowy green, from the bruising. And, I'm back in the splint, non-weight-bearing still. And Brandon brought me pillows that are helping with sitting up and keeping the leg propped up.
6. I have talked with a host of people today, whether friends, co-workers, business related to the accidents, etc. I am cheered by the willingness to help from all of them, and well wishes.
7. Brandon took my by YKWIA's today, so I got to see him (albeit from the car. No trying to get me up any more steps than necessary.) It was good to see him. He is an odd best friend, and most people would not find him comforting. But I do, generally.
8. I'm lucky to have good friends. I'm finding out I may have more than I thought. My definition of 'friend' is someone who you can count in in a pinch. And there seem to be quite more than I thought out there.
9. Sooo, for now I'm going to count my blessings, and I'm going to try to focus on the positive.
10. Really.

'You can get hit by a car and live'

So said a former acquaintance's four-year-old daughter when she got bumped by a car years ago. Well, I have to admit, it's true.

I was crossing Richmond Road today on the way to catch the bus, obeying all traffic lights and laws, and in the crosswalk. A man turning left with the yellow caution arrow came into me, running over my foot and hitting me on the right side. Fortunately for me, 1) an EMT and physician on their way to work both stopped and prevented him from trying to move me, 2) they called 911 and stayed with me, giving me a quick once over, making sure I was breathing okay and knew my name and such, 3) they kept him in place until the police and ambulance arrived, 4) there was a police report and the driver does have insurance, and 5) if you're going to get hit by a car, it's always nice when you're within sight of a hospital.

The folks with the police, EMTs, and St Joseph Hospital were great. I'm not clear just how extensive the damage is--at least two bones in the foot are quite broken and possibly the ankle, judging from my paperwork. They put a splint on me and gave me crutches, and I'm to see an orthopaedic specialist to determine eventual treatment. I called and got an appointment for Tuesday. The biggest problem I have at the moment is the crutches. My right leg is my normally good leg, I have arthritis in my left knee. So I'm putting a lot of pressure on it since I can't put weight on the right. And of course, there's quite a bit of weight to put on one leg only. I had some crazy idea of trying to make it into work today after everything until I tried the crutches and found I am virtually immobile at the moment. I'll work with them tomorrow and see if I can get around the house. Then we'll tackle going back to work. Thank goodness I have a sedentary job.

Thank you to Brandon for getting me home, getting my medication, and getting me something to drink. He'll also be taking me to my orthopaedic appointment. [Bless his heart, texting 'Dont panic. I got hit by a car today' just didn't go over well, and I worried him terribly]. Thanks to A for calling and checking on me, and Brenda for her offer to get me food if needed or anything else I need. And thanks to YKWIA for letting everyone know what happened. Also to the folk at work for being understanding and offering to take me home.

Okay, I've eaten, had something to drink, taken a pain pill (I hate the things, but there are times they're necessary), and I am going to retreat to my bedroom and get my leg elevated.

I'm just now getting home and it's after nine

I worked my full schedule till 7 this evening, waited for the bus till 7:30, and went to Kroger since there was one more bus that went by there for the night. I didn't have anything in the house beyond green beans and Irish oats, I'm afraid, otherwise I would have waited until later in the week. That only took 20 minutes, though, so I waited 40 minutes in the cold for that last bus. I could have walked home, but 1) my foot has really been hurting and 2) I was in black pants and jacket, so it wasn't the best time to go walking down a sidewalk-free road in the bike lane at night. But I'm home now, that's what counts, and I've eaten a bagel and cream cheese (would you believe I had never had one until I worked for a bagel company when I was 25?) Yum.

My foot is either still broken or I have a horrible case of arthritis there. The pain woke me up the night before last and I had to ice it to help. I blame Bill, who fifteen years ago stepped on me (the hazards of being short around a person 6'5") in just that place. I didn't have insurance then and hobbled around for weeks. I think it either broke then or the bone was weakened. Then three years or so ago I had the stress fractures there. This winter my podiatrist suspected another stress fracture. (They don't show up on x-rays until they heal, though.) This time it's hurting there and also up the side of my foot, up the top further, and into my ankle. It started hurting when the temperature plunged 30 degrees; it had been doing better. So maybe it is arthritis. I really do not want to perpetually be in the Frankenboot. Have any of you had similar issues?

Before the foot issue reared its ugly head again, I had thought about joining an aerobic dance class that started at work tonight. Granted, I'd probably look silly, but I think we all think that, I'm sure. It sounds fun. I know the foot would feel better if I lost weight, but it's hard to do so when you're hobblng around. A bike might be a good idea, though, and I have my grandmother's exercise bike here. I know, I talk about it, but I don't get on it, right?

I think I'll check the news and post if there's anything of interest. If not, good night.

I'm having a slight reaction where I inject my insulin

My abdomen is a bit itchy and blotchy with small red areas where I've been injecting. I'll check with Dr Nesbitt to make sure it's not a sign of allergy, but it may just mean I've irritated the skin by relying on just my abdomen so far, so I've rotated to my upper arm. It's best, apparently, to keep to one general area (but rotate within) for one to two weeks before moving to a new one so your blood sugars don't vary too much. But I've been injecting just in my abdomen (after all, there's a lot of it) since I started on insulin about four weeks ago, so I figured it was time to change.

As far as I can tell, the SoloSTAR pens, which are used with Lantus and Apidra (although separately, of course), don't appear to have latex in them, which is a concern for me. So, I'll see what my doctor says. It's itched since about the second or third day, but I didn't get the red spots until the last day or two. Of course, it may be getting red because I'm scratching occasionally, although I'm trying to avoid that. I go back next Wednesday. Like I said, it's very mild, but I'm going to call tomorrow just to be on the safe side, assuming I get out of my podiatrist appointment before they close up shop (it's their short day). Come to think of it, my podiatrist is right next door (literally, in the same hallway), so I could just stop by and ask.

Meanwhile, I've decided to come clean to my podiatrist and just show up sans boot and explain that I haven't worn it for about a week to ten days, so I've been non-compliant. But my joints in that leg were hurting worse than the foot due to the change in gait. My foot does feel much better, with just twinges now and then (in other words, about normal).

We have a really light clinic day on Monday. I'm thinking about taking off that day, although I still have to get up early for a 9 am mammogramme. (Yes, I know, the only thing I'll be showing my breasts to on Valentine's Day is a machine that squishes them. Sad, yes, sad indeed.

Okay, I'd better eat something. I took my Apidra a few minutes ago.

The Frankboot broke

on the way across a four-lane highway this evening. The strap that keeps it on the leg snapped in two (and that strap was only on it a week). I'm hoping I can get it fixed tomorrow (for lo, Frankenboot has died, but may be resurrected).

I heard an amusing thing today. When asked what was wrong with my foot, one of my friends (who is very blond, in more ways than one), said it was stressed. It had to be explained to him that a stress fracture means it's broken. :) What can I say, this was the same friend who thought a metal lamp had DNA. Blond to his roots.

So glad to be home

and out of the *expletive of your choice* boot. My foot's hurting more than it has since I went into it, so I took a couple of ibuprofen. Hopefully that will take the edge off of it.

I had a somewhat wild ride on the way home. It wasn't our regular bus driver, and this one sang spirituals, ran red lights, stopped at Wendy's, and drove in a breakneck, jerky fashion. Let's just say I was glad when he stopped and let me off.

Unlike many people, I don't get off for Martin Luther King Day, and it was a full workday today. I'm tired and contemplating a nap, but it's almost 8:30 pm as it is. Maybe I'll just sit and read in the comfy chair with my foot up.

I'm full from dinner at the cafeteria--tilapia with broccoli and tater tots, so I don't have to eat. I might have some crackers and peanut butter right before bed, when I take my insulin.

I need to sit down and pay some bills, but I've got a few days before they're due, so I think I'll just take the comfy chair option and set my alarm in case I fall asleep to take my medicine.

Just in case I don't write anymore tonight, goodnight.

I stopped at the library on the way home from work

And got these gems:

Small Favor by Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files, book 10)
A Touch of Dead by Charlaine Harris (the complete Sookie Stackhouse short stories)
The Trinity Cat and Other Mysteries by Ellis Peters

With all the sleeping I did last week, I didn't get any more books read, although I did read several stories from Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm. I must confess I've played several games of Monopoly instead of reading. That's what I did at the doctor's office while I was waiting.

I know I said I would try not to write about my foot for awhile. This is only tangential to that. The worst thing about the boot is even though I pad it with my pants, the padding that surrounds the foot, and a hand towel, it rubs on both sides of my leg. It's very red. This is the first day. That's not good for someone who's diabetic. On the other hand the podiatrist only tends to have the taller boots now, and my calves don't fit. I'm going to check with the office to see if they know of any solution, because after 32 days I'm not going to have any skin left. I don't know if it's the design, my body, or I'm doing something wrong. I'll have to find out. As it is for the moment, those areas are hurting about as much as my foot is.

Wednesday I have my regular doctor's appointment. I'm going to talk with him about two things: the need for a bone density scan since I seem to be breaking them so easily and I'm only 43 (and theoretically should have stronger bones because of the weight I bear, although I suspect that isn't the case). Also, there's the Abilify issue and higher blood sugars.

I eat a goodly amount of milk products. Today I had 3 of those half-pints of 2% milk, 2 things of yoghurt, and some cottage cheese. I don't think I'm particularly calcium deficient. I do have some supplements, but they're horse pills, although they can be broken in half (they're still hard to swallow that way, chalky). I understand from talking with a couple of women that they make petite forms of calcium pills, now. I'll ask Dr Nesbitt what he thinks.

It was a good day. It was a little slower in my capacity of librarian than last week, but I had a lot to do with the data entry, including catching up on some filing and statistics. I don't feel particularly sleepy, either, so I'm going to try to go catch up on some things now. I'll probably write some more, but just in case, have a good night.

PS We're supposed to get 2-4" of snow tonight. Joy. It already feels like February around here. It's also been colder than average. Maybe I'm getting old and grouchy. I used to love snow. I still think it's pretty, but I don't get off school and get to play in it much these days. :)

Sometimes I hate being right

Usually I'm all for it, but not today. I do have a stress fracture, and I have to wear my immobilising boot for a month and then check back in with my podiatrist. Mind you, we're supposed to get 2-4" of snow tomorrow. This should be fun. I'm already a klutz. Why don't they put rugged treads on the bottom of those things? Okay, I'm off to get into the boot and head back out for work. I'll try to make this the last foot-related post for awhile.

Good news

I got the results of the MRI and there are no stress fractures, which makes me feel better. See, the ones I had before were in an area where a very large friend stepped on my foot years before and probably broke the bones then, so they were weaker and fractured with my weight and standing up to 10 hours a day at work. But if normal bone fractured, then there must be something wrong with my bone density or something. I haven't reached the age where they start scans yet, so I haven't had one. I so need to increase my calcium, though. I understand calcium citrate comes in something other than horse pills now. :)

What I do have, however, is a severe (she stressed that several times on the phone) case of peroneal tendonitis, so I have to wear the boot for at least a month. If the pain gets worse, then they want to take me to non-weight-bearing, so I'd need crutches. That would seriously be a problem at work. I will say that when in the boot I have no pain other than a spot on my leg where the boot's plastic rubs. I've been putting on band aids and wearing heavy socks (despite the fact that it's summer) in an effort to counteract that. Being diabetic, I have to be vigilant about eroding patches of skin.

Speaking of summer, I think I spent all day sweating. The hospital is air conditioned, of course, but I put a lot of boxes of children's books on a cart, took them to a closet, pulled out different boxes to unpack and put books on our clinic book cart, and put the newer ones (many were the same title, and I didn't want to overwhelm the clinic with too many of them at once) in the closet. I really worked up a sweat between pushing the cart with the boot on (although two people helped me out with that part) and toting boxes. I worked on that right up to time to go and went straight into errands in an unconditioned car, then over to a house where the air conditioning is turned off for reasons I won't go into. I also cooked over a stove there and did my laundry, so that raised the temperature around me even more.

So the first thing I did after getting home was take a shower. I'm clean, and I have a clean night shirt on, and this makes me happy, especially as I have both air conditioning and a fan if necessary.

Speaking of heat, on Friday I got my hair cut. I donated 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love, and the hair cut was free as a result. It's now very short, but I couldn't stand the long hair anymore even in a ponytail given the heat, so it's fine now, although when I perspire my hair as a whole goes damp, and then it starts to do a flip up. It's a little longer in the front than back, with layers. Here's a somewhat fuzzy picture:



I like it, but I'm not used to it yet. I'm used to flipping my hair up on the pillow when I go to bed, for example. But it doesn't get tangled and it's really easy to take care of. I can poof it up a little with mousse and a hair dryer, but this is just me after a quick shower and not doing anything but running a comb through it.

Heaven help me I am not photogenic in the least.

Well, that's all for now. I think I'll turn in early tonight.

Short and sweet

These three Twitter posts say it all:

eilir: Tomorrow I get to fix the car. Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!
less than 5 seconds ago from web

eilir: I am so not wearing the air boot on my foot when I sleep. It is too clunky and hot. I can't even stand socks on my feet, much less this!
less than 5 seconds ago from web

eilir: Snot! Effusive snot to the point of not being able to breathe out of nose! I hate allergies/colds!
less than 5 seconds ago from web

[but I'm not going to take the codeine/phenergan cough syrup again since I overslept this morning as a result]

I'm very tired and I have to be at the auto shop at 8 am. I'm going to bed now. Good night!

Sick

Last night I came in from work and just passed out. I've had a sore throat for a couple of days. Now I'm sniffling and coughing, the latter bad enough that sometime when I was up during the night I took some cough syrup with phenergan and codeine, and that helped me sleep.

Yesterday was also the first day I wore the boot. I forgot how clunky and Frankenstein-like it is. I couldn't bring myself to sleep in it, as bad as I felt already. I'll do that tonight. But last night I just had to have the thing off of me.

I am so glad tomorrow is the day the car gets fixed, barring any complications. Yesterday the buses got trapped in the transit centre due to fire trucks. I'd taken one to the pharmacy to get some baby aspirin (which keeps blood clots from forming in the leg with the boot) and the next bus just never came, and the one after that was late, so I was about 10 minutes late for work. It was truck night, and I mostly ran the register and put away a few things since I couldn't really get up on the ladder to put away cigarettes.

Okay, I got up, checked to make sure I got paid today, and now I'm going back to sleep for a little while. My head hurts. Maybe I should take some of that aspiring now. I'm thinking aspirin and ibuprofen together are not a good combination. The CPAP machine helps me breathe when I'm sniffly. I hope I feel better soon.

I feel like I have walked all over creation today

although that's an exaggeration, of course. I did walk over to the doctor's office today to see about my ankle. I have peroneal tendonitis and a possible stress fracture in my foot. I have an appointment for an MRI on Friday. They asked me if I were claustrophobic and I said yes. Apparently if you are they sedate you and you have to have someone drive you. I am the main driver, so I really don't have anyone to drive me, unless Margaret was free. So I said I'd just work through it. Only my waist down has to go in the machine. When I had the stress fractures in my other foot a couple of years ago I had trouble with the MRI but managed to get through it okay. Now when they did my head I had an open MRI and felt much better.

The doctor had a hard time trying to fit a boot on me because although my feet are very small, my calves are large, and the uppermost strap wouldn't close. She sent me across the street to a brace office, but they weren't in my insurance network. Since it would have been next Monday before I could really go to another orthotics office, I said I would go ahead and pay out of pocket, which in this case meant $250 out of my flexible spending account. But when I saw the orthotist, I mentioned that I had a boot that had been on my other foot. They're universal, and although he couldn't say for certain that it would help in this case, he suggested trying it and seeing. It's shorter than the one the doctor tried and therefore the calf issue is moot. They didn't charge me for the consult. I got to the bus stop before realising I'd left my umbrella, had to go back, and then managed to catch the bus to work.

I used some points I'd built up at Papa John's to get a free pizza today. That's pretty much held me all day. I talked to a friend who was really down and upset. I hoped I helped her. Then I went over to another friend's to do some work for him. I got in from there about an hour ago.

I'm looking forward to getting the car fixed on Thursday. I hope it won't be too expensive. It's also the day that LexTran rides are free. I haven't decided whether to take the day off or go to work during the repair and going back out to pick up the car. Thursday is our catered employee appreciation cookout, and we get a gift from the hospital. Although I don't eat the hamburgers, hot dogs, or baked beans (which have meat in them), they usually have garden burgers that have been cooked separately. So it would be nice to be there. I'm leaning towards that, especially given that I was out two days last week for the museum and the seminar, and I'll have to leave early Friday for the MRI.

Tomorrow and Wednesday I'm working from 10 am to 10 pm, with only a bus ride down Richmond Road between jobs. In theory I should be off from the store on Thursday and work 6-10 on Friday (another reason I couldn't do the valium sedation for the MRI).

I did my good deed for the day during my wait for the bus home. A pit bull puppy had wandered out of a house and the little boy who was holding the door open and calling it was being ineffectual. Of course, it came over to me, being the only other person around and it being a curious pup. I picked it up and brought it back over to the townhouse entrance. Fortunately the bus didn't come for another few minutes.

I meant to mention the other day that there is an advantage to riding the bus and walking down the road--you notice so much more along the side of the road. For example, as we passed the reservoir on Richmond Road the other day there was a turtle or tortoise sunning itself, its head bobbing up and down. There are also lots of geese with their goslings there. There were the daisies the other day, of course, but at the inbound bus stop across from the hospital there is a patch of tall yet small-flowered thistles that butterflies really love. I'm sure when they go to seed the birds will be all over them. When I used to live over by the hospital and walked, there was a creek where I'd stop and watch the fish for awhile.

Speaking of which, my platy mom has been having more babies. I'm not sure how many I have now, but the first ones are over a quarter of an inch now and a darker orange. The black swordtail is pregnant too. Thursday I hope to take some water over to Animal House to have it tested to see if it's okay. If so, I want to get an Amazon lily and a couple of golden snails at the very least and maybe a catfish or algae eater of some sort.

Tired and sore

It's been awhile since I pulled a 10-hour shift at the store. Some days I technically work 12 hours between the two jobs, but the library is mostly a sit down job, whereas I'm on my feet all the time at the store.

The foot I broke last year is really hurting, and I can't really bend it at all. I hope I haven't refractured it. It was my weight and standing that gave me the stress fracture before. I'm sure rest will help. At least that's what I tell myself. :) Maybe the fact is I'm getting older and things are breaking down. I used to be able to stock a cooler without my shoulders hurting afterwards.

In other words, I feel like a little old lady tonight with lots of aches and pains.

Speaking of little old ladies, we had the nicest older couple come in today. I'd say both were in their late 80s to early 90s, fragile but active and still with it, just a little hard of hearing. Assuming they got married when they were young, can you imagine spending that much time with someone over the years? Wow.

Okay, enough about me. I'm going to go looking for something to comment on.

Fruity Cheerios (TM) goodness

I haven't actually whigned about this, despite it being a health matter (yes, I know, I'm a hypochondriac/somatotise all my ills), but I suppose that my foot that was broken is still in the process of healing and it's been giving me some trouble lately. I can walk on it--it's not like I'm limping along--but I'll turn it the wrong way and there will be a sharp pain or it aches after I've been on my feet all day. And one thing about that peanut butter diet--you don't get much calcium.

So, I'm turning up the calcium intake to help it heal some more. I have milk in the house (mainly to be paired with cereal) and I'm trying to eat more green leafy vegetables. Today at work I had tilapia, a baked potato, and broccoli--not bad, especially as it was less than $3, much cheaper than when I get the salad bar.

As far as the Cheerios (TM) goes, I like the Fruity variety because it tastes a lot like Fruit Loops but it's whole grain, being a General Mills product, and it's also sweetened with real fruit juice. I don't know if Fruit Loops is or not.

Funny, but I almost always eat cereal at night. I guess I modelled after my grandfather, who would sit at the table and enjoy a late-night meal of Kellog's Corn Flakes (TM) or Cheerios (TM). It's a little nostalgic, I know, but in a way I made it a tradition in my life, much like he did. Funny the things that trigger those sorts of feelings.

My mother scared the daylights out of me yesterday

I'd gone out briefly and taken the chain off my door, because my mom comes over on Sunday mornings to crash at my place before heading home in an hour-long drive. She works 16-hour shifts over the weekend, so she's usually pretty tired. Normally I'm up and gone before she comes over, but yesterday I'd been up to take a friend home from work at 7 am and didn't have to be anywhere until 9, so I'd gone back to sleep. At 8:10 my second alarm went off and I'd just put it on snooze when I heard, 'Lisa' at the door to my bedroom. I never heard the front door open, and I nearly jumped out of bed.

We talked for a little while (I was a little late for that 9 o'clock deadline) and it was good to hear from her. I'm getting a mattress for Christmas, which is great and benefits us both. My current mattress, which is 20 years old, has bedsprings peeking through it in places. :) So here's to no more little scratches on my body. Yay!

PS I found the camera I'd been looking for (don't know if I mentioned it, but I wanted to take some pictures and was looking for it like crazy. It turned out to be on my kitchen table under some hotel lotions someone had given me. I'd looked in the same spot a dozen times and missed it because it's in a black case, I guess. Anyway, you might actually get some pictures on here as a result.

Also, I'm having great luck with clocks. I think I mentioned that I received a large, square, mantle-style clock for my 10th anniversary at the hospital. It sets its time by longwave radio and it couldn't pick up the signal in the hospital, so now it's in my living room working fine. Well, my family clock, a pendulum clock from Japan with a horse on top that we always had when I was growing up, is on my dining room wall and I was having trouble getting it to continue running. I got out my level for the umpteenth time (my mom and I had talked about it) and it's working now. I've put pencil marks underneath so I can be sure and keep it in position should I knock into it, etc. That leaves the large old-fashioned alarm clock and my mother's small travel clock in my bedroom, the computer clock, the stove, the microwave (rarely set), and the phone. So, I think I'm good on being able to tell time at the house.

I guess that's all for now. I was in a really great mood today because I actually got to be early last night. I'm up later tonight but had some down time this evening.

Oh, and I HAVE THE BOOT OFF!!!! Yay! I'll probably wear it at the store for another week or so, but the doctor said I could transition off of it now. Yipee!!! My foot feels much better, just twinges a bit. I need to ask Dr Rooney when I can go to the gym and start a walking routine. I figure if I'm paying for it, I might as well use it, right?

I have been poked, prodded, and positioned

spending about five hours today seeing to my knee, which I hurt in that fall on Monday. It was complicated by being workman's compensation rather than my normal insurance, so there was a lot of paperwork (and I'm not even counting the calls I made ahead of time.) Dr Nesbitt noticed (I hadn't) that I was bruised along the whole front of my lower leg, too (it was a very light discolouration), so he ordered views of my knee, my tibia, and my fibula. He also gave me a prescription for Darvocet for night-time, since it's been bothering me then, but to be honest I may just be okay with ibuprofen. It's not that painful as long as I stay off it--although I have to admit, after going through the exam and testing the range of motion, it did hurt quite a lot, and then after being given assisted yoga in getting the x-rays and then walking a long trek back to the car around some construction, I was ready to go home and rest for a bit.

That's been my day so far. Now I'm getting ready to go do laundry, do notes, and work on character sheets, so I'll be off both foot and knee for that. Then there's the big grocery run I take a friend on when he's paid, and that's definitely time for the boot. I'd hoped to get some stuff at home taken care of, like the dishes and some of the paper that's lying around, or even watch a DVD that was given to me weeks ago, but I didn't expect the medical stuff to take quite so long (I was figuring maybe three hours. Silly me.) Oh, well.