So now this will be a blog, too. Google swept in and made my blogs impossible to find and post.
So this will be a blog for both my writing news/angst/etc, and about Lupus issues.
First, as a writer, I recently posted on Twitter, as Bratgal. I have been inundated by "followers"......Now what do I do? I try to thank them all; use a copy and paste message, of all things, but it saves time. I don't think it's "polite" to ignore them, even though they may not be my new best friend.
Does anyone know of a "primer" for Twitter? One that explains when to use @ and when to use # and all the other tricks of the trade.
I recently was asked by The American Military Family Museum to send an excerpt from my book, Once a Brat, Always a Brat, to be posted on their website, and a photo of my dad's retirement from the US Army, in 1958. It's a hoot, this photo. Mom and I are wearing "cat's eye" glasses, and my younger brothers, Gary, 14 and Robert, 6 look like Wally and The Beaver. Only my father looks great, in his uniform.
Next, for my latest news on the health front -- Last week, I had home health people parading in and out of my house. First, my neurologist suggested it, as he -- darn it -- had to increase the dosage of my Primidone, which is used against my "benign essential tremors" -- to one in the morning and two at bedtime. We'll see how I do when I go back next month.
Anyway, this same neurologist recommended I see an ENT specialist, and I went to the best in town, according to my friends. I filled out a questionnaire while I was waiting my turn for the "treatment" room, and was absolutely astounded when the last question was simply: Lupus? I not only answered in the "yes" column, but I also circled the name "Lupus." Like, heck, yeah...how did you know?
Then it was my turn in the treatment room. I laid down on the exam table, and tech put a sort of mask on my face, exposing only the left eye. I was told to look at the window, then turn and look to the right. More of the same, until she was satisfied I had done all the preliminary work.
Oh, I forgot to add: I had a hearing test administered and was pleased with the results: I hear better than most people my age: will be 76 in April.
The treatment began with the tech running what felt like a tractor, vibrating all over my head. It has a name for the treatment, that I can't remember right now. At the end, I was asked to sit up and I thought I was going to fall, I was so dizzy. Not only was the room spinning, I was spinning, too. The tech grabbed me under the arms and held me until that dizziness passed.
Then I went in to see the doctor. He asked a few pertinent questions, then told me I had "positional vertigo." Especially when I looked to the left, or moved to the left. (That explains why I had fallen to the left when I got out of bed to go to the bathroom one night, and thought I had broken my thumb. Fortunately I was still in my carpeted bedroom, and not in the tile-floored bathroom.)
Then he told me we all have crystals in our ears, that normally are attached to the small hair follicles in our ears. Apparently, my crystals had fallen off the hairs and all ended up in a ball where they shouldn't be. The treatment apparently moves those pesky little crystals into another ear canal, where they would eventually re-attach. For 48 hours, however, I had to sleep on my right side, and at a 45 degree angle. Heh. I sleep on my left side. And flat. But I did it. Propped up on my bed, turned to the right. I tried sleeping in my recliner, but couldn't do that for some reason. Just didn't feel right.
So now, I'm feeling fine. No more walker, no more cane, I intend to vacuum my bedroom and the area rug in the bathroom, and do a little dusting. I talked to my daughter in CA yesterday, and she said I sounded "strong" for a change. Well, that's how I feel. Stronger. More confident.
Wait till I tell the home health pros. Oh, yeah. I forgot to tell you that I'm doing some things right, already. I have a shower stool in my shower. All I need are a couple of hand grips. NO TUB BATHS. Whine. Whine. But I don't want to get stuck in there for a couple of days, like one therapist told me.
There are two therapists: One is Occupational Therapy, to see about how I manage things around the house (she recommended a plastic cup with a handle and a lid, and I found one in the pantry. Already complying with that. The Occupational Therapist will only focus on my upper body strength. Then the Physical Therapist will concentrate only on my lower body strength.
Good Lord! It sounds like The Government. Make it as complex as you can, so everybody gets a piece of the pie. Thank God my insurance is paying for all of this.
Here ends the narrative about my lupus adventure.
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