Rathfoot Follow-Up 5-22-2013

  Busy day today, started with a Follow-Up to Dr Rathfoot and then some supply shopping. The visit went well but had a bit of good and bad. Good thing is that the area has finally quit dying from the Radiation damage, which is wild considering it's been over 3 years ago. Bad new, the scar tissue is pretty bad. For the last 2 weeks it has become increasingly harder to breathe, ok, longer than that, lol. The last 2 weeks though a little rough including bleeding and soreness, along with major hoarseness. Over the years I've learned to use my diaphragm to speak loud enough to hear and different amounts of pressure to use to make some sounds.

  He scoped me and saw that the vocal chords (I'm guessing thats right) weren't opening well and hindering air flow. Funny how the mind works. I heard that he wanted to do surgery and that I might have to have a temporary Trach Tube to breathe until the swelling went down and from there I went into panic mode, lol. I took it that he would do the Kenalogue (spelling ?) injections, possible stretching, and check to make sure the cancer isn't back or that he missed something. My mind however focused on the possibility of a tube in my throat, weird how that worked. I went into salvage mode and asked if we could first try the Prednisone dosage being doubled from 5mg to 10mg per day. It worked, I bought a month to see if the swelling will go down and the vocal chords will open up so I can breathe better. It ain't like I didn't know this was coming, but in the middle of summer, I hope to wait.

  We went from there to Earth Fare to get some stuff and from there to Sams to get more stuff. Other than Dr's appointments we don't do Knoxville or anywhere a whole lot, so we stock up when we go. We buy in bulk usually except for some everyday things, then we stock up on those items too. No coupon or sale, no buy. Those times we run short on funds, we stock enough to tide us over. One doesn't have to be a Doomsday Prepper to Prep for hard times or to save money.

  The gardens this year... not too good, and thats ok too. My breathing issues have slowed me down a lot and taken energy away. The two Peacocks that guarded my Green Bean Corn garden died last year of old age. We still have 4 roofs to replace from the storm 2 years ago. One crew I wouldn't hire again and the other broke apart, but I have help that if we ever get out of the Monsoon season we will put them on. The Tomato area is a wash, though Denise says replant. Between the rains and Megan's Mallards she turned loose they didn't stand a chance, plus Megan chasing her ducks took out a few. Cabbage, Garlic, and peppers are doing ok though and I don't know enough about Brussels Sprouts Swiss Chard, and Cauliflower to know how they're doing, but they look good. Ms Hen and her babies wiped the Okra out and most of the Sunflowers too. I didn't get the garden set up or the seeds started, due to my lawn mower repair, lol. I still don't have full use of the fingers yet, but I'm getting there. Funny how one second of ignorance can take months to get over. I want to work some on the house, the truck, and I'd like to work on one of the old cars, finishing the boat wouldn't hurt either. Maybe go fishing. Either way, I won't plant green beans this year. Corn, maybe, beans, nope. Sooo it's all good. :)           

Happy Brthday Denise

!!!Happy Birthday Denise!!!

05-08-2013

  In a little over a week I go back to Rathfoot for a follow-up, hopefully he will be impressed. I upped my Prednisone to 10mg after a battle for soreness and closing off, oddly enough usual for this time of year. Since I don't have the other garden maybe it will go better. I haven't bush hogged yet though but the mowing has been ok so maybe that will go better this year too. Not having the beans may give the knees some time to get better too. From all this rain it is just as well, the other 2 gardens are downing, tomatoes already almost gone. I think too the mold on the ground affects me somehow.

  Megan has learned to keep up with the signs and makes the most out of the days she can when the signs are right. Despite all the water, most of the plants in her area are doing well. Today we went to Sears at East Towne Mall, though I think it's called Knoxville Mall now. I bought a head for the weedeater that uses a different type of string and some shirts me and Megan found. She was shocked at how empty it was. We stopped at KFC and ate, why I have no idea. Then we decided since it was raining we'd just blow the rest of the day, so we went to the Lodge Outlet store in Pigeon Forge, or is the Sevierville, all looks the same these days. I came back with a massive deep frying skillet, we didn't have one of those, lol. I think the WOK is all we lack that they make. :) I have no idea what those are. We don't have one of those hanging 3 legged Dutch Ovens, but I ain't cooking outside unless it's on a grill, lol. It was raining today so we did our running, plus it gave my toes time to heal up a bit, broke two of them about 2 nights ago when I ran into a fan base. That day the cow got out and we had to walk the field, new experience in ouch, lol. I felt like I was at UPS all over again. I once broke two toes on the road, called in to tell them and the boss said ok. He then wanted to know what I wanted and I told him I broke two toes and wanted to know what to do. He said tape them up but be quick about it, don't get behind, lol.

   We seen our first snake yesterday, a Copperhead. It crossed the driveway in front of us as we were walking down and headed into a Yucca and looked to be going towards the barn. Megan wanted to know if I was going to kill it, I think I had something in my hand. We walked to the truck and I got my shotgun out, loaded it and shot in the grass, just not in the Yucca. I think it was already gone. Tomorrow the signs are right to plant above ground so we will dig up some of these Maples and transplant them. I think though since the snake came from that area if I can I'll mow through it first and if not, weed eat a path. They are suppose to be plentiful this year as wet as it's been and both Peacocks are gone now. We will be wearing boots, lol. We live at the edge of the woods, between 2 creeks... the grandkids say we live in the woods, lol. I will invest in some young Peafowl this year and in a couple of years I'll have snake patrol again. I hear cats will keep snakes out and so far that seems to be the case... not. 

05-02-2013

  I've spent the last 2 days running mom around to the doctor and to get her car fixed, tomorrow will be the same. She has done well except for bleeding behind her eyes. Dr Jaynes referred her to another doctor who referred her to get blood work done, and she still don't know anything yet. Me and Denise broke down and bought a new Sofa & Loveseat from Ramsey's Furniture store and tomorrow they're suppose to be delivering it. That meant that today when I got back we had to remove our other one to make room. We gave them to Mark & Bobbie. Tomorrow will be hectic. Pay house insurance, follow and pick up mom, be back before 9am in case the delivery is early, followed by take mom to get her car and at the end of the night take place in a dental survey on head and neck cancer.

  This year I've been reluctant to plant the other garden, last year I had too much to take care of. I'm not sure if it is age, health, or a combination of the two, but I found my limit. The fingers threw me behind on things, one of which was fixing the tractor's power steering. Megan mostly, but I helped, tilled the other gardens with a tiller and the one lacking almost has to have the tractor and rotovator. Without my Peacocks to ward off snakes this year that also plays a role, but we have cats, wild cats. Two dead trees still standing... I can think of a thousand reasons to not do it. Still, maybe just a little bit, lol. If I were like I once was I wouldn't hesitate, but I'm not and there are other matters pressing. I still have the roofs to put on, the dump truck to finish, and today Denise informed me that we would put the wood floors down in the house when she takes vacation finally. We've had that flooring since 2008. I had it all mapped out when my shoulder snapped. Each week we'd get something else done. Sunroom done outside. Flooring put down. Bug put back together, maybe. I had to have a heart cath before the surgery, which went well until recovery, then it went crazy. The clot broke loose, first time I ever seen blood squirt that high up, or smell that bad. I was almost ruptured pressing the site the second time in places no man wants to feel pain. The skin was removed along with the pressure bandage and I found out blood is toxic to the body when it goes under or in the skin. By the time I was healed enough to do anything other than the basics on the Sunroom, it was surgery time. Hopefully the wood is still good after all these years in the basement.

  If it doesn't rain then the tractor maybe this weekend. I've never rebuilt a steering piston, let alone two, but it can't be any harder than rebuilding an old convertible top motor on a Buick. At some point I want to replace the plumbing in Denise's mom and dad's bathroom. We fixed it a week or so ago. I'd like to take Denise and Megan horseback riding once, they've never ridden a horse and Pigeon Forge has a few of the stables to ride. Several other things need repaired too but also I'd like for me and Denise to ride the bike more than three times this year, and maybe ever do something I've been going to do for over 30 years, go fishing. I'd also love to finish just one of the cars I started back then and take the Skylark out, drop the top and go on a picnic. I'm not sure I'll do the bigger garden this year. We all have a bucket list and that is mine. I figure if I'm gonna dream, dream big. Megan in her own part.

   

04-13-2013

I went to Dr Schindler today and he looked at the fingers and said the stitches were ready to come out, so he took them out. I have a lot of faith in that man. They are still swelled and he said to keep an eye on the Pinky since it was the one that had bacteria growing in it. I guess the bones and stuff are a bit bruised is the swelling thing, still can't put pressure or grab stuff yet, but I will, it'll just take time. The end of one finger is black, but hopefully that'll change. It looks as though I have kept my fingers, minus some of the material (guess that was fat) in the last two. This could have turned out a lot worse. Proof that God watches out for idiots. :) I have the worse 2 taped up tonight, just in case. It won't be long until I can get dirty again, the grip part will come. Soon as it does I have to fix the power steering on the tractor and the manifold on the dump truck. They will be off and not running, lol. It's all good.

 

04-08-2013

  Me and Megan planted Carrots today... well Megan planted and I supervised. Usually this time of year I have a lot of trouble with my throat and Dr Rathfoot is expecting it to be as usual. I think he will be pleasantly surprised though when my throat doesn't close up as much from lack of gardening. I have my fingers though and I think I have past the worry of losing them to this event, thank God. The end of this week or next week, the stitches come out. I had thought that would be the freedom to go back at it at first. I was wrong again. The swelling is taking it's time going down and the bones are tender with pressure. X-Rays showed nothing broken or fractured so the bones must be bruised pretty bad inside. I think this is going to be a while yet.

  I've been going without the bandages when I'm at home during the day. I believe the air helps the fingers to heal and I get a chance to exercise them. I probably get the stitches out towards the end of the week, first of next week. I thought that would be the hump over and done, but I could be wrong... again, lol. The tears and cuts are healing good and I think the bacteria is going out of the Pinky, but the swelling is slow to respond. I can bend the fingers a little but not enough to grip and the bones are sore to pressure. It's finally dry enough to load the calves but no way I can handle them, the gate, or the door. Mark always helps me with them and I'm sure he would do it if I asked him to, but that would risk injury to him. We have to have at least 2-4 people to load them up safely. I need to build a loading chute, but that takes money and time.

  As usual, I go for plan B and C if I must, and thank God I have help to carry them out, else there would be no alternative plan this time. I had planned on growing a lot of different things but seed starting should have already been, soil conditioning should have too, as well as site preps. So this year perhaps much smaller than usual, less diverse as planned.... but maybe that ain't such a bad thing. Feels like it sometimes though. I have to believe, apart from my stupidity, things that are allowed to happen do so for a reason. Personally I think most things are just events, neither good nor bad, but neutral, and what we do with those events determine what they are. Sometimes we can take an event and turn it around, but I think if we allow, all things work to glorify God's love and will.

  Megan has wanted to learn gardening, so here is her chance. She has the need to grow things and has studied on some things. She wants to learn to build and with her new 6 ducklings she will need to build a large pen. Instead of building it she will build it, and I will serve as a helper and consult. For a time, I will have to serve as her and Denise's helper and on some things, and an observer on others. I have no problem with any of that except being an observer. Megan wants to learn to bake bread, so this is her chance to do that too. Now if I can get her to drive, lol. I think that day perhaps she saw how important driving is. She wanted to drive me to the hospital, and I'd loved to have had her done that, except I was already in pain and injured and didn't want more, lol. I want her to be independent, self sufficient, and confident so that when we are no longer here, she will be ok and also help her mom. I know full well my condition and where I stand in longevity, so I need to step it up a notch. To help her increase as I decrease and yet do something I could not, remain with a pure heart.    

Healing

I'm healing pretty quick, just not as quick as I'd like to heal. The little finger has got an infection, bacteria, or something like that. The antibiotics got me another yeast infection in the throat but already working on fixing that. In addition to the meds, turns out, Unsweetened Yogurt is actually good for that. I think I have another week before they look at the sites and take out the stitches.

  I think I just killed my chance at a hand model, lol.