Wednesday, August 19, 2015

A Change Would Do You Good

WHAT?
 Don't worry girls....this change doesn't involve ya'll!  I have just reached my limit on these health problems.  Something's got to give.  I'm sick of feeling bad, I'm sick of myself even.  Sick of laying around here feeling like crap.  Sick of sitting in front of this computer all evening, night after night not having a life.
First step is I go tomorrow to have some extensive allergy testing done.  Fortunately, I have a friend who is a very good ENT that is going to help me out and do this and maybe it won't break the bank.  Or at least, my feeble little checking account.  Allen built this guy's house years ago and I worked on it some, so it does pay sometimes to have been an ol' construction worker.  If the tests come out like I think they might, there may be some big career changes for me.  I don't know what yet but ceramics may be out of the picture.  At least for a full-time job.

 I don't know exactly what I'm going to do but I know I'm tired of wasting my life.  I know I can't help that I've had these problems and it's not just something I can will away...but I've got to do something to get better.  Of course, I've been trying all kinds of stuff all along, and I'll keep on with those things until I find out what's helping and what's not.  But it's no playing around anymore.  I'm tired of this crap.  I see so many other people doing great things with their life and I just can't fart around here making a few mugs and such and call it a day.  And yeah, most of those people don't have bad health issues but everyone has some kind of struggle, physical or not.  I can't let mine run my life anymore.

 I have to insert a funny story here about Muffin, the little Silkie hen in the photos.  I've tried for quite some time to get a few good photos of her because she's so darn cute, but it's rather difficult due to her coloring and the fact that she will NOT be still for even a second it seems.  So, I was trying to get a few photos the other day while it was not raining and she just would not cooperate.  Well, I got kinda tired of chasing her all around and started taking some photos of some of the other girls, who are much easier to work with.  After a few minutes I started hearing this little chirping sound behind me and I turned around to see Muffin staring indignantly at me....

Why you stop taking pictures of me????
 She stood there just still as could be while she scolded me.  I guess for not paying her enough attention!  So, I did finally manage to get a few photos of her.  Not great, but at least she was still.


 I also finally got the results of all those X-rays the rhuemy did back in May.  Said my hands and hips are fine (except for the SI joint) but my feet show a fair amount of "changes" due to arthritis.  The top of my spine is also showing spurs and growths.  They call it "cartilage-loss arthritis".  So, you know what that means....gotta get all the hiking in I can now while my feet will let me.  They are very painful now at times but I can go long stretches when they don't hurt so much and I've got to take advantage of that.  I'm still serious about hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back up again too.  Just gotta find someone that will go with me.  Or not.  I don't care at this point.  Of course, I also gotta start doing some hiking around here in Alabama!  We have some wonderful state and federal parks and I just have not taken anywhere near enough advantage of those.  So many places I want to go still.  And so many photos I want to take of those places.  I'm entering the Outdoor Alabama photo contest this year too.  I'm not terribly optimistic on that one but you never know.! 

 So, in other news, the garden has just gone to hell in a hand basket basically.  I have had zero energy to expend on it and even less after I quit eating starches.  We do have a few watermelons yet to pick and I get a few tomatoes every other day.  We have been getting tons of rain lately, so most of the maters have split, unfortunately.  The chickens sure enjoy them though.  I still expect to get some grapes also and we'll dig the potatoes.

How has your garden gone this year?  I haven't heard anyone say theirs has done really good.

6 comments:

ErinFromIowa said...

Cute Muffin story! I like the photo contest part. You sure do take some awesome ones. :)

Hermit's Baby Sis said...

Ditto to Erin - my problem would be trying to decide which photos to submit. Your, of course, not mine ;) Wishing your good results with the allergy tests - whatever they find it will be nice to know something, right?

JO said...

OK now allergy tests, I hope this finds something concrete to work with. You have been going through this for so long now. I have and apt. today but I still have not had any luck getting the ct scan done or the nuclear bone scan. Your right we can't keep this up. I want my life back too.

The photo contest sounds like maybe a new avenue for you. You take great pictures.

Pablo said...

No garden for me, unless you count my pine trees, in which case, it's gone very well this year.

Ed said...

You should do the Grand Canyon if you get the chance. I've hiked up and down it many times during my trip down it in a boat but I never made it all the way to the top any of those times. (It wasn't due to the physicality of it and had everything to do with the limited time I had before reporting back to the boats.) I did hike down from the rim once many years before the boating trip so I was able to connect the dots and know it can be done. That and my parents just hiked rim to rim in early spring this year via Phantom Ranch. They even had a bit of excitement when a fellow they had met at supper one evening had a massive heart attach and died at a scenic waterfall they were viewing. My dad says if he could choose a way to go, that way would be pretty high on his list.

MamaHen said...

Hey Erin! thank you!

Hey Sis! thanks! well, they found a lot it seems! I'll tell ya'l about it soon.

Hey Jo! Crappers! I sure hope you are able to have those tests done soon! And get some results that can help you from it!

Hey Pablo! well glad to hear your trees are doing well!

Hey Ed! I am going to do it if at all possible! I'm serious about that. And holy cow! that your parents were witness to all that. I bet your parents have some very interesting tales from all their travels. It's so great that they do all that. And yeah, kicking off in the Grand Canyon would be a great way to go! Well, unless it was a horrible accident of some sort...which tends to happen there....