I need a break!

There comes a time when it's no longer wise to write a blog, and my time has come.  I will be out of the blogging world, for both reading them and writing my own, at least for now.

I have enjoyed sharing my life, good times as well as not so good, and have appreciated all the comments and support I have received over the years.

So long for now, and you can still email me if you ever care to, but from now on I'm done with blogging.  Please, no comments because I won't get to see them, and your comments have often kept me going when I felt like throwing in the towel.

Good bye and good luck!

Gypsy (Marty)

A Waste of Time!

I might as well have stayed home this morning rather than visit the doctor.  She refused to agree that my problems with fatigue were due to anything but anemia, and that the thyroid wasn't an issue.   Shortly after I arrived home I had a message from the endocrinologist also stating that it was anemia and not thyroid, and that taking even a small dose of synthroid would be of no use.

The doctor wants to send me for as many tests as possible to determine why I'm anemic.  I refused a colonoscopy, I refused to go to the main hospital to see a hematologist, and she was a little upset with me.  I don't go to the main hospital because it entails parking in a very crowded and busy garage which is too dark for me to see well.  I swore off ever going back when I nearly hit an old man who walked in front of my car in that garage. 

As I see it, I am going to go on as usual and try an attitude adjustment to keep up my energy and spirits.   She even had the nerve to start asking me if I was suffering from depression, and asked a number of questions about it.  I think I keep a fairly positive attitude for what I'm contending with, and as I have said before, no matter how I feel or what happens to me, I have joy in my heart.   Does that sound like depression?  Maybe I just don't understand clinical depression, but I don't think I have it.

So I'm just going to try to live as normal a life as I can; I look around me now and ask myself, "Where do I start?", which could make me want to go back to bed when I see all the things I've let go lately!

Quick post

I felt pretty decent this morning but going down fast, and I'm meeting Jeannie at the gym at 4:30.  It's really late for me as what little energy I can muster has run down by then, but I enjoy seeing her when I can.

I'm trying to not watch so many Youtube videos now but need something to do when I'm sitting down.  So I have been working the daily xword in the newspaper, plus they carry the NYT xword which is a bit more difficult, and there are word games, word searches, etc. every day as well.  I usually finish each of them in no time after which I always say out loud:  "Damn, I'm good"; or "You're really good, Marty".  It's always a plus for me to know I'm retaining my word skills, which means my mind is still okay - at least that's how I look at it.  I sure can't meet many physical challenges these days.  Talking to myself? - Well I don't know what that says about me!

I just got word from my doctor to take iron tabs twice a day rather than just once.  Ok - I'll do it, but I can't imagine how much more magnesium I'll need to counter the side effects!  Taking any kinds of pills at all just puts you on a roller coaster.

Well, look at me and my "Quick Post".  See ya tomorrow - I'll try to post after my dr. appointment which is fairly early, west coast time.

My tests are done - UPDATE

Now I just have to be patient and wait for the results.  I walked around nearby Lowe's for a while but I find the layout of their store to be confusing, probably because I don't go there often.

From there I went to the gym for my 1+ mile on the treadmill.  It isn't easy to make myself walk, although it isn't all that bad.  I later went to Home Depot where I found several things on my list.  

I had a really big problem with the internet yesterday.  It slowed down to the point where nothing would load, and I had missed the opportunity to remark about it on my blog in case I should be shut out for a while.  I could use some features of my computer, but the internet was kaput!  This morning before calling AT&T, I decided to try resetting the box, and it worked!  Everything is back to normal.  I had thought about asking Donald to see what was wrong, and he would have gotten to the problem a lot sooner than I did, but I solved it nonetheless.

I'm trying to add a few things to my diet - some of it works and some things don't.  I have found that the least bit of ice cream makes me miserable an hour later, and I don't understand why as I use milk with cereal and protein shakes, and cream in my coffee,  but for some reason ice cream is not agreeing with me and it is becoming obvious that I need to give it up altogether.

I don't think any of them read my blog, but I will say my four kids are the most loving and generous people in the world.  I hope their children learn by example. 

UPDATE:
The doctor forwarded the results of one of the tests (I think there are more, but I'm not sure about that).  It shows I'm more anemic than I was before, and the test result she sent to me was for ferritin levels.  I have tried to research ferritin but it's like trying to learn Greek to me.  I could probably do much better learning Greek!   I will be seeing the regular doctor on Wednesday, so maybe I will get some explanations.  I have already decided I won't do further tests on this unless they are totally non-invasive.

I think I've mentioned that my sister has the opposite problem with too much iron in her blood.  I think both conditions affect the liver and I am glad I don't drink regularly or very much.  I think I will have a beer in a little while though.  Ice cream is out, and I need something tasty for comfort!  I'll probably forget all about it until it's too late and I'm getting ready for bed!

Really early start this morning.

I got a very early start this morning - up at 6:00, and on my way to Whole Foods to be there when they opened at 7am.   I never go to their store because every Whole Foods I've ever been to has a nightmare of a parking lot.  I don't know how they manage, but I just can't maneuver it safely and easily, so I wanted to be there when they opened their doors at 7am on a Sunday.  No traffic and parking by the door!

I needed a product called "Calm", which is a powder you mix with water and drink, and that contains calcium and magnesium plus a couple of other minerals.  I use it to keep from getting nightly leg cramps, and while it mostly works I usually don't make it entirely through a night without some cramping.   It is sold other places and possibly some Targets carry it, or maybe their online site carries it, but Jeannie told me Whole Foods was having a sale on it today.  I was back home in an hour or less.

That is way earlier than I like to get up and out of the house, so of course I took a nap after lunch.

You may remember me complaining loudly and often during the past year about severe itching all over including in my ears (which is extremely uncomfortable and can get painful when scratched).    When I was driving home from Whole Foods I was hit by a thunderbolt of thought - "what if the itching is a symptom of anemia".   As soon as I got home and started my coffee brewing (first things first), I looked it up on the internet and "BINGO!", itching is a common symptom of certain types of anemia.  I've mentioned the itching to three different doctors.  One told me to use Cetaphil lotion, as if she thought it might be dry skin.  I knew it wasn't that but I was left to suffer with it until I finally figured it out for myself.   I'm going to be the first in line at the Med Center lab tomorrow to get the blood test to make sure I am anemic.

Things are looking up, although I am still rolling downhill towards "77" at what seems like breakneck speed!

Big Difference

Just seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel has made a big difference in my outlook on my continual state of fatigue.  I will take whatever shots or pills are recommended when they find out what will help me.   The one thing I WON't do is to undergo a barrage of tests to find out what is causing it.   I've been through all those tests at one time or another, and more often than not the results are normal and I'm back where I started, but the medical center has billed Blue Cross thousands of dollars.     Fortunately I have pretty good insurance so I'm sure they would like to test me to the nth degree for things that they know are irrelevant.  To me, that is fraud, waste and abuse.   I don't care what is causing it, and I am not demanding a cure, I just want some relief.

I went to the market this morning but didn't buy much - I did get a big bag of walnuts because I know the price is going to go way up.   I also talked to the "avocado lady" about the growing season they just came through - with winds and rains blowing the blossoms off the trees at the wrong time, and then rain and hail knocking much of the developing fruit off a little later in the growing season.  She also told me that the temperatures this summer have run to 117F, with ground temperature being 123F in some places.  By this time next year it may be impossible for many of us to afford the fresh produce we've become accustomed to.

You may remember I recently bought 2 new pairs of sandals, one of them being my beloved Birkenstocks.    When I get dressed in the morning I always put on the new Birkies but take them right off and wear my old ones.  They are so comfortable and well fitting since the salesperson punched some new holes in the straps so I could tighten them up a bit.  

I'm halfway sleepy but couldn't fall asleep for a short nap, so I'd better go do some jumping jacks or something to wake me up completely!

 

I'm shocked!

I sent a message to my endocrinologist this morning asking for something to help me with this extreme fatigue  caused by my thyroid.  She just responded and told me that it isn't my thyroid, but that the fatigue is caused by anemia!   Because the local med center is closed now I will have to wait until Monday morning to get the blood test she has ordered to confirm that it is anemia.

I thought for sure it was the thyroid at fault, so I need to get used to the entire idea that I'm anemic.  I try to eat a good diet including a lot of green leafy vegetables, and even though I don't really care for meat I force myself to eat a steak or a pork chop now and then.   There is no way I am going to touch liver!

I guess I'm going to have to Google to see what iron rich foods I might need to add to my diet!

 

Extreme Fatigue

I don't know what I will do if I can't find a remedy for the extreme fatigue I'm experiencing.  It never goes away, and from what I can tell, it's caused by my thyroid.  Not sure if I have a definite appt. booked with the endocrinologist, but I may send her a msg asking if there is anything I can take to give me back some energy.  Maybe I need a tonic or something, although I hate to diagnose and treat myself for something like this.

I am trying to push myself to go to the gym often, and this evening I will meet Jeannie there when she gets off work.  I can get through the routine, but it doesn't energize me, just wires my brain so I have trouble going to sleep later in the evening. 

Because of this I don't have much to blog about these days.  I would miss it terribly if I stopped altogether, but I may skip a day or two now and then and I hope nobody worries if they don't see a post every day.

I sure hope you are all doing better than I am at this time.

Day for Dumb Mistakes!

I've done some pretty dumb things today - for one thing I bought a lottery ticket.  I never get even one number and I don't know why the mood strikes me about once every year or two.  It's such a waste, but fortunately I'm no big spender and losing a dollar won't make me go hungry!

Two of my daughters-in-law have birthdays tomorrow, so I bought two birthday cards, addressed and stamped them, and put them out in the mailbox for pickup.  All of the sudden it dawned on me that I addressed one to Sandy in NY, and it should have been Megan in Sacramento.  I already had it sealed and stamped, so I'm just going to save it until next year and send it to Sandy!  But I have to find something tomorrow to send to Meg.  I often make mistakes but never have made that one.

I think there is a lunar eclipse this evening, or did I miss it entirely.  I know the solar eclipse is coming up in another week, and while it should be a good show here in Sacramento I'm not scrambling for glasses to watch it.  I think I mentioned I've seen one in the past, and if you've seen one you've seen them all.   I can't believe that people are paying $1600 in Salem, OR for a room for one night.  I'm still wondering what all those people are going to do to the power grid, and if it will affect us in Sac.  I think maybe it will, and I will really be ticked off if it does.

And while we are on the subject of the skies, is anyone else getting pretty tired of hearing about Niburu?  There have been all kinds of dire predictions for the past year or more, and the date keeps changing.  I don't believe we will even see it, even if there is something there.   All of the sudden I'm done with the gloom and doom predictions.  I don't believe anyone knows much more than I do, which is next to nothing. 

 I have to get down to work on something tomorrow - either painting or photo sorting.  There are other jobs but I want to tackle those two first.  I have the best of intentions.  

Recuperating

I'm trying to take it easy today after the activities of the weekend.  Just the energy of all the people around gets me keyed up and then extremely tired.  I miss Mike and his family, and hope their trip back to NY is a smooth one.

For now I'm just trying to do as little as I can, although I washed two baskets of laundry and took them over to the dryers in the laundry room.  Steve knows someone who is buying a new washer and dryer and is looking into getting the old dryer for me.  It depends on whether the person wants to let it go as a set.  That would make it so much easier for me to have a dryer here.  I only do laundry every two weeks, sometimes longer, so I doubt the electricity would make much of a difference.

It is a hot week but I hope it doesn't get into triple digits.  It feels really hot when I have to go outside though.  Thank goodness it is cool in the morning when I get my errands done.  I need to make myself go to the gym early and walk as many days a week as I can.  I've been remiss in doing much of anything and it is beginning to take its toll on me.

My niece took several group photos this weekend and I tried to cut and paste one that I'm in so I should show you my haircut.  Whatever photographic program she uses is not compatible with my severely limited skills,  and I can't do it.  I could just show the group photo but I decided a while back to not post photos of my family.  I know the rest of the gang is posting like crazy on facebook, but I don't agree with that.

I think I'll eat my dinner soon before I lose my appetite.  I made a beef soup with potatoes and a few other vegetables, and it looks and smells good even though I'm really not crazy about beef.  I bought a lot of it when I found out my iron was low.  I have an appointment with the doctor in a week or so and I am going to ask for a blood retest as I want to know where I stand.  I'd sure love to quit taking the iron tablets, but I'll probably have to continue with them.  I haven't had the severe bruising on my arms that I've had in the past when supplementing iron.  I sure could never tell by my energy level that it's doing me a bit of good!

Family weekend

Today is the letdown after a great family weekend.  Mike, Sandy and their 2 boys flew out for the weekend, and on Saturday we joined members of my family (minus two of my brothers who are from out of town) at my brother & s-i-l's house in a celebration of the life of their son who died from a heart attack back in March.  He had just turned 31 yrs old days before.

Enough time has elapsed that, even though everyone is still sad about his passing, we could enjoy being together and remembering events in his short life.  When we were gathering for photos, my brother looked at me and reminded me that I was the oldest person present.  I said, "that makes me the matriarch?"  I'm not sure how I feel about it, but I can't change it so I might as well play it the best I can!

I had to say goodbye for now to Mike & Sandy a couple of hours ago.  Steve had tickets to the baseball game in S.F., and had taken his son (Liam) and Mike's two (Joshua and Justin), so they had plans to meet up post game and hand off the boys to their parents - they will stay in a hotel tonight and leave to return to NY tomorrow morning. 

I still dream about driving across the country to see Mike & family in NY next year, but can't figure out a decent route to keep me out of congested areas.  I try to avoid interstates and once drove across Michigan's Upper Peninsula and down thru Michigan, but still got too close to Detroit, Toledo, and Cleveland for comfort.   One time I had planned to drive across Canada for part of the way, but I'm not comfortable driving in Canada.  I can dream about another trip, but it will probably remain just a dream.

I love the new sandals I bought - wore one pair yesterday and have on another new pair today.  I don't often buy things for myself, especially things as costly as those two pairs of sandals.  They will last me for the rest of my life no doubt!

I have plans this coming week to get back to my sorting of photographs.  I started this project months ago and got so burned out that I quit when only about 1/4 finished.  My sister-in-law and I were talking about it yesterday and she told me she has been doing the same thing with the thousands of photographs she has from over the years.  She said she is organizing them and putting them into envelops, which she then stores in photo boxes.   I like the idea of envelopes because albums take up way too much room for all I have.  I will feel so virtuous if I can make a further dent into the picture project!  Also, I will really enjoy holding and looking at the pictures - there is no comparison to digital photos on a computer or iPhone!  I love the old style photos, and I think I actually feel more involved when holding the picture and remembering the event, than I will ever do scrolling through pictures on a screen.  But I'm old-fashioned, and I guess I can be that way now that I'm the matriarch of my family!



 

Heat - more of the same -- UPDATE!

There were a few things I need to go out for this morning, but I got a msg from my daughter 1st thing asking me if I wanted to go to the Birkenstock store this afternoon.  Of course I want to go - it's downtown (but not in the heart of downtown) and I don't drive there anymore.  They carry other brands besides Birkies, and I hope I can find something comfortable that fits.  She has an appointment with her chiropractor this afternoon, also downtown, so we will go to the Birk store after her appt.  I will take my crossword puzzle book along to pass the time.  At my age, as probably some of you can relate with, deterioration in mental faculties is always a worry in the back of my mind, and I test myself often.   Very difficult crossword puzzles are one way I test, and when I finish a particularly difficult one, you'd laugh to hear me congratulate myself out loud - "Great job, Marty".

I didn't do much this morning as it was already hot when I got out of bed a little before 7am.  After breakfast I did get out the new 50' hose I bought yesterday at True Value Hdwe, and watered the tree and bushes in front of the house.  The tree is a crepe myrtle and I think it's gasping for water.  I don't know what the bushes are but they look pretty sad also.  I don't mind paying for the water, but paying for sewage & all the extras they charge when the water is just going into the ground really irritates me.

I had a difficult time finding True Value yesterday since it is in the back of a large and spread out commercial area on Folsom Blvd. - there is a La Quinta and a big restaurant on the site, as well as a tire service business.  The hardware store was hidden away but I finally found it.  I like the store and it's staff very much.  It is my kind of store - small enough to be attentive to the customer (although it didn't have the traffic that Home Depot or Lowe's gets).    I walked all of the aisles including the ones I wouldn't buy anything in - construction supplies, plumbing, etc., to get an idea on the store's layout and what they carry.  It is easy enough to get to and very close to my home, so I'm sure I will be shopping there frequently and skipping the giant chains.  I'm a small-town type of girl and like to shop that way.  Prices are good there and there was also a very good sale going on.

I may update later and post of photo of my new shoes, if I can find any to buy! 

UPDATE:
 The Birkenstocks I've been wearing have become loose and I have trouble keeping them on my feet, walking, etc.  The first thing I did was to mention that fact to the saleswomen, who punched another hole in each strap, and tightened the shoes on my feet.  What a difference.

I found several pairs I wanted to try on and one felt great and fit very well with the sales person tightening them so they would stay on firmly.

Jeannie then tried on several pairs of shoes while I sat quietly, not letting myself walk around looking at more shoes.  I finally couldn't help myself and walked over to a sale rack, tried on a pair and bought them as well.  I don't know how long it's been since I bought myself two pairs of shoes at a time!

The ones with black straps are the Birkies.  I couldn't decide which photo to publish so I'm showing you both of them.

Jeannie bought a pair of shoes as well, and it was a fun outing for me, and I think for her as well.  My family will be gathering at the home of my brother & s-i-l, parents of my late nephew, Brian, on Saturday.   Mike and his family have flown in from NY today and should be in Sacramento tomorrow, then we will all drive to the Bay area for the celebration of Brian's life.  I will have a pair of new shoes to wear!

Better days!

Well after my short spell of "down" yesterday, things started to look up as soon as Steve came over with Liam.  Steve put the new paneling in place, and now I need to paint it to match the walls and I'm good to go.  Then I will get Joe to put the trim around the windows and I can buy some curtains.  (Click to enlarge the photo.)

While Steve was working , Liam noticed my new coffee grinder that arrived the day before.  He was very curious as to how it worked, so I put a scoop of coffee beans in it and let him at it.  He ground it with ease, but about midway through the grinding I decided to adjust it to be a little more coarse.  After making coffee this morning with those grounds, I think I will go still more coarse although it was pretty good.  Now I will have to do it myself a few times!  It is a very simple device - put the beans in the top section, turn the crank, and watch through the little window at the bottom to see the grounds pile up.

My mood lightened considerably when they were here and this morning I awoke feeling great.  To make it even better, the mailman showed up today with the Melitta coffee pot.  I ordered a 6 cup system and now wish I had gotten the 8-10 cup, although this will work fine.  The one Jeannie has is 8 cups, so if we are camping together we can actually use both.  I drink about 6 cups in the morning, although that is only 3 standard size coffee mugs.

I drove to Costco this morning and was able to drive right up to the gas pump - not much traffic there, and filled my tank at $2.49/gal.  California always has higher gas prices especially for their summer formulation, and I think they are trying to add another tax for road or bridge repair - whatever it is, it is probably desperately needed.  Out of all the roads and bridges across the country, I'd be surprised if half of them were in good repair and safe to drive on.

I bought a lot at Costco and the first order of the day when I arrived back home was to put the ice cream in the freezer!  I figure life is too uncertain with all the idiotic world leaders, living in the shadow of Yellowstone which doesn't look promising, and the threat of a mini ice age or global warming, whichever you want to believe, plus misc. earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis.    So I will give up a lot of things in the interest of good health and frugal living, but ice cream isn't going to be one of them!

But other than the fact that it is so hot it was almost unbearable to go out and get the mail, I'm in a happy mood.  Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on this window is taking a lot of stress off of me, and of course, the big bowl of ice cream I've already eaten has helped as well.