Taking care of business
I don't know if other mother's share my bad habit, but it seems that by the time you take care of everyone else in the family, there is very little time, energy and resources to take care of yourself.
Well, this week, all that is about to change. I have been receiving threatening letters from the Radiology clinic for the past three months because I am way past due for my mammogram and ultrasounds. Seriously, about every three weeks, I get a letter saying, "Dear Ms. We are sending this letter as a reminder that you need to schedule your ultrasound and mammogram. Our records indicate you are way past due for this screening. Given your history..." They go on to tell me the risks I am facing by putting this off and mention horrifying statistics about women who die from breast cancer every year. So, in an effort to stop the 'hate' mail, I'm going to take care of that this week. At this visit, I will also check on the slow growing tumor I have in my kidney. As long as it hasn't grown too much or better yet has remained stable, I get another year before rechecking things.
Most people don't know that I suffer from a degenerative arthritis called Ankylosing Spondylitis. Simply put, the joints in my back, hips and neck are turning to bone. Eventually, if it doesn't go into remission, I will be in rough shape with little to no flexibility and possibly a wheechair. I stopped going to my Rheumatologist a couple of years ago because I couldn't afford the treatment he wanted me to do. $1800.00 a month is a little high for my modest income. My last visit, I was told that my spine was already fused just over 3" and inflammation was increasing in my neck and ribs. My risk for cancer, because of the excess inflammation is more than triple the risk for the average joe.
I have tried really hard to control the pain with diet and exercise. I don't even take Tylenol or Advil. The disease progresses when I am not moving. The last few months, it has been almost impossible to get away from the pain. Exercise actually makes me feel worse and by the time I finish cleaning houses in a day, I can barely walk and breathing becomes more challenging because my rib cage doesn't seem to be expanding like it use to. I can't sit for more than an hour and even at that, it takes several minutes for me to stand up straight and walk normal. Some mornings when I wake up, it takes all I have to roll out of bed. Sitting up, is totally out of the question so yes, I literally have to roll out. I am a little worried about how much things have progressed, even in just a month.
I decided I will check in with my Rheumy and see if there are any new treatments that may be more affordable. The past two weeks I have hit a special diet hard and to some, it may seem extreme. It's basically huge portions of vegetables and fruit, mostly raw. I eat nothing processed, nothing refined, nothing with fat unless it's canola oil or olive oil. For me, it's not too far off from what I normally eat but I have been missing my Pepsi, Gummy Lifesavers and chocolate chip cookies, the three things I indulge in.
I have actually had an insane craving for tomatoes. Here's a moment of truth, when I go to a Mexican restaurant that brings salsa and chips out to the table, I drink the salsa- hopefully while no one is looking! It's like people who eat chalk or dirt, I drink salsa. I drink it for breakfast, snacks, and every other meal. It's sort of out of control but I know it has something to do with what is off in my body. Hopefully, the doctor will have some good answers. It would be devastating if something happened to me since I am sort of a one man band around here and I'm not ready for a wheelchair.
Finally, if I don't feel beaten down by the end of the week, I will go see the dentist! I HATE the dentist!!!! It costs a fortune! I hate the lectures they feel obliged to give you and all the questioning; like you have just assaulted the tooth fairy...do you floss? How many times do you brush? You're brushing to hard, you aren't brushing hard enough, don't you want to keep these teeth forever? Sometimes, I just want to tell them first off "I don't care what you have to say to me, just fix the 9 cavities and be quiet!" 9 cavities is probably a conservative guess- It's been nearly 10 years since I went to the dentist, well, with exception of an emergency wisdom tooth extraction 3 years ago at 11pm one very painful night.
So, as long as the kids maintain the loose holding pattern of 'good' health they are in, this is how the week will go. I will also be praying like crazy that there is nothing horribly wrong.
Well, this week, all that is about to change. I have been receiving threatening letters from the Radiology clinic for the past three months because I am way past due for my mammogram and ultrasounds. Seriously, about every three weeks, I get a letter saying, "Dear Ms. We are sending this letter as a reminder that you need to schedule your ultrasound and mammogram. Our records indicate you are way past due for this screening. Given your history..." They go on to tell me the risks I am facing by putting this off and mention horrifying statistics about women who die from breast cancer every year. So, in an effort to stop the 'hate' mail, I'm going to take care of that this week. At this visit, I will also check on the slow growing tumor I have in my kidney. As long as it hasn't grown too much or better yet has remained stable, I get another year before rechecking things.
Most people don't know that I suffer from a degenerative arthritis called Ankylosing Spondylitis. Simply put, the joints in my back, hips and neck are turning to bone. Eventually, if it doesn't go into remission, I will be in rough shape with little to no flexibility and possibly a wheechair. I stopped going to my Rheumatologist a couple of years ago because I couldn't afford the treatment he wanted me to do. $1800.00 a month is a little high for my modest income. My last visit, I was told that my spine was already fused just over 3" and inflammation was increasing in my neck and ribs. My risk for cancer, because of the excess inflammation is more than triple the risk for the average joe.
I have tried really hard to control the pain with diet and exercise. I don't even take Tylenol or Advil. The disease progresses when I am not moving. The last few months, it has been almost impossible to get away from the pain. Exercise actually makes me feel worse and by the time I finish cleaning houses in a day, I can barely walk and breathing becomes more challenging because my rib cage doesn't seem to be expanding like it use to. I can't sit for more than an hour and even at that, it takes several minutes for me to stand up straight and walk normal. Some mornings when I wake up, it takes all I have to roll out of bed. Sitting up, is totally out of the question so yes, I literally have to roll out. I am a little worried about how much things have progressed, even in just a month.
I decided I will check in with my Rheumy and see if there are any new treatments that may be more affordable. The past two weeks I have hit a special diet hard and to some, it may seem extreme. It's basically huge portions of vegetables and fruit, mostly raw. I eat nothing processed, nothing refined, nothing with fat unless it's canola oil or olive oil. For me, it's not too far off from what I normally eat but I have been missing my Pepsi, Gummy Lifesavers and chocolate chip cookies, the three things I indulge in.
I have actually had an insane craving for tomatoes. Here's a moment of truth, when I go to a Mexican restaurant that brings salsa and chips out to the table, I drink the salsa- hopefully while no one is looking! It's like people who eat chalk or dirt, I drink salsa. I drink it for breakfast, snacks, and every other meal. It's sort of out of control but I know it has something to do with what is off in my body. Hopefully, the doctor will have some good answers. It would be devastating if something happened to me since I am sort of a one man band around here and I'm not ready for a wheelchair.
Finally, if I don't feel beaten down by the end of the week, I will go see the dentist! I HATE the dentist!!!! It costs a fortune! I hate the lectures they feel obliged to give you and all the questioning; like you have just assaulted the tooth fairy...do you floss? How many times do you brush? You're brushing to hard, you aren't brushing hard enough, don't you want to keep these teeth forever? Sometimes, I just want to tell them first off "I don't care what you have to say to me, just fix the 9 cavities and be quiet!" 9 cavities is probably a conservative guess- It's been nearly 10 years since I went to the dentist, well, with exception of an emergency wisdom tooth extraction 3 years ago at 11pm one very painful night.
So, as long as the kids maintain the loose holding pattern of 'good' health they are in, this is how the week will go. I will also be praying like crazy that there is nothing horribly wrong.
Drinking salsa? That is totally awesome. But really, I hope you can find something that will help with the pain because that sounds absolutely terrible. And you better take care of yourself because you're important too!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with those appointments. I hope at least you will be surprised with fewer than 9 cavities. The fact that you do all you do with poor health of your own is so amazing.
ReplyDelete