Yet Another medical update - Day 2099 (Year 6, Day 270)

Zephyrhills, FL

I'm mentioning this for prosperity, as I know all my readers are fully aware of the global situation right now -- the coronavirus pandemic.  At this point in time (and things change on a daily basis), many states have declared mandatory quarantines -- what they're calling "social distancing."  Pretty much all schools have been closed, as have restaurants, bars, concerts, anywhere where a crowd might gather.  Even Broadway has been cancelled, and the news staff (anchors, even weathermen) as well as talk show hosts are live streaming from their homes.  Everywhere is like a ghost town. There have been thousands of deaths in China and all over Europe (with Italy being hit the hardest).  It has reached the US, but as we all know, the US is very far behind where it should be in terms of mitigating and being prepared, including testing. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are starting to get overwhelmed and are severely understocked (mostly due to people hoarding masks, gloves and sanitizers). So while the infected and death counts seem very low right now, it's only because only a very small percentage of people have been tested. We're certain there will be millions affected by the time this is over.

As for us... for me I can't really say the self-isolation is affecting me in any way due to my lifestyle.  Since I work from home, my daily routine hasn't changed at all.  And since my severe hip arthritis makes it difficult for me to walk, and now the pinched nerve in my neck (still not 100% sure of that diagnosis but something's going on causing severe pain in my upper back, neck and down my arm) makes it even harder to get around, going anywhere "fun", even out to eat, is something we haven't done for a while either.  The most I'm able to do is sit outside (which I'm doing right now, enjoying looking at the green leaves of spring, the blue sky dotted with a few fluffs of white, and listening to the birds chirping and the gentle flow of water from the fountain of my neighbor's koi pond).

For Mitch, he started his new job last Monday and with the exception of 3 days, has mostly been at home doing online training.  Even when he's out in the field, he's repairing, maintaining or installing ATM machines, so he's not in a situation where there are other people around, other than his 1 coworker, and they try to keep their distance.  We are both being very vigilant with using hand sanitizer or washing our hands.

As for my health, I has my first physical therapy session yesterday.  Mostly my therapist (Lucas) did an assessment by doing a lot of pulling and prodding and massaging and manipulating.  He agreed partly with a pinched nerve but feels there may be something else going on the shoulder area.  In any event, he said it's not their job to find a solution, only to help with the symptoms and alleviate the pain.  And that's fine with me.  I left with 6 different exercises to do.  While in the initial stages where it's very painful, I'm confident that this will help tremendously in the long term.

That's it for now.  Everyone stay safe and sane!

Another medical update - Day 2089 (Year 6, Day 260)

Zephyrhills, FL

Saw my PCP yesterday.  He said the nodules were nothing to be concerned about.  He did seem convinced that I have a pinched nerve being caused by the arthritis in my spine.  He showed me some images of how the nerves are attached in the body and I could clearly now see how it IS very possible that the pain in my shoulder blade and down my arm is being caused by a pinched nerve in my spine.

The treatment plan at this point is for physical therapy (I start next Thursday) and then an EMG test (earliest appt is April 20th) to determine exactly which nerve is being pinched.  From there, I would have an MRI which will tell if it's in the muscle or bone (if bone, then I'd need surgery).  Meanwhile, I will have completed 4 weeks of PT by the time the test is scheduled, so things may even be better by then.

He also suggested I increase the dosage of the nerve medication, which I did and it seemed to give me a bit more relief.  So as of today, I still have pain but not to the level where I'm crying, so definitely an improvement.

As for Mitch, he got his company car (a mini-van: it's actually a rental until his real car comes in).  So many great perks with this company!  And it's work he enjoys doing.

Medical update - Day 2082 (Year 6, Day 253)

Zephyrhills, FL

First, Mitch officially starts his new job with NCR on Monday, March 9th.  It couldn't come at a better time as we're at the limit of the credit card and have just incurred close to $8K in new medical bills (explanation below).

I have been suffering greatly for almost 2 weeks now with excruciating pain in my upper back (from shoulder blade, horizontally outwards, and down my arm to below my elbow).  Pain level is mostly at 10 on the scale (lowest has been about 8) and is just about 24/7 and doesn't matter if I'm at rest or moving.

I went to Urgent Care on 2/26 where the PA I saw didn't even examine me.  He asked where the pain was and when I showed him, he immediately diagnosed torticollis, gave me a steroid shot, and rx of Prednisone and muscle relaxants and recommended Tylenol.  When I got home and looked this up, I think he pulled that diagnosis out of his tush as it didn't even come close to my symptoms.  Naturally, none of this helped (and Tylenol never does anything for me, ever!  I don't think my body can absorb it).

In any event, by Sunday (3/1), I was still screaming in pain.  A nurse friend suggested it could be cardiac related and I should go to the ER instead of trying to get an appt with my doctor (and at the risk that he'd recommend a different dr and I'd get bounced around for a few weeks).  So, I took the advice and got a full work-up at the ER.

Thank G-d, cardiac was ruled out (they did chest xray and CT Scan).  The diagnosis was that (in addition to the bone on bone arthritis in my hip and knee), I also have arthritis on my spine which is currently causing a pinched nerve, which explains the pain.  I was given a medication for nerve pain as well as 2 different pain pills (1 narcotic but only 9 pills total so that's not for the long term). 

Although I am still in great pain, I do see a slight improvement.   For example, when taking the meds, the pain level goes from a 10 to about a 6 (although it only lasts about 2 hrs max).  I also slept thru the night last night for the first time in almost 2 weeks rather than waking in the wee hours in pain (although I was screaming in pain when I did get up).

I have an appt with my doctor on Monday (3/9) so we can discuss next steps: chiropractor, orthopedist, PT, other??  Meanwhile, just need to keep taking the meds, heating pad and resting as much as possible.  Not doing too much client work (I'm so far behind right now but they are very understanding that I'm only working on time critical items right now, in between meds when I'm at the 6 pain level (which is now as I'm writing this post instead of working).  But the pain has crept back up so I'm going to cut this short now and go back to bed.

Just one other item I need to watch for... the CT scan revealed 2 other things: a hiatal hernia and nodules on my adrenal glands.  Dr. said nothing to panic about but I should definitely talk to my dr. about it.  So watch this space for future updates.

Update on job offer - Day 2070 (Year 6, Day 241)

Zephryhills, FL

Mitch passed the written test with flying colors!  The company is now in the process of putting together his official offer letter.  Next step is passing background, credit and drug tests, which there shouldn't be any problems with.  So... he could start working (hopefully) within the next 2 weeks.

This job is very much in line with what he was doing before we hit the road: a systems engineer, installing and repairing ATM machines and POS (point of sale) systems.  Most of the work will be in the Tampa area.

Oh, did I mention -- he also gets a company car!!!  That means I'll have a way to get around without the extra expense of buying a used one or using taxis.

Medical & job updates - Day 2069 (Year 6, Day 240)

Zephyrhills, FL

On the medical front, regarding my hip: saw the doctor yesterday (as a reminder: I have severe bone on bone arthritis.  I've been holding off on doing anything about it since we arrived in FL since Mitch was looking for a job.  Although we've been here for over a year, we've been spending our time wondering whether the next week would be the one where he gets an offer and we need to relocate.  So I was hesitant to make a long term commitment to care).  But since things have finally sort of worked out (that we'd be in this area), it was time to finally get the wheels in motion.

Unfortunately, this doctor is extremely cautious and advised that he wouldn't touch me until I lost at least 40 pounds (on a great note: since I've been on the keto diet for the last 2 months, I'm down 11 pounds).  So figure at this rate, maybe another 6-8 months.  Certainly, I can get a 2nd and 3rd opinion and find a doctor who's willing to do this now, but I appreciate the reasons he gave: surgery of any kind on an obese patient really does have extreme risks.  Meanwhile, he recommended more exercise, and possible physical therapy.  Sadly, most movements, especially anything involving moving my hips such as lifting my leg (for stairs or my step stool to get into the truck), bending, or even lifting the toilet pedal, is excruciating. Guess I've lived with it this long enough, I'll suffer for a few months longer.  Need to rely on my cane to get around more and I got a temporary handicap sticker so I don't need to hike at the stores.   Will use our pedaler and try to take more walks a bit more often, despite the pain.  It is what it is.  Doctor suggested a shot for temporary pain relief but I refused based on the pain I experienced getting a shot for my knee (also bone on bone).  Mitch is totally against my decision, claiming (and he's right!) that I'm too wimpy-- choosing not to experience a minute or 2 of extreme pain versus who knows how long relief (then again, there's no guarantee the shot will even work).  I do reserve the right to change my mind and get a shot in the interim.

Meanwhile, on the job front.... last posting said that Mitch finally, after 1 year+, got a job.  He was fired after 2.5 days, which actually was a good thing.  It was not at all a good match.  Besides the fact that he needed to get up at 5:00 am to leave by 5:30 am, drive 1.5 hours to the job site to arrive by 7am, work at least 11 hours and not arrive home until almost 8pm (and to do this 6 days a week!), he was under the impression the job would be IT related. Turns out it was predominantly construction, not something he has experience in or is interested in.  If they didn't let him go due to his lack of construction experience, he surely would have quit.  Just wasn't the right fit.

On a more positive note, however, there were several positions that were very interested in him back in November-ish.  Last week he got calls from 3 of those companies who were finally ready to move forward; one of which was more than extremely promising.  They were ready to hire him but he needs to pass a written (online) test first, then background and drug tests.  He took the written test yesterday; we're awaiting the results. If he passed, then the job is his. 

I hope to update this post tomorrow!  Please send your prayers!

Lovely weekend - Day 2067 (Year 6, Day 238)

Zephyrhills, FL

Jess and Griffin came down to visit this weekend.  The last time we saw them was for our vow renewal in November 2018.  They arrived around 10:00 pm on Saturday night.  We met them at our local brewery (first time we've ever been there; really lovely place.  When we have some discretionary income, we'll need to go there more often, especially on trivia night).  We had a few drinks before they closed at 11, and then came back to the RV for a little while to finish chatting.

On Sunday, we got together at 10:30 am and went to a local diner for a nice breakfast (fyi, I'm proud to say that I stuck very well to my keto diet the entire time!).  Afterwards, we drove into Tampa to visit the Florida Aquarium.  It was a very nice place, although I think the Baltimore and Ripley's in Seivierville, TN were a lot nicer.  I took a bunch of pictures of various fish, but I don't think I'm going to post them here; just keep them for my own sake in the files.

We were finished with the aquarium around 4:00 pm.  The plan had been to travel about 20 miles to Clearwater Beach to experience the "sugar sand" but 1) my hip was in a bit of pain, despite renting a mobility scooter to get around; 2) we were all pretty tired; and 3) it was cloudy so we didn't think we'd get to see a nice sunset anyway.  We had made dinner reservations at a place in Tampa on the water, but the reservation wasn't until almost 8pm (the only time they had) and none of us were really up to trying to find something else to do in the area for the next 4 hours (especially since most places close at 5 except the bars).  So the next plan was to go back home and nap, and then drive back to Tampa for dinner.  But by the time we got back, it was pouring and we decided it really wasn't worth the hour schlep back to Tampa.  We wanted a nice dinner, so decided to go to a Bonefish Grill in Wesley Chapel (where the shul is, 1/2 hr away).  That was a great decision.  Afterwards, we came back to the RV and watched some comedy shows on YouTube.  We all parted ways around 11:00.

Today, the final day, the kids came over around 11 am and I made us a nice breakfast of challah french toast (scrambled eggs for me).  We then played a game of Scrabble and then watched some more comedy before leaving for a late lunch/early dinner at 3:30 (back to Wesley Chapel, but to the Red Robin).  We took 2 cars as they wanted to head to the airport by 5 and WC is 1/2 hour closer and en route.

It was really great to see them and spend time with them.  I really hope a lot less time passes before our next visit!  And I hope they had a good time too.

Job started - Day 2059 (Year 6, Day 231)

Zephyrhills, FL

Mitch started his new job today (hopefully you've been following the journey).  I was wrong about what he will be doing. The job entails installing antennas for 4G and 5G wifi so that all attendees at the next Superbowl will be able to access high speed internet.  Personally, I don't understand the need for this: are you there to watch the game or look at your phone the entire time?  But that is the state of our current society and if it means accommodating an entire stadium to meet their needs... (and offer employment!)

Halfway through the first day, he's already determined that he totally dislikes this job as it's totally mindless (very similar to what he did for the past few years when he inspected the gas lines).  He would much prefer a job where he can utilize his intellectual skills, but alas, it's the first job offer he's had in over a year and it pays well, so you gotta do what you gotta do.  Tomorrow he will bring a headset so he can listen to podcasts while he works, to make it a bit more palatable.  To remind us both -- we've eaten up 85% of our lifetime savings this past year so this job is really important to replenish the funds.

He did make it clear that he cannot work on Saturdays (boss has no problem with that), but he will probably need to work 10+ hours a day on all the other days.  We shall see once he gets the schedule.  This, of course, means a very large change in our routine that we've become accustomed to this past year: I start making dinner at 5:00; we eat at 5:30-6 in front of the tv where we watch stuff that we've downloaded, until 8:30.  Then we do our own stuff on the computers until about 9pm, at which point we go to bed and play on our respective tablets until we fall asleep (about 1/2 hr later).

Last night, Mitch went into bed at 8:00pm as he set his alarm for 4:30am and left home at 5:30am (he needed to be at work by 7 and it's an hour commute. He left some extra time for his daily prayers).  So who knows what our daily time together will be.  But we will adapt.

Plans are always made in bubbles, but here's what I would love to plan for:  I found a very nice place, only 8 miles from the shul (compared to the current 18) and at least 1/2 hour closer commute for Mitch (in Land O'Lakes, FL) but they don't have openings until after April (due to snowbirds).  It's right on Lake Padgett and a very lovely place; can't wait to move there!  Since we'll be there for at least a year, maybe we can buy a cheap car (and sell or donate it when we're ready to move) so I have a way to get around.  Most importantly, I can finally make plans to get my hip replaced as it's gotten to the point where it's very painful to just lift my leg to climb steps, let alone anything else.  I've been holding off all this time because for the last year+, we've always been living thinking that next week could be the time Mitch gets a job offer and we may need to move so I can't make the commitment for the hospital, rehab and therapy.  At least now we have a plan so I can proceed.  My appt with a surgeon is next week.

Next week (President's Day weekend), Jess and Griffin have generously decided to spend the time and money to come down to FL for the long weekend to visit with us.  Last time we saw them was last November for our vow renewals in Jamaica.  We'll only have all day Sunday and 3/4 of the day Monday to spend together, but better than nothing.  Can't wait!

Other than that, I expect that I won't be posting very much in the near future.  The purpose of this blog was to keep friends & family informed of our whereabouts and for me, as a journal of our adventures since my memory isn't all that great. But I expect that other than an adventure here or there, it will "a day in the life", with Mitch out at work and me at my computer, also at work, with nothing really interesting enough in between to report.

In other words, I believe, at least for the time being, although we have been "full time travelers", that title no longer applies since we'll be static in the same place for at least a year (as we have been this last year).  Not exactly the plan when we chose this lifestyle, but I have faith that we're exactly where we're meant to be at this point in our lives and pray that we have the guidance to make the most of it.