A Very Wordy Summary ....

.... of what's been going on around here.

But .... first off ..... the comments.  Oh my word, the comments!  Thank you all SO much for the love and support and happiness you've shown.  I continue to be amazed by the wonderful encouragement I continually receive here .... and by the people who have been reading but pop in to make a comment for the first time.
I have no idea how many people read this blog.  Most days I think it's only a few.
But yesterday, and today, I learned that there are a bit more than just a few.

Now, on a totally unrelated front ..... I am sick to death of doctors and medications and the crap that is going on in my body.
Anyone know where one can go to get a trade-in?
Last week I went in for my yearly exam and ended up with appointments to see an ENT and a cardiologist.
It seems that I flunked my EKG .... my heart tends to skip a few beats.  I knew that, but had forgotten to mention it over the past several months.
I did remember, however, to tell my dr. that I've had a difficult time breathing through my nose over the last ..... oh, I don't know ..... 10+ years or so, and asked if she could look into the problem (no pun intended).
What?  Not everyone listens to their bodies .... especially women who have 6 kids and no husband.  It definitely helps to have another adult in the house who can point out certain health issues when they come up.
The nose thing has just become a part of me, but something I've never thought about when visiting a dr.  I've been off and on allergy meds over the past few years, but they've done nothing for me.
So I just happened to remember to ask her about it last week.
She took one look and said something like, "Oh my gosh!  You've got a raging sinus infection going on!"  I said, "Well, that would explain the problem this week, but I don't think it explains the last few years."
So she sent me to an ENT.  He walked in, looked at my nose and said, "You've got a cute nose."  I wasn't sure how to respond to that, so I didn't.
He then sat down and looked closely at it.  He turned my head to the side and looked at my profile.  Then he said, "You really do have a cute nose."  I said, "Ummmm, thank you?  I've never heard anyone say that before."  To which he replied, "Well, you do.  I do rhinoplasty and everyone wants that nose."
I really didn't know how to respond to that either, so I didn't.
Then he looked inside my nose.  And it appears that the outside is WAY cuter than the inside.  He said that it's clear why I'm having problems breathing.  First, I do indeed have a massive infection.  Secondly, I have a deviated septum.  Most people have a septum that's straight .... like a lower case "l".  But not me.  Oh no, there's really not much about me that's like most people.  My septum is shaped like the letter "s".  Yes, curved at both ends, which evidently does a grand job of blocking air flow.  So it seems that surgery is in order to fix that, and help me have less risk of infections.  All I could think was, "But I have a cute nose!  And now you're going to operate on it?!"  Thankfully he was quick to assure me that my nose would remain cute and that the surgery would be on the inside only.
I'm still not too sure about all of this.  Right now I'm on 3 weeks of massive doses of antibiotics, twice a day, steroidal nose spray, saline wash (don't even get me started on THAT one!) and another couple of meds.  After three weeks I go in for a CT scan to see if the infection is gone.  He didn't seem to have high hopes that it would be.  But if it is, we would then talk about surgery.
Now, let me just say that when it comes to not being able to breathe through my nose .... I'm a tad bit freaky about it.  I hate not being able to breathe well.  Hate it.
So the thought of having surgery and then waking up to a nose packed with cotton packing material (or any material, for that matter), thus making it impossible to breathe for how ever long the packing will be there .... makes me hyperventilate.  I can't stand the thought of dealing with that for even 30 minutes, let alone a few days.
No way.  Not happening .... unless I can be in a coma for as long as there's packing lodged into my nose.
So there you go.  That's one thing.

I went to a cardiologist last week, who ran another EKG, which I also flunked.  But I'm not that concerned about it, nor was he, really.  I know that many, many people have irregular heartbeats so it's not that big of a deal.  Though he did have me come in yesterday for a cardiac ultrasound and a treadmill test.
So.  Much.  Fun.
However, the stress test went better than I expected.  I didn't keel over while on the treadmill, and I did have a concern about that.
I have no idea if I passed those tests.  I am to return on Monday afternoon to find out the results.
Again, not worried.

And then there's this:  as most of you know, I had shoulder surgery the first of June.  I recuperated much faster than I expected and did very well with the physical therapy and healing.  My ortho cleared me for returning to all normal activity in August ..... yes, even tennis.
So I've been playing tennis regularly for the last 3 months .... and the shoulder has been great.  No pain and that's been wonderful.
But then that all changed a couple of weeks ago.  I went for an overhead shot during one of our drills and felt a sharp pain in that shoulder.  I knew that something was not right.  But, as my ortho asked me today, did I stop playing at that point or continue on?  Three guesses and the first two don't count.
Yes, I played.
And then I played again last week.
And again this past Monday.
The last two times proved to be a mistake.
Big, big mistake.
My shoulder has given me more pain in the last several days than it ever did before the surgery.
And so I called the ortho and made an appointment for today.
I was then the lucky recipient of a steroid injection into my shoulder (oh my word, the pain!).  He told me to limit my activity with that arm for a couple of weeks and see if it "settles down".  So that's what I'm praying for .... a "settled down" shoulder .... and not a shoulder that's going to need more surgery.
We shall see.

Add those things to my weekly dose of methotrexate for the arthritis and you get several days of crap.
Methotrexate .... don't google it.  Trust me, it isn't pretty.
Actually, I'm doing better on it than I had expected.  I take it on Monday night and then am usually sick late Wednesday night, through the night and then into Thursday morning for a few hours.  And then I'm better.  It's pretty much like clockwork.
It's not fun, but it's a fairly short period of time, so I can deal with it.
Unless I'm up during the night, sick with that and in a huge amount of pain in my shoulder.
Then I don't deal with it very well.
Hopefully that will improve now.
Again .... we shall see.

Ummmmm .... I think that's it.  A rundown of my last couple of weeks.

And so .... yes, I'm dealing with crap, but it's completely bearable in light of other parts of my life.
Completely.
I guess that's what happiness can do.
And contentment.

One last, but certainly not least, item.
Someone very close to me has asked for prayers from my Peeps.
Her husband is going to a urologist on Monday afternoon. They've discovered that he needs to have a biopsy of his prostate .... his levels are not where they should be and there's some concern. So if you wonderful prayer warriors could lift them up, I, and she, would be grateful. Prayers for peace and for the good results results, and anything else involving good news would be great.
Thanks, Peeps. I'll keep you posted (but if I forget, please don't hesitate to ask!).

It is now past time for me to go to bed.
Four thirty a.m. comes very, very early.
Too early for any sane person.
Which just goes to show you what else love can do to you.
It can totally make you insane.
In a sane way.
:)

Here's to being insane.
I'm loving it.

Now, while I am gone you will have plenty of time to use your imagination and think up all kinds of questions for "Ask Me Wednesday".
All kinds.
Have fun with that.

I know I will.
:)

Happy Wednesday/Thursday, Peeps.
I think you're great.
:)