What a week. I’m trying to get back in the swing of doing this weekly recap. Doing it every day would be best for me but the weeks are speeding by before I have a chance to sit down and write!
This week has included doctor visits, rock painting, cooking which doesn’t sound like it should exhaust me but it did and today is only Thursday. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching our Atlanta Braves play again in the World Series this week. Part of this week’s exhaustion is from staying up till 11 or later every game night yelling and cheering them on from my living room sofa wearing my Chipper Jone’s Atlanta Braves jersey that is probably 20 years old. I’ve been relieving family memories associated with the Braves all week! My oldest son even texted me during the game which was super nice to know Chad, Chip and I were all doing something we’d done together for years! Just in different cities now!
Early in the week, I met with my new asthma and allergy doctor and it turned out good. I went there anticipating having allergy testing done so that I could get back on allergy shots to help with my asthma which seemed to be starting to not be happy again. I took shots years ago and they worked so well I haven’t had asthma attacks since then. Dr. Jacques Peltier at North Oaks is the new doctor and we visited for a while at the appointment. It turns out I won’t be having allergy testing because I won’t be taking shots. We discussed several reasons why not and it was determined that I only need to take Singular (medicine) daily. For those curious minded folks, the three reasons are 1) shots do not work nearly as well the second or third time you take them and this would be my third time, 2) the new heart medicine my cardiologist put me on for chest pains can’t be taken if I’m taking shots and my heart is more important than my allergies, and 3) I’d have to drive to their office twice a week to have the shots. Even with my Google calendar, the more things my brain has to remember to do the weaker it gets plus adding driving two times extra each week just didn’t seem like a good idea if not necessary – see paragraph below
Just so someone else may know this new information he gave me. You cannot give allergy shots to yourself any longer like I previously did for years. I think he told me that insurance didn’t allow that now. The best thing from the visit is I only need to go back to him if things change. I like that!
I’ve already made my New Years Resolution for 2022. No doctor’s appointments next year unless absolutely necessary. I’m trying to have cured everything that ails me this year and it’s wearing me out. I still have upcoming appointments with a second orthopedic specialist about my Duprethene’s Contracture in my left hand and bad pain and swelling in my right hand from arthritis. Also, Dr. Naguchi my retina specialist since the macular hole seems to be worse in my left eye. A different orthopedic specialist for hip, back, and leg pain. I had my hearing checked out recently but want to see the North Oaks Audiology group to hopefully get a better price on hearing aids. I forgot to talk to Dr. Peltier about that when I saw him this week which would have eliminated this second visit but Yes old age and tiny brain sucks. I’ve been to more than 10 doctor visits and as many test/procedures this year already so you can see why my ban on doctor visits next year is appealing!
Our church’s Fall Fest was Saturday. I love this annual event and have been working every day this week on painting M&M painted rocks with a bite taken out of them and inspirational rocks. A lot of the children that come to church events like this don’t know anything about God. If I can put something cute in their hands with a tiny “God Message” maybe they will keep it and think about Him. In Amite I had a gravel road and driveway so hunting for the right shaped rock that looks like an M&M with the bite out just meant spending time sitting and gathering. The only place I knew had gravel was our church parking lot. So I asked permission to dig up some and went there this week. I came home with about 30 rocks mostly the size of a quarter and added them to the 40 I already had and started painting. I already had about 30 oval shaped larger rocks for the inspirational ones. I’ve been spending time every day doing each step in painted rock creation and finished them all up on Friday.
We always have a chili cookoff and this year I entered. I mostly want to feed the Fall Fest attendees but the cookoff should be fun too. Chip says I make the best chili and has always wanted me to enter the cookoff but I never have. I think my chili is okay and Chip has probably never had anyone else’s chili so of course mine is the best!
I also signed up to bring cupcakes for the cake walk. Cupcakes have never been a specialty of mine so a wonderful baker who owns A Tammy Cake made me 24 fall decorated cupcakes. I hope those will entice folks to enter the cakewalk! Tammy’s bakery is on Facebook. Check her out! https://www.facebook.com/atammycake
For years I decorated my vehicle trunk for the annual Trunk or Treat at the Festival. That was long long ago but this year I’m decorating again and gave out candy (gobs of it) to the kids along with my granddaughter Madisyn who came with me to the Festival.
Most of Tuesday and all of Wednesday and Friday I got to stay home. I’ve exhausted myself doing things so it was nice to sleep a little late and not go anywhere. Still did many things including rock painting so not much rest was enjoyed but still no traveling around town.
I want to do some traveling and shared that with my Facebook friends. My dear young friend Raylea, her Nana (my friend Nancy), and I will be driving to and touring Rosedown Plantation soon. Another friend and I are planning a Thelma and Louise – senior style convertible trip. We don’t know where to yet but the planning is in the works.
This week has been difficult since learning about the death of my young friend Heidi Hamel Davis last weekend. Her funeral was Thursday and it was beautiful. I’ve never seen so many people at a funeral in my life. Heidi was loved by so many and they all made time in their day to be there to support her grieving family. Chip was there and was a big support for me. He grew up with Heidi and her brothers Kyle and Blake. Heidi was their little sister.
Spot and Leanna Traylor, Ashley Traylor Louviere, Teddy Forrest and Dickie Nelson sang during the service three songs that touched my heart and I hope were comforting to Heidi’s family. Our Pastor Avery Dixon spoke such comforting words from the Bible and about difficult tragic deaths that we sometimes cannot understand the whys. Each of these people mentioned above are special in my Christian life and have such giving hearts. Thanks to each of you for what you did for Heidi’s family and the rest of us who are grieving her death.
I was asked to make food for the family dinner after the Funeral service. I made a pan of lettuce salad with lots of veggies and goodies on it and a pan of what I call Watergate salad. Since I’ve been so tired this week I placed my first Walmart grocery order to be delivered to my front door. That was way wonderful! Now that I’ve learned all the ins and outs of online grocery shopping I am sold on both pickup and delivery. One weird thing did happen this time. I had trouble getting a certain brand of sliced olives for the salad. I don’t remember exactly what I did wrong, and it was me, but I wound up with a delivery of three cans of one brand in one small bag to my front door on Tuesday evening, two cans of a different brand in the delivered order on Wednesday, and today in the mail came another can of yet a different brand. Like I said it was me, not them!
About 30 minutes before the family showed up to eat after the graveside service we lost power at the church and bam no lights! Thank goodness for four big doors in the fellowship hall that let light and a really nice cool breeze in. Once you were inside for a couple of minutes there was plenty of light for everyone to eat. After they ate we packaged all the leftovers for the Hamel family to take home and cleaned up. When I got home I didn’t move for a few hours while resting. This old lady got to see all her weaknesses this week.
A follow-up visit after the angiogram with my Cardiologist, Dr. Khoueiry was this week. The day of the procedure I learned that the blockages I have are not bad enough to need stents which I was very happy to hear. At this week’s appointment I learned that the angiogram also showed a smaller than normal artery in my heart that may be causing the chest pains I’ve still been experiencing. I am now taking isosorbide mononitrate to ease the chest pains. This medicine works by relaxing the blood vessels and increasing the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart while reducing its workload. One common side effect is it may cause bad headaches. Really?????? We discussed that and if it does cause headaches he will switch me to something else.
This visit just got better when he reviewed the bloodwork he had me do last week. My creatine level is high and has been high so now I get to see – wait for it – another doctor, a kidney doctor. He’s going to get put on the back burner but will be seen in December because remember my New Years Resolution. It all gets handled this year, nothing new next year that I have any control over!
My life is wonderful, don’t get me wrong but lately, things have been just sucky. To top that off Social Security decided they paid me too much (haha) over the last two years (after they increased it because they made a mistake but now it seems the mistake was their mistake.) I’m fighting it (sent in several pages of appeal paperwork) but in the meantime, they have just notified me they are not sending me a penny of Social Security for November or December. Isn’t that just great, just in time for Christmas and I’ve been spending a lot of money lately not seeing this coming. Possibly one day I’ll get it back. I thought this was awful enough to mention. How they can do things like this to someone I don’t understand. God never promised health, wealth, and prosperity for Christians unlike some pastors preach. Remember the Bible talks about false preachers, well….. those are the folks they are talking about. I do however know that God will get me through this and be next to me every step of the way. He’s that good folks!
After reading this post over again and knowing the things I’ve done this week that I haven’t talked about I know that I am responsible for what I say yes to, volunteer for, what I get involved in and what activities I create that are all tiring me out. Being on my own, without Chip or Roy there to slow me down, I’ve become a crazed do-aholic. I’m turning this big problem for me over to God to push me into getting it under control.
I’ll be writing a separate post about the Fall Festival because it was so great so keep an eye out for that one. My week next week includes a meeting about the Nursery budget for next year, an appointment with the hand specialist in Hammond, Veterans Day Celebration decorating at church, an appointment with the eye specialist in Baton Rouge and my primary care doctor in Hammond, hair cut that was postponed from this week, Jacob’s last football game of the season and who knows what else will come up!
I flipped my calendar to the following week and there is NOTHING. I hope to keep it that way!
Now to start unloading my car from the Festival and rest this old body!
BECAUSE HE LIVES 