Here it is the end of June and almost the one year
anniversary of the “great sewage back-up of 2014.” Finally our stress level
regarding the basement redo is lower, but we’re still waiting for “it to be
okay.” You see, the sewage back-up has been only one of the three balls we’ve
been juggling.
In my mind there is nothing that ages one more than talking
about health, but health challenges have been a big part of our lives lately.
The great news is that Bob’s multiple myeloma has not raised its ugly head.
However, he’s been through bronchitis, pneumonia, and a kidney stone this past
half year. If there’s a good aspect to this, it’s that a pulmonologist has
helped him learn to manage his asthma when he contracts a virus.
Personally, I live by the rule that the two people in a
couple can never be sick at the same
time. Right? Consequently, I have felt immune. Sadly I learned that life
doesn’t always turn out that way. Those of you who have known me for years,
remember when I was diagnosed as a pre-teen with scoliosis, curvature of the
spine. The curvature progressed enough in a year or two that I had to wear a
back brace. This instrument of torture was made of steel and the softest of
calf leather, was worn under the clothes, and began under my chin and ended
around my hips. It was hot, uncomfortable, ugly, and obstructed movement. It
was not a positive thing or a bit sexy to have wrapped around my body as a
teenager, and it turned me into the introvert that I am today. But, I was
compliant and later thrilled when I was able to say, “Adios,” to it. I think I
was sixteen.
There was follow-up, periodic x-rays to see that the curve
had stabilized. I’d had all of my growth for years. Everything was good. Until
last summer. I developed what I was sure was sciatica, pain and tingling down
my left leg. It didn’t get better, so after a few months, I visited an
orthopedist, had x-rays (I surely glow by now and not in a good way) and was shocked...did you hear that? Shocked to discover that my
“controlled” S-curve had not behaved. Now the curve in the thoracic portion of
my spine is at least 70-degrees and the one in the lumbar spine reads about
50-degrees, both well above a tolerable 30- to 40-degrees. This progression
rarely happens. I was shocked. Oh, I
think I already mentioned that. The pain I was having though was the result of
spinal stenosis, spinal nerve roots that are compressed in the lower back (at
one level, mine have about 5-percent of the normal room). However, at that
time, the discomfort was bearable with some medication. I was still able to do most
everything. We even enjoyed two European cruises at the end of the year. The
orthopedist recommended that I try physical therapy and live with it. Then it
seemed the New Year came, and a switch was flipped.
I am disabled. I wouldn’t have admitted it in January, but
that’s what has happened. Even with stronger medication, I can only be upright,
standing or sitting in a chair, for about two hours a day. Bob has become the
permanent cook, and we try not to see the dust. I can sit up in bed without
much discomfort, and that is how I have lived my life most of this year. Reading,
TV, and movies. Little computer work. No writing. It’s why so many of you
haven’t heard from me. It’s why we had to cancel our riverboat cruise on the
Elbe with our terrific friends. It’s why we didn’t get to our condo in Holland
until June. But, it’s not a life I’m willing to adopt at age 64 (Will you still love me, will you still feed
me, When I’m sixty-four?)
Thankfully, there are surgeons who do nothing but operate on
people with severe deformities like mine, and I was referred to an ortho/neuro
surgeon at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis who will perform surgery on me
August 31. Hardware (hooks, screws, and rods) will be inserted to hold my spine
in a stable position while added bone will fuse to existing bone leading to the
fusion of my spine, spinal stability. The surgeon will also decompress the
spinal nerve roots.
I’m so curious how my body will look and feel afterwards. Where
will my center of gravity be? Now one shoulder is higher, one shoulder blade
sticks out as does a rib on the opposite side, my belly button is off-center,
and so on. Will any of that change? I do expect that I will be taller, perhaps
not all four to five inches but at least a couple. It is a very odd thing to
contemplate at my age. But I want to make it clear, my goal with this surgery
has nothing to do with my deformities. It’s to wake up with my faculties and
vision, have my body move and function normally, and ultimately be pain free.
Prayers and good thoughts welcome. Amen. Amen. Amen.
Now, back to the basement (a family room/my studio, a ¾
bath, 2 bedrooms, an exercise/wrapping room, and three storage areas). What a
project it is. Destruction first: out with all the flooring, the bar, the
bottom two feet of wallboard, all the baseboard, doors, and doorjambs, the sink
and it’s cabinet, and a number of pieces of furniture including the television
and extra refrigerator. There is no smell and no mold. Halleluiah. And then the
construction began: drywall patching and sanding, drywall installation in the
family room, polishing the concrete floor, shelves built in the large storage
area, new doors and doorjambs, all the rooms painted, my desk and our cabinets
painted, new recessed lighting, and new bookshelves built of pipe and barn wood
(we’re going for an industrial look). But wait, there’s more that hasn’t been
done: purchase and installation of new television, TV cart (for easy moving),
mini fridge, pedestal sink, carpet on the stairs, and so on. At least now it’s
easy to see progress and that light starting to beam at the end of the tunnel! (We
don’t expect to be able to unpack boxes and “set things up” until I have
recovered at least four months from surgery. Not the best timing, but not of
our control.)
The third ply of this three-ply tale is the happy one. As
you probably know, we re-homed two Yorkies on December 23. Best Christmas
present ever. Max, 7, had been successfully bred four times, but their new
girl, Bella, 2, had not gotten pregnant by him. Since they couldn’t earn their
keep, we think they were offered for sale. (They spent a lot of time in a crate
and didn’t go to the vet nearly often enough.) Clearly they were meant for us.
Not only are they incredibly cute, they are very loving. But they are not
without challenges. They are terriers after all. We’re still trying to
determine “how many tricks these old
dogs can learn,” but Bob and I have been pretty well trained to meet their
requests.
Crop circles. Have aliens landed in our living room? Nope.
Just the result of the SpotBot Bob uses for housetraining accidents. We were
warned this would be a problem. Poor things were never walked, and Bella had
never, ever been on grass! We’re still learning their clues for having to go
outside, and Bella waits to the last second. They lived in a very small, rural Illinois
village (pop. 267), and it has been amazing to become aware of all the common
noises they are unfamiliar with including those made by trucks and snowplows. These
little country “mice” are having to become city “mice.” We call Bella “Dora,
the Explorer.” She was the first to find her way out of the fence, and she’s
curious about everything. We don’t need a fly swatter as she’ll jump, catch a
bug in her mouth, and eat it! Max is reserved. We’re curious why, but he gets
impatient and discouraged trying to learn new commands. He smiles a huge smile
when he meets new people or before he jumps for our nose to kiss us. They
cuddle and provide comfort to us. We hope we do the same for them.
Three major balls to juggle. Three plies in the tapestry yarn
weaving our life. This is a snapshot of how we are right now. Apologies to each
and every one of you for not getting a Christmas card, for not getting letters,
for not even receiving e-mails. Know that you are not forgotten. We’ve just
been trying to keep on keeping on with not much energy for anything else. How
blessed we are that you have not given up on us.
