A painful day at home (a short post)

 

It's the day after our drive to Hudson, and I ache. That's not an accurate description of what's going on with my body.  I'm not aching when I sit or lie down.  I'm simply in pain when I try to stand up or walk.  The muscles in the back of my calves simply do not want to support me.  There may be a set of pinched nerves in my back causing my problems, or it may be something else.  But I know that the doctor is going to ask me why I'm using a cane when I visit him soon.

Getting out of bed and taking care of myself lately has been troublesome at best.  I've put off doing a load of laundry for several days, simply because I'd hurt too much while going up and down the stairs. This weekend, RQS has been doing much more than I could ask of her to keep me out of pain.  And I'm grateful for that.  She has done all of the cooking, and a bit of the cleanup after meals - and more.

For the most part, for me to get around in my apartment, I need my arms for 3-point support.  At least, one of my arms needs to support my body in addition to the 2 legs that normally do so.  So, it hasn't been much fun for me to get around.  This is why I'm a little bit afraid.  I have a trip coming up, and I need to be mobile for that trip.  

But enough of my venting for now....

This morning, I received a delayed reply from my Canadian pen pal.  She's doing well, but is very busy.  She doesn't live with her wife yet, but visits her every so often.  When her parents die, she and her wife will find a way to live together - either in one city or the other,  Until then, my pen pal will be taking care of her parents.  And that's the sign of a good adult offspring.

My brother is likely going to be out of a job soon, and has started interviewing for a new one again.  He works in a place which is in receivership, and doesn't think that the banks will bail the firm out a second time.  This makes me glad that we've sold the family homestead, as my brother has a small financial cushion to tide him over until finding a new position.  It won't be an easy time for him - he suffers the from the discrimination our society has against older workers.

I'm still waiting on New York City to send me a copy of my grandmother's marriage licence.  That's the hardest thing for me to get to complete the requirements for the foreign birth registry.  I'm still going to see if I really need this document.  But, I need to get on an online chat to do so, and I haven't found the time for this task.

As a wise person said in four short words:

"This too, shall pass." 

Shifting to RQS's place for convenience

 

Lately, I'm grateful that I use a cane (albeit mostly for security), as my legs have been giving out on me.  So, the decision to drive to RQS's place to spend Sunday evening and go to the closing on the family homestead the next day wasn't done lightly - it was a matter of practicality.  There was a much smaller chance of getting hung up in a traffic jam on the way to the closing when I didn't have to cross a bridge, and I knew I had to play these odds.

Knowing that parking spots on the correct side of the street would be scarce the later I looked for a spot in RQS's neighborhood.  On one side of her street, there is no parking on Mondays and Thursdays from 8 am to 11 am.  On the other, there is no parking on Tuesdays and Fridays during the same hours.  I would either have to get up, get showered and dressed and kill several hours, or I could sleep late and meet my brother at lunch time.  So, we left my place before noon, and found a good parking spot around 2 pm - about 600' from RQS's place.

Going up the stairs was painful, as my legs didn't want to cooperate with me.  But, with a little bit of use, they functioned acceptably.  Yet, I knew that I will need to do some exercises to strengthen some muscles to get my mobility back.  And I will need to do this before leaving for my next cruise, as I want to go on the shore excursions and not feel like a cripple.  At least, I was able to take a nap when I was upstairs.

When evening came, we ended up getting delivery from a nearby Thai joint.  The food was good, and I was ready to fall out again after dinner.  I'm growing less able to eat large meals on a regular basis, and have already started to cut down some.  Hopefully, I won't look like the lady in the photo above when I'm on my cruise....