Tag: Squirrels

2017 – Not a Good Year (so far)

One of my squirrel friends this morning, sniffing a peanut I had just tossed out. He has nothing to do with this post. I just thought he was cute.

In my family, usually when we arrive at year-end, we tend to look back on the year that has passed and ask whether or not we are sad to see it go or glad that it is finally over.  So far, for me personally, 2017 has been a “stinker” of a year. I will be ecstatic to see it end.

April was particularly bad. March wasn’t that great either. I visited the Dentist early in the year for a cleaning, and I was told that the one tooth I had that was mostly filling and little tooth finally had deteriorated to the point that I had to deal with it. It needed to be crowned.  The first crown appointment was scheduled for March, and when I arrived and told the dentist that the tooth was hot and cold sensitive and generally a huge, aching pain in the ass, he said I needed a root canal. Getting in to see a specialist that didn’t demand thousands of dollars up front even though my insurance eventually covered the procedure in full proved to be a hassle. I did end up with a wonderful endodontist who made the root canal procedure simple and easy. The end result was a crowned tooth that no longer bothers me.

Six days after the root canal procedure I had my car accident. Actually, it was the little, old lady driving into me incident. I was minding my own business, mostly past her on her left, when she decided to drive into my rear passenger side door. That little fiasco ended up with me having to repair my car and replace a door, and while I wasn’t ticketed, I was listed by the police officer as a “contributing factor”. Why? Because she couldn’t stay in her own lane and decided to share mine? 

My poor baby (in April)

June brought me a jury duty summons for three months of Federal Jury duty service from mid-July to mid-October. I got out of it until September when I was called to appear. I then got excused when I showed them my doctor’s note asking to be excused for health reasons.

Which brings me to August and September. Anyone who follows me knows what happened in August. I ended up in the Emergency Room on August 16.  I had a colonoscopy on August 25. I had an upper endoscopy on August 28. I had a CT scan on August 30. I had a repeat CT scan on September 22. I was admitted to the hospital and spent five nights there from September 22 to September 27. All of this was thanks to diverticulitis.  I am on disability at the moment, and I have paperwork that needs to be completed and signed by the doctor before I can return to work.  I saw both my gastroenterologist and my primary doctor this week. I am on a low fiber, low residue and lactose free diet. Go ahead and Google that. There’s not much I can eat right now. I have been told that diverticulitis messes with IBS big-time, and it may be months before I am back to normal (for me).

Me, tucked comfortably into my hospital bed, with my best friend, the combination remote control-light switch-nurse call button on my shoulder

Unless I win the lottery in October and really, really great things start happening in November and December, I can safely say that 2017 sucked big-time. I will be more than excited to kick it out the door on December 31st. I am also hoping that by year end I will feel more like myself again. Fingers crossed, guys.

Diagnosis And Randomness

Still in pursuit of answers, I went for an upper endoscopy this past Monday. That went off as planned. I fasted from midnight the night before, and the test was at 11:30. My dear hubby took me. I was groggier this time; I even had to hitch a wheelchair ride out to the car. The upper endoscopy showed mild gastritis. No results yet on the biopsies he took. 


I went yesterday for the last test my doctor wanted me to have, a CAT scan. That was more of a hassle than anything else. I had to go to Highland Hospital, a place I’d never been. I didn’t even know where it was! I had to fast from 10:00 a.m.  The test was scheduled for 2:00. They didn’t do the scan until 4:10. I sat in the waiting room for over an hour!  Once called in, I had to drink six 8-ounce cups of a sorbitol solution over an hour, and then wait 30 minutes. The scan and contrast dye injection were the easy part. Drinking all that liquid is nauseating. 


I now have quite the collection of doctor/hospital wristbands. Too bad they’re not worth anything!

The doctor called today with my CAT scan results already. I have acute diverticulitis. Ouch. I’m relieved I now know why I’ve been so sick. I’m on two antibiotics, a difficult task since I’m allergic to penicillin and sulfa, and many other medications bother me. 

August has truly been the month from hell for me. In three weeks I’ve had an ER visit, a colonoscopy, an upper endoscopy, and a CAT scan. I’ve lost ten pounds, and I’ve missed five days of work. I’m eager to feel well again. I’m hopeful it’ll happen soon. 

On a happier note, here’s some cute bird feeder photos of my chubby woodchuck and his friends, the blue jay, the squirrel, and assorted sparrows. 


I’ve also got Chase, my faceplant kitty with his face pressed into the loveseat armrest. 


I took a short walk today and photographed a planter downtown. 


And my perennial favorite, the back door of the long-since closed Chinese restaurant with its “NO PRAKING” sign. 


Cheers!