kaffy_r | Entries tagged with pain

In the Market for Sweet Potatoes

Did you know that sweet potatoes are good sources of potassium? And did you know potassium is apparently really good tool in a body's fight against muscle cramps and spasms? I thank

minnehaha for reminding me of this, since I'm still dealing with my most recent back spasm event. I like sweet potatoes. I also like avocados, which are apparently another good source of potassium. Bob isn't that fond of avocadoes, with the exception of guacamole, and he loathes sweet potatoes. He'll have to live with my new food faves - and I'll look for foods that he likes, because he needs more potassium, too. Bananas; bananas are good.

I would normally litter that first paragraph with links to the various sites I found with information about potassium (and also magnesium), but today I lack the spoons. I'm considering heading to bed, and it's only 9:23 p.m. I can't even blame my exhaustion on the heat outside, since I haven't braved the outdoors, even to take garbage out to the dumpster. Our blinds and curtains have remained shut today, and will remain shut tomorrow (Tuesday), since tomorrow is supposed to be even more awful: 93F degrees with 55 percent humidity, and a heat index of 104F. Eurgh.

My exhaustion is, instead, undoubtedly due to the continuing spasms. Gotta love the human body.

I've slid back into the habit of checking the American political scene, now that Chicago has bid goodbye to the Democratic Party convention. but I'm still not completely free of my unexpected aversion to said scene.

I did get some work done, setting up two interviews for a feature I need to complete before the end of this week. I consider that a victory.

Current Mood: exanimate
Current Location: heading to bed
Current Music: MSNBC, Lawrence O'Donnell

A Few Things Make a ~~Post~~ Rant

I'm on what I hope is the downward slope of a back spasm event. It wasn't made easier by a freak accident while I was cleaning the tub; a spasm made me lose my balance, and I managed to slam my ribs down onto the lip of the bathtub. I didn't think much of the problem beyond being embarrassed at losing balance while I was on my knees, but the next morning it hurt like hell. Off we went to the urgent care place, where I got an xray. It fortunately showed no rib cracks, but remained painful for a couple of days, and I'm pretty sure it lengthened the spasm event.

It certainly forced me into doing something I would never have done had I not been in pain; heading to bed with painkillers and half an edible gummy each night in the past week, before I had the chance to hear the DNC speeches I wanted to hear live. I was able to hear the speeches the next day, thanks to the wonders of YouTube, but as a political junkie, I felt as if I hadn't been doing my job.

Actually, the folks who let the side down were the TPTB at the DNC. They refused to allow a Palestinian activist time to present a five-minute speech that would highlight the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza and its genocidal effect on non-combatants there. I've read the speech that the activist, a state representative from Georgia, hoped to present; it's as close to anodyne as it could be, respectful about the horror of Oct. 7 and simply asking for an end to Netanyahu's war effort without mentioning Netanyahu, calling for the release of Israeli and Palestinian hostages and speaking with hope of being part of the Democratic party's broad coalition.

Yes, the DNC held a panel about the Palestinian situation during the convention and I think that was extremely important. But denying the speech, not allowing the Gaza situation to be centered for all convention delegates, was, in my opinion, close to unforgiveable, especially considering they rightly gave time to agonized hostage relatives who were arguing for the same war cessation and hostage releases that were a large part of Ruwa Romman's speech.

Bob and I have talked about it, and I think part of the reason was coldly political; TPTB probably envisioned the GQP - especially The Former Guy's presidential campaign - framing that as Democrats being soft on Hamas. Intellectually, I can understand if that was one of the reasons to deny the speech a place on stage.

I think it was still wrong to do that.

Huh. This turned into a political rant. Well, so be it. Perhap something less ranty later.

Current Mood: sore
Current Location: the living room
Current Music: Carter, purring in my face

I Aten't Dead

As the subject line says ... I still live. (Well, that's not what the subject line says. But it is what the subject line suggests. So, yeah.)

I have little to say right now, but I'll be damned if I let April go by without a single post. And I am determined to check in on other people as well.

Quickly: still working on an original thing that might turn into an original novel. Still obsessing about Stray Kids (I had to hold myself back from putting a $170 Lollapalooza one night ticket on my credit card to be able to see them live. I may still give in ....) Still working as a stringer (and I need to get working tomorrow on two things for which I've done interviews), still dealing with back and neck problems - hurrah! I have a herniated disk in my neck! So much fun! But I am doing some good PT for it, so there's that. Also, I'm going to be getting an epidural shot in my neck in about two weeks, and that should help a bit as well.

I'm also rereading the first three novels of Tamsyn Muir's Locked Tomb series, to prepare for the final book coming out later this year. God, she's amazing..

Oh, and I'm watching/listening to the first criminal trial of The Former Guy. I only put lemurs as my icon because I can't, technically, use my "Guilty, guilty, guilty!" one, but I can be happily amused.

Hope y'all are doing well.

Oh, wait - Bob and I saw the total eclipse of the sun back on April 8. I'll post about that, I promise. It was an amazing day.

Current Mood: dorky
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: Stray Kids, "Get Lit"

Well, of Course

For the last 36 hours or so, I've had a really stiff neck, a headache, and sore arms. I haven't had a temperature, but when my throat started getting sore, I headed for my COVID tests. I mean, I just knew.

Yep. I've got it again, despite getting my bivalent on Sept 24. Go, me. I've been wearing masks in grocery stores and retail places, but - like an idiot - failed to wear a mask at two meetings I covered last week.

I'm going to oen of my health system's urgent care places tomorrow morning, to see if I can get a prescription for Paxlovid. I'm sure they'll want to do another test, which is fine. If they tell me they can't prescribe the Paxlovid, for whatever reason, I'm just going to come home, wrap myself in a blanket, drink a hot toddy in the middle of the day, and feel excessively sorry for myself.

Now I'm going to cook a bare-minimum supper for Bob and me (yes, that's grammatical, plus I don't care if it isn't), and continue feeling sorry for myself.

On the other hand, it might have hit me a lot harder if I hadn't gotten the bivalent. So there's that.

Current Mood: grumpy
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: the furnace

Maine Shootings, aka How I Forgot a Reportorial Rule

You'd think I would have remembered, and obeyed, a prime rule of reporting.

In any situation like the killings in Lewiston, you should never share unvetted information as fact, especially in the opening stages of the incident - and especially if what you're reporting as fact is coming from only one source.

And that's what I did in my last post. I apologize for that.

On the other hand, I am very glad to hear from local, state and FBI officials that the death toll appears to be 18, not 22, and that the number of injured appears to be only 13, not 50 or 60.

At this time (11:10 a.m. Central Time) the suspect is still at large. I hope he is found soon.

Current Mood: embarrassed
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: MSNBC

Twenty Two Dead. So Far.

In Maine. Little, largely rural Maine. Lewiston's the second largest city in Maine, with around 37,000, people.

Shooter's still out there, after 22 murders and 50-60 injured. They apparently know who he is, and he may be known for mental

Oh, and learning that there's a difference between a mass shooter and a spree shooter, is not what I needed to learn tonight.

Yay, Second Fucking Amendment.

.

Current Mood: enraged

Update: I'm Still Positive

( COVID and Congress )

Current Mood: sick
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: orchestral music for "Made in Abyss" S2

Once more ... I Aten't Dead

Hello again, from the prodigal poster.

I'd meant to keep posting. I wanted to continue my review of my last Worldcon day; I'd even intended to do at least one more post about my 50 year high school reunion.

And then my back went into spasm mode, for the first time in about six months. That meant I ended up spending far too many days flat on my back, with painkillers and delightfully legal THC edibles the only way to get a good night's sleep. Gah.

I'm finally about 85 percent better, and I can sit long enough to post, without my back harness on. And I'm in a better state of mind (you all know how constant pain can rearrange any previously sunny opinion of the world.)

Now I can say that I appreciate the six month stretch between spasm episodes. A positive attitude is healthy, right?

I don't have a lot to say right now. Well, I am thinking about our world's deteriorating climate, as I watch the latest proof that we can no longer escape climate apocalypse.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: anxious
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: MSNBC

Uvalde, Texas.

Fifteen dead; 14 of them elementary school students, in Texas.

Fuck you, GOP; fuck you, NRA; fuck you, Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott.

And fuck, fuck, FUCK "Thoughts and Prayers."

Current Mood: infuriated
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: MSNBC

Spasms Are Us

Yeah, of course my back would go out in a major way because of my stress regarding our New Orleans trip. The cost, even with help from our dearest friends, the sadness I feel at a couple of financial realities that have hit me, my usual travel-related tension ... it all combined, and bang, there go the spasms. Still, I think I can deal with it, she said in a direct challenge to what usually happens to her.

Right now, though, I'm going to leave you with two really neat science stories via the CBC. the discovery of ice volcanoes on Pluto, and the discovery, via the Hubble telescope, of the most distant star we've ever seen. Cool, eh?

And I'm including this video of BTS's performance of "Butter" at the Grammies (which I'd forgotten took place Sunday night.) Knowing that they did this while two of them were recovering from COVID, and one of them had some sort of hand injury that prevented him from taking part in a lot of the choreography, makes the performance even more notable to me.

Watch on YouTube

One final thing. I decided to write another fic in my Arcane AU. We'll see how that goes.

And now I'm off to my heating pad and bed.

Current Mood: sore
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: BTS "Butter"

I'm So Bloody Tired of This

Back pain. I've been doing my exercises pretty regularly. I try to get up out of my chair and away from the computer screen more than once or twice a day. I wear the special brace I now have, thanks to Medicare, when it's called for (standing up at the kitchen counter, or being too long at the keyboard)..

I'm doing the right things. And I'm still getting back attacks.

Luckily, or at least luckily to date, I haven't developed spasms, but there's a section of back that is very painful, whether I stand up or sit down.

I'd been looking forward to a hot shower, or a jacuzzi, but apparently one of our water heaters sprang a leak. Again. So it's turned off. Again.

We have a special condo board meeting tonight, which I don't expect will be pleasant. After that, I'll be heating up water on the stove for my jacuzzi. Go, me.

At least I got my Arcane fic completed and up on AO3. So there's that.

Current Location: the home office
Current Music: Urban music from the Edo period

Back and Back

I'm back, and glad I am to be.

The back spasms I mentioned back on Nov. 23? Didn't disappear until Dec. 7.

Yes, I was miserable. Yes, I put in a request to my GP for a date with a physical therapist. Yes, I spent way too many stints in our jacuzzi, and going to bed early with as many types of painkillers as legally possible in me. Yes, I spent much of those two weeks walking around, because sitting down in any chair, in any position, just made things worse.

And yes, I wasn't able to complete my NaNoWriMo novel before Nov. 30, because of that. I'm still writing it, but it's being done at a completely different pace.

Having spasmodic pain on an intermittent but constant basis for two weeks is fucking exhausting. Bob has to deal with more pain of a different type on a constant basis, which I kept telling myself. He, on the other hand, reminded me that one should never compare one's pain to anyone else's. So there's that.

Gah.

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: Christmas music
Crossposts: https://kaffy-r.livejournal.com/605556.html

Still Here

In pain, with back spasms, because I've spent too long at the computer every day. It'll get better. but right now, fuck, they're painful. Own damned fault, but still, I can grouse, right?

I've written every day this month and now have 38,540 words in the novel. I figured out part of the ending last night just before I drifted off to sleep; bedtime thoughts have been very useful in this exercise.

The kids and their kid will be here between 27 Dec. and 3 Jan. Time to get a little tiny Christmas tree; we hadn't planned to do anything, but when there's family to enjoy the holiday with, a tree is necessary. And pressies to buy, of course.

I'm reading Kara Dalkey's "Little Sister" and really enjoying it. I should have started reading Dalkey's work a long time ago. I love tales from Heian era Japan. She writes fantasy about that time. It's right up my alley.

Bob and I have finished Netflix's "Arcane" and it is, hands down, the best non-Japanese animated story it's been my joy to watch, possibly ever. The world-building is complex, the characters equally so, the art and animation is jaw-droppingly stunning, the story is funny, adrenaline-packed, full of love and magic and class struggle and a look at a very broken young woman and the sister who loves her, it's hopeful and tragic and impossible to look away from.

We're also watching Netflix's live action adaptation of "Cowboy Bebop". As fans of the 2D anime classic, we thought it had a lot to live up to. It's doing a pretty darned good job. A few missteps here and there, but John Cho is Spike Spiegel, and Mustafa Shakir is Jet Black. Daniella Pineda had one of the toughest jobs, turning into Faye Valentine, but she's getting there. The writing works to expand the world of the anime; again, a few missteps, but it's worth watching.

Now I have to go and a) take drugs b) lie flat on the floor and c) probably have a jacuzzi. Fucking back pain. Fucking idiot me. Ah, well ....

Current Mood: sore
Current Location: the home office
Crossposts: https://kaffy-r.livejournal.com/605256.html

Well, They Said the Second Dose Would Pack A Wallop

... and the ubiquitous "they" were right. I went to bed last night with an increasingly stiff right arm. I'/d exercised it a lot throughout the day, and took some Excedrin before going to bed, as I normally do, but I probably needed more Tylenol.

This morning I woke up with a temp of 100.3. Even with fever reducers, it was still about 99.9 half an hour ago. I'm also absolutely dragged out. Bob's very tired and achy, but in his case, we're not sure whether that's because of his vaccination or some of his chronic situation. Either way, we're definitely feeling poorly.

But since I was kind of expecting to be hit fairly hard, it hasn't really changed my happiness at getting the final shot. I know this will abate over the next day or day and a half.

Still, yeah; it's been hard to get things done. I've managed to change cat litter, water plants, and sweep the kitchen. Go, me ....

I thought our local temperatures would drop more today than they have. They're still in the 70s (yesterday, April 6, and it was up in the mid-80s), so we were able to open the windows again, to let fresh air circulate. We haven't gotten to the point where we need the AC on. and the temperature is supposed to be a more seasonal appropriate 50-55 tomorrow and the next few days. It's been enjoyable to get all the fresh air over the last couple of days, though.

I think I'm going to toddle off and lay down for a while. Then I have some lentil soup to make, Hope all is well with everyone.

Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/576548.html

Still Here

So an insurrection happened. And may still be happening. We'll see how the next 5-6 days play out. I'm still dealing with a lot of poisonous anger, which doesn't seem apt to go away any time soon, especially with the increasing evidence of help for the traitors outside from inside the halls of Congress. Perhaps I can talk about it later. Right now, no, except to say I'm counting down the days to Jan. 21. Perhaps I can take a breath then.

A woman I like, respect, and care about,

ljgeoff , had a birthday on the 14th. She is most estimable, most formidable, a woman of will, and nearly infinite love. Oh, and she writes beautiful fiction even as she works and cares for those around her. Would that more humans were like her.

I am coming off of *thinks* 11 days of back pain, a lot of which was spent on my back. That kind of pain makes it very hard to focus on posting or writing. Instead, I've watched a lot of Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert show clips during the times I could sit up at my desk. I truly hope I can be more productive soon but I'm having a different stress reaction now in my mouth, about which the less said, the less gross this sentence will end up.

But I'm here. I'll get back to reading posts and responding. Take care, love each other, be safe, and hope like hell we get to Jan. 21,

Current Mood: sad
Current Location: the home office
Current Music: The furnace. It's chilly out there.
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/570946.html

So Much Annoyance, So Much Annoyance ....

I haven't been posting lately, for reasons even I'm not quite sure about. I keep meaning to, and I thought I'd gotten back up on the bicycle with one of my mass birthday wish posts (which I really should abandon in favor of on-time birthday wises and birthday cards. You know. That actually stand a chance of reaching the people I want to wish well.) But that didn't work.

( So let's obsess about our health, shall we? )

Current Mood: irritated
Current Location: the home office
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/553956.html

So. Saturday.

As of today (or more precisely late yesterday afternoon), the following achievements had been unlocked at Casa KathBob:

New passport for BB received and old, sneaky, hiding-for-too-longy old passport torn up;
Garbage disposal unit tightened and back in non-leaky working condition;
New microwave installed, and celebratory cups of reheated coffee drunk;
Soft cast off wrist/forearm, and decision not to get expensive second set of X-rays done approved by doctor, with subsequent graduation to removable splint.
Back spasms slowly, slowly fading - not nearly fast enough of course, but fading.

What this all means in this first world household is that I'm trying to decide how much typing I can now do, since the wrist and forearm are still occasionally delivering painful twinges when held or turned in certain directions. I want to be able to restart my fic writing. I mean, I can see the end to my Shaun/Donna/bunches of others fic. It's there, right ... there!

It also means that I can rev up the union work. Cast and back spasms really slow one down, if one is not, say, as determinedly dedicated to a cause as one might or should be. Some people battle through horrendous pain and reach heights the rest of us cannot reach. Others *cough*me*cough* become whinging wusses at the slightest pang of hurt. So yes, ridding myself of all my various types of pain asap is much longed for.

So wish me luck, y'all.

Current Mood: awake
Current Location: the home office
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/537075.html

So This Happened

Wondering why you've not heard from me in the last couple of days?

Wonder no more.

(Brief explanation because typing one-handed with your secondary hand is a pain; wrist, meet sidewalk, courtesy of crack ambushing sneaker. Doctor doesn't think it's broken, but wants a second set of X-rays next Thursday, to make sure one hasn't developed. Happened Wednesday night, yesterday was doc's office and loads of pain. Today's been a bit better.)

So there you have it. Do I know how to have fun, or what?

( Under here because big. )

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: the home office
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/534886.html

Philip Cat Morrison

I'll probably be able to say more, later. Not now. ( He's most excellent )

Current Mood: sad
Current Location: the living room.
Current Music: classical guitar music
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/503836.html

Phil

So the cancer has returned in our little black cat. Bob found two lumps along his throat, that popped up seemingly overnight, and he's been lethargic for the last week or so. Took him in to the vet. She did a needle biopsy, looked at it, and apparently told Bob that there was no need to send it to the lab. Bob said she used the word "aggressive" and I guess it won't be long. When he seems to be in bad discomfort or pain, we'll call for the same vet that eased Alex across the bridge to come.

Last September, the diagnoses we got was such that we were expecting only two to five more months with him. We got so much more than that, so I should feel grateful. We'd actually started wondering if the initial operation, to take the tumor out of his ear, had been more successful than the team told us it was. I guess not. Still, a few extra months with our most excellent pussycat. I need to remember that.

What a day. What a fucking day.

Current Mood: sad
Current Location: On the Job
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/503607.html

Still Alive

But goodness me, it seems to be taking too much energy.

Current Mood: exhausted
Current Location: Heading Out on the Road
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/501954.html

Write In Haste, ~~Repent at Leisure~~ Hope for More Leisure

I haven't posted at all for a few days, and only once during the Labor Day weekend, which was probably a terrible use of my labor-less time, but I plead stress on all counts, your honors.

I've been fighting back spasms and general pain for the last five days, and for some reason it has refused to go away. I've gone back to my exercises (did I mention this in my last post?) and have taken many, many trips to our tiny bathtub jacuzzi, but the usual cycle of the pain going away doesn't seem to be repeating properly. We'll see if the weekend helps.

We'll be flying out to Seattle with Tommy and Lily, Andy's and Em's cats, on Friday night, and will stay there until Tuesday. I'll have five days to completely rest, so I'm hoping that will help lay the back pain to rest, if I haven't gotten it properly under control by then.

This isn't much of a post, I know, but I wanted to keep an oar in. I'll try to respond to other people's posts (I hope) tonight.

Current Mood: sore
Current Location: the living room.
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/496864.html

Ack. Or Possibly Gack.

My back hurts, which is Same Old Same Old. And yesterday, which is when I started this post, suffered as a result. I've been told I really should start my exercises again, which ... tell me something I don't know, you know? I'd just really, really like to know why this happens, rather than "it's the stress." Hell, I had lots of stress when I was 35, and I didn't suffer this kind of back pain. Therefore, I wince, grumble, whinge, and reluctantly decide to go back to at least some of the exercises. As I do every time, and then gradually forget, so I suppose it's my own damn fault.

The only respite I had yesterday watching

thisbluespirit 's lovely S&S videos, and reading an inordinate amount of The Goblin Emperor fic. I'm somewhat bowled over by the sheer amount of pornfic for the fandom, although I shouldn't be; what is it, Rule 34, 36, or 39? At least one piece is pretty darned good and emotionally satisfying. The rest ... not going to look, because The Goblin Emperor is my comfort novel, about a young, honorable, truly good person, and seeing noncon or outright rape fic concerning him ... that has me noping on out of there. YKINMK, I know, but ... nopity-nope-nope for me.

I know that the back pain wasn't the sole reason for my unhappiness; I simply couldn't get anything done, and that stressed me out enough for my hands to go painfully numb.

As for thinking? "Brain and brain — what is brain?"

Current Mood: stressed
Current Location: the home office
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/493896.html

Good Things, Meh Things

It’s Sunday, and I’m sitting in the lobby of a hotel in Oak Lawn, of all places. The good things: I’m here with BB, and we’re waiting for some friends, with whom we’re going to celebrate a birthday. And for a change, we’re early (which is not usually the case when I’m involved.)

The bad: I have a miserable (TMI alert) sore in my mouth that will make it difficult to enjoy the meal. It will also be hard to eat politely or speak without sounding like a drunkard. Still, the company is going to be good.

Another good thing: I’m almost done with Chapter 29 of Hearts & Moons. A bad thing; it looks as if I’ve written myself into another chapter. Argh.

Current Mood: sore
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/479248.html

Vacations and I Do Not Play Well Together. Not Even on Christmas

I mentioned to BB earlier tonight that I don't believe I've had a completely injury- or illness-free vacation in years. And, I said, it's got to be me at fault, not the vacations. (A bit like the nice boy who wonders why he picks so many mean girls who break up with him ... it's not them, buddy ....)

( Blatherings under here )
I am a very silly woman. Then again, I am a silly woman in pain, whose closest relationship over the last 36 hours, other than with her beloved, has been with her heating pad.

Gah.

But the Christmas tree still looks beautiful. And my collection of TARDIS ornaments now stands at two, thanks to FB and Miss Em, and that's wonderful. So, pain or not, today has not been a total loss. Also, I've learned a lot about narwhals For Reasons, and that's also cool.

Current Location: Going to bed
Crossposts: https://kaffyr.livejournal.com/474850.html

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Grasping at Grace (and Growth)

Transformation is Inescapable

Entries tagged with pain

Dept. of Irritating Pain

Dept. of Back on the Bicycle

Dept. of Surfacing

Dept. of Life in the Circus

Dept. of Forgetting Common Sense

Dept. of Another Goddamn Day in Paradise

Dept. of COVID, Updated

(no subject)

Dept. of Sorrow and Rage

Dept. of Pain and Positivity

Dept. of the Back is Back

Dept. of Aargh.

Dept. of She Lives

Dept. of Aches and Pains

Dept. of Placeholders

Dept. of Ending the Week

Dept, of Personal Meandering

Dept. of Bodily Dysfunctions

Dept. of Goodbye

Dept. of Inevitability

Dept. of Is It Friday Yet

Dept. of Quickly, Quickly

Dept. of Non-Sociological Anomie

Dept. of Sunday

Dept. of Mild Griping