Met with my attorney yesterday in hopes of moving along my Social Security disability claim. 'Twasn't pretty. We're now at two and a half years since I filed my claim.
Fibromyalgia isn't deemed a worthy disease for inclusion on the approved disabling "list" because there is no clear cut cause, a specialist can't point to a part of the body and say "this is where the pain comes from and this is what causes it", and it is a "vague" diagnosis. Doesn't matter about having Osteoarthritis WITH Fibro. Doesn't matter how much pain one suffers. Unless there is a clear-cut source, it's an uphill battle at best.
We'll send out another round of information requests to doctors and specialists to update my file for the day I finally get to appear before a hearing judge. Even if he says I'm disabled, the determination immediately goes before an appeals judge or hearing or forum - and they have the right to throw out an affirmative determination. I'll bet they don't throw out a negative finding.
It reviles me that we can continue to pay women to have X number of children while on the public dole, but we who have paid into the social security fund since our teens are treated as though we're trying to steal from the crying babies.
I'll bet OctoMom didn't have to wait three years to get our money! We'll be paying to support her 14 kids for the rest of their lives. Who, in Uncle Sam's name, allowed this travesty? Whatever happened to being responsible for ones' own actions?
Shameful. Discriminatory. Biased. Bigoted.
And while I'm on a rant, let's impeach Diane Feinstein for her not-so-cleverly-disguised conflict of interest that will net her husband, Richard Blum, millions at taxpayer expense.
Let's vote out all the attorneys currently in the House and Senate and start over! Perhaps we could then revamp the Social Security system?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Household Chores, Offshored Idiots, and Pain
A very busy and stressful time recently.
I'm sore. Probably because of the scrubbing given to the kitchen, dining room and back entry floors yesterday (which hubby refers to as our "front door"). I was taught that proper scrubbing could only be accomplished with a sponge, and bucket of disinfectant and hot water, while on one's hands and knees. All other cleaning of a non-carpeted floor was always referred to as "damp mopping" and was considered a quick cleanup. Last evening was rough. Today is rougher as my muscles join in the rampaging choir with my aching joints.
Creating more oil paintings was put on hold while I spent a week in Louisville with daughter's clan. The week before that was spent ensuring that middle grandson could spend at least one more week per year being the "only child" while staying with us. He's going to Washington D.C. with his school group this week. I'm sure that will be more fun than anything we could have come up with here, although we did do a few art projects.
Not much could be more stressful than attempting to get compromised credit and debit cards straightened out, or fixing a software error, while speaking with "Haysoos in Hindu". Every American company that offshores customer service should be taxed TRIPLE with huge fees levied for each person employed in the offshored office. Speaking understandable ENGLISH should also be a requirement. After going through their scripts of possible fixes for the offending issue, the bottom seems to read, "I'm sorry but it is your problem and not one we can fix here". The writers of said scripts should be sent to winter camps in Siberia - or hell-hot Atlanta in August - until they learn to fix the problems the companies they represent have created.
Enough ranting for the moment. I'm off to a hot soak in the tub to ease my aches and pains.
Follow me on Twitter for more rants. Or niceties. Depends on the day. www.twitter.com/lindajhutchinso
I'm sore. Probably because of the scrubbing given to the kitchen, dining room and back entry floors yesterday (which hubby refers to as our "front door"). I was taught that proper scrubbing could only be accomplished with a sponge, and bucket of disinfectant and hot water, while on one's hands and knees. All other cleaning of a non-carpeted floor was always referred to as "damp mopping" and was considered a quick cleanup. Last evening was rough. Today is rougher as my muscles join in the rampaging choir with my aching joints.
Creating more oil paintings was put on hold while I spent a week in Louisville with daughter's clan. The week before that was spent ensuring that middle grandson could spend at least one more week per year being the "only child" while staying with us. He's going to Washington D.C. with his school group this week. I'm sure that will be more fun than anything we could have come up with here, although we did do a few art projects.
Not much could be more stressful than attempting to get compromised credit and debit cards straightened out, or fixing a software error, while speaking with "Haysoos in Hindu". Every American company that offshores customer service should be taxed TRIPLE with huge fees levied for each person employed in the offshored office. Speaking understandable ENGLISH should also be a requirement. After going through their scripts of possible fixes for the offending issue, the bottom seems to read, "I'm sorry but it is your problem and not one we can fix here". The writers of said scripts should be sent to winter camps in Siberia - or hell-hot Atlanta in August - until they learn to fix the problems the companies they represent have created.
Enough ranting for the moment. I'm off to a hot soak in the tub to ease my aches and pains.
Follow me on Twitter for more rants. Or niceties. Depends on the day. www.twitter.com/lindajhutchinso
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Optum Health - New Website
Through Twitter I've found a wonderful new site with loads of medical information and helpful advice. Check it out: www.myOptumHealth.com.
For updates you may also follow Kevin Abramson at: http://twitter.com/myOptumHealth
Those of us with multiple ailments are always searching for new information on how to live better, to live more successfully, with debilitating diseases and conditions.
For updates you may also follow Kevin Abramson at: http://twitter.com/myOptumHealth
Those of us with multiple ailments are always searching for new information on how to live better, to live more successfully, with debilitating diseases and conditions.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Wonder why I haven't been around to update my blog? Well, I got my driving privileges back on the 11th! I'm still sore from all the roaming around I did on the 12th...
My soft collar brace is now an on-again-off-again deal. Easy. When my neck is tired and sore from holding my head up I put the brace on. Having worn the full brace all winter, my neck muscles are a bit weak. Never thought it would be so hard just to hold my own head up. Reminds me of the little kid in Jerry McGuire who was always mouthing off about how much the human head weighs.
My frostbitten thumb is turning green again, as are all the plant starts we have in our indoor mini-greenhouse. Our garden will be about 4 times larger this year if dear husband is able to till up that much. He's an old fart, he tells me. Probably to postpone getting the tiller out.
Won't be long before I'll need to start mowing the yard. David, our next door neighbor to the east, is usually the first to pull his mower out of the garage - letting me know it's time! Each of the five houses on this street has at least 2.3 acres. We have almost 4 acres to mow, plant, seed, weed.
Mowing last summer and fall was extremely hard on me. The vibration from our John Deere rider made me ache all over, but it was especially hard on my hands and forearms. Surgery should have corrected that. Sounds like a post for next week... If David can wait that long to start mowing season.
I really don't want to have to mow until after it snows at least one more time. It always seems to snow in April in Ohio.
My soft collar brace is now an on-again-off-again deal. Easy. When my neck is tired and sore from holding my head up I put the brace on. Having worn the full brace all winter, my neck muscles are a bit weak. Never thought it would be so hard just to hold my own head up. Reminds me of the little kid in Jerry McGuire who was always mouthing off about how much the human head weighs.
My frostbitten thumb is turning green again, as are all the plant starts we have in our indoor mini-greenhouse. Our garden will be about 4 times larger this year if dear husband is able to till up that much. He's an old fart, he tells me. Probably to postpone getting the tiller out.
Won't be long before I'll need to start mowing the yard. David, our next door neighbor to the east, is usually the first to pull his mower out of the garage - letting me know it's time! Each of the five houses on this street has at least 2.3 acres. We have almost 4 acres to mow, plant, seed, weed.
Mowing last summer and fall was extremely hard on me. The vibration from our John Deere rider made me ache all over, but it was especially hard on my hands and forearms. Surgery should have corrected that. Sounds like a post for next week... If David can wait that long to start mowing season.
I really don't want to have to mow until after it snows at least one more time. It always seems to snow in April in Ohio.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Yesterday's Oil Paint Fiasco
For the most part, I'm sleeping better now that I can wear a "soft" collar at night. It's so much more comfortable, but.. There's always a "but" to things like this.
The soft collar doesn't hold my neck in a rigid position, so I've been waking with muscle cramps on both sides of my neck and muscle cramps and burning in a "V" shape from the base of my skull, across both shoulders, and down the middle of my back. I'm not sure exactly what is causing this most unpleasant adverse reaction.
Now that my fingers are mostly working again, I've been dabbling with oil paints. There's a small local festival held in August of each year, and I'd love to set up a booth with some of my paintings, in the hopes of selling a few.
That seems like a great idea, but my fingers are only m-o-s-t-l-y working. Yesterday I managed to get bright red oil paint all over my clothes. My favorite neon green sweatshirt now has red blotches all over the front and up both sleeves, as does my favorite T-shirt.
Perhaps it was just because I didn't feel well yesterday. I'm hoping that was the cause. So far, the painting is looking okay, so my fumble-fingers didn't ruin it. Probably because I've begun working with the palette knife again, rather than using brushes.
We'll see how that goes today. I'm not quite as achy, but I will be taking a muscle relaxer before sitting down in front of my easel. Yesterday's painting fiasco was done in spurts of 15 minutes here and another 15 minutes there because I could not sit for very long. I couldn't stand for very long either.
The soft collar doesn't hold my neck in a rigid position, so I've been waking with muscle cramps on both sides of my neck and muscle cramps and burning in a "V" shape from the base of my skull, across both shoulders, and down the middle of my back. I'm not sure exactly what is causing this most unpleasant adverse reaction.
Now that my fingers are mostly working again, I've been dabbling with oil paints. There's a small local festival held in August of each year, and I'd love to set up a booth with some of my paintings, in the hopes of selling a few.
That seems like a great idea, but my fingers are only m-o-s-t-l-y working. Yesterday I managed to get bright red oil paint all over my clothes. My favorite neon green sweatshirt now has red blotches all over the front and up both sleeves, as does my favorite T-shirt.
Perhaps it was just because I didn't feel well yesterday. I'm hoping that was the cause. So far, the painting is looking okay, so my fumble-fingers didn't ruin it. Probably because I've begun working with the palette knife again, rather than using brushes.
We'll see how that goes today. I'm not quite as achy, but I will be taking a muscle relaxer before sitting down in front of my easel. Yesterday's painting fiasco was done in spurts of 15 minutes here and another 15 minutes there because I could not sit for very long. I couldn't stand for very long either.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Surgery Update
I'm healing well, although the neck brace is still my constant companion. My neurosurgeon has authorized me to wear a "soft" collar at night. New plugs between repaired vertebrae "look good" and new bone is beginning to grow around them. On March 11th, 19 (!) days from now, my driving privileges should be reinstated.
My energy level is low, although I'm thinking that's more due to Fibromyalgia than surgery. Naps are necessary if I'm to have a clear head all day. The searing, burning, pain that begins at the middle of my back and radiates down my flank and over both hips is back. I did so hope that would remain gone...
I'm learning that nap time is when Fibro Fog kicks in. Whether that's at 9:00 in the morning or 3:00 in the afternoon, accepting it is a much better response than fighting it.
Only one major happening while I've been re-learning to use my hands and fingers; evidently I've been "over-compensating" by sending manual overrides to my hand's poorly-functioning auto-response system long enough that it became habit. I'm re-training to consciously shut that off because squeezing a paper cup of hot coffee too hard causes the lid to pop off and bathe my lap in it. Very uncomfortable. Not a happening I wish to repeat.
I am still opting to limit the use of sharp knives in the kitchen. This is fear related. It will take time to become comfortable with them again.
Typing is still difficult. That finger "auto-response" we who have typed at 75+ wpm since our teen years and take for granted is something I miss greatly. My fingers move all right, just not to the right keys. I spend much time deleting extra fumble-fingered letters. Worse is finding and fixing the missed letters. However, my editing skills have improved because of this, so maybe that's not a bad thing after all.
Our home is finally clean again. Scrubbed clean. It takes tackling one room at a time and being happy with that rather than pissing and moaning that another room is badly in need of vacuuming and dusting, or mopping and waxing. Vacuuming has to be good enough because steam cleaning the carpets is out of the question. One room takes most of a day, even if it wasn't so bad to begin with.
My life is good, for the most part. I'm fortunate to have a wonderful husband who will pitch in even after working a 12-hour day to help me, just because he knows it bugs me to be surrounded by chaos. He even picks up after himself. He's a keeper. Good thing, too, because I'm too tired to train another one.
Now, if only I could train son's walrus-sized attention-whore dog to lay around somewhere other than the only opening out of my office - and to clean up after herself...
My energy level is low, although I'm thinking that's more due to Fibromyalgia than surgery. Naps are necessary if I'm to have a clear head all day. The searing, burning, pain that begins at the middle of my back and radiates down my flank and over both hips is back. I did so hope that would remain gone...
I'm learning that nap time is when Fibro Fog kicks in. Whether that's at 9:00 in the morning or 3:00 in the afternoon, accepting it is a much better response than fighting it.
Only one major happening while I've been re-learning to use my hands and fingers; evidently I've been "over-compensating" by sending manual overrides to my hand's poorly-functioning auto-response system long enough that it became habit. I'm re-training to consciously shut that off because squeezing a paper cup of hot coffee too hard causes the lid to pop off and bathe my lap in it. Very uncomfortable. Not a happening I wish to repeat.
I am still opting to limit the use of sharp knives in the kitchen. This is fear related. It will take time to become comfortable with them again.
Typing is still difficult. That finger "auto-response" we who have typed at 75+ wpm since our teen years and take for granted is something I miss greatly. My fingers move all right, just not to the right keys. I spend much time deleting extra fumble-fingered letters. Worse is finding and fixing the missed letters. However, my editing skills have improved because of this, so maybe that's not a bad thing after all.
Our home is finally clean again. Scrubbed clean. It takes tackling one room at a time and being happy with that rather than pissing and moaning that another room is badly in need of vacuuming and dusting, or mopping and waxing. Vacuuming has to be good enough because steam cleaning the carpets is out of the question. One room takes most of a day, even if it wasn't so bad to begin with.
My life is good, for the most part. I'm fortunate to have a wonderful husband who will pitch in even after working a 12-hour day to help me, just because he knows it bugs me to be surrounded by chaos. He even picks up after himself. He's a keeper. Good thing, too, because I'm too tired to train another one.
Now, if only I could train son's walrus-sized attention-whore dog to lay around somewhere other than the only opening out of my office - and to clean up after herself...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I've been AWOL
I've been AWOL from blogging and social media for the past week and a half while I catch up on housework, update my website and store, and gear up for next week's writing deadlines.
My paints and canvasses are spread out all over the "art corner" in the guest room - ready for me to get busy getting ready for the Obetz Zucchini Festival in August. I'm hoping to have 50 oil paintings and other artwork available in my booth. We'll see how that goes... Nope. It's on my goal list, so it will happen.
Today is my 2 month post-surgery checkup. If my Very Cool Dude neurosurgeon doesn't reinstate my driving privileges, he will be reduced to just "neurosurgeon". UGH! I so badly want to go somewhere by myself. Almost anywhere. Note that I said "almost". Hubby and son have been wonderful about getting me out of the house, but...
I've dropped 11 pounds since surgery. Not so easy to do while in a neck brace 24/7, but it's getting done. Keeping a food/calorie/fat diary is the ticket for me. Once it's in black and white I can't lie to myself about how much I ingest. It's so much easier these days, now that foods are pre-packaged and calorically categorized for us. Yep. Those preservatives and fat substitutes are just yummy. Great for our innards, too. Uh-huh.
I ache to make bread from honest-to-goodness quality, natural, whole, substances. Problem is, I don't know how to make less than 5 loaves at a time. I use molasses to help cut the fat, but it adds calories. The kneading part might be a bit tricky too.
Maybe I'll wait a couple of weeks before testing those new parts in my neck.
My paints and canvasses are spread out all over the "art corner" in the guest room - ready for me to get busy getting ready for the Obetz Zucchini Festival in August. I'm hoping to have 50 oil paintings and other artwork available in my booth. We'll see how that goes... Nope. It's on my goal list, so it will happen.
Today is my 2 month post-surgery checkup. If my Very Cool Dude neurosurgeon doesn't reinstate my driving privileges, he will be reduced to just "neurosurgeon". UGH! I so badly want to go somewhere by myself. Almost anywhere. Note that I said "almost". Hubby and son have been wonderful about getting me out of the house, but...
I've dropped 11 pounds since surgery. Not so easy to do while in a neck brace 24/7, but it's getting done. Keeping a food/calorie/fat diary is the ticket for me. Once it's in black and white I can't lie to myself about how much I ingest. It's so much easier these days, now that foods are pre-packaged and calorically categorized for us. Yep. Those preservatives and fat substitutes are just yummy. Great for our innards, too. Uh-huh.
I ache to make bread from honest-to-goodness quality, natural, whole, substances. Problem is, I don't know how to make less than 5 loaves at a time. I use molasses to help cut the fat, but it adds calories. The kneading part might be a bit tricky too.
Maybe I'll wait a couple of weeks before testing those new parts in my neck.
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