Dermatologist

Saw the dermatologist today and he found 7 or 8 precancerous lesions (one was even on the scalp) so he froze them.  There were two that he told me to watch carefully and if they are still hanging on in 30 days I should come back right away.  Otherwise, I go back in a year.

Now I just need to finish some dental stuff and I will be caught up on all the routine things I ignored while Marshall was sick.  That took long enough, didn't it?

Be sure to come back tomorrow -- I might have some exciting news (exciting for me, anyway)....

Also, tomorrow is Marshall's birthday.  These milestones are still tough.

Bannisters

The contractor was here today with my friend Tony and they installed bannisters on the other side of the stairs so that I can hold onto both of them when I'm coming down.  It feels so much more stable.

They also put a grab bar outside the front door so that if the concrete steps are icy I'll have something to hold onto.  They couldn't do a whole bannister because we would probably need permission from the Homeowners Association.  But the grab bar will do just fine.  They also installed a new kitchn faucet for me.  I like it.

Then this afternoon I went to my appointment for one of those Lifeline Screenings.  I know I get regular checkups from my primary doctor and my cardiologist but these days it is wise to get multiple opinions.  So I had a bone density test, ultrasounds for aorta (I think) and carotid arteries.  Then I had blood work for cholesterol and the cholesterol levels were in normal range.  Sugar levels were perfect.  I'll get all the other test results in the mail in a couple weeks.

So the only things left for the immediate future are a bit more dental work and a checkup with a dermatologist.  Then I should be set for a year.  Finally.


 

Heimlich Maneuver

I've been delightfully wined (actually lemonaded) and dined this week for my birthday, ate too much, but really have enjoyed the week.

But today I was at lunch and something got caught in my throat and it was very scary.  My lunch companion ran around me and did the Heimlich Maneuver and it was successful.  It was weird because she kept asking if I was okay and I kept nodding "yes," even though I wasn't okay.  I wasn't thinking very good.

I think my problem was that I've been having lots of dental work done and perhaps I wasn't chewing as good as I should have been.  So what an interesting day.

Tomorrow, a contractor is coming over to assess my house for the installation of more safety bannisters so that I hopefully won't fall again.  Old age is really setting in (LOL).

But everything else seems to be really stable now.  The pacemaker is doing well and there haven't been any atrial fibrillation episodes since the pacemaker was implanted.  I have a Fitbit watch that tracks my steps and my heart rate, which is interesting and fun.

Tidbits about Parkinson's

I forgot to mention a few things Dr. Round told me about Parkinson's.

He said that (1) there are different types of Parkinson's and that Michael J. Fox has the kind that presents itself when you are young and that type of Parkinson's has different symptoms and takes a different course.  And (2) Muhammad Ali didn't actually have Parkinson's, he had a condition brought on by being hit in the head too many times.

But both of those celebrities have done wonders in the fight to cure Parkinson's and that's a good thing.

I do NOT have Parkinson's

Well, Dr. Round says I do not have Parkinson’s, but I do have something called Essential Tremors in just my left thumb, which happens to some people as they age.  He said that essential tremors (sometimes called Familial Tremors), over time, can morph into Parkinson’s, but that doesn’t happen often and if it does, it takes many years for that to happen. And as he pointed out, I am about to turn 72 and I will die of something else before any of that would happen.

His exam was interesting.  The exam I got from the neurologist at the University was all visual.  She did not touch me much at all, just had me do some movements while she watched.  Dr. Round had me do some of the same things but he was hands-on while I was doing them.  He said he could feel the tremors in my left thumb (even though I was not aware of the tremors right then). 

He asked me if anything made the tremors worse or better.  I said coffee made it worse and if I stopped coffee it got better.  He said that coffee made all tremors worse, no matter what caused the tremors to begin with.  The good news there is that I can now have coffee if I want it, as long as I’m willing to accept the increase in tremors that may come with it.

He said that exercise, strength training and losing weight would have a positive effect on the Essential Tremors.  He also suggested that I Google all this stuff.  I told him it was very rare for a doctor to actually suggest a person do some internet research.  He said he thought it was a great source of information as long as you did it responsibly and didn’t go into the bogus advertising sites.  I really liked this guy.

Then he looked at my medications and noticed that I take Flecainide.  I have suspected that the Flecainide was the cause of some of the tremors but no one would listen to me.  Dr. Round noticed the drug and immediately said that one of the side effects of Flecainide was tremors.  I asked him what I could do about that and he said unfortunately there wasn’t anything I could do.  There was another drug out there that could take the place of the Flecainide but it caused even worse tremors.  So I will discuss that with the cardiologist the next time I see him.  He reduced the dose for me once, maybe we’ll be able to reduce it again as time goes on.

But here’s an interesting tidbit:  I had told him that the first neurologist I went to was at the University of Colorado Neurology Department and that doctor told me she was positive I had Parkinson’s and that she wanted to put me on medication immediately and send me over to get enrolled in their clinical trial for early onset Parkinson’s.  Dr. Round said that when you go to a research hospital for diagnosis and treatment, their doctors are encouraged to try out their medications and to get as many new patients as possible into their clinical trials.  I guess that makes sense but it sure makes me look at the University differently.

So Dr. Round told me to come back in a year.  And I am very very happy.  I can even enjoy coffee again.

Massage

Ever since my two falls down the stairs I've had aches and pains that just won't quit and several days ago sciatica set in, as well as a minor headache that just wouldn't quit, so something had to be done.  If you've ever had sciatica you know what I'm talking about.

Every time I go down 120th Street I see a place called Massage Envy, so I checked with my cardiologist to see if it was okay to get a massage when you have a pacemaker.  I also called my sister-in-law, Liz, who -- among many other medical-related things -- is a licensed massage therapist.  They both said it was okay to get a massage as long as it is not a deep massage.

So today I went in and had a 30-minute chair massage (I decided to start out slow) and I left there without a headache and with less shoulder and arm aches.  Pretty good.  So I joined the massage club.  I will get one 60-minute massage each month at a reduced rate and if I get more than one massage a month, the rate is reduced further.

So I go back on January 24 for a full massage that will concentrate more on the sciatica.  I came home today energized and took down all of my Christmas lights on the outside, as well as the few things I had inside (the cats made it clear that I couldn't over-decorate the inside.)

I've also decided to let my hair go back to its original color, whatever that may be.  Right now it appears that it will be silver.  The last time I tried this, the color was an ugly gray and I hated it.  If this time it turns out to be silver, I will be happy.

My hair stylist sold me some purple shampoo that she says will tone down the silver hair and give it more of a platinum look.  I think I will like it.

Last night was a grief support meeting.  The group is getting larger and I'm making a few friends, which is a happy side effect of the meetings.  I think I'll keep going after all.  Tomorrow I'm having lunch with one of the ladies and this weekend I'm getting together with another one.  It's especially nice because if one of us spontaneously starts crying for no apparent reason, the other knows the story and understands.  I still can't believe that I am continuing to grieve this strongly after a year and a half.  I hope I get a life again before I'm too old and frail to enjoy any of it.

Six more days to Parkinson's verdict....

Monday is neurologist appointment, Tuesday is another ugly dental appointment, and then a few days later I turn 72.   Yay me! 😢

Counting down to appointment with neurologist

Nine more days until my appointment with the second-opinion neurologist.  I'm getting nervous and a little scared.  I've been doing what I always do -- surfing the internet for information about Parkinson's.  Can't wait to get the final opinion and get the suspense over with.  If I do have Parkinson's, supposedly it will take years for it to become debilitating.

I still have intermittent tremors and when I'm in a good mood I can convince myself that they are still a result of the drug Flecainide that I'm taking.  The cardiologist reduced the dose and the tremors diminished and almost disappeared, but I guess it is possible that as long as I'm taking that drug -- in any dose -- it could still bring on tremors every now and then.  At least that's what I choose to believe right now.

SIGH.......

Grief support group

For the past four months I've been going to a grief support group every month.  It was really helpful for the first two times, but one of the things we had to do at each meeting was go around the room and tell our story.  That got kind of old.  I realize there are new people each time so it probably makes sense to repeat our situation for the new people, but it didn't help me.  The next meeting is Monday and I will probably go but probably won't go to any future meetings.

I have been giving a lot of thought lately to moving again, now that I am scared to death of my own stairs.  I shouldn't have bought a two-story to begin with.  Anyway, I called my real estate agent this evening and in the spring I may start looking around for a one-level residence.

I didn't have any tremors today at all.   And the pacemaker has been behaving.

Tremors

The last couple of days I've had very light off-and-on tremors in my left thumb.  I am telling myself that these tremors are a result of the coffee I had over the Christmas holiday, but I guess we'll see.

January 16 is my appointment with the neurologist when I will get a second opinion on the Parkinson's diagnosis.