Monday's Air

[Bud Baker]

Good morning, everyone!

It's 50 degrees with drizzle here. Today's high is supposed to be 68 degrees.

Well, it's my turn to start the Air in the wee hours of the morning. I usually post during my morning break at work, but since I just got home from the emergency room at the Dallas VA Medical Center, I'll be sleeping when I would normally be posting.

The weekend ended up being a little more adventurous than I planned. I noticed a pain in my left side Friday afternoon at work, but didn't think too much about it. When I got up Saturday morning, the pain was so severe that I thought about going to the ER then, but it got better in a couple of hours.

The pain felt deep inside, near the bottom of my left front ribcage. Internet and researching nerd that I am, I googled it. The only things that are there are the spleen and bottom of the left lung. I knew I hadn't done anything to injure my spleen, and I couldn't imagine anything wrong with my lung that would hurt that bad. I have to say though, that severe pain from an area that's at the bottom of the same lung that you've already lost the upper lobe to lung cancer is pretty bothersome.

When the pain eased up Saturday morning, I didn't go to the ER though, I went fishing...........LOL. I drove to Cedar Creek Lake. It's a great crappie lake, and seemed to be the only area around here that was going to avoid the flooding rains Texas was getting Saturday.

Sure enough, it didn't rain on me all day, and I caught some really nice crappie. When I got home and showered, I noticed a small rash on my left side.

By then, the pain had changed, spreading out more, and becoming a pain that was right on the surface, a kind of sensitive to the touch pain and tingling that I already have in that area, from nerve damage from my lung surgery incision.

The drizzle started here Sunday morning, so I just stayed home and tackled chores around the house. By Sunday afternoon, the rash had spread quite a bit, going from the center of my back around to the area on my left front side where the pain had first shown up. But I didn't get around to researching again until Sunday night. If you google abdominal pain with a rash, it doesn't take long to find what I ended up being diagnosed with: shingles. Sheesh.

One of the things that I read was that the rash can usually be controlled much better if you get treatment quickly, so I didn't wait, heading for the ER right away. The lidocaine ointment seems to be finally taking the edge off the rash pain, so I think I'll go to bed now.

Have a great day, all!

[dahknee]

Oh geesh Bud, I've had shingles before, no fun at all.

I too thought if I ignored it well enough it would heal itself. Mostly not. I find most of my stuff doesn't heal itself anymore, must be something about aging. Like my buddy Smoky always says, these golden yrs, they sure aren't for babies.

Went to dinner yesterday with Mary's family to celebrate her dad's 81st birthday had a pretty good time in spite of a pretty bad waitress at Red Lobster. She got 4 out of 7 orders wrong and we had to ask numerous times to get any Iced Tea and Coffee and Water. Thankful for good company and good senses of humor. It was almost like we were being Punk'd.

Feeling a bit better lately, still bubblin in my lungs like an old coffee pot, just weird but don't feel horrible.

I'll try to shoot some new pics of Maxwell today and put him on later. Have a good day wherever you are.

Donny

[jaminkw]

Morning All! Judy's such a sleepy head these days, the guys always get here before me. Love it.

Bud I hope you caught the shingles quick enough. I had it about 11 hrs ago and Stan about 4. It was awful. I waited about a week to go to the doctors. He was several days but it was in an exposed part of his body and we were traveling. He got a staff infection. Never saw him so sick. Take care, don't overdo. It is nothing to fool with.

Stan and I went to a flea market yesterday with mostly empty stalls. I forget we're into April and the time of snowbirds' departure. We had a nice day up the Keys tho with lunch on the ocean.

I'm meeting with the accountant today and am proud to say I'm all caught up on company bookkeeping--no so on personal. I have a stack of ATMs to put in computer, EFT pymts to enter and a bank statement to reconcile. I'll get to that stuff this week and then pack for Orlando and MDA next week. Hope that's not why I'm starting to wake in the middle of the night. Hate having my sleep disturbed.

Stephanie, I'm serious about the fruit cake/cobbler thing. I may make it for company dinner. Which one should I do? I like to spoon cooked vanilla pudding on cobble if that helps. I'm also thinking of using a mixed fruit.

Have a great day everyone.

Judy in KW

[ts]

Good morning.

Oh Bud, that's awful - I hope it clears quickly. I called a consulting nurse this weekend, but it is just a little spot on the inside of my elbow, no pain. I'll watch to see that it goes away. She also gave me some additional advice on another skin condition that has been flaring regularly, so hopefully I will get that under control. As I said yesterday, "If it isn't one thing, it's another thing." I'm not reluctant to use the health organization's expertise when something does not seem right.

Judy - I used mixed blueberries and raspberries. M liked that the cake was not too sweet. I prefer cakes made with butter rather than oil - this one was oil and yogurt, so it didn't really have a flavor or texture that I loved. I had a lot of european style plain yogurt in the house - it is rich, but loose, unlike Greek style strained yogurt. I used a recipe from the site "Chocolate and Zucchini" without the ground almonds.

http://chocolateandzucchini.com/archive ... t_cake.php

That said, I think I may stop sweets after this coming weekend, for awhile anyway. I'm eating them and not enjoying them much. Always a good time to stop. It doesn't lasts. Not sure what I will do when my friend comes to visit middle of May - I almost always bake for guests and usually go out to eat as well. Hard to resist dessert.

Donny - Thanks for the doggie picture. What a sweet face. How big will Maxwell get?

[eric byrne]

Hi Bud,

Not had any experience of shingles and from your vivid description its one Id prefer to give them a rain check to.I hope your recovery is not protracted and less uncomfortable.

Weather to-day an improvement on yesterday good bit warmer, lots of sun through broken clouds.

Returned to work to-day,hoped it would be quite,ease myself in,lasted about ten minutes,staff member phoned in unwell,had to serve a "please take"on myself,to cover his class,no one else available,well the day passed quickly -Iam well and truly back.

[Joppette]

Bud, ouch! I hope you only get a mild case. Ten years ago, I got a flu that went to my lungs, was extremely ill. And I had this horrid pain in my side. So I went to the doctor, and she said I was getting shingles. Shingles??? I was horrified, because a friend of mine got that and it was all over his face!

My rash had not started yet. But it did! And wow was it painful. Doc gave me some Vicodin, and the cream and told me I'd just to just ride it out. I was lucky, and got over it in 4 weeks because I took gobs of vitamins that repair a weak immune system. My F-I-L got them when he was in his 70's and it stayed with him for a long time. I think because of his age, it hit him much harder.

I hope for healing fast!!!

I'm working right now, but I have the doors open and fresh air and warm breezes are coming in and it's beautiful!

Judy in MI