Thank You All!

I want to thank everyone who has commented on yesterday's blog post with good wishes and prayers.

I do have an ace in my back pocket as far as the Neurologist goes.  My new PCP has set me up with a Neurologist in their healthcare system(this current Neurologist is part of a different healthcare system here).  I don't see her until Mid June.  I am trying to get medical records sent to her(as well as the surgeon in Dallas that does the Focused Ultrasound)before that appointment.  So while all hope is not lost, if I have to wait until mid-June to get a referral from her that puts me behind another month in this very long process and keeps me in this shitty place I live.

It's no secret that Hubs and I are not happy living here(duh...lol).  Oh, and we had yet another power outage last night.  This one was Only 5 hours.  In April we had three separate power outages-one before we left for the cruise, one while we were ON the cruise and a long one after we got home from the cruise.  Hubs had alerts from the power company set to let him know on his phone, that's how we knew about the outage while we were in Europe(or in the Atlantic somewhere).  Thankfully, that one didn't last very long but I tell you, it gets very tiresome that we constantly have to go through this....wondering how long until we get power back and if we need to take action, especially in the Summer when temps here are triple digit even before heat indexes and having a fridge that is hardwired into the house and we can't just get a little generator to help keep the food cold.

I am prone to depression and anxiety and when I think I can actually make progress on any project, I hit a brick wall and inertia sets in.  

While Hubs is happy as a clam to do his projects and be alone, I need to be around people sometimes.  I am so very lonely here.  That's probably why I go to the grocery store so much. It's become my social activity. lolz

Now I sit and peruse the cruise website and plan out all the trips I want to go on.  Anything not to be here!  We are going to visit Kim & Sissie in the Fall and then follow that up with another Alaskan cruise from Seattle since we'll be out that way.  Kim has decided not to come with us as there are too many memories of her Hubs from our trip there.  That makes me sad.

I have tentatively set up a trip to Northern Europe for next June too.  We fly into Copenhagen Denmark and visit 4 ports in Norway before going to Longyearbyen on the island of Svalbard near the Artic Circle(I follow a Youtuber who lives outside of Longyearbyen.  Her videos have prompted me to want to visit there.).  Then it's off to Iceland(another place on my bucket list since the 4th grade)and then back to here.  That trip is pricey but we can afford it as we have an entire year to save up. 8-)

Now I am looking at a cruise to South Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius this December.  Heck that one is only slightly more than the cruise to Alaska(and that's including airfare to SA and back from Mauritius!).

And there is always the cruise I wanted to take this past April/May around the tip of South America but I called too late for it and we would have had to get ourselves to Buenos Aires(or was it Rio?) instead of having the cruise line handle it.(And we don't habla espagñol or portugese.)  That can happen next year perhaps???

I have to remember that there are possibilities in life still and there are people who care about me(and I care about them), even though I am in a bad place for now.

Again thanks for reading my drivel and caring about me. 8-)

Sluggy

Neurological Dilemma & Frustration

So I found a doctor at U of Texas in Dallas that performs the Focused Ultrasound for people who have Essential Tremor or Parkinson's with Tremor.  I have contacted their coordinator in Texas and have requested my Neurological Medical Records to be sent to them.  But I also need a referral from my current Neurologist too before they can even set up an initial appointment.(This is a many step process to have the Focused Ultrasound procedure and at this point the initial appt. would be 3-4 weeks out from when they get the referral and the actual procedure is a YEAR out.  So needless to say, I am in a hurry to get this all going!)

My problem is with my current neurologist.  He is beyond unresponsive!  

Certain tests he ordered back on Jan. 31st were never done(3-were urine based and the lab didn't ask me for a urine specimen and 1 blood test came back that the sample they sent to the Mayo Clinic was insufficient to perform that test on my blood).  As of today, May 22nd, my neurologist has not submitted an order for these 4 tests to be done/redone.

Then I had 2 MRIs performed on March 16th.  I have had no feedback or contact from said neurologist as of today on these 2 MRI results.  I am assuming the results were ok but it would be calming to get any sort of call/text/note in the portal saying that's all ok.  Nada.

This Neurologist requested at the time of my Jan. 31st appointment that I be scheduled for a follow up appt. in 8-9 months from then.  The problem is that their scheduling system only goes 6 months out, so once I was 6 months within range from that appointment in Jan., I have messaged the department three times on three different occasions about scheduling an appointment.  As of today, no one in scheduling has responded to my requests. 

On April 5th I messaged through the patient portal that my Dermatologist at U of Mississippi needed my Neurological records as there was a possible issue we are pursuing in regards to her treatment of my HS and these records might hold some information needed.  I gave him her name, address, phone and fax # and guess what?  He never sent anything to her.  And I gave him ample time(appt. with Dermatologist was May 13th)so over a MONTH lead time and he couldn't take two minutes to respond-to send records or let me know what I needed to do to get those records to her?

Now I am waiting on a response from him in regard to the referral I need to be seen to Dallas to be a possible candidate for a Focused Ultrasound procedure.  Friday will be a week since I sent this latest request to him and I have had no response yet.  Of course, I figured I'd get push back on Focused Ultrasound from this department because NO DOCTOR IN LOUISIANA is licensed/trained to perform this procedure so it's not even on their radar as a treatment!!  But the least he could do is respond to ANY of my attempts to contact him.

So what do I do now?

I am so not happy that if I get that referral any time soon, it means I still have to live here for at least another YEAR+(I'd need to have a follow up 6 weeks after the procedure too).  If I ever get the referral and get to Dallas for appointments and testing, it may turn out I am not a candidate if my skull is too thick(as the ultrasound won't penetrate to my brain).  But I at least want the opportunity to try to go for it.

But if we don't pursue this in Dallas it means having to move/sell house/relocate somewhere there is another qualified surgeon who performs this procedure, find a neurologist(not easy to find one to take you on as a patient and may be months to find one and get an appointment)and then start the process all over again.  Leaving before we get on the schedule in Dallas would extend the time line for the procedure even longer. sigh

I am just so over the lack of communication with this neurologist and his laissez-faire attitude toward the treatment of my conditions.  It seems to be a recurring theme in Lousyana.....this "we'll get to it, when we feel like it" in businesses and medical practices.

I am so frustrated and low I just want to give up sometimes.  Not get the medications refilled and sit in a chair and shake so badly that I can't feed myself, write, or do anything productive.  I just need some good wishes and thoughts and for this horrible neurologist to at least send a referral.  I hate being on these drugs he prescribed me for ET and they don't work all the time and they make me so loopy.  Let's just drug her up and she won't bother us is how I feel that they are doing.

Sluggy

To-Do List.....April 2024

Here are my To-Do List projects and how I did with them.....

*  Pay Bills--DONE  Always #1 and always done

*  Go to 1 Dr. Appointment--DONE  With my Orthopedist.  The first set of injections didn't work much so.....

*  Have Shoulder Injection--DONE  Orthopedist did injections from the back into my shoulders.  He also went over the MRI I had earlier that showed what was going on and he recommended PT after these injections.

*  Begin Going Through Merchandise to Sell--PASS  I sort of did this....went into the "extra room" where all that is stored in tubs.  I unenthusiastically went though a tub or two before closing the door and leaving it.  The problem here is twofold-the Postal Service is so bad here(we call it the Cajun Pony Express as you never know if they are going to pick up your mail).

I can't find the photo I took but I had a package sitting on a chair on the front porch going Priority mail to my brother and had requested a pick up when they delivered our mail that day.

Not only did the Post Office NOT pick up the package but I got an email around 6pm that they HAD picked up the package, when it was clearly still sitting on my porch. SMH

Now how can I run a business dependent on the Post Office to deliver items when I can't be sure they will pick up something?  I'll get negative feedback on eBay or Etsy and who has the time to be running packages up to the PO all the time when items sell?

My second issue is about taxes.  If I sell more than $600 a year I need to start paying quarterly taxes, which is a pain and a complication for us.  I would also need to get a business license here and Lord, they slowness of attention to anything business around here is awful.  I am better off hauling everything to our next home and setting up to sell stuff there.  Nowhere we are considering would be as bad as it is here.

*  Send Box to One Kid--DONE  I mailed a box to Youngest child.  His stuff was in the top and now when/if he goes to see his older brother he can hand deliver the rest to him.  Oldest moved and I don't even know his new address so this is the best I can do.  I need to totally cut ties with him and his nasty wife for my own sanity and mental health. 8-(

*  Finish Packing for Cruise--DONE  I packed too much...could have left some shirts home as I bought a few shirts at places we went and I over packed the nightgowns.  But it got done and the cruise was wonderful.

*  Go Through Old Papers--PASS  I have a plastic storage container of old personal papers.  I made one pass through them and pitched a number.  I need to weed through this box again and get rid of some more.

*  Contact Lawyer about Will Changes--FAIL  Ran out of time before we left town to call the lawyer.  I plan on making contact with his office later this week.

*  Read/Finish Two Books--FAIL  I think I read some one day but didn't finish anything.  I will try to finish at least one book in May.  But I have not felt any motivation to read.

*  Buy Stuff for House(Always)--PASS Hubs bought some tools or something to fix something.  Don't ask me, I don't know. lol

*  Giveaway/Donate Baby Clothes--FAIL  I got the lot of baby clothes "Biz-ed" and sorted out.  The boy clothes went to my newborn great nephew.  I still need to get to Goodwill to donate all the girl clothing.

*  Start New Donation Box--DONE

Here's what Hubs took to the Church Food Bank in April.  And I've already taken a load in May to the same Food Bank this past Monday.  We are working on June's donation.  I still coupon and drive myself crazy(a little)chasing the deals because I know it's all for a good purpose. 8-)

*  Try to Hem Some of My Clothes--DONE  I got 2 dresses hemmed for the cruise but only brought one of them on the trip.  I need to go through what other pants and dresses I can manage to hem(these are the easy alterations I can do on this current ET medication).  The other more complicated items need to wait.

I also need to decide on some tops--whether they are worth altering or just taking them to Goodwill.

*  Edit More Photos--DONE  I almost caught up on photo editing and now I have hundreds more photos from the cruise that need work. ugh.

*  Post about Old Trips--DONE  I have almost finished off our Western Trip from 2017.  One more installment left. rah.

*  Work on Genealogy--DONE  Always working on that now and then.

*  Take Items to Goodwill--FAIL  We didn't get around to taking things to Goodwill before the cruise.

*  Photo Fabric and List--FAIL  I did get a big pile pulled and ordered 100 polybags to ship it in but I didn't get anything photographed or listed.

Look at me, I am a big fat failure.  Maybe I can do better in May. 8-(

Sluggy

This Week on the Dining Table.....the May 20th Edition

The "What's Going On In My Yard" Edition.....

You probably can't see it but the bird nest now has a fuzzy headed youngin' in it.  It looks like the momma bird only had one egg(or at least one egg hatch).

And the photo above is of a Mudbug or Crayfish tube.  This one isn't very tall(Hubs may have mowed it down with his tractor)but if the critter is still in there, it will be built taller.  Trust me! 8-)

Onward to the meal planning!

This is what was planned for last week...........

1. Sunday--Steak, Salad, Sweet Potato Fries

2. Monday--Leftovers or food out as we are going to Jackson

3. Tuesday--Scallops, leftover Cole Slaw, Au Grating Potatoes

4. Wednesday--Caesar Salad, Chicken Parm, Sauteed Cabbage

5. Thursday--Kielbasi, Squash, leftover Potatoes

6. Friday--Salmon, Veggies TBD, whatever leftovers

7. Saturday--???Whatever I pull out of the freezer

And here's what actually happened....

1. Sunday--Steak, Salad, Sweet Potato Fries

2. Monday--Chick fil-A Sandwich, Salad

3. Tuesday--Scallops, Cole Slaw, Teriyaki Veggie Mix

4. Wednesday--Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zucchini, Rice

5. Thursday--Steak Sandwiches, leftover Cole Slaw

6. Friday--Fish, leftover Cole Slaw, Roasted Broccoli

7. Saturday--Smoked Ribs, Mac and Cheese, leftover Teriyaki Veggies

I got a special on zuke, squash, thinly sliced steak and pork ribs so Wed., Thurs., and Sat. meals were changed up. I used the half a head of cabbage left to make a big ol' tub of Slaw instead of sautéing it.  I also had almost an entire half gallon of milk that was set to go off so I made a rare pan of mac and cheese(not rare in and of itself but rare for me to make that dish since losing all the weight).  Hubs will be tasked with finishing that(evidently I am incapable of making just a "little" mac and cheese).  He said it's a hard life but he'll do the best he can. lolz

What got taken out of the freezer last week....

*  2 Steaks

*  Scallops

*  6 Chicken Thighs

*  pack of Thin Sliced Steak

*  slab of Pork Ribs

*  6 Fish Fillets

What got put into the freezer last week....

* 2 Hamburger Patties

*  Sugar Snap Peas

*  a Meatloaf ready to cook

*  3 hunks of Salmon

Last week we spent $158.18 on grocery shopping for May.  Big week for grocery shopping but sometimes, when the deals present themselves you have to answer the call. ;-)

Total shopping comes to $308.88 for May.   There are 11 shopping days left in May.

Rebate monies earned this month so far.....

I've earned $114.89 on Ibotta in May.

I've earned $16.50 on Shopmium in May.

I've earned $15.50 on Alexa app in May.

I've earned $21.55 on Kroger Cash Back in May.

I've earned $6.56 on TaDa in May.

I've earned $0 on Checkout51 in May.

I've earned $10.49 on Aisle, etc. in May.

I've earned 2,625 points on Fetch from food shopping in May.

I've earned 182 points from food shopping on Shop Kick in May.($)

I've earned 0 Points on My Points in May.($)

I've earned 0 SB from food shopping on Swag Bucks in May.

That is $141.88 in rebates(not counting Shop Kick/Fetch/TaDa/MyPoints/KCB/Alexa)on $308.88 of grocery spending so in reality it's $167.00 in food spending after the rebate apps I count. I now separate out the Food Bank donations and don't count those in the grocery spending.

My savings percentage for the last week was 67.77% and the monthly savings total for May comes in at 64.74% spent so far. 

Leftovers going into this week...Lemon Pepper Chicken w/Zuke, Rice, Ribs, Mac & Cheese, Roasted Broccoli, plus some leftover cheese sauce from making Mac & Cheese.

Here is this week's "food plan".....

1. Sunday--Kielbasi on Rolls, leftover Cole Slaw

2. Monday--Meatballs, Sauce, Spaghetti, Caesar Salad

3. Tuesday--Salmon, Sauté Yellow Squash

4. Wednesday--Leftovers

5. Thursday--Leftovers

6. Friday--Catfish, Green Beans

7. Saturday--One Never Knows, do One?*extra points if you get the Fats Waller reference here*

What is getting fixed and served at your house this week?

Was last week's plan successful, did you go off plan or did you not even plan what was going to be eaten last week?

Any deals on food at your stores this week?  

Sluggy    

More Louisiana Exploration by Peter Santenello

Here is Peter Santenello's last installment of his exploration of Louisiana and it's culture.
He headed to New Orleans, which has a culture all to itself really.  I chuckled at the remarks about the lack of attention to the condition of the roads there.  That same sentiment carries over to where I reside in Louisiana as well. ;-)

Sluggy