My Chaotic Realm

Wednesday was busy last week! Breakfast with my friend was terrific. The lunch/meeting was loads of fun. It was also double star day so another friend and I took advantage of that as well as a quick stop @ Michael's. Then a patio dining experience with the bestie topped it off. Thursday was chapter meeting after work and a friend came along to check it out. Friday was a great potluck meetup @ Rosie's with scads of folks. The weekend had a great ride with some new (and old) friends as well as a chill lunch of milkshake from "The Yard". OMG that is a full day of meals, I gotta say. Monday I got some art trades done. Tuesday was work and a vision board class. Today I am just chilling, making a notebook, drinking coffee... the way a day off should be! Namaste chaotic

I feel like time is just marching right by me. A list of things to accomplish before 12/31/19 gets here and it seems like my list is going slower and time is going faster. ARGH. Leg surgery has been (finally) approved by Cigna & is scheduled for 1st week in September. Hand is still an issue. Technically I guess it is not JUST the hand, but that is the part that is impeding my job so it seems that way. Sigh. Off to breakfast now with a friend and then a Planner Play meetup at noon. The weekly scrapbook challenge posts today. And there is an art project still on my desk awaiting completion with another in the wings to get started on sitting next to it. Busy busy day. Best wishes to all!! chaotic

Okay, so stenosing tenosynovitis is making my life a tad annoying as of late. I did get X-rays and such done to make sure this is not a bone issue. It is not, and my bones look pretty freakin' fantastic, considering what that hand has endured. This condition occurs when inflammation narrows the space within the sheath that surrounds the tendon in the affected finger. The treatment depends on how severe the symptoms are. Mine has been on-going for a while, mostly due to my job. The pain goes from my elbow to my fingers, so yeah, it's been a problem for a little while. I have been prescribed "Rest", meaning I was told to not move the finger and take time away from the activity that’s causing the problem. (Umm, not possible!) Since I can't quit, I was given a splint designed to keep my finger still. That will be on the menu for about 6 weeks, along with NSAIDs and icing. There are 3 ways to solving this issue. The first is massage of the right forearm in order to l...

CHECK IN: #1) participating in my art group's "Birthday Club" where we send a handmade item to those celebrating birthdays. MET #2) 2019's weekly scrapbook layout challenge over at the Scraptacular Cropping Club MET #3) the 52 Weeks Being Me challenge over at the Words of Me Project I have tried and tried but I am just not feeling this project at this time so I am removing this goal #4) the Monthly lottery challenge in my ATC Art Group on IO Groups. I missed my first one last month's lottery bc I was in and out so much. #5) follow my budget and pay off my ALL debt by this year's end. This is a work in progress and I am probably not going to get it all paid off by Dec 31st. I still have around $1800 worth of outstanding MEDICAL bills as of August 1st. Now, on to the fun stuff... VACATION! The trip was fantastic! Live alligators in their natural habitats. Lots of photos. The terrific camping site in Palmetto Island State Park. The awesome places we ate....

And so I continue to do all the things that need to get done before the end of this year. This whole ordeal is making me rethink my health care option choices that have to be made during our open enrollment, that's for sure. Yesterday was the Cancer Institute in Mobile. Doc says all is looking excellent. I have to go back again in 3 months for another look-see. Turns out I was young for this type of cancer and the genetic testing showed no markers so...they just want to keep a really close eye on things for the 1st year after surgery. The 2nd year I can go to every 6 month followups. After that....who knows? Today was the hand doctor that my PT sent me to. Xrays came back clean... no bone spurs or lesions or hairline fractures. Verdict? Tendonitis from overuse in the right hand. There are some things that can be done to help speed up the healing process but the real cure will be to rest the damn thing. Kinda hard to do in my line of work. Sigh. Next on today's list is my weekl...

...and that is important because I am trying to take care of all my health issues THIS YEAR. This will be the only year (thanks to cancer) that I even get close to my out of pocket max. This month I started the process of fixing my leg (the 2010 wreck). Starting the process about the hand today...saw a PT who referred me for X-rays. Those are scheduled for next week after my cancer followup visit where I SHOULD be getting my "all clear" verdict!!.

Yes, I missed last week. That means I missed my accountability. But I have a really great reason...SHEILA WAS HERE! My Bestie from Texas comes every July 4th so we had a great 4 days. Dinner @ Speckle T's, fireworks on the beach in Long Beach, thrift shopping all down the coast, live music @ Finally First Friday, crab festival Saturday, gospel hour @ Darwell's Sunday before returning her back to NOLA to catch her flight. Last night was the 1st meeting of a book club I am moderating...the conversation was enlightening and terrific. Okay...accountability: #1) participating in my art group's "Birthday Club" where we send a handmade item to those celebrating birthdays. MET #2) 2019's weekly scrapbook layout challenge over at the Scraptacular Cropping Club MET #3) the 52 Weeks Being Me challenge over at the Words of Me Project Met, and it is getting better as I get into it. The last couple of challenges have been to choose a word to finish the year with base...