Hands ... more important than you realise ...

Post by **ViewsAskew** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:26 am

Not that I can do it...but seems to me that the best way to handle the waiting game is to think in terms of "preferences" instead of absolutes. And think of the worst scenario in the best terms.

ie: I'd prefer the best outcome that helps me get back to work quickly, resolves my pain, and let's me get my mobility back so I can do the things I like. My preference is that it's non-surgical, however I will happily take surgical if the expected outcome is better.

When I think in terms of preferences, it's sort of funny...by brain lets go of the situation so much more quickly instead of dwelling. When I think in absolutes I seem to constantly go round and round about it.

Of course, when really stressed, I often move to absolutes, lol, and it's hard to move back and just let it be.

ctravel12 · Post by **ctravel12** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 2:59 pm

Hi Tazzer it is so good to see you back. Love your last comment and I promise I will say nothing.

sardsy75 · Post by **sardsy75** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:58 pm

I know what you're talkin about, Ann. Good ol pro's and con's. When the first round of MRI's were done back in September, I was given a choice: have surgery to reattach the ligament ... or ... go into a full arm splint for about 4 months and hope that it healed.

Surgery obviously got the green light as it was quicker and the recovery and rehabilitation was to be no more than two months.

That's when we hit the current snag.

I'm hoping to hear from the surgeon tomorrow. I've got all fingers, toes, arms, legs and everything else crossed that whatever the problem is, has shown itself on the MRI. If not, there's another round of choices: Full Arm Splint; Exploratory Surgery; or a Bone Scan.

None of the above really assist my chances of getting a job in the near future; i'm just hoping i'll come across someone who'll give me a chance to get started and prove that i'm worth it, despite having a few hurdles in my way.

The idea of a full arm plaster splint does not turn me on at all and the rehabilitation would take just as long. If i'm given a choice between a bone scan and exploratory surgery, I'm leaning toward the bone scan as it may show up the problem whereas surgery might not locate the problem.

Now ... those waiting game suggestions ...

Unfortunately ... you're all going to have to gorge on the ice-cream for me. I cannot have it as it is a MEGA-trigger for me. Soy ice-cream is ok, but the flavours are pretty limited.

Brownies ... yummmmmy ... Think i'll make a batch of them tomorrow; along with my altime favourite "Chocolate Cure-All" ... a deliciously scrumptious chocolate sauce pudding that is so delectible that one could quite easily sit and eat it in one sitting (although, how one's stomach reacts to that remains to be seen!) ... My mum used to make a milk-free version ... maybe that's why i've got a screw or two loose ... :shock:

I should post the recipe on here. I've made it a few times when I've been down in the dumps ... and it has made me a bit chirpier.

Anyhoo ... I might hit the hay. I've had enough extra bullets to knock out an elephant, but at least the leg gremlins seem to have stopped bein such a nuisance.

Goodnite to all

Love n hugs to all

ctravel12 · Post by **ctravel12** » Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:13 pm

Hey Nadia post the recipe for the brownies. They sound yummy but am sure that I do not need them LOL.

Keep us posted on the MRI

sardsy75 · Post by **sardsy75** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:59 am

Ok Charlene, you've twisted my arm :lol:

But it's not a brownie recipe ... I make those from an off the shelf packet mix. Havent found a good make from scratch recipe for them yet. So this is the Chocolate Cure-All ... Chocolate Sauce Pudding. Just right for you guys at the moment with it being Winter!

This recipe was given to me by a very close friend. I landed on his doorstep just after Christmas 2005, in dire need of some R&R. He lives just outside a town called Maleny which is in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. Absolutely gorgeous place. Just perfect for getting oneself back into the land of the living and destressing.

He made this one night after we'd both had a loooooooooooong debrief (which included a couple of bottles of red wine) about everything that had been going wrong in our lives. He is a special guy. The recipe was passed on from his sister.

Anyhoo ... this recipe is guaranteed to cheer up even the darkest of moods ...

Chocolate Cure-All

Ingredients

Batter
1 cup Self Raising Flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 tablespoons Cocoa
3/4 cup Sugar
30g Butter
1/2 cup Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Sauce
3/4 cup Brown Sugar (NOT Raw Sugar)
1/4 cup Cocoa
1 & 3/4 cups Hot Water

Method

Set Oven at 180 degrees celcius
Mix batter ingredients together until its like a thick dough
Pour batter into an ungreased loaf tin or square tin
Mix sauce ingredients together
Pour sauce carefully over the batter (it will soak through the batter/cake during cooking)
Bake in oven for approximately 1 hour or until cake is lightly spongy to touch

Best enjoyed with whipped cream or ice cream ... or just by itself.

I've been known to make this delectable delight at all hours of the night ... it really is a Cure-All!!

ctravel12 · Post by **ctravel12** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 4:07 am

Thanks Nadia Printed it out and hope that it turns out. Do not when I will make it but will definitely let you know.

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 7:11 am

Heck, just smelling the post of the recipe makes me feel better already. Hope it does the same for you N. Healingist wishes to you.

M.

Post by **Polar Bear** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:08 am

Nadia, definitly on the 'to do' list.

sardsy75 · Post by **sardsy75** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 1:37 pm

Hmmmm ... Friday has been and almost gone.

No word from my surgeon. I'm not sure whether to take that as a good sign or a bad sign.

I did have to submit all my previous MRI's and x-rays that have been done on my left hand since August last year (I've got quite a collection!) so I'm hoping they're just going over every millimeter with the finest tooth comb, comparing them with the new set.

Methinks it's time for a dose of Choc-Cure-All ... It's 11:30pm ... the girls are all in bed ... they'll just be having extra sweet smelling dreams lol.

Walking After Midnight · Sat Jan 26, 2008 7:27 am

The waiting is the hardest part.
Tom Petty said that.

Best to you Nadia.

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 3:44 am

Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.” by ? N, I know that you are truly patient.

M.

sardsy75 · Post by **sardsy75** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 1:59 pm

Mark wrote:Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow - that is patience.” by ?

You got it buddy ... I have a theory ... my theory is that at the moment I was conceived, the new order of "good health" had not been received by The Big Man, so instead, I received an extra dose (or dozen) of ... "patience"

No wonder I got knocked back at the Pearly Gates back in '01, despite bein hit for six n out yet again, I STILL hadn't used up all my patience :roll:

That's my theory, that's my sense of humor and i'm stickin to it ...

I've been keepin on goin ... just as the quote says. I'd be happier if I could tell y'all some news but when you go to bed late sunday night and just as you fall asleep ... you realise that monday is ... a public holiday ... gosh dang it!!!

Since I have been blessed with the abundance of patience, the past four or so days have been spent sitting at the kitchen table, sweat pouring off me (gotta luv the tropics!!!), arguing with sticky contact paper and covering what eventually resembled a himalayan pile of school books in readiness for the new school year tomorrow (Tues); worrying about how to turn less than $4 in the bank (not kidding :!:

) into something that will buy some food to feed five, and fill some of my scripts; wondering if someone will give me a break and let me have a job; and patiently reading my books ... which are my escape into the ficticious unknown world ... in order to get my stress levels back to a manageable level.

Needless to say, my wrist and hand have NOT appreciated the workout with the books (the girls don't quite have the knack of it yet & Troy just avoids it at all costs). It was also very handy that there was the final of the Cricket Test Match on between Australia and India on TV as well ... so that provided 5 days of background entertainment. When the cricket was finished, we switched to the tennis.

It's heading towards midnight and I should be in bed. It's Seanna's first day at Prep and the only year all three girls will be at the same school as Karrissa is off to high school next year.

The girls asked if they could play "Singstar" yesterday ... after they'd been glued to the cricket for about 2 hours already. When I said no, the usual grumbles and frowns came forth. So I gave them a history lesson (yeah yeah ... I'm still a spring chicken ... I know!). When their dad and I were their age, we didnt have computers, so didnt have computer games; we didnt have sony playstations, so didnt have singstar; we didnt have VCR's (unless your olds were rich) or DVD Players so watching movies was out of the question. We had to entertain ourselves ... which resulted in one very rustic yet sturdy tree house in a mango tree, many a scratch and scape from skidding over in the dirt playing chasey around the yard, bumps and bruises from falling off our bikes, we went fishing, if we were in the girl guides or scouts we went camping, and most of all we knew the name of every other kid in the street and we respected their parents as much as we respected ours; coz if we didnt, backyard or street cricket just didnt happen ... and THAT was a disaster! :lol:

Why am I not in bed? Doin some reasearch. Havin trouble with the waterworks for some reason. I drink around 3 litres of water, alone, a day, so it cant be that since I sweat most of it out as fast as I drink it lately. It's weird, I want to go, but then cant. I'll be bustin, but still nothin happens, so I'm a lil stumped. I'm thinkin it might have something to do with either the ibuprofen, or the paracetamol, the two "extra" drugs i'm being forced to take because my dang gatekeeper wants to stay off the "most prescribed" list and wont give me straight codeine.

Anyhoo ... it's just a theory at the moment while I do some research.

Yes ... you'll still be amongst the first to know when the surgeon rings

Damn ... I really need to start writin shorter posts! :wink:

But hey, at least I know in here, if people wanna wade thru it, they will, if not it's not goin to affect me coz I wont know. All I know is that this is the one place I can let my fingers do the chatting without bein told to shuddup

Love n upside-down hugs to all

Post by **ViewsAskew** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 6:59 pm

I just love those "history lessons." My nieces hate them :wink:

when my sister gives them. Funny, I don't remember hating them...I just thought it was fascinating what they had to do...like walk ten miles to school. Like anyone would DO that, I thought. Crazy, simply crazy.

Time is a funny thing, isn't it? When you want it to go slow, it goes too fast and when you want it to go fast, it goes too slow....

sardsy75 · Post by **sardsy75** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 8:57 am

Hehehe ... yup, you got it Ann. They didnt like the history lesson one little bit. You could see it plain as day in their faces ... "you want us to do what???"

I've also come down like a ton of bricks on their time spent in front of the tv in general. It used to be a weekend ritual to get up as early as possible and see how many dvd movies they could cram in before Troy and I woke up. Same with weekdays. Whoever was first up, turned on the tv.

So, its been limited to 3 hours or less per day. I'd love to cut it down further, but have been overruled so far.

.....................................................................................................

Tuesday ... been and almost gone. Still nothing from the surgeon so I'm going to ring tomorrow. If something needs to be done, I would like it done sooner rather than later.

After we took the girls to school, found their new classes and settled them in, I came home and collapsed. I slept from about 9:30am til about 5:30pm ... and feel like I've been run over by a train.

The girls all survived their first day. Seanna loved her first day at school and is all smiles.

Just to add to my woes, i've got a fantastic case of prickly heat on my hand and wrist. It's a mirror image of the splint, so i've got it lathered with a zinc based healing cream and a cotton cover. If it ain't stinging, it's itchin like all hell!

Enough of my whineing ... dinners ready.

sardsy75 · Post by **sardsy75** » Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:35 am

Ok ... my patience finally turned into laziness this morning when I was staring at the tv and not comprehending anything that was going on around me ... so I rang the Surgeon's rooms.

True to my word, you are amongst the first to know ...

Good news is: the MRI scans and reports are in.
Bad news is: he definitely wants to see me but the earliest I can get in to see him is ... February 12th.

Yeah, yeah, I know, it's only a wee lil two weeks away ... but this saga will have reached the six month anniversary milestone when that appointment rolls around :roll:

Last night, whilst battling yet another round of insomnia, I did up a "to-do" list of things that need to be done around the house, but have been put off by my lack of having the use of both hands. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of the list, even with one and a bit hands :wink:

.

*Sigh* ... Patience is Truly a Virtue!