Thankful

I tend to take my health for granted.  You'll sometimes catch me complaining about my knees and feet, but that's really the only part of my body that gives me problems, and all I have to do is sit down and the pain is gone; I don't have to take any pain-killers.  
Sunday morning when I was so rudely awakened by a power outage, I ended up with a headache; that's such a rare thing that I couldn't believe it was happening.  The only time I have headaches is when I'm feverish, and I don't know when the last time was that I had a fever.  I took a Tylenol Sunday, and eventually the headache faded away.  
I've heard lots of people with bad knees say their knees hurt when they were in bed, to the point of causing loss of sleep.  This is not a problem I have.  Once I'm in bed, I feel no pain, anywhere.  I'm thankful for that.  
I'm a sight to behold when I first get up, though.  It seems that after a rest, my knees think they've retired, and don't want to work.  So my first steps in the morning, toward the coffee pot, I walk like a really old lady.  It's the same when I've been riding in the car awhile.  Watching older people get out of their cars at Walmart, or at gas stations along the freeway, I realize this is a very common problem.  Lots of senior citizens walk funny after they've been sitting awhile.    
I don't have a lot of colds, and the ones I have aren't severe.  Migraines?  Never had one in my life, thank goodness.  Allergies?  Don't have them.  Sinus problems are rare.  Once in a blue moon (every five years or so) sinusitis happens, but a trip to the Minute Clinic for some antibiotics fixes me right up.  I get my flu shot every year, and it must do some good.  I haven't had a case of the flu for many years.  (This is where I knock wood.)  
I see my husband plagued by arthritis caused by his years of butchering and realize how blessed I am to only have "old Arthur" in my knees and feet.  Cliff has a really bad shoulder, his fingers and hands don't grip very well, and his back might as well be made of glass, it's that tricky.  He knows not to tackle anything too physical until he's been up and moving for a couple of hours.  
He and I are very thankful, though, for the clean bill of health given him by the cardiologist recently.  The words "in normal range" looked really good to us.  
When I see people with so many physical ailments popping pills like candy, I realize how blessed I am.  That Tylenol I took for the headache the other day was the first pain-killer of any kind that I've taken for months.  
I watched Michael J. Fox on David Letterman the other night (thanks to the DVR), and thought to myself how well he handles that awful condition called Parkinson's.  I so admire him for his wonderful attitude, his outlook on life.  
What on earth do I have to complain about?  
I said to Cliff, "I'll bet Michael would gladly trade homes with us if it meant he could get rid of the Parkinson's.  He'd probably be tickled to death to trade his Parkinsons for my achy knees."  
So yes, I'm thankful that we're doing as well as we are.  Here's hoping Cliff and I get to enjoy years of retirement together; but if something should happen to prevent that, as Cliff always says, "We've had a good run of it."

A voice from the past

Cliff's open heart surgery was performed almost three years ago. When he entered the hospital, one of the first people he met was a fellow who was almost ready to graduate from his respiratory therapy classes. Or whatever. The guy's name was Mike. He explained to Cliff how to use the incentive spirometer.

Cliff's heart surgeon, Dr. Gallion, asked Mike if he'd like to watch Cliff's surgery, and Mike gladly took him up on the offer.

Speaking of Dr. Gallion, we have yet to find any doctor, nurse or patient of his who has anything but good to say about him. Cliff has decided the man must walk on water. But I digress.

I think we only dealt with Mike for a couple of days, but he and I exchanged email addresses. Every once in awhile, he'd email me and ask, "How's Cliff doing?"

Because after all, he had actually seen Cliff's heart exposed. Something even I, Cliff's wife of many, many years, have never seen. Even though I OWN his heart.

Then came Facebook: somehow I met up with Mike there, and "friended" him.

Today he and I had a twenty-minute-or-so IM on Facebook. He has plans of going on to becoming an ER nurse. More power to him. We discussed his smoking (he still does... a respiratory theripist!), his recent marriage, and the state of everybody's health: Cliff and I are doing fine; Mike had a kidney stone, pnuemonia, and the flu this past winter.

I'm only telling all this to once again bring your attention to the wonders of the Internet. One of the few people in the world who actually saw Cliff's heart beating, live and in person, can still contact me and ask, "How's Cliff doing?"

And that's another thing I love about the Internet.

I copied and printed my whole conversation with Mike, so Cliff could read it.

And I now, once again, thank God, my friend Joanna (who suggested Cliff's indigestion might be heart trouble), the nurse-practitioner who caught his heart problem, and the almost divine Dr. Gallion. And even a respiratory theripist who smokes, for caring how Cliff is doing.

update

So, this the first summer in my whole life when I've had air conditioning. I think I have it pretty well figured out: 78 degrees during the day and 75 at night. I'm loving it.

My sister-in-law who is living in my old home, purchased a window unit yesterday, and hubs and I got it going today; so she's cool now, too.

Cliff needs to mow hay but it rains every day. Bummer.

I want to go for a long horseback ride, but rain threatens constantly... plus there's so much to do when you've moved. Bummer.

The exterminators got rid of most of our ant problem, but I'm seeing an occasional ant; so I think I'll have them give the place one more treatment at the end of the month.

Oh, and Cliff and I haven't gone for a motorcycle ride in FOREVER, because of all the moving activity. I hope to remedy that situation soon.

On the bright side: as far as I know, neither of us has cancer. And my animals seem to be healthy. Also my grandchildren.

A cold-free winter?

Not quite. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in my AOL journal that neither Cliff nor I have had so much as the sniffles this winter. No colds, no flu.

"Let him that standeth take heed, lest he fall."

Both of us now have minor colds, right here in the middle of April. It's still probably a record year for us, because I usually get at least two colds per winter. So I won't complain.

On the subject of good fortune in health, I was thinking this morning about how blessed I am on some other counts: I've never had a wart; I've never had a cold sore; and I've never gotten poison ivy.

I got a call from the doctor yesterday telling me results of a recent blood test: My total cholesterol is high, but that's OK because my HDL (good cholesterol) is high and the LDL is normal.

Cliff's smiling this morning because he had a egg-and-cheese sandwich. I limit eggs around here; although I've had people tell me there's no limit on eggs these days (and it's true that only 25% of our cholesterol comes from what we eat) the American Heart Association still recommends no more than two eggs per week for people who have had trouble keeping cholesterol down.

Better safe than sorry. Besides, Cliff loves his "loaded oatmeal"... rolled oats cooked in the microwave with cinnamon and raisins, with banana and walnuts added.

I realize this is a pretty dull blog entry, but I have a slight case of the doldrums; so this is the best I can do.