Phi Theta Kappa Life in the past from 1978 to 2020, Chronic Illness, Family, & How we tend to shape" our lives even after all these years.

Even though my life did not go the way I had planned after high school, I did get a 2 tear degree and made Phi Theta Kappa with a 4.0 GPA, passed the Nursing Exam about 1994, & had a full scholarship for it. Alas, with 2 kids in school for several more years, & having at that time to work full time. I made the VERY difficult decision to pass it up. I was the main source of income at the time & couldn't quit my job for 2 years for nursing school. But later in life, I began to understand "why" my life took a different route. Yet, I was & still am very proud of my grown kids. They stayed out of trouble & went onto to their own great roles in life. As my own life progressed & I also then molded myself into a writer & published author; I gained much knowledge from living in 2 different states for good while till moving back "home".

It was now time for me to have a "role" as almost a "parent" to my Mom. After Dad passed away she needed me much more than she would admit. I still am in that "learning" phase of my life, which has helped me cope with some serious chronic illnesses, & onto become a "voice", advocate, and "Patient Leader for several large non-profits & living out both of my "dreams". To have 2 of now 4 books published. Seems the list of "writing them" grows more quickly every moment in life.

Plus I got the opportunity to stand on the steps of Capitol Hill in Washington D C to tell my story in order for my voice to become the voice for many! Certainly two proud moments in my life, along with the others before the before them. I remember walking across the stage at the college to accept the honor of being accepted into the Phi Theta Kappa. So, although my dreams of becoming a nurse, or a doctor, never panned out, they made me continue to "study" in these fields.

With my own chronic illness issues, and being able to help others life me. I also continue to write on the 2 or 3 more books to be published & gain more knowledge every day of just how much & how quickly our world & medical World changes. I found at this year milestone of 60 like many of my graduating class, we can look back & see why or not life took us down the paths it did, And to continue to looking into future & hope to gain more insight into out quickly changing places to behold.

Memorial Day & A Whole New Way to "celebrate" due to COVID-19 Making even Daily Life Difficult

When we think of Memorial Day, and Celebrating the Great Freedoms We are given. Those on our Front Lines, keeping battle lines not crossed so we can feel safe in our neighbors, stores, towns open From the Markets to our Places of Worship & Schools whether Elementary all the way up to College Universities, we almost take for granted that freedom we have.

When a Sudden, Deadly FEARFUL Outbreaking of things such as an unexpected "Pandemic" of the kind COVID-19... and then see what people are DOING and NOT doing that could cause us much grief in a few weeks, when the virus hits again, after the holiday weekend.

As much as I need to go have my hair cut, I just can't see your stylist & you that close even with all precautions, not being able to spread it, if someone were to have it and may not have symptoms yet...

I agree people should be able to go to church and other places out BUT I feel we should have the FACTS & go by what the CDC & WHO .. or what our physicians tell us... not the NEWS in itself but what they tell us that THE EXPERTS are saying.

Plus maybe I am old fashioned but NO WAY if I had kids "summer camp age" would I want my kids going this year! NO way just with a few counselors can they keep  bunch f hyped up kids from touching, staying apart enough, using hand sanitizer, washing their hands enough, using their friends outfits or things such as that...

I see how difficult for adults even in large stores with large isles still have  hard time stay apart, and it is by accident, we can run into one another going around corner, or you have to know some items others may have just touched & put back on the shelf, and you or someone else pick it up.

All of us can only be so cautious, so safe, act so smartly.. and still even our own experts csome in contract it. 

Trying to "find a new path" and Easier "lifestyle" for me, because i simply am not able to do all the stuff around my house I need to...

Lots going on, and much of it to do with my house, the lease on my car, and trying to "cut down" on my stress level, on my expenses, and get myself where I can spend more of my time doing the things I want to do, rather than drive myself insane with worry over "fixing" something every week at my house, and my own health, and pouring money into it that it is getting out of hand..

I never thought I would "want to live" in an apartment agai, BUT with the ways things are, the expenses of trying to keep a house "together", painting, roofs, inside work, floors, putting walls up in the laundry room, MANY trees that either need to be cut down or trimmed, and more.., the list is endless, and I have to face the fact I can no longer, "hang ceiling fans" and stand on a ladder to paint, or buff hardwood floors, fix a dryer again that has gone out, try to "fix" what the "scam artist" made a mess of with the repair and paint "job" he was "supposed to do on the outside of my house, and again, everyday there seems to be more, that keeps me away from my writing, my blog, my advocacy work, spending time doing the things I "want" to do, rather than a never ending realm of "repairs"..... so after the holidays, I am selling my home, and moving probably closer to my daughter around the Corpus Christi area, in an apartment, where I am no longer having to do ALL OF THE UPKEEP, MAINTENANCE, AND EXPENSE OF LAWNS, AND SUCH!!!


Well Hell, Just AS I THOUGHT! The dryer had the thermostat for some reason "short out" I think by the looks of it... so it (I can see) it "burned one of the tiny connections on the heating element... the element looks "okay" but with that piece damaged, I didn't take a chance. I ordered the ENTIRE ORDEAL, thermostat, the thermo fuse, heating element, and then the wires that go onto the thermostat and heating element. This is just about what happened before. I looked it up and it was in mid 2013 that we replaced all of that before. 

Thank goodness for AMAZON and keeping up with orders. I could go back and see exactly what I ordered then and so I knew exactly what I needed!!! It does piss me off that in 4 years it has gone out again, BUT when I MOVE, if the apartment does NOT have a washer and dryer, I am leaving mine to go with the house, or selling them and will buy a new washer and dryer. I bought them 2005, or early 2006 when we first moved back to Ennis, so they have served their purpose. We did have to replace the parts before 4 years ago just like this in the dryer and then I know there was also the front "button" in the door that broke, and we replaced that, and I "think" something on the washer had also gone bad at one time and we replaced it also.,, SO ON THIS DREARY VERY COOL, RAINY CRAPPY DAY, I'VE been pulling the back off my dryer in that very TINY damned laundry room that has NO light worth a damned, so I was trying to hold the flashlight and the the damned hex screws loose from the back of the dryer, LOL..."Tis done and I've put the order in for the parts, which will come in on Friday! But, of course I may not get them early enough to put it back together until Saturday... 

I was SUPPOSED TO ONCE AGAIN GO TO THE CASINO ON SUNDAY! But, now I am not sure if I will, Bella has surgery next Wednesday bless her little heart...I had to postpone it from this past Monday, I've been under the weather with a headache, sore throat, very hoarse, and my right shoulder and elbow are about to drive me nuts. I guess I've been using it painting outside and putting down that edging that I have to use a rubber mallet to drive the stakes into the ground that hold that edging down... plus cut more tree branches down and still need many more. but today I "think" I am just about through for the day..., I got up again very, very early and didn't sleep worth a damned, and I am exhausted honestly..  it seems to be non stop worry over this house, the yard, how many trees need to either be trimmed or cut down, and I am just no longer able to do even with the "cordless" mower, weed eater, chain saw, and so on...

If my neck and shoulder specialist "knew" what I've been doing he would probably have a cow! I am really taking a chance with much of what I have been having to do myself, between the hip fractures last year in December to the 4 month ordeal getting over neck surgery this past April, along with my lower back, now the shoulder that has been replaced and that elbow on the right side just giving me hell with pain, and the weather does NOT help for sure...,

I "PROMISE" to get back TO YOU GUYS, MY READERS, AND THOSE THAT FOLLOW MY BLOG, MY NEWSPAPER, MY FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND SO FORTH... AS SOON AS I AM OUT OF THE HOUSE, IT'S SOLD, AND I AM SETTLED INTO AN APARTMENT, MY HOPES ARE THAT I CAN ONCE AGAIN FOCUS ON THE THINGS I WANT TO DO, BLOG, WRITER, BE WITH MY TWO FUR BABIES, AND SPEND MORE TIME ON MY ADVOCACY WORK!!!!

Trying to "Balance" All of Life's "Chores" When Chronic Illnesses and Pain, Plus surgery recovery is supposed to be "PRIORITY"

I feel as if all I do is gripe, fuss and moan about my Cervical Neck Surgery. Yet, since it was not the "usual" cervical surgeon most Orthopedic Doctors see and do, it has became something that really needs to be discussed...

I know my son asked me about a week ago, Had I known just how involved and how much time, toil and complications were going to happen, "Would I still go through with the surgery?} Well, the first answer you feel would be HELL NO! But, of course pain, and all of the "symptoms" that happen when a neck is so severely disintegrated, of course my answer was yes. If I had not had so many "issues" last year that kept me from having the surgery, it maybe that it would have been in a bit "better state" or NOT, but possibly it might have been less problems than we thought.

My surgeon was very honest with me, and he told me that the possibility of once he got into the spine and vertebra during surgery, things may be a great deal worse than what we had seen on the films. Sure enough, both myself and he were correct. Once he opened me up, there was a previous fusion that never got completely "set and hardened" plus the other new C5C-6 I think, had NO disc for the most part, plus is was so jagged, and there was NO disc space, thus he had to literally stretch my neck 2 inches in order to make things right. Plus there were bone spurs, one huge new one and several others had developed. Well, NOT ANYTHING in there was going to magically heal itself, and as time went on, I would just be in worse condition, thus I would be an idiot to put off surgery...


I am in the process of trying to get my medical records, but their patient portal I don't believe is all finished yet.


Thus the osteoporosis, RA, osteoarthritis, RA, Predisone, as well as some other medications, my past few years of smoking although never very much and not all that long it is proven that it can cause the fusion not to harden and do what it is meant to.


So, after 9 LONG weeks in the hard collar, I have another 4 WEEKS to do the same, other than i can wear the soft one at night sleeping.


What I truly don't understand, is WHY DOCTORS DO NOT GIVE OUT ENOUGH INFORMATION TO PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER A SURGERY OF THIS MAGNITUDE????

IF I was NOT educated and versed in searching the internet like some people especially elderly.... I would not have one clue what I CAN do and what I CANNOT DO!!!! I've done search after search making sure I am not causing more harm, yet wanting to be able to do some things. But, he nor most surgeons, DO THE SURGERY... they don't have the bedside manner of a PCP, or listen like other doctors do, and they can be rude, down right pissy, walk out of the room when you are trying to speak, and so on....

Even I am not sure, other than he basically said I could not turn my head, nor nod up and down thus that covers about everything any person does, other than walk straight and sit up straight..


I shall continue later, probably tomorrow.....