Saturday, June 9, 2007

The big day is here….the end of my antibiotics.  I think the doxycycline has done the trick, but I also think it is the reason I’ve had a fair amount of stomach distress.  Hopefully, after a few days without it, the old tummy will get back to normal.  Will keep you posted on that.

The symptoms that are listed at Center for Disease Control and National Institute of Health sites that I had have not bothered me for sometime now, although Ihave been tired recently, I don’t think the tiredness is lethargy due to lyme.

On other medical fronts, I am scheduled to have my inguinal hernia repaired on Monday.  Had the pre-op screening yesterday, and everything is favorable to go ahead.  Hopefully, the Lyme Disease is behind mostly behind me, I can get the hernia thing out of the way, and maybe, just maybe, live a while with no medical setbacks. From all I’ve seen and heard though, the Lyme Disease symptoms may not be completely out of the way for a couple of months yet.

June 6, 2007

As you can see, I have skipped a few days.  That’s because it’s been hard to think of what to say, since I have been feeling pretty good.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were pretty routine.  The pains in my esophagus and heartburn have gone. I do feel as though the antibiotics have slowed me down some, but I only have 3 1/2 days to go before I finish them.

After reading Pam’s comment on Saturday, I feel exceedingly fortunate that my Lyme Disease was clearly identified early and treatment began promptly.  Pam stated in an earlier comment that her doctor did not recognize it or treat it when she first had symptoms and the poor lady has been through a virtual living hell for a long time because of a tick bite.

Pam’s situation makes me feel like I don’t have much to talk about, but the purpose here is to put out the word, for the purpose of helping others who, like me, may not realize how serious a tick bite can be, if it brings on Lyme Disease.  My thanks to Pam for her participation and comments that should lead to greater awareness in others.

My Lyme Disease seems to be under control because I have not been having any symptoms for over a week now, maybe two, that I can relate directly to the disease. I suspect that the gastrointestinal distresses were related to the medicine.  I have had pains and discomforts like those at various other times in my life also.

On the medical front, I get to drive to Little Rock on Friday for pre-op screening, for an inguinal hernia operation that is scheduled for me on Monday, the 11th.  I don’t know how long that will keep me off the computer, but probably not very long.  This is not strenuous.  At any rate, my posting may be even more sporadic for awhile, but if anything important develops on the lyme front, I will make it a point to get it posted.

Saturday, June 2, 2007

6:00 A.M. waked up and had a cup of coffee, with no irritation.  Took my medicine, of course.  By the grace of God and the help of my wife and my computer, I haven’t missed a dose yet! For me, that’s a record.

Had breakfast of sausage and eggs, toast and green tea at 8:30 A.M., followed with prayer time.

9:30 A.M. my friend Gene called again, with more instruction and help….another four hours on the phone, but quite profitable and enjoyable, even though he’d pick at me for being a Marine, and I’d pick back at him for being a Soldier.  We had a nice time and got some work done that wasn’t part of my anticipated schedule today. It was worthwhile, though, and I am thankful for the help.

Lunch a little after 1:00P.M.  My wife made a nice one pot dish of baked round steak with tomatoes, potatoes, onions, carrots and maybe something else.  It was gooood!

Today I am having almost no irritation, no lethargy, dizziness or other lyme symptoms.  I feel O.K., but not great.

Did a little clean up in my office area this afternoon.  Was going to go for a walk,  but it started raining, so I stayed inside and did my back exercises.  That helped a it lot.

6:00 P.M.  Getting some burning in my throat and upper part of my esophagus.  Ate a rolaids tablet.

7:00 P.M. My wife did it again…called me to a beautiful supper of baked chicken legs, rice and a slad with lettuce and peaches.  Good stuff! 

Finished the day with a quiet evening and then to bed around 10.

Lyme disease didn’t diminish this day but just a little with some burining in my chest.

Friday, June 1, 2007

Waked up at 6:00 A.M. for a routine day with a nice surprise in the middle of it.

Breakfast at 7:00….sausage, eggs and toast, then between 8:00 and 9:00 A.M. got dressed and then enjoyed my usual prayer time.

9:00 A.M. into the office and worked on my book a little. I’m feeling pretty good, with just a hint of irritation in my esophagus area. I went really light on my coffee, in case that is irritating, but the funny thing is that drinking a swallow of water seems to irritate more than a swallow of coffee. IMHO, I think this may be related to the medicine. The label says it can cause stomach upset.

The nice surprise came around 10:30 A.M., when my friend, Gene, who is a retired American soldier, whom I met in Davao City, in the Philippines, this last April called me from his U.S. home in Illinois. We enjoy working on the computer, and Gene has found a lot of stuff that I haven’t, so these conversations usually end up with him dispelling much of my computer ignorance. With his help, I am learning about all kinds of effective, free programs for internet marketing and web site building, all of which I need to learn in the next couple of years, since my fixed income won’t go up like prices already are. Retirement in a rocking chair never appealed to me anyhow. So I’ll write travel books and guides, maybe lead tours to Asia (note the maybe), and sell other helpful travel things also.

Anyway, Gene spent about four hours teaching me on the phone, and I spent the time taking notes and downloading programs to learn. Gene has free long distance on his phone also. Free after he pays a monthly fee. I looked at it, but I don’t use enough long distance to make it pay. Gene has a knack for finding good deals!

Through it all, I held up pretty well. By the time Gene and I got through on the phone, at 2:30 P.M. I was getting hungry and tired, so I took a lunch break. Enjoyed some left over barbequed brisket and a baked potato, got back in the office, and before I knew what had happened, the afternoon was gone and I hadn’t taken a nap….oh well. That’s better than being desperate for a nap.

7:00 P.M. Supper of baked pork chops, sweet potato with butter and salad. After supper, spent the evening with my wife, then reading some in Ronald Reagan’s Dairy (very interesting to read the personal thoughts of a president, at the time he was president….very interesting!) and also in David McCollough’s book titled 1776 about the revolutionary war; more great reading. He’s researched documents that most historians apparently don’t know exist.

10:00 P.M. slilpped into bed anticipating a good night’s sleep. Good night.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Waked up this morning at 5:30 A.M.  Got up, had coffee and visit with the wife.

At 7:00 A.M. we had a nice breakfast, then I got the bird feeders filled.  Our nocturnal masked bandit, the racoon didn’t visit last night.  We have been only partially filling the bird feeders, so they will be empty at night…maybe he or she has determined that there’s better eating elsewhere.  That’s the message we wish to convey.

9:00 A.M. in the office, making these entries and getting ready to work out my schedule for the day, which is mostly work on my book, download the last of our pictures from our trip to Asia and a few other miscellaneous things. Initial, basic research seems to be done, so today, I start writing, but I know there will be times to stop and research some more, because I will make changes that will lead to new facts, etc. as the words hit the screen.

At 12:30 P.M. we had a nice lunch; baked pork chops, a mix of wild and regular rice, applesauce, and steamed carrots with onion and apple cake and ice cream for dessert.  That forced a nap upon me!  No lyme lethargy today, though, napped for 15 minutes, lollygagged for 10 and got up and back at it.  That’s just the kind of nap that helps me be more productive in the afternoons.

Today, every time I drank a swallow of cool water, I got a pain in my esophagus and the upper part of my stomach.  Nothing severe, but less than perfect. 

Overall I did pretty well today, hit my target of eight pages written on the book and wasn’t down with lyme disease.  Now, in the evening as 9:00 P.M. approaches I am sleepy, and will go to bed soon.  Good night all.

May 29 and 30, 2007

Here I am again….late! Well Tuesday and Wednesday were not really good days, so maybe I can count that as an excuse? Actually Tuesday started off pretty well, and I got a lot done as I finished up the initial research for my book.  I had a late lunch and then a while later, I got horrendous pains in the center of my chest, moving up and down my esophagus I think.

I thought gas, so I drank a warm sprite.  They say warm 7 Up is best, but when you’re 20 miles from town and gas is over $3 a gallon and you don’t need anything else, you make do with what you have.  Actually, I have used both in the past, and I’m not sure if the 7 Up is really any better.  The Sprite seemed to help, but I had to keep drinking it and it only made me belch a little bit.

 Later in the evening the pains moved into my stomach and got worse.  When it hit my stomach I immediately thought of the pink stuff….Pepto Bismol, the generic kind, which I had on hand.  I drank a big gulp and presto, felt better.  Took some more before bed, just to be sure and slept well through the night.

Wednesday is the day I take my mother to town, so I got up around 6, after a nice rain… had the windows open so I woke up to the soothing sound of a gentle rain.  Leisurely got dressed and everything, then had breakfast.

Had lots of back pain, but don’t think this is lyme disease related, so I found my old directions from physical therapy for back exercises and went through the routine.  Worked very well; near instant results.  Twenty minutes well spent.

Took Mom to town, shopped around an little, got groceries, etc. and got back home just before noon.  I had a little lunch, then started working in the office again, and I just couldn’t stay alert.  This wasn’t because of lunch, because I ate light and wasn’t stuffed.  It was like sleepiness was a cloud that just engulfed me, so I took a nap…over an hour and woke up three times, finally I was able to really push hard and get up and get some coffee.  Finally, after a cup of coffee, I felt more alert and managed to make it through the rest of the day, and at 9:15 P.M. I went to bed.

May 28, 2007 – Memorial Day

First off, if you are serving in the U.S. military service now, or are a veteran who has served in the past, let me stop for a moment to thank you for your service.  Those of you who are serving now are serving in some of the toughest times and situations in American history.  I appreciate your honorable service.  You came in and made it possible for me to retire! <GRIN> Never, never, never give up!

On the Lyme Disease front, I slept well last night, only minimal back pain early this morning. It seems to be abating.

Got up at 6:30 A.M. and filled the bird feeders, after our nocturnal visitor, a stealthy racoon, emptied them.  Got to work on getting the fire going in the grill for the brisket for lunch.  Got the brisket on and the lid on the grill closed and the wife and I settled down for a nice breakfast outside, on the deck.  Beautiful weather and nice little parcel of time with my sweetheart.

After messing around with the fire and smoke, and all that, about 10:00 A.M.  I got a shower and changed to make myself pleasant to be around for lunch. Mom walked over early, so we had a nice visit…turning into a nice holiday celebration.

12 Noon:  The brisket was done a little earlier than I expected, the wife swung into action and got the potato salad, baked beans, steamed carrots and Mom’s apple salad ready and on the table.  Things are shaping up nicely!

We ate and enjoyed and my wife surprised us with a made from scratch bananna pudding for desert!  Outstanding!  The best I ever had.

Through it all, I am feeling quite good.  The back pain of the last few days has abated, with only a hint of it remaining and the chest & stomach pains have gone too. So today is turning out to be a good day.

Followed dinner with a nap that turned into more of a just lay down and think session.  That was nice and restful.

Have continued to take it easy today, because I want to, and possibly because of a little late afternoon lethargy, but not too bad.

Will watch a show on PBS about the Berlin Airlift that kept food coming into Berlin to keep the German citizens there alive after World War II.  Previews looked good, so I’ll watch it at 8:00, then it’s off to bed for this boy.

 Y’all have a good evening…see ya tomorrow, if the Good Lord’s willing.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Woke up at midnight with back pain.  Didn’t take any ibuprophen because of the stomach disorder I mentioned yesterday.  Changed postion and went back to sleep.  Woke up another time or two because of my back, then slept until 6:30 A.M.  and was very groggy and lethargic.  This is Lyme Disease lethargy returning.  I’ve been good about taking my medicine, never been more than an hour off.  This is how I have heard that Lyme Disease works; here today, gone tomorrow, then back again a little later.

I plodded through the morning with little direction, but guesss what?  I didn’t miss breakfast!  Not me.

Went to church with my wife and Mom went along too.  I’m feeling blah, slow and dumb, and somewhat distressed in the stomach. I am just thankful for all the good days I have written about in the last 2 weeks! Church services were great, absolutely great.  The title of the preacher’s message was Things Not Found in Heaven.  Most interesting.  If you would like to listen to his message Click Here  No kidding, small country church service on the internet.

Had a nice lunch this afternoon, then took a long nap…the lethargy returns.  Got up at 4:00 P.M. loafed around the house and got ready for my weekly T.V. programs. 

This week there were a couple of extra programs for me:  60 Minutes; a report on a the Iowa National Guard in Iowa and Iraq.  Most touching.  Just as touching was the National Memorial Day Concert from Washington, D.C., on PBS.  This year they a good job of expressing the meaning of Memorial Day and respectfully highlighted the sacrifices of a few of the many who have sacrificed life and limb to bring us into the 21st century as a free nation.

Esspecially touching was the story of Sarah, the fiance of a soldier who was very seriously wounded in Iraq.  She went to his bed side in Germany, and even when he was in a coma for weeks, she stayed and insisted on continued treatment for him. This girl had integrity!…as soon as he was able, even with brain injury and an arm missing, as soon as he was able she went to the courthouse and married him.  I am always touched on those increasingly rare occasions when I see young people, the next generation acting with dignity, and integrity.  As you can see, that true story touched me.  It’s wonderful to find some good going on now and then!

Well, the nap did me a lot of good.  It was hard to get up, but after I did, I felt good for the rest of the day…over 6 hours now.

Now I am heading to bed and will be hoping and praying for a good day tomorrow.  I am scheduled to barbeque a brisket (I have a tasty, juicy short method that only takes 6-8 hours).  The challenge is to maintain my reputation that keeps folks coming back for the next one.

Poisoned Food – You May Be Eating it in the U.S.

Since people who have an interest in health related information, and probably particularly their own health and the health of their families, I felt bound to add a new category to this blog, in light of the article in the post in the next paragraph.  Hope you find the new category helpful.

This Article reveals what is coming into the U.S. from China…dirty food, contaminated food, etc.  I found some in my pantry, under the WalMart Great Value label.

Friday & Saturday, May 25 & 26, 2007

Held to my usual type of daily routine, getting up early, eating breakfast, working on my book and web site during both days.

Friday I did some things around the house that I had been procrastinating about, which also contributed nicely to the orderliness of our happy little home.  I’m glad I quit procrastinating!

On the health front, on Friday I started getting some pains in my chest, especially when I would drink something cold.  After a while the pains run down into the left side of my stomach. I am not sure if this is some Lyme Disease symptom or not, but I don’t think so.

I have helped it with hot ginger tea, hot (non-chilled) sprite (in case it’s gas) and rolaids.  These helped a little and made life bearable.

Saturday I got up early, as usual, had breakfast, went to the post office and, since I got off schedule during the week, I put in a good bit of time in the office.  Also cleaned the office and moved things around to trick myself by creating the illusion of having more space. See, even though I am a world famous blogger, I still live in the real world!  Amazing, huh?

Well,  getting back on topic, I wore down faster than usual on Saturday and just started feeling kinda blah.  By 7:00 P.M. I was thinking of going to bed and it’s still broad daylight.  This is not like me at all.  I think it is Lyme Disease lethargy coming back.

Scrubbed up, had supper and sat on the deck with a good book by David McCullough until dark at 9:00 P.M.  Went to bed at 9:15 P.M. because of lethargy.

If the good Lord is willing, I’ll write more tomorrow.