Oh boy!

Charlie and Sedalia have just left this morning and I already miss them. I
didn't want to keep Sedalia from her family,though. They got here Saturday
late afternoon and left on Tuesday Morning. We had a great time together
and they got to see almost everyone.
We had Subway lunch at Amy's house/office on Sunday after church. We
went with Charlie and Day to the Church or Christ and saw many old friends.
Charlie fell in love with Amy's house. It is very attractive and unique.
I saw the doctor today and he said I may double my nerve medication(he said
I was taking a low dose). I hope it help me sleep.
I think Cassie and Jeff's trailer is ready for them at the ranch. They
have done a great job in restoring it. It was really in need of some TLC.
They will definitely need some sort of air-conditioning. That place can be
a hot "tin-can").
We've heard from Nick and he is getting aclimatized to South Carolina
he says. We have no doubt he will be able to allow himself to get used
to the Southern Charm there.
Aslhey is going to house -sit for her parents while they take a couple
of days off before school starts for Steve. She is enjoying her job at
Apple. She is getting more days and after helping at the Painted Pony
Farm camps, she can get more rest.
Jake and Jenny seem to be enjoying living at the ranch too. They
have made some great changes and have had lots of friends out to enjoy it
too.
We have a pattern for our evenings. We watch Jeopardy and they put
on a Gaither Film that usually lasts until our bedtime. Some of they are
ours and some are ones I inherited from my mother. We really enjoy them.
This has been long, but I hope to hear from you too.
Mark and Debra and the boys are doing well as we hear from Mark when
we talk on the phone. It's been really hot there and it's getting us now
after a summer of June Gloom. Buddy was working in the shop and he came
in saying it was 95 degrees out there. I hope this doesn't last long.
Our prayers are there for many who need them. Please remember us in yours.
Genelle

Catching up

Again, it's been a while since I've blogged, so I thought I'd catch up. Most
of you already know all this stuff, but in case someone missed, here's the
last update. I saw my rheumatologist on the 24th and he basically said
"You have osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and a bad back" Duh!!!!!
I had hoped he would say, "You have xyZ and this is how you fix it". I am
taking medication and riding a stationary bike every day for a few minutes.
I usually get what I want to get done for the day by noon. Afternoons are for
resting. I thank the Lord for being able to do that.
Buddy keeps pretty busy in spite of his aches and pains. He had another
bout of dizziness this past weekend, but Meclizine works well for him.

We had a great Easter at Steve and Pam's. It was a beautiful day and great
food. Blessings on everyone. Genelle

Finally

It's been a while since I blogged and it hasn't been because nothing has beeen
going on. Quite the contrary. My back is no longer my problem. It's something
I haven't found out yet. I saw a Neurologist , Dr. Allen Peter last week and the
the bloodwork I had done showed everything tested was fine. That's good news,but
I had hoped go find out at least a name for this pain I'm going through. I've told
myself it can't be plain authritis, but I'm doing more blood work and seeing the
doctor in a month.
I had I guess the flu for a couple of weeks and now Buddy has it. We both had
our flu shots, so what's up?
We had a wonderful Christmas with everygbody here. Everyone has their aches and
pains, and Steve has to be extra careful with his back. We're doing lots of things
to bring our rentals up to par. Our guy, Uvaldo is a Godsend. He knows what to do
and how to do it. We've become very close tohim and his family.
Nancy has had a few health problems and is under a lot of stress from school.
Jeff is in his second student teaching assignment and should be done by summer.
Jake, Jemnnie and Amy are getting used to the ranch and it's uniqueness. They
seem to enjoy being out there and have had a lot of their friends out for R & R.
We are really enjoing the rain and hope it does not pose any problems for anyone.
My plants and the orchard will love it.
Best of the new year to you all. We love you and wish you the best.Genelle

Doctor's report

I saw Dr. Alberstone Friday as a follow up. I really appreciated
his accepting me as an emergency patient and I was thoroughly satisfied
with his work. However, I am having lots of joint pain and wanted to
know my next step. He really didn't have much to tell me except that
perhaps a visit to a rheumatologist would help. He recommended Dr.
Allen Peter whom I had already seen prior to my three surgeries. He
was the one who said he was 95% sure it was fybromyalgia at that point.
Two of my other doctors said that was what doctors said when they
wouldn't find anything else. WELL, they haven't found anything else.
I've tried pain management, acupuncture, physical therapy, surgery,
but to no avail. I am on pain medication and may be for quite a long
time unless some miracle turns up. I am determined to live my life
to the fullest that I can manage. Thank everyone for your prayers and
will you continue to do so.

What's up?

iT'S been a while since I blogged, but I just have forgotten to do it. We've had
a busy summer. My emergency surgery for yet another herneated disc was not a good
thing. I did have a new doctor, Cary Alberstone and he was great. I was also at
St. John's Hospital in Oxnard and they were just wonderful. I stayed another 5 days
for rehab and I'm glad I did that.
Buddy continues to have some trouble with his back and hip, but he usually keeps
pretty busy. Uvaldo, who works or us, has been a life-saver. He works well with
Buddy and is excellent at what he does.
We have Charlie and Day Douglas for a week and we enjoyed doing things with
them. Day and Ihave become very close over the last few years. We love having them
out here and this time they flew.
I've enjoyed working with the plants on my patio and I must say they are looking
beautiful. My roses that I got for my birthday are beginning to bloom and are
beautiful too. This warm weather has made it necessary to give them more water.
This ground is pretty rocky.
Buddy says we're going to have air-conditioning put in pretty soon. This house
stays cool (if you keep things closed) but heats up in the late afternoon. Thank
goodness for ceiling fans.
I saw the doctor yesterday and he said I could drive and that Ididn't have
to wear the corset all the time. I haven't minded, but it's nice without it.
We hope things are going well with all of you. Remember, God is large and He's
in charge.

Last update

I saw the Dr. today and thought I'd share the latest. The bottom line
is that I have a bad back. He said that this is just something I will have to
learn to live with and not to blame fibromyalgia but just accept it and learn to
adjust my life to a much slower lifestyle. No lifting more than 10 pounds, no
twisting, turning, bending, etc. Buddy has taken over quite a lot of my every
day chores and Pam does my cleaning for me. Quite the life, huh? I can't
drive until I'm off drugs and that should be in a month or so. I'm to see how
an antiimflamitory like Aleve will do. I also need to wear the corset when I'm
out and away from home. It's not terribly comfortable, but it does its job.
We can't say enough good about Dr. Alberstone and St. John's Hospital.
I'm so thankful that my problem was taken care of so quickly. I was referred
to Dr. Alberstone because my neurosurgeon, Dr. Herman was going on vacation and
my primary care Dr. Gary Wikholm was also going on vacation but recommended Dr.
Alberstone. God just had a hand in it!!! I see the doctor again in six weeks
and I hope to be off the drugs by that time. Remember me in your prayers.

Here I am again

Boy, what happened to our cool June weather? I'm sort of trapped in
the house and no air conditioning. I'm not griping. We have ceiling fans
that do a great job.
I'm getting better each day,but the fibromyalgia(I guess that's what
it is) keeps me thankful for pain pills. Don't worry, I've learned something
from Michael Jackson- get off the pills as soon as possible. I take the pain
pill every four hours and someone said "what do you do for an alarm clock?" and
I said "Pain!!!!!"
Thanks everyone for your prayers and thoughts and gifts. I hope I got
a thank you card to everyone. If not, let this be it.
Buddy has done a good job of helping me get through this. He is not pain
free himself. I guess like all the "old people", we are making up for all the
things we shouldn't have done to our bodies when we were young.
Keep remembering us in your prayers as we do you.