Winter of My Imagination

Our surprisingly temperate January has given us some unusual opportunities to act like it isn't actually winter.  We've had a few bitter days and a rather small snowstorm last weekend but haven't really had much wintry precipitation since the storm in October.  On Saturday my grandson was enjoying the sunny day at the park and said to me "Grandma swing".  It had been many years since I'd been on any playground equipment but when Enzo insisted I couldn't refuse.  I was surprised that my bottom fit comfortably on the seat and I felt the child-like delight of swinging in a high arc.  

I'm rather relieved that the weather has been nice since my winter outerwear has needed replacing.  I'd bought a new jacket soon after Christmas when everything was on sale.  It was a really cute purple down-filled jacket with a faux fur trimmed hood and 70% off the original price. It was really warm but it had an unfortunate tendency to shed feathers everywhere.  (The tag actually said the filling was down AND feathers- apparently an important distinction.)  After two weeks of finding them in my car and all over my clothing I took it back to the store.  I had thrown away the receipt and so only could get a merchandise credit.  I found another coat in the store, a teal green microfiber jacket with only polyester filling. It was not quite as warm as the first jacket but was very comfortable.   

After less than a week of the new coat I found the zipper tape was coming loose.  I decided to take it back and found a receipt in my purse for what I thought was the first coat and triumphantly approached the courtesy desk and hoped to be walking out with my money so I could shop somewhere else.  It was, in fact, the receipt from the second coat and I again received a merchandise credit.  The store was now depleted of most of their winter coats since it is now time to move in the spring merchandise in time for the President's Day sales.  Nothing in the store interested me but a sales associate suggested I order one on the store kiosk.  Kohl's lets you order merchandise online and offer free shipping if purchased in the store.  I chose yet another coat and am awaiting its arrival.  

When I went to print my copy of the order the kiosk printed someone else's order for two bras.  I pointed this error out to a sales associate who replied "That isn't good".  Concerned that my personal information might pop out to the next customer we both went to tell the manager.  Foolishly thinking that after all this aggravation I might be entitled to some compensation from Kohl's after my never ending ordeal to simply buy a warm coat I related my saga to the manager.  Well trained in assertiveness, she politely refused me any compensation for my negative shopping experience in spite of my pleas for sympathy.  The kiosk, she explained,  was not actually under her jurisdiction. I reminded her that the two defective coats were purchased in her realm but I was dealing with the "broken record technique" and she repeated that nothing could be done.  The manager then told the sales associate to simply unplug the kiosk so it would then dump my information before it could be distributed to a passing identity thief.  

In the interim while waiting for my new coat I found a jacket at home in the back of the hall closet that nobody remembered buying.  It had the tags still attached and it fit me well.  I've been wearing that jacket for the past few days and when the new coat is delivered I might just take it back to Kohl's and buy some other clothes. I can use some new pants since I have some that are practically falling off.  

On a different note, I noticed yesterday at 5:30 pm that the sky was not completely dark.  I'm always pleasantly surprised each year when I notice that the nights are not as long they were in December.  Spring is a long way off but the lengthening days always have an uplifting effect on me.  I'm still hanging near the same plateau and need a jumpstart to get past it.  Maybe the brighter days will do it.  

Love to all, 

Marlena of Mohegan.  

A Day for Truth, Justice and The American Way

Today I had jury duty.  I was hoping to get selected for a jury because I felt it would be much easier than my job has been lately. (Besides the usual chaos in the ER we have an addition under construction with blasting three or four times per day.)  I thought it would be nice to hang out where nobody was crying or screaming and there were no biological odors or overhead pages. Jurors even get guaranteed time for breaks and lunch!  Count me in.  

I was assigned to a criminal case which will last about three weeks.  Seemed like a nice amount of time for a little sabbatical.  We spent few hours with the judge and the lawyers.  We were  instructed regarding procedure then questioned  to determine our experience and possible biases relating to the case.    I was not selected to serve on the jury and I am now excused from jury service for four years in federal court and six years in lesser courts. Today was the first time I made it into an actual courtroom jury box though, if only for a little while.  

I couldn't help thinking that two years ago today's experience would have been very difficult for me to endure.  Before my weight loss surgery the distance I walked from the parking garage would have felt like the Boston Marathon.  I would not have fit comfortably in any of the chairs.  I could not have walked up two flights of stairs from the jury lounge to the courtroom without stopping to catch my breath several times.  I would, as usual back then, have been the fattest person in the room.  

The courthouse environment was bit of a departure from my usual milieu.  There was a little coffee shop/news stand near the jury room.  It was run by a man who was visually impaired.  Customers told him what they were purchasing and how much money they had given him.  He returned the change faster than I could count it.  Surprisingly on display were  some local souvenir items and and some giant candy.  The weirdest was the worlds largest gummi worm!  

The thing was about two feet long.  Makes you wonder about their typical customer base.

I felt a real sense of community today.  There were people from all walks of life.  There was a man who was born and raised in Beijing, China where the concept of "innocent until proven guilty" is non-existent.  The commissioner of jurors told an anecdote about a woman, a naturalized citizen, who wanted very much to serve because in her native tongue there isn't even a word for jury. All verdicts in her birthplace were determined by the monarch or his officers and the accused had no rights to present a defense.  Not everyone is thrilled to get a jury summons.  Most were probably very happy to be excused.  For me, today was a little reminder of how lucky I am to have been born here in the USA.  It isn't a perfect nation but there are a lot of people working to help keep justice for all.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

SUGAR INDUCED COMA!!!!!

Well, not really a coma but a sudden onset of a need to nap.  Let me explain.  


Today I went back to the gym.  I felt confident enough in my knee's recovery to get back on the bike.  If there was a problem at least I don't have to work tomorrow so I have some time to recover. No need though, I'm fine.  Anyway afterwards I went to rehearsal for our latest opera and did a quick dash to the mall.  Then, at home, we had a birthday celebration for my daughter, Katie.  Amanda, my other daughter made a beautiful rainbow birthday cake. 






It looked so wonderful and yummy that I decided to have a small piece.  It did taste delicious but after not having that amount of sugar in over 18 months it had a surprising effect on me.  I was extremely thirsty and drank a glass of milk.  Then I started yawning uncontrollably.  I had no reason to be very tired at 6 pm but I could barely hold my head up.  I went up to my bed and took a little nap.  For about two hours!  


Dr. Jarrett likes to remind me that even though I have not needed insulin injections since my bariatric surgery I am and always will be a diabetic.  People claim that weight loss surgery is a cure for diabetes but strictly speaking that is not true.  A type II diabetic has a pancreas that produces insulin but not enough.  In addition there is a tendency of insulin resistance which basically means that the insulin doesn't work as well at controlling the glucose level. 


 My gastric bypass limits the amount of food I can ingest and also the amount of nutrients I absorb.  An overdose of sugar-laden foods can cause a reaction called dumping syndrome.  The fear of the dumps made me cautious about eating sugar during the past 18 months.  I've never dumped yet and I don't want to.  I probably should have checked my blood sugar but the battery on my glucose meter is probably dead anyway.  It's been a long time since I tested.  I did not like the way I felt after eating that cake.  The reaction wasn't worth the pleasure of having it.  


I like to say that whenever things go wrong if you learn something from the experience then it isn't a waste.  So today's little reaction to sugar was not the same as a diabetic coma (or any other type of coma for that matter).  It was, however, a little kick in the ass to remind me that I feel better when I eat healthy.  


Love to all, 
Marlena of Mohegan

This Old Man, He Played Three, He Played Knick Knack On My Knee

Back when I was learning to be a nurse we were trained in body mechanics.  This training was to help us safely lift and move patients in a way that minimized trauma to our backs.  "Lift with your knees"  we were told.  I'd known nurses with back injuries incurred at work and have been determined that I would protect mine.  My knees, however, are shot.

I tore a ligament in my knee at a roller disco back in the 1980's.  My orthopedist was pretty impressed that I tore my posterior cruciate ligament because he said it was really hard to do that. Apparently an ACL injury is much more common than a PCL.  Later on another orthopedist asked me if I'd had an MRI at the time of that injury.  I laughed and reminded him that roller disco's did not exist in the same decade as MRI's.

Years of working on my feet, being overweight and "protecting my back" finally resulted in a torn meniscus.  I had arthroscopic surgery on that same knee in the late 1990's.  Since then I've had several episodes when my knee locked up presumably from debris present in the joint capsule.  I've had relief though from injections of synthetic joint fluid.  Before my weight loss surgery this was my best option.  I was so heavy that the orthopedist would not risk knee replacement surgery.  My xrays and MRI's had showed arthritis and worn cartilage.  I really needed weight loss and I was less and less active because of my knees as well as my other, more serious, health issues.

I hadn't needed any of the "Synvisc" injections since before my gastric bypass.  My knees have been much better without the extra baggage.  I have been sticking to the stationary bike rather than more high impact exercises.  I was holding up pretty well until yesterday.  All of a sudden when I went to stand up I had a severe sharp pain in my knee.  It was a spot that never hurt before.  I could barely put weight on the leg and my husband brought me to the ER.

I had hoped for a steroid injection in the knee but, not surprisingly, there was no orthopedist handy on a Sunday night.  Narcotic pain medication was my only option for relief.  I had xrays that showed no acute bony injury but severe osteoarthritis.  No surprise there.  I was sent home and referred to ortho for the next day.

So today I did see Dr. Brand, my orthopedist, and he was able to do the injection.  I'm starting to feel better already.  He was amazed to see how much weight I'd lost.  (I still love showing off).  He had suggested in the past that I get a handicapped parking permit.  I'd avoided it before. I didn't want to admit I was handicapped because I was too fat.  There are so many people who have handicaps that are not self-induced that I felt ashamed to get one.  He still feels that I should get the permit because of the severe osteoarthritis.  I have very little cartilage left in my knees.  We did not talk about surgery today but I expect that subject will arise sooner or later.

This whole episode worries me because I don't want to stop exercising!  I need to stick with my quest for better health.  I can still go to the gym and do my upper body weight training.  Dr. Brand said that with the steroids I may be able to get back on the bike in a couple of days.  I hope so.

Love to all,
Marlena of Mohegan

The Germs are Coming Ha Ha!

I've always felt that there would be less illness if there was no holiday season.  Some of my worst colds and flu in my life have come after the holidays or other interstate travel.  The reason for this is simple.  When something is going around eventually everyone in town is exposed to it and either gets sick or develops an immunity. Then comes Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan and Festivus.  We go visiting, we kiss, hug and slobber germs all over each other.  We cram together in airplanes with recycled pathogen-filled air. We are in crowded, overheated stores handling merchandise that has been inoculated with millions of microbes. Out of town germs mingle with ours and sometimes mutate into new and more exciting creatures.  We dip chips, munch finger foods and cluster at the buffet table.  Not everyone remembers to wash their hands or cover their coughs and sneezes.  The graph below shows increasing numbers of influenza infections in the last weeks of 2011.  

All this becomes painfully obvious in my line of work.  In my 30 years as an ER nurse I've braced myself as the relief from the hectic holiday season settles in and the cold and flu season accelerates with vengeance.  Sometimes I get lucky and I've already had my own exposures early in the season and I sail through this time unscathed.  This year our house got hit with a gastrointestinal affliction which is going around.  It may or may not be a rotavirus but it's hit everyone in my family and delayed my return to my routine at the gym.  


One always hopes when things are passing through our intestines more quickly than usual that the result is unexpected weight loss.  If that happens it never lasts once we're no longer dehydrated so there is no use getting excited about it.  I thought I was well enough to go to the gym last night but I guess all the pedaling on the bike got things to start moving again.  As I was getting off my bike I made a little "fluff" (my sister-in-law's word)  Nobody hears these things at the gym because its noisy and everyone is wearing ear buds anyway.  But by the way the guy on the next bike looked at me I knew that he knew I did it.  Fortunately I got home before anything worse happened.  There is little that is more humiliating than having diarrhea in a public restroom.  


During my time in the bathroom I came up with this little adaptation to a popular holiday tune.  


You'd better not wait
You'd better run now
Before its too late
And the bathroom's not free
Rotavirus is going around.


We're going a lot
Many trips to the pot
Our bellies sure do gurgle a lot
Rotavirus is going around.


There's nasty diarrhea
And really stinky farts
You'd better not come visit us
If you don't want to start...


The run for the pot
Pooping a lot
Tummy cramps and your social life's shot
Rotavirus is going around!


Love to all, 


Marlena of Mohegan