Not that anyone is asking

It's been a couple weeks since Collin's come to visit. Seems a lot longer. He'll be here tomorrow and stay 'til Sunday. Yay!

My apartment has a split-personality. Before Collin arrives for his weekends I stow my pottery pieces and a collection of unusual candle holders (some of which are over 2ft tall) in my closet and switch em out for the large sized toys stored in there (like his racetrack & drums), rearrange my office desk so that the pointy, hurty stuff is out of reach, move the large kitchen knives from the drawer into a large vase up on the counter, reattach the bed-rail to my bed, set up the lighthouse night-light in the bedroom, and remove all the knobs from the kitchen range. Plus other little things I didn't think of right now. ...Oh! Secure the sewing area; needles, pins, scissors into a lock-box, unplug sewing machine, and also stow my tool bag under my bed.

Then everything goes back the way it was after he leaves, and this looks like a grown man's apartment again. I used to do more than that but he's good at staying out of cabinets and leaving the books and vinyl records alone now, and some other stuff too.
 
Just as I got to the front of the building where I got the second covid vaccine today, George, my CPS worker, called to remind me we’re getting close to annual home inspection time, which I think is in April, and he asked me if I want to “move forward”; to keep being a foster parent and accept more kids. I reminded him how hard it was to lose Collin but I didn’t have to, he remembers. And then I told him that I was just about to go in and get the vaccine and I need to think about it anyway, so he said he’d call me back in about a week.

So while I was sitting there waiting to be called to an injection table I wondered why I didn’t just say no to George right away, and that got me thinking about the pros and cons of staying a foster parent.

Pros

I still have a crib
I can request infants only (they’re light and they don’t get up to much)
I’d be providing daddy/grandpa-style comfort and security to babies who need it
I got way ahead on classes and in-services (that's like banking time and inconvenience)
Extra income (it would stop-start and stop-start but it'd be useful)
Keeps me feeling vital
I won’t consider adoption, so there’s no question they’ll all wind up with their parent(s) or adoptive parent(s)

Cons

I’ll have to child-proof the apartment…again
A baby will be getting me up during the night (but sometimes I gotta get up anyway)
I’ll have to find a sitter for when I start acupuncture and physical therapy in a couple months
I gotta get a new infant car-seat (in fact, I gotta put the back seat back in)
This would probably rekindle Michelle’s foster home idea (I just really don’t wanna revisit it)
I won’t consider adoption, so there’s no question they’ll all wind up with their parent(s) or adoptive parent(s)

I thought the Cons list would be a lot longer but there’s probably a bunch of things I can’t think of right now. Top of that list should be that Collin still comes to spend the weekend 2 or 3 times a month, so I need to think about how it would be for him to see a baby here and to not have my undivided attention. If I encourage him to be part of it, it could help him be a “big boy”, and maybe a caring person. But on the other hand it could make him angry and resentful.

Well I’ve got a week to think about it.
 
On the 10th I'll be going for a consultation with an acupuncturist. I'm kind of excited about it. Or hopeful, I should say. And I might get back to regular physical therapy again in a month or two. Waiting for a phone call about that. That'll be rough because I stopped going soon after Collin moved in (babysitter problems), and when the pandemic hit I couldn't go, and I wasn't doing my therapy exercises as often as I'm supposed to. In fact, for the past 4 months I haven't been doing much of anything. So we're probably going to have to start all over again.

Anyway, my regular doctor wants to see me after the acupuncture consultation, just because I haven't been in to see her since Aug 2020. I'm going to talk to her about my hands. They shake for a couple of hours every morning, and when I do anything that requires a little extra dexterity, they don't just shake, they make a sudden, jerky movement. Like while I was writing on an envelope this morning, my hand jerked and I had to get another envelope and start over.

I looked up "shaky hands in the morning". Pretty specific, but a lot of websites came up about exactly that. All of them said stuff like "Medical professionals believe the cause may be...". May be neurological. I figured that much and I don't have a degree in medicine. Another cause could be medication, but I take very low doses of a pain medication that isn't on any of the lists I read. Still, I don't feel it will be a waste of time talking to the doctor about it. I want to talk to my spine doctor about it, too.
 
I know how it is to do your exercises on your own. After PT I try to do them but its hard to do on your own. I would let other things get in the way. Its a good idea to tell all your doctors about your hands. Its never a waste of time keeping your doctors updated. I "google" my new symptoms too and get frustrated at the different things that come up. I make a list and take with me to my Doctor and he always says"you have been doing the "google" again". He knows I do it and doesn't mind as he goes over each one with me. So let us know how the appt on the 10th goes. Hope you get some answers.
 
Murrmurr said:
On the 10th I'll be going for a consultation with an acupuncturist. I'm kind of excited about it. Or hopeful, I should say. And I might get back to regular physical therapy again in a month or two. Waiting for a phone call about that. That'll be rough because I stopped going soon after Collin moved in (babysitter problems), and when the pandemic hit I couldn't go, and I wasn't doing my therapy exercises as often as I'm supposed to. In fact, for the past 4 months I haven't been doing much of anything. So we're probably going to have to start all over again.

Anyway, my regular doctor wants to see me after the acupuncture consultation, just because I haven't been in to see her since Aug 2020. I'm going to talk to her about my hands. They shake for a couple of hours every morning, and when I do anything that requires a little extra dexterity, they don't just shake, they make a sudden, jerky movement. Like while I was writing on an envelope this morning, my hand jerked and I had to get another envelope and start over.

I looked up "shaky hands in the morning". Pretty specific, but a lot of websites came up about exactly that. All of them said stuff like "Medical professionals believe the cause may be...". May be neurological. I figured that much and I don't have a degree in medicine. Another cause could be medication, but I take very low doses of a pain medication that isn't on any of the lists I read. Still, I don't feel it will be a waste of time talking to the doctor about it. I want to talk to my spine doctor about it, too.
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I have one shaky hand, cause unknown neurological according to doctor. Really effects my writing and, like you, the harder I try to control it, the worst it gets. I rarely write anything anymore. Then the shaking spread to both my legs. Mostly happens when I lay flat on my back. Hard to get an EKG. Sometimes it happens when I sit.

Since I have spinal issues and neurological issues probably a combination of both. But you can also get the shakes with low magnesium, really bad to the point that it seems like advanced Parkinson’s shakes. I know cause this happened to me. Have the doctor check your magnesium levels. I have to take a lot of magnesium and am still low on it.
 
Aneeda72 said:
I have one shaky hand, cause unknown neurological according to doctor. Really effects my writing and, like you, the harder I try to control it, the worst it gets. I rarely write anything anymore. Then the shaking spread to both my legs. Mostly happens when I lay flat on my back. Hard to get an EKG. Sometimes it happens when I sit.

Since I have spinal issues and neurological issues probably a combination of both. But you can also get the shakes with low magnesium, really bad to the point that it seems like advanced Parkinson’s shakes. I know cause this happened to me. Have the doctor check your magnesium levels. I have to take a lot of magnesium and am still low on it.
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Thanks Aneeda, I hadn't thought of blood chemistry. I eat lots of nuts and other mineral-packed foods, and my blood tests have always looked really good, but I think it's been at least several months since the last one. Also, I just haven't had much appetite lately. So I'll ask the doctor to order blood work. She usually does anyway, but I'll ask, and I can get it done right there at her lab same day.
 
terry123 said:
I know how it is to do your exercises on your own. After PT I try to do them but its hard to do on your own. I would let other things get in the way. Its a good idea to tell all your doctors about your hands. Its never a waste of time keeping your doctors updated. I "google" my new symptoms too and get frustrated at the different things that come up. I make a list and take with me to my Doctor and he always says"you have been doing the "google" again". He knows I do it and doesn't mind as he goes over each one with me. So let us know how the appt on the 10th goes. Hope you get some answers.
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Collin kept me pretty busy. After he started getting around pretty well I used to have him exercise with me, but I wasn't doing full sets and wasn't doing them all - I'd stop when he had enough. I tried to make up for it by taking him for walks every day, but yeah, I got totally side-tracked.
 
I went in for an acupuncture consultation this morning and Dr. Yoon went ahead and did the 1st treatment. I had to lie on my stomach while he stuck the needles in, and then lie there for 30 minutes. Normally, I can't lie flat on my stomach for very long, but he made sure my back didn't arch so it wasn't a problem. In addition to the (painless) needles, I had a heat lamp on my back the whole time. That felt great! So now, if I have less pain, I'm going to wonder if it was the needles or the 30-minutes of localized heat.

Anyway, I'm supposed to go back in a week or 2 (they'll call) for the 2nd treatment and he asked for detailed feedback so I'm gonna keep a log, otherwise I won't have much for him in the way of details.
 
Murrmurr said:
I went in for an acupuncture consultation this morning and Dr. Yoon went ahead and did the 1st treatment. I had to lie on my stomach while he stuck the needles in, and then lie there for 30 minutes. Normally, I can't lie flat on my stomach for very long, but he made sure my back didn't arch so it wasn't a problem. In addition to the (painless) needles, I had a heat lamp on my back the whole time. That felt great! So now, if I have less pain, I'm going to wonder if it was the needles or the 30-minutes of localized heat.

Anyway, I'm supposed to go back in a week or 2 (they'll call) for the 2nd treatment and he asked for detailed feedback so I'm gonna keep a log, otherwise I won't have much for him in the way of details.
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Yay!!!!😊😊😊😊😊. Glad today’s treatment worked and will keep fingers crossed for a long term affect. Wouldn’t that be wonderful if this works out???
 
Murrmurr said:
On the 10th I'll be going for a consultation with an acupuncturist. I'm kind of excited about it. Or hopeful, I should say. And I might get back to regular physical therapy again in a month or two. Waiting for a phone call about that. That'll be rough because I stopped going soon after Collin moved in (babysitter problems), and when the pandemic hit I couldn't go, and I wasn't doing my therapy exercises as often as I'm supposed to. In fact, for the past 4 months I haven't been doing much of anything. So we're probably going to have to start all over again.

Anyway, my regular doctor wants to see me after the acupuncture consultation, just because I haven't been in to see her since Aug 2020. I'm going to talk to her about my hands. They shake for a couple of hours every morning, and when I do anything that requires a little extra dexterity, they don't just shake, they make a sudden, jerky movement. Like while I was writing on an envelope this morning, my hand jerked and I had to get another envelope and start over.

I looked up "shaky hands in the morning". Pretty specific, but a lot of websites came up about exactly that. All of them said stuff like "Medical professionals believe the cause may be...". May be neurological. I figured that much and I don't have a degree in medicine. Another cause could be medication, but I take very low doses of a pain medication that isn't on any of the lists I read. Still, I don't feel it will be a waste of time talking to the doctor about it. I want to talk to my spine doctor about it, too.
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Could it be benign Essential tremor ?... a couple of years ago for no reason whatsoever I started having really bad shakes in my hands. I couldn't write properly, it was embarassing in public if I held up a cup or a glass, I'd be shaking so much I had to hold it with both hands.

I was worried it might be PD because that's what took my father... but it transpired that it was Benign essential tremor ( neurological disorder) .. It disappeared on it's own after about 2 years... I only get the shakes now if I've been gripping something hard like a heavy shopping bag...
 
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hollydolly said:
Could it be benign Essential tremor ?... a couple of years ago fro no reason whatsoever I started having really bad shakes in my hands. I couldn't write properly, it was embarassing in public if I held up a cup or a glass, I'd be shaking so much I had to hold it with both hands.

I was worried it might be PD because that's what took my father... but it transpired that it was Benign essential tremor ( neurological disorder) .. It disappeared on it's own after about 2 years... I only get the shakes now if I've been gripping something hard like a heavy shopping bag...
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To the part in bold; sometimes 2 of my fingers will stiffen and painfully seize-up while I'm sewing by hand. That passes after a few minutes but it sure hurts.

I got links to a couple of articles about benign essential tremor when I did a search, and yes, the symptoms match up almost 100%. And like everything else I found on the subject, the specific cause/mechanism is unknown and treatment results are limited. I was also concerned about it being a precursor to Parkinson's, but after doing some reading I'm a lot less concerned.

I'm glad you mentioned that your shakes disappeared after a couple years. I'll still talk to my doctor about it, but that's encouraging. Michelle told me to do warm soaks for my hands and she's been giving me hand massages. Not sure yet that's helping but they're awesome! They do help with the arthritis pain for a few hours. (inflammation is mostly around my rt. thumb & wrist)
 
Well it does sound almost exactly like my experience of BET... and also I have OA in a few of my fingers which didn't help either.

I had exactly the same problem with the seizing up of fingers when gripping things, my 2 or 3 fingers would curl up towards my palm , and I would remark to hubs that I was ending up with old witchy hands.. but it was very painful... ..like I say it eventually went on it's own, no treatment ( I wish the OA would do the same thing) :sneaky:
 
Saw my doctor this morning for the first time in quite a while. I told her about my jaw-clenching and loss of appetite. I've had to start wearing a belt and my shirts are a bit loose, so I knew I'd lost some weight. I'm about 13 pounds lighter than last time I was weighed. Not a whole lot, but my weight hasn't fluctuated by more than a few pounds for decades, and the thing is, I just don't feel hungry. Nothing looks or sounds appetizing, and it's just not worth the hassle of cooking, so I keep nuts and berries and bananas around, and yogurt for protein. But I'll sit down and eat when Michelle cooks for me. And when I told my doctor that part, she started asking questions about my mood and about stress and worry, and we talked about Collin and how his parents are drinking again, and according to his grandmother that's always led to the two of them fighting, and they both have a history of domestic violence. And somewhere in the conversation I admitted that I've been quite a bit more obsessed with house-keeping lately, getting really uncomfortable with dust, grabbing the sweeper every time I spot a freaking crumb on the floor or whatever.

Well, she prescribed Zoloft. I don't like drugs. In fact, after Collin was given back to his mother, I asked the doctor to cut my pain meds from 4 a day to 3 a day, and she did. But she said Zoloft will not only help with all the stuff we talked about, it will also probably increase my appetite and help me sleep better, too. She said it takes a few weeks to start working, and meanwhile I might feel kind of crappy. awesome :(

Also she ordered blood and urine tests. I saw the results already, on my online chart. Blood looks really good but there's a load of calcium in my urine and I'm guessing - only guessing - that could mean a kidney stone is trying to form. I don't have any pain or anything, but she might decide to order some imaging. Or I could be totally wrong.
 
I don't like drugs either but give the zoloft a chance. I took it years ago during a stressful situation and it helped me. My doctor gave me the lowest amount and even then I cut them in half. Take the amount prescribed and give it some time. Then you might want to see about a lower dose if there is one. I only cut my pill in half when I got the okay from the doctor. Also my daughter is a pharmacist so she monitors my meds closely when I have a question. My doctor even calls her sometimes as he says they don't get the extensive training about drugs. They effect everybody differently and you have to find what works for you,
 
Murrmurr said:
Ok, this is weird - I've had no appetite for months. I've even lost weight. 2 hours after getting acu-punctured I'm freaking starving! Had a big fat sandwich and a tall green smoothie and I'm still poking around in the fridge. Wonder if there's a connection? Did Doctor Yoon open my stomach chi or what? :p
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I can't believe this. I haven't been following this thread but just now I posted, in the entertainment section about a documentary I'm watching on Amazon Prime. I left the documentary to take a break so I haven't yet finished it. Then I came directly here because it popped up on home page as a recent thread, and only read posts 184- thru 195 that are totally related to the research findings in this documentary.

I think I'm meant to share this with you. This is what I posted just minutes ago in the entertainment section for "Last Movie You Watched"...I hope you can find it.

"The Gut: Our Second Brain". This is unbelievable information. Totally fascinating. We have an entire eco system inside our gut. The brain and gut are very similar and communicate with each other.

For years, scientists have known about the existence of another brain within our bodies. Our stomach functions totally independently and does far more than digestion. It reigns over a spectacular colony of one hundred thousand billion bacteria that have a strong impact on our personalities. Some diseases of the brain like Parkinson's and Alzheimers could stem from the degeneration of intestinal neurons.

The Chinese are coupling acupuncture (around the navel) with hypnosis and having positive results with depression, etc etc.

I can't even begin to touch the surface on all the info in this documentary
 
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Lara said:
I can't believe this. I haven't been following this thread but just now I posted, in the entertainment section about a documentary I'm watching on Amazon Prime. I left the documentary to take a break so I haven't yet finished it. Then I came directly here because it popped up on home page as a recent thread, and only read posts 184- thru 195 that are totally related to the research findings in this documentary.

I think I'm meant to share this with you. This is what I posted just minutes ago in the entertainment section for "Last Movie You Watched"...I hope you can find it.

"The Gut: Our Second Brain". This is unbelievable information. Totally fascinating. We have an entire eco system inside our gut. The brain and gut are very similar and communicate with each other.

For years, scientists have known about the existence of another brain within our bodies. Our stomach functions totally independently and does far more than digestion. It reigns over a spectacular colony of one hundred thousand billion bacteria that have a strong impact on our personalities. Some diseases of the brain like Parkinson's and Alzheimers could stem from the degeneration of intestinal neurons.

The Chinese are coupling acupuncture (around the navel) with hypnosis and having positive results with depression, etc etc.

I can't even begin to touch the surface on all the info in this documentary
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Thank you, Lara. I don't have Amazon Prime but my son does, and I have other streaming channels, 2 of which are documentary channels, so I'll look for it. Sounds very interesting. My Dr didn't say my appetite and the acupuncture were associated, except to say that maybe I felt like eating because the acupuncture relieved my pain. The first treatment didn't relieved the pain, but maybe it's what caused me to feel so hungry. I only had my appetite back for a few hours. It'll be interesting to see if that happens after the next few treatments. I have 3 scheduled in April. And I'm going to ask the acupuncturist what he thinks about this. Maybe he'll want to stick a few pins around my naval, too.
 

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