The JuJu Bean Christensen

I’m going home today. First, eat lunch, then take a nap ( I had dialysis today)., then I can go home.

I’m told I still need lots of rest. It will take several weeks for my thyroid to recover. Home care will be scheduled Wednesday, and that will be for 4 weeks, then reassessed if I need more home care or if I can return to outpatient rehabilitation.

Another one of those days. Actually, the last two days. I’m not just overwhelmed, but the pain I’ve been experiencing. Oh my goodness. Pain in places I’ve not had @ than usual. Pain so painful making it difficult to walk, bathe, dress, take care iofoianimals, take care of me.

The rule, I am to follow; exact same symptoms, if any kind, for two days in row equals ER bist, so, today, I am back in Chelsea hospital ER, room 15, originally for pain, turned to low bs emerging: 44, (home) 189, ER) 44, 54 (ER), IV dextrose ; 75.

I am exhausted. However, Baclofen and Norco have taken the edge of mh pain. I’m goofy and yawn A LT. I’m sure I’ll be driftyoff. . I’m sure I will sleep hard after all the pain subsides. All this pain and cramping might be dehydration. Crazy.

As for dialysis, Tuesday was moved to Wednesday because of pain. No dialysis today because of pain, thought I might receive it tonight. If not, Thursday is a “no” dialysis day. Not sue if I will receive it here it be discharged to my dialysis center tomorrow.

One thing at cc a time, one step at a time, right?

Jingles is with a family friend. Gaylene is checking on the cats, daily, but she has back-ups, which reminds me to text her details.

List my train of thought for a moment.

I have Rizzoli and Isles for company until I draft off. Next priority, food, dinner. That’s a good sign

Cozy still has a slight limp. I have not found a sneaky way to get Brainy to take get her med for hyperthyroidism. She’s much better st allowing me to check hr scratch, infection on. Her back leg. I have a hard time finding it. That’s good as it healing.

Oh, I hope thus is it for a while after the new stuff:
Referral Back to ENT. Other referrals, urology/gynecology, behavioral Health, New dietician, care coordination help

😞 alas, bs 📈 is down, again. Cafeteria is closed, but juice and snacks are their way.

This too long if a “what’s on your mind,” right? Goidnes gracious.
Ok , yougurt and granola bars are here.
Out, for now .

What a day, but what a lovely day.

PT was definitely challenging, but a good thing. Today we spent a considerable amount of time with stretching, strengthening my upper legs, and most of all strengthening my hands and coordination. Most challenging with my hands is using my thumb and, separately, each finger to pick up small marbles and placing them in a separate cup. Think thumb to finger exercises for arthritis, and picking up and small, pebble-size marbles.
I’m still going 1x a week until I can physically do more, and and more independently, plus my schedule complicates appointments outside the home.

Towards the end of PT, my bs decided to tank and tank.. but the mints helped. Shelley and I planned a lunch today after PT, so I had pineapple juice. That definitely helped.

We had a lovely 2-2 1/2 hour lunch at Casey’s Tavern-East. The kind of lunch that isn’t rushed or a quick catch up. The kind where you do catch up, but the kind of conversation where you talk about how do you like your coffee, how did you start drinking coffee? Learning how drive and online learning today (too much), that kind of stuff. The fun stuff.

We sat outside to enjoy the lovely weather. Highly recommend it. Casey’s and the patio. I don’t know the price because Shelley kindly treated.

Gaylene is here. She bought me an early X-mas present; self-cleaning cat litter box! Not a super expensive one, but one that seemed the most ergonomic, for me.
There was not much to put together, which Gaylene did, then she spent time teaching me how to use it. We had to modify some ways to accomplish this (Involving a wrench. The kind you can choose your width) until I get more strength and coordination. Isn’t that nice?!

On her way home, she dropped off some items for my former neighbors, which I had been meaning to bring to them and visit, about 2 weeks to a month ago when life went south.

My most recent MRI of my brain shows I have a mastoid mass. Sounds terrible, but knowing me, who knows. I have been referred back to Otolaryngology , a word worse than Worcestershire. ENT is fine by me.
My ENT is married to the surgeon who did my Cushing’s surgery, and the surgeon who did my graph, for dialysis, after my fistula failed from multiple DVTs, is married to the ENT who studied me for Vertigo, twice. Both lovely couples, that I can tell, and definitely great doctors.

Home Health comes out Sunday to do my intake for nurse visits 2-3x a week.

If your grocery store carr Waterloo sparkling water, I like Guava Berry. Gaylene split some with me. Kroger owns Fry’y so they might have it out west.
A different Midwest grocery, Meijer, actually sells Guava fruit when it is in season. Love it.

My life is overwhelming. Too many tests, some days the right spasms exhaust me, making it hard to keep up with hires. On
One family friend is coming out to help with laundry and putting clothes away or helping me finish cleaning the refrigerator , maybe another friend to help with laundry. Silly, but I really need this help

Unexpectedly. I hadanother MRI of my brain. Tomorrow I have an urgent ophthalmology appointment Wednesday, a TEE procedure for cardiology telated to PFOs
I still have dialysis T, Th ,Sat

Looking forward to having lunch with a a friend on Friday, after PT

Today was a better day, so I did some errands and had A Lot of phone calls. Saved me the trouble of calling them.

September 9, I have an MRA, not an MRI, for Neurology.

Lately, I feel Debbie Downer. My life is consumed with appointments

Life. It is what is. Sometimes, for your own sanity, you gotta go with the flow.

My life feels like I have 3 separate Big Top Circuses and I do own ALL the monkeys.

From April:May through early November of last year, 2025.

I’ve been trying to heal from the minor stroke I had in late October, and the septic shoulder and to help with the degenerative osteoarthritis in my cervical and lumbar spine, which is the original reason I was referred to Team Rehabilitation.

I have lost some mobility and strength. I do not use resistance band, hand weights or weight machines. Not yet, and I go 1x a week instead of 2x: week. Part of this is because of my crazy appointments.
Instead of 20 reps or 2 minutes of an exercise, I do 10 reps or 1 minute, except for the Nu-step, a cycling machine that works your upper and lower body. I love the Nu-Step. I do level 4 for 5-7 minutes. I use to do level 5 for 10 minutes .

Ed, Dt Kreske has been playing phone tag with me. He’s my classmate who did my pancreatic surgery.
The PET/CT he orders every year is ok for what he monitors, and it will continue to be monitored.
He’s concerned about the minor changes in my neck, so he wanted to order another CT. That's 3 separate doctor offices that want the same thing. At least they all agree.
I think I need to call and schedule this.
He, then tells me he’s concerned my eye problem might be a neuroendocrine tumor, which he’s never seen or heard of. I laughed. I told h my life is 3 Big top circuses, and I own all the monkeys.
Christ on a hand basket, seriously?!

I woke myself up this morning by falling out of bed. Seriously, I fell out of bed.
I think I was dreaming that Jingles was playing tug of war (she’s a blanket stealer) so I was rocking and landed on my butt