OUCH! SON OF A GUN!!!!!! CRIPES!

Well it looks like I got a little overzealous yesterday in my ability. Aside from the start of a sore throat I was feeling pretty good and getting some much needed things done. In the afternoon I decided to enjoy the outdoors by doing a little yard work while Harley and our dive buddy went on their first dive of the year at Edmonds Underwater Park.

For the past 3 days now I have felt well enough and enjoyed about 2 to 3 hours of yard work (pruning and hauling branches and refuse into a brush pile...lol also poop pick up). I noticed there were several left over wood refuse pieces on the one side of our new deck closest to ground level and along a terraced rockerie. I got myself a recycle bin and sat on the edge of the deck and slid along picking up the wood.

I do not know exactly what happened but all of a sudden I just fell over from a sitting position and literally slammed the left side of my head and ear into a huge rock! SOB that hurt! It was so hard that I heard a loud metallic ping in my head as if I was a robot and someone just disconected my head and kicked it with a steel toe boot. The pain was excrutiating and shocking! I cannot cry so my immediate pain response was to let out one very loud and long yodel of frustration (I really have no idea how loud as I can't hear any sound but I know it was at the top of my lungs).

I am sure our only neighbors must have thought I was really pissed off or something. They would never come to help because they are afraid of our dogs due to the mother's previous pychotic trama eons ago that she never sought therapy for. For crumps sake both my husband and I were bit in the face by dogs when we were kids and we dealt with it and moved on to enjoy the companionship of the canus species.

My ear had hurt really bad and I was shaking. So I just huddled there for quite a while and our dogs Katie and Jake were very worried. They came over and in their own way were trying to hug me by putting their heads under my arm or in my lap and licking me up as if I were their own wounded young. I realized I was alone and worrying them. After pitying myself a little I got back to business and shook it off.

Even though my ear still hurts and is purple today, I was still able to go for my daily walk with the dogs yesterday evening when Harley returned from his dive. It was great! I really do not need my walking stick much on level terrain (due to the steroids) unless it gets dark out. I was even able to run for about 1/4 to 1/3 of the walk. I was in jeans and hiking boots but it just felt great to run for about 10 to 15 minutes and it was perfect breathing weather (not too hot and not too cold).

I am also happy to note that more of my daffodils are blooming in the driveway. Later this week I am going to cut some and put them in this beautiful green glass vase that my mother gave me over christmas time. We are having some people over on St. Patrick's Day so that will create a nice centerpiece. (also blooming in the yard now are the flowering shrubs Perius Japicona - AKA "lily of the valley" bush and some pink and white heather).

My sore throat remains still. Yesterday I started taking some echinacea pills, vitamin C, and drinking pink grapefruit juice and echinacea tea. There is an illness going around and my hiking friend has come down with a sore throat too. I am not sure if I caught something or if this is just one of the steroid side effects kicking in as I have been on them for a week. The first time I took this steroid in July I formed a sore throat within a week, a burnt taste in my mouth, and bloody noses. The burnt mouth sensation is also there now so I am guessing that the steroids are taking effect and toying with my immunity again. Good thing I am not in a classroom teaching right now!

I will be visiting one of my doctors (a radiation oncologist) this afternoon at 3 pm. She will be giving me the heads up on this recent MRI which appeared to me as showing more signs of necrosis. I sure hope that the swelling has started to subside and that there is no more growth. It is really frustrating to keep going back and forth on steroids thinking I am getting better and then getting really sick when I go off. All of the doctors say that I cannot stay on the steroids indefinitely. Some people do for their conditions but for mine I cannot because it threatens my vision. If the symptoms do not subside on their own without steroids then I will need to have brain surgery which I really do not want to go through.

Well the sleeplessness has kind of kicked in now and I only slept for like 4 hours again. So I am going to lie back down for a nap and put my liquid gel drops in as my eye feels really dry. I will post later this evening with what I find out at the doctors. Let's hope it is good news!