The other day, we listened to Smokey Robinson music as my Mom washed my legs and tended to my feet. Smokey Robinson songs are so familiar to me! It reminds me of being a child because I heard so much of that music growing up! I grew up with so much Motown music so when I heard this song playing from the basement, I thought it was Smokey Robinson. I really like that song and I didn’t think I heard it before.
I went downstairs as my brother Steve was listening to music and I asked him to “Play that Smokey Robinson song!” I don’t think that my brother made fun of me too much when he corrected me to tell me that that song is sung by Lenny Kravitz. I really liked his voice and I think it sounded like Smokey Robinson and that is a hill that I will die on!!!
So, yesterday I had my infectious disease appointment and Jen said that I don’t need to come back unless I get another sore. She gave me something to prevent pressure sores on my tailbone. I have decided to call them my, “Butt Stickers.” I asked Jen yesterday if she could prescribe them to me so therefore Medicaid will pay for them. Since I am on both Medicare and Medicaid because I no longer work and I am disabled, I pay for some stuff but Medicaid will kick in when they feel that I have paid far enough. I met my spenddown a couple years ago on December 28. That means I only had until January 1 to get all of my medical care covered because on January 1, my spend down begins again! So, with these being prescribed to me that can be something I have to pay for that will take off from the amount that need to be paid before Medicaid kicks in.
It is a very complicated process that I am just beginning to try to navigate and it’s quite frustrating but Jen tried to order them for me but she said that since I do not have an active sore, they won’t pay for them. The whole point of using them is to prevent getting a pressure sore because these pressure sores on my feet are excruciating and I cannot even fathom how much it would hurt if this was on my tailbone AND I am in a wheelchair?!
So here is my Mayday of sorts to a anyone in the medical field:
These are the, “Butt Stickers” and we counted them yesterday and my Mom said that I have 20. I’m changing it today so that means I only have 19 more, “Butt Stickers.” So, since I wear them for three days, that still only gives me 57 days of tail bone protection?! I have a little bit of time before I have to add that into my monthly expenses because I DEFINITELY will do that but if anyone has an In” somewhere, hook a girl up?! 😂😂😂
My Mom and I had a very productive afternoon today! We first left the house and went to the hospital downtown to the infectious disease clinic. Jen says my feet look wonderful and they are almost healed. Tomorrow, Sonya is coming to take pictures and measure my sores and take my blood pressure and temperature and stuff. We will talk about how long she will continue to come. Jen says that I don’t need to see her unless I get another sore and my Mom told her that we do NOT want to see her!
After my good report, my Mom and I drove to Saint Alphonsus. I had to get my OWN pictures! I rarely drive by there much these days even before the pandemic but I think I will be very saddened when it is gone.
I attended there from kindergarten through 12th grade graduation. It was strange to see it and I sat in the van in the parking lot as my Mom walked around to take pictures and I was flooded with 1 million memories! All ranging from kindergarten and playing ‘What Time is it Mr. Fox?’ under the overhang all the way to Homecoming dances and spirit week my senior year!
It was a very strange feeling and after we went there, because we had a van, we went to Dairy Queen and got ice cream! I rarely leave my house and there will only be a Thin Mint blizzards available during the summer and I HAD TO get one!!!
We also picked up a dozen partially cooked pierogi from Sabina’s because that is something I am still able to eat. As my Mom went to get the food, I sat in the van and looked at the pictures of my old school and I thought of this song and when it started playing on my phone, I started to cry! I was not prepared for all of this emotion at all and it will take me some time to unpack it but this is the song that popped into my head:
I have my return appointment with the infectious disease clinic today. My feet are getting better but they are not done yet! My Mom went to pick up the van today and when she came back, she said that it is, “Thick” outside. That concerns me and of course she sang that song AGAIN!!!
I found out last night that this song was released in 1966. When my Mom was only 14! So OF COURSE I would NOT know it at all!!!
I want to start off this blog post by stating that I am so concerned about my vision! I currently am wearing my contacts and my glasses and therefore cannot read my phone. I place pictures and videos on my blog using my phone. I need to wait until it saves on my phone and in my blog dashboard so then I can edit my blog post using my iPad that I bought in January. So I am writing this here stating that I am super concerned about it but I was going to write a different blog post with that same name but I just want to say that it’s concerning!
But, about this particular blog post. My Mom got her hair colored today and she asked me to check the weather because her phone is not currently working. I told her that it was 94° but that it felt like 105°!!! I was so grateful that I am not going out of the house today! But then that concerned me because tomorrow I go back to the infectious disease clinic.
Every single time for a few years now, whenever I tell my mom that I am concerned, she sings this line from this song! She always would ask me if I knew what song she was talking about and I look at her straight in her eye and remind her, “I was born in 1982.” Of course I would not know that song! But we never tire of laughing when my mom sings that line because so much with my disease progression is concerning me and I constantly say that I am concerned and my Mom answers in turn like this:
I was being extremely careful with my chapstick because I did not want to have to have another, “Bag of Chapstick” even though that always makes me think of that student back when I taught English. Late last night, this happened:
I am going to finish this in probably a week but this song plays in my head every time this happens:
Today, after Sonya left, my Mom and I were talking about shoes. It seems like I am a far cry away from shelltoes and wearing chucks seems like a lifetime ago! I saw an internist before my feet became a problem and she asked me why I even wore shoes. I was kind of offended by that question and thought because I am a human being and everyone wears shoes. But, thinking about it now, since the problems with my feet started in April, the only time I wear shoes is when I leave my house. Currently, I am not even wearing my compression socks. These wounds need to heal first!!!
I had talked with Sean and my Mom about Crocs a few months ago. `I was quite reluctant to entertain this idea but at this point, it’s worth a try. I searched for them a while ago and now I received emails all the time. I showed the shoe I am thinking about and she asked if it gives. My current shoes are having a problem allowing my foot to slide in easily which causes my heel to hurt on both feet. As my Mom was describing putting my feet into my shoes, she looked at me and commented on seeing my, “Wince…”. She saw my wince because I DEFINITELY winced! The thought of forcing a shoe on my foot even at this point it so difficult just thinking about it!
My feet are slowly getting better, so beyond slowly! My wound care nurse came today. The other day I needed songs to comfort me because I am trying to get off of the pain meds. This is the Apple Music playlist I decided to listen to. It made me feel better:
I saw this on Facebook a few days ago and it made me laugh. It made me think about looking at the comics the newspaper we used to get when I was a kid. My Dad used to read the entire paper on Sundays as well as during the week and we just read the comics!
My preferred day to pillage is Saturday. I just finished doing it so I am set for the week!
Sonya, the wound care nurse came over today and she said that my right foot looks, “Excellent!” It is doing a lot better and still hurts because it is new skin.
She measured both wounds on my feet and took my blood pressure. Because they are getting better, my blood pressure is closer to normal. My blood pressure is normally 90/50. In these past few months, each time she comes over, it’s around 116/72.
Today, my blood pressure was 96/60. That made me feel better knowing that it’s closer to my “Normal” but I really wish these feet would stop hurting by now!!!
