2019: We Are Making a Difference!
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Helene--Heading for Australia on March 25. Three hour flight from Columbus to Houston, a 3 hour layover in Houston....and then an 18 hour non-stop to Sydney. I'm tired thinking of it.
Maryanne--Great pics!!0 -
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That’s quite a trip. How long is the longest flight time? It’s probably more hours than I’d like to sit on a plan. Is any of it overnight so you can hopefully get some sleep? I’d love to see Australia and New Zealand but I don’t see that happening because of the distance. We watched a great documentary on the Ghan railroad that runs from the top of Australia to the bottom. It takes around 3 days and the train looks like an Orient Express type train. It makes a couple of sightseeing stops so the passengers can see some of the local sights.
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Helene--The longest flight time is the 18 hours non stop between Houston and Sydney.
When I last went, I did the multi-city layover with the last leg being from the West Coast at 14 hours for the non-stop. The total time I spent on that trip from first take off to landing in Sydney was over 30 hours with a layover in Dulles and one in Los Angeles.
The non-stop is overnight but I don't sleep on planes. I used to take the red-eye from Hawaii to Chicago non-stop and never slept. It is hard to sleep with people going up and down aisles, airplane noise, people paging flight attendants, etc. Little things that don't wake people up do keep me from going to sleep.
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Jean - WOW! That's a long, long flight.0
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That’s a hibernation body if ever I saw one. I’m in the final week of PT, I think. I guess we’ll talk about it. My shoulder feels really good. We’ve been working on my bicep the last couple of sessions. I’ll probably keep working on that at home when therapy ends.
Right now I’m icing my hamstring where it connects behind the knee. I’ve had problems with that knee forever. It could be related to the hard fall I took on that knee a year ago. The main symptom is my leg kind of locks up if I sit too long. I have to force myself to take those first limping steps, knowing it will hurt. I was discussing it with my chiropractor last week and he said it sounded like a hamstring injury. He said most people think of the upper thigh when they hear hamstring but it connects behind the knee. And that’s where my problem is. He suggested icing it a couple of times a day and it has given me some pain relief. We were out a long time Sunday and I didn’t ice and I really felt the difference and not in a good way.
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Helene, that’s great that your shoulder has improved so much. Does the PT want you to continue the exercises on your own? Sorry your knee is bothering you. I remember that you’ve had problems with it for quite awhile.
I used to wonder why older people complained so much about their aches and pains, but as I get older I definitely understand. Things that used to be so easy for me now require a lot more effort, and there are consequences to be paid in the form of aches and pains afterward. Still, I am so grateful for relatively good health and the ability to do almost anything I really want to do.0 -
I have one appointment left for my shoulder. I think Dan and I will consider that issue taken care of. I had him take a look at my knee at the end of today’s therapy. He could see I have a problem with the hamstring and abductor muscle. He said he could send a report to the doctor I got the original referral from. Dan would tell him he’s come across additional issues with my knee. I figured it would be faster to go back to the doctor myself and get a new referral. I,ll do a walk in there tomorrow. I probably have about 6 weeks before I head home so I’d like to get started sooner rather than later. The drive home is particularly hard on my knee because I have to sit a few hours at a time with my knee bent. I’d like to learn some exercises I can do to help the muscle heal.
I’ve learned several arm exercises that I can do own my own. I have some stretchy bands and light weights up north. Aother exercises we do almost every time is counter top pushups. So I should be able to maintain my shoulder myself.0 -
Helene - I'm glad your shoulder is doing better. Good luck on getting started on the PT for your knee!0
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I went to the doctor today and got the referral for PT for my knee. I hope I do as well on the knee as I’ done with the shoulder.0
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Helene - I'm sure they work with a LOT of knees so they should be a big help.0
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I lost a pound last week. Right direction anyway!
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Helene--I'm sure that the PT will help with the knee.
Maryanne--Congrats upon the pound lost.
I had an appointment with the ortho yesterday for a cortisone injection in the knee for the trip. In the evening, I had an appointment with the primary. My test results were all in the normal range, however, I did not have the cholesterol tests. I have those in 3 months before the next appointment. The primary is going to give me a prescription sleep aid to take on the plane to help me try to go to sleep. It seems he has the same problem but I'm sure he likely flies business class to India when visiting family.0 -
Jean - I hope the plane flight goes okay. It's a shame that you have to be concerned about that.0
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Good luck with that long plane flight. Hopefully you’ll be able to sleep some and not have to spend your first day recovering from getting there. I also have a hard time getting any sleep on an airplane.
I’ve been baking biscotti today. We are putting together a care package for our friend who is back in Michigan taking care of her parents, so I’ve made a sweet biscotti and a savory version. I know she enjoys biscotti with her morning coffee or tea, and the savory version should be good with a glass of wine. Some of her family are visiting this week, so we thought a surprise box of goodies and self-care items might lift her spirits after they are gone.
Tomorrow I’m going with some of my lady friends to the Dallas Arboretum, which is a fabulous large garden. Every season is spectacular, with thousands of blooming plants and beautifully landscaped grounds. There are a couple of restaurants, so we will have lunch there as well.0 -
Pam, that’s so sweet of you to make a care package for your friend. Her visit home and the gift will make her feel special. Visiting the Arboretum sounds wonderful. Walking among flowers always brings down my stress level. I can feel myself breathing deeper. Add friends and lunch to the mix and it sounds like an excellent day.0
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Jeff Probst interview:
https://ew.com/tv/2019/03/14/survivor-edge-of-extinction-jeff-probst-episode-4/
Dalton Ross recap:
https://ew.com/recap/survivor-season-38-episode-4/
Interview with Aubry:
https://ew.com/tv/2019/03/13/survivor-aubry-bracco-edge-of-extinction-interview/
Stephen Fishbach blog:
https://people.com/tv/survivor-allies-turn-on-each-other-after-wild-swap/
Comparison to Survivor: All Stars swap:
https://www.goldderby.com/article/2019/wendy-diaz-survivor-tribe-swap-amber-brkich-won-all-stars/
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Pam - the biscotti sounds great! Enjoy the arboretum!0
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Pam--What a wonderful care package!
Have you ever slept too much and have a sleep hangover? This week has been a week of 3 nights of 4 hours a sleep a night because of muscle aches, etc. Last night, I finally got some great sleep of 10 hours when my normal is 7 hours. When I woke up, it took me an hour to get rid of the loggy feeling and slight headache.
We get into Sydney about 7am in the morning, which adds to the hours of killing time to the 2pm check in. I asked the hotel for an early check in if possible. With all those flights leaving in early morning for the US, there should be some rooms that could be cleaned early. If not, there will be two people walking down to Starbucks and then to the Aquarium to spend time.
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I don’t think I’v ever slept too long. If I slept late, it was just right like Goldilocks. Our new living room furniture arrived today. I’m relaxing in my new recliner as we speak. It’s so comfy I could sleep in it. We bought a new couch as well.
I hope you get lucky with the early check in. It would be nice if you could get a little nap in when you arrive. Besides Sydney, where else do you go?0 -
Our day at the Arboretum was very nice. It was a sunny day but a little chilly at first. However, it warmed up nicely and by the time we had walked around a bit we were all very comfortable. Afterward, we returned to the home of the person who had volunteered to drive and she opened a couple of bottles of wine. We continued our fun day sitting on her patio enjoying the sunshine and our wine for a couple more hours before eventually heading to our respective homes. It was also a good opportunity for us to sign the card that will accompany the care package for our friend. The friend who came up with the idea and has organized it will get the last items from someone who couldn’t go with us today, then take it to be mailed off. Hopefully it will arrive early next week, in time to give her a lift after her daughter and grandkids have gone home.
Enjoy the new furniture, Helene!0 -
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Pam - sounds like you had a great day!0
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It's taken 5 months since my abnormal echo but we've finally got my blood pressure down. I had a repeat echo Monday and it was normal! Apparently my heart can't handle the stress of high blood pressure. The cardiologist says I obviously have a degree of some type of myopathy (evidenced by my "left bundle branch block") but we're back to everything being much more subtle. She was pleased I'd lost 5 pounds in the last 6 weeks and wants me to lose 10 pounds by my next checkup in six months. Hopefully I can do that as it seems a reasonable request.
Bottom line - apparently I've got my mom's heart instead of my dad's and am going to have to keep on top of it. I love that I've got such easy access to Hopkins specialists. A side benefit of our long ago move to Baltimore!0 -
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Ouch, that looks more painful than swollen nose kitty.
Maryanne, that’s great news about your bp being stable. Just think of ten pounds as half a pound a week. You can do it!
Two of my sisters are visiting this coming week. The one from SC is arriving on Monday and staying a week. My other sister lives in FL and she turns 80 on the 25th. we’re getting together to celebrate her birthday. She has a lot of health challenges and said she didn’t think she make 80. So this is a lovely thing to celebrate.0 -
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