Some improvement, but not out of the woods yet....

Just had to make a quick report on the back situation. I did have a second opinion and they suggested that maybe I try at least one epidural steriod injection to see what that would do for me. However, they also said that based on my case they might not recommend the typical three injection round since I have apparently had this for sometime now. I did get that treatment and I am having some relief but I still can't walk far. It is just so frustrating. You truly can't imagine what you take for granted until you can't do it. I am not someone who typically just sits/lays around and in the past two weeks I have had to do a lot of it. It makes you a little nuts. I stare at all the things in the house that need to be done and can't stay upright long enough to do them. The good news is I can actually sit much longer now so I am finally going back to work. I am going to see how long I can make it with this last treatment and if it doesn't help I might still have to consider surgery. That is still such a schocking thought to me. I could never have imagined I would need that. Granted I have had back problems for many years but I always thought I would just have to keep up with basic treatment for it and be okay. I guess you never know. I know it could be much worse because the surgery I might need is minor compared to some but it is still scary to even think about it.

I will keep you posted as to what happens!

Oh how life can change in the blink of an eye

Some unexpected changes have cropped up in my life recently. I hurt my back earlier in the week. I have hurt my back many times in my life and usually recover in a few days, no biggie. This was different. I have never felt so much pain before, ever. I had to go the ER as I could not walk, sit or stand. It didnt matter if I put weight on my body or not it hurt to the point of tears. The ER was not much help but shipped me out with pain meds and strict orders to follow up with my primary. As if I wouldnt be following up? Anyway, I did follow up with my primary who stated that I need to see an ortho doctor right away. I was able to get in quite quickly(amazing what phone calls from doctors can do to get you in) and they promptly had me go for an MRI. Let me step back in my story for one moment. Back in Feb I also had unusual back problems - numbness in my leg and foot. I had an MRI then and tried to follow up with an ortho doc but due to lenghty wait times for an appt and scheduling problems by the time I could see someone, I had no symptoms. I figured, whats the point? and I did not follow up further. Additionally I was having stomach issues that seemed much more pressing at the time. Back to the current story. The doctor I met with on Tues reviewed my Prior MRI and shocked me by saying "just by looking at this you were a candidate for surgery at that time" What??? I was surprised. He stated that I have a herniated disc and he suspects it is much worse now. So today I met with him to go over the results of the new MRI and as expected my case is worse. He noted all options but there are no guarantees. In fact the option with the best possible outcome is in fact surgery. Now I just have to decide. It was has been a tough year for me medically to say the least. I will seek a second opinion and make a decision as to what I will do. Honestly it seems that the options are limited mostly to surgery as currently i can't walk or stand barely at all and sitting usually hurts after just 15-30 min. Can't live or work like that.....not at my job anyway as I sit all day.

So, I say again, how how life can change in the blink of an eye......

a Trip to the Wisonsin Dells

Hubby and I made a quick, unplanned trip to the Wisonsin Dells. We fingured out he had a couple days off in a row and I felt like I could use a vacation so it seemed like the perfect time. We only went for one night but we fit in lots of fun.

As we arrived in the Dells we ate lunch at the MooseJaw Microbrewery. It was a fun place. Maybe not the best food I have had but we didn't actually have their specialty so I wouldn't rule it out. Then we headed to our hotel. We chose to stay at the hotel with the largest amount of waterparks in the entire dells area - The Wilderness Territory Let me tell you this place is amazing. It is not cheap but it has 6 total waterpark area so when you pay for your room you get them all. It is DEFINITELY kid oriented but for me that is never a problem because I am just barely an adult in heart and soul :-)So we headed straight to the waterparks when we got there. We spend some time relaxing then I left hubby to rest while I went to check out every single waterpark. I was able to try out everything I could handle (I can't ride some of the pitch black water rides) and we both had a great time. After a full day and evening of swimming we cleaned up and headed out for dinner. We ate at Sarento's Restaurant. Hubby ordered the better meal than me so we mostly ate his - ha! - he had an eggplant dish with a combo of goat cheese and marinara sauce over pasta. Man was it good. To end the night we decided to fit in some gambling at their local Casino - Ho Chunk. There are a couple of slot games that I really enjoy and one of them was good to me. We stayed there for a while and I only lost 5 bucks, not bad!!

The next day we started with Breakfast at a local restaurant - The Cheese Factory Restaurant. Okay, I can't believe I can say this but I had one of the best Breakfast meals I have had in years there. It was called Pegs Eggs. It had onions, red peppers, capers and goat cheese all sauteed together with fried eggs on top and served on a toasted croisant. I don't know what they did it it but it was sooooo good. We noticed while we were there that even Rachel Ray had been there and will be doing a show about them having one of the top five best grilled cheese sandiwiches in the nation! So if you in the Dells, I would eat there, you will be glad you did. After breakfast we headed out for a fun game of Mini-golf at the Pirates Cove Mini Golf course. It is really nice as it sits on a high cliff and there are waterfalls everywhere so you can enjoy beautiful sites and water while playing. We also hadn't played in years and had some good laughs. Next we headed to the downtown area of the Dells to check out the shops and take the Riverwalk. The Riverwalk is a nice relaxign view of the dells so if you aren't tired of walking then I recommend it. To end our day we headed to the Outlet Mall for some light shopping.

I think it is fair to say we were able to fit in ALOT of activities for only a two day trip and it was great! Here is a slideshow of our personal photos. Enjoy!

Camping

This weekend I got to enjoy one of my favorite pastimes for the first time in.....I can't even remember when! I went camping! Very few people I know these days really enjoy camping in a tent anymore so it is really hard to find someone to go with you. My husband has never done it and won't even try. But a friend of mine at work has been wanting to camp with someone as well and when her church group rented out a campsite she asked me to come. I jumped at the chance! When I was a child/teenager I spent every summer at my local girl scout camp. I had the best time and some of my fondest memories are from all those summers at camp. My friend always enjoyed camping too so off we went.

I planned most of the meals and we made sure to make some of them "cook on the fire" meals. We only stayed one night( both of us had to work late on Friday :-( ) but we made the most of it. We arrived in the morning to set up our tents. We did decide to make our lunch easy so we could enjoy the day and just had sandwiches. After lunch, we headed to the swimming area and enjoyed a nice swim. It was great! The remainder of the afternoon we chatted with others. Then it was time to get started on dinner because I made ground beef and veggies on the fire. Just like I learned in girl scouts, we cooked it on the coals and it turned out great! They had a kind of potluck dinner so we brought that and most everyone who tried it said they liked it. To end the night we of course had S'mores and good conversation.

This morning we woke up and I got right to making the fire because we were having biscuits cooked over the fire. You just wrap them on a stick and when they are done slide them off on put some butter inside - yum! We also had scrambled eggs and good camp coffee. I really enjoyed it! After breakfast everyone pretty much packed up to head home but it was a nice time.

Now if I can just find more people I know who like camping maybe I can do it more often!!

Sometimes generic is just not the same

I am back home and back to all the responsibilities that come with it. I have been running around getting things done all weekend. In my haste, I unfortunately cut my finger. Not bad, no need to be alarmed. However I realized something as I was putting on my bandage.....I didn't buy Bandaid brand and so far I have gone through numerous bandaids. I don't remember that happening when I buy Bandaid brand. Please know that I am not employed by Bandaid but I have to say there are some things that just can't be "generic" when you buy them. Right? I think I have things I can think of that I have to get the original or its just not the same. Here is a short list for entertainment:

Coke: Not to say I NEVER buy generic soda but boy can I tell the difference so really I prefer plain ole Coke

Quaker Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars: Again, I have bought Generic lots of times but I almost always wish I hadn't after I eat one. These days I stick to the brand name and spend more time enjoying my granoloa bar.

Tide: I used other brands of Detergent for years and then decided to try tide. Its really all I use now. I think part of it might be the way it smells!!

Aquafresh: This one is big to me. My teeth must be pretty sensitive because I think most other toothpastes are to strong and feel like they burn to much. I never feel that way with Aquafresh so its the only toothpaste in my cart.

I am sure there are a few more but that's all I can think of tonight. I really wish generic stuff was always the same because I am not fond of spending the extra money but hey somtimes you just gotta get what you like!!!

Party Success

So the 50th anniversary party was a success. There was good food, LOTS of family, an amazing video and a night that ended with fireworkds. Can't get much better than that! We even got the Cakes from Larry's House of Cakes - yum ! They were able to put a picture of my mom and dad right on the cake, check it out: Pretty cool!




Since there was so much family there me and my cousins take the opportunity to get our picture taken because we all have names beginning with K. Our parents got together and decided to do that, can you believe it? Anyway, We had a regular photo...:




But then there had to be a silly photo too, right?

As you can tell it was nothing but fun. It was a great celebration and it is always fun to get together with my family. I guess I am one of those rare individuals who really enjoys my family - immediate and extended. Sure they drive me crazy on occasion but for the most part it is all good!

Now the fun continues as I am still visiting with my parents and planning to head to Holiday World with my Niece and Nephew in a few days. I swear I am just as excited as a kid would be! I think it is safe to say I will never REALLY grow up

Party planning

It has been busy busy lately. I have traveled down to So Il to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. I honestly can't believe they have been together that long. I know it sounds cliche, but I swear I just remember them celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary not that long ago. Oh how time flies. At any rate we are having a pretty big gathering and family from afar of all made their way here. My brother, sister and I have been getting all the required preparations in order. Cake ordered, food purchased and the most time consuming has been going through old pics. that part has actually been kinda fun! We have been examining all the old photos to put together a "through the years" video of them. Boy you don't realize how nice it has been to have digital until you look through hundreds and hundreds of photos from the past. We have finally finished that task and might be ready to relax and just enjoy the party tomorrow. here is one of the nice photos I found of my parents in the not so distant past. This is at my Brothers Wedding in 1993:



We did actually get to enjoy ourselves a little bit amidst all the party planning and head over to giant city lodge for a hike and some yummy fried chicken. Here is a shot of me and my niece and nephew at the top of Fat Man's squeeze (no one actually made it through :-):

Now we are off for more family fun before the BIG party tomorrow. More to come soon!!