One Month in Albuquerque As of Today

Just to keep track...

Michelle was in so much pain from the sciatica we went --  Sunday -- to an Urgent Care Center where the P.A. prescribed flexeril. It wasn' until she was (supposedly) overdosing on it at 20 milligrams that she finally felt some relief.

Monday afternoon Dr. Chee (Navajo at UNMH) prescribed Tramadol and ordered x-rays which we got that afternoon. The x-rays showed nothing amiss.

Tuesday we met with Dr. Purcaro, chiropractor & Shiatsu master whose one-hour (generously extended) treatment didn't help.

Today, Wednesday, now having taken the Tramadol as prescribed for two days, we have learned that it does nothing -- at least when taken as prescribed.

The packet of info about sciatica and Piriformis syndrome (similar to sciatica) -- with included DVD -- arrived today in the mail. The company also sells supplements.

When I left Michelle to attend to some errands of my own, she had to resume driving herself to her cat-sitting appointments. She immediately realized her pain was a direct result of the 2015 Honda FIT's seat.

This evening Karen called and said her sister Kay, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday, had a small stroke and lost use of her right leg. She'll be in a rehab facility for two weeks. Hopefully, by then she'll have recovered enough to come/go home.

Karen and her son Robin had driven over -- from Nevada -- to celebrate Kay's birthday so were there to help her to the E.R. in Eureka (she was unable to get out of bed by herself).

Tomorrow I meet with Jean Dominguez, a Shamaness in Rio Rancho.

Return of the Sciatica....and NO BOUNDARIES

She had a bout of it a month ago but it went away. This time it came back with a vengeance. It's her right leg so I started chaffuering several days ago.

Yesterday morning it was so bad we went to urgent care where they gave her flexeril and said there really isn't much they can do. By the end of the day she couldn't walk.

After this morning's (cat) visits we spent the afternoon seeing more doctors. As rush-hour began, we hustled her from the out-patient imaging -- which was just closing -- over to the main hospital radiology for x-rays. So far her insurance has covered. Tomorrow she'll see a master Shiatsu practitioner for $75.00.

I've thought the Honda FIT - both the 2008 & the 2015 - the most uncomfortable of cars I've been in. But her brother's best friend bought one so he did too and when he offered to buy Michelle a new car she just naturally got one like his.

Maybe the hardness of the seats, the stiffness of the ride --  16-inch wheels (sooOOoo fashionable!) with short sidewalls --  has nothing to do with it. Most likely it's just the LONG hours of driving from house to house, month after month, year after year (this is her 10th year). At least she didn't have to become a Walmart greeter.

So this was part of why we married. At age 67 if she were single she'd get around $450.00 from Social Security. As my spouse, when I die she'll "inherit" mine...currently a smidge over $1,000.00.

The other day, once again thinking it was time, I asked if she'd retire or at least cut back if she had the income. Her ambivalence inclined me to wait a bit. But now, perhaps this is just the motivation we both need.

7 cat visits today. The last is to nine cats, one of which needs insulin twice a day. The Actress fosters cats for the city and usually cares for them herself. But some unexpected theater rehearsals brought her pleading to Michelle for help. Since rehearsals are in the evening, The Actress administers the morning dose, but the evening one is at 7:15 pm. Michelle is often at other client's all evening and only rarely will have a break of maybe an hour before 7:00 p.m. rolls around. After cleaning the twelve litter pans, changing the water, distributing the food, and cleaning up several piles of barf, two hours have gone by and there's been no play time.

Michelle usually gets home sometime after 9 p.m....just in time to feed her own three cats and eat a bite of supper before bed. This isn't the worst. It is unusual, but there's one with 15+ cats. Usually there are only two, maybe three. But her conscientiousness requires a thorough cleanup and some quality play, so each visit takes a minimum of 40 minutes. I've encouraged her to charge more for special situations like this nine-cat one (her rate is $22.00/visit), but she feels as if she's "helping" ...and as she'd demonstrated many times over our 27 years together, she has a mind of her own.

And guess who's cleaning "the mids" (short for the middens), changing the water, putting out the food for the ferals and doing all he can to help?

Some people have no boundaries.