Aging

I like to consider myself an active, fit person. I exercise very regularly (to the dismay of my family!), eat reasonably well, and keep my weight down. But as noted in my previous post, of late I've been plagued by hip "issues". Which have finally been accurately diagnosed. Unfortunately, the diagnosis is of severe (slightly premature!) osteoarthritis in my left hip. The cartilage is pretty much gone and the bones are rubbing against one another. Not a pleasant sensation. I'm likely looking at a total hip replacement (both the femur and the pelvis are damaged) in the pretty near future. I'm looking into some faux-sinovial fluid injections (name brands of synvisc, euflexxa, and suppartz) but so far my insurance company isn't agreeing with this option. Meanwhile, I'm "allowed" to continue yoga (skipping poses I either cannot do or modifying them), riding the bike and the elliptical. No impact exercise. You know it's bad when you cannot sit with your legs crossed in front of you OR do the pose your yoga instructor calls "downward facing easy pose". At least I can still touch my toes!

Meanwhile Tom recently had his second cataract removed. It's suspected that it was "caused" by his previous use of nasonex (if you hear the add on TV cataracts is one of the possible side effects). The surgery went well and he flew off to Calgary on a business trip 4 days later. I joked that we should get a long trench coat, have me wear it and sit on his shoulders and button it up -- I could do the seeing and he could do the walking! Sort of like what you'd see a costume on Scooby Doo.

Then we have the girls -- Abby continues to be 12 with all the "issues" 12 year old girls experience. She's getting her braces on in June, but should only have to wear them about 18 months. Her bite is pretty good and she's only got a bit of crooked-ness. Sixth grade is going well -- at her school they have the same teachers for 6th that they had for 5th, so it's pretty much familiar and after almost 2 years she's ready for something new. I'm just thankful that I'm still able to help her with math homework! She continues to enjoy her violin and is ready to move up to a full-size one. Maggie is doing very well moving towards the end of her freshman year. She turned 15 and will take the driving portion of driver's ed at the end of May, then the ready to get her permit. I'm both thrilled and terrified of her driving!

Spring is definitely upon us and the azaleas are done with their blooming and the gardenias are budding. They are my favorite so I'm looking forward to them. Thankful for every day we continue to be here!

My medical woes

This year has been a year of physical maladies for me. Beginning in July I started having some pretty bad hip pain. After a couple weeks suffering I went to the doctor. Based on the symptoms he believed I had sprained the hip and advised to not do any activity that further hurt it and come back if it didn't get better. Stubborn outfit that I am, I waited until October to return. At this time he prescribed an anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxer and suggested trying these out along with full rest. He also had x-rays taken which didn't show anything apparently wrong. Two more weeks, no improvement, so it was time to see the orthopedist. He thought it might be tendinitis and thought it advisable to have an MRI done. Unfortunately the insurance company decided that physical therapy should first be tried. Some humor at the time was that I was getting therapy for some unknown condition. Sigh. So I went to therapy and while I liked my therapist a lot didn't have any improvement. I was humbled at therapy however, seeing the patients recovering from stroke or other major conditions. I was definitely more mobile than they! Back to the orthopedist and, FINALLY the MRI was approved. What an adventure. Despite the headphones it was quite loud. And I can see why people who are claustrophobic don't like them. I found it somewhat fascinating during my 45 minutes in the thing. Tom pulled double duty that day, not only picking Abby up at school, but when I realized how late they were running, picking Maggie and another girl up from track and taking them home. At about 6pm that evening I received a call from my orthopedist -- certainly hadn't expected to hear that quickly. Apparently, he hadn't yet seen the films but was called by the radiologist (a couple alarm bells went off at this time!). The MRI showed a small tear in the labram, arthritis on both hips, and (the scary part) a great accumulation of fluid on the joint. No wonder I was in such pain! In any event, the great fear was infection, so I was to go for blood work the next morning and he scheduled me for evaluative surgery the following Tuesday (by now we were in January -- just a couple weeks ago). I made the mistake of googling "joint infection". Don't do that. So Friday I went for the blood work and enjoyed a movie and lunch with 2 friends as a great distraction. I attempted to not worry over the weekend. Tom joined me for the pre-op appointment Monday morning where the doctor first said that the preliminary blood work was negative for infection (first good sign!) and showed us the films. I quickly figured out that the big white blotch was the liquid. I went then to the hospital for all the pre-registration stuff and was done for the day. Quite thankful for friends to help with transporting the girls to/from school Tuesday! Tom and I headed to the hospital Tuesday morning. I spoke with the doctor before the procedure and the rest of the blood work was negative for infection, definitely a GREAT sign. He ended up suctioning out 15ccs of liquid and injecting some steroid to try to relieve the pain. We went home and all was better, if not entirely well. I returned the following Monday to learn that the culture of the fluid was negative, but as I'm still having pain and limited range of motion, I've been sent to a "hip specialist" for evaluation for arthroscopic procedure to fix/clean out the tear. I go there on the 14th of February.

So, that's the hip story. Last Friday (a week and a half later) I discovered a broken glass in the dishwasher and threw it away. Later that evening I went to push down the trash and, of course, cut myself on the inside of my left wrist. Cleaned it and put pressure on it with a paper towel, then had Maggie help me wrap it tightly with an ace bandage. I went about my evening activities for another hour and went to check on it -- still seeping blood and looking nasty. At this point it's about 9pm and I'm thinking to myself -- I'm pretty sure this will need stitches given it's depth and location, but should I go NOW or wait until the morning? Knowing that Saturdays are always busy for the girls, Tom and I headed to the hospital. When we checked in, the nurse asked "has any information changed since last week?" You know you've been at the hospital too often when they ask that question! The took x-rays to make sure there wasn't any glass pieces, cleaned it with betadine, and "glued" it together. It was quite sore Saturday, slightly sore Sunday and continues to improve. Of course it's on my left hand and I am quite left-dominant. Sigh.

Since the name of the page is "(Almost) All about Beth" and I usually talk about the girls, I figured it was time to update you on me! Hope to have more news soon. In the meanwhile, signing off as the early-on-set-arthritic-person you know!

Update for the New Year

2011 was quite the busy year (as usual) and the busy-ness continues. Abby is taking the babysitting certification class today. She was sick yesterday, so we're thankful all is well today as she was really looking forward to the class and wanting to earn some money! Maggie spent a good bit of last week (Tuesday-Friday from 9-5) at driver's ed class. Several of her friends were in the same class, so although she found it "boring" she had people to be bored with. Additionally, it was held at the JCC so she got to see some of her summer camp friends and go out for lunch with them.

Mom and dad came to visit the week before Christmas. They arrived Friday afternoon, just in time to enjoy Abby's play (a Cinderella Christmas). She was one of the narrators. It was with the Lakefront Youth Theater Experience (LYTE) here in New Orleans and where she did Peter Pan this summer. A great program -- staff are volunteers, and the overall aim is to put on a professional show but allow the kids to learn and have fun along the way. I've been very impressed with the program and thrilled that she wanted to do this play. Practices were every day after school from 3:30-6:30 for 2 weeks as well as all day on the one Saturday. She managed to keep her head above water AND prepare for both her violin recital and exams. And I managed with the extra driving all over the city! Mom, Maggie and I enjoyed the Friday evening show. Saturday afternoon mom and I met Abby's friend Ashley and her mom Lisa for the matinee. Tom and my dad went Saturday night. And on Sunday (rushing over after the violin recital!) mom, aunt Bonnie and I attended, followed by a short visit to the cast party (after 4 shows AND a violin recital AND a visit from grandparents we were all tired. Her violin recital also went very well. She played a quite difficult solo piece and played lead violin in an ensemble group which she seems to really enjoy (3 violins plus the teacher and a cello). After that Abby was ready to relax.

Mom and Abby went to see The Muppet Movie Monday. Abby and mom both hadn't seen it and, apparently, they laughed the whole way through. Maggie and I had seen it at Thanksgiving and I really liked it as well. Meanwhile Maggie was still having exams. She finished Tuesday at 12:15 and went to lunch with friends. Then she, mom, Abby and I headed shopping. We went to a different mall than normal to check out their selections. Somewhat successful trip for all of us. On Wednesday we all headed to see Sherlock Holmes. Definitely a fun movie (at least I thought so!). Mom and dad had to leave Thursday to celebrate Christmas with my sister.

On Friday Maggie joined some friends for an ugly sweater party. I think her's is quite a winner, no?

We chose to do all the Santa and presents on Christmas Eve this year. On Friday the 23rd our microwave stopped heating food -- the light worked, the fan worked, the turntable worked and even the timer worked, but nothing got heated. Since the girls weren't up Tom headed out on the 24th to try to find a new one (it's built in and the space for it is quite small -- below "standard" -- which makes finding a replacement difficult). 4 stores as well as my looking on line and texting ideas to him and no joy. By 11 he was home, the girls were up, and the unwrapping commenced. Nice to be together! We enjoyed our holiday dinner spread out at the dining room table and waddled off to bed. Christmas day we enjoyed celebrating with our church families and mostly relaxed. Maggie joined a friend and his family at Celebration in the Oaks that evening. The 26th Tom and I went to another appliance store and talked with a pretty knowledgeable gentleman. Tom'd scheduled a repairman for Tuesday so we decided to wait for that (4 days without a microwave is an eternity, no?). They showed up promptly on Tuesday and checked it out, ultimately agreeing with Tom's diagnosis of the problem -- broken magnetron -- had the replacement part and fixed it. Life is joyful again!

Wednesday evening we all enjoyed Tom's Christmas present -- the girls and I took him to Muriel's Jackson Square. YUM. Abby again ate her entire steak, the rest of us enjoyed fish and, of course, dessert.

New Year's Eve was pretty typical for us. Tom and I went to see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in the afternoon. The girls each had friends over and we ordered in pizza. I took down all the Christmas decorations and enjoyed my 2 glasses of champagne (yep, I'm a lightweight!). My light was off by 12:05am. But I did make it up and saw Dick Clark on the TV. New Year's day Abby and her friend and I met her friend's parents and sister at church. We'd planned to go have lunch together. Unfortunately Abby fell ill so she and I headed home. The up side for me was that I got to see the entire Saints game. And make my baby some chicken soup. Maggie went to the mall in the afternoon with friends and all was well in our house.

That seems to catch us up! Hope your year is blessed in ways you cannot even imagine.

Holiday Greetings from our Family

It’s been a year of ups and downs for us (seems true for every person, every year, no?). We started off with a wonderful visit from Tom’s youngest sister and her family. They were here for a conference and we were happy they took the time to come hang out with us in the afternoons! Seeing their two youngsters always makes me smile. I enjoyed lunch with a highschool friend who was also here for a conference with her family. Nice to catch up after MANY years.
Over the Mardi Gras “holiday” (only in New Orleans!) we again headed to Big Bend National Park. This time my parents joined us for the train trip and hiking. Later in the year than 2010 was, so it was quite a bit warmer but not yet hot. We enjoyed 3 strenuous days of hiking, super dinners at the lodge, and a relaxing ride back home.
We all enjoyed a visit from our second au pair and her daughter this spring. Aina lived with us for over 2 years in Holland and is currently living in Ireland. Her daughter is 2 and we enjoyed showing them around the area and how crazy the life of a suburban “mom” can be in the US.
Spent Easter in Houston with Tom’s family, also celebrating his dad’s 75th birthday in style. Tom and I returned 2 weeks later to attend a friend’s wedding for a pretty quick day-trip. It was a traditional Indian wedding and what a wonderful experience for us!
Maggie spent a week in Los Angeles at the beginning of the summer with Tom’s sister and her family and had a GREAT time. She then worked as a CIT at the JCC summer camp and loved it. I enjoyed seeing her at work while I was there exercising in the morning!
Abby participated in a theater camp and performed in “Peter Pan”. She’s participating in the same program’s Christmas Play (“A Christmas Cinderella”) this coming weekend. She then took the opportunity to head to North Carolina and spend a week alone with my parents. Maggie and I joined and the three of us spent another week there.
We closed out the summer sadly with the passing of Tom’s dad. While his death wasn’t unexpected, it is a felt loss. Tom and his siblings had all been in Houston and the rest of the family gathered for the funeral and to be together.
Back to school was quickly upon us. Maggie is now half-way through her freshman year, her second at the high school. Abby is in the sixth grade. Maggie continues to participate in Cross Country (the team was state champs this fall!) and Abby is keeping up with her violin, adding on participation in an ensemble group as well.
We returned to Houston again for Thanksgiving with the Webbs. Ray’s absence was definitely felt, but it was a true blessing to be together again. We’re home this year for Christmas. Maggie is taking driver’s ed the weeks after the holiday and Abby will take babysitter’s training on 2 January. Babies are growing up!
May you find God’s blessing every day of this coming year.

Let's Talk Turkey

As in we just celebrated Thanksgiving, so let's catch up! We had a fun holiday. We headed toward Texas on Wednesday (Maggie had school Tuesday, so that was the earliest for us to go) and met up with almost all of Tom's family. We all missed Ray, but were thankful of the blessing to be together for the holiday. Wednesday night we (20 of us!) headed to a local restaurant for some dinner which was quite yummy. Back to the house to break into all the dessert. I managed to make a cherry pie (from scratch - including the crust!) and the surprising hit of pumpkin brownies. I'd seen the recipe and thought it looked good to me, but was really surprised at how much everyone seemed to like them (even Abby who tends to be a bit picky!). Pumpkin, buttermilk, and chocolate/pecan/bourbon rounded out the choices. What's not to like?

Thursday morning dawned and we gathered again at Kay's house for all the various preparations. Dinner was served most promptly at noon and we certainly feasted -- smoked turkey, salad, fruit salad, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and my personal favorite -- the butternut squash soup my sister-in-law made. We waddled into the living room to watch football and be entertained by the youngest members of the family (ages 2 and almost-4). Later in the afternoon we had our annual gift exchange. Always fun to see what people are interested in! Kay made the older girls all cute bags and once again has little ones to make nightgowns/pajamas for. She's amazing with her seamstress ability!

Friday Tom dropped the girls and I off at the mall to meet the other females. Not as crowded as any of us had anticipated. We managed to get a lot of shopping done and gathered for lunch and then divided into two groups for movies. Half enjoyed "Tower Heist" and the rest of us enjoyed "The Muppets" (I'm a muppet girl myself!). Everyone gathered back at the house for some left-over dinner and farewells for those of us leaving Saturday.

Our trip back Saturday was a bit more crowded on the freeway than Wednesday's had been, particularly once we got back in Louisiana. Always nice to be home.

This week is Maggie's busy one -- Friday is her winter formal and Saturday night is a friend's quince anos party. Tom and I will join in with the other parents for dinner Friday which will be nice -- many of them I haven't met yet. Next week starts Abby's crazy schedule. She's going to be in a play the weekend starting 16 December with the same group she did Peter Pan with this summer. Practices are every weekday from 3:30 - 6:30 and the one Saturday from 9:00 - 4:00. In recognition that most of these kids are involved with other activities, we were asked for any conflicts up front, so Abby will be able to attend her violin and ensemble practices as necessary. Tom's winding down the year as well and will have the last couple weeks off. Meanwhile I've begun physical therapy for my hip. The xray showed nothing wrong with the bones, so it's some sort of soft tissue damage/inflammation. Our insurance company deemed and MRI at this point not warranted (until several weeks of PT with no effect), so this is the road I'm on for now. Keep praying for a fix!

In any event, have a wonderful fall/onset of winter. The days are definitely shorter and it's already getting dark here at 5pm.

5 fall photos

More words to come!

First up -- two of Maggie the Cowgirl for Halloween.......




Followed by Abby the Candy Corn Queen.......




And concluding with Ginger who doesn't seem to mind her holiday outfit AT ALL! I'm so surprise.......

Where did October go?

Better yet, where did this year go? We had a GREAT month! Maggie completed the JV Cross Country Season, Kay came over from Houston for Grandparent's Day for Maggie, Abby was selected to participate in an ensemble group with her violin AND Abby made the cutest penguin pumpkin ever for her fall party craft.


As for me, I continue to fight an injury to my hip (key word being FIGHT). Something happened back in July and every since I've had aches and intermittent pains in the hip. 2 visits to the doctor, one round of x-rays, a visit to the orthopedist, and a steroid shot don't seem to have "fixed" it and I continue to be frustrated. Lots of talk and prayer time with friends has helped my attitude toward this issue, but I am far from the apostle Paul's attitude with regards to the thorn in his side.
Maggie is continuing her nutrition and exercise regime despite the end of this sport's season (track will start late January). She's been going to the gym after school almost all days (skipping last Thursday as it was her school's open house). Abby wanted to go to the open house, so we invited her friend and mom and headed over there and were blessed to have Maggie as our tour guide (actually coordinated this so I could take her home afterwards!). She's also maintaining a pretty full social calendar but, thankfully, prioritizing her school work.
Abby finished her first quarter of 6th grade strongly and is working hard this quarter as well. I'm very amazed at her continued progress on the violin. Tom almost always takes her to her lesson, so I "only" get to hear the practicing. I was able to take her to the first ensemble practice and enjoyed listening to them playing together. It's a different dynamic having to coordinate playing with others and she enjoyed the first session.
Tom's taken a couple business trips and is heading into a busy couple weeks at work. He enjoyed some cool weather in Minneapolis while it was still quite hot here and was thankful to be the last person on the flight (not sure how a work-related reservation had him on stand-by, but nonetheless thankful he made it home).
All three of us enjoyed a visit with Kay when she came for Grandparent's Day. Not only did she get to spend time with Maggie and school, but the same day was able to join me for Abby's pumpkin decorating. We're looking forward to seeing her again over the holidays.
Hope you are enjoying the fall!