Thanksgiving, Smoked Turkey, and more food

Thanksgiving dinner was at P's niece who live about an hour drive away. We were asked to arrive after 1 PM for appetizers. So we left the house about 12:45 arriving at P's niece by 2 PM. When we arrived we found out that P's sister hadn't arrived yet so I couldn't get into the house. P's sister was bringing the ramp I needed to ride up into the house. So I sat in the van for about 1/2 hour waiting. While I waited I did my Nebulizer treatment. I was just finishing up my Nebulizer treatment when they arrived. Timing is everything.

Once we got over that small bump in the road I had a GREAT time. It was nice to be out of the house. Last Sunday at church there was so much coughing and people getting up to get drinks of water that I think the time has arrived for me to stay home and stay healthy.

Thursday night son J. came over and we put a 14-lb. turkey into an apple brine. We brined it for 12 hours and late Friday morning placed it on the smoker using apple wood chips for the smoke. After 4 hours on the smoker we removed the turkey and tented it with foil and let it rest for about one hour. After the one-hour rest period, son J. removed the legs, thighs, breasts and wings. The little bits we sampled were juicy and smoky flavored.


While the turkey was smoking J. and his sister K. put up the Christmas tree and K. made three loafs of pumpkin bread. They also prepared a Guinness Lamb Stew for supper. I wasn't certain how I would like lamb, but this was really good.

Tomorrow afternoon CK&L are traveling from K.'s parents and will spend the night here. So I plan on serving the smoked turkey on a sourdough multi grain bread with thinly sliced Granny Smith apples, Gouda cheese, Dijon mustard and Mayonnaise. Along with a side of Waldorf salad, apple cider to drink. Son K. just called to say he was making an apple pie and will be bringing that tomorrow for dessert.

Before everyone thinks that all I do is eat, and eat some more. I must say that I am really watching portion sizes this year. While I am suppose to be at 1800 calories a day, the last couple of days have been more like 2000 - 2100 calories. I am really trying to watch it this year because I really want to get through this holiday season without packing on the pounds. It is hard enough to get them back off when you can exercise, imagine what it is like when you can't.

It's Applesauce

Yesterday morning, I sat in my recliner doing my usual morning things, devotions, Sudoku, reading the newspaper, checking email. You know the morning routine. It did take me a little longer to do each of these because P is off on Tuesday and I like to spend time talking to her. Around midmorning she headed off to her Tuesday morning swim exercise class. Because I am no longer on the pain and muscle relaxing medicine I felt well enough to work on the book I am writing with my niece ME of those northern skies. By the time I was finished with the latest chapter and had emailed it to her, P had returned and it was lunchtime.

Immediately after lunch I was so tired I set my alarm for a 1/2 hour and fell asleep. When I woke up, P had gone to a doctor appointment and so I wandered about the house. As I was going through the kitchen I spotted the 1/2-bushel of apples waiting to be made into applesauce. Feeling as good as I did, I got out the two large pots and cut up the all the remaining apples and had them on the stove cooking when P came back. P didn't say much about the apples, she just asked if I wanted to go with her to the grocery store. So off I went.

When we returned, I started finishing the applesauce by putting the apples in the food mill thing. Let me tell you, if you have a neuromuscular disease, sitting at the kitchen table cranking away at the food mill is HARD work. And I didn't even crank fast. I managed to get through most of the apples, while P made three meals. One we ate last night, one we will have tonight and the leftovers from last night will be in the freezer for another nights supper.

However, I must admit that I wasn't able to finish making the applesauce. I just ran out of energy. Then to make matters worse we had or are having a weather front moving through causing my arthritis and neuropathy muscular pain so bad I couldn't sleep last night. I think I got about two hours of sleep last night. I was up reading until 2 A.M. went to sleep and woke up at 2:30 read for another 15 minutes. Then at 4:15 this morning I woke up and just knew the sleeping was over for the night.

I probably over did things yesterday. However, I was so glad to finally be feeling well enough to do something after a week and a half of taking really strong pain medicine. My neurologist keeps talking to me about the "yo yo" effect. Where you feel good so you over do things and then are so exhausted that you can't do anything for the next week. Then you feel good and repeat the doing too much and paying for it for a week. I don't think I have that pacing myself down to an exact science yet.

Oh well I enjoyed yesterday and at this point am looking forward to breakfast and an interesting day.

Nice weekend

Saturday evening we had some friends over. We hadn't been out with these friends for a while so it was a lot of fun to sit and visit. Sunday morning was a sleep in morning, getting up in time for the late service at church.

Yesterday afternoon I relaxed, watched some TV and talked to P and K. This morning I am ready and raring to go. Today is Veterans Day and my home aid has the day off so it was a bit rushed here with P getting ready for work and having to help me. But it has all worked out.

I am still on the muscle relaxers but only taking the oxcodone once in the afternoon and at ten at night. My right hip still is a bit tender but MUCH improved and I am not in a fog most of the day. I hope that in a few days all will be back to normal.

In fact I feel so much better I am planning on working on the book my niece and I writing together. We will see how far I get with that today. I can say that I find it a lot of work to write or co-write a book. I can sit and think about all these great ways of saying something, but when the time comes to actually put my thoughts into words, sentences and paragraphs all the flaws show up. With my nieces help I think we can get this book written. I would like it to be good enough so she could get a publisher to publish it.

Anyway this is how I am feeling this morning. I have my spark for living back.

New plan

Today I plan to substitute Tylenol #3 for the much stronger oxycodone. I will still take the oxycodone at night to allow myself to get a good night's sleep. I just don't like the way the muscle relaxer and oxycodone pain pills make me feel.

So we will see how my plan works out. I still have a lot of pain in my hip and lower back. But if the Tylenol #3 works and I am able to ignore the pain and function during the day it will be worth the change.

Of course if after stopping the oxycodone, I find myself sitting in the chair all tensed up; I will have to go back on the stronger medicine. As I understand it the purpose of the pain medicine along with the muscle relaxer is to alleviate the pain so I don't tense up allowing the muscles to heal.

Doctor's report

P and I went to see the doctor yesterday. He got the X-ray results and thinks I have just sprained/pulled some muscles in my right hip/back area. He wants me to stay on the muscle relaxer and pain medicine.

So I guess that means it is zombie time around here for the next week. Some days they seem to be working and other days they don't. I guess I will just wait and see how I feel when this course of medicine is finished.

The bad part of taking this medicine is I am too doped up to be able to think straight. So I can't work on the book my niece and I are writing together. Nor can I work Sudoku puzzles.

Oh the pain of it all

For some time now my lower back and right hip have been hurting. However, I always have pain so I didn't pay a lot of attention to it. However, starting last week it has been so bad I started taking two Tylenol #3 at night and one Ibuprofen at breakfast. This week I started taking 2 Ibuprofen at breakfast. However, it made no difference on the pain in fact the pain has slowly been getting worse.

So yesterday I called my doctor. He ordered X-rays. So I called my neighbor and went to the clinic for the X-rays. About the time I was getting my supper the doctor's nurse called to tell me they wanted the latest X-rays I had of my right hip. I was to bring them to the doctor office today and I have a doctor's appointment on Monday.

P called to find the old x-rays and they are at the University of Chicago. She also talked to the doctor's office to find out why they needed the old x-rays. It seems they think my prosthesis may have shifted. This is not good news. The doctor prescribed a muscle relaxant and oxycodone for the pain so I am really dizzy and tired but it hasn't really helped the pain.