Tiny's Tantalizing Text

Good news I think. My leg appears to be making some slow progress. When I go to bed at night, I can get the bulge that is on the inside of my ankle flattened out to where I can feel the ankle bone with my other foot, and the upper outside of my calf seems to be getting more fluid pushed out in the overnight hours. Ever since I started this procedure, I've wished that I hadn't waited 5 years from when my cat bit me, causing the infection, that caused the condition that is causing the swelling, to get help. There were, however, three main reasons that I didn't. First, I didn't/still don't have insurance, Second, I thought that in finding out what was wrong or in treating it, that the doctor would want to check the cat out, and since he is still my bestest buddy in the world, I wasn't going to let anything happen to him (yes, even tho his bite is what caused this), and third, up until recently, the swelling didn't bother me a bit except for the looks of it compared to the other leg, and had been easily hid under my jeans.

Also. I'm getting much more comfortable sleeping in the basement of our new house. Getting a lot more sleep every night than for a while after we moved in. Pretty soon I should have my sleep debt paid down enough that I'm not falling asleep at the wheel. I have found a deterrent to falling asleep behind the wheel tho, Altoids Peppermint. They're pretty strong, but they do keep me awake. I'm working on my second tin of them, popping 3 at a time. My sleepiness could also be caused by the need for new eyeglasses. Every time I've been out of spec with the lenses, I've had a hard time staying awake when not constantly moving, and it's going on 2 years since my last eye exam.

Well, now, third post is being done only 18 or so days after the second.....not bad. I had to log in to post a comment in a friend's blog, so I decided to give a little update on my leg that I told y'all about in my first entry. My doctor in Denison (Iowa) sent me to a physical therapy clinic in Moville (Iowa) that was about 55 miles away. A couple of weeks ago I called them to tell them I was ready to continue the treatment (my condition is called "lymphedema", the swelling is caused by damage to the lymphatic system resulting in the lymph fluid not being recirculated out of the affected area). Well, the Moville clinic decided they didn't have time to treat me, so they sent me to a physical therapy clinic in Cherokee (Iowa) about 45 miles from my home. Over the last 2 weeks, I've been to 5 appointments in this clinic, the last being Saturday when my dad went along to learn the wrapping procedure to help with the removal of fluid. I was also released from treatment at this appointment, I guess due to the cost (I don't have insurance and evidently it is rather costly for them to wrap my leg). I think progress has been made, but when we change the wrap tonight, I'm going to have Dad take some pics so we can compare them every couple of weeks to see if there's visible progress or not. At Friday's visit, the guy working on me said he thought there was some progress made, but I sure couldn't see it from my angle. As long as I can get a sock and shoe on that leg by April, I can live with the swelling below the knee. I want to ride my motorcycle that I bought in the summer of '04, and get my license since my motorcycle permit expires in July. Another thing that would be accomplished with the ability to put a sock and shoe on that leg is the beginning of an exercise program...getting down to half my current weight would be considered a good start.