Pain, Water Leaking, Plumbers and Mortgages

This morning the pain situation is bad. My back is hurting. I think it is time for an epidural again. The constant pain level has been climbing and I have had more days like this lately. I would love to clean the leaves out of the pool before my next trip to the pain doc. That way I won’t waste the epidural. Maybe the weather will warm up a little next week and I can get it done.

I wish the plumber would show up. The water line is leaking right before it comes into the house. I should have realized it last month, but I just paid the water bill and didn’t look at the usage graft. I’m praying he doesn’t say that the entire line needs to be replaced because I just can’t afford it. Money just seems to disappear. At least my teeth are paid for. I’ve wondered if it would save some money if we were to dig up the water line. Since we don’t know when the plumber is coming I’m afraid to start digging. The dirt may be holding some of the water back. That may be really silly. If I dig up the water line, may be I can fix it myself. I think this needs some Googling.

Later: Well forget fixing it myself. The polybutylene cannot be repaired. Over time it becomes brittle which is why it is leaking again after being patched 2 months ago. In order to come up with the money to replace the water line, I am refinancing my mortgage and getting cash out. There will be enough money to pay off a couple of other accounts as well. At least my monthly payment will be within $75 of the current payment. I had two plumbers come out to do estimates. I did not enjoy letting one of them down. He was not happy and nothing I could say was going to make it easier. I just wanted off the phone! The work can be completed in a day and without interrupting the service. They will lay a temporary line on the surface so we will be able to access the water while they are working. I felt better about these guys because they bothered to check with the county about the necessary permits and inspections. The loan has been approved. I have to wait for the terms and completion of the paperwork. I don’t know how long it will take. I hope it won’t be long because I hear water running out into my front yard.

I just talked to the loan coordinator and he was delighted that I got all of my information faxed to him so quickly. I should hear from the appraiser on Monday. I hope this just goes quickly.

I'm feeling dizzy right now and I think it is just because I am tired from all of the anxiety over the water leak. I called the original plumber to tell him that he lost out on the replacement job. He didn't seem to be broken up about it, so I think I made the right decision in replacing him.

Do I Have Rheumatoid Arthritis?

I’m sitting here planning the evening’s television viewing while I watch Wheel of Fortune with one eye. I am so fatigued, but I don’t think I could fall asleep. I’m too tired. My day was not really that busy either. That is one of things that make me concerned about my arthritis. I have been tested for rheumatoid arthritis with negative results, but I exhibit many of the symptoms. I’m anxious for my appointment with the rheumatologist. The hardest part is knowing that something is wrong, but not having the expert pronouncing it as being so. There is a history of psoriasis in my family. I have psoriasis, but my skin is no where near as bad as my son’s. Could it be psoriatic arthritis? There is also ankylosing spondylitis which primarily affects the spine and hips. That could be me also.

I am very tired of being in pain all of the time. I’m finding it difficult to drive so I don’t go to the library often. When I do check out books, it hurts to hold them. I want to make coats for the dogs. It took me a long time to take a coat apart to make a pattern. I haven’t gotten any farther because I just don’t have the energy. It’s frustrating! I don’t write anything these days. Everyone, including my son and daughter-in-law get messages and lists from me that have been produced on a computer. Using a keyboard is less painful than writing.

I think it is also depressing because this is something I associate with aging. Inside I feel the same as I did when I was 12 to 14 years old. My body is giving out and it scares me.

Arthritis, housework and new teeth

Next week is Valentine’s Day and my newlywed son and daughter-in-law have been working on gifts for each other for weeks. She kept asking me what he was planning for her, but I didn’t remember what he had told me. Luckily she convinced him to tell her that he wanted to get her a computer of her own. It turned out she didn’t want that. I’m not sure what he is planning now, but I may have forgotten again so that I can’t answer is asked. She got him a bicycle. I think that is really funny because he hated the bike I bought for him when he was 6. He was convinced it was trying to kill him. I sold the bike and he learned to ride on one belonging to one of the neighborhood children.

I am proud of the fact that they are thinking about each other and making plans. My son never had the benefit of a role model in how husbands and wives relate to each other. The only time my ex-husband got me a valentine, it was a candy heart. I was going to a doctor to lose weight at the time. It was back in the days when it was still legal to prescribe amphetamines. Here I was seeing the doctor once a month, taking my speed every day and measuring every bit of food. He couldn’t understand why I was upset about the candy heart! I had to keep the damned thing for months before I dared to toss it out for fear of hurting his feelings. I would have been happy to get a card.

This morning my fingers are barely working, but at least I feel like I have a reason other than it just being the morning stiffness. Our Oreck vacuum cleaner stopped picking up stuff the other day. I had just replaced the bag too. I have always been the type to take things apart, so after determining that it was not a blocked debris tube the other day, I brought the machine down to my room and tore it apart. Just inside, I found the remains of a ball the dogs had destroyed, the insides of a stuffed toy and a bunch of bedding from the hairless rat’s cage. It’s a good thing we have about 5 different vacuum cleaners so that we can use another to clean up after the dogs. They play very roughly with their toys. There always seems to be stuffing from some toy lying around on the floor. This house has literally gone to the dogs. I can’t complain too much. My room has “stuff” the birds have thrown out of their cages on the floor. I have to vacuum at least every other day. I’m glad I decided on laminate flooring.

I have been holding my breath waiting on two packages this week. I get most of my prescriptions by mail. The cost is much better that way. I get a 90 day supply for the cost of purchasing 60 days worth at the pharmacy. I waited a little too long to order so I have been out of blood pressure medicine and Prozac for several days. I sent my order by priority mail and requested 2nd day return delivery. The tracking information shows a scheduled delivery date of Feb. 12. I don’t think the process has been speeded up at all! At least it does not appear that I was charged the extra $10 for the faster shipping. The other package contains some gadgets to help people with arthritis. Since I don’t have a kitchen downstairs, I fill 2-liter bottles with water for coffee, tea and soup. Even though those bottles have been opened before, they are difficult for me to open. One of the tools I bought will help with that. It also opens pull-tab cans and plastic bags. I am tired of opening things with my teeth. With the luck I’ve had with my teeth lately, I’m afraid that pulling the seal off the Folger’s can will cost me a chunk of a tooth.

I had the impressions done for my partial plates the other day. It was a little messy, but they got good impressions. I was peeling that stuff off my lips for hours. I go back March 6 to have some teeth filled and have my first fitting. I am looking forward to getting those false teeth. I can’t decide whether I want a steak or some sushi for my celebratory meal. It will be good to eat without having to swallow whole pieces of food again. This is just another thing that makes me feel like I am turning into my mother.

Arthritis and Bird Care

I’m whiny again today. This is the second day in a row that my arthritis has been bad. My hands feel like they have been plunged in ice. There is a constant ache and moving is painful. My right thumb actually pops when I move it, which I try not to do. After my third trip up the basement stairs yesterday, I started using the stair lift. I couldn’t wait too long for trips to the bathroom. I wish some generous millionaire out there would take pity on me and build me a safe bathroom in the basement. Remodeling my bedroom cost a lot and it will be a while before I finish paying for it.

I moved for a couple of reasons. My son got married last June and I think he and his wife deserve privacy. I’ve always joked that I will be taken out of this house feet first. I hate moving, so I intend to live out my years here. When my sister was sick, she was so weak that with very few exceptions I had to have the fire department come and remove her from the house. They suggested that I move her downstairs. I thought it was a great idea, but with her being bedridden, I needed her near a bathroom. She could not get to the bathroom, but I needed it for the bedpan and the cleanup. My ideal downstairs bathroom would have a tall toilet. My knees are getting worse by the year. I’ve had surgery on each of them twice. I want a shower stall with a bench. If I need to save money I would use a separate shower chair rather than a built-in bench. It may sound silly, but I want a vanity with a double-bowl kitchen sink installed. I have a kind of kitchen set up now with a coffee maker, refrigerator and microwave. The only access I have to water is the laundry room. I have six 2-liter bottles that I fill. Left over coffee, tea and dirt finch water gets dumped into a paint bucket. I empty the paint bucket in my driveway and rinse it in the laundry room. The only drain in the laundry room is the 3 inch pipe that the washer uses.

I try to keep busy. This morning I used a bathroom trip as an excuse to sweep the kitchen floor. If my son and daughter-in-law had been awake, I think I would have run the vacuum cleaner in the living room. Living with 8 dogs is rather dirty. I wish it would be possible to teach them to wipe their paws before coming in the house. I have now fed my finches and given them fresh water. On a bad day that simple task is hard and painful.

I have two finches that are laying eggs again. I am just throwing them away. I started with 2 Zebra finches last May and I now have 13 or 14. It has been fun to watch them tend the eggs and raise the babies. The two birds that are laying now are children of my original pair. When the first clutch of eggs was produced, I had to use a small stool and a mirror to see the nest. That was upstairs in my old bedroom. I can see into the cages better now that they are on stands. I got to see one of the eggs hatch. The babies are so tiny, but then they would have to be coming out of an egg that is just over ½ inch long. I didn’t know that birds clean their babies after hatching until I saw it myself. The babies do get loud and a bit obnoxious when they leave the nest, but still want the adult to feed them. It’s fun to guess what the sex the babies are. They do not display any of the sexually dimorphic (impressive!) markings until they are several weeks old. The latest baby is just now getting the orange coloring in its beak. There were two babies, but one died. I have two other babies that are a few weeks older. I keep watching to see if they will develop the orange cheeks of the males. I have a feeling that they are females which will mean more eggs to throw away. My room is never quite quiet during the day. Their calls are very pleasant. Thank heavens they sleep at night.

The picture at the top of the post is of a Society finch. The baby it has hatched is a Zebra finch. The Society finches do not have sexually dimorphic markings so I may have 3 males or 3 females. They didn’t seem to care that they had not laid those eggs. They just adopted the eggs are theirs and raised the babies.