Random 4 for October 15, 2023 – October, health, people, winterizing

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The fall fireplace mantel 

Another day in paradise! – Can’t believe October is half over. I was just whining about September and poof it was gone. Can’t complain though. We’ve had a lovely October weather-wise.

Well, that was dumb! – I have a policy that if something hurts, I wait at least two weeks before going to a doc. As you get older stuff hurts. Obscure stuff that pops up overnight. You wonder where it came from and will never know. Most of it goes away by itself if you wait long enough. I was having discomfort in my boob, the one that had cancer surgery. It comes and goes periodically but this time it wasn’t going. I made an appointment. The next day I felt better. I went to the doc to find out that it’s not unusual to have discomfort (sometimes a lot) when you have a lot of scar tissue (I can check that box!). She gave me a script to repeat my mammogram (yuck!) and for an ultrasound. Here I sit feeling just fine with two tests looming in my future. I’m debating if I really need them. I had waited the “two weeks” but I’m thinking I need to upgrade that to three weeks (unless the pain is unbearable or scary).

A peopley week – Two different groups of friends will visit this week. One is a step-daughter with spouse from Denver and the other is a long-time blogging friend.  Looking forward to catching up with everyone. Did you ever notice how social activities seem to bunch up in the same week? Maybe it’s just me!

The big switch – Fall is not only the time to switch clothing (upstairs with the summer and downstairs with the winter!) but also changing whatever few tchotchkes that sit around. The fall routine is so short-lived that I don’t do a lot. I put out mums this week along with pumpkins and a scarecrow. All of that will last until Thanksgiving weekend when it’s goes away, and Christmas stuff starts to show up.  The fall flowers do not earn their keep like the spring to summer flowers which bloom for months. My petunias are still doing great. I will pull them out next week with great sadness.

Sorry four is all I have today! So how was your week?

 

73 thoughts on “Random 4 for October 15, 2023 – October, health, people, winterizing”

    • I’m like that too mostly. My tests are next week. Amazingly (or maybe not) all the pain went away after my doc visit and no she didn’t do anything or prescribe anything. Just nature.

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      • It’s so irritating when that happens! It’s good to feel better, but irritating when it happens and you have tests coming up for the pain you don’t have any more. But glad you are feeling better!!

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  2. Hi Kate, I have a suggestion about the scar tissue discomfort: as a massage therapist I know that scar tissue can be treated, no matter how old the scars are, to help soften and release the surrounding and underlying connective tissues. Ask your doctor, and if massage is okay, I recommend finding a therapist who specializes (or has experience) treating any kind of scarring, from surgery, or an appendectomy, or cancer, etc. I bet you can find someone.

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    • Thanks for the suggestion. My friend had the same surgery about 3 years later and she was directed to massage the incision area as it healed and that seemed to help. She had/has a lot less issues than I did. I will ask about that when my doc contacts me after the tests.

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  4. I have a similar response to medical diagnostics. I tend to be very avoidant and think of them as an interruption. I am almost ashamed of myself, as it is a real privilege to have health insurance and almost unlimited care, should I need it. I’ll be thinking of you, Kate. Glad you’re being careful!

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  5. Hi, Kate – I’m with you on that ‘ignore it and hope it goes away’ rule. I hadn’t put a time limit on it – but two to three weeks sounds about right. Shhh, don’t tell Deb (WidowBadass) though. We have agreed to disagree on the wisdom behind this rule! Hope all is well for you! ❤

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    • As I have aged, I wake up with new aches and pains. Most go away all by themselves. If I was having chest pains I would be at the ER in an inkling but achey body parts, not so much. I had enough relief from lidocaine pain patches and then it was gone! I will follow through with the testing (just to be sure!) although I’m looking at that as any annoying thing to make my doc happy but even she thinks it was 100% muscular.

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  6. Cool here today. Had to wear a sweater when I took my walk this morning.
    Won’t be long and I’ll need to get out a hat and gloves. And today is the first day it is too cool to have the balcony door open. Cats are not happy.

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    • I open an upstairs window for them and it’s been too cool or rainy to have it open since last Thursday. They are not happy. They like to smell the outside air.

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  7. Kate, I just got back from my third diagnostic screening on right boob. Been messing with it since March. I have been a mess but kinda a controlled mess. I wanted to type yesterday but I wanted an all clear today so I could breathe easy and type with hardly a care in the world. I find it interesting about scar tissue causing pain. Nobody has metioned that to me. I have had 4 lumpectomies and over 200 aspirations for cysts since I turned 35. I’m pretty sure I have some scar tissue! Thanks for sharing that info. I’m thinking you know your body so I am just going to say I hope all is well!
    Enjoy your visiting peeps… eat good FOOD and laugh a lot!
    We are going down to 55 tonight! Can life get any better?! I wore jeans today!!!

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    • Wow! That’s a lot of boob work! I have since found out that scar pain at lumpectomies is very common. I have a specific type of radiation that made it worse. One doc gave me the option of having surgery to remove the scar tissue but my gyno said it would grow back in some form. Scar tissue is inevitable. Seems like the whole thing was kicked off when I strained the muscle on the other side, waking up my scar. I’m glad that your news is good. Let’s hope it stays like that for a good while.

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  8. Twenty years ago, I had a lump removed that turned out to be benign. The scar is over an inch. On occasion, I get shooting pains there. When I mentioned it to the doctor, she told me the same thing as you were told. I could see wanting to make sure it’s all okay after being diagnosed with cancer in the past, though.

    The temps have really dropped here, and we’re making up for all the rain we missed out on in summer. I love colder temps, but not when it comes with rain. The dampness makes me shiver. I’m up for 60 and sunny, though. 🌞

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    • We had a rainy weekend. Today is somewhat sunny but cool and windy. I’m not a fan of windy! My doc said the scar pain is not unusual. I wish they would tell you that at the beginning so you wouldn’t worry.

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  10. Love the fireplace photo. Looks right out of Better Homes and Gardens.

    Yes, go for the tests because, it will lurk in the Back of your mind anyway. Get it over with, or off the table as they say.

    The seasons are whirling by like they’re on skates. But think, we can wear our favorites sweaters. I know, I’m reaching, but hey…why not! 🙂

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  11. Well I’ll weigh in on the mammo or not to mammo issue by saying once you’ve been through a tough thing don’t tempt fate by “waiting to see”. I am not fond of visiting doctors either BUT every time I had a “feeling” about something happening with my body that “feeling” was my body giving me a shove to DO something about it. I usually say “do what feels right to you” but when THE BIG C is involved, I always listen to those little early warning signals. Wishing you the BEST. We’re heading to Maine on vacation in a week and I do believe it will be the COLDEST vacation we’ve ever had. Something is in the air this year – – – I think my hubby will finally be able to get the snow thrower out!!!!

    Hugs, Pam

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    • Are you going later than you usually do? Seems like a cold time to go to Maine but the food is so good! I will probably get it done. This is a busy week with visitors so I’ll focus on it next week although I’m sure the whole thing was a muscle issue.

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      • We are going a little later than usual – impossible to go Columbus Day week – everybody is there (!)…..but it’s fun to go when we’re going because they go NUTS decorating for Halloween up there – the whole town is amazing and so are the leaves. The weather will be comparable to what we have now here in Virginia (we hope…haha).

        Hugs, Pam

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  12. Oh, I hope your health worries turn out to be nothing serious! Autumn (fall, to you lot) has finally landed here in the UK, with jumpers (sweaters, to you lot) required last weekend. And it feels GOOOOOD.

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  13. October is zipping on by and the days are getting shorter … when did that all happen?? Your porch decor sounds welcoming Kate. I hope your report is good and it’s just a twinge you are feeling.

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    • Everything is zipping by. The porch isn’t as elaborate as I used to do but it will do! I’m pretty sure my issue was a muscle spasm gone wrong. With all the scar tissue it’s easy to get a chain reaction going.

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      • Simple is good too as you always decorate so tastefully. I like harvest decor, but the big inflatable Halloween and Christmas decorations turn me off. Fingers crossed for you that’s all it is.

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  15. I can understand your doctor wanting to be safe but I wouldn’t want my boobs smashed twice in one year. That being said, I’d probably do it anyway just so I wouldn’t worry. I’ve got a mammogram coming up too (but just one this year, thank goodness).

    Have fun at your blogger meet-up. I’ve meet with two (new to me IRL) this year and am always so happy with how normal and like their blogs they are.

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    • The wonderful thing about our blogging world is that people post the way they are rather than create something they are not. At least that’s what I have found.

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  16. Experience has taught me that waiting and seeing usually works out. Our bodies may be susceptible to injury and breakdown, but they’re also pretty good at fixing themselves. I hate it when I do breakdown and make an appointment only to find out that either there’s nothing wrong or they don’t know how to fix it. I hope all will go well with your tests.

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  17. Experience tells me that your wait to see if it goes away rule makes sense. It usually does go away. Our bodies are imperfect, and yet they’re pretty good at fixing themselves. When I do decide to get checked out, usually it’s either nothing or they don’t know how to fix it. And then I think, what a waste of time and money, especially if it involves a bunch of tests. And yet … It sometimes feels like gambling.

    I hope your tests come out okay.

    Our October weather was up and down, so I changed some of my summer clothes for fall/winter. It’s about time to do the rest.

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    • Definitely agree with your thoughts on health issues. I have an autoimmune disease (very mild one). The doc did extensive testing and at the end of the day there is nothing to do. I have very mild symptoms which have no remedy. My PC had stalled on doing the testing for years because he said there was no treatment. He was right. Now I have to get retested every year to make sure I’m “stable” yet I’m not sure what they would do if I wasn’t.

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  18. Good luck with your upcoming tests. Glad the pain went away, but I know what you mean, make you question yourself for scheduling an appt. But always better to be safe than sorry.
    Yes, about your schedule for social outings! Its crazy, how it can go from having nothing one week to the next week being all jammed up.
    I saw someone post about there only being 10 Friday’s until Christmas! Time needs to slow down!

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  19. I’m the same as you with waiting awhile to see if I feel better. We’ve had some cold days, then it warms up again, so the petunias are still blooming. This time of year I only have a ceramic pumpkin on my table.

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  23. I had to wait months for an orthopedist to see my knee. While I was waiting, I worked on adjusting my stride, activating more muscles and using less joint, etc. I finally had the appointment this week and of course by then it was much better.

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  24. I’m with you about the two weeks, and I add in some google time to look up issues. The funniest for me was when I really needed a specialist appt and couldn’t get one for 3 1/2 months. I kept the appt so I’d be on the books and hopefully get one sooner next time. Even though they had all my info and date of the issue, she started asking me about symptoms. Well, 3 1/2 months ago, here is what I experienced. 🙂 Hope you have two great visits this week, and don’t tell anyone but I don’t even bother getting out fall decorations. I move right to the tiny white lights. 🙂

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    • One of these years I will move from petunias to poinsettias too. I host Thanksgiving or I’d do a lot less. Those far out appointments can be troublesome. I try to keep notes because I can’t remember what I had for breakfast let alone how I felt 3 months ago.

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  25. Medical stuff is difficult to know what to do. There’s your own sense of what is going on and then there’s the doctor’s sense of what is going on. In my experience the two don’t jive. On a lighter note, enjoy your peoples this week. Am curious about who this blogger might be? 🤔

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    • It’s Deb Farrington from The Blessing of Animal Companions blog. She does a lot of rescue work both with cats and dogs. Right now she has been working with neonatal kittens. Rewarding but intensive. As for the health issue, I did google it and everything I found comforted me (which is very unusual). I didn’t feel like I was dying of leprosy (perfectly normal for me). Since I have so much scar tissue it had to be the cause.

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  26. You know what I’m going to say about your mammo and ultrasound Kate. Go, and get it checked out. Best to find it’s nothing. I have odd pains along my scar but all is well there and my mammo last month came back clear.
    It’s cold here today and the heating is on, plus I’m sitting here wearing a cardy!!!! Must be cold LOL.

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    • We’ve had our heat on for about a month. It’s set for automatic so it doesn’t start unless it falls below a preset temperature. I have an extra hoody on over a sweatshirt. My body hasn’t acclimated to the colder temps yet. Mammo….sigh…I know they save lives. They saved mine yet I hate them.

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      • Mammos are uncomfortable but important, as are ultrasounds which show more. Best be safe. Please don’t put it off.
        Yes, our heat is on today. We turn it off at the boiler in the summer and just have the hot water set up. We have a combi boiler, so no water tank. Our thermostat is set at 18 C from 6am to 9pm which is plenty warm enough (but turned off if we go out for the day) and between 9pm and 6am we’ve dropped it to 12C.

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  27. I am hopeful that all will be well. When are the tests? My beautiful mums are fading a bit too fast. Maybe it was all the warm weather we had. I have been told that mums like it cold. I kind of like it on the chilly side myself. All those blood sucking bugs disappear and I can go outside again! Ok…I sincerely hope when we see you there will be good news.

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    • Not sure I’m going to get the tests done now that the crisis has passed. The doc was doing that to “rule out” things. Without an issue I don’t know if anything needs to be ruled out.

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  28. Other than changing door hangers for the autumn season, I don’t do much decorating this time of year. The only people who will see any decorations outside here are neighbors who walk by, and these are neighbors how have someplace they are walking to on a mission, not anyone who pays attention to outdoor decorations. At home it’s just me, and I’m not expecting anyone to visit, so it’s my “don’t bother with” season.

    I’m with you on the “wait to see if it goes away on its own” when it comes to seeing a medical professional. Last year, my jaw was broken in two places and it bruised greatly but never hurt. Only on a routine follow-up with my PCP and seeing the lump (it was a dislocation) on one side of my jaw did she send me for x-rays. Friday afternoon, the back of my right hand swelled up, but it only hurt when I touched it. My hand is very bruised, but the swelling went down and the only place it hurts is a raised bump on the middle of my wrist. I’ll wait at least another week before I start to be concerned about it.

    You are certainly not alone on your negativity about mammograms. My PCP wrote me a referral at my recent visit in late September. My only goal about getting it done is to get the billing in on this year’s Medicare.

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    • I’ve already had a mammogram in June so the thought of going again so soon is annoying. Then again, it does save lives. I wrestle with being a hypochondriac and not being interested in going to docs. It’s a challenge! 🙂

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