365 Day 316

updates and postponing Sunday's clear out/giveaway





These photos were progress pics from Thursday morning and daytime. Progress, yes -- but I am just scratching the surface of what still needs to be brought upstairs and sorted out.










Things were beginning to shape up...















...bins were starting to fill up...











...lots of success with sorting through old unnecessary papers and clippings and just stuff I didn't need to keep any more...















I had been at this since Tuesday, non-stop. I guess I overdid it with the carrying bins and boxes from the basement and with moving furniture with Sue's help. I didn't realize it or even feel it while it was happening. I suppose the overwhelming good feelings of ridding myself of the clutter blocked out the not-so-good feelings in my hands and arms. I honestly was not aware of it.




Thursday was the meeting of the 2nd Thursday group that I belong to. I was SO looking forward to going and Joan drove but I couldn't participate in the really cool stamping project that Leann brought for us to work on while we chatted. My hands were so painful and my fingers kept going numb. I literally could not hold anything, my hands were that swollen and hurting. The ladies offered to take me to the emergency room but I didn't think it was that bad. I figured if I just took some time off from the moving of things and relaxed at the fun gathering -- and took Friday off -- that I'd be ready to start again on Saturday.

Yeah. Right. On Thursday when I woke up I was in incredible pain. My hands were totally useless. My sister Sue came over and took me to the emergency room...in my pajamas. I couldn't even get dressed. Sheesh.

The ER folks assessed me and decided it was a nasty case of carpal tunnel syndrome. They gave me an injection of a high dose of some sort of anti-inflammatory and sent me home with a prescription for Motrin 600 and instructions for total rest, ice, and elevation of my hands above my heart.

That seemed to do pretty well. I followed the instructions to the letter. The ice pack treatments were extremely painful (as opposed to the slightly uncomfortable, then soothing treatments of the same cold packs on my back). My left hand was improving but my right hand was getting worse. The throbbing and shooting pain went into the top of my hand and farther up my arm. Finally at around 10 p.m. I had to call Sue to take me back to the ER. My right hand, forearm and upper arm are more swollen than they were. They agreed that it was definitely carpal tunnel syndrome, were glad to see the improvement in the left hand, gave me a double dose of Vicodin and gave me a splint to wear. They told me to continue with the elevation, ice and total rest and keep up with the Motrin doses.


my left hand on Thursday night after the meeting -- I couldn't hold the camera...LOL...had to prop it on a can and push the button with one finger.

Both of my wrists were swollen under the heel of my hand and becoming pretty bruised-looking.

By Friday morning both wrists had very purple
bruises.









Friday night after the second trip to the ER














Twink checks out the splint










SO -- here's the thing. I still want to have the de-stash/clear out/give-away but I will have to postpone it until the following Sunday -- November 20. If not that many people can make it on that day, we can wait until after Thanksgiving...or do it twice.

The folks who were planning on attending -- you can still drop stuff off at my house but I can't do anything with it yet so it would be helpful if the stuff is in bags or closed boxes.

Okay -- back to resting and elevating my arms. Enough of this impossibly stupid one-finger left hand typing...it takes forever!