swilkinson

It is horrible when you are at someone else's house and an argument starts. Hope you managed to find some peace eventually. ((( hugs))).

Hope this procedure is the end to your troubles, I had a girlfriend who experienced that during pregnancy so they put it down as a hormone imbalance. Now there are more tests so they can pinpoint the cause and work out a solution. Hope it works in your case. .

It is good that among the frustration, pain and neglect you suffer there is a gift from someone that is maybe a recognition of what you are going through. It doesn't compensate for what is past I know. But I know that you're a gracious person and can make an appropriate response.

That is a long trip Sarah but sounds as if was worth it with all the friends and relatives you got to see. Good you had Carmen with you now that Gary is being uncooperative. I remember how hard the last few trips with Ray were. Sad how as we age and have our troubles so do our friends, comes as a shock sometimes when we see them after a long absence. Glad you are back safe and sound.

No, I hadn't remembered that trick though I used it with my pregnancies. Thank you for the reminder Heather.

Working on the leg is working against gravity which makes it harder to move the fluid than working on an arm. I do some massage on my upper thigh first thing of a morning but it doesn't seem to make a lot of difference. It does go down a little overnight though. I think in summer I will try icing it ( with a cover to prevent skin damage) to see if that makes a difference.

Sounds as if you can't win with conflicting advice and treatments. Unfortunately Lymphoedema is irreversible. I have been told keep cool, no stress, regular periods with legs elevated helps. I find I know when I have been too !ong on my feet now but I'm still having swelling days. I think it is another one day at a time process. Mine is only left thigh so am really lucky, it could have been so much worse. Sorry you are having so much trouble with it.

Being able to live independently would be great. Hope the PT sessions etc make that goal possible.

It is frustrating when you really need information (in my case on melanoma treatment) and so much of the information is misleading or incomplete. I hope your remission continues and your recovery from the stroke too.

Beastly day for you, yes, they should apologize, but no, they probably won't. Good on you for standing your ground

Thanks Ruth and Pam and Tracy, I appreciate the offer to be my cheer leader.

I've just sent out thank you letters to people who helped me through my recovery after the cancer surgery. I like to say thank you when people support me as an encouragement and an expression of my personal gratitude.

Yes Tracy we had a hotter summer last year and it is tiring with or without the troubles you have. Having the girls is a big deal, they are so energetic and I hope you find the good days outweigh the bad. They will teach you newi things and hopefully you will teach them old fashioned values.

I agree, never let anyone steal your happiness. I have done that in the past but don't now, knowing some people either say things for effect or are simply unreliable. Now if I ask for anything I want confirmation that it is happening. And if someone offers something and doesn't keep their words I am less likely to trust them next time. Life is too short to let others dictate your mood.

Pam, mine is a mild case as it is only the left thigh, the wrap for flying is awkward but not painful but I did get cramps in the upper thigh for the first time on my flight home this time.

I have just been to Broken Hill for a week with Trevor, it is cool and dry inland so on the sunny afternoons I sat on his verandah and read and I'm always happy to do that. When he and his girlfriend were available (they are both busy doing training courses) we went places, some new, some old favourites. On my birthday we went to Silverton, a former mining town now a popular place for artists and went to a couple of galleries. There are some wonderful paintings of that wild desert country beyond the Hill. It is good to have time to just enjoy being in a place where life is so different from home. It was my birthday and Alice's birthday while I was there, so two celebrations, mine was a nice dinner out, hers a special afternoon tea. I haven't any unreal expectations these days so it was just good to be with family for the day. I enjoyed my time with Alice it was nice to see the fun she has with Trevor. He plays a lot more games with her than her mother does so she has a ball while she is with him. His girlfriend has a Chocolate Labrador who is very popular with Alice, she hugs him and drags him around, I am glad she responds so well to him. The flying was not the problem I was told it could be, it was more my fear that something would go wrong that bothered me. I know the problem of increasing the lymphoedema due to pressure was on my mind and of course while the stocking plus the new leg wrap was supposed to prevent that happening the stiffness made me feel less confident in my ability to climb steps, sit for a long period etc. The walk through the airport was easier than I thought it would be as I had allowed plenty of time for that. I never realised how much I took my ability to get around for granted and jhow much easier life was prior to what is really just a minor glitch in my life. I looked at going on a trip out to one of the local opal fields, about three hours drive away on my next visit.I love opals and it is interesting country, boney and dry but with it's own special beauty. Living on the coastal strip as I do I yearn sometimes for the silence of the bush and Broken Hill gives me that feeling of isolation in the big sky country. There is something special about the sensation of seeing so many stars at night, having a different sunset every night, waking up to bright skies in the morning. Now home to take up the routine tasks. It has been raining while I have been away so the grass is greener than when I went away, it is also colder as there is an overcast sky. So now to settle down to my winter tasks, knitting, crocheting, reading, catching up on phone calls and correspondence. Today I went to a local market, had some time at the shopping centre and then some time doing preparations for the Lions BBQ on Monday. It is good to have a variety of things to do. Some things I have had to give up but most of my usual routine still applies. It is good to be back and catch up with friends again, luckily nothing much happened while I was away. My other family members don't seem worried about me now things are stable healthwise. I know there will be many tests ahead of me for three to five years yet but know also I can only live my life one day at a time. And that is the same for all of us.

Lack of vitamin D can also add to depression so time in the sun or use a supplement, vitamin D plus magnesium is a good combination. I believe in routine too. I live on my own as I am a widow so some mornings am tempted to stay in bed as it is winter here but the routine doesn't provide for that and so up I get and go on with the day. Is there anyone who could come and visit and maybe take you out for a few hours for a change of scenery?

Pam there are all kinds of pain but the pain of loss is often the greatest and you have lost so much. It is good to vent and I think most of us understand what you are experiencing, if not to the same degree. The loss of your future is so hard. I just hope you can find some happiness in every day you still have ahead of you. That is what I want for all of us. That and a peaceful end.

Frustrating things to care about seem the norm with some strokes, Ray was the same. The things I thought important meant nothing to him, but some things had significant impact like car maintenance he would have me about. I used to count to 100 a lot before speaking...lol.

Fantastic, so glad you managed to have the new hairstyle you wanted despite the effort it took to get it done. In a way that adds to the value of the deed. Good for you, you did it!!!!

I hope you are better by Memorial Day, take things as easy as you can as stress is not good for you when you are sick. You need to relax and if you can get some extra sleep.

What a great day and you deserve that and so much more. The two pairs a year sounds good. I wonder what other benefits you can get that you don't know about? I'm wondering if other veterans there can help you find out.

Add hugs from me. I am getting some disrespectful treatment because I am 70 so "possibly" senile in the eyes of those who are advising me. It is one way of those who feel nothing for others to cope, that give-it-here attitude and yes, I would get mad about it too. It is hard to be the good little Christian lady sometimes. I attempt it but often don't succeed So it is chin up and on we go with our life. (((Hugs))).

I too suffer from somethimg similar, it comes from doubting your own capacity to do something. It is called the imposter syndrome. I get to do somethimg, it goes well, someone mentions that so and so did it but much better. That stops me in my track and if I have to do the same thing again I think I am only allowed to do this because so and so isn't here. That makes a real impact on my life , I felt that way when I took over as Blog Moderator from you Asha. There are all kinds of roadblocks in our lives and sometimes we build them ourselves. So Tracy's idea of cognitive therapy sounds a good idea.

I think a compression stocking is the answer, they can come in pretty colours too. I understand you longing for pretty shoes, I do too but can't wear some of mine with the stocking which is thick at the heel and not very flexible at the ankle. However I wore red shoes to church today and felt great.😍