Now I really did it :((

[Sunstorm]

Hi girls, you are so sweet, it is nice continuing to talk about your daily lives here, sharing, chatting, etc. They should totally have a chat feature.) Ok, well, maybe not so much demand for that over here and anyhow we are not talking that much about jewelry here, well, we do of course but mostly other stuff.

How is everyone doing? Sounds like so much is going on and not always good unfortunately. Glad your parents visiting was nice Missy and hope your mom is ok and will be on the road to recovery. Arthiritis and joing problems can be really debilitating, I hope that yours is just a passing stage. I get them quite a bit especially with the cold weather but try not to pay attention to it. Cannot be so bad as for my poor mom with her condition but all her life she has struggled with this horrible autoimmune disease and it amazes me how well she is doing and when she is not even supposed to be able to walk anymore she does heavy exercise and has the body of a gymnast. Maybe I can ask her if you can also do natural stuff Missy like what supplements, etc. if you are interested. My mom was doing very bad when she was 20 and she was never supposed to have kids and they told her she would never live past 40 with this condition and here she is doing really well. She is a doctor but mostly did natural things to be able to move.

Ah, for me it has been a lot of work stress, so I gotta run soon but then I will have three or four days almost completely off, well, at least working from home Monday and Tuesday. I almost wanted to start a best and worst skincare thread because of how crappy my skin got. Yesterday I was a very bad girl and went skincare shopping. Well, my skin totally fell apart and it has always been one of my best features so I am very picky about it. It is just that all my life I have been using Estee Lauder company products and they were great. Somehow the ingredients work really well for sensitive skin and against aging, have always alternated Clinique and Lauder and then recently with all the specials in Vienna, I tell you girls if you want good shopping come here, I got some other brands and my skin reacted to that I think as well as the sudden cold weather and have had flaky red spots and some breakouts as well, I was about the scream. I lost my confidence so much that I had to go and buy a La Mer set and you can imagine that was not cheap but since the same company makes them and have tried them and they worked great I thought ok now I can splurge. I keep saying that is it for now as far as shopping goes but there is always something.) It is exactly what my oversensitized skin needed it was so tight and dry too. I am thrilled though and all these niche perfume and cosmetic stores in Vienna are extremely tempting. They of course carry niche perfumes and gave me samples, very dangerous in my case as I have sort of been a collector and done all these games to train my nose on forums before. I need to not buy new perfumes for like the next ten years.)

Wow, exciting Marcy about your studs, can you give us the specs? Love, love, love studs, my halo-d studs are my most worn jewelry item.

Wavey Missy and Callie, keep us posted about how you are Missy and Callie you too, about your mom too.

 

[missy]

Missy and OVincze, Please, please don't quit writing you long stories. The past few days with everything that I have had been going on they were really a nice bright spot. It sounds like you had a nice visit with your parents last night Missy. The picture of the ramp Greg made surprised me because we have the exact same area rug in my husbands office. Speaking of pictures, seeing the picture of your ring makes me want one so badly. Just when I have myself convinced that I don't need another one, Bea pops up on the screen. Your pictures are killing me Missy!

Everything you say about your beach house sounds perfect. It really would be a dream for me. Do you think it would bother you to live in an area where everything isn't within walking distance? I'm sure a lot of your preferences are also based on what you are familiar with and it sounds like most of your time has been spent in the city. You have been so fortunate to be able to have both lifestyles. l'm with Greg and would love the space and pretty scenery. It also sounds as if everything is within a hour away. Your setting at the beach house is so pretty and peaceful that losing some of the convieiences wouldn't matter that much to me. You may feel completely different though. As long as I had get great shopping and restaurants within an hour, I would be fine, but that's what I've had most of my life. I love to shop but I can honestly say I loved it more when I was working, and I didn't have change my spending habits when I quit working. I have been absoulutely no help, have I? Haha

Yesterday while the siding person was working outside, the village sent someone to put a new water meter reader in our basement. The guy said he could only smell what I was describing in a very small area of the basement. He told me he wouldn't hire an exterminator and would set a couple mouse traps. It does make me nervous to have everything sprayed with the chemicals they use. My husband went thru everything in the area where the smell was and found nothing. He went thru every box. He said he searched the whole area and didn't find any mouse droppings. I went down there this morning and the smell is almost completely gone. He put down mouse traps and there were no mice in them this morning. I don't know what to do now. Any ideas would be appreciated. Would you call the exterminator? I'm just so freaked out at the thought of the possibility of a mouse being in our home.

That's a tough situation for you Callie. I think I would call the exterminator just in case. At our beach house we have a contract with an exterminating company because out in nature bugs get in our house and I don't want them there. I am fine with them outside but not inside thank you very much.

The first summer we were there we had ants in the kitchen and that is when we contracted with the same pest control company that we had at our former beach house and they do maintenance treatments every few months.

Granted we have not been there since June for obvious reasons but I believe they spray the perimeter to prevent bugs from getting in as we have an annual contract. So for me yes I would have them come just to be safe.

In fact one year at our previous beach house we had a hornets nest in our barbecue (!) and they came and took care of it for us. Same company that we kept when we moved as they are very reliable.

Sorry you are dealing with this and I am sure everything will work itself out one way or another. If only all problems were as manageable as this one. To me it's a no brainer but of course you might feel differently. Our company uses chemicals that are non toxic to pets so perhaps find one that does the same.

How is your mom doing? I hope she is still in good spirits and holding tight till her surgery Tuesday.

 

[missy]

Hi Missy,

I will have to look up Robert Cardinals work. A sailboat sunset picture sounds awesome. I completely understand having a piece of the ocean with you in your New York apartment. I am totally mesmerized by the ocean.

I will get my ACA studs hopefully next week sometime. I am very excited. I will certainly post a picture here for you. Too funny you were going to order Greg a watch for Christmas. We don’t have many surprise gifts anymore. Sometimes we buy something and say you can give this to me for my birthday. I swear we are good for the next 50 years of holidays and special occasions. We do stocking stuffers each year though which are kind of fun to do

I am glad you like living in Brooklyn. It sounds ideal with big city benefits but still a civilized place to live.

How awesome your parents came for a visit. I hope the slant board works well for your mom. It sounds like your mom will be dealing with her knee for quite a while.

Sorry to hear your ankle feels like it might be getting arthritis. It is certainly no fun. That is too bad your toe is still hurting. I am with Victor that I hope it improves with time.

I certainly understand your tough decision on being at the beach house or remaining in the city. Both certainly have good points and bad.

I heard snow was heading your way this weekend. Is that kind of early for your area? We have been abnormally warm here but of course it is cooling off.

Marty is leaving Saturday again. Waah. They are trying to talk him in to staying in Ethiopia until the 18th.

Have a great day tomorrow.
Marcy

Hi Marcy, what is the setting are you getting for the ACA's? I cannot wait to see them as I am sure it will be amazing. I have never owned ACA's so will be living vicariously through you with this purchase. We do the same btw. We say we are purchasing so and so for this occasion lol. Not romantic but we get exactly what we want so it works for us and you guys too I see. I just purchased a second pair of Alden boots for Greg and he loves them but of course he told me exactly which ones to purchase. I cannot believe how much men's boots can be but if it makes him happy and goodness knows he deserves them and more!

I am sad for you that Marty is going away again so soon and perhaps for a few weeks. I wish I lived closer to you because I know I could entertain you while he was gone. That is one of my talents. Keeping my friends engaged and happy in whatever we decide to do for the day.

Yesterday I had such a lovely day as my girlfriend who lives sort of far visited me and we just had so much fun. We walked to lunch (took her to my favorite vegan restaurant in the neighborhood) and then did a bit of window shopping and back to my home for tea.

Days like that and I remember how life used to be before the accident. Of course my ankle and foot hurts still quite a bit and when we got back my ankle and foot were so swollen despite the compression socks so I got a bit down again but waited for her to leave before I iced and felt sorry for myself (just for a tiny little while mind you). Sometimes I forget how grateful I should be and I get so tired of the same old same old-pain, swelling, limping and just not being without some sort of pain 24/7. Frustrating. But I had a nice day nonetheless and I am looking forward to more of those in the future.

The ocean is mesmerizing and that is why I decided I could give up our city home for our home by the sea. It's just nice though to have both for a while before we go cold turkey.

Have a good day and please do post pics of your beautiful new earrings when you receive them.

 

[missy]

Hi girls, you are so sweet, it is nice continuing to talk about your daily lives here, sharing, chatting, etc. They should totally have a chat feature.) Ok, well, maybe not so much demand for that over here and anyhow we are not talking that much about jewelry here, well, we do of course but mostly other stuff.

How is everyone doing? Sounds like so much is going on and not always good unfortunately. Glad your parents visiting was nice Missy and hope your mom is ok and will be on the road to recovery. Arthiritis and joing problems can be really debilitating, I hope that yours is just a passing stage. I get them quite a bit especially with the cold weather but try not to pay attention to it. Cannot be so bad as for my poor mom with her condition but all her life she has struggled with this horrible autoimmune disease and it amazes me how well she is doing and when she is not even supposed to be able to walk anymore she does heavy exercise and has the body of a gymnast. Maybe I can ask her if you can also do natural stuff Missy like what supplements, etc. if you are interested. My mom was doing very bad when she was 20 and she was never supposed to have kids and they told her she would never live past 40 with this condition and here she is doing really well. She is a doctor but mostly did natural things to be able to move.

Ah, for me it has been a lot of work stress, so I gotta run soon but then I will have three or four days almost completely off, well, at least working from home Monday and Tuesday. I almost wanted to start a best and worst skincare thread because of how crappy my skin got. Yesterday I was a very bad girl and went skincare shopping. Well, my skin totally fell apart and it has always been one of my best features so I am very picky about it. It is just that all my life I have been using Estee Lauder company products and they were great. Somehow the ingredients work really well for sensitive skin and against aging, have always alternated Clinique and Lauder and then recently with all the specials in Vienna, I tell you girls if you want good shopping come here, I got some other brands and my skin reacted to that I think as well as the sudden cold weather and have had flaky red spots and some breakouts as well, I was about the scream. I lost my confidence so much that I had to go and buy a La Mer set and you can imagine that was not cheap but since the same company makes them and have tried them and they worked great I thought ok now I can splurge. I keep saying that is it for now as far as shopping goes but there is always something.) It is exactly what my oversensitized skin needed it was so tight and dry too. I am thrilled though and all these niche perfume and cosmetic stores in Vienna are extremely tempting. They of course carry niche perfumes and gave me samples, very dangerous in my case as I have sort of been a collector and done all these games to train my nose on forums before. I need to not buy new perfumes for like the next ten years.)

Wow, exciting Marcy about your studs, can you give us the specs? Love, love, love studs, my halo-d studs are my most worn jewelry item.

Wavey Missy and Callie, keep us posted about how you are Missy and Callie you too, about your mom too.

Hi Ovi, how terrible for your mom. What is her autoimmune disease if you don't mind sharing. My mom has RA and she takes Enbrel on a regular basis and that is a tough drug to take. So I can understand your mom's struggle somewhat and I feel for her. I am so glad she outdid what her doctors predicted for her and hope she continues to live a good life despite her disease. It is amazing what we can overcome no matter the dire predictions the healthcare professionals may have for us.

I hear you on skin issues. I think it is a good idea to start a thread as PSers are knowledgeable about so many different topics that it cannot hurt. I know this. My skin is uber sensitive (I have rosacea and eczema) and I use Eucerin original moisturizing creme on my face to moisturize in the AM and PM and I wash with Eucerin calming cleanser in the AM and PM. If I get a blemish on my face I use Dermablend cover creme and it makes it vanish to the outside world without further irritating my skin. Very natural looking. But that is where my expertise of makeup stops so sorry that I cannot help.

It sounds like your skin might be dry at least in winter and that is the way my skin is too (for all seasons for me however) and Eucerin works miracles for my dry skin. Cerave is also good so another you might want to consider. Hope you find the skin care that works best for you. Trial and error and patience and only try one new thing at a time so you can tell what is working and what is not. Good luck!

I love niche perfumes too and do most of my ordering through Lucky Scent which has hard to find niche perfumes. My very favorite is Tihota. It is pure heaven if you like vanilla that is sophisticated, elegant and mature without being too much. A truly beautiful scent and has been my favorite cold weather scent for many many years and when it went out of production I was sad but it is back yay. Of course I never did without as I bought extra before it was going out of production and now since it is back I don't think I will ever have to do without as long as I love it. My warmer weather favorite scent is Hermessence Vetiver Tonka. Love that one too. I have many that I love however but these are my to go to scents. I am with you in that samples are a great way to wear each perfume you want to try and figure out if it works for you. Especially because the cost of these pricey perfumes add up. What are some of your favorite to go to perfumes these days?

 

[Calliecake]

Hi Missy and OVincze, I hope all is well with everyone today and am so glad to hear you had a good time with your friend yesterday.

Missy, I was told 20 years ago that I have arthritis in my neck. I had pain in my neck for a few months and the doctor thought it was arthritis but nothing showed up in the tests he had ordered. The pain was pretty bad for a few months then subsided and only appeared when I was overly tired. Fast forward 5 years. I was in a car accident where my head cracked the windshield so the hospital did many tests to make sure my neck was alright. The next day the doctor called to say the tests showed a lot of arthritis in my neck. My neck has only bothered me about 5 days in the past 15 years and only when I've been extremely tired and worn down feeling. Hopefully you will have the same experience where your toe gets better and will rarely bother you.

OVincze, I'm so glad to hear your mom has done so well with RA. My sister in law also has RA and had a few bad years but has seemed to do extremely well the past five years. She's has diagnosed close to twenty years ago.

If I were you I'd go back to using the skin care products you had no issues with. I think sometimes our skin just doesn't like having things switched up. My sister in law and I were having this same conversation with my niece. She keeps switching products. Her skin used to be beautiful and she has been having problems lately. She always thinks there will be something better out there but made the comment that the results have been awful. I believe she also had good luck with Clinique products in the past.

The smell in the basement is gone. Nothing has appeared in any of the many mouse traps so I'm just going to keep the traps out and see if anything else happens. My house is extremely clean so I would notice a mouse dropping immediately. I'm wondering if the smell was from some caulk or material they used when they were doing the siding. If I'm still as freaked out on Monday, I will call the exterminator. My husband made the comment that he can't imagine a mouse coming in the house to get warm. He teases me and says he has to go outside to get warm. Oh the joys of menopause!

I was so excited yesterday in a way only you girls will understand so I hope you don't mind me sharing. I have always had a love of antique jewelery. Years ago I went to antique jewelery shows and there was a woman who always had the most beautiful pieces. I would compare her items to many of Circe's beautiful pieces. She only did shows and didn't have a store. She quit doing the shows and I quit going because I would mostly go to see what she had for sale. Well yesterday I was out with a girlfriend and we saw a sign for a new jewelry store so we stopped in. The store won't officially open for a few weeks but the owner was there and it was the woman I remember. I'm so excited for her to open. My husband, not so much!

Marcy, I can't wait to see your earings!

 

[missy]

Hi Callie, that is good news about the smell in your basement and I think your plan is a good one. If you have no need for an exterminator that is great and if anything changes you can call them then. LOL about your dh saying he goes outside to warm up. That is sort of how it was here a few years ago but now I am a little better regulated though I sometimes think I am cold blooded. When it is hot outside I am boiling hot and when it is cold outside I am ice cold. I have trouble getting to a comfortable internal temp when there are extreme temps outside. Weird.

Thanks for sharing about your neck arthritis. It is a relief that you don't have too much of a problem with it and it is interesting how certain health conditions manifest themselves isn't it. Thank goodness you were OK after that bad car accident. It's very scary to think it could have had a different outcome. I think I shared with you the fact that a former classmate was in a car accident this past winter and he is now paralyzed from the neck down. Such a terrible tragedy.

I am not saying I have arthritis in my toe though and Victor thinks it is tendonitis and has me stretching the toe (still sounds funny to me) and then icing a few times a day.
I don't know for sure what is going on and today my ankle has been absolutely killing me (and very swollen too plus the foot is also very swollen) and we just got home from Costco and now I am elevating and icing my ankle. It has been very painful all day.

I am feeling overwhelmed again and think tonight might be the holy basil night. I gave some to my mom when she was here the other day but she didn't notice a difference though she is still taking a lot of oxycodone so perhaps that had something to do with it. I just want relief from this whole mess and my patience is just wearing thin but I have no choice but to endure.

Sorry for being down AGAIN. I know it's a long process but it's hard for me to trust in this process for some reason. And the slightest thing upsets me because I am feeling so overwhelmed now. When I am doing better and not in so much pain my mood is so much cheerier but when I am in more pain my mood is very gloomy. I cannot fake it but really wish I could because it would be a whole lot easier on Greg that's for sure.

Ooh I am excited for you and the opening of the antique jewelry store nearby. That is awesome. I wish we had a place like that near us. The closest estate jeweler that I love is in Lambertville which is about 2 hours away. You are so lucky Callie! Please share your experience when she opens her store and pics of some of her pieces would be great. That would probably cheer me up...

 

[Calliecake]

Hi Missy, I'm sorry to hear your feeling down. i can certainly understand how you feel especially when you have been feeling good for a few days. Honestly, I know If it were me my first thought would be "what's wrong now" and "is this normal". I think that would be expected of someone who tends to worries. Every little thing would make me uneasy. Try not to worry. I'm sure you have done nothing wrong. Also, from everything you have said you are going to have some days not quite as good as others. Just keep telling yourself it's just one of those days.

Are you doing anything fun tomorrow?

 

[Sunstorm]

Hi girls,

I missed talking to you but loved reading your stories.) It is only where to start and what I will miss addressing.

First of all, it sounds like you had a great time with your friend Missy, I am happy to hear that, sorry that it hurts to walk but it will still take a while before that goes away, hopefully it will go away completely. I too have neck problems, I have always had it and it went into headaches because of an injury during my birth. Then I too had a car accident and ever since then my neck has had ongoing pain, getting migraines from it, etc. I think I want to go to a massage on Monday. With the cold weather all these injuries hurt more and on certain days they are definitely worse. I have also been feeling butt pain from the injury from waterksiing. I know this sounds funny I mean people loved at the office for days when I had the fracture but it was not funny, now it is almost completely gone but sometimes it comes back a bit with weather changes.

Missy, my mom has Bechterev disease which can affect a lot of organs and it is caused by a HLAB gene mutation that can also cause other diseases. When she was 20 it attacked her kidneys and they were going to transplant but fortunately the steroids saved her kidneys and it was a good thing in many ways as her dad was going to be the donor and he also lost a kidney a year later. It is suspected that I have this disease too to a certain degree but have not gone into it on detail yet as the only treatment is steroids and my mom has never taken them except for when she was 20 and for long term survival it is best not to take it as it can be really damaging.

I am glad the bad smell is gone in your house Callie, definitely, still have the exterminators come out and check. It would be better to find out all is ok rather than it coming back and finding something rotting there, well, hope not. What a nice story about the antique jewelry shows, I love these shows too but now talk about a danger to your wallet, I am sure you will be visiting the lady's new store, not? I too love antique jewelry a lot. What types of jewelry does she usually have? If you go to see the store and well, perhaps, get something, let us know.

About skincare, well, products from the Estee Lauder company has always been amazing for me, great for antiaging, allergies, all issues I had. The problem only starts when you start switching. So not happy about that because I ended up with crappy skin and not only that then I have to figure out what caused the problem. This is why I spent so much money on La Mer, I do think it is great and well worth the price, yes, superexpensive but they also gave me a lot of samples and there was a gift with purchase but I thought that when I tried it, it did transform my skin, regenerated it very deeply so now I needed something like that and it is also made by Lauder and my skin tolerates their products so well.

Oh, Missy I am crazy about perfumes. I was on the Basenotes forum a lot and did their games Blind sniffs and things like that. People were awesome there and they ended up sending me so many perfumes, I cannot even count what I have. By now I have gifted some to family members not because they were not great but because they fit another person better. I like unique, balsamic, heavier, animalic perfumes, this may sound strange but it is hard to explain. My absolute favorite of all times is Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles vintage versions, EDC and EDT. The modern one is nothing like the original. See I was lucky as I was sent so many amazing vintage perfumes like Jean Patou Joy original perfume, etc. by Basenotes members. Now we cannot swap anymore because perfumes cannot be sent from the US to Europe but I have to say that Vienna is a great city for niche perfume shopping. I like Annick Goutal, By Kilian, some Montale, am trying some Serge Lutens although to me most are a bit strangely camphoric, love some of the Chanel Exclusives and was never a fan of Chanel before. Miller Harris L'Air de Rien, some of the vintage Clinique and Lauder, definitely deep scents but some are great. These are just some examples. I will look into what you recommended me because strangely I do not know them well and having been into perfumes for a long time that is odd. I have tried to stop my perfume obsession because I really do not need to buy new fumes for a long time and no, they are not cheap either, I mean many niche fumes are hundreds for one bottle, so I have tried staying away from the stores but especially with wiuter coming I really want to go and sniff new things now.

Marcy, when you come back we would love to hear details of your new ACA.

 

[missy]

Good morning Ovi how are you today? Thanks for sharing about your mother's condition. How fortunate that she has not had another episode with her kidneys and that she didn't need her father to donate his. That would have been awful with him losing a kidney later on and all. Sometimes things do work out. Living with a chronic autoimmune disease is challenging and makes one view life differently I think. Each day is more special and appreciated and nothing is taken for granted.

Oh I love perfume but can only tolerate very light applications where you need to be very close to me to be able to smell the fragrance. I enjoy Montale too. Vanille Absolu is nice if you are a vanilla fan. In fact if you are not a vanilla fan you won't like my previous recommendations but if you are I think you will love Tihota by Francis Kurkdijan. I also enjoy By Kilian as well. Back to Black and Straight to Heaven and A Taste of Heaven.

For Serge Lutens have you tried Un Bois Vanille? Only try it if you like vanilla and coconut though. Oh I forgot about another of my favorites along with Tihota...Vaniglia Del Madagascar by Farmacia SS. Annunziata. Love this one for cool days. It's a sexy lemony vanilla and again only good if you enjoy vanilla.

Hi Callie, how are you and how is your mom doing? Only a few more days till her surgery and road to full recovery. It's a rainy windy day here and original plan was to go to an indoor outlet mall so I could do a lot of walking since walking outside is not an option for me with the inclement weather today. But we woke up sort of late (for us at least lol 7AM) and now I am not so sure I want to make the trip because I have to do all my exercises before we go and that would mean a later start so it might not be worth the trip today.

What are your plans today? I hope you have something fun to do as well and that the weather by you is nicer than it is here. Enjoy.

ETA: Here is a funny video my friend just sent me. LOL.
http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/videos/things-cats-do-that-would-be-weird-if-humans-did-them

 

[Sunstorm]

Hi Missy,

Thanks, I am doing great today, as stressful as yesterday was today I am enjoying the day, reading, cleaning jewelry, etc., thinking of perfumes too, making new plans, designs and how are you feeling?

Oh, I do love vanilla and talk about enabling, I will try the Serge Lutens, I love coconut too, I just normally do not want very straight vanilla but many of mine have a lot of vanilla, in fact my faves do, think vintage Shalimar I have that in EDP and straight perfume, one of the srongest vanillas. I also like Miller Harris L'air de Rien, own that too, been thinking of getting another vanilla, I also love the combination between vanilla and incense. My favorite Chanel Coromandel is also a dominant incense and vanilla combination like Shalimar is as well, I love that and love vanilla the most with a bit of animalic touch, think L'Air de Rien or Bal a Versailles. My all time fave Bal a Versailles has quite a bit though that is a very complicated fume with one of the most notes in a fume ever created. My favorite by Kilian is also Back to Black which I do own a full bottle of, yummy! Now I will probably adore what you have recommended and need to go trying some of them. Bad news for my wallet.) One of the nice things about niche and vintage fumes is that they are soft. Even Bal a Versailles is very soft, I hate smelling synthetics, fumes in general with sharp, knockout, headachy notes, many niche and vintage fumes may have dominant notes but still the use of naturals makes them softer and closer to the skin. SL is definitely one of the sharper ones though some of his scents are very good. I hate Tuberose Criminelle but I think that Feminite de Bois is quite nice and it too has vanilla but still a bit sharper than what I normally enjoy. I like softness and warmth in a fume a lot. Un Bois Vanille sounds just like it would fit my personal taste, never tried it but looked at the notes and it is the warm, balsamic, slightly animalic vanilla I would enjoy. I do tend to like the work of Francis Kurkdijan a lot so your Tihota is another one I must try. Now I have to see if my favorite perfume store in town carries them, I think I am going to be breaking the bank this fall.)

 

[missy]

Hi Ovi, I love vanilla and incense too. Delish combo. Caveat about Tihota-it is purely vanilla so not sure it will be up your alley but do get a sample (Lucky Scent has them) to see.

I am about same as yesterday thanks. We are going to the indoor outlet that is in Elizabeth today but since we got a late start not sure we will be spending much time there. I just want to get some walking in if I am able so I guess we shall see. It is good to get out of the house even on a rainy day being I have been cooped up for so many months.

Enjoy your day ladies.

 

[azstonie]

Hi Missy:

Good shopping is very restorative

You guys on the East Coast, you've been having some weather, right? Do you now have a weather ankle/leg?

I used to think people who said their X joint or X appendage were full of it until I broke my leg/knee. Now when we are expecting rain here, my knee REALLY acts up.

Are you predicting weather now for you and Greg?????

 

[missy]

Hi Missy:

Good shopping is very restorative

You guys on the East Coast, you've been having some weather, right? Do you now have a weather ankle/leg?

I used to think people who said their X joint or X appendage were full of it until I broke my leg/knee. Now when we are expecting rain here, my knee REALLY acts up.

Are you predicting weather now for you and Greg?????

Haha, my leg could probably do a better job than the meteorologists on the news lol. I am really not sure what is going on...perhaps I am walking too much but I am mainly only walking on weekends (not counting to and from PT 3 times a week as it is only 10 blocks) and I did walk a bit this past Thursday because my girlfriend visited me and we walked to lunch in the neighborhood and then walked around for a couple of miles. And the only day it rained was today though I am sure barometric pressure has been low for a few days so perhaps.

I agree with you that shopping is good therapy and even though I am still in some pain I got a lovely Tori Burch cross body bag that I know I will make good use of since all my satchels and hobos and shoulder bags are not practical for me right now as they are too heavy to walk around carrying. It's light and small. Quick pic on way back from shopping.

Now I wish I could go back to sleep. I woke up at 1AM (really 2AM but since we turned the clocks back it was 1AM) and it is now after 2AM and I cannot fall back to sleep so I finally got out of bed. Waking up and being unable to fall back to sleep has nothing to do with any leg/ankle discomfort as it feels OK right now so it's not that. I just cannot fall asleep. I took the holy basil capsules just now that Rainwood recommended and am hoping they will make me sleepy. I have no sleeping pills anymore and benadryl just makes me so groggy that I am not going to even bother taking that.

Hope you are sound asleep Kristie and having sweet dreams.

 

[Sunstorm]

Hi Missy,

I hope you were able to go back to sleep, I have recently noticed too that I am sleeping less but in my case it is simply that I seem to have more energy which is odd because in the fall it tends to be the other way around. It could be that you are spending more time home and not using as much energy as if you were working and hence you cannot sleep. I hope this problem resolves soon. Is it happening a lot lately? I hate insomnia but if I can only fall asleep at 3 ok but then I sleep until I have to get up or when I am home when I want to get up, the worst is when you cannot sleep through the night and wake up because then I tend to feel very tired and groggy the next day. Are you taking naps in the afternoon? I wonder if that causes it perhaps.

As to walking hurting, this is a tough one. Normally I would tell you to keep moving because I know that is what my mom has done too, no matter how hard it seems, keep moving your body. BUT it is different when you have bone injury. Even then exercise is really important because you want your muscles and joints remaining strong but the type and amount of exercise you can do after surgery is different. PT is one of the best things and doing the exercises recommended there at home but other than that you cannot overdo it as you could do more damage.

Ah, yeah I am like frogs too, I am very sensitive to changes in the weather and know ahead of time when it is going to rain even when my phone tells me otherwise. Previous injuries hurt more but also do remember what I said cold weather makes joint, bone, etc. pain feel much more intense. The weather has been really bad there?

Wow, I knew you would be buying something.) Cute purse, yes this will be comfy. Have you had a nice time out? Anything else you acquired?

It was nice to talk about perfumes, it seems that it is one more thing we have in common. Unfortunately, now I feel much more inspired to go out and sniff things which will not end well I already know. Perfume hunting is a lot of fun as it takes long to select what you love and you get to try a lot of new stuff. Almost as much fun to me as jewelry projects.

Today the weather is gorgeous here, surprise, surprise, this year it has sucked so much. Now the sun is shining and must go out later to do something. Hope you finally got some rest and talk to you later! Healing hugs sent your way.

 

[missy]

Thank you Ovi. I was able to fall back asleep around 4AM and woke just after 6AM so though I did not get a full night's sleep I am happy I was able to fall back to sleep at all. It was the first time I took the Holy Basil supplements and perhaps they helped or perhaps I was just so exhausted. I think the reason I woke up is the skin on my face is very dry and very itchy when the weather changes like it has from mild to cold and I am not sure if it is seb derm (just around the nose and under-red and itchy and dry) or not but moisturizing doesn't help so I had to apply a drop of steroid which I hate doing because it is contraindicated when one has rosacea. I was desperate. Still itchy and irritated but I am hoping it calms down.

I am not a napper but yes my occasional insomnia it could also be due to being less active though I have never been a good sleeper anyway. It's just been exacerbated these past 4-5 months (I cannot believe how much time has passed since the accident) by my injury.

I also have this internal clock where usually no matter how poorly I slept that night I still awake in the predawn hours. It's from all those years of waking up early for my residency and then work so for some reason that cannot be beat into submission to allow me to sleep later if I need it. Also I slept late (for me) yesterday morning so that could explain it too. I sleep well one day and poorly for the next few days.

I used to take sleeping pills but went cold turkey a few years ago and I do not plan on going back to them. I would rather have sleepless nights and just deal with the aftermath then be at the mercy of those darn pills if you kwim.

I think you will enjoy exploring the new perfumes and of course you will only purchase those that are FB worthy so no wasting money. I am excited to hear your thoughts and hope you find a new HG perfume! I am not on a search right now but when I am I will be looking to you for recommendations.

I am glad you have a lovely weather day where you are today. Any plans for this last weekend day? We had fun yesterday and it was perfect for the rainy windy nasty day it turned out to be...today is just cold and very windy and I feel sorry for the marathoners here as today is the NYC marathon. Not sure what we will be doing but I can safely say I will not be participating in the marathon hahaha but wishing all of them lots of good luck to complete their run.

 

[Sunstorm]

Hi Missy,

I will probably get out of the house later this afternoon now that the weather is nice, I slept in today and feeling a bit drowsy for whatever reason.

I hear you on the skin problems, I think it is probably like mine, I was going crazy from it last week that my skin is a total wreck with flaky red spots that turn brownish, extra flaking in areas, raised red dots elsewhere and when I use plain shea butter I get breakouts everywhere. I am trying to avoid steroids as that was what I was mostly suggested too though my mom told me to wait (she is a dermatologist) and she has avoided steroids almost all her life and I want to do the same. Patience is a virtue as I know that my skin will get better as it gets used to the cold weather and heating everywhere but I felt so depressed about it and the itching bothered me that it was the reason that prompted me to drop over 300 euros on La Mer as it does somehow clear up the redness, the flaking and also heals any scars or residues from pimples. I felt hesitant as I do not want my skin to get used to something so expensive but I was given a lot of gifts and I am happy that I finally gave in.

This was how the perfume bug has bitten me again, I was not on the hunt either because perfume buying is a never ending story, much like jewelry, I do not need to start this too. I still own tons of perfumes but talk about enabling and temptation when working in Vienna. I visited a niche perfume store to sniff and I did actually want to sniff vanillas but was not crazy about what they had, some brands I did not know smaller houses and think I tried Montale and Annick Goutal. From Montale I liked a Rose Incense but not crazy about it, I do like rose but do not love it. From Annick Goutal I still like Encens Flamboyant but my fave of that trio is Myrrhe Ardente and they did not have that. Then now I want to go to the other store where I got the La Mer as of course they have a rebate program too that I can spend 10 % of my previous purchases on new stuff. Anyhow, maybe just go and smell for now.

I have also had periods when I had to take sleeping pills but I too try to avoid them now. My problem is that sometimes I cannot fall asleep until 3 and then I have to get up at 6 or 7 but generally my problem is not so severe, it intensifies with weather changes. I am sorry about your problem, yes allergy pills can help and I have to take them but benadryl is very outdated and I would not recommend it. If you do not have to though then do not take antihistamines as they can be hard on the liver. I am trying to think what may help you with insomnia but most natural stuff did not work for me in the past. Minerals can help, magnesium comes into my mind as it makes me very calm and sleep. Have you tried it? What are the plans for today? Hope you all have a great day.

 

[marcy]

Hi Missy,

My ACA’s will be in the 8 prong martini settings in yellow gold. I bought an ACA for my ering in May so I’ve been trying to justify buying studs from WF ever since. I am very anxious to see them. Greg does deserve new boots; that way you can both enjoy cool new boots. It makes sense to buy each other exactly what we want; no sense paying a lot of money for something then have them set in the closet or jewelry box. Not sentimental but pretty logical.

Thanks for offering to keep me entertained if we lived closer. That would be fun. I could come over and we could do PT together. I certainly need to get back to doing some leg lifts for my knees. Then we could look at cool diamonds and gemstones online. FUN!

It sounds like you had a great time visiting with your friend. Sorry you got down from the pain and swelling you had when you got home, but you had some nice memories to enjoy while icing and taking it easy. I think the more you do the better your pain and swelling will get. A few months ago it sounded like going shopping with friends wouldn’t be until well after Christmas so being able to do that is a very cool in itself.

You had a hornet’s nest in your BBQ? How awful. We had bird’s nests in there before and I thought those were bad.

I had a coughing attack about 3 this morning and it took a while to get back to sleep so I actually slept in until about 8:30 “new time”. Missy, I had to hear you still don’t sleep too well.

I’ve been watching my football team get creamed this afternoon. Boo.

Hi Calliecake. How exciting to find that antique jewelry store. I am sure you husband wasn’t thrilled with your discovery. I am quite anxious to see my earrings too.

It is kind of strange that all of us (Missy, Calliecake, Ovi and me) have sensitive skin, issues with pain / arthritis, insomnia and like vanilla. Obviously we all like jewelry too. Small world.

I’m with you on predicting weather changes. I am sure you ankle will keep you apprised of bad weather. Funny you should mention that Azstonie. We have a snow storm moving in tonight and my knees, ankles and sinuses are definitely trying to get my attention.

Have a great evening and day tomorrow.

Marcy

 

[azstonie]

Luv that Tory Burch bag

My new best sleep help: Atarax. Just tried it, it's been around a long time. I'm itchy (the main symptom it handles), allergic to all kinds of stuff ( second symptom it handles), and sleepless at least once a week. Read up on it, Google it. I like it more than Xanax. It does well for anxiety. It is part of the antihistamine family.

 

[Sunstorm]

Ah, yes I think my dad has recommended me Atarax but I never dared to try it. My dad is a psychiatrist and well known, he also does a lot of pharmaceutical research for big companies and he told me to try Atarax but my dad always thinks everyone should take at least five different kinds of antidepressants and anxiety meds so I have resisted so far. It could have been a good one to try though. I do suffer from bad anxiety, always have and have taken Xanax. I think that Xanax is the best from the antianxiety meds but it does need time to build up in the system to really work as otherwise when first taken antianxiety meds can have the opposite effect. Problem is, Xanax is very highly addictive and almost impossible to go off. The side effects of withdrawal are awful. If someone only takes it occasionally, then it is fine but it is hard to keep it for bad bouts of insomnia/anxiety. Also, it should never be taken in doses over 1 mg long term as it effects memory. The therapeutical dosage and treatment indications are to take it daily, once to twice a day and preferably take SR, the one that has long lasting effects but again as I said once someone gets used to it, it can be extremely difficult to wean their systems from it. I do think it is better to take occasionally though than taking sleeping pills as Xanax does not make one groggy the next day. Thanks for the suggestion because I do need to take antihistamines twice a day so something like Atarax could work great and I will ask my dad about taking that instead of my usual allergy meds.

 

[Kelinas]

Hi missy
How's your PT going?

I wonder how you are feeling /healing often, but rarely get the chance to check in

I hope you are feeling better as the days go by!

 

[Calliecake]

Cute bag Missy. Tory Birch has some great bags. It sounds like you had a great day on Saturday in spite of the weather. How was you toe feeling yesterday?

I forgot to tell you I took an Ativan to help me sleep about a month ago. I slept for 12 hours straight but felt so groggy and out of it the whole day. I've just resigned myself to the fact my days of sleeping good are pretty much over and blame it on menopause. I also had a terrible reaction to Ambien.

We had a good weekend. We went out to a fantastic Italian restaurant on Saturday night with friends. Yesterday was spent at my parents house. My moms general practice doctor told her last week she needs to be on oxygen the rest of her life. My husband and I would like her to see a lung specialist after her back surgery. I'm finding it hard to believe that her lungs are now so bad when she seems fine and does everything without a problem. Now we just have to talk her into seeing the pulmonary doctor.

Marcy, When are you expected to receive your new earrings? You are correct, my husband isn't nearly as thrilled as I am about the antique jewelry store opening in our area. Im sure I could get into some serious trouble in this store!

OVincze, Do you think a big part of what's going on with your skin could be partly due to weather changes? My skin has been so dry since the furnace is on in our home.

 

[Sunstorm]

Everyone sounds positive and great today, good news to hear! Well, I hope that Missy you slept better. Yes, it is a small world indeed or perhaps we have just found each other because we have so many things in common, funny how it can happen over the internet and by never meeting but perhaps one day if we all go to the PS get together, we will get to meet, would that not be fun? We could all go shopping together as we like so many similar things.

Yes my skin is awful because of the weather in a large part, allergies play a part but I have had eczema for a while on my hands, never on my face though. It is much better since I have started the La Mer, still dry but the flaking and red spots are going away and so are the pimples. Though I did drop quite a chunk of money on this set, I feel it was a really good decision.

Today was very stressful, with all the work stress going on, I was hoping that on my day off I would get to relax. I was to leave for a massage, get my nails and lashes done and my dogs ripped the fence and I could not leave home. I had to leave to run some errands too. The mom kept coming after me on the streets. I finally locked them in the garage but knew they would get out in no time and hoped that once I am gone they will not try to get out of the yard. Talk about relaxation, I cancelled everything that I did not really have to do to get back home and try to temporarily cover the holes as I definitely do not want the dogs getting hit. I was sooo worried the whole time. Now we have to fix it ASAP before we head out on a business day trip tomorrow.

Keep the news coming girls and hope you did have a good night Missy.

 

[missy]

Hi Marcy, how are you today? I'm sorry your football team lost. Hopefully they will make up for it next game. I hate that you had a poor night's sleep Saturday night also! And I hope that coughing fit you had won't repeat itself and that you had a restful slumber last night. I slept better last night and woke up perfect time to get ready for PT this morning.

Your 8 prong martini setting for your ACA's sound amazing. You know I love an 8 prong setting. It is going to be gorgeous in yellow gold.

Haha yes it is weird we have those things in common-occasional insomnia/poor sleepers/arthritis/skin issues and vanilla lovers. Weird.

It is beautiful weather here and I went out by myself (first time since accident by myself!) for a walk this afternoon and it felt great. The sun, feeling the warmth of it on my face, the perfect autumn temperature with the changing leaves on the trees and the leaves on the ground. It was a lovely afternoon.

I walked a bit too far because by the time I turned around I was experiencing discomfort and my limp was more pronounced as my ankle and toe was really hurting but Victor did say to push through the toe pain for now. He said worse comes to worse I get a little setback but right now he wants me pushing through that pain so I did. But I am happy I went out by myself. It was/is about time!

Hope you are enjoying this Monday Marcy and have a great rest of your day. I hope that snowstorm you mentioned is a non event and not interfering with your plans today.


Hi Kristie, thanks. I really like my new cross body. It fits everything I need perfectly and is so light. Just what I wanted. I really would have preferred getting it in a carmel/light brown color or even navy because I have so many black bags already but it goes with almost everything so it's OK and it is a practical color.

Thanks for the sleeping med recommendation. Sometimes I take antihistamines if I have trouble falling asleep (it does double duty as I do have allergies). Not sure I want to start down the road of heavier duty meds but next time I see any of my doctors I will ask them if they will write an Rx for me for Atarax to have in reserve just in case especially because it helps with itchiness. I am having major itchy symptoms on my face and it is annoying so maybe this would help.

In fact I am considering trekking out to NYU tomorrow to see my dermatologist because of the itching on my face. I think it is seb derm though I never had that before but my initial thought is that it is so if I am up for it tomorrow I am going to keep my standing derm appt. I haven't seen him since before my accident and he doesn't know I broke my leg. I know this is going to sound weird but I am embarrassed to see him because I was such a wreck this year. He had been trying to help me with my burning symptoms in Feb/March/April/May after my January illness and that's the last I saw him. So really not looking forward to seeing him tomorrow if I do go because he is going to think I am calamity Jane!

He has been my derm for over 10 years now and I like and trust him. He's a smart man. I just don't want him feeling sorry for me because of the year I had so that's why I had been avoiding keeping my derm appts until now because the face issue is driving me batty. Plus I am used to relatively clear skin and it is blotchy and not looking good so I would love to get to the bottom of it and treat it. Though I know if it is seb derm there is no simple definitive it works treatment. Like much of medicine!

Sorry I made a not so long explanation so darn long but basically if I see my derm tomorrow I am going to ask him if he would write me an Rx for Atarax so I can keep it in reserve. He might not want to but if he thinks I would benefit from it he will write it for me.

 

[missy]

Hi missy
How's your PT going?

I wonder how you are feeling /healing often, but rarely get the chance to check in

I hope you are feeling better as the days go by!

Hi Kelinas! How are you? Thank you for thinking of me and stopping by. That is so thoughtful of you especially given all you are going through right now. You are in my thoughts as well and I hope things are improving and that you are hanging in there. Hugs to you.

Cute bag Missy. Tory Birch has some great bags. It sounds like you had a great day on Saturday in spite of the weather. How was you toe feeling yesterday?

I forgot to tell you I took an Ativan to help me sleep about a month ago. I slept for 12 hours straight but felt so groggy and out of it the whole day. I've just resigned myself to the fact my days of sleeping good are pretty much over and blame it on menopause. I also had a terrible reaction to Ambien.

We had a good weekend. We went out to a fantastic Italian restaurant on Saturday night with friends. Yesterday was spent at my parents house. My moms general practice doctor told her last week she needs to be on oxygen the rest of her life. My husband and I would like her to see a lung specialist after her back surgery. I'm finding it hard to believe that her lungs are now so bad when she seems fine and does everything without a problem. Now we just have to talk her into seeing the pulmonary doctor.

Marcy, When are you expected to receive your new earrings? You are correct, my husband isn't nearly as thrilled as I am about the antique jewelry store opening in our area. Im sure I could get into some serious trouble in this store!

OVincze, Do you think a big part of what's going on with your skin could be partly due to weather changes? My skin has been so dry since the furnace is on in our home.

Hi Callie, so glad you had a great weekend. I agree with you getting a second opinion for your mom regarding her lungs and the need for oxygen. I hope that gets sorted out as it doesn't make sense given what you said about her functioning before. Is her surgery tomorrow? Thinking good thoughts for her!

Sorry you had such a bad reaction to Ativan. I never took that drug but I share with you a bad reaction to Ambien in that it made me hallucinate somewhat and also made me feel groggy in the AM. It also took forever to help me fall asleep so not my favorite med.

My toe is still bothering me but as I wrote in the above post Victor wants me to try to push past the pain and walk on it heel to toe as I have been trying to do. And also pull on it stretching that tendon and then ice. Hoping the pain dissipates soon so I can concentrate on moving my ankle more than dealing with the toe pain.

Hope you are having a good day Callie.

Everyone sounds positive and great today, good news to hear! Well, I hope that Missy you slept better. Yes, it is a small world indeed or perhaps we have just found each other because we have so many things in common, funny how it can happen over the internet and by never meeting but perhaps one day if we all go to the PS get together, we will get to meet, would that not be fun? We could all go shopping together as we like so many similar things.

Yes my skin is awful because of the weather in a large part, allergies play a part but I have had eczema for a while on my hands, never on my face though. It is much better since I have started the La Mer, still dry but the flaking and red spots are going away and so are the pimples. Though I did drop quite a chunk of money on this set, I feel it was a really good decision.

Today was very stressful, with all the work stress going on, I was hoping that on my day off I would get to relax. I was to leave for a massage, get my nails and lashes done and my dogs ripped the fence and I could not leave home. I had to leave to run some errands too. The mom kept coming after me on the streets. I finally locked them in the garage but knew they would get out in no time and hoped that once I am gone they will not try to get out of the yard. Talk about relaxation, I cancelled everything that I did not really have to do to get back home and try to temporarily cover the holes as I definitely do not want the dogs getting hit. I was sooo worried the whole time. Now we have to fix it ASAP before we head out on a business day trip tomorrow.

Keep the news coming girls and hope you did have a good night Missy.

Oh Ovi, I am sorry your day is so stressful today and I hope the dogs remain safe and the fence can get fixed sooner rather than later so that is one less thing you need to be concerned about. Hope you can get that massage and pampering soon!

I slept well last night thanks for asking. Sometimes being exhausted has its benefits haha so that was good. It's amazing how a good night's sleep can make you feel so much better the next day. Like a new person. Thank you for the recommendation of Magnesium. I have been taking that to help with my sleeping for many years. Not sure it helps but it doesn't hurt. I take about 400-600 mg a day now.

I enjoyed the day and am home icing and relaxing before Greg comes home from work. After PT this morning Greg and I had time to go for coffee at a coffee shop nearby and we had a lovely hour of just chatting and enjoying coffee together before he had to go to work. It was a treat and if his work schedule permits I am hoping we get to do more of that after PT as long as he is accompanying me there that is.

Anyway I hope the rest of your day is going more smoothly than earlier and that you have a stress free evening and a good business trip tomorrow.

 

[Sunstorm]

Missy, kudos for walking outside for the first time! You are very brave, I bet it must have felt great, you made a great step towards recovery, yaaay!

This is really odd because I think I have seb derm too for the first time in my life as well, what on Earth is in the air everywhere around the world, we are not even in the same area and now this hitting us all at the same time as well as the insomnia. Do go to see your derm Missy but unfortunately for me no recommendations have worked so far only the La Mer, I do have to admit I did not want to try cortisone and my mom thought it was not the greatest idea anyhow as if there is infection, it will only make it worse. Antibiotic ointment did not work either, I even tried antifungus, nothing. Now I have stopped all medicated products and doing only the La Mer. The irritation is lessening but my skin is very very far from perfect still. On the downside, due to the deep regeneration I seem to be getting an occasional breakout here and there but nothing major, that may be my normal ones due to hormones.

I agree Missy, try to avoid heavy meds. The only time I did that was when I went to PTSD as in post trauma and I really could not sleep more than two hours at a time. In the summer when it was really hot and we had mosquitos that I truly hate and am allergic too I did take sleeping pills twice but no thanks. I take a really good one and will try to remember the name but it is not so heavy duty and if you still cannot fall asleep you can start doing things like walking in your sleep, never happened to me but it happened that I still did not fall asleep and felt like death warmed over the next day.

Tomorrow I will stay with my sister who has had some issues but will check news about you girls. Hope that everyone is doing well today, hugs.

 

[missy]

Missy, kudos for walking outside for the first time! You are very brave, I bet it must have felt great, you made a great step towards recovery, yaaay!

This is really odd because I think I have seb derm too for the first time in my life as well, what on Earth is in the air everywhere around the world, we are not even in the same area and now this hitting us all at the same time as well as the insomnia. Do go to see your derm Missy but unfortunately for me no recommendations have worked so far only the La Mer, I do have to admit I did not want to try cortisone and my mom thought it was not the greatest idea anyhow as if there is infection, it will only make it worse. Antibiotic ointment did not work either, I even tried antifungus, nothing. Now I have stopped all medicated products and doing only the La Mer. The irritation is lessening but my skin is very very far from perfect still. On the downside, due to the deep regeneration I seem to be getting an occasional breakout here and there but nothing major, that may be my normal ones due to hormones.

I agree Missy, try to avoid heavy meds. The only time I did that was when I went to PTSD as in post trauma and I really could not sleep more than two hours at a time. In the summer when it was really hot and we had mosquitos that I truly hate and am allergic too I did take sleeping pills twice but no thanks. I take a really good one and will try to remember the name but it is not so heavy duty and if you still cannot fall asleep you can start doing things like walking in your sleep, never happened to me but it happened that I still did not fall asleep and felt like death warmed over the next day.

Tomorrow I will stay with my sister who has had some issues but will check news about you girls. Hope that everyone is doing well today, hugs.

Aww Ovi, you are very kind. Thank you for all your encouragement.

I dislike steroids too but as far as I know they are the only topical that will keep that darn seb derm away but once you stop it goes crazy so I am resisting that urge plus with my rosacea that is a BAD combination. Steroids thin the skin and can exacerbate your rosacea horribly. I am hoping it is the weather change that is causing this seb derm flare but not positive. I swear the older I get the more I long for more mild weather. Winter/cold weather really aggravates my skin. Now I know why old people move to Florida haha.

I am sorry your sister has some issues going on and I hope your visit with her goes well and that your visit brings her comfort as I am sure it will. Have a good time!

 

[Sunstorm]

Yes, I certainly loved living in the Bay Area, I mean there were no severe changes in the weather a big plus for me as it meant much less headaches and joint pains and of course less issues with skin too. After I moved back to Europe, my system went crazy too, hormonally and got a kidney infection in October I thought I would die from the cold weather and it was only the beginning, that winter it was something minus 20 Celsius. Milder weather is really wonderful I have to say, this is the only thing I truly hate about where I am living right now.

I hear you on the rosacea, yes I have a bit of that too and exactly what you said, steroids slow down your own body's production of cortisone too, so after stopping it is double bad and also any breakouts, etc. could really get out of hand. I have had to use cortisone cream before in case of severe allergies and also had to take steroids but only a few days at a time to ensure that after you have a severe reaction you do not die within the next few days as apparently you can be hit with another one in a few days but this is all and a few days on steroids really does not affect the body long term. If my skin did not get better I would have used some cortisone too but it is calming a little, I will see if this La Mer thing keeps working for me. I have never had such crappy skin in my life as I have now. Please let us know what the derm says Missy. If you are itching badly then you may want to use a bit of cortisone, I do understand it is counterproductive but topically it should not be as bad especially if you use it just once or twice. Perhaps your derm will recommend something entirely different.

Yes, I do think it was a huge step that you went for a walk alone, you have come a long way. Thanks, the visit with my sister is really to help her and not for my enjoyment but still nice. I love getting away and have not done it in quite a while, I sure could use it but do not want to be telling you that, I can imagine how hard that must be but when you look back in a year or so I am sure you will realize that not only time passes by pretty fast in hindsight but that these lessons teach you to become stronger and fight, it definitely brings out the strength in your character.

 

[missy]

Yes Ovi, I agree time does go quickly and I cannot believe the summer is gone and autumn is well on its way. It truly was a blessing that this summer went by so quickly because it proved a very challenging summer for me.

Please do not ever worry about saying something about what you are doing or want to do because you think it will upset me because I cannot do it yet. I enjoy hearing about what you are doing, where you want to travel etc and even though I am not quite there yet I will be one day and there is no need to worry about upsetting me. It makes me happy to hear you are enjoying your life!

As for the steroids I know how critical they can be orally. It's just topically for me they are very risky and though my derm may recommend them sparingly I am very hesitant to apply topical steroids given what I know about my rosacea. But I will share with you what he tells me tomorrow (if I go).

And I am so sorry you have been through so much at so young an age too and I know when you write your words of encouragement to me you understand how I am feeling having been through many challenging times yourself. I hope your visit with your sister comforts her and that she will be OK. Hugs to you Ovi.

 

[marcy]

Hi Missy. How are you today?

I am glad you had a good night sleep and woke up in perfect time for PT. I slept okay but seem tired today. Probably the time change messing with me.

How was PT today? Your coffee break with Greg sounds like a perfect way to spend a nice, quiet time with your hubby.

Do you have any 8-prong jewelry? I don’t have any 8-prong now but I thought they would set low on my ear so I decided to try them.

That is great you ventured out for a walk by yourself and enjoyed the Sun and beautiful weather. I hate to hear you got so sore. We had about 4” of snow but it was mostly slushy.

I meant to mention yesterday I like your purse. I just ordered a new handbag from Ebags – it was on sale and I got 20% off. How could I not?

Calliecake, a little Chlor-Trimeton knocks me out so bad I can barely sleep it off. I told DH to take one when he couldn’t sleep and he never slept a wink that night.

Ovi, I hate to hear your day off was so stressful. Sorry to hear about the fence, did you get it fixed? The only lotion that keeps my hands from cracking and bleeding is Neutrogena Norwegian hand cream and I’ve been out of it for a few days. My hands are a mess.

I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow.
Marcy

 

[Calliecake]

Missy, I can't believe you are getting out by yourself. Victor must be so proud of the progress you have made. It sounds like you had a nice morning with Greg. I'm beginning to understand your feelings about leaving the city. It must be nice to be able to walk to restaurants and shopping.

Is your dermatologist located nearby or will you need to take a cab to the appoinment? I'm sure he'll be happy to see you if you decide to keep the appointment.

OVincze, Were you able to get the fence fixed? Were the dogs okay this afternoon? I hope your day got better after the rough start. Did you have a nice visit with your sister? Do you get to spend time with her often?

Marcy, it's funny you mentioned the medicine having a different effect on you and your husband. My husband always takes NyQuil when he has a cold. I took it once and was wide awake all night. Medicine can affect people so differently.