Monday was the dentist. They had called me in June when I was due but she phoned while I was working at the Thrift Shop. By the time I got back to her it was too late to schedule before we left town again. On our return I called and got this appointment. Everything was OK so I am good for six months. By then I will be in Progreso and will see Dr. Flores for $25 versus Dr. S for $205!
Next up was PT at 9 am on Tuesday instead of the 7 am I had been doing. She put me through my paces and then we talked about where I am on this. We agreed the consensus was forming that this is a hip issue, not my back, and I will not come again until the two doctors agree it is warranted. If I need a new hip, no amount of PT will fix it. It has been a whole lot better but I don't want to push the inevitable down the road as I quietly get older in the meantime.
Today was my GP appointment. My problem is a vicious circle. The anti-inflammatory pills for my hip cause my BP to raise and the BP pill I was prescribed in the Kentucky ER makes me cough like I have whooping cough. I had stopped taking them and watched my BP to be sure it stayed down. But as the prednisone wore off it became necessary to take the anti-inflammatory again and my BP shot up. After only three pills I was hacking so bad I could not even sleep.
I had to bring Dr. C up to date on my summer and the pills I have been given. I explained my problem and asked him to prescribe a BP bill that would not produce the Ace Inhibitor Cough. He agreed all these pills are not good for you long term and if I need a hip no pill is going to fix it. He prescribed a different type so I am keeping my fingers crossed. My hip doctor appt. is the big one on Friday.
Thursday was our only day to have fun! So we met our friends Jay and Stella for lunch. They came home from Colorado for medical reasons and we were so pleased they called to ask us to get together. We had a good visit and hope to see them with Tommy and Susan in a week or two.
When we left them we stopped at Verizon to join the 21st century. Until today we both used flip phones! We had been looking at the various Smartphones and finally decided on the I Phone 6. He said it would be so much easier for us to learn to use because we are used to the I Pad. We'll see about that! Our contacts are in there and I was able to receive and send emails. So far, so good.
Friday's doctor's appt. was not as definitive as I had hoped. He said there was arthritis in the joint but he has seen folks way worse who were willing to deal with it instead of having surgery. I explained the medicine I have needed to take makes my blood pressure go through the roof so my choice is no pain meds and reasonable BP or manageable pain and worry about what the high BP will do to me. And we still don't know how the new BP will work and if the cough will go away. Then there is the matter of the back doctor and the PT. He said it is entirely up to me what to do so I will be mulling this all over the weekend.
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