What's the matter with August?

We had a pretty fabulous July: road trip! Across Nevada's loneliest highway through Tahoe to Bishop CA and back to Vegas for a spontaneous reunion of Jan's cousins. Thence, we flew to Vancouver to help my auntie celebrate her 100th birthday. It was amazing to see her spunk and her mental sharpness. That, too, was an occasion for cousins--this time, mine. The weather cooperated throughout.

So, you can see that I have spent a larger than usual number of hours cooped up in autos and airline cabins and in the associated activities of hauling suitcases into and out of them. In Vancouver, I tried to walk to eat. By then I was in great pain. It has taken all of the couple weeks we have been home for my lower back and knees to kind of repair. Mostly, that has happened because I have not done anything physical.

Then last week I had some postponed dentistry, the preparation of  a new crown. Within a day or so of that session I started in with what has been a vicious upper respiratory infection. I haven't had green mucous like this since I was a kid. I am about a week into it now and if in a couple more days I don't feel substantially improved, it is off to Insta-Care for some antibiotics.

So name the cause: 1. Airline recirculated air? 2. The impact of the dentistry? 3. The more general impact of doing too much? All are contiguous to the advent of this infection. Or is it just something about August? I was in enough pain before the travel period that I called my Physical Rehab doc for another epidural injection. Of course, he couldn't schedule it before the trip. It is coming up in a couple weeks. But when I look back I see that my prior injection was last year. Guess when? August, yes. I came to peak pain then, also. And the year before? My cancer diagnosis. August, yes.

Bright side? The prior epidural lasted a full year. That is pretty good in anyone's book. Also, I think my immune system might be fighting the good fight on this infection.

But on the dark side? It's August, a time I seem to be heavily involved with the medical community.

Happy 4th...

Coming from SLC where we are spending the holiday with my daughter and sister-in-law. Yesterday was my port flush and the brain now firmly reminds me that it is time to update the condition my condition is in. Which is, as they say, pretty good. Which means that nothing has changed. Still with the neuropathy, and the arthritis.  Still managing both.  Finding out that alchohol is pretty good as an analgesic which works well on both of the types of pain  generated by these two maladies. My deceased father-in-law was the model for this type of pain management. He never really got loaded, but by late afternoon was pretty mellow. Don't want to make too much of this: I am not even boozing every day. Just saying that when I have a whiskey-soda in the evening I can walk up stairs normally.

After Jan sees to her hair tomorrow, Jan, I, and her sister will drive to the Great Basin National Park and thence to Ely, NV. Then the following day to Carson City NV across the lonliest highway in the US. A short time at Tahoe and thence to Bishop, CA and the backside of the Sierra Nevadas. After a couple days we will make our way to Vegas for a few days.  All of this is provoked by Jan's cousins who have decided on an impromptu reunion. There are at least a half dozen of them--Bishops, Coxes--and they are all fun to be with. But Vegas for 3 days???  In July???

The  ides of August, about the time of my next flush, will mark two years since my initial diagnosis. Just noting....