Ouch!

I injured my wrist over a year ago tiling my bathroom, which by the way, looks great! I went on a 72 hour, have-to-finish-it-or-else spree. Apparently the repetitive movement caused my Triangular Fibrocartilageneous Cartilage Complex, (what a mouthful!), or TFC, to tear. It happened in September of '08 but I didn't see a doctor until December of '08. I was given a cortisone injection and told to come back if it still hurt. After about a week, it felt much better and I was able to move it with minimal discomfort.
Fast forward to December of '09 and the pain came back with a vengeance while I was trying to unlock my front door with the key. I went in again to see the doctor last Friday and she explained that I was going to need surgery. One part would be easy, arthroscopy and the other would require a shortening of the ulna which would not be easy or painless. She decided to give me another cortisone shot to buy me some time. She also figured if it worked for so long the first time, maybe I'd get lucky a second time.
The first shot was uncomfortable but the second one was extremely painful. I wasn't able to use my hand (right, of course), for a couple of days. I was told to wait a week and if it didn't improve, I was to make an appointment for surgery.
I almost lost my right hand due to gangrene when I was about 11 years old. A surgeon who flew in from Florida, just to see me!, held out hope that it could be saved and low and behold I still have my hand! So needless to say, I'm very attached to my hand:)
Considering all the pain and suffering going on in this world every minute, I'm very fortunate that this is nothing in the grand scheme of things. I'm blessed with good health and good medical insurance! Please take this posting as nothing more than just an update in the life that is mine!
I have been doing some research on these procedures and I will be getting a second opinion. My week is up and the pain is still there.
In the meantime, (while I procrastinate making that phone call), I thought it would be fun to post a link to some literature on the procedure and maybe get some feedback.
Here it is : www.pncl.co.uk/~belcher/information/Ulnar%20osteotomy.pdf

Driver's License... Take 1 and 2

Gage has been waiting to get his license for two years. He got his permit when he was 16 and when we found out it was going to be close to $700 for Driver's Ed., we decided he could wait.
At the bottom of the page is a picture of Gage with his Pops and Madrina. He was nervous but very excited. Next pix up is the car he was going to take his road test in courtesy of his Madrina since minivans are an unacceptable vehicle for road tests. He waited in a long line, in cold weather, filling out his paperwork and anxious to get started.
The vehicle needs to be inspected and approved by the person giving the test and unfortunately the car was rejected because it did not have a hand emergency brake. Apparently in the state of Massachusetts it is mandatory for the car to have an accessible emergency hand brake which this car did not have. We had heard about it but we just weren't sure. Needless to say, Gage was just a little disappointed. He was just a couple of weeks shy of his permit expiring and was not happy to have to reschedule and find a car that would accommodate the commonwealth's unwavering commitment to keep its citizens safe.
My mom stepped up and volunteered her little PT Cruiser that just happens to have a law abiding brake. We also found out that the driving schools in the area will also be happy to rent a car to you along with a three day crash course and of course, a fee to use the car which came out to about $300. I think that the Commonwealth's unwavering support of the local driving school's business is amazing. I mean, to think that they would make sure that those driving schools not lose business is enough to make anyone cry. And people think that businesses are having a hard time staying afloat. Come on. With the government watching over them like this, who can go under?!?
Well, we rescheduled for the only date available before the expiration date (which was this Sunday), and he was able to get in for Friday.

Here he is. He looks so official.

He will be driving tonight to a dance at church with his sister and a couple of friends. I do trust him to be careful. Now he just needs to focus on paying for his part of the insurance on the van... and for gas..... and maintenance .... Oh Gage, congratulations and welcome to adulthood. Isn't it grand????

Ummm... where's the snow?

I have to laugh. I have no idea how predicting the weather works nor do I care to know. I just feel bad for the meteorologists when things like today happen. All we've been hearing for 24 hours is about this big storm that is heading our way and considering the fact that we've had a mild winter, this is going to be a big deal. Schools were cancelled, daycares were closed and some people were lucky enough to get to stay home from work.
At 5:00 am the news said the storm would be here around 7:00 am. Then at 8:00 am they said it's going to start any minute now. At noon they said not be caught off guard because the snow would be here any time now. It is now 4:45 pm and I'm thinking maybe God knew how much I was dreading the snow that He put our street in a protective bubble and is keeping us safe from the frantic snowstorm that is going on around us.
Hmmm.... Maybe it's one of those slow moving storms and it will hit hard tonight while we sleep. Got to love the media and all there hype. Even with the weather.