Dreading the dew point

September 14, 2011

I normally post in the evenings, but this morning I’m so anxious, I figured it was time to write earlier.  It’s mid-September and after some lovely cool days, today the temperature and the dew point are both up, which means my pain is too.

Now, on a different day, this might not be so bad.  It’s going to be hard for me to walk, so on a different day I would drive to work.  I also have plans after work, and I’m stubborn and refuse to miss them, so I’d drive there too.  Then afterwards, I would drive home.  In between, I’d stay off my feet as much as possible.  It wouldn’t be ideal, but I’d make it work.  After all, this is why I bought a car.

Unfortunately, today is not a typical day.  Thanks to city construction in my neighborhood, there are very few parking spaces for a whole lot of cars.  That means that if I drive to work, I’ll lose my parking space (which is already several blocks away), and when I get home, I’ll have to park so far from home that I may not feel up to walking it.

There’s no good answer here, just uncertainty, frustration, and pain.  Wish me luck.

 

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1 Comment | Expectations, Frustration, Pain, Parking, Rants, Symptoms, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Wanting solid info from the RMV

September 7, 2011

It’s not like I want to have a handicapped placard.  I would like nothing better than to be healthy enough to not need one.  Since I do need the placard, I use it.  I just wish I knew more about the laws around it.

After a lot of searching, I finally found some info here and here on the MA RMV web site.  After all that searching, the site doesn’t inspire confidence.  For example, it provides information on handicapped plates, but when I tried to get one years ago, I was told they aren’t offered anymore, only placards are offered.  Either I was given wrong information, or the site is very out of date.  Both seem very possible.

Now, try finding info on where you can use it!  #7 in the FAQ seems to be the place, but it’s incredibly vague (and wrong.)  Can I use it in HP Van spaces if I don’t have a van?  It doesn’t mention that.  I can disregard some parking meters but not all – that’s NOT HELPFUL!  Why can the MA Port Authority manage to not exempt placards?  Do others do it too, or is it just them?  Please be specific!  And about all U.S. States recognizing the MA placard, well, maybe that should be more specific too.  Parts of Washington D.C. didn’t, the last time I was there.  I also stumbled upon a city in Connecticut this summer that didn’t recognize them.  Why is this?  And why doesn’t the web site mention it?  And according to the FAQ some parking rules must be followed but not others.  What if there’s a 2 hour parking limit?  Do I need to obey that?  If so, doesn’t that run counter-intuitive to the exempt meter rule?  If not, then say so!

I know many people who have had the same frustrations.  When I call to ask questions, I can’t seem to get someone on the phone who knows what they’re talking about.

These placards are provided by the state RMV.  Many rules apply to them.  Would it be so horrible to let us know what those rules are?

 

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Leave a Comment » | Educating, Expectations, Frustration, Limitations, Pain, Parking, Politics, Rants, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Bodies going bezerk

September 6, 2011

Any day can be unpredictable when you’re dealing with an autoimmune disease, but some are worse than others.  My guess is that today’s problems are worse because of my meds, but it could be the conditions themselves, or the weather, or just randomness.  Who knows?  I sure don’t!

A dog accidentally scratched me the other day while we were played.  It left a mark, but didn’t break the skin or anything.  The next day, there was a small bruise.  Today there are 5 bruises, some large, and they’re blue and sensitive to touch!

Sunday night I got what I thought were 3 mosquito bites.  The next day there were at least twice as many.  Today there are even more!  Maybe they aren’t mosquito bites after all?  Maybe my body is telling me something?

And then last night pain set in, along with some swelling.  Great.  It hasn’t gone away yet.

I was doing ok a few days ago, and now my body is going haywire.  I don’t know what caused it.  I don’t know when it will go away.  In the meantime, I’m treating myself to a night of tv and unproductive web surfing.  Productivity can wait until I’m feeling better.  Tonight is about relaxing.

Leave a Comment » | Expectations, Frustration, Isolation, Limitations, Medication, Pain, Rants, Symptoms, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

Thankful for so much; Today: Housecleaner

September 5, 2011


There’s a lot to be thankful for in my life.  I’ve spoken before about friends and about family.  Today I’m thankful for something simpler: my ability to pay a housecleaner.  Once each month, someone cleans my apartment for me.  For some people this sounds like an unimaginable luxury.  For others, once a month would never be enough.  For me, this has been a wonderful experience.

I am perfectly willing to live a less-than-spotless home (actually, I prefer it.)  What I am not willing to do is to spend entire weekend
days cleaning, then resting from said cleaning.  Scrubbing the tub can wipe me out for hours.  I can’t clean all of the floors in one day.  By the time I spend 4 Saturdays getting one part of the apartment clean, the rest is disgusting.  Instead, I can save my time, energy, and joints
 by having someone else do all of this.  Having someone come more often might be nice, but since I live alone with no pets, and I’m not a total slob, once a month works, and it’s more affordable.  She is coming tomorrow with her group.  They will accomplish in a couple of hours what it would take me many Saturdays to achieve, and they definitely do it better than I would.

Could I spend the money on other things?  Yep.  Do I want to?  Nope!  Sure, I could eat out more, or put the money towards a trip.  There are so many things I could spend it on.  But for less than the cost of many cell phone plans, for less than what some people spend drinking each month, for less than a fancy meal, I never have to clean.  Ever.  At all.  Sure, I wash dishes between her visits, and wipe down kitchen counters.  I do not vacuum, clean floors, scrub the toilet, clean the tub, dust, or do any of those other exhausting, pain tasks.  I don’t miss it a bit.  Do I feel guilty?  Not at all.  Sure, I used to feel some middle class guilt, but I don’t any more.  She saves me pain and exhaustion.  I pay her in a down economy.  When I do the math, I come up with 2 winners and 0 losers.  Works for me!

As I said, I am so thankful for my ability to hire someone to clean my house.  And I’m grateful for the wonderful job she does.  I’m very excited for her visit tomorrow!

Leave a Comment » | Decisions, Frustration, Limitations, Pain, Support, Symptoms, Unpredictable | Permalink
Posted by chronicrants

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