Tricia's Musings

Random Thoughts about life in general, living in the big city of Toronto



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Happy New Year to all!

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Chris and I are having a cozy night at home this New Years eve. It’s much too cold (-22 C (-7.6 F)) to go down to Nathan Philips Square to watch the City TV New Years show and well … going out to a bar to celebrate is much too expensive.

Besides, our Toronto live show always sucks. Sorry … but it does. No big name entertainers, only up and coming possible future stars.

So we’re cuddled up on the couch with our dog Midnight and we’re watching the Niagara Falls (Ontario, Canada) celebration on TV. Roger Hodgson, one of the co-founders of Supertramp, is headlining the Niagara Falls show and he’s amazing.

I saw SuperTramp in concert on their last official tour of the original band. I believe it was in 1983. Yes, I know like all big bands that state “this is our final tour” they have come back again a few times, but never with all the original band members (I believe).

Supertramp has always been one of my favorite bands. Yes, I love classic rock (and indie, punk, techno – but classic rock will always be my favorite). Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Cheap Trick and similar bands along with Supertramp are in my top ten list.

So far I’ve heard Roger Hodgson sing The Logical Song, Give a Little Bit, Dreamer, School, and Take the Long Way Home – pretty much the top SuperTramp hits.

I’ve watched the Niagara Falls New Years show in the past and their performers (always big names) usually play until 12:30 so if you can get E or a CJOH station tune in. It’s a good show! kim Mitchell (Max Webster) is also playing. Maybe one year Chris and I will go to Niagara Falls for New Years and see their show.

Now as for the new year? I don’t really make New Years Resolutions. If I do at all it’s to be healthier in the new year than the year past. So far that hasn’t happened for me. I just keep getting sicker. But hey … I can hope, can’t I?

Actually I do have a little more hope for health in 2009.

A few days ago I got a call from my doctors office telling me that my Vitamin D levels were really low. That’s bad news but it gives me some hope. Now that might explain all my muscle stiffness and bone pain (and maybe my increasing back pain) and trouble sleeping over the last year or so. (Yeah, I don’t think being deficient in vitamin D is new, just newly discovered) So maybe now that I’m taking a heavy duty dose of Vitamin D I’ll start feeling a little better. Honestly if I could feel 25% better it would be wonderful, 50% better would be almost miraculous. I don’t dare hope for more than that, but it would be nice.

Whatever you are doing this evening – enjoying time with friends and family, attending a New years party or event or just staying in like my husband and I, I do hope that you are having a wonderful New years eve and I wish you all the best in the New Year.

Thank you for being loyal readers. You have no idea how much I appreciate your visits and comments. Happy New Year.





Finally resting after a busy weekend

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It’s been a busy weekend! I’ve been to the hospital to see our friend that had heart surgery … oh … maybe five times!

She’s doing well but she’s groggy and in pain and of course she’s said that if she knew she was going to be in this much pain she wouldn’t have had the surgery. I told her once she starts to feel better she’ll notice that her pre-surgery symptoms like shortness of breath will probably be gone and as she slowly starts doing things that she hasn’t really been able to do for the last couple of years she’ll be happy she had the surgery. She wasn’t buying it this evening, but I’ll bet she’ll come around!

I’m still sick of course. What else is new, eh? I’m pretty sure that I’ve had a partial bowel obstruction going on since Friday or maybe even Thursday. If I don’t start to feel a bit better by tomorrow I might be going to the hospital for myself.

We also found out that another friend of ours, the best friend of our friends that have been in the hospital, is dying of Pancreatic cancer. He just took a turn for the worse today, so we might have some very bad news later in the week.

I know that some of you were probably expecting to see a Green Thumb Sunday post today. Between all the visits to the hospital to see our friend and my own illness I’m just not up to sorting through my garden pictures to post something for GTS today. Sorry.

Instead I’m lying on the couch watching 24:Redemption (we taped it on the PVR while we were visiting our friend in the hospital this evening). Geez it’s been a long time since 24 has been on TV hasn’t it? When was the last time a regular season episode aired … April 2007 or something like that I think! I can barely remember where 24 left off! I hope that between this movie and the start of the series again in January or February that they do some kind of recap show. I normally hate those shows (especially during the season when a show has been airing regularly (hint hint Desperate Housewives and Lost), but in this case I think it might be necessary.

Are you watching 24:Redemption this evening or did you watch the music awards or maybe even the Grey Cup (Canadian Football final game – like the Superbowl but not as well known)?

Stupid Crohns – when will it end?

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Other than being sleepy from lack of sleep this week (and weeks past) I haven’t been feeling too bad this week … well, up until today anyway!

I really thought this Crohn’s flare was beginning to calm down. I was wrong. Today has not been a good day. My stomach, or rather my abdomen, has been in terrible pain all day. I’ve had severe cramping, fevers and oddest of all my feet have been freezing cold, yet clammy to the touch. Yuck, I know.

I was lying on the couch this afternoon, bundled up in a blanket to keep warm. My feet were like ice cubes and every once in a while I’d reach down to feel my foot because they were so cold they felt wet. As if I’d been outside walking in the snow in running shoes or boots with a hole in them … you know how your socks get wet when you don’t wear proper footwear in the snow? Cold wet feet. Uh huh … and my feet were damp. It must have been a result of all the fevers I’d been having, but it’s not a symptom I generally have (cold clammy feet I mean).

I think the abdominal pains are/were a bowel blockage. I have strictures (scar tissues and narrowing of my intestines) thanks to the Crohn’s so blockages happen more often than I’d like. I think it’s resolving now – finally.

I also have absolutely no appetite. I’m not really even thirsty either, although I’ve been making myself drink plenty of water as that’s one of the way I resolve these mini-blockages I get. It’s almost as if I took a handful of appetite suppression pills or something.

I hope I start feeling better by tomorrow. Honestly that’s one of the reasons why we didn’t meet up with our friends husband this evening. However, I expect we’ll be in and out of the hospital visiting our friend who just had open heart surgery several times over the weekend, so I need to feel better.

I just wish I could have at least one day where I felt completely normal and healthy. That’s not too much to ask for is it?

So very tired

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I’ve been having a lot of trouble sleeping over the past few months and it’s starting to take it’s toll.

I have Crohn’s and I seem to get more abdominal pain at night, so depending upon how much pain I’m in it affects my sleep. Sometimes I get very very little sleep.

Of course, the less I sleep I get, and the more tired I am the more I hurt … it’s a vicious cycle and I just can’t seem to get myself out of it.

I keep thinking that if I could just be knocked out for a few days to a week it would break the cycle of pain and get me back into a decent sleep cycle again.

I never used to have trouble sleeping. It’s a terrible feeling to fall asleep for only a minute or two, hear a noise or feel a pain that wakes you up and then be up for hours again before you can fall asleep again for perhaps as little as a few minutes.

Do you ever have trouble sleeping?

I’m only writing about this now because I’ve just gone through three days with only about six hours sleep. I’m baked!

Pain I can do without

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Sorry I haven’t made any new posts in a while. I’ve been very ill over the last week or so, well probably longer than that. As usual it’s the Crohn’s disease acting up again.

If you’ve ever had the flu or perhaps bad diarrhea you might be familiar with that sharp pain you get in your stomach just before you have to run to the washroom? Well that’s what my stomach has felt like for at least a week and a half – luckily without too many dashes to the washroom, just the cramps and a constant gnawing pain in my stomach. My fevers have also been worse – higher and pretty much constant.

So, needless to say, I haven’t really been able to concentrate on writing, answering comments or emails in the last while.

I am feeling a little better than I was earlier today. If I’m lucky perhaps I’ll start to feel better soon.

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