4/7/24

 Sunday, April 7, 2024

Lights out around 9:30 on the BL with pain in my left shoulder and upper arm and in my right wrist and hand, awake at 2:30 and up at 3 to let Lilly out and take a short walk around the house, lighting lamps and my Kitty candle.  35°, high of 47°, cloudy, windy day with showers ahead.  The wind is ESE at 4, 2-17/30.  Sunrise at 6:22, sunset at 7:26, 13+3. 

Pain, etc.  I have quite a bit of pain on awakening and rising, both my right wrist and hand and my left shoulder.   I would like to light a log in the fireplace but I can't deal with lifting the log and placing it on the  grate.  The lesser pain in my right shoulder more and more resen=mbles the pain in my left shoulder, worrying me greatly.  Are the physical therapy stretches helping or hurting?  I took one 500 mg. Tylenol at 'bedtime' 6 hours ago as I write this.  Should I take 1,000 mg. now?  Am I corrupting my liver with all the Tylenol?  Am I catastrophizing or is this what the rest of my life will be, living with spreading pain, sleeping as best I can on a chair instead of a bed, relying more and more on Geri, or others, for help with ordinary activities of living?  The pain, tenderness and some swelling in my wrist is definitely located on the right side of the wrist, i.e., the opposite side from where the severe degenerative changes 'after wrist surgery' are.  Should I consult a hand specialist outside the VA?  At 4:10, I take 1,000 mg. of Tylenol and apologize to my liver.

I'm grateful to be watching the Iowa-South Carolina game this afternoon.  Magnificent athletes.   

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