Peace and Necks

I just published my BlogBlast for Peace post dated 11/5/09. I sure hope that works because who knows where I'll be at that time.
Am I also supposed to send a copy to Mimi? Sometimes when I try to click on her site my computer goes bananas and tells me to end program. So maybe somebody will tell me how to send my post to Mimi.
In the meantime, Justin, the physical therapist from Vernal, yesterday brought up this over door cervical traction device that the dr in Vernal wants Eliot to use. Justin's first love is fishing and found that having to deliver the device was the best excuse to get out of the house on Saturday. He also brought his two year old son in a backpack and they hiked up to a favorite lake. Eliot hasn't tried the traction device yet. He wants to talk to the doctor first so we're going to go down Monday to Vernal but at least Justin got to go fishing.

Loss

One thought that I forgot to mention that was in the post I lost. It was seeing the casket of Ted Kennedy causing flashbacks to 63 and 68.
Also I didn't mention how depressing it is reading Buzz Aldrin's autobiography. I haven't gotten very far but just remembering that I thought our landing on the moon was the beginning of a new era of space exploration and cooperation among the people of the earth. I was a Star Trek fan as well as a reader of other science fiction, not science fantasy. 2009 is not at all what I hoped it would have been 40 years ago.

Lost Post

I just lost a new long post. Where did it go?
First I said that we went back to Salt Lake City for another cortisone shot.
Then I said we probably have to get this traction apparatus for Eliot's neck.
then I complained about the scare tactics that the opponents to health care reform are using.
Then I said that Eliot and are I are 180 degrees apart on political views.
Then I said that I finally got my BlogBlast for Peace globe done with James' help whom Mimi sent me and then I said I'd better post date it if I can follow James' instructions.
Then I lost it.

Eliot's health

We saw the PT on Monday and he did some traction and we see the doctor Thursday and maybe he'll order another MRI. We'll then have to decide whether to go back to the Phoenix area directly (where his primary doctors are) or more slowly make our way down. Driving is still very difficult for him whether he's driving himself or just riding. Is it neurogenic, torn rotater cuff or both?

My first photo

My son, Jake and his son Eldar at Butterfly Valley on the coast of Turkey. I can't believe I finally figured how to get a photo on my blog!

Help Mimi or Somebody

For some reason I can't get the site where I first got the globe I want to use on my blogblastforpeace. I copied it originally but then when I was adding things to it on paint I messed something up and nowI can't seem to find the blank blue rectangle with Dona Nobis Pacem on top and the November 5, 2009 on the bottom. I can only find ones with a different date. Help! The site that had what I want keeps saying the program is not responding.

Patagonia

I tried to post a comment to Celeste's wonderful story and photos of Patagonia. I'm not sure it got through. Several years ago before our health problems showed up it was one of our destinations but we couldn't figure out how to get there the way Eliot wanted to go - like down the Pan American highway! Our bucket list grows shorter. We did do a hike today to several lakes where Eliot fished and Karin read.

Bond

Somebody named Bond became a follower but I can't seem to access his sites. They say I'm not invited. So Bond if you want me to see your blogs, I guess you have to invite me. Whatever that means.

BlogBlastforPeace

I still need help in understanding how I do something to the design I chose. I put the design in My Pictures. Now how do I add something to it?

The Women's Crusade

I just read a wonderful article by Nicholas D. Kristof in the NYTimes Magazine. I think it was in a special section on Saving the World's Women. I think it can be accessed through the NYTimes.com. My neice who works for the State Dept mentioned in on Facebook and I thought I should spread the word while I try to figure out how I can personally help.

Yesterday we went on our first hike since Eliot's injury, the Split Rock Path and he was thrilled at the lack of problems. When we got to Lower Rock Lake, he was ready to continue to Middle Rock Lake but I was too tired so we ate lunch and Eliot fished and was able to reel in with his left arm. Then we went to Middle Rock where he did more fishing and I read. Eliot did much better than I did. I was short of breath and my feet complained as usual. Today we've been so far doing campground chores and my feet are already swollen despite my elastic stockings. After lunch we'll try a quad ride (we got the ATVs when we both couldn't hike as much as we used to).
Celeste, the name Goldfeder is almost always Jewish from the Yiddish, not German. Jews in Europe used to not have last names but were just called like David ben Joseph - David son of Joseph but then in various places at different times they were required to get last names, sometimes it would have to do with their trade or places that they lived or they sometimes had to get it from local jurisdiction where money had to pass hands which accounts for some peculiar names like cat's elbow and there actually is a reporter on National Public Radio named Ashlocke which means asshole. I'm not an expert on this, mostly got it second hand. Names like Cohen and Levy however, I believe are from priestly castes. I'm afraid I know more about Wicca than I do about Judaism.

BlogBlast for Peace

I'm having lots of trouble with our satellite connection. I hope this one goes through. Celeste, there is a site called BlogBlastforPeace.com run by Mimi Lennox who started this and I got it from Bobbie's site, Almost There. I'm still not sure what exactly to do but November 5 seems to be the day all us bloggers are supposed to put up Dona Nobis Pacem. Can you help us Bobbie? Something about designing a globe and posting it. By the way, Celeste, Eliot got two comments on some of his photos from the north rim of the Grand Canyon in Portugese from someone who can only travel on the internet. He was able to find out from panoramio how to translate them. I haven't yet figured out how to translate on Facebook where I have a new friend from Belgium with a similar name to mine. I was born Karin Goldfeder. Her name is Kareen Goldfeder. Eliot drove down and up the mt yesterday with minimal pain. Big problem now is rotator cuff. Is it neurogenic or torn or both. In any event, long time to heal but he's doing exercises from physical therapist. and I am trying to stay positive despite Eliot's thinking I'm silly to do things like BlogBlast for Peace.

Global Consciousness

A while back (before I started blogging) I joined Facebook at my son, Patrick's sugestion so I could more easily follow my children and nieces and nephews goings on. There are very few older people on Facebook although I did find two people from my High School in Brooklyn. Most of what goes on on Facebook seems to me to be pretty silly but since Celeste Maia has helped me stop staring at my navel and become involved in the world again I joined BlogBlast for Peace and invited my "friends" on Facebook to join. I rarely get a response to any of my comments on Facebook (that's why I started blogging and found elder blogs) but let's see what happens now.

Energy

What amazes me is Celeste Maia coming into my life and now she is prodding me. How am I and how is Eliot's neck? He is feeling better since the cortisone shot. Tomorrow will be the test. Driving back down the bumpy road to Vernal. But Celeste asked about me too and I am tearing up writing this because she cares enough to ask and despite the fact that she is a talented woman who has done so much with her life and I feel such a failure (my daughter won't talk to me, says leave me alone) I am close to my sons especially the youngest, Patrick, the sculptor. They both seem to have forgiven me for my lack of parenting skills. I have led a strange life. There was a time when I was practicing Wicca. I liked that they said "Do as thou wilt but harm none" and really believed in the power of creating and aiming positive energy toward a goal. And then just through reading other comments to Celeste Maia's post came across the synchronity site which rekindled my earlier fascination with Jung. (Eliot wants to stop generator to check oil so I will have to end this now) I just wanted to say my dreams lately are mostly about being lost.

400 miles

Riding in a Ford 250 Heavy Duty pick up meant for hauling is not really comfortable but especially 400 miles including 27 on a dirt mountain road and the rest of everything from almost smooth to really bumpy is not something old folks like us consider fun. But we did make it to Salt Lake City Thursday for a cortisone shot in the blugling disc between C5-6 and even picked up the repaired generator in Spanish Fork on the way back. I can't imagine the agony Eliot was in most of the time. How I made it back up the mt at 8pm is fading in memory. We'll know is a few days if the shot really helped. At least it did no harm. No leakage of spinal fluid.

Eliot's neck

As far as Eliot's neck it was scary looking at the MRI. Almost 4 weeks ago he had pain that felt like a pinched nerve. After two visits to a chiropractor we ended up in the emergency room last Monday where they did the MRI which showed two bulging cervical discs, ruled out heart problems and made a appointment early this morning whith a pain specialist who was going on vacation last week but did prescribe a series of prednisone. When we saw him today at first he debated between a torn rotator cuff and a pinched nerve but after looking at the MRI decided we should treat the discs as one is touching the spinal cord (that's the scary part to me not seeng any fluid around the cord). But he doesn't do cortisone shots in the neck and has referred us to someone in Salt Lake City with whom they'll be in touch with Wednesday. In the meantime he has to go to physical therapy which we scheduled for Wednesday, so Eliot could rest tomorrow. The almost two hour trip to Vernal in the pick up is agony. The doctor also prescribed Robaxin as well as more percoset.Oh, yes the quiet generator that quit is still in Spanish Fork but is finally being worked on so Eliot is hoping we can pick it up when we go to Salt Lake City. But we do use the cheap noisey generator.If we make it through the summer how can Eliot be persuaded that this should be our last year as hosts at the primitive remote campground that he loves but is just too far away from help whem we need it.

Good but cold night

Wrapped indivdually in our fleece liners we both slept well in beween trips to out night bottles and Eliot seemed to be in less pain this morning but the weakness in his left arm is troubling . Looking forward to seeing the doctor Monday morning, hoping he'll let Eliot come back up the mountain. Got down to 37 degrees Fahrenheit last night.
Found an interesting blog: Blog of Ages: Aging -- one story at a time.
Welcome back Celeste. I'll have to check your blog to see about your adventures.

Bad night

Eliot could not get into a position that relieved the pain enough for him to sleep until about 6am when we redid the whole bed. So this old lady didn't getting any sleep till then also. Hope we make it throught till Monday when he sees the doctor. The big problem is traveling in the pick-up truck on these bumpy roads. No way he can get comfortable riding.

A letter I sent to IBDEditorials

Dear Sirs,
I wanted you to hear from someone who favors single payer universal health care. For 5 years before I reached 65 I had no health insurance because I was self-employed and could not afford it. A close friend died of cancer at 65 because he wasn't able to get it diagnosed before he received Medicare. We are the only industrialized country without universal health care. I am tired of all these scare tactics put out by by the insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies. Most doctors I know favor single payer and they don't belong to the AMA. Rich people can always get the health care they want. We are already have rationing because people without health insurance don't get the care they need.
I am not a socialist. I believe in responsible capitalism. I believe in small businesses. I don't have much trust in big conglomerates and investors who make their money from other's misfortunes. Unfortunately I feel that most politicians are bought by lobbyists and the best government reform would be term limits for all congressmen.
I am 72 years old and just wanted to have my say because it's not going to affect me for much longer. I also have worked in Nursing Homes and believe people should have a choice about their end of life care. Pneumonia used to be viewed as the old man's friend. In nursing homes people who are ready to leave this life are given antibiotics when they get pneumonia.
I was lucky to have been born in the United States because I am Jewish by birth and if I had been born in Europe in 1937 I probably wouldn't be living now to write this. I am sorry to see the greed and ugly tactics that are used to push an agenda. We need people of all beliefs to sit down and talk to one another civilly.
Enough. The human race is on the way to oblivian. We are hardly a blip in geologic terms. Too bad we couldn't have been a better blip.
Sincerely,
a wise old woman

constipation

Guess who had to drive back down and up the mountain to get the sick guy some suppositories because he's all bound up from the pain pills? How come guys seem to suffer more than women from life's common miseries? But I did find mail for me, the book "Sleepwalking Land" which I ordered thru Amazon.com. But first I have to finish "The Angel's Game" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and the other library books before I start on the ones I own when I won't have access to a library!

Emergency Room

We're finally back up the mountain after a full-day in the emergency room where Eliot finally got an MRI showing he does indeed has two bulging discs in his neck pressing on a nerve and got some real medication (methylprednisone tablets) as well as more pain pills and an appointment next Monday with the only medical doctor in the Uintah Basin who deals in necks (non-surgical pain specialist). One reason we were so long in the ER was to rule out any heart problems because the pain did radiate to his chest and he has heart disease. Eliot knew he wasn't having a heart attack. I drove the truck down and back and up the mountain. Going down this morning wasn't too bad, coming back up was dreadful. 13 miles of rocky steep winding dirt road with the sun sometimes straight ahead. I think it's what they call "living on th edge." Eliot doesn't mind driving up the road. Dirt roads are his thing. Usually when we come up from our weekly trip down I fall asleep. Now I know why.