I am actaully having the MRI in a few hours today. This will tell us what's up. I was told
by my Doc's office to not leave without the films. So I already knew that. He wasn't sure at my last appt. what kind of infection is eating away at my bones yet, that is why
the MRI. He suggested that it might be the osteopenia. I will know in about a week
where I go from here., He just said it is not good, but, It is also NOT cancer.
That is a good thing.
I already have a pain doc scheduled in Sept. Earliest appt I could get. The only one
in town apparently. By then I should have more answers when I go to him.

at mymothers this week. my sister is away on a golfing trip. mom is getting slower. she always was up way before me starting her day putzing around doing minor pick up watching the news making breakfast little things that kept her feet and body nmoving.
this past year she is slowing down.
its after 8 and i've been up for 2 hours she's still asleep. i hear her doing her coughing thats her regular. my sister said she sleeps until 11 sometimes. she'll get up to use the ladies then go back to bed. she's feeling ok for being almost 90 and she still likes to get moving.
she loves to eat out. so we're going to lunch today but where as before she'd want to be out shopping at 10am now she goes to lunch then maybe to walmart then is tired. the pace maker has made a big difference in her health wise and breathing but i can seee where she is slowing down.
she loves the bird i bring. i bring the little senegal parrot. he's not a big talker and he speaks very quietyly so she can not hear him even with her hearing aide. but he is all over his cage. swinging and bounching. she loves to give him crackers and grapes. she will stand by his cage and talk to him.
he will hang there and listen to all of what she has to say. they both have big noses maybe he thinks she's the queen bird? hehehe
she's also alittle bit shakey now. they have a gas stove so we make breakfast for her.
when my sister worked (she's retired 2 months ago) i use to worry about my mother being home alone during the daytime. they had it under control with her meals and things like that plus we have the emergency responce braclet for her thats a big relief for her an for us. but i always worried about her falling or someone coming to the door and her getting scared. she's good at not letting in people she's too scared to leet anyone in but i'd worry she'd get so scrared if the gas man came even that she'd get a heart attack.
at least with patty here now its less worriesome.
one good thing is that since my earlier post of low funds i'm not going to want to go shopping! walmart is fine with me to pick up that New Hampshire tax free cat litter! I'm going to get my taxable items here this week that i'd normally get at home. hey there you go I've saved alittle bit this week already!

Paulie eating eggs just slays me.  Seems a little canabilistic.  :)

When I ripped out my carpet, the cats refused to walk on the floor for a couple of days.  They got used to the concrete and then refused to walk on the wood floors for a couple of days. 

My Calico is being a huge brat lately.  She has taken over the dog"s blanket on the floor and hisses and tries to scratch him when he gets near.  Poor Rufus.  Maizie is just doing it to be a punk because she normally sleeps on the bed and the poor dog is stuck on the floor.  I let Rufus up on the bed last night and she jumped up and chased him off the bed.  The 8 pound cat beats up the 60 pound dog.  Maizie was maniacal about biting my fingers while I was trying to type last night.  She's never done that before.  I chased her off and she started shredding Kleenex.  Brat!  Brat!! Brat!!

I'm starting to understand now.  It sounds like you have disk degeneration in the thoracic area of your back.  That's unusual, but not heard of.  It's more common to have disk degeneration in the cervical or lumbar area because the thoracic area has ribs to help support the spine, but the cervical and lumbar areas are only supported by the spine itself - or so says my physical therapist and spine doctor. 

The MRI will show if any disks are bulging and how badly they have degenerated.  When they do your MRI, ask for the films before you leave and then ask for a copy of your report after it is written.  The doctor normally does not get a copy of the films and only gets the report.  You can get the films, take them to your next doctor appointment and ask him to explain it all to you. 

The Osteopenia is normally diagnosed with a Dexa Scan.  I've never heard of it being diagnosed with an MRI, but I learn something new everyday.  If by chance you've had a Dexa Scan, ask for the report so you can see what the actual scores are.  The BMD will be your Bone Mineral Density.  The T-Score will tell you how you compare to women in their 30's and the Z-Score will tell you how you compare with other women your own age.

I always ask for copies of my reports and keep them in a medical folder.  This way I have something to haul in to my doctor visits and I can compare one test to the next.  I learned this the hard way when a doctor had his medical license revoked and closed up shop.  I couldn't get my medical records and felt like I had medical amnesia.  I was so dependent on that doctor that I never remembered the dates of procedures or what medicines I was on. 

Once they decide what's wrong with you, ask to see a pain specialist.  They are much better prepared to know all the latest medicines for pain and can keep you from developing an addiction.  When I switched from my pcp to the pain doc, he took me off of everything that my pcp had prescribed because it was way too addictive.  We went through a period of trial and error until we figured out what works for me without over-medicating me while keeping me functioning.  I'm never without pain because I choose to live that way.  If I was medicated to the point of no pain, I'd be unable to function and make the split second decisions I have to at work.  There are times when the meds I'm on stop working and we go through the trial and error again, but he always finds a way to keep me moving.  My pain doc is so up on the current meds that he knows about and prescribes stuff before even the hospitals carry it.  I go back and share with my pcp what I'm on and why.  In fact, he's stopped prescribing Soma and Vicodin together. 

Good luck with all of this and I hope you feel better soon. 

I hate flat tires. thank god you wre able to find someone to fix them.
thats wonderful that you didn't go carb crazy. i would have wanted to find something to put in my mouth right away!
paulie is upset this morning. He's not talking. He's in the living room where I ripped the old carpet up. He does NOT like changes of any kind and doesn't understand how beautiful the living room will look without that nasty old carpet and the new floor. silly bird. So right now he's not talking to me and is sitting up in the highest part of his cage. He would't even come down for his favorite breakfast - boiled eggs.
He'll be down later today he's just got to get use to it. It makes a harsher sound when i walk across it compared to cushioned carpeting. so his ears need to adjust to the difference. my big fat cat even makes a clumping sound going across it hahaah