Great Info Tips

I was appalled today when CNN announced Social Security has been basically out of money for quite some time. It seems the government has been dipping their grubby hands into the money set aside for Social Security for years, giving IOUs. That doesn’t cut it for me. They locked up Bernie Madoff for the same thing! What is our government doing to us? As a baby boomer I am worried about my future. Will there be money for me each month or will I have to continue to work and never be able to retire? As it stands now, with my pension, 401K, and Social Security it will be tight. Anyone else out there as upset about this news as I am? Come on! Complain to me! Maybe we can get something going to complain to the government about their actions!

The trigger finger surgery came about after two injections failed. It was only day surgery, but I had to have an EKG first (a new law in effect) and then paper work to sign. I went into the hospital’s day surgery section at 9:30 a.m. After getting ready and talking to the anesthesiologist, I was eager to get the surgery done. I was tired of having to deal with the finger bending and locking in place so much. The pain was not always bearable.

I do remember the nurse telling me they were putting a sleeping medication into the iv line, being wheeled into the operating room and getting onto the table. The last thing I remember was the nurse telling me she was washing my hand. The next thing I knew I was back in the day surgery section and the nurse was asking me how I was feeling and did I have a lot of pain. Frankly, I didn’t feel much pain at all. My hand was bandaged from the fingers down to the wrist. The surgeon cut the palm of my hand under the trigger finger to get into the area he needed to cut the tendon. I have had to wiggle my fingers and make a fist off and on for hours on end. The surgery was done on Wednesday. Today is Saturday and I can finally type again. There is little pain. I do feel a sore spot on my palm, but since it’s all bandaged, I can’t see what the problem is. Could be the stitches pulling as it heals. I cannot take off the bandage as the doctor will remove it next Thursday when I go to have the stitches  taken out.While I was given some pain tablets, they only succeeded in making me sleepy, dizzy, and gave me an upset stomach.

As long as I don’t put a lot of pressure on my hand or the problem finger, I am doing ok. I find there are things I cannot do, such as dishes (thanks to the person who invented the dishwasher I don’t need to concern myself with dishes) or pull on things (like shoe strings!). Otherwise I am doing well and looking forward to not having any pain in the finger or my hand. Getting back to being able to once again do normal things that I enjoy will be a pleasure. Thanks to Alex helping me do daily routine things that I couldn’t do and being there to make me laugh through the pain and the finger wiggling, I will be just fine in no time.

Once again I have had this happen to me. This time I caught it in the beginning and got the necessary medication to help get rid of the infection sooner before it caused more problems for me.

Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid, causing red, irritated, itchy eyelids. Formation of dandruff-like scales can occur on the eyelashes. Either a bacterial or skin condition can cause this, affecting people of all ages. It is not contagious but it can be very uncomfortable to the person who gets it. If treated there should be no problems with eyesight.

Anterior blepharitis occurs on the outside front edge of the eyelid where the eyelashes are attached. In my case I don’t have a lot of eyelashes (being blond haired and blue eyed can have some drawbacks). Posterior blepharitis affects the inner edge of the eyelid and comes in contact with the eyeball.

Experiencing itching of the eyes, red and swollen eylids, dry eyes, and crusting of the eyelids are some of the symptoms. Regualar eye hygiene can help control blepharitis. Warm compresses can be applied to help loosen some of the crusting. It’s best to use specific eyelid cleaners found in the your local drug store. Massage the eyelids for about a minute to get rid of the oil accumulated in the eyelid glands. Artificial tears can be used to keep the eyes moist. Women need to limit or completely stop using eye makeup as that will only trigger more problems. If you wear contact lens you may need to stop wearing them while treatment is underway. An eye doctor should be consulted so the proper medication can be prescribed to take care of this inflammation. There are also eyelid washing pads on the market, which I have used and found to be very helpful. The one thing not to do is to panic. Get the diagnosis and medication. Use it properly and the inflammation will go away.