December 28, 2025 Sunday

Greetings!

Well, good and bad things this week.  I hope you all had a good one. 

Monday I went to the dentist.  Technically no cavities, but it was the molar.  Something about a pocket underneath between the roots where the infection/inflammation dissipated and that is why the pain and swelling went down, but it will just happen again because it is all inflamed and it is loose so I need to have it removed by an oral surgeon.  They will get in touch with me and schedule that.  Did I want to be awake or not.  Not, thank you very much.  She thought the ear pain might be from the molar inflammation.  I had already planned to go directly to the walk-in clinic after the dentist because my eye had gotten much worse Sunday night.  The dentist volunteered to clean my teeth for me.  (She's my retired dentist's daughter who took over the practice but hasn't been able to hire a dental hygienist you might recall, so I haven't been able to get my teeth cleaned for maybe over 1 1/2 years.)  She was really nice and I will go back to her.

Leah brought me to the walk-in clinic and dropped me off.  Then she dropped off Dagan at work.  Dagan was going to pick me up when I texted him.  (They are sharing a car because Dagan's used electric Leaf he bought several years ago isn't holding a charge in the cold weather anymore...he's finally getting a new electric car soon.)

Anyways, I got a lady doctor who said my ear looked clean, no infection.  She thought it was probably from the molar and could bother me until the molar is removed.  (It is--haven't gotten a call from the oral surgeon's office yet.)  My eye she thought was pinkeye but wasn't totally sure.  Gave me a prescription for pinkeye drops and said if I wasn't better in like 48 hours to come back because I might need to see a specialist.  

I texted Dagan.  He came to pick me up, we got the prescription (at my favorite drive-thru pharmacy) and went home.  I started taking the pinkeye drops.  Between the eye, ear, and jaw--let's just say I haven't felt very social and spent my time under a blanket in my chair.

Tuesday.  Slowly worked on getting my 2026 bullet all ready for the year.  LOTS of breaks due to all kinds of head pains and the accompanying headache.  By evening I could hardly see out of that very sore right eye and it was watering like crazy.  Couldn't sleep till almost morning.  

Wednesday.  Christmas Eve.  Really bad pain in eye woke me up about 7am.  But when I got up to check it out (and pee, of course--lol!) it didn't hurt as badly.  I had only slept two hours that night and not much the couple of nights before that so I went back to sleep.  Woke up around 11am.  Eye looked worse--more red and puffy.  It didn't hurt as bad at the moment.  Texted Dagan and Leah...needed to go back to the walk-in clinic.  Leah worked until 2pm or so and she took me after work.  Nothing changed in the meantime.

Got a male doctor this time.  It was a long process.  He numbed my eye and checked things--did some other drops, too...dilation, I believe.  Was very concerned about my cornea not looking right.  He went off to call an eye specialist for a consultation.  Leah was in the room with me.  We waited about 35 minutes!  He came back all happy because we had a plan.  He'd talked the eye specialist into meeting me at 10am at the clinic across the street.  She'd watch for us and let us in.  In the meantime, I was supposed to fit in 3 doses of the pinkeye drops and three doses of the steroid drops she was prescribing before I went to bed--five minutes apart.  By this time it was close to 6:30pm and the clinic was supposed to close at 5pm!  The pharmacy stayed open that was right there in the clinic because none would be open for us anywhere else.  What a blessing!  There are a lot of kind people in this world.

I was too miserable to have dinner with them upstairs that night.  But Leah--always thinking--saw the tiny bottle of numbing drops he had put in my eye sitting on the desk in the room after the doctor left and she grabbed them up.  They would have tossed them anyways because they'd been opened.  I've used those before I go to bed and sometimes it helps me get some sleep!  Leah's an angel!  And a smart one--lol!

She came down that night after the boys went to bed and wrapped their presents from me in those cloth wrappings she uses.  (Japanese--furoshiki.)

Thursday. Christmas Day.

First of all, I was looking around for Allie...and found her up on the second level of the cat tree parked in the cubby!  She had gotten up there on her own! 

She had been sleeping in the bottom cubby a couple of times last week, as I had mentioned.  Obviously, kind of making forcing her up the tree to get up on the dressers (under protest) had finally given her reason to try the first jump by herself!

Using the steroid drops and pinkeye drops again in the morning...well, my eye was noticeably less red and swollen!  The total white fog where I couldn't see anything but vague shapes had been reduced to a clearer fog all over my eye where I could at least see shapes better.  Still couldn't read anything but could at least see my laptop screen well enough to watch a show where I already know all the main characters with both eyes open.  (Keeping one eye closed became a strain.)  The day before I couldn't see the E on the eye chart with my glasses on and good eye covered.  Couldn't see much at all really in that eye.  And it interferes or kind of overlaps my vision in the good eye.  Hard to describe.  BUT--that is why I have not commented on blogs last week and won't probably until this eye is better.  I have read them all, I think, just didn't comment.  It does give me a worse headache to try to read.  (Writing this blog is taking me most of the day today because I need long breaks, but I hate to miss a week and leave you hanging, you know?)

Christmas morning I did make it upstairs after most of the presents were already opened.  But it was the first time I have been with McFamily on Christmas morning!  That's some good news to share!! 

I was delighted that the boys liked their presents!

Ian got a kalimba of his own and a song book!  He came over to say thanks before he even opened the box.

I hadn't opened them up myself so it was a surprise to me, too, as to what they actually looked like.  The kalimba came with a case.  I was glad.

It is quite a bit bigger than mine and has the notes carved into it.  Very lightly, but they are there.  So he can more easily follow the song book.

Liam got a rain drum (also called steel tongue drum).  It also had a case and came with a song book.

The tongues are each numbered so he can follow the song book.

The rain drum is louder than expected, but that's what happens when you get gifts that make noise--lol!  They can come down here to practice if they are driving Mama and Daddy crazy.  (I haven't heard much loud noises from the rain drum since then, though...but there's good insulation in my ceiling--lol!)

Leah took all the Christmas pictures for me since I couldn't see well.  I didn't know she was sneaking pictures of me, too--lol!  Here I was finding out what was in my stocking.  I noticed that I am finally starting to turn gray in the back of my head, I think.  Not somewhere I can see well, even when I can see well--lol!

Here Ian was showing me what was in Allie's stocking and Laim had brought me a present from them.  (Fancy Bomba socks!)

Leah took me over to the eye specialist.  The place wasn't open.  He had said to drive up to the front door and she would look for me and let us in.  On Christmas morning!  Now isn't that something wonderful!!

She was very nice.  Checked my eye...asked questions...told me to forget taking the pinkeye drops (viral)...to take the steroid drops every hour on the hour while I am awake for two days and then every two hours after that...come back before 2pm on Monday.  My cornea is inflamed.  She asked me about other health issues...and suggested I try the natural foods one ingredient diet and do intermittent fasting.  That would help me get rid of all the inflammation issues.  She only eats during a two hour time period once a day.  Can have water and black coffee the rest of the day.  I have to say she sounded like she very personally knew of what she spoke.  I have been doing a tiny bit of research online.  Have to wait till eye is better.

Came home--said hi to Dagan and the boys and went down to start the steroid drops every hour.

That was when I saw what I thought could be a Christmas miracle!  lol!  Allie was up on the dressers!  Now, I was in rough shape and wondered...did I leave her up there when I left?  But the shade was down and I always have to open it at least partway or she makes a stink and tries to get behind the shade.  So I was pretty sure she had learned how to get up the cat tree.

Still feeling generally miserable.  Pain level goes up and down in eye and ear and even jaw was acting up here and there.  Spent the day under a blanket on my chair basically with a timer going off every hour.  BUT--I was there to see the Christmas miracle--ROFL!  Allie went up and down the cat tree to get up on the dressers by herself!  Big check in the GOOD list!!

That was faster than I had expected!  Dagan and Leah didn't think she could do it.  I always did, but I didn't expect it to go faster than her learning how to use the steps by her chair--lol!

Friday.  Drops every hour and the hour.  Still generally miserable and not sleeping very well.  I decided to show Allie what was way up on top of the cat tree.  Put a towel inside the cat bed on top for cushioning and lifted her up there.

Surprisingly she stayed and seemed to like it up there.

Even dozed off for a while.

I was up and down putting eye drops in...lo and behold...Allie walked in the bathroom when she had been up in the top cat bed!  She had gotten down by herself.  Now, could she jump way up there by herself?

Meanwhile, been putting up the Christmas Cards on the frig.  Also Ian brought me three things he drew and or colored from school.  I know you can't really see, but that bottom one is a whole series of things they each had to try to draw!  He did a good job!  Up on the frig they went.

Saturday.  Eye drops every two hours.  I look up and Allie is up on the cat bed--by herself!  I missed even seeing it the first time because I was watching The Brokenwood Mysteries on Acorn TV--lol!

But ever since then...Allie has a newfound freedom in her life.  She can go up on the dressers any time she wants...

...and she jumped up into the cat bed to watch the snow today.

Sunday.  Another blizzard warning that will go till Monday morning.  Going to be a challenge getting to the eye doctor, I would imagine.  Leah has to go to work.  She doesn't have all the time off Dagan does so he's home with the boys over their break.

Been snowing all day today.

Getting deeper and deeper.

As I was typing this the boys were outside and putting snow into the window well. ??  They can't hear me.  I was telling them they should be taking snow out and not putting it in.  They thought I was telling them to get out and quickly left.

Dagan was just telling me yesterday that the window swings outward if there was a fire so they needed to get snow away from at least that left side window that opens--lol!  So, I texted him and told him what happened and to tell the boys I wasn't telling them to get out.  Allie seemed to be waiting for them to come back.

Well, they did!  Daddy and the boys and a couple shovels.  Allie was up right away crying at the window and pacing back and forth like she wanted to go out with them or for them to come in--lol!

I took a video a bit later.  I am not sure it is working.  Right now it shows no picture?  I reloaded it twice.  So please let me know if you can see it.

Pardon my voice and snuffling.  Really not doing well yet.  

Anyways, that's it.  Action while I was writing this--lol!  I go back to the eye specialist tomorrow.  Fingers crossed there is improvement.  I am still looking through clearer fog in that eye.  Might be some improvement.  Maybe it is supposed to take a long time?  I'll know more to tell you next week.  What a Christmas, eh?!  I'm using the numbing drops before I try to sleep and it helps some most of the time.  Let's hope this is the end of the health issues from 2025 and that 2026 will be much better.  2025 was a good year and a bad year, I guess.  Quite a mix.  New Year's Eve is Wednesday!  Here's to a big shift for the better!!  I think I am going to post this earlier than usual. el badly that I haven't been commenting.  Happy New Year to each and every one of you!!