Q and A

I have my happy face on today. Thank goodness. 

I think it's high time that I follow up on a few questions sent my way over the past few weeks. Here they are in no particular order:

Q: IS THE LIGHT SHOW WORKING?
A: YES!

It turns out the reason the show wasn't running right yesterday had absolutely nothing to do with me and my stupid plug. The show was broken because of a totally unrelated problem. And how awesome is this -- When it fired up on schedule today, and I noticed with dismay that parts of it were still not working, I called my son and he walked me through a fix.

Yes. I fixed the stupid thing! WOOT!

Don't ask me what I did. I have no clue. All I know is that under my son's direction, it involved opening a scary black box with way too many circuits and cords and plugs and fans and sticking my hand in there to manipulate things. Don't worry: the first thing sonny-boy had me do was disconnect the power to the box.

I survived. The show kicked on. Kids are dancing in the street in front of our house. Life is good. What? You want proof? Here's a rough video of tonight's events. John and my son want everyone to know that they have many more light tricks up their sleeves and that they plan on adding them to the display over this week. So stay tuned, because there's more to come. In the meantime, enjoy:

Dang. It's hard to hold my camera steady when the wind is blowing like heck. 

Q:I need cataract surgery soon and am wondering how yours went?...I am very concerned that eye dryness will become an issue after cataract surgery, as many friends without Sjogren’s seem to need them several times a day after.  Maybe it’s because they get hooked on the steroid-type drops, but I would love to hear how things went for you.  Thanks in advance for your time!

A: Brilliantly!

The procedures were done outpatient with a minimum of discomfort and fuss. Even as I was being rolled out of the OR I could tell a distinct improvement in my vision. If you choose to have your cataracts removed, let me know how your surgery went.

I was advised that my eyes may definitely feel dryer after the procedure, but truthfully, I didn't really observe that. It must be an issue for some, but I am happy to report that my eye dryness didn't worsen as a result of surgery.

Q: Which model of grabber tool did you buy? Where did you get it?
A: Amazon, as usual. And, as usual, I am not paid for plugging Amazon...dang.

It is an Ettore 49036 Grip 'n Grab, found here. If you buy this product from Amazon, be sure to sign up for Amazon Smile and designate the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation to receive the resulting charitable contributions.

This thing worked very well for me when I was unable to do a lot of bending over after my laminectomy. Even though I don't need it any more, I keep it around because....well, it's a fun thing to play with. It's so grippy that I can even pluck one tissue at a time from the Kleenex box.

Q: Can you recommend a rheumatologist for me?
A: Even though I would really love to be able to have that information at my disposal to share, I don't.

I can't share the name of my awesome Dr. Young Guy since he asked me not to. What I recommend to others looking for Sjogren's savvy physicians is to ask the question on a Sjogren's message forum such as Sjogren's World. I've seen similar questions posed there with many excellent answers. It's a large active forum, is well moderated, and has a great deal of participants from all over the world.

Q: I have Raynauds. How can I keep my hands and feet warm?
A: Hm.

Offhand, I would say layers of natural fiber socks and mittens. I find wool in particular to be soothing and retains heat. Mittens seem to be warmer than gloves since the fingers together can share warmth. I have heard others mention that they buy chemical warmers which are small plastic packets that they can slip into shoes or mittens and become warm and stay warm for a fairly long time. Always be cautious when using chemical warming products since they may become too hot initially and may cause damage to your skin, so be careful when using them.

Raynauds folks? Chime in here. I'm sure the reader would appreciate any and all suggestions.

I'm going to sit on the couch and watch the Christmas lights. See y'all tomorrow.