Monday, October 29, 2012

When Mother Nature talks, I listen!


I’ve been keeping a close eye on this storm, Sandy, even though it’s a very good distance from my neck of the woods.  One reason is because one of my friends may be in harm’s way. Another is…because when Mother Nature talks, I listen.  I, all too well, know the fear when a storm is approaching.  I know that they don’t exactly know what’s going to happen so you don’t know whether to stay or run.  I know the misery of having your life disrupted if the devastating reality that they predict does come to be.  Those with means may have a leg up but these storms can be the great equalizer.  They can make those with more means feel a little like those who have a lot less.  May want to pay attention to that lesson.  Learn a little empathy.

I think Mother Nature tries to teach us something with some of these events and like my mom, if I didn't listen, she found a way to get my attention.  Mom was like that.  Once she used an ice cooler up against the side of my head when I was ignoring her.  She got my attention.
   
This storm is a phenomenon.  Not something that is in Mother Nature’s usual bag of tricks.   She might want to use something a bit unusual this time to get our attention.  There are several other coincidences that I find interesting. Too much time to ponder these days. This phenomenon is at an unusual time and place.  The time is right before a big ugly election and it is headed toward a place that represents a good bit of the greed and excess in this country and greed and excess seems to be at an all time high these days.  I do realize that I have some crazy ponders.  Really can’t prove that I’m wrong. 

All disasters have one positive outcome. They give us the opportunity to help our fellow man/woman.  You probably won’t ask if they are Republican, Democrat or Independent or who they plan to vote for or how much money they make or whether they are in this country legally, before offering that help.  Disasters bring out the best of our humanity.  Maybe that is what Mother Nature has in mind.  Unfortunately, that lesson doesn't seem to stick for long. 

Now if you want to think that my trying to find meaning in life’s events is nuts, that’s OK with me.  One of the pluses of getting old is that I just don’t care that much what other people think of me anymore.  I do to try to find some advantages of getting older because they aren't many.  There is one other advantage, I got a cheaper fishing license.  

91 comments:

Carol said...

Coreen, I'm on a Coreen watch now. I have the area where I think you live up on my Weather Underground. I have you and all those in harm's way in my prayers.

Carol said...

Find your cell phone Coreen. I know you have been a little hesitant to adopt that technology but if you have your land line phone bundled with your cable stuff, you may lose phone service, if cable goes down. Just something to consider. If that happens, send me your cell phone number also. I don't have it.

Carol said...

During my 40 year nursing career, I've meet some very interesting and unusual people. Many who lived in a very different world than I lived in. Many I would have never had the opportunity to meet if I hadn't been a nurse. Some, even though they spoke English, spoke in a language I'm not sure I understood. Some weren't even conscious when they spoke. I never dismissed what they had to say even when I didn't understand it. I always took time to ponder it. You just never know when or where it will be or who will have something profound to teach us. I've spend my entire life being a student.

Carol said...

Another thing...even though this disaster may be pretty costly, it may add significantly to Obama's job numbers. I predict a lot of new job opportunities soon.

Coreen said...

electricity just went out & gen started...hopefully only for a little while...

winds gusting to 40, only showers though...reports say storm is moving rapidly toward shore, so
the worst winds will last til tomorrow morning...

I do have internet & phone, but cable tv is out...that is what happened both times we lost electricity before...there is power to the cable box, but will not come on til the real electric
goes back on...

Coreen said...

Electricity back on...tv too...

latest from all local weatherpeople say they do not think the winds will get much higher, than now...likely 60-75 mph, but no higher....also saying landfall around atlantic city nj in about 2 hours/early evening here...

Carol said...

I'd say 60 to 70 is bad enough. It picked up speed Coreen. I hope that's a good thing. I hope it moves through faster.

If TV goes out again, TWC is supposed to be streaming on line. Maybe some of your local channels may be also.

Carol said...

It's nice to know that your generator really works. Didn't you say, the tests is does periodically doesn't turn your power off before it kicks on?

Coreen said...

It is really windy outside...managed to feed the birds...but it is howling, trees swaying bigtime...& its raining...

so far so good for most people & electricity but they keep saying there will be major outages as the winds increase in the evening...

Carol said...

Thanks for keeping in touch Coreen. I'm out at the camp and it's beautiful here. I'm still glued to TWC.

Coreen said...

Lights out again...just as my friend called to say hers was out in Trumbull...

gen is on again, the wind is howling like a freight train, even louder than the gen engine noise...



Carol said...

Are you in Easton? That's the weather I've been tracking.

Coreen said...

You got it Carol...UI says just about 1/2 the town is w/o electricity...

UI is the provider....

the wind is still howling, the lights went on for about 15 min, but then out again & gen popped on...don't think that there will be any lights til a.m. or later...

Coreen said...

Here's the UI town outage list
UI town outage list

Carol said...

Interesting. I have monitored your power status in the past but it's been a while. Rural areas, not next to hospitals, fire stations, police, etc, will be the last to get it back up. Dang good thing you have a fancy generator. You two may get to be good friends.

On the CT now station that I found, they listed Easton with 51mph winds at one point. It's not easy to get good info.

Carol said...

I'm monitoring TM and I haven't seen Craig or RR post in a while. I wonder if they are on generator power yet?

Coreen said...

This is the local Bpt. radio station that is on live talking to people calling in w/no lights...

wicc600

Carol said...

I'm watching TWC and Jim Cantore is reporting from Battery Park in NY. There are people sitting on a park bench there with the water about 8 inches over the seawall. There feet are underwater. You have some crazy people up there.

Still waiting to see if water will get into the subways there. Hope not.

Carol said...

That channel will be going off at 9p. Still no TV there? Have you tried TWC? They are streaming their show live online.

Coreen said...

No TV, the cable does not come back until real electric goes on, no idea why...there is power to
cable box, but no signal...

my internet connection is through the real telephone line...& yes I do have phone service...

Did you try to listen to the wicc
radio? what channel are you talking about going off the air at 9 ...

Seems that around here, just about everyone is saying they lost electric about 6 pm...lots of trees down everywhere, no idea what it will look like in daylight...

no utility workers will be doing any work til the wind dies down...

Carol said...

I was listening to the radio channel you linked..wicc 600. They said they go off at 9p or may stay a little longer and will be back at 5a.

Carol said...

You may want to talk with the cable co. There might be something simple you can do unless the cable co lost power.

Coreen said...

wicc did go off the air, which is odd since normally they are on all night, but with national shows...like jim bohannan & then some other talk show...maybe the local feed goes off til 5 am

Carol said...

I heard on TWC that there are over 3 million w/o power in the involved states. Some of it may have been turned off on purpose to protect the grids.

Carol said...

Several of the shows that tape in NYC are not on tonight. My comedy boys aren't but Letterman is. I record him and watch him after the Comedy Central guys.

Coreen said...

Switched over to cbs 880 out of NYC, seems the water damage is as bad as they thought it would be, but it is now high tide there so hopefully the water surge will start to recede...its going to be awhile...

have no idea what the daylight will bring...

there has been a fatality right here in Easton, a firefighter died
when a tree fell on the truck or him, unclear of the details...they were answering some type of call just up the road...

not having tv is not a big deal, just glad to have lights, water, cooking ability....

can't wait to see how much propane
has been used so far, since I have no idea how fast it uses it up...the propane company said it should work 4-5 days before you need more propane....

From what I am hearing there is a tremendous amount of tree damage all around so it could be awhile...

by the way, the wind sound is not nearly as bad as it was since the storm hit land....

Coreen said...

can you see live feed out of NYC...the radio says in lower Manhattan near the battery park area the water surge is all around & pouring into the brooklyn battery tunnel which is the tunnel under the east river that connects brooklyn to manhattan...

Carol said...

Jim Cantore is reporting from Battery Park and the water has been coming up fast there. They just talked to emergency management out of NY and I don't think the subway has been effected so far. I'm a little behind on the TV since I have paused it several times so I can FF thru the commercials.

Carol said...

I've even canceled my usual Monday night recordings so I can keep up with what's happening with you guys. Now that's loyalty.

Carol said...

Are you monitoring TM? They have a chat going that is pretty amusing. Giddy storm talk.

Carol said...

Craig posted some pics that OSH took at her place on TM.

Carol said...

Con Ed is shutting off power in lower Manhattan.

Carol said...

When the wind comes around to blowing from the south, it will push more water toward NYC.

Coreen said...

Guess we see humor differently...surprise surprise...

Already saw oldsea's pics on FB...

Coreen said...

Here is the NYC news am radio station cbs 880 that I listen to for news regularly...they are speaking with different people around NYC/NJ/CT...
wcbs880 NY radio

Carol said...

They were talking about eating their way thru the stress. I find that funny. I enjoy anything related to food and eating. It's one of my fav hobbies.

Carol said...

I think some of it is the wine talking.

Carol said...

Now subways are filling with water. Not good. I'm still behind about 40 minutes or so. Things may be worse in real time. Jim looks nervous. He may be trapped like a rat.

Carol said...

Nite Coreen. Best thing to do is take your radio and go to bed. You may have already done that.

jan said...

I am keeping up with your conversation, Carol and Coreen. Glad to hear you are safe Coreen. We did tape DWTS and have been checking in every so often with the storm. Prayers for all in the storm area.

Sorry to hear about the fireman Coreen.

Carol said...

Phew, a little of the worst is over. Maybe not. I think the worst may be yet to come. The real lessons come trying to live after the initial misery is over. It's a real test. I'll start praying harder.

Carol said...

Coreen, how did your yard do?

Coreen said...

It's morning & it looks much better
already...doesn't mean I'm about to drive anywhere...there are still
lots of trees/wires down all around town, still have friends w/o
power...

Regular electric went on at 11:30 last night...tv too...have no idea how this area managed that, since the lower part of town is still out...

Haven't walked out to the street yet, but around the house only some
branches...that I could drag off the driveway, not sure about further down the driveway yet...



Carol said...

Coreen, in your small community, there are more customers out of electrical service than there are customers...101.57%. I don't understand that.

Carol said...

Hmmm Coreen, UI must be a little behind reporting on their site. I just looked and they report what I wrote above.

Coreen said...

No idea why that is listed like that...as it is parts of the surrounding towns where friends live are ok, others out...

The sun just peeked out which is a good sign...

Carol said...

I'm sooo glad you were sooo lucky Coreen.

I feel sooo sorry for those without power where it's cold or will get cold. Twin and I were arguing one day about which would be worse having no power, when it's very hot or when it's very cold. Of course we didn't agree. What's new? I voted that I'd rather it be hot and she voted for cold. Of course she has never experienced very cold w/o power. I lived two days w/o power during a ice storm here. She had power.

I can move around better being hot than cold. When it gets very cold, I kinda freeze up, pardon the pun.

Carol said...

Speaking of lessons...while many are sitting in their comfortable shelters, people and agencies that many of the big Rs don't appreciate, will be out cleaning up the mess. After the work is done, they will say thanks, you now lose your pension or we're cut funding to your agency. Good luck.

Carol said...

Looking at New Jersey and New York, you were very lucky Coreen. God, I feel for all those people. It's depressing.

Carol said...

That storm was bad but it still didn't pack the punch that some of these southern hurricane's pack, but it certainly covered a much larger area.

I caught both Dave Letterman and Jimmy Fallon last night. They both did their nightly shows without an audience and they were both good shows. It was kinda cute watching them talk to empty chairs. I guess they represent the spirit of the typical New Yorker, they can take a lickin and keep on tickin.

I wonder when they will get the subway back up running.

Carol said...

Watching that crippled crane dangling off that building in NYC made me wonder what other bad decisions the people contracting that new building made. It would make me think twice about occupying it.

Carol said...

Watching the destruction of this storm has me pondering in many different directions. One ponder is..I wonder if people who think they did it and can do it all by themselves and don't need the government's help, will rethink that idea. Maybe some will.

After Rita, I had plenty of money but with no electricity, no banks and no stores open for weeks, money was pretty useless. I was as prepared as I could have been but it wasn't enough. There was nothing I appreciated more than being able to stand in those lines for the FEMA/National Guard handouts. It was the highlight of my day. That was just one small thing that the government provided during our crisis. There were many more.

Carol said...

The first thing they handed out were those MREs, meal ready to eat. That's the stuff that our soldiers eat. Not exactly gourmet but what they lacked in that area they made up for in the entertainment I got preparing the meals. You had to read the directions to do it right, could't just guess. They had little chemical packs that would heat the stuff. You also had to add water. That amusement wore off in a couple of days but then they started handing out other stuff...like fruit, fruit juices, tuna, crackers. Part of the fun was just seeing what you would get in your care package each day.

I was stuck at the jail for 8 miserable days. We had plenty of good food there because all the local businesses cleaned out their freezers and brought the food to the jail. With no power they didn't want the food to go to waste. The jail had gas to cook with since there was no electricity there for at least a week. They finally did get a big generator set up.

There was no AC and the wardens commandeered all the fans anyone had. That left those of us in medical, the least appreciated in corrections, in the middle of a concrete building, with the temp outside around 100 degrees. The walls were even sweating. I slept on the floor, on a prison mat, with Maggie tied to my leg. We both cried a few times.

God, I was so glad to break out of there after 8 days. I couldn't leave any sooner because the downed trees made it impossible to drive down most roads. They didn't want me to leave but I couldn't take that place for one more day. It wouldn't have been long before the nurses would start killing one another.

As soon as the surge went down and they cleared the road to my camp, I made a fast get away. My camp was the best place to set up camp with a little generator. I bought my little generator on one of our supply runs to Sams. Just to get stuff at Sams we had to stand in line for hours. They bought people in in small groups with flashlights and we got what we needed. I got a chain saw and a generator. Another few long lines at the hardware store got me the electric cords for the generator. More long lines to get enough gas to run the generator for 12 hours. They limited how much gas we could buy. Sometimes you would just get up to the pump after waiting a long time and they'd be out of gas.

Most of the people in town were rescue workers. Everyone else was forced to evacuate and weren't allowed back for about 3 weeks even though some people sneaked back in. There were only a few people out on the long camp road and since I had just bought my camp, I didn't know any of them. It was dark and scary out there at night. Pretty scary during the day also. The smell of dead fish filled the air. Dead fish bodies were everywhere. The salt water surge killed everything in the river, for at least a year. I remember that there was this perfect little circle of dead small brim. It's like they died and fell in a circle. The meaning of that had me pondering for a while.

It was an interesting experience, one I never want to repeat. I was tougher 7 years ago than I am now. I really wouldn't have stayed in town back then but I had to. I was one of the very few medical practitioners in town. Every single employee at the hospital that employed me left town and didn't return for 3 weeks. I couldn't even get in touch with my collaborating physician. Good thing I didn't need him.

Carol said...

Actually they did have enough of a generator to run the lights in the jail but it wouldn't support AC. There wasn't even running water for days. I won't share some of the problems that caused.

Carol said...

Well, Twin woke me up early. I've actually learned to sleep later. It used to be that I was up every day at 5a come rain or shine or whether I worked or was off. I had to be up if I worked and if I was off, I didn't want to miss a minute of the day.

I couldn't sleep last night, actually it was way past last night, closer to early this morning. I found some old 2007 Ambien and took a half of a pill. I was asleep in no time. I'm not sure that old med even works that fast but I'm very suggestive and super, over sensitive.

Watching the big storm coverage has stirred up some haunting memories. I don't have the gift that most people have, that ability to deny that there is horror going on somewhere and just enjoy the fact that everything is pretty cool here, dang it.It's a curse. Big sis often bitches at me about that.





Carol said...

I've mentioned a few thousand times that worrying is in my DNA. If I wasn't born with the worry gene, mom worked hard at teaching us how to do it. Any time I think of Twin, I'm worrying. If I manage to stop thinking about her, she will call to make sure I'll start again. She is number one on my top ten things to worry about.

She called this morning. She's headed for Houston to fly to see her son. I didn't know that so I didn't have to worry about that. I was soooo close to getting by without worrying!

The only thing I worry about with her going is that she has to drive to Houston. That drive is a bitch for us older folks, especially when it's dark. Twin has two eyes that don't point in the same direction which makes all of the above even more of a challenge. She hasn't been able to fix the problem because she has NO health care. She's on SS disability and will soon, finally, qualify for Medicare. That's been a terrible two year worry for me. This BS about improvements in the availability of health care for all is exactly that... BS!

It's not only the driving, in the dark, with eyes that don't coordinate but she's calling me to ask me how to plug in a new GPS she bought. Why couldn't she have figured that out before she left. Picture all of the above and add that she probably has a cup of coffee in one hand and a cigarette in the other. She doesn't worry.

Now, I can't change any of the above but damn it, I don't want to know about it. Not a pleasant way to wake up.

Carol said...

Another thing that I pondered while watching this storm is...the question of whether global climate change is playing any role in this weather disaster? It was a bit unusual to say the least. I don't think any of us even wanted to mention that possibility, not even the media. Our politicians haven't mentioned it in this campaign. Maybe we all think that if we say it out loud, the planet may go poof.

We know that global climate change is more of a Democratic issue. Republicans don't believe in science. Unfortunately Obama didn't mention it either. I don't think either party base is too crazy about our candidates this go round. We all have our eyes shut and are holding our noses.

Carol said...

I watched Dave Letterman again last night. He doesn't have an audience yet but he is still very entertaining. I just started watching him because that TV time slot was taken up by the Comedy Central guys. Since I have a DVR, I can watch one and record the other. Duh. I just didn't realize how much I would like Dave. He's quite an intelligent guy.

He's having a little trouble finding quests to have on his show right now. A few still show up but others can't get in because the airport is closed. Last night he had Jim Cantore on, like we haven't seen enough of that guy lately. Well, he was available and we all know that moving around in bad weather doesn't phase Jim in the least.

Dave did pose the question about global climate change to Jim. Dave doesn't care who's toes he steps on. I could tell that even Jim was nervous talking about it but I did get the impression that he did think that it was playing a role in this weather phenomenon. May have just been my imagination.

I'm thinking that if Mother Nature keeps slapping us around hard and long enough...we may have to start thinking outside of our comfortable boxes. Or at least start sending more money to C-Bob for some shelter boxes for people to live in.

Carol said...

Yep...worrying does make me a little wordy.

Carol said...

Happy Halloween! Don't have to look hard to find a horror show on TV.

Carol said...

Meatloaf sang American the Beautiful at a Romney rally. It made even Roseann's singing of the National
Anthem years ago sound good. Romney looked more than a little uncomfortable.

Carol said...

Coreen, are you grieving over the loss of some of the places where I'm sure you have fond memories from childhood?

Carol said...

It's another beautiful day. Mag and I are going to the camp. I can't wait for them to get to working on it. I hope the last guy I talked with doesn't back out. I'm jonesing to get back out there to spend the night.

I'm finding quite a list of stuff that needs serious attention here at the house. Old infrastructure. I'm kinda freaking about a possible plumbing problem in my big bathroom, in the shower. I found it by accident the other day. I've been showering in a bathroom that I've never used before. It was originally the only bathroom I had when I bought my house. I had it ripped up and redone years back. It's like an antique bathroom. It's got a clawfoot tub with a shower. It has a circular thing where the shower curtain hangs. It's cool but kinda scary because I'm not as agile as I used to be. I almost need a ladder to get in it. Like I do when I went swimming this summer, I call TW and tell her to call and check on me within a reasonable period of time, if she doesn't hear from me.

Coreen said...

Its an ok day here, nothing new to report...unfortunately all the towns around are still mostly out of power...don't hear anything
to make me think they will be back
before the end of the week...it is colder today than it has been so that is a concern for those w/o power...

I see the potential for more problems if the utilities do not
get things back on line soon...

some grocery stores still open but
not much in the way of perishables
stocked...



Coreen said...

Honestly no Carol, I can not say I grieve over the loss of things long gone...life is always changing...you can cherish memories w/o grieving over the fact that they are gone...well I can, maybe you not so much...

You do seem to obsess about many things...that's ok, everyone handles things differently & if it works for you, that's a good thing..

Carol said...

Maybe it's because you haven't had the kind of life experiences that teach empathy. Hope you never do.

Coreen said...

Carol, at times you are so clueless...you have no idea what you are talking about as far as my life or indeed anyone else's beyond your own...

you choose to obsess about everything & anything, if that is what you define as empathy, get real.. others don't act as you deem
they should, pretty obvious from what you write repeatedly, about any and all things, but that is simply your opinion, nothing more, nothing less...

Carol said...

I wouldn't argue with that.

Carol said...

But I do know the definition of empathy.

Carol said...

And one of the purposes of this blog is to have a place to obsess. Believe it or not, it works for me.

Carol said...

Don't know of this applies to peeps up on the east coast but we now have a 5 percent hurricane deductible on our homeowners policies. You have to lose in excess of 5 percent of the value listed on your policy to collect one red cent. That's only if the damage was caused by a hurricane.

Carol said...

FEMA does need to watch for inmates applying for emergency assistance. Checks did arrive at the jail for some of ours after Rita. And some really well off people took FEMA for a good bit of money while people in need went without. Even though we need our government in emergencies, they can be scammed...just like the rest of us.

Carol said...

Actually..after a little pondering..I don't obsess about anything or everything. I'm choosy. I don't think that being concerned about the well-being of millions of fellow humans involved in a major disaster constitutes an obsession. But that's JMO. And your welcome to yours.

jan said...

I do want to wish you all a Happy Halloween.

We had a little party at work today. I don't usually get excited about holidays. Our office staff put together a great little party. We all contributed food. Several put together a haunted "room" It was very creative and even I screamed a little. I didn't stay long in it as they had strobe type lighting in areas and that can start a migraine for me. I have missed our NP and this was good for me today.

jan said...

We have had only a few trick or treaters. This will go down as a sad Halloween for many along the east coast.

Carol said...

Yes Jan a sad Halloween and wasn't it this time last year that many up there had to go thru an early snow and power outage? I'm sure their in for a lot of PTSD.

Carol said...

One thing good about this blog is that no one has to read it. It has still served it's purpose for me. It's how I study. Writing is part of my studying. When I was in college and grad school, I had to write to study.

With my learning disabilities, if I just read something, it might have gone in one eye and out the other. As I read, I underlined what I thought was important and wrote it out and then read it again. I think better when I'm writing even if no one else understands that thinking, it works for me.

I do believe that everything that happens in life has meaning. In order to learn from life's experiences, I have to study/ponder it and write about it. I guess one person's pondering is another person's obsessing.

When I was going through my year and a half of hell, I wrote my ass off. In doing that, instead of just seeing it as hell, I saw all the synchronicity and small miracles that were involved in that awful experience.

Carol said...

What's really weird is that even though I'm compelled to watch real disasters, I will not watch a fiction disaster movie.

jan said...

Carol, I know your birthday is this month - is it on 11/7?

jan said...

I have a sprained knee. I think I did it a couple of weeks ago when I got down on the floor to do a hearing screen on a child in one of our child care centers. All of our children have to have them at 12 and 24 months.

Anyway, this knee is giving me fits. I cannot walk for exercise any longer. My NP friend told me about RICE - so I got me a knee brace - and it does help. I have been resting it. Have not used ice yet. but I have been going over to the therapy pool at the Univ and staying in there about 30 min several times a week and that seems to help. Elevation of my leg does not seem to help. The warm water in the therapy pool does decrease the swelling a lot.

Any more suggestions Carol?

jan said...

Oh yes, I do take ibuprofen at night so I can sleep.

Carol said...

Only suggestion I have is do what you're doing, definitely need to rest it. I'm more of a ice fan but most people don't like ice because it's cold. I once heard a PT guy say that using heat is like putting your part in a crock pot, it's slow cooking ya. Never forgot that. If you do try ice, just keep it on about 10-15 minutes and then off for as long.

Another suggestion is when you're all better, strengthen your quad muscles because stronger quads better support your knees. There are many ways to do that without having special equipment. Google them. I happen to have some entire workout system in my bedroom that is too heavy to move out. Fortunately, it's a big bedroom.

Carol said...

I watched Colbert last night and he had Lilly Ledbetter on. She said that Romney has never answered the question of whether he supports her act. It could mean two things..he does support it and doesn't want anyone to know or...he doesn't support it and doesn't want anyone to know.

Voting for Romney is like choosing the (?) in the Dum Dum pop bag. Some are labeled with a flavor and some have a (?). You just don't know what flavor you're going to get. If you don't know, a Dum Dum is a little sucker. I grabbed one at my eye doc's office the other day. I opted for the cherry. I like knowing the flavor I'm going to get ahead of time.

Carol said...

Craig's TM is down. Someone hacked his site.

jan said...

Thanks for the info on knee tx Carol. I am going to grocery for a frozen bag of peas.

The heat makes it feel better. I thought my quads were in good shape. I walk a lot - or did. It is distressing to not be able to walk. Walking was my stress therapy.

Carol said...

The temperature you use really depends on what's causing the pain. If it's arthritis, heat is useful as long as you don't leave it on for long periods.

If it's an acute injury and you heat it or soak it in hot water, it will swell like crazy. I've had people come into the ER with a part so edematous that if I couldn't have seen where it originated, I wouldn't know what I was looking at because it was sooo swollen. They soaked it in hot water like grandma taught.

If you watch athletes who have just been injured, they have the injury wrapped with ice.

Carol said...

It's just been the last few days that I have been able to walk without serious pain. I broke my ankle/foot last Nov, a year ago. My most recent pain has been in my good ankle, I guess from the compensation. I dreaded any walking. I had to psych up to go to Walmart.

One thing that I think has decreased my pain is the shoes I'm now wearing. I'm wearing a heavier New Balance shoe. It looks like a low cut hiking boot. I couldn't wear those shoes with shorter pants because they looked dumb but now that I'm wearing jeans, they look fine. It's made a world of difference. I have extra support I bought for the shoes also.

jan said...

Carol, this is not a new injury - it is about 2 weeks old now. I guess it is a pulled ligament on the inside of my knee.

jan said...

The knee brace is helping. I don't know what this is. I think its a sprain. It is not the joint. I am impatient. I want it to be well.

Carol said...

Shock and disbelief is comIng to an end for those affected by the storm. They are entering the anger phase. Next comes depression. It's a bitch.

Carol said...

And the death toll will continue to rise. Some people can't or don't want to survive this kind of trauma. Older people who lost everything they had, all their memories and come to realize how long it will take to rebuild may not survive. Not that they commit suicide, even though we had some who did that, they die of heart attacks and strokes.

The simple things we do each day or week become monumental tasks.

This life class is going to be a really tough one.