Vintage Owl Vignette and an Update

First of all, I'm having a little issue with Blogger. I'm not sure why, but it's decided each time I have to edit a post that it wants to "republish" and act like I just published it. This is getting old and I've tried scheduling the old time, but it's doing it any way. Anyone else having this annoying problem? I imagine a few of you are wondering about my sanity and blogging ethics. I hope it fixes itself soon, I feel like I'm walking around with toilet paper stuck to my shoe...

I wanted to share my new-to-me vintage concrete owl that I found at The Vintage Peddler last week. Isn't he a cutie; just the right amount of white chippy-ness!

When I start with a vignette, I don't have it all planned out,

 I just put down the basic pieces and then add in from there.

Actually the first thing I did was remove his remaining brown rhinestone eye.

 It kinda looked like a cataract, so now he's back to "normal".

I recently planted some ivy in one of my vintage clay pots.

It's doing well over here with all the bright indirect light.

My owl is on top of the vintage book stack,

so then I added in a brown tweed pumpkin that I found last year.

It's looking good, but needs some Fall Color.

I rummaged through my stash and found some

 Bittersweet I'd saved from last year.

It's a little dried out, but will do until I can find some current vines.

I'm working on several small projects and vignettes to be ready

 for the Harvest Blog Tour that Brenda

 from Cozy Little House  will be hosting in early October.

You'll find the tour graphic on my sidebar.

so, on to what's been happening with me health-wise...

I had to look back and then realized that it's been a month since I finished my series on "When Your Body Has Had Enough". The reason you haven't heard about what's been happening is that I've had several more tests in a couple of different directions, and it's only been this week that we've gotten down to a more definitive answer.

My blood count numbers finally got up to within the "normal" range, thankfully due to the B12. It's taken since late May to get close to where I need to be, but I was still having daily migraine type headaches and constant dizziness. I was concerned that it might be a more serious anemia problem but my new Dr. said that since my numbers were up we needed to focus on another possibility. We discussed heart related issues, but that didn't feel like it was it; it was more to do with my neck and the back of my head where my migraines were coming from.

I had a CT scan with and without contrast material to see if I had a blood vessel that might have become narrowed. The fact that I have Cardiovascular disease, she was worried I might have a corroded Carotid artery or Vertebrobasilar artery (in the back of the neck). The CT scan was negative; good news, but it still didn't solve the issue. Next step was a regular x-ray series of my cervical spine. 

That was it, I have arthritis of my cervical spine, and the little openings that the blood supply and nerves run through (foramen)  are narrowing. (talk about feeling over-the-hill, dang!) She started me on a newer pain killer that helps a great deal, and I'm doing some exercises. Next step is for me to talk to my dr. about seeing an orthopedic dr. to get a broader more long term diagnoses and/or starting physical therapy. This won't be getting better so I need to see what I can do to keep it from getting worse...?... It's a little frightening to think at the point I'm at I'm having such severe symptoms... dizziness and migraines. I'm tired of feeling like a walking "Bobble-Head". At least I can drive again and I feel better with the pain med, but I have lot's of questions about what might be coming.

Also, I got started on the new cholesterol drug, Rapatha that is in an injectable "pen". This medication is relatively new and still in some trials. The insurance companies don't want to pay for it, because it's terribly expensive. But I'm working with a wonderful young woman who is in charge of the Lipid Center here in town. She finds the right candidates, as they are looking for people with high family cholesterol that can't take statins well. She does all the hard work in dealing with the drug company and the insurance company and slays all the dragons for those of us who have no alternatives. This drug is so good that it's showing that it can reverse plaque buildup in existing cruddy arteries, and Hey, that's my biggest problem.

OK, I'll keep you up to date with what's going on... in the meantime I'm enjoying having my life a little closer to normal for a change.

xoxo,

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