Good news/Bad news

Yep, I have both.

I've had some health junk going on. BAD - A flare-up of fibromyalgia was one thing, and it was not a terrible one, but still uncomfortable. A combination of severe cold and stress with the new job, I'm sure. GOOD - That has passed.

BAD - I've also had a flare-up of diverticulitis. This is the first problem I've had in eleven years. I know I probably brought it on myself with, again, stress, coupled with a poor diet. I've not been eating as wisely as I usually do, making sure my diet is balanced and fiber-rich, and I'm paying for it. If you don't know, diverticulitis is a chronic condition of the intestine, causes severe diarrhea when the intestine doesn't function correctly and develops an infection. Vile and nasty. And dairy products, nuts, seeds make it worse, so I've been avoiding those. I was taking Immodium to stop the diarrhea, but it doesn't stop the cramping and roaring in the gut, and it makes me extremely tired. I was hardly able to function. GOOD - After more than a week of trying to get it under control, I began a bizarre diet recommended by a nurse friend. It consists of soy milk, rice baby cereal, and mashed bananas. I began it yesterday, and within a few minutes of my first "meal," the diarrhea stopped, the cramping and rumbling stopped, and I've felt much better!

BAD - This morning I took a lukewarm shower. My water heater apparently has stopped working. I've noticed for a couple weeks that it seemed the water wasn't as hot as usual, but honestly, I didn't think a lot about it. I just figured I wasn't that used to showering that early in the AM. Well, was I ever wrong! I made a call to the plumber, but he can't come out until Thursday afternoon. Woopee-ding-dong. I'll be taking some "spit baths" with water heated on the stove for a few days. gah. GOOD - None here, not just yet. This has to wait till it is fixed or replaced. The good thing is he doesn't think we will have to replace it. Thinks it is a coil that needs to be replaced. I hope that's all.

GOOD (nothing bad to precede this!) - Today I took one of the volunteers (V) to meet one of the hospice patients (P). I had met P on my second day of employment. He was not doing well at all. Everyone thought he didn't have long, and  would have agreed. He was nearly comatose, dozed most of the time I was there, but did respond to questions with nods or simple one-word replies. He let me know, however that he thought having a volunteer come out to spend time with him would be a nice idea. It took me a while to get my ducks in order with weather and my health and to get together with V, but today we made the journey.

Now, I'd been told P was doing better and might even be able to go home again eventually. But I was totally unprepared for what I found. P was up and walking around! We introduced ourselves and spent the next hour and a half totally enjoying him! P talked non-stop! And he was very mentally sharp. At one time he was talking about a piece of property he and his son own, and he said, "It's a nice piece of land. Let's see there are 19 acres and 24 on the other side, so it's (split second pause) 43 acres." I couldn't have added it that fast, and he just popped it right out. The man's mental capacity is wonderful.

But here is the best part .... both P and V are older men. I knew they were probably similar in age, but we learned during the visit that they were born just eight months apart, both being 86 years old. Both served in World War II, both were pilots, one in Europe, the other in the Pacific. Both were from Texas. Both attended the same college after returning from the war. Their homes are just a few blocks apart, and they have many common friends! And as they talked, they figured out that V was in a local hardware store a few days ago, and he chatted with P's wife as they stood in line to pay. I couldn't believe it! I just sat quietly  and listened to these two sweet gentlemen talk about the old days. It was just a delightful time!

As V and I left, P walked us to the door and said to V that he looked forward to the next visit. I was thrilled to have such a great connection. Life can be just amazing at times, can't it? Yeah, this made up for a lot of the stuff up there listed as "BAD"!