Friday, November 22, 2019, 3:00 p.m.
I was so depressed last week that I actually considered, for a fleeting moment, canceling my appointment with Francis, my Pain Physical Therapist. I was also, in that moment, considering canceling my appointment with Lisa Galan, my therapist. In my Facebook private pain/depression group, I wrote the following:
“Does anyone else feel like it isn’t doing you any good to keep seeing your therapist?
“I’m just disgruntled because she’s wanting to get me on medication! It’s especially disturbing because Kaiser’s main premise is preventative care! I must be really far gone (too far gone for non-pharmaceutical intervention) if she thinks I need medication!
“The one person who has been my ‘therapist’ more than anyone else is my Pain Physical Therapist, Francis. I feel guilty taking up a whole hour of his valuable time to see me every two months, but he is someone who really listens to me, who supports my low-carb diet for diabetes, and is non-judgmental about my use of CBD oil for migraine prevention.”
Fortunately, I did not cancel my appointment with Francis. In fact, during my hour with him today, I told him, almost verbatim, what I wrote above! And his reaction/response was exactly as expected: he listened to me, without judgment, and continued to support all that I’m doing in my feeble attempts to get well, mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Well, I told him about the cruise, showcasing how I walked 2-3 times as much as I do at home, even on Tuesdays, my “walking day” around the Alameda Farmers’ Market and South Shore Shopping Center. I talked about riding my trike since we’ve been home, and he affirmed me for getting at least that much exercise. However, he did remind me that cycling does not offer the same benefits as walking does for strengthening the bones! Chalk up one for Francis.
Finally, I asked him about physical therapy for osteoarthritic hands, and I showed him my very crooked index finger. “What physical therapy exercises can I do to help relieve pain and increase range of motion?”
“Let me get you a handout,” he said, standing to his feet. “I’ll be right back.” I’m guessing he sent copies of something to a printer outside his office. While he was gone, I looked at his B.S. and Master of Physical Therapy diplomas on his wall.
He came back with several sheets and gave one to me. Then he did demonstrations of the exercises and I tried to copy his movements while he was watching.
After that, he scheduled me for a next appointment in January. And I asked him how to pronounce his last name (since I had been looking at his last name on his diplomas on the wall). He told me, and then said the name (Tanjuatco) is a combination of Chinese and Hispanic, and that 20% of people born in the Philippines are Chinese.
We wished each other Happy Holidays, and I went on my way to where Linda and Emily were waiting for me in the van.
Alameda & Harborside
As planned, we drove from Union City directly to Alameda, via Doolittle, to get to the bank at South Shore where I extracted currency from the ATM. Then I asked Linda, as long as we were here in South Shore, if she would drive around to Bed, Bath & Beyond and she didn’t have to get out of the van. She didn’t ask why but silently complied. I got out, went in, and searched for the display of Dash 4″ Mini Waffle Makers that had been on sale for 25% off (from $9.99 to $7.49) last Tuesday.
Two nights ago, I was figuratively shaking my fists at the Universe and screaming, “How dare you?!?” I was convinced the Universe was conspiring against me to prevent me from having one.
- When we got home from shopping on Tuesday and emptied the bag from Bed, Bath & Beyond, the mini waffle maker wasn’t in the bag! Fortunately, I didn’t have to hunt for a crumpled receipt in the trash because I had elected to have the BB&B receipt emailed to me. So I found it in my email and printed it out.
- Then, on our way to Tracy on Wednesday, we stopped at BB&B and I took the receipt in and told the cashier/customer service person what happened, hoping they would believe my true story. Apparently, she did because she turned quickly to the counter behind her where items were being put in bins to return to shelves in the store, and there it was! So I took it to Tracy with me, because I wanted to ask Lisa if she’d like to have one and I thought Alex would like to see it, too. He did like it and started to carry it from the family room around to his play kitchen, but he dropped it on the hard tile of the front hallway and part of the plastic in the back broke off. I picked it up and took the pieces to Linda. She stated that she didn’t think it would affect the operation of the waffle maker and that the broken plastic piece could probably be glued on. I had no words. Linda put all the pieces back into the box, and I put the box in a corner of Lisa’s kitchen and just left it there.
- That was two strikes against me, so I was waiting to see what would happen tonight. I fully expected all the units to have been sold out, since it was no longer in stock online at BB&B. At Amazon, the 4-inch units were all sold out, except for ones from third-party sellers that were selling for $47! Amazon said they would be back in stock at their usual retail price ($14.99) after January 6. What would I find on the shelf where they had been on sale at BB&B for 25% off. *plays dramatic music in my head* Not only where they not sold out, but they were now on sale for $4.99. I was stunned! *plays triumphant music in my head*
So, here I am. I’ve opened the box, took out the mini waffle maker and inspected it. Took out the instructions/recipes booklet and looked through it, then stapled tonight’s BB&B receipt to the warranty page of the instructions. One-year warranty. The box is in my kitchen. I haven’t used it yet, but for now, I am content.
After South Shore, we headed to Harborside where I had placed an order for pick-up. Two bottles of Select 1:1 CBD/THC tincture and one jumbo bottle of Vet CBD for Emily.
I wrote tonight in my Gratitude Journal, “11/22/19 – I’m thankful that my tank has been filled!”