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Saturday, March 30, 2019

Life rhythm and pattern



We’re around again to the 330. Today is the real 330. There is a DC columnist’s heading, News from the 212, which is DC’s area code. One of my friends, at least, starts her morning Facebook post: The 330 this Morning!, or something close to that.

Today, in my world’s inexorable turn on an axis, we have the ephemeral rendition of 330. Gone at bedtime, for all practical purposes.  I went to the post office this morning, because it’s raining and tolerable, because I wanted to go out and breathe the advance of spring.


The pot of Mom’s chives caught my eye, not for their specialty but for their appearance. To now there have been only green weeds to signal spring. Chive shoots are the prescient herald of the event. I leaned in to clear away the old leaves, dropped what I’d lifted, and stepped back. Three inches of snow are forecast overnight, and freezing temps in the morning.


This morning a neighbor stopped with a package left at her door in error. A florist box full of tulips, from a friend. The card said “Happy to have you in my life!” Laura and I arranged them in the vase from the box, to the delight of all, and Toby not the least.


Toby cannot keep his lips off tulips. “I can’t help it woman! I’m transported to them!”  There is no place here he cannot access and only one room I can close down from him. 



He barged into my bathroom this morning. B.a.r.g.e.d! The door hit the door stop and returned to the door frame, nearly latched. OMG, what has happened! After several maneuvers, he was free. I will move the tulips to the loom room when I go in to weave later today. That door can be securely closed.


The tulips came today to wish me happy birthday tomorrow. Don’t trust those pesky delivery services on a Sunday, even if it is your birthday. Mine were delivered to my neighbor, after all.

I see several doctors, but actually not too many. I have them carefully sorted, and discarded the ones I found extraneous. One of my favorites is my endocrinologist. I last saw him in June, and broke my femur the following week. I saw him again last week. He did not even turn to his computer until he had a bone by bone account of the event.

When we were done with the blood work discussion, he informed me there were four items on his list today, and now he had covered three. The fourth was our ongoing discussion of bone strengthening drugs. He’s been pushing them for several years, and even has a couple of Chantilly lace bone scans to wave before my eyes.

For several years I parried the proposal with the request to answer “Where does the stuff go?”, and, of course, he had no answer. Sally Field and Blythe Danner notwithstanding, I personally knew one case of dental jaw problems, and given my extensive history of dental work, I haven’t been about to try a bone drug, past calcium.

Working to solidify these damn broken bones the last eight months has caused me to reconsider.  But the only good reports of Prolia are from doctors, not patients.  So once again, no bone meds. And that’s most everything from the 330, on 330.


47 comments:

  1. I refused Prolia too... after breaking my femur in four places...thank you Tigger. I didn't like the side effects tied to dental things or heart. I have aphib. My new doctor recommended over the counter calcium with Vitamin D
    ... cheap and no side effects.

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  2. OMG I must be the densest woman alive...It took me to the very end of all this to suddenly click on wat 330 was all about. Do they have any brain strengthening drugs? I think I need some. What is it with that cat and tulips?

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    1. It took me forever to figure out what 212 News was. I'm no better than worst of us for this sort of subtlety,

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  3. If I were your cat I would want to kiss those tulips as well.
    There really are no good answers to osteoporosis are there?

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  4. A very happy trip around the sun to you.
    Love the tulips (as Jazz would). Mind you, orchids are his big weakness.

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  5. it seems to me that I read that many women after taking the bone meds for decades still broke hips later. it's a false security. those bone meds work by preventing old bone from breaking down so yeah, your bone looks denser but it is not stronger. it's just full of old weak bone. muscle strength is a better solution to protect bones. imo which as we all know are like assholes...everyone's got one. beautiful tulips for an amazing woman.

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  6. Calcium and vitamin D will have to work for me as I refuse drugs. I am taking blood pressure meds right now and they seem to be okay, but for how long? What's the long-term? Two doctors have told me, don't fall. Seems like wise advice.

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  7. Hari OM
    ...hehe... am still picturing the barging Toby seeking tryst with tulips... Happy Birthday darlin'! YAM xx

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  8. Happy Birthday Wishes for tomorrow...I use Solaray Calcium Magnesium and Zinc supplements and my bone scans are always, slowly, improving. (Of course, no guarantee that it will work that way for anyone else._Those flowers are so, so beautiful! Snow tomorrow? I have to check the forecast. Ugh!

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  9. That is one pill with those three ingredients. I think you need the magnesium to absorb the calcium.

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    1. As well as magnesium, calcium also needs phosphorus and vitamin D to stimulate the calcium absorption.

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  10. Happy Birthday. They always want to make us take medicine. I tell them the same thing. No thanks.

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  11. Happy birthday. I have a problem with the cats trying to get into any cut flowers, but in our house the fireplace mantel is safe.

    My OB talked me into a prescription for Evista several months ago by telling me it's so safe that he has his mother on it. Calcium/magnesium/zinc and weight bearing exercise weren't having any effect, so I'll see if the drug makes any difference.

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  12. Have a lovely day tomorrow in spite of possible snow.

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  13. My dr. has me on strontium. Some say it doesn't do anything, but at least it has many fewer side effects. (I had to stop getting fresh flowers because the cats mauled them until the vase tipped and flooded the house.)

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  14. I hope you have the best birthday, Joanne. You deserve it!

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  15. Aren't those tulips lovely! Have a wonderful birthday tomorrow!

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  16. Happy birthday Joanne, what gorgeous spring heralding flowers, enchanting your Toby like a drug. :D
    XO
    WWW

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  17. Wishing you a very Happy Birthday! How lovely of your friend to send you those beautiful tulips.

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  18. Happy birthday from a loyal lurker!
    Sally

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  19. Pretty tulips


    happy birthday

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  20. Happy Birthday, Joanne, and may your bones keep you vertical this year.

    I am tired of taking pills and am thinking of ditching them all. It isn’t always ‘better living thru chrmistry’.

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  21. 3 inches of snow? Still?? Happy birthday for tomorrow. Tomorrow is Mother's Day here, but not with you I think.

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  22. Happy birthday! Such pretty flowers to enjoy your special day. You would think with all the advances they have done with medication these days that they would have come up with something good to prevent osteoporosis that didn't cause potentially major problems. Hope the forecast is wrong and you don't get those 3 inches of snow.

    betty

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  23. So far so good prolia!! When I fall don't sprain or break!!
    I was a hold out for almost ten years!! No calcium supplements for me! Well I waited too long-so much damage done!! Bone scan convinced me!

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  24. I am resisting the bone drugs. The thought of dead jaw disease is just more than I can bear, along with the risk of weird femur fractures. So, I've started the calcium, not liking it at all. One would think that with all of the miles I've hiked over hill and over dale with poles, that this wouldn't be an issue.
    Have a wonderful birthday. Sorry about the dang weather.

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  25. Happy birthday Joanne!
    My daughters oldest cat will not tolerate a va se of flowers either. Funny cats!
    I have been blessed with good solid bones!

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  26. Happy Birthday Joanne! The tulips were a nice surprise for your birthday and the beautiful colours give a person a lift after the blahs of winter. I do agree though that you can't trust the floral delivery services. It is always a worry to me when I send flowers via FTD or local delivery services to a person in another city.

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  27. "Chantilly Lace Bones", makes me newly thankful for my own bone strength. I have a little arthritis in most joints, but have never had a broken bone.
    Happy Birthday!! Do you have cake? Will Laura cook you a special Birthday dinner?

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  28. I have no idea at all what the 330 or 212 reference means.

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    Replies
    1. I think I didn't hit Publish! 303 is the telephone area code of Akron, Ohio, near where I live. 212 is for Cleveland, Ohio.

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  29. I'm reading this on your birthday and hope you have a good one. You deserve it. Shocked by your snow report. It's the start of British Summer Time here. Someone just has to tell the rain to stop.

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  30. Being born at the dawn of spring is probably the best omen. Celebrate, strengthen the muscles and work on the balance. The side effects of the bone drugs are scary.

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  31. Hope you're having a happy happy birthday. I don't envy you your snow, though here it's going to drop into the high 30's and two days later rise to the mid 80's. Weirdness.

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  32. Well, Happy Birthday.
    I am familiar with cats barging in -- to the bathroom especially.
    We've had a clump of chives for maybe close to 40 years. They have been with us in three houses and came with us from Sarnia to Carleton Place.

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  33. I'm very sceptical of drugs as well. I want to know exactly what they're supposed to do, what the side effects are, whether they're addictive etc. I won't just take something on the nod.

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  34. Oh and happy birthday, by the way! Hope you had a good one.

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  35. Happy birthday from another loyal reader who is not one to comment.
    Love your blog. Just find that others have always said it better.
    I agree on the no drugs for bone. I know it is anecdotal but had a friend who rook them for years and had/has both jaw and spine problems.
    Genie

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  36. Happy Birthday, Joanne, and many happy returns.

    The bone problem is a conundrum. It sounds like your specialist is working with you, as opposed to ordering you, which makes the whole thing at least a bit less aggravating.

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    1. Yes, you're right about him. He has always been that way. He's been my doctor for fifteen or more years. I referred my sister to him when she had to see an endocrinologist. The next time I saw Dr. M he said "Thank you for sending your sister to me". He went out of his way to remember that.

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  37. Sounds like you are rolling along quite nicely. I thought of you when I put together packages for my three upcoming doctor's appointments....two surgeries. My surgery list is so long that all my doctor's aught to be appalled at themselves.

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  38. That snap with Toby and the tulips makes me smile. Here's to your bones coming together! x

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  39. Happy Birthday, Joanne. We are also glad you are in our lives. We had spring yesterday for about 5 hours - long enough for me to clean the deck furniture, but not long enough to actually sit out there. Poor Joe Biden.

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  40. I forgot to ask, Are there any good patient reports on any of the bone drugs?
    Happy Birthday Joanne. I'm very glad you are in my life.

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  41. Happy Birthday! Love the flowers.

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