Caught in a STING!

Yesterday, 25 October 2007, was not the best of days, although it did have some better moments (mainly the sirloin steak breakfast burrito at Jack in the Box).

I haven’t mentioned or dwelt on my health problems in this blog feeling only a few of you who read this—make that family members—are particularly interested in real-time updates.

One such factor has to do with the arthritis in my knees and the resulting loss of cartilage in the joints. Both knees are now rated as bone-on-bone and can be incredibly painful at times. For the past 4 years we have been nursing them along with regular (every 4 months) injections of cortisone. Following those injections I get about one month of considerable relief, the next month not so much and by the middle of the third month I am more than ready for another injection.

Yesterday was injection day and I really looked forward to it. We have to travel to Sacramento to a knee specialist there. He aspirated 135cc of fluid (combined from both knees) and injected each of them with the steroid laced with a heavy dose of Lidocaine.

Generally the Lidocaine brings about immediate pain relief but he had manipulated my knees so much that they were really agitated. We did some shopping at a few stores prior to returning home.

My knee pain continued throughout the remainder of the day and, shortly before bedtime, I decided to go soak in the hot tub. It felt great! I got out on the dark deck and grabbed my towel off the deck rail where I had previously left it to dry. I began toweling off, my head, face, chest, and then tossed the towel over my head and began to rub it back and forth across my back. Suddenly there was a very sharp pain. It felt like a piece of glass had been stuck in my back. I rushed indoors and asked Judy if something was on my back but she could see nothing. I had dropped my towel on the floor and as I looked down I saw a large black creature moving slowly on it. I looked closer and realized it was a very large (ginormous, world record size) Bumble Bee. I grabbed my shoe and proceeded to send it off to wherever Bees go when they’re done here. I'm no do-gooder about bugs and I don't regret my action. He deserved what he got--a quid pro quo.

The judicious application of some Benedryl ointment took most of the pain out of the sting and we were off to bed.

This morning my knees feel much better than they have for about a month or two so it should be a much better day than yesterday was. Provided, of course, that I don’t get caught in another sting.