We had an awesome vacation (posting pics on Myspace for those who want to see). It was great to see my family and finally get to meet my nephew. The kids had a wonderful time with my parents, and the hubs and I got some much needed "couple time".
We flew out of AK on Saturday and got into Boston on Sunday morning, we came home to a house with now power thanks to National Grid, who SUCK! they needed some additional paperwork from me to transfer our service from the old house, rather then call me to get it, they shut off the power on Friday while I was in Alaska and could do nothing about it, not to mention it was the weekend and they don't restore power on the weekend, WTF, I think it should be illegal to turn off someone?s power on a Friday, I was livid. It finally got turned back on Monday, but not without a lot of time on the phone, I'm going to write them a nasty letter. We have a lot of unpacking to do, my IL's got some stuff done while we were away, including installing a very nice new dishwasher for my hubs (he's spoiled rotten), we also had a HUGE maple tree cut down in the back yard while we were away, they're grinding the stump this morning.
And finally, I have Gout, it's a terrible form of arthritis that runs in my family, less then 5% of people who get it are women, and of those almost all of them are post menopausal, so I'm a medical mystery, it serious sucks and apparently is brought on by stress, joy oh joy. anyway I've got some catching up to do, I'll have to read back a couple of pages and see what you ladies have been up to.
Re: I'm Back!
Welcome back, Heather! Sounds like you've had a very eventful arrival home.
I hope things take an upswing.
Is there anything they can do for you? I hope you're not in pain or anything.
Welcome Back! Glad to hear you had a great time in Alaska but then had a sucky welcome back present of no electricity.
Sorry to hear about gout, I don't know much about it either, is there anyone to lessen the pain or stop it from progressing?
There are treatments, no cure, it's really really painful, but managable. it just really sucks, my dad and brother have both had it for years, and both say stress is a major factor, my life is nothing but stress, it should be fun with my job.
From WebMD:
What is gout?
Gout is a kind of arthritis. It can cause an attack of sudden burning pain, stiffness, and swelling in a joint, usually a big toe. These attacks can happen over and over unless gout is treated. Over time, they can harm your joints, tendons, and other tissues. Gout is most common in men.
What causes gout?
Gout is caused by too much uric acid in the blood. Most of the time, having too much uric acid is not harmful. Many people with high levels in their blood never get gout. But when uric acid levels in the blood are too high, the uric acid may form hard crystals in your joints.
Your chances of getting gout are higher if you are overweight, drink too much alcohol, or eat too much meat and fish that are high in chemicals called purines. Some medicines, such as water pills (diuretics), can also bring on gout.
What are the symptoms?
The most common sign of gout is a nighttime attack of swelling, tenderness, redness, and sharp pain in your big toe
. You can also get gout attacks in your foot, ankle, or knees. The attacks can last a few days or many weeks before the pain goes away. Another attack may not happen for months or years.
See your doctor even if your pain from gout is gone. The buildup of uric acid that led to your gout attack can still harm your joints.
Welcome Back!!! Sounds like you had a great vacation and some good time with family!
Sorry about the gout, I know how much stress can affect a persons body. MS is another one of those that is brought on by stress. Please let me know if there is anything you need!