Ides of March

It is time to wrap up the winter just so folks know we are still out here and mostly kicking. Christmas was quiet here, no kids this year, so we didn't have much hoopla going on, and New Years Eve came and went without us needing to make sure the New Year was welcomed.

January I did a few rides with some old friends from back home, for the most part just SW of our place here in Thunderbird Farms although we did head out to San Tan Regional Park for one ride.

Brenda's CRPS has not been kind to her and for most of December and January she was in a flare-up. She ran home in early January for an appointment with her neurologist and he told her that the pain in her hand wasn't CRPS but XXXX and there was not much that could be done about it considering if they operated the CRPS would probably move into that limb also.

Early in February we got into a clinic in Phoenix that does Ketamine Infusions, although there experience is mostly with depression patients they have had some success with CRPS folks as well. It consist of three 5 hour infusions with a follow-up booster set of 2, 2 weeks later. Stuff was like a miracle drug, within hours of the first infusion the pain levels were dropping and by the end of the first three Brenda said her pain level was at a 0-1 for the first time since the knee surgery 2 years ago. It was great to see the pain that was etched on her face gone and her eyes dancing without pain. Even heard a laugh or two.

We managed to head up to Congress to visit Mike and Janna, along with Jim, Ellie and some of their other friends and even got out to see Kelly and Al for a short visit.

Then it was back to Phoenix and get the boosters done before Brenda once again headed back to Alberta to meet with the folks at the Alberta Health Services Pain Clinic. She reported back that the meeting was great and they have a lot folks to give her a hand there. Physio will start on March 30 so we will be back in Canada before then.

After a week or ten days at home in Canada she headed back to Dogpound South. We have had a great month around here, I even got a ride or two in, but sadly last week the CRPS started wearing through the Ketamine and has worked itself into a major flare-up again.

Now Ketamine works but the infusion process is pretty harrowing so without even considering it's considerable cost Brenda is doubtful whether it is sustainable as a long term treatment so we are back in the world of CRPS and the monster rules our lives again.

It was great while it lasted though.

So here's hoping the roads are clear on the northern migration route next week and the snows not to deep at Dogpound North when we pull into the yard.