Scrambler Therapy

Other than the beautiful view from our spot here at Picket Post the real reason we came this way was to get some Scrambler Therapy (Calmare) treatments for Brenda's CRPS. This therapy is the only thing that seems to relieve the nerve pain she suffers from and the relief is almost instantaneous although it doesn't last forever. Dr. Wade and the staff at Superstition Chiropractic have almost become like family over the years, Brenda has hauled them Christmas baking as well as her homemade jam over the years so on top of the business we bring, the goodies make her a special customer.

We didn't linger very long on the road coming south, we were in a rush to leave behind the cool temperatures and get hooked up to the Calmare machine so we have also been restocking our larder. A trip to Walmart, as well as another to Costco has most of that done, but Thursday we are heading over to cousins Mick and Jeff's to unbury them from a pile of Amazon deliveries we have inundated them with this week. Might even get a chance to visit a little while we are there.

Sunset over our rig at Picket Post

Migrating

Last week we finished up all our doctor and dentist appointments. Brenda is sporting new choppers and the implants are working great or so it is reported. Over the last week we had been hauling stuff out to the RV, loading things we needed and unloading things we didn't. Wednesday was the big move day for Brenda's clothes and the remainders of our fridge stuff.

Thursday we woke up early, finished loading and then got hooked up and headed south. We had no destination in mind but were just playing it by ear. We stopped in Nanton for breakfast and a good visit with our old friend Van Greig, before continuing on towards the border. A few questions at the border, where are you going, how long are you staying, how much money do you have with you, are you sure that is enough to last the winter, and we were headed south out of Sweetgrass, Montana. We decided because it was cold we would overnight at Dick's RV Park in Great Falls and continue in the morning. Just yesterday I was reading a Technomadia Facebook post about the new Verizon pre-paid jet pack. It is a truly unlimited device and is only throttled if you get in a crowded area, not our usual habitat, so I ran out and signed us up. It is about $65-$70 dollars a month, considerably less than the $220/month that Telus charges us for only 40GB. Hope it works out, but so far it is doing yeoman's duty here onboard Dogpound Anywhere (DPA).

Friday we were up early and on the road before the sun brightened our journey up the Missouri River valley and then south to those flatlands of southern Idaho. We hit Salt Lake City right at rush hour and a little construction caused some slow going for a while. We holed up for the night at Cabela's in Lehi, it was a little warmer there in Utah. Sadly Cabela's big parking lot that used to harbour a few RV's has been taken over by a new building and it looks like that is coming to an end. Luckily I spotted the construction superintendent and convinced him that we would be decent security for the night so we had one last night in this familiar stopping place.

Again, we were on the road before daylight and headed for the desert. I always look forward to the slide down the hill from the high desert of Southern Utah and through the Virgin River Gorge to the Mohave Desert surrounding Las Vegas. Usually there is a dramatic temperature increase as you make that journey but this year it was only 10F degrees difference. Still warmer is good. We made it to Wikiup and stayed at Dazzo's campground, the campground was ok for what we wanted, to water up and flush out some antifreeze, but it was not Brenda's cup of tea. BUT, the restaurant, was great, the wait staff a little ranchey, but the food was second to none.

Sunday we slept in, till sun-up, topped those tanks that needed topping, flushed the rest and then headed down the road again. We stopped by our friends, K&T's place for a short visit and swapped a few lies before heading on to our final destination for this part of the journey here at Picket Post. This mountain is one of our favourite spots to hole up when we are in the Phoenix area.

Picket Post Mountain

We had scheduled some Scrambler Therapy (Calmare) for Brenda and her CRPS, on Monday but as we were pulling into the parking lot the doc called and had to delay it till tomorrow. She is booked for three days of therapy so hopefully that will push her nerve pain away for awhile.

With our therapy session cancelled we headed over to Walmart for some supplies, and then back to camp for the day. A long way from home you will never guess who came to our camp for a visit.

Libby

Ken and Verna Pohl, along with Vic and Marilou, stopped in for a couple of days riding here on their way to the South Pohl.

I'll leave you with one last pic of our rig in front of the mountain.

Dogpound Anywhere (DPA)

Almost Christmas

Just in case anyone was worried I did make it home from the rodeo on schedule. I had a great time with cousin Mike and enjoyed the opportunity to spend some one on one time with him, as well as watching some great rodeo.

Although Mike is a lot younger than me we spent a lot of time together as kids on our Grandpa and his Dad's farms so it just seems easy to fall back on old times together. A lot of history to review and some of it only he and I know so it is good to renew those old ties, at least until the statute of limitations run out.

Once I got back, I had a day or two to settle in then Brenda had an appointment over in Gold Canyon to test drive a new treatment for CRPS. Our first visit was on Friday the 9th. The Doc there was pretty sure that this CALMARE treatment would have a positive effect on her neuropathy pain. He was right, it was amazing watching the pain wash out of her eyes within moments of starting the treatment. Not surprisingly we booked some follow-up treatments and that is what we have been doing since that time.

Now there is a lot more to CRPS than just neuropathy pain, but relieving that makes dealing with the bone crushing feeling and the muscles cramping that she also experiences just a little bit easier to deal with.

As I mentioned in my last post she has joined me at the pool 3 days a week. Swimming eases some of the muscle pain as well.

We have finished up a 10 day course of Calmare treatments and so far so good, now to see what kind of longevity she gets. I tried on numerous days to just wheel that machine out of the clinic, but by the time we were finished they were keeping a pretty close eye on me. I won't try to explain the treatment as there are a lot better explanations on the internet. Try this one from the folks we were dealing with if you are interested. And if you are in the East Valley area, Gold Canyon, or thereabouts the folks at Superstition Chiropractic are a great bunch and great at their jobs as well. Thanks Dr. Wade, and Dr. Cassie and of course the hearts of the outfit, Rachel and Aleisha. Our time there was great, but we are hoping to not see you for this stuff again for a long while.

Now for Christmas, we are expecting a secret visitor here tomorrow, so all that baking and cooking Brenda has been doing will be disappearing even quicker than I can gobble it down.

Merry Christmas to all