For all of you keeping tabs on my womanly physical woes, a follow up trip to the doctor revealed that the continued leaky pipe syndrome I had been experiencing might actually be normal for a few months while the swelling goes down in the area and the blood vessels shrink from the embolization. He also concluded from pushing around on me that the spot on the right side that used to be very swollen and painful is no longer either of those things. I gathered from his approving nod that this is a very good development. He did say that if the leaky pipes continued after a significant amount of healing time then we would have to consider going ahead with the major parts removal surgery. Considering the fact that I have been feeling better over the last few days and have had quite a bit more energy than I usually do, I am trying to be optimistic about it. I have lost two pounds since the last time I was in there! I hope it wasn't all hair. Also, he doesn't want me to go see a Urologist after all. It seems that he never gave that order to begin with and that some lady in his office just came up with that one on her own. He did give me three stronger pills to take for the lingering kidney infection and told me to call him if they didn't help. However, I magically woke up this morning sans the horrible tears welling up in the eyes, praying to the gods,cursing-like-a-sailor,lamaze breathing, hard surface gripping pain when I go like I had yesterday I thought I would just keep them and wait and see what happens.

I tried to recreate the salad I always get when I go to Macaroni Grill for dinner. It has spinach, orzo pasta, capers, black olives, diced tomatoes, chopped sun dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, and a roasted garlic lemon vinaigrette. I didn't have any pine nuts this time. I threw in some baby carrots. I did roast the garlic with olive oil and fresh chopped basil and make the vinaigrette myself. It is pretty good. Word to the wise though, don't toss the spinach with the rest of it until you are going to serve it. It tends to get sort of wilted if it sits too long in the refrigerator before being served. I guess that is common sense. I happen to have had to find out the hard way.

After a call to the main customer service department of the company that owns the apartment complex where I live, a brief conversation with the manager of the complex and the exchange of her personal cell phone number should I need it day or night, and a lot of apologizing and reassurance on her part that the situation is taken care of, I do believe my air conditioner is fixed for good. This is a really good thing.

Posted by gwendolyn on August 21, 2002 at 05:52 PM