Dawn Brocco's Life & Design Blog

I've been pulling my (new) hair out over various problems lately, that won't go away.

Today, I finally may have one problem resolved, and WHAT a relief it will be, IF I'm right! - the printer, not my edema.

In addition to striping, it's been chunking off color at the sides. I can move margins in past the chunking on most files, but not all, and it's been driving me nuts. Have had long emails back and forth with several techs, to no avail. Have bought a new maintenance kit, tho the old one wasn't used up yet, to no avail. Have run jet cleaning files, to no avail.

Finally noticed that the preheater bulb is out. And brain said, "aha!".

It's one of those things that you see flashing inside the casing all the time, so you take it for granted. It's also one of those things, that, when it goes out, it's supposed to send an error code to the printer's front panel. Did it? Nope.

So, an under $30 fix should be Priority Mailing its way to me asap.

Fingers are crossed - but not for too long, lest the Reynaud's kick in. It doesn't need another reason to kick in.

The edema prob? Ha.

Have limited yesterday's sodium intake to under 1100 mgs. Try it. It's not easy to do and yet still eat a balanced diet that doesn't consist solely of air and grass. And I don't mean fun grass! Like I need lung cancer to go with the Hodgkins.

Did the low sodium make any diff? Nope.

Then read how estrogen-dominance can cause edema. OK. Rubbed in more progesterone last night and this morning. Any diff? Nope.

Tried yet another OTC diuretic. Did it work? Nope.

Too bad I can't just stand on my head, so all the water could move to my boobs. That I could live with. Hubby wouldn't mind either!

Another echo coming early tomorrow, then more days' waiting before anyone will be able to tell me anything.

But I will be suggesting one thing to them, that they haven't suggested themselves and that's an in-office IV diuretic.

There are times when the water settles in the stomach, not allowing the diuretics to work, so the IV bypasses the stomach and voila, water be gone. I may call them today and see what they say about that.

It doesn't fix the underlying prob tho, and the water will just come back - probably within a week, like the only time the hydrochlorothiazide worked.

So, am still pulling hair out over the edema. But at least there's hope for the printer!

And speaking of hair - my life-long stick straight, could never hold a curl hair is growing in wavy. It was doing this pre-chemo, from the cancer? or from hormone changes? but it was only wavy on the back of my head, was still straight on the sides and front.

THAT was weird! But now it's wavy all over.

I used to perm my hair, WAY back when, *always* asking for a 1930's finger wave type perm. Apparently, no-one ever knew how to do that. It looks like *maybe* I will finally get the hair I've wanted all my life?! Will see, it's still only an inch long!