Good news, and not so good news

As I've talked about before, Phil and I have been wanting to get a business starting, with him being an Independent Licensed Contractor. Well, we got past the hurdle of getting him licensed, only problem now is that the home improvement store he wants to work through is not hiring any new contractors at this time. They said with the economy as it is, they aren't getting a lot of sales for new door and window installations, which is what he will be doing. It's not to say they won't be hiring in the near future, but for right now we had to find something else for him to do work wise. I found a job for him a few weeks ago, an apartment company who was looking for a maintenance technician. The apartment company is fairly well known around here, so I knew it was a good company for him to apply too. He got a call back right away, they were impressed with his resume and wanted him to get in with the recruiter for an interview. So he went today and got the job! He is making good money, will have full medical, dental, and vision benefits after 30 days (which is great for me because I need to have more oral surgery done, and get either new glasses or contacts), and they are also going to pay for him to take classes this month to become HVAC certified (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning). These classes usually cost hundreds of dollars and to be certified for that is going to mean that a lot of job opportunities will be open up to him, and will work well for his licensing. After he passes those classes, in 30 days he will then be making $5 more an hour, and get a promotion. He goes tomorrow to walk through the property and meet the managers and other maintenance staff, then he should start on Monday. He will be working very early morning hours, so he will be home early in the afternoons, and working 50 hours a week, and every 3 weeks he will be on call 24 hours a day.

This really has taken a lot of stress off of us, because it was hard to hear we wouldn't be able to start our business right away, and harder that no one else seemed to be hiring, and if they were the pay was so low we were basically working for free because all of the money went into gas. So now we are going to be able to start getting back on our feet financially, and it looks like I may not have to go out and get a job either, which with being in the chair and only allowed to make a certain amount to still get my social security, it is hard to find anything.

As for me, I had two doctor visits today. First was to my OB/GYN to get my Depo birth control shot. I get the shot every three months and I love it. You don't have to worry about having that time of the month, and it has really helped with my arthritis because I would get mini-flares about a week before my cycle was supposed to start, and now it is not an issue.

I then went to my Rhuematologist, I had blood work done a few weeks ago, and I had to go in to get my results. I also had to tell him about the trouble I am having with my right elbow. In 2002 I shattered my elbow in three places while at work, and I have 2 plates and 14 screws holding it together. I have very limited movement in it, I can bend it up and down, but I can't touch my shoulder, and I can't put my palm up. They told me that within five years, I would need an elbow replacement. So far it has held up amazingly well, until a few weeks ago, when it has started locking up on me, popping, cracking when I bend it, and even now as I type it is popping somewhat and giving me some discomfort. So he wants me to get x-rays done tomorrow, and even though he didn't say definitely, it sounds like I am going to have to give in and get the elbow replacement. Of course, I am not happy about this at all, and very nervous about it, but realistically it is the best thing to do, because I will get more movement out of it, and range of motion, and won't have to worry about it again in the long run. So we'll see what the x-rays show. He also said my liver and kidney function is back to normal after the terrible bout of kidney infections I had, so good to hear, but my other numbers were off the charts, all the numbers the check to see how my arthritis is doing. He asked if I had been getting flares and I said yes, and he said I will keep getting them with my numbers so high. Like, one level they check should be at a 6.5, and mine was at a 65!!! So he put me back on the Enbrel, which is an injectable medication, I give myself a shot of it once a week. I have been on this medicine before, with wonderful results. Only problem is that for a month supply, it will cost you $2000! And Medicare of course, won't cover it. But not to worry, because he said that Enbrel has been sending him limited quantities of the medication for his patients, so I can get it from him, and they will just charge medicare, so that way I can get the medicine I need. So I took my first shot today, and he said this medicine will help get my levels back to normal and stop the flares.

So some good news, and some not so good news today. I still have a lot of thinking to do about the elbow replacement, and I will want to have a consult with the orthopedic surgeon who operated on my elbow to begin with, because he did such an amazing job, and I feel comfortable with him. I'll see what he says, and what the surgery will entail. It's just such a huge surgery, and who wants to go through all that, plus the physical therapy. But maybe in the long run, it will be the best thing.