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Wednesday, July 8, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
CLASSIFIEDS
Sisters Habitat for Humanity
ReStore Manager
Join our fun team and make a
difference in our community!
Responsible for volunteer and
staff management, inventory
control, and merchandising.
Starting salary range is $36,000
to $40,000/year DOE. Full-time,
exempt, occasional evenings and
weekends. Generous benefit
package after 90 days. Email
cover letter, resume and
references to sharlene@sisters
habitat.org. See job description at
sistershabitat.org/hiring.
HOUSEKEEPER NEEDED!
Looking for an energetic,
independent and experienced
housekeeper for vacation homes
in and around Sisters. Good pay
for good work. Part/full time,
seasonal. Call Anna @ Sisters
Vacation Rentals, 541-420-5296.
Wanted: Property Manager
Assistant. Assist in management
of several vacation homes at
Black Butte Ranch. Must be able
work weekends and holidays.
Schedule is somewhat flexible,
especially between October 3
May. Starts at $15/hr. Call
Brenda or Darcy at
541-549-5555 ext. 2.
Customer Service and
International Dealer
Representative:
Bird Gard LLC, the world leader
in electronic bird control, is
seeking an experienced Customer
Service and International Dealer
Representative. Employment will
be full-time and will be based in
the company9s facility in the
Sisters Industrial Park. Duties
will be varied and at times fast
paced. The ideal candidate will
have a GREAT attitude, solid
work ethic, excellent attention to
detail, strong organizational skills
and be a team player throughout
the organization. To apply please
email info@birdgard.com to
request a job application form
and formal job description.
Of a certain
AGE
Sue Stafford
Columnist
Debility strikes
suddenly
From the day I sold my
home in Kirkland over 16
years ago, in preparation
for moving to Sisters, most
areas of my life have fallen
nicely into place. I was
lulled into a false sense of
maintaining this charmed
life.
All was smooth sail-
ing 4 until one morning
last October when a simple
dog-walking jaunt resulted
in a fairly serious fall, amaz-
ingly resulting in only a bro-
ken nose. My nose quickly
healed, the bruising sub-
sided, and life went on as
usual, for two months 4
except for a few more falls.
A CT scan of my head done
the day of the original fall
didn9t detect any damage.
In December, I started
to experience some random
symptoms: headaches, diz-
ziness, and vertigo. Post-
concussion symptoms with
delayed onset? The search
for answers began in earnest
in January of this year with
a visit to my internist, who
immediately referred me
to physical therapy for bal-
ance training. After most PT
appointments I felt worse,
so I stopped going. I started
to cut back on activities and
commitments and had to
drop out of my pickleball
class.
What followed was an
unending progression of
speech therapy, neuropsych
testing, X-rays, ultrasounds,
MRIs, massage/craniosacral
treatments (worked great
for headaches), an unsatis-
factory appointment with
a neurologist that left me
feeling worse, adjustment of
blood pressure medications,
and NUCCA chiropractic
(helped my neck and less-
ened the headaches). I was
still dealing with vertigo and
dizziness and unsteady gait.
Then arrived COVID-
19 with telemedicine
appointments, Zoom meet-
ings, masks, days running
together, depression, more
MRIs and CTs, and then
on May 12, I ended up in
the emergency room with
a splitting headache, weak
right arm, and right-hand
tremor. They did more scans,
ruled out a stroke, gave me
some motion sickness pills
for the vertigo, and sent me
home after eight hours.
Whatever was going on
in my head, that was the
end of my headaches. Guess
they burned out. Now I am
left with the vertigo and diz-
ziness, which still impacts
my stability intermittently.
I never know when I will
lose my balance and per-
haps experience another fall.
Finally, on June 8, I met the
neurosurgeon who took a
different approach. When he
heard my tale, his first com-
ment was, <I think everyone
may have been looking in
the wrong place.= He sent
me to have two more MRIs,
but this time of my middle
and lower back. I returned to
see him last week to get the
results of the MRIs.
On the way up the
stairs to his office, my feet
betrayed me once again and
I tripped and fell, hitting my
nose on the same spot, on
the edge of a step. Of course,
it hurt and started to bleed
immediately. The doctor9s
office staff was wonderful,
offering ice, Kleenex, a pil-
low to put behind my head,
and real concern for my wel-
fare. Despite another X-ray
of my nose later in the after-
noon, no confirmation on
whether or not my nose is
broken again.
The MRIs confirmed the
doctor9s initial suspicion.
The problem lies in my lum-
bar spine, between L 4-5,
where vertebral deteriora-
tion and serious stenosis
is impeding the impulses
between my brain and lower
extremities. Another MRI
will determine what kind
of procedure the doctor can
do to improve the situation.
One would be fairly simple
and the other one would
involve fusing L 4-5.
F i n a l l y, a f t e r n i n e
months, I at least have a
diagnosis and possible treat-
ment. This has been a scary,
frustrating sojourn that has
taken its toll on my confi-
dence, peace of mind, and
general well-being. I am
thankful for finally find-
ing a doctor who can help
and offers some hope for
improvement.
Going from quick-mov-
ing multi-tasker to a cau-
tious, one-thing-at-a-time
tasker has been a big adjust-
ment for me. And, for the
first time in my life, I am
definitely feeling my age
and then some.
I celebrated my 76th
birthday in June by buying
myself a new mattress 4
adjustable even.
Good for old age. A
friend gave me a <gag gift=
4 a walker with a big yel-
low reflector attached with
yellow streamers. Through
all of this, I have worked
hard to keep my sense of
humor.
Prior to the initial fall, I
had been gradually growing
older, with subtle changes
apparent, and thought my
aging process would con-
tinue in that vein. I have
always enjoyed good health,
independence, and my
physical abilities. The sud-
den onset of debilitating
symptoms that come and
go, causing me to not trust
my own stability and abili-
ties, coupled with the isola-
tion due to the pandemic,
have had a profound effect
on me. It is as if old age has
arrived all at once with the
speed and unexpectedness of
a tornado.
I wish I could wake up,
like Dorothy, and realize
it9s all been a bad dream,
and Auntie Em and Toto
are there to reassure me. I
have now purchased a nice
juniper walking stick with
a carved face of an old
bearded man on it. Between
my walking stick and the
walker, I should be able to
more safely move around,
until my back is repaired.
Friends have been so
thoughtful and concerned
with offers of help in so
many ways. One next door
neighbor cleaned all the pine
needles off my roof and gut-
ters and another one took
me to the ER and came back
hours later and picked me
up.
Through all of this I have
certainly learned the truth of
the wisdom of Scottish poet
and lyricist, Robert Burns,
who wrote, <The best-laid
plans of mice and men / Go
oft awry.= So I will live my
life to the fullest, as I am
able, one day at a time, not
wasting time in the past or
worrying about the future.
Watch your mailbox on
July 15th for a great read!
Partners
in Real Estate
appearing in the July 15, 2020 issue
of The Nugget Newspaper.
The Nugget Newspaper