Not that the last few days weren’t interesting, but posting about how much blood and gore came out of my nose seemed just too gross, even for me.
Good things that happened in the last couple days? A couple more friends brought kids home. One brought yumminess for dinner so Nick could focus on washing clothes for his upcoming trip. (Yes, he’s leaving the country. No, I’m not happy about it. Why is he leaving? WORK. We must pay for this surgery somehow.)
In other news, I saw the doctor again today. It was a horrific experience. The best I can tell you is that the nurse/technician/whatever she was….she forgot to spray the numbness into my nose before the splints/stents/whatever you call them got taken out. I seriously almost passed out. My blood pressure dropped to an alarmingly low number. Other nurses had to come in to watch me. It was a whole ordeal. Fortunately, it ended with me getting the splints out and getting to go back home.
The splints that were in my nose, with Nick’s hand by them for size comparison.
Life without the splints is much like life with the splints, but without quite as much pressure in my head. I’d read online earlier that it would be such a ginormous relief and that everything would be perfection afterward…but that is not the case. It really just feels kind of like they are still in there, just a little less big. I’m still stuffy, still pressurized, and still exhausted.
Guard Puppy Rose is On Duty (even when asleep)Day Three, my nose without my little mustache friend.Shakespearean Love Dragon – a gift from neighborhood friends
I couldn’t sleep in. I just couldn’t sleep. So up I got and dressed and ready to go so early. My husband and dad came with me to the little surgery center. It was filled with so many waiting people and an inconceivable number of babies. There was barely room for us all.
They had me go back to the starting room alone at first. The nurse I saw the week before at my PASS appointment was there to ask me questions. I answered them all, changed into a gown (with my sports bra and PJ shorts underneath, put on the socks they provided me and went back to the starting room to get my IV. That was actually the hardest part of the pre-surgery day. My hands have terribly knobby veins and it was quite pinchy feeling in my hand. They let my husband come hang out with me at this point. Just my husband; they said I couldn’t have my dad, too, due to space issues, but the patient in the cubby behind me had two people and the kid next to me had three. It was weird.
Anyway, soon enough they wheeled me down to the surgery room, which was full of people and light on bed space. Seriously, I felt like I was precariously balanced on a skinny board with a head rest. They put a mask over my face and talked to me a bit, then realized I wasn’t losing consciousness, and pressed the mask tighter to my face, telling me to breathe….
…and then I woke up and they were telling me that I needed to breathe deeper and slower. I had stuff covering my nose, so I knew they were done. I was freezing cold and burning up all at once. They kept trying to tuck me in and I kept trying to kick free. I could already breathe through both sides of my nose. I was stuffy, but I could breathe. Finally they uncovered me, helped me to a wheelchair, and let me go to the recovery room, where I was helped to yet a different chair.
In the recovery room, they brought me my husband, who said I looked better than he expected. They explained a few things and sent him off for the car while I sat in my wheelchair near the door.
I only remember one part of coming home: we hit a bump in the road and oh, did that hurt. Once home, I started to mentally perk up. I was starving and I wanted lunch. Nick had to go pick up my prescriptions, so my dad stayed with me. He fell asleep in the chair next to mine and I sat there and pondered the fact that I was more starving than in pain (the medicine from the hospital hadn’t worn off yet at this point). Nick came home, gave me drugs and soup and my mom came to pick up my dad. Then Nick fell asleep for a while, too. Having a loved one have surgery is very exhausting.
I sat on the couch the rest of the day. I took my Tylenol-3, which I really needed by then, and the antibiotic they prescribed me. The kids came home at some point and were put to bed by Nick. I was mostly in a fog. Eventually, I took my last, much-loved dose of Tylenol-3 for the night and was put to bed, too.
To enjoy the glow of good health, you must exercise. -Gene Tunney
After a month of pros & cons lists, visiting local gyms either via online tours or in person, and asking lots of people lots of questions about their exercising and health efforts, I have finally joined a gym. (I see you out there looking shocked. You may close your mouths now. 😉 )
I know it’s taken me some time, but I’m finally ready to get back on the health bandwagon. Some may be amused that I’m starting so near to the Feast of Tabernacles, but I am all about starting now that I’m ready, rather than waiting until some nebulous “perfect time” that never will come.
Fitness plans (this week and next)
I’m already taking a daily walk with the dog. Started that just this week. It calms us both down and makes us happy. Win!
I joined the gym. I learned the machines this morning, but there will be someone there every day, every hour they are open to answer my silly questions. This was a big deal to me. I forget how to do a lot of things (like brushing my teeth. how can you forget that? My mind is a seriously weird place.).
Tomorrow I will be resting from this week’s craziness. Resting is a goodness.
Sunday, I will find my FLEX, charge it, and then I might go to the gym. I forgot to ask their hours. Oh wait, they may be in the stack of papers the trainer handed me. I dumped them in my inbox and forgot about them. Hmm.
Monday, I will go back to the gym and try out the circuit. It will be good because I tried the machines today and only one made me want to cry. The trainer said that was the machine everyone hates the most. Well, yay for that machine. That night I will look at my stats on the computer because they should be available by then.
Tuesday I am trying out Zumba for the first time. They promised not to laugh at me. I am glad about that. I am not terribly coordinated when it comes to watching someone do something and then doing it myself. I hope I don’t hurt anyone.
Wednesday, I am taking a break. My trainer said I should have a couple in there during the week to let my muscles rest. Woo hoo! (Also, I have Bible Study Fellowship on Wednesday mornings.)
Thursday, I am either doing more Zumba or the circuit again. It depends on whether I broke myself and/or others doing Zumba on Tuesday.
Friday, I will go do the circuit again. I will check my stats again and I will be happy that I finished out the week. 🙂
Yesterday he was on the playground at school during recess and decided to try to skip from the first monkey bar to the fifth one. He missed and fell to the ground, landing with his right hip on top of his his right wrist. He was super embarrassed and decided not to tell his teacher or go to the nurse. (This was the same kid that didn’t want to bother anyone when he got locked in the car this summer, remember? I think God’s lesson for him this year is “SPEAK UP!!”) In fact, he came home and didn’t even mention it to me until a couple hours later, just as his Nana walked in the door to work on his words with him while I took his brothers to piano lessons. We went straight from lessons to Open House at two different schools and still he only said “My arm kind of hurts where I fell.”
After dinner he started fussing about it just a little, so I put an ace bandage on it and put him to bed. Got up this morning and it was definitely swollen, but he still wasn’t saying much about. I mean, he was acting fairly regular, just not using that arm for much. I got him ready for school and sent him in, calling the doctor as soon as their office opened. They were able to fit him in fairly soon after that, so I picked him back up from school, we had x-rays taken, then we were sent to the orthopedic doctor.
There we learned that while he will most likely not need surgery, he needed a cast with a special bend to it to encourage proper growth.
We’ll have it removed and checked every two weeks until it finally heals (maybe 6 weeks from now, the doctor thinks). The doctor said to keep him home this afternoon with the arm propped on a pillow and to send him back to school tomorrow.
So, my kid who FINALLY has gymnastics and guitar lessons after years of wanting them now has to sit out for six weeks. I feel so bad for him!
I never feel like posting anymore. I’ve been cleaning house and going to church and cleaning house and doing PTA stuff and more of the cleaning house. I haven’t been subbing, because there is apparently a three-strike’s-you’re-out policy behind the scenes at the elementary school and I said no three times last month (one doctor appointment for me, two days of sick kids). My friend M has a brain aneurysm and had to have surgery, one of our parents (I can’t say who; I’m not allowed) turned up positive for a kind of cancer. All three of my kids have had Fifth Disease this month at various times. I saw my doctor for my annual physical and the answer to most of my questions was “weight loss would help with that.”
So… yeah. I’ve started several little projects: I’m uploading all my CD’s to iTunes. I’m taking advantage of Library Things free month thingie and uploading my library again and trying to update that. I’m letting Picasa identify all the people in all the photos left on my hard drive and tag them. I’m back to some scrapbooking again, trying to use up all of the already pre-printed photos before I start just putting together photo books online in the future. I’m selling stuff on local sales sites on facebook and using the money to spruce up the house, since I’m not getting substituting jobs.
Sorry I’m full of the grump today. I think this year is getting to me. Or maybe it’s all the beginning trumpet music from the next room. Who knows. I am just so tired.
I guess I should catch up with the rest of the week first. All righty then!
Wednesday I went to the doctor for my physical. We talked about many things, like my meds (they’ve changed), my blood pressure (it’s happy), my anxiety (lessened by meds, yay!), weight loss (uh, yeah), and my heart condition, which was the surprise topic. Apparently I have one? Or might? In any case it led to more blood tests on Thursday. We’ll see what they say. As I was leaving there the nurse from the school called and said Greg’s shoes had exploded and could I bring new ones? I could not, so he borrowed some from her. My mom took him and Ben out and got them more shoes that afternoon while David was at meetings at school.
Thursday was a sick-kid-at-home day, but my mom watched him while I was out.
Pathetic Greg. This was in the morning while he was still feverish.
By mid afternoon he was doing all right and we watch Sofia the First on the Disney channel, which he loved, while snuggling. 🙂 That evening we went over to my parents house for dinner and a game of Cargo Noir, which went on for hours and hours. I don’t even remember who won. It went on so long that Ben and Greg both fell asleep, so Nick and I had to carry them home while David carried all our stuff. I’m sure we made quite a sight on the street.
Friday I had a sick Ben at home…or rather, at Grandma’s house in the morning so I wouldn’t have to miss my coffee date with the neighbor yet again (we’ve been back and forth and back and forth with changing dates due to sick kids. We live 4 houses away from each other and have not managed to see each other since Thanksgiving). It was a lovely morning with muffins made by a different neighbor. 🙂 Friday afternoon I brought Ben back home and he was much recovered.
We learned to play Bakugan, which he got as a post-Christmas present. 🙂
Friday afternoon we had the Scouts over from our Pack and taught them Fire Safety in our side yard. It had rained enough this week (all week long) that everything was nice and wet and safe, but we still made them clear the ground cover before starting the fire.
Ben and S. work while M. reads the newspaper. How is this fair?!
Then they and their siblings all jumped on the trampoline until it was too dark to see anymore and the other mom dragged them all off. 🙂
See the children. See the children jump and play. Jump, children, jump!
Then that evening we had my parents over for dinner, as it was our last evening together before they had to go back home and my dad had to start teaching again.
Yummy yummy cheese platter. I’m getting good at throwing those suckers together.
Saturday morning we hung out with my parents again and made them play Creationary with us. We’ve discovered that it is supremely hard, even using just the basic cards. David’s the only one that’s any good at it. Our church had Teen Day that afternoon, with all the kids in the Teen Group serving in places that adults normally serve, like being Greeters, Ushers, Song Leader, Prayer Leader, and Pianist. It was pretty cool seeing all our kids do that stuff.
David is counting all the people in his section as part of his duties as Usher.
After services were over was our church’s Mexican Potluck and Variety Show. (I still need to offload videos, but some of them are pretty shaky.) Our congregation has been hit pretty hard with the flu, so two of our major performers/accompanists were out sick, which left us with some holes in our program.
The Pre-teen Group sang Old MacDonald. We had zero rehearsal time; this was just for fun! They’re even wearing flower pots on their heads as hats. One of the animals on our farm was a hippopotamus The snorting was SOOO cute!
David played an excerpt from the William Tell Overture on his trumpet right after doing a skit with all the other kids. I don’t have a picture from that one, but it was a hilarious scout skit and the high point was David running off stage with a roll of toilet paper in his hand.
The Teen Group sang God Bless America as a finale. David waves the flag from our house that we put up at holidays. Photo Credit: Joanne Gonzalez
Right after the Variety Show, we headed straight out so David could make it to his friends birthday party/sleepover. He was sooo excited! 🙂 They stayed up all night and played the Wii and DS’s and had Nerf gun wars. He came home and pretty much went right to bed. 🙂
The rest of us have spent our day cleaning house and getting ready for the next week. And that is that. Hope y’all are having a great weekend!
1. I have exercised this week. I’m stretching each morning and trying not to fall on my face. I’m following the Workout Trainer App on my Android and while I’m not in love with it, it’s better than nothing for a free exercise course to get me started. Also, my friend Monaca and I agreed that we’re not getting any skinnier meeting for sweet rolls and floofy drinks, so we’re going to try walking in the future around Rose Rudman trails instead.
This is not Rose Rudman, but a walking trail close to home that I can use in the evenings. And these are the sweet kids playing there.
2. I have figured out a better daily schedule, but it includes me getting up at 5am. Umm. I’m not getting ahead on that plan, so I re-revised it and now I’m getting up at 5:30 and doing the aforementioned exercising in the comfort of my own room. Whee! I’m also writing a bit more, not fiction yet, but daily stuff and a little poetry that’s rattling around in my brain lately. Also taking care of the kids and trying to make life more sane.
3. I’m doing a Bible study off the YouVersion app and answering its questions. Not as good as going to one with other people, but way better for scheduling. For real people, I’m going to a weekly book study on Raising Resilient Children (that’s the authors website). It’s a really good book and has challenged me to respond better to my children.
4. Today I’m booking our trip to the UK for June. Thursday night Nick and I are discussing our hotel options and more detailed itinerary. Whee! (Two goals for the price of one?)
5. I downloaded the My Fitness Pal app for the iPhone, since the SparkPeople app cost a ridiculous amount of money for the update (it used to be free). So now I have two fitness pals (one a very skinny lady indeed and one person who I don’t remember at the moment) and I can track my food weirdnesses. Whee!
See, we’re eating healthier already! 🙂
6. There is never going to be a #6.
7. Scaling back on the internet, I figured out how to add people to my acquaintances list on Facebook, so they practically never show up. It even suggested people. Some of them I didn’t acquantintize. Yeah, not a word. Whatever. Also, set all my newsreader subscriptions to Mark All Read so I’m not tempted to try to catch up and so am just starting over. I may dump some, we shall see. I also set my FB notifications to archive immediately so I’m not having to see them all the time.
I’ve made a big post about this at my other blog, but in case you don’t read over there, or don’t want the whole long story of it all, here’s the short version: I had a majorly weird episode last weekend and the doctor is thinking either a) I had a mini-stroke or b) I’ve developed multiple sclerosis. Most likely B, as I’m already taking medications that would cause A to be unlikely and B is a side effect/co-morbidity of the immune condition/medications that I already have. So I’m going back to the hospital for more testing in a week or so (we’re waiting for insurance to say yes to it all).
There will be a fun kid related update tomorrow. 🙂
There we learned that while he will most likely not need surgery, he needed a cast with a special bend to it to encourage proper growth.
We’ll have it removed and checked every two weeks until it finally heals (maybe 6 weeks from now, the doctor thinks). The doctor said to keep him home this afternoon with the arm propped on a pillow and to send him back to school tomorrow.
Lisa Holcomb 