I felt really good today so I decided that it was time for me to make my chicken soup. I put the chicken on to boil up and then spent an hour dicing up the veggies to put in it. When the chicken thighs were almost ready, I threw the veggies in and let it all simmer. I did, of course, add salt, pepper, a bit of cayenne, some parsley and (I hate to admit it) a little bit of chicken broth mix. But the end result is that it tastes wonderful. In case you are wondering, the cayenne really can't be tasted but I persist in adding some since it's so good for you medically.
The end result is wonderful. My family will be disappointed to know I was NOT up to making my homemade noodles for the soup. I could even see it in the Beast's face when he was eating it. They have grown to love that and it makes a big difference in the taste. But they will live and I have, as usual, made enough to feed an army. But I will eat it if no one else does.
The Princess called to have the Beast come and get Chewlee at the hospital emergency room. It seems that Gunner had eaten something that was stuck in his throat and he wasn't able to breathe right, swallow it or spit it up. That scared the hell out of me but she called a while later and said that Gunner had finally been able to cough it up. It was a sticker, of all things. Yes, one must be careful of so many things because babies judge their world by putting things in their mouths. Sigh. At least he is fine now.
The Beast informed me that he will be gone all day on Saturday since there is an event in Birmingham for his church. He will only be gone part of the day on Sunday but, hey! That's a nice little *vacation* for me. Maybe I can even get my sister(s) over to visit. Babybrat seems to be still in a bit of shell shock from the move and it's hard to tell if she is as enthused about being here as Sister Cee is. Her kids live in totally different states and don't seem inclined to travel much. Her daughter still has little ones and you know how tough they can be to travel with. Her son has a preteen and they always have their own activities planned and get very unhappy when their routines are interrupted. Oh well!
Sister Cee now has both her daughter and son living right here. That hasn't happened since they were teens so it's fun for her. She will be able to enjoy having them over for Holidays or having it with all of us that are here. We have gone from just me and the Beast to a whole big crowd....LOL! I may not have my kids here but they are within traveling distance and DO, on occasion, come to visit. We hope to have a kind of mini-reunion this summer and spend the day at the lake and rent a pontoon boat big enough for us all. That will be fun, especially since I am on the mend and feeling better than I have in a long time. Makes me wonder just how long it was that my colon was dying off on me.
Well, I have had a long, busy day and even the Beast recognized that I was on the mend. When he picked up Chewlee, she wanted to know how I was and that's what the Beast told her. It made her very happy because she was worried about me, which I thought was sweet. I just wish she would have been able to stay longer. But school tomorrow so she had to go home to get bathed and into bed.
The weather has been fairly nice, temperature-wise but overcast and occasionally a sprinkle of rain or two. Depressing when you have someone that loves the sun, like me. But otherwise, not bad at all.
I may even venture out tomorrow for a bit and have my coffee on the deck or the front porch if it hasn't rained. I am still using my cane just in case although I feel more and more confident in my balance. But I don't want to take chances and end up falling and hurting myself. Especially since I still have all these staples in. But, hopefully, they come out next week. Cross your fingers for me.
Love you all. Hope your weather is starting to make you think of spring on it's way and not any winter snow or ice any more. Be good. Be careful driving and plan on some fun this weekend.
***Hugs***
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
A Day For Reflection...
It was just one of those days when I was finding myself remembering so much of the past. I remember being so in love when I first got married. So many people warned me about the Beast and I knew he had a temper but it was usually aimed at inanimate objects. Little did I know how easy it could be to turn that to people.
When he started drinking, he became a real animal...vicious and you couldn't talk to him. He felt he knew what everyone was thinking. He imagined all kinds of things and there was no changing his mind. When his strokes happened and he was no longer able to drink (it makes him dizzy and nauseous), I knew there really WAS a god. He got even for us that had been the focus of his anger.
I know in my heart that a lot of this came from the treatment of his family. His mother was weak and didn't even try to shelter him from his dad's anger and meanness. He became just like his father when he drank. But it's no excuse. It's just understanding where his anger came from. He was a successful businessman who got no respect from his family.
He came to be overly nice to MY family. He needed the respect of someone and my family provided that for many years. It just never extended to ME or our kids. No child should be afraid to come home if their father was there and still awake. My kids would sometimes sleep in the bushes outside our home and not come in until they were sure he was in bed, asleep. I didn't find this out for a long time but I can't blame them.
Living through the year that he was recovering was a trial. I had been ready to divorce him at the time. I was gathering all the information about our assets and the company assets when it happened. I had to stay to help him out even though he was a real jerk at the time....to me, of course. I was glad that he had been in a good frame of mind a while prior to this and had apologized to the boys for his tirades about *fooling around with those damn computers won't earn you a dime.* Both boys work in the field and are successful. I think in many ways the Beast's attitude kind of pushed them to prove him wrong.
I have mentioned before that I was surprised at how good he has treated me during all my medical problems. He has kept the house up well, done laundry and made me meals. I have been medically challenged now for almost three years. This last surgery is supposed to be the cure and allow me to finally heal. I sure hope so. I do feel better in many ways except for the damn sciatica. But that will more than likely stop once I am healed. I've been through bouts with it before.
He's different now in most ways. His returning to church is part of the reason. Like my son says, he's an old person trying to get into heaven. What he doesn't realize is that God judges his HEART and his actions in the past. He has a lot to answer for.
I'm no saint but I did try as much as I could. I often stepped between him and the kids and protected them. He blamed me for all that he felt was wrong with them. He took no responsibility and never saw how he terrorized them....and me. I can't begin to tell you how many times I ended up in the emergency room with broken ribs and once broken bones in my face. Why did I put up with it? My Catholic start in life where I was told that *marriage was forever*. I really believed it.
It took forever before I felt that God never meant for me to be abused and would forgive me.
However, his stroke changed everything.
He knows how good I was to him during that time and how I helped him get better. My son often went to the rehab center when the Beast was confined there (until he was better and improving from his disabilities). He was then allowed to come home and just go to rehab every day for treatment. I drove him, picked him up when he was finished, brought him home and helped him with his exercises at home. We still had the Princess at home so I had her to think about, too. But we managed and he was never the same. He could control his temper without being able to drink.
When we moved and were building our home on the other coast, the poor Princess hated it. She made some good friends, however, and they are still friends all these years later.
I am happy that the Princess found someone she loves to marry. They have a cute little boy now (Gunner) as well as Chewlee. Chewlee has gotten in some trouble lately and I think it is because she doesn't feel loved as well as her brother is and needs attention, even if it's BAD attention. But it should work itself out, I hope.
Love you all and I wish you a great week (or what's left of it!). Make some fun plans for the weekend. ***Hugs***
When he started drinking, he became a real animal...vicious and you couldn't talk to him. He felt he knew what everyone was thinking. He imagined all kinds of things and there was no changing his mind. When his strokes happened and he was no longer able to drink (it makes him dizzy and nauseous), I knew there really WAS a god. He got even for us that had been the focus of his anger.
I know in my heart that a lot of this came from the treatment of his family. His mother was weak and didn't even try to shelter him from his dad's anger and meanness. He became just like his father when he drank. But it's no excuse. It's just understanding where his anger came from. He was a successful businessman who got no respect from his family.
He came to be overly nice to MY family. He needed the respect of someone and my family provided that for many years. It just never extended to ME or our kids. No child should be afraid to come home if their father was there and still awake. My kids would sometimes sleep in the bushes outside our home and not come in until they were sure he was in bed, asleep. I didn't find this out for a long time but I can't blame them.
Living through the year that he was recovering was a trial. I had been ready to divorce him at the time. I was gathering all the information about our assets and the company assets when it happened. I had to stay to help him out even though he was a real jerk at the time....to me, of course. I was glad that he had been in a good frame of mind a while prior to this and had apologized to the boys for his tirades about *fooling around with those damn computers won't earn you a dime.* Both boys work in the field and are successful. I think in many ways the Beast's attitude kind of pushed them to prove him wrong.
I have mentioned before that I was surprised at how good he has treated me during all my medical problems. He has kept the house up well, done laundry and made me meals. I have been medically challenged now for almost three years. This last surgery is supposed to be the cure and allow me to finally heal. I sure hope so. I do feel better in many ways except for the damn sciatica. But that will more than likely stop once I am healed. I've been through bouts with it before.
He's different now in most ways. His returning to church is part of the reason. Like my son says, he's an old person trying to get into heaven. What he doesn't realize is that God judges his HEART and his actions in the past. He has a lot to answer for.
I'm no saint but I did try as much as I could. I often stepped between him and the kids and protected them. He blamed me for all that he felt was wrong with them. He took no responsibility and never saw how he terrorized them....and me. I can't begin to tell you how many times I ended up in the emergency room with broken ribs and once broken bones in my face. Why did I put up with it? My Catholic start in life where I was told that *marriage was forever*. I really believed it.
It took forever before I felt that God never meant for me to be abused and would forgive me.
However, his stroke changed everything.
He knows how good I was to him during that time and how I helped him get better. My son often went to the rehab center when the Beast was confined there (until he was better and improving from his disabilities). He was then allowed to come home and just go to rehab every day for treatment. I drove him, picked him up when he was finished, brought him home and helped him with his exercises at home. We still had the Princess at home so I had her to think about, too. But we managed and he was never the same. He could control his temper without being able to drink.
When we moved and were building our home on the other coast, the poor Princess hated it. She made some good friends, however, and they are still friends all these years later.
I am happy that the Princess found someone she loves to marry. They have a cute little boy now (Gunner) as well as Chewlee. Chewlee has gotten in some trouble lately and I think it is because she doesn't feel loved as well as her brother is and needs attention, even if it's BAD attention. But it should work itself out, I hope.
Love you all and I wish you a great week (or what's left of it!). Make some fun plans for the weekend. ***Hugs***
I SWEAR.....
...that I have a ghost critic that sometimes makes my blog disappear. *Sigh* Always a critic around somewhere. Mine from last night is gone...just gone! Oh well.
So my sister Cee and Babybrat came over to spend some time with me. I had hoped they would spend the day but Cee has promised to make dinner for Tara and the boys (and themselves, of course). My great-nephew was going to take her to the store so she could buy what she needed for the dinner she had planned. Since he's in college, he had homework to do once they got home and she didn't want to keep him for any length of time. So she and Babybrat went home around 1 or 1:30pm. I hated to see them go.
They both looked good to me after not seeing them for so long. We sat around with our coffee and talked and laughed. It was nice and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Beast sat with us for a while and then went to watch his Fox news.
They thought it was cold outside while those of us that have lived here for a while thought it was nice. It was 60 degrees out at the time and getting warmer. I had to laugh but I know they will eventually get used to the difference between here and South Florida in a year or two.
They left before Sheepie got here and she was disappointed but I reminded her that her aunts would be here now and it wasn't like she only had a few days to see them before they left. She said she knew that in her head but still wished she had gotten to see them. Teach is under orders that he has to make sure he comes in to meet them. A lot of times he just drops off Sheepie and leaves (if there's a college football game on TV). He's a big Bama fan and likes to watch it with his dad.
Sheepie got here and was surprised that the clothes she had left here to wash when she came over had already been washed and was in the dryer. The Beast had thrown them in for her albeit a little later than he should have. He had forgotten that she was coming over to finish up her wash until he saw the box that he had put on the top of the dryer. So he threw it in and, luckily, Teach had to work later than he was scheduled (he's a supervisor and you know how THAT goes!). So she only had to wait about 15 minutes or so until they were dry.
We sat and talked for a bit until they had to leave. Teach has to get up early to start work (he gets up at 3am) and he still hadn't eaten yet. She knew he would be home early today so she wanted me to call if her aunts came over again. I told her I didn't think so but would let her know if they did.
Cee called me around 10am this morning and told me what she had on her agenda. Her son, Mike, found a used car and is negotiating a good price on it for her. If that works out, they will go over and let Cee look at it and take it for a spin. If she likes the car and the price, she will buy it and be mobile without having to depend on others. I know that's a pain in the butt so I hope she likes it. We can get together more and she can pick me up to hit a restaurant or some such thing without having to argue with the Beast about it.
I'm getting better every day, I can tell but still am having some balance problems so I am using my cane. That helps a great deal. I am having some unusual pains when I DO get them. Shooting pains down my left leg but it feels like my sciatica is acting up. I just kind of lean into the pain and it eventually passes.
I went to bed early and slept for over 10 hours until a phone call at 9:30am woke me up. I didn't get to my phone fast enough although I was up on my feet (and half asleep!) when the call came. I was in the bathroom at the time. I had written my blog before I went to bed and still have no clue what happened to it. Oh well. Sister Cee asked me about it when she called and that stunned me. She likes to read it with her morning coffee. Speaking of which, I am headed for my first cup of the day after I post this.
Love you all. Looks like we are going to have another nice day here except for the overcast. Looks like it might rain later on today. Hope you all are enjoying some good weather for a change. Be good. Be careful driving. ***Hugs***
So my sister Cee and Babybrat came over to spend some time with me. I had hoped they would spend the day but Cee has promised to make dinner for Tara and the boys (and themselves, of course). My great-nephew was going to take her to the store so she could buy what she needed for the dinner she had planned. Since he's in college, he had homework to do once they got home and she didn't want to keep him for any length of time. So she and Babybrat went home around 1 or 1:30pm. I hated to see them go.
They both looked good to me after not seeing them for so long. We sat around with our coffee and talked and laughed. It was nice and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Beast sat with us for a while and then went to watch his Fox news.
They thought it was cold outside while those of us that have lived here for a while thought it was nice. It was 60 degrees out at the time and getting warmer. I had to laugh but I know they will eventually get used to the difference between here and South Florida in a year or two.
They left before Sheepie got here and she was disappointed but I reminded her that her aunts would be here now and it wasn't like she only had a few days to see them before they left. She said she knew that in her head but still wished she had gotten to see them. Teach is under orders that he has to make sure he comes in to meet them. A lot of times he just drops off Sheepie and leaves (if there's a college football game on TV). He's a big Bama fan and likes to watch it with his dad.
Sheepie got here and was surprised that the clothes she had left here to wash when she came over had already been washed and was in the dryer. The Beast had thrown them in for her albeit a little later than he should have. He had forgotten that she was coming over to finish up her wash until he saw the box that he had put on the top of the dryer. So he threw it in and, luckily, Teach had to work later than he was scheduled (he's a supervisor and you know how THAT goes!). So she only had to wait about 15 minutes or so until they were dry.
We sat and talked for a bit until they had to leave. Teach has to get up early to start work (he gets up at 3am) and he still hadn't eaten yet. She knew he would be home early today so she wanted me to call if her aunts came over again. I told her I didn't think so but would let her know if they did.
Cee called me around 10am this morning and told me what she had on her agenda. Her son, Mike, found a used car and is negotiating a good price on it for her. If that works out, they will go over and let Cee look at it and take it for a spin. If she likes the car and the price, she will buy it and be mobile without having to depend on others. I know that's a pain in the butt so I hope she likes it. We can get together more and she can pick me up to hit a restaurant or some such thing without having to argue with the Beast about it.
I'm getting better every day, I can tell but still am having some balance problems so I am using my cane. That helps a great deal. I am having some unusual pains when I DO get them. Shooting pains down my left leg but it feels like my sciatica is acting up. I just kind of lean into the pain and it eventually passes.
I went to bed early and slept for over 10 hours until a phone call at 9:30am woke me up. I didn't get to my phone fast enough although I was up on my feet (and half asleep!) when the call came. I was in the bathroom at the time. I had written my blog before I went to bed and still have no clue what happened to it. Oh well. Sister Cee asked me about it when she called and that stunned me. She likes to read it with her morning coffee. Speaking of which, I am headed for my first cup of the day after I post this.
Love you all. Looks like we are going to have another nice day here except for the overcast. Looks like it might rain later on today. Hope you all are enjoying some good weather for a change. Be good. Be careful driving. ***Hugs***
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
SLOWLY...SLOWLY
i am amazed at the temperature outside right now. it's almost 3am and it's 53 degrees! It is supposed to be 70 degrees tomorrow but could be rainy. *Sigh* There's always a trade off somehow, isn't there?
Yesterday was my friend, Staffy's, birthday. He is now 57 years old. He lives in England and is the one that recently married his sweetie he had met online on the game site that we play together. I lucked out and got to see him then he called me to wish me a speedy recovery. He had seen me pop onto the site just as he was preparing to go to bed. It was one am in England at the time. He has a severe heart problem but his wife watches him on Skype and makes him take a nap in the afternoon. They are a sweet couple and have become dear friends. I did get him off the phone and he promised he was on his way to bed as soon as we hung up.
I am so looking forward to seeing my sisters tomorrow. Oops! I mean later today. My sister, Cee, got a phone today and called me right away to give me the number. I had told her that she would need one here. Everyone has a cell phone here and is the way we all keep in touch. She went to Verizon and got a phone that gives her 700 minutes every month for..get this! Only 25 dollars a month. That Sprint campaign has sure led them to come down in their prices....LOL.
My friend, Carol, emailed me that she was sending me a 5# bag of Kauai coffee beans and...this was a joke...she said it should last me a few days. LOL! It will last me a month, at least.
Sheepie was telling me about a 2 bedroom apartment at her complex that was becoming available. Her friend lives there and they just bought a house. It won't be available until the end of the month but I don't think that will matter to Cee and Babybrat. Sheepie loves the apartment (a 2 bedroom for just $475 a month and that includes everything but the electricity. Cee was VERY interested and was kind of glad that Sheepie lives in the same complex. She moved here to be close to family and that isn't very far from us, either.
I am healing, I can tell. I am in less pain now and can stay upright longer. I only hope that I can stop my naps in the afternoon. I get nauseous, though, if I don't lay down. I always fall asleep for a couple hours and that is why I am up this late. Oh well! I avoid taking the pain pills the doctor gave me since it makes me nauseous. But I discoered the milder pain pills I have normally work well for me and help me sleep. I will be taking one when I post this so I can sleep without pain. I forget while I am asleep and sometimes turn the wrong way and it wakes me up if I don't take one.
A friend of the Beast's from his church came over today with food. She made a wonderful chicken and rice dish and some apples from her trees that she cooked up. They were very welcome. The Beast told me another friend from his church is bringing over something tomorrow. LOL! They all look at me and can see I lost some weight while in the hospital. They feel they need to fatten me up, I guess. I think it's very sweet of them but it's not going to convert me. I know that is what is also on their minds. But sweet of them to care.
My friend from England said it would probably take me a couple months to heal *at my age*....LOL! I told him he was only 11 years younger than I am (at least until the end of June when I gain another year). He then said, *Unfortunately, as we get older it DOES take us longer to heal*. I had to laugh at his tone of voice, which was very regretful. He misses his wife who had to return to the US to put her house up for sale. Plus she is a civil servant and has to officially retire. Did you know that she was told that she and her new hubby had to prove they both has assets of $250,000. in order for her to immigrate? I was stunned at that. How many people have that kind of money? I mean she will have her income from retirement and then, later on, she will also have her SS besides her pension. She won't be a drain on England, that's for sure.
Oh well. Time to end this and head for bed. Love you all and please stay healthy. Don't ignore any aches and pains you may have. I could have died from my dying colon if I hadn't gotten appendicitis from the bacteria and gone to the emergency room. I was even running a high fever and had no idea. But I think the pain I was having at the time was all I could feel. ***Hugs***
Yesterday was my friend, Staffy's, birthday. He is now 57 years old. He lives in England and is the one that recently married his sweetie he had met online on the game site that we play together. I lucked out and got to see him then he called me to wish me a speedy recovery. He had seen me pop onto the site just as he was preparing to go to bed. It was one am in England at the time. He has a severe heart problem but his wife watches him on Skype and makes him take a nap in the afternoon. They are a sweet couple and have become dear friends. I did get him off the phone and he promised he was on his way to bed as soon as we hung up.
I am so looking forward to seeing my sisters tomorrow. Oops! I mean later today. My sister, Cee, got a phone today and called me right away to give me the number. I had told her that she would need one here. Everyone has a cell phone here and is the way we all keep in touch. She went to Verizon and got a phone that gives her 700 minutes every month for..get this! Only 25 dollars a month. That Sprint campaign has sure led them to come down in their prices....LOL.
My friend, Carol, emailed me that she was sending me a 5# bag of Kauai coffee beans and...this was a joke...she said it should last me a few days. LOL! It will last me a month, at least.
Sheepie was telling me about a 2 bedroom apartment at her complex that was becoming available. Her friend lives there and they just bought a house. It won't be available until the end of the month but I don't think that will matter to Cee and Babybrat. Sheepie loves the apartment (a 2 bedroom for just $475 a month and that includes everything but the electricity. Cee was VERY interested and was kind of glad that Sheepie lives in the same complex. She moved here to be close to family and that isn't very far from us, either.
I am healing, I can tell. I am in less pain now and can stay upright longer. I only hope that I can stop my naps in the afternoon. I get nauseous, though, if I don't lay down. I always fall asleep for a couple hours and that is why I am up this late. Oh well! I avoid taking the pain pills the doctor gave me since it makes me nauseous. But I discoered the milder pain pills I have normally work well for me and help me sleep. I will be taking one when I post this so I can sleep without pain. I forget while I am asleep and sometimes turn the wrong way and it wakes me up if I don't take one.
A friend of the Beast's from his church came over today with food. She made a wonderful chicken and rice dish and some apples from her trees that she cooked up. They were very welcome. The Beast told me another friend from his church is bringing over something tomorrow. LOL! They all look at me and can see I lost some weight while in the hospital. They feel they need to fatten me up, I guess. I think it's very sweet of them but it's not going to convert me. I know that is what is also on their minds. But sweet of them to care.
My friend from England said it would probably take me a couple months to heal *at my age*....LOL! I told him he was only 11 years younger than I am (at least until the end of June when I gain another year). He then said, *Unfortunately, as we get older it DOES take us longer to heal*. I had to laugh at his tone of voice, which was very regretful. He misses his wife who had to return to the US to put her house up for sale. Plus she is a civil servant and has to officially retire. Did you know that she was told that she and her new hubby had to prove they both has assets of $250,000. in order for her to immigrate? I was stunned at that. How many people have that kind of money? I mean she will have her income from retirement and then, later on, she will also have her SS besides her pension. She won't be a drain on England, that's for sure.
Oh well. Time to end this and head for bed. Love you all and please stay healthy. Don't ignore any aches and pains you may have. I could have died from my dying colon if I hadn't gotten appendicitis from the bacteria and gone to the emergency room. I was even running a high fever and had no idea. But I think the pain I was having at the time was all I could feel. ***Hugs***
Sunday, March 8, 2015
HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN...JIGGETY JIG!!!
Not that I can do any real *jiggety jigging*....LOL! My trip to the emergency room last weekend, turned into a real pain....in more ways than one. I was seen quickly and was running a fever. Sure sign of some kind of infection, which I suspected was my appendix (and I was partially right). After a CT scan of my abdomen, I was fortunate enough to get an ER doctor that went with *gut* feelings and they did some exploratory work before automatically going for the appendix as the primary problem. Turns out the doctor was right. I had a 3 inch section of my colon that was dead and necrotic. The surgeon (my favorite one was on call, thankfully) removed 4 inches of the colon and stitched it back together (then starved me for three days to allow healing). He then took out the infected appendix also. This was not a fun surgery. Every cough, and they ensured THAT with four daily breathing appts. with medication, was sheer torture even with an IV drip that included morphine.
I got round the clock antibiotics. I was getting continuous saline solution but my mouth and lips were so dry, I would have killed for a single ice cube. I couldn't even sit up by myself. Turning was out of the question. The PCA's turned me to prevent sores and braced me with pillows. My coughing brought tears to my eyes each and every time. THEN...to make things even worse, they had me doing those damn breathing exercises where you have to breath IN to move the damn pressure block up and each time, my torturer kept telling me to breath in harder. Yeah! Right! This was made bearable only by the intellectual knowledge that I WOULD eventually heal and feel better. I just wasn't sure I wanted to live that badly.
The nurses took pity on my and brought me these swabs that were filled with biotene, a dry mouth rinse that allowed me to reach all the horribly dried areas of my mouth and tongue. I couldn't swallow it but the relief was incredible. And my breath smelled better, I am sure. LOL.
I only weigh (now) 120 lbs soaking wet but it took two strong nurses to get me out of bed and into a chair for an hour twice a day for each of the first three days. When the doctor finally allowed me to have clear liquids, I could have kissed him. Even the jello tasted wonderful and I ordered whatever I could have. Two more days and I was allowed *liquids*, which meant I could actually have milk and ice cream. It took me back to the days when I had my tonsils removed. LOL!
Of course, the doctors and nurses all were concerned about my bowel movements (if any). I had a catheter until the very last day even though we knew by then that my bowels were working well. I sure got tired of PTA baths and eventually wet a washrag and scrubbed my head with it to get rid of the sweat. That's when I realized I forgot to pack a brush but the nurse grabbed the one out of my bathroom (regular stuff they give you when you check in). I had no idea it was there since I hadn't been near the bathroom at all.
They finally allowed me to actually take a pain pill instead of the morphine (phew!) and I got solid food, too. I could order anything since my bowels were working. I laughed and told the doctor I was suddenly having people ask me about them after all those years of being told it wasn't fit conversation material.
I actually made my one doctor laugh out loud when he heard me tell the Beast that I could go home as soon as I pee'd so he could come down and squeeze the piss out of me. I guess he never thought he would hear this sweet old woman say that to her hubby and it took him totally by surprise. I think he almost fell on the floor laughing. I hadn't seen him so much as smile before then.
He laughed and told me it was good to keep a sense of humor and I told him what else could I do? It's not like I could do anything more than survive to live another day. He was still laughing as he left the room. A couple of the nurses just HAD to know what I did to make him laugh and they got a good laugh out of that when I told them. Guess he's not a real cheerful fellow most of the time. But my surgeon? He's got one hell of a sense of humor and we always had a good laugh when he came in to see me. He thinks *I* am funny.
I avoided taking any pain pills the day before I hoped to go home so there would be no reason to keep me that I could avoid. All I wanted was to go home. Of course, I got sick in the car on the way home (nausea from the pain) and I took a pain pill as soon as I walked in the door and laid down to rest. I can usually avoid vomiting if I lay down and fight it for a bit. Then my stomach calms down and I relax. Today was no exception. I am saving the new pain pill prescription for taking before bedtime so I can sleep. I already slept for six hours so I am good for a bit longer before I have to get more rest. At the hospital, I was not able to sleep for almost 3 days. Every 15 minutes, someone was coming in to take blood, give me shots, something. I kid you not. I actually got cranky from lack of sleep. Not fun.
So now I am home. I had my first good cup of coffee (Kauai coffee...we have been hoarding the last of our beans) and I will have enough to share with my sisters when they come to spend the day with me on Tuesday. On Monday they are going to look at a house to rent nearby my house. It will mean we will be able to spend time together more often than if they moved to a different area. It's going to take them a while to get used to the differences of living in this area compared to the zoo they lived in down in the Ft. Lauderdale area.
I'm just so happy to be home, I can't begin to tell you. My son, Mustachio, had no idea I was in the hospital. Figures the Beast wouldn't even THINK about informing our kids. Sheesh. It also explains why I hadn't heard from them at all. Mustachio wouldn't have known except that Bratfink left him a note on YIM when she saw him pop on and off it a couple times a night while I was in the hospital.
Time to post this missive so anyone who has missed me knows what went on and why and also that I am home again. Love you all. Oh, and I had a great day to come home. It got up to 70 today and was bright and sunny out. I enjoyed all 30 minutes of my ride in it. LOL! Be good, stay healthy and ***hugs***
I got round the clock antibiotics. I was getting continuous saline solution but my mouth and lips were so dry, I would have killed for a single ice cube. I couldn't even sit up by myself. Turning was out of the question. The PCA's turned me to prevent sores and braced me with pillows. My coughing brought tears to my eyes each and every time. THEN...to make things even worse, they had me doing those damn breathing exercises where you have to breath IN to move the damn pressure block up and each time, my torturer kept telling me to breath in harder. Yeah! Right! This was made bearable only by the intellectual knowledge that I WOULD eventually heal and feel better. I just wasn't sure I wanted to live that badly.
The nurses took pity on my and brought me these swabs that were filled with biotene, a dry mouth rinse that allowed me to reach all the horribly dried areas of my mouth and tongue. I couldn't swallow it but the relief was incredible. And my breath smelled better, I am sure. LOL.
I only weigh (now) 120 lbs soaking wet but it took two strong nurses to get me out of bed and into a chair for an hour twice a day for each of the first three days. When the doctor finally allowed me to have clear liquids, I could have kissed him. Even the jello tasted wonderful and I ordered whatever I could have. Two more days and I was allowed *liquids*, which meant I could actually have milk and ice cream. It took me back to the days when I had my tonsils removed. LOL!
Of course, the doctors and nurses all were concerned about my bowel movements (if any). I had a catheter until the very last day even though we knew by then that my bowels were working well. I sure got tired of PTA baths and eventually wet a washrag and scrubbed my head with it to get rid of the sweat. That's when I realized I forgot to pack a brush but the nurse grabbed the one out of my bathroom (regular stuff they give you when you check in). I had no idea it was there since I hadn't been near the bathroom at all.
They finally allowed me to actually take a pain pill instead of the morphine (phew!) and I got solid food, too. I could order anything since my bowels were working. I laughed and told the doctor I was suddenly having people ask me about them after all those years of being told it wasn't fit conversation material.
I actually made my one doctor laugh out loud when he heard me tell the Beast that I could go home as soon as I pee'd so he could come down and squeeze the piss out of me. I guess he never thought he would hear this sweet old woman say that to her hubby and it took him totally by surprise. I think he almost fell on the floor laughing. I hadn't seen him so much as smile before then.
He laughed and told me it was good to keep a sense of humor and I told him what else could I do? It's not like I could do anything more than survive to live another day. He was still laughing as he left the room. A couple of the nurses just HAD to know what I did to make him laugh and they got a good laugh out of that when I told them. Guess he's not a real cheerful fellow most of the time. But my surgeon? He's got one hell of a sense of humor and we always had a good laugh when he came in to see me. He thinks *I* am funny.
I avoided taking any pain pills the day before I hoped to go home so there would be no reason to keep me that I could avoid. All I wanted was to go home. Of course, I got sick in the car on the way home (nausea from the pain) and I took a pain pill as soon as I walked in the door and laid down to rest. I can usually avoid vomiting if I lay down and fight it for a bit. Then my stomach calms down and I relax. Today was no exception. I am saving the new pain pill prescription for taking before bedtime so I can sleep. I already slept for six hours so I am good for a bit longer before I have to get more rest. At the hospital, I was not able to sleep for almost 3 days. Every 15 minutes, someone was coming in to take blood, give me shots, something. I kid you not. I actually got cranky from lack of sleep. Not fun.
So now I am home. I had my first good cup of coffee (Kauai coffee...we have been hoarding the last of our beans) and I will have enough to share with my sisters when they come to spend the day with me on Tuesday. On Monday they are going to look at a house to rent nearby my house. It will mean we will be able to spend time together more often than if they moved to a different area. It's going to take them a while to get used to the differences of living in this area compared to the zoo they lived in down in the Ft. Lauderdale area.
I'm just so happy to be home, I can't begin to tell you. My son, Mustachio, had no idea I was in the hospital. Figures the Beast wouldn't even THINK about informing our kids. Sheesh. It also explains why I hadn't heard from them at all. Mustachio wouldn't have known except that Bratfink left him a note on YIM when she saw him pop on and off it a couple times a night while I was in the hospital.
Time to post this missive so anyone who has missed me knows what went on and why and also that I am home again. Love you all. Oh, and I had a great day to come home. It got up to 70 today and was bright and sunny out. I enjoyed all 30 minutes of my ride in it. LOL! Be good, stay healthy and ***hugs***
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Ask Dot Com Is Useless.....
I used Ask dot com for a search today for a change. I wondered how it compared to Google. Let me tell you this much....Ask doesn't get you to the site you click on. It just keeps taking you to more and more sites. I was looking for two things....the organs on right side of body and a couple different organ sites to show individual organs and their locations in the human body. It actually took me 15 different sites before I got PART of what I was looking for. On Google, it took two clicks. I used the same request and had no problem getting what I was looking for. I will not use Ask again.
I may actually have appendicitis. I have all the symptoms and the pain is located in that quadrant. That pisses me off. I need another surgery like a hole in the head. I have to call the doctor tomorrow to get in to see him. He will make room for me since this could be a very serious problem and he will want to check it out. I'm going to take along a packed bag just in case. I am NOT going to take more than things for a couple days max. I don't know if they do outpatient for an appendix. Hard to say in this day and age. They are doing such amazing things now. I actually should Google that. Heck, I will probably do that after I post my blog.
It was warm enough today for the Beast to take Baron out for a run around the circle and a detour to see his *buddy* on the goat farm. Almost all the snow is gone now. There's just a few lonely clumps in areas deep within some of the thickly grouped trees.
Hope you liked the bird pictures I posted yesterday. I have a few more that I will post in a day or two. I had to go through all of them so there wouldn't be more repeats. There are a few of those and somehow I don't think anyone cares to see ALL of the pics the Beast gave me. He took some just because one or two of the little birds were looking straight at the camera like they were posing.
The Beast is now saying he can hardly wait for the hummingbirds to return. They are NOT camera shy or skittish around our deck these past couple of years. That makes it easier for him to get pictures. I will definitely post those....LOL. They are all beautiful.
Love you all. If the doctor admits me to the hospital or just sends me over there for some xrays to verify my problem, I may not be able to write a blog for a couple days. But....if I don't have a blog posted after this one, you will know. When the Beast saw me uploading the bird pictures, I told him I was sending them to my sisters and a couple friends. Now he wants to know what they thought of them. I just told him I hadn't heard anything from them yet (true). We were surprised to find out just how many of the birds native to Alabama stick around all winter lone. Its like 150+. *Shock* It's not like they are *double feathered* but the Beast is now glad he put out all the bird feeders and the suet. The suet help them keep their body heat up like a double feathering would. I'm sure not going to give the Beast a hard time about the cost of the seed or the suet, that's for sure. They went through a hell of a lot of seed while it was snowing and the snow was on the ground.
We had a lot of new birds show up so they must have been either following the birds that weren't on the ground scavenging or else the birds were passing the word. LOL
Time to post this and get my body to bed. If this IS appendicitis, I don't want to do anything to cause it to rupture. I was using a heating pad on the area but found out that is NOT a good idea. It wasn't helping anyway so I was going to stop using it. I just know that out of 10 signs, I have 9 of them. I am NOT vomiting (yet) although I DO have the nausea, which comes and goes. Oh well. Love you all and I hope you are having a good week. Stay warm and dry. Drive carefully, please. ***Hugs***
I may actually have appendicitis. I have all the symptoms and the pain is located in that quadrant. That pisses me off. I need another surgery like a hole in the head. I have to call the doctor tomorrow to get in to see him. He will make room for me since this could be a very serious problem and he will want to check it out. I'm going to take along a packed bag just in case. I am NOT going to take more than things for a couple days max. I don't know if they do outpatient for an appendix. Hard to say in this day and age. They are doing such amazing things now. I actually should Google that. Heck, I will probably do that after I post my blog.
It was warm enough today for the Beast to take Baron out for a run around the circle and a detour to see his *buddy* on the goat farm. Almost all the snow is gone now. There's just a few lonely clumps in areas deep within some of the thickly grouped trees.
Hope you liked the bird pictures I posted yesterday. I have a few more that I will post in a day or two. I had to go through all of them so there wouldn't be more repeats. There are a few of those and somehow I don't think anyone cares to see ALL of the pics the Beast gave me. He took some just because one or two of the little birds were looking straight at the camera like they were posing.
The Beast is now saying he can hardly wait for the hummingbirds to return. They are NOT camera shy or skittish around our deck these past couple of years. That makes it easier for him to get pictures. I will definitely post those....LOL. They are all beautiful.
Love you all. If the doctor admits me to the hospital or just sends me over there for some xrays to verify my problem, I may not be able to write a blog for a couple days. But....if I don't have a blog posted after this one, you will know. When the Beast saw me uploading the bird pictures, I told him I was sending them to my sisters and a couple friends. Now he wants to know what they thought of them. I just told him I hadn't heard anything from them yet (true). We were surprised to find out just how many of the birds native to Alabama stick around all winter lone. Its like 150+. *Shock* It's not like they are *double feathered* but the Beast is now glad he put out all the bird feeders and the suet. The suet help them keep their body heat up like a double feathering would. I'm sure not going to give the Beast a hard time about the cost of the seed or the suet, that's for sure. They went through a hell of a lot of seed while it was snowing and the snow was on the ground.
We had a lot of new birds show up so they must have been either following the birds that weren't on the ground scavenging or else the birds were passing the word. LOL
Time to post this and get my body to bed. If this IS appendicitis, I don't want to do anything to cause it to rupture. I was using a heating pad on the area but found out that is NOT a good idea. It wasn't helping anyway so I was going to stop using it. I just know that out of 10 signs, I have 9 of them. I am NOT vomiting (yet) although I DO have the nausea, which comes and goes. Oh well. Love you all and I hope you are having a good week. Stay warm and dry. Drive carefully, please. ***Hugs***
Finally Some Of The Bird Pictures!
The Beast finally gave me several of his bird pictures and I am going to share them with you. I don't have all their names...there's titmouses, tufted titmouses, cardinal (male and female) and even a dove. But you will see for yourself the variety even tho' some are not obvious.
I think that is all I am up/downloading for today. Some are from non-snow days, as you can tell. The Birds managed to kick off a lot of snow on the railings in some but the white background gives it away.
Love you all. Hope you are having a nice Sunday. Mine is quiet anyway. I am having some pain in my lower right side. Feels like I hurt it when I was coughing last night. Now every time I cough that area screams at me. I think I am going to get the heating pad and let it do it's magic on me. Be good and stay warm and dry. I will post a couple more of the bird pictures in a couple days. I have to sort thru some of them and make sure you aren't getting duplicates. Sises....if you want any of them for wallpaper, let me know and I will email them to you. In the meantime....***Hugs***
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