I Don't Even Ask Now.....

Ask what?  About how many eggs the hens have laid.  We still have a couple that are laying *juvenile* eggs (so small!) but still good.  You just have to figure on using at least two of them in place of a *regular* egg.  Sometimes, three.  They CAN be that tiny looking....LOL.  If they lay anything more than three at a time, the Beast lets me know.  There's no need to ask.

Have you ever been sick, really sick, for an extended amount of time?  I mean that your whole life...schedule for taking pills, for example...gets so messed up that you don't know whether or not you can get it back?  That's my life at the moment.  

Since I wasn't able to eat without it returning to haunt my mouth, I was just taking my blood sugar count and not really taking any pills at all.  I can count on one hand the number of times I ended up taking any medication other than the one to stop the diarrhea and for nausea.  

Today, when I finally got to speak with my doctor's nurse, I got the doctor to fax over two new prescriptions to the pharmacy I use.  One is for the diarrhea, the other for nausea.   The doctor also set up an appointment with the new G.E. but it's not until July 7th.  When I learned where he was located, I laughed.  He has to be in practice along with the G.E. that did my original surgery on my colon.  Of course, the difference is that the NEW G.E. does the clinical side of the practice.  But, at least he will have instant access to all my records, including last year's colonoscopy.  He will probably end up doing that for me, too, unless they have some sort of agreement between them for that.  I don't really care.  I just want this misery to end, finally.  Once and for all time, I hope.

In reality, the worst problem I am having is with the nausea.  I still believe that I have a UTI that hasn't been diagnosed but I will call and try to just make a lab appointment for that tomorrow.  Today was just too hectic for me to take the nurse's time when the other things were more important.  I know the doctor will agree to letting me be tested for a UTI since that would require antibiotics but might be the real key to this whole problem....this time.  The IBS-D, however, still needs to be addressed.

Okay.  That's where things stand at the moment.  Cee, who talks with me daily, says my voice is stronger than it's been so she knows I really DO feel better.  Right now, the other problem is more an annoyance than anything else.  Thank goodness for washing machines and dryers.  As long as I have those handy, it's okay.  I'll manage.  I also have to remember to take the medication every 6-8 hours so I don't get a sudden awakening in the wee hours of the morning.  I'm getting an appetite back now, too, so that's another good thing.

I have to call Mustachio about setting up our reservation at the motel.  He's going to use his credit card to reserve the room for us (but we can actually pay once we get there).  No penalty for cancellation or changes...shock, surprise...as long as they get 24 hours notice.  No problem there.  So, other than starting to pack, I think I am set now.  The doctor said no problem if I require more medications since the July appointment was the earliest he could manage.  You'd think a doctor would have a bit more *pull* than that, wouldn't you?  Oh well.  I'll take what I can get.  

Right now, Cee's problem with her car seems to be managed.  Since she discovered that ALL the water was gone out of her radiator and fixed that problem plus added the antifreeze, she's been able to run to the store and back with no problem.  No overheating and she hasn't been able to find any sign of a leak.  I think that system is just clogged with rust or some such gunk.  She doesn't really travel far and now she knows how to get into the various things and what to check for.  The Beast explained how it all works to her and that was more helpful than he knows.  She really had no one that ever explained it the way he did.  He CAN be helpful.

Love you all and I hope you have a fantastic week.  I'm looking forward to just feeling *normal* again.  I was a bit surprised to find out the Beast is worried that I might have some cancer in my colon but, when I told him about the UTI, he said he hadn't thought about that possibility but felt it should have been picked up in my stool sample.  But that would take more than 24 hours IF they tested for that (which they didn't).  We shall see.  It will be whatever it is and we will just have to wait for that answer.

Be good.  Be kind.  Not because everyone deserves it but because of the character YOU show when you practice it towards everyone.  ***Hugs***

New Record For The Hens And I Am Recovering....

Today the girls produced six...SIX...eggs.  Four in one nesting box and two in the other.  The Beast was so proud, you would have thought he laid them himself.

Me?  I felt about 80% like myself today and just spent the day resting while I can.  Poor Cee had a major problem show up for her and it's not even summer yet.  She drove the short distance from her apartment to Walgreen's to pick up her prescription and the car overheated on her.  Michael should have made sure that her radiator was replaced before he ever moved away.  She has to have that done and quickly.  She can't keep pulling over and letting it cool down before she tries to get home.  The Beast is useless on something like this.  He may have the tools but he no longer can move like he did as a young man.  And too many places will try to overcharge a single (older) woman.  That's part of what having her son around was good for.

I'm tired tonight.  I didn't nap and I really need some good sleep.  I'll take a pill before I lay down so I don't wake up....suddenly...at 4am or so with no good result.  I'm really kind of tired of that.  I'm hoping that this will soon....like tomorrow...be over and done with for good.

Meantime, love you all.  Today is my darling, Chewlee's, birthday.  She is 9 years old.  Her mother took her out to lunch and then to the show to see *Jungle Book*.  Her birthday party will be on the 11th (combined with Gunner's).  I'll be there with bells on...LOL.

Be good.  Hope you had a great holiday weekend and took time to remember all those that never came home.  ***Hugs***

At Least There's An Upside To All This......

I was so worried about missing Chewlee's birthday party and, come to find out that they decided to celebrate the two kids (Gunner and Chewlee) birthdays together...sort of.  Gunner's birthday is June 9th.  Chewlee's is May 30th.  So, of course, the party is being held on June 11th.  LOL!  So I don't have to worry about missing it after all.  That makes me feel better.  I really DO love to see the kids having fun and I believe that Chewlee's paternal grandfather is buying her an above ground pool so there will be that to factor in to their fun.

There truly is nothing worse than not feeling 100% yourself.  I've had to continue to take the pills for the diarrhea, about one tab every 8-12 hours but it IS starting to seem like the whole vicious cycle might actually be ending.  First of all, I am able to eat and keep things down now and secondly, there is now a difference in the whole item that started all this.  It's beginning to take on more than a watery form, if you know what I mean.

I ended up having to take another nausea pill today when Cee dropped by and scared me awake.  LOL!  Thankfully, they worked great and got rid of the nausea damn near immediately.  I found out she had given Michael the last of her pain pills for his sciatica so I gave her a few of mine.  Her HMO doesn't provide much in that way for her (typical of so many doctors but especially an HMO) and it's a bitch to be in pain and have nothing to combat it.  Mine are relatively minor but still helpful.

Oh, I know....you aren't supposed to *share* medication but she gave me the nausea pills and turn about is only fair play.  It was the least I could do.  I'll call my doctor on Tuesday and ask for some pills for the morning (mostly) nausea and return them to her so she has them if she should need them again.

In the meantime, Cee told me the Beast gave her a few of the eggs from our chickens and that is what she used to make her French toast for breakfast today.  She was surprised, I think, at how much deeper the color of the yolks were but thought they turned out great.  I still intend to give at least a dozen to Diane and see what Dennis' reaction is.  He is so OCD at times and thinks everyone should live their lives according to HIS way of doing things.  He complains about things that never happened the way he tries to tell you it did.  Like his complaints about the *loud* Mexican music from a party held by neighbors (not true...we were sitting outside while it was going on and you never heard ANY loud music).  He complained about the kids and their *bounce house* the father had rented but they were never loud or rowdy.  He just is, at times, a miserable person.  Don't get me wrong.  He can be great but not when HE is not in control.

Time to head back to bed.  I want to get over all this and feel like myself again.  I love you all.  ***Hugs***

Let's Catch Up....

I did get a call on Friday with my lab test results.  Normal.  Normal?  Sheesh.  Hard to believe but that's what they all were.  No weird pathogens, no high sugar content, nothing unusual at all.  Okay.  So then what?

I told the nurse about the side effects that I was suffering from the prescription and she left to talk to the doctor.  He suggested that I stop taking them entirely and see if the *cycle* had been broken.  If not, I was to call and he would prescribe something else.  More than likely bentyl (sp) since my intestines had been in a turmoil and that would help stop any spasms.  However, no one thought about the fact that this is a holiday weekend so calling was really out of the question.

Friday night, the diarrhea returned with a vengeance but, instead of taking two pills, I only took one and crossed my fingers.  That seemed to do the trick AND I didn't get the bad stomach ache that taking two had given me.  But I still had the nausea and that wasn't fun.  When Cee called to check on me (she was doing that every day), I mentioned all this to her and she said she had that nausea medication she was given and she would bring some over for me on Sunday.  But, good hearted sister that she is, she didn't wait.  She just about jumped into her car (without checking to see if her hair was combed or bothering with makeup) and ran some over to me right away.  I was shocked but, oh, so grateful.

Within a few minutes of taking one, the nausea I had been suffering with all day faded away and I almost felt good again.  Bless her heart for sharing those with me.  She left me a few extra so that it would carry me through the holiday weekend.

In the meantime, I have actually, little-by-little, been eating some real food.  With my stomach upset, I was pretty much living on gingerale, water and watermelon (yes, watermelon).  When you are dehydrated, watermelon tastes wonderful.  

Today, I woke up early, went to the bathroom, took a pill and then went back to bed.  We had been without internet all evening and all night so I couldn't post anything.  I actually suspected the Beast needed to reboot the modem but you can't tell him anything.  He's got to come to that realization all by himself (which he finally did this morning).  So, we are all caught up to MY news, anyway.  

BTW, we set a new record yesterday.  Our hens laid five...FIVE...eggs in one day!  And they are all full size ones now.  Just sayin'.......

Got to go.  Love you all.  Need to take the pill for nausea now that the other one has kicked in.  Be good.  Have fun.  ***Hugs***

No Lab Results Yet.....

The doctor hasn't called me yet with the lab results from the tests he requested but I don't think they are all going to be available for another 24-48 hours.  *Sigh*

If you couldn't tell, I haven't felt good at all since seeing the doctor.  It finally dawned on me to dig the sheet about side effects of the medication I was taking to control the diarrhea and see if that was the reason I felt so crappy.   Possible side effects:  stomach pain (oh, really?),  nausea (no surprise there), dehydration (that's a given), constipation.....  That'll teach me to read those darn things before I take any or I would have only taken one pill to begin with, instead of the two suggested on the bottle.  

I had to let the pills I had taken get out of my system (drinking lots and lots of water to help) and see how I felt afterward.  I felt so much better that I knew that was what was causing me to feel so bad.  I ate some oatmeal (the first food in two days), actually moved my bowels and then took just ONE pill.  I'll see how this goes now.  I may go ahead and call my doctor and ask for something else until he gets all the other test results back.

He says there is a new gastric doctor in town that is seeing patients on a limited basis a couple days a week.  He was going to check into it and see what the wait time might be since he knows I am under the gun, so to speak.  

The two days I have been under the weather have seen the chickens get busy.  They've laid 8 eggs in those two days.  The goofy Beast had them sitting out on the counter instead of in the fridge.  He's not using his head since our eggs are more than likely fertilized and will start developing into chicks.  If that's what the Beast had in mind, he should just have left them in the nesting boxes.  But I really think he just wanted me to see them.  I put them into the fridge.  

Time to put this to bed.  Chewlee's birthday is coming up soon and I need to feel better for that.  I love to see the kids enjoy themselves.  She's planning on a neat kind of party so it should be lots of fun for them.

Love you all.  Cross your fingers for me that I feel better now.  Be good.  Be happy.  ***Hugs***

Now It's Just Waiting For Lab Results....

So yesterday was the day I visited my regular doctor and my vascular doctor.  The good news is that my arteries are running strong and well.  I actually figured that out once the swelling in my foot went down.  He now wants to address the other carotid artery that wasn't done a few years ago but says that can wait until after I get back from Chicago.  

My regular doctor was told the entire scenario that I went through with the gastric doctor he had referred me to a few months back and just how pissed I was.  I then told him about what I had been going through for the past week and how miserable I was.  I also told him that I could NOT wait and why so he agreed to give me something temporarily until some labs tests could be worked up.  He suspects that something more is going on than just IBS-D.  I think he believes it may be this other  bacteria that often proliferates in the intestines and can go out of control with no real reason.

Now it's just a waiting game.  I shall keep you posted.  ***Hugs***

No Telling What's On The Minds Of Chickens....

Today, another egg was laid out in the chicken yard!  WTH???  It has to be a hen that's taken by surprise by the need to lay it, I think.  Either that or we have a hippie in the bunch.  *Sigh*  But, one of the chickens flew out of the yard again.  This time, however, we think it might have been trying to reach one of the enticing (and tasty) branches of the overhanging trees on the opposite side that is NOT our yard.

The Beast, who doesn't count the chickens, only discovered this because of it's squawking and obvious distress.  It kept running back and forth, trying to find a way back into the yard.  When he went out to retrieve it (we have a gate over to that side at the back of the barn), he noticed that all the other chickens had suddenly disappeared.  The hen almost jumped into the Beast's arms when he got to it and he carried it back into the coop area.  It immediately ran up the ramp and into the barn so the Beast decided to look inside.  He came out, almost rolling over with laughter.  He said when he got into the barn, all of the chickens were crowded up on the roost, half of them with their heads tucked under their wing, ready for bed.  It was STILL light outside.  That NEVER happens.

We decided they were all terrified that they were going to be blamed for the one that was on the wrong side of the coop yard so they decided that they all had to look as innocent as possible.  It was just so *not* their normal behavior that it made him laugh...and I had to, also.  There's just no telling.....

I stopped over at Cee's today and we talked about our upcoming vacation trip.  It was fun since it's getting close.  I have two different doctor's appointments in the morning and then have to stop at the gastroenterologist's office to pick up the prescription for that awful stuff I have to drink before my colonoscopy.  Yes, Bratfink, it IS time for another one BUT....I didn't have the IBS-D problem that led to the discovery of the dead colon section.  I went to emergency because I was sure I had appendicitis (which I did) and he suspected something more was at work due to other symptoms (including the UTI, I had) and said he was going to *look around*.  I am just glad he did.

I read a lot more about IBS-D the other day and I have to ask about the possibility that a spastic colon may be part of the problem.  How they can check for that, I don't know.  I know they found out about my daughter's when the radiologist actually caught it during a spasm and came out so jazzed about that she could hardly contain herself.  But I will find out.

Got to get to bed.  It's late and I have to get up early.  Love you all.  Be good.  Be kind.  ***Hugs***