For the first time in a couple weeks, I have a little bit of energy. Therefore, I am totally going to blow all of my energy and do something enjoyable. Creative Writing Prompt anyone????
No, really!!! www.creativewritingprompts.com ! This is number 8. List 40 things that happened to you this month. They can be funny, embarrassing, happy, or infuriating. Then pick one and write about it.
I had a very long list of things that I came up with. They ranged from the semi-ordinary (my sister in law came to visit and she and my niece brought dessert... I always love seeing them) to the very odd (No longer working with Home Depot because of not being able to read the screen at the cash register... I use magnification software on my own computer... never thought about it being a problem!). I also thought about some of the medical tests I have been through this month (and how some of them were out and out painful). And, I also considered how happy I was spending time with Stephen recently. But, with all of those memories and thoughts, one sticks out in my mind above all others. Let me talk about that one.
Well.... it all started a few weeks ago when my niece was visiting us. Her old pal M. (name hidden to protect those of us who don't want to admit she lives anywhere NEAR us) came over and was attempting to get my niece to come over and spend time with her. Although my niece didn't go anywhere with M., M. decided to share some bad news with us. Her mother was about to put M's two animals to sleep (due to old age). M's dog, Barney, is a staple to the neighborhood with his classic "Awwwwwrooooo" that echoes throughout the neighborhood in a bally-hooing manner. Barney would definately be missed. Need I say more? I didn't think so.
Anywho... both my mother in law and I were both saddened by the news and really didn't give it a second throught. That is until about a week later. We both were working on something out in the yard (putting in new bushes) and, all of a sudden, we heard a Barney bark. We both looked at each other and raised eyebrows. "That cannot be Barney," we both exclaimed. We both decided that we were so used to hearing Barney that we imagined we heard him and there was just a similiar sounding dog. Then, a couple days later, we looked out the window and THERE was Barney wandering down the street, awwwroooooooooooing away. We noticed he certainly looked solid and alive. Three weeks after his "imminent demise", there he is... just strolling down the street. My husband returned the dog back to the neighbor's home and I decided that I was glad to have gotten to see him one more time.
Unfortunately, nearly a week later, I saw him again yesterday. He was, once again, wandering happily down the street, awwwroooing in the way only a happy Barney dog can do. My father in law spotted him and took him back over to the neighbor's house. This makes me realize that he is probably going to be with us a little while yet and that I really have gotten used to his happy little noise. Our neighborhood will just not be the same without him.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
It has been a long time... I know
Today has been a very long day. Last Saturday, I started my new career at Home Depot. Orientation took up Saturday and Sunday. I worked Monday and Tuesday. Today is my first day off and I had my second opinion appointment with the ID doctors at UMD. The second opinion result came as a shock. They feel Laurel Regional did many things wrong and I may have been misdiagnosed with Lyme. They feel it might have been another disorder caused by a tick or another creepy crawly. But, we won't know for awhile. They hope, however, that whatever the new tests find, we can get rid of this headache quickly. All I know is it has to go away soon. Fatigue and headache are taking their toll on me. All I want to do, when I am not at work, is sleep. I don't want to eat. Just sleep. This does not leave a lot of time when you figure I spend an additional 3 hours a day working on law school stuff. Something has to give. What it will be at this point, I don't know.
As I said, my first day off was today. I took the opportunity to purchase some new polo shirts since I have to wear collared shirts or polos. Forman Mills supplied me with 5 new polos and 2 new pairs of jeans for $45. I'm very pleased.
I promise I will update more often. But, I need a nap. Oh... hopefully the PICC line will be out soon. The new ID doctors feel there is no reason for it to stay in. Hopefully it will be out on Monday... before noon, I hope.
As I said, my first day off was today. I took the opportunity to purchase some new polo shirts since I have to wear collared shirts or polos. Forman Mills supplied me with 5 new polos and 2 new pairs of jeans for $45. I'm very pleased.
I promise I will update more often. But, I need a nap. Oh... hopefully the PICC line will be out soon. The new ID doctors feel there is no reason for it to stay in. Hopefully it will be out on Monday... before noon, I hope.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
This date in mystory: September 10, 2008
Today was my appointment with Dr. Shah (she squeezed us in). She has decided to discontinue the antibiotics and thinks I should see a arthritis specialist. I informed her that I have an appointment to see a person at University of Maryland on the 25th and they want all her records. She generously told me I could haul myself over to the hospital and ask for the records myself seeing as she doesn't handle her own records. I am so glad, even if I don't feel better, that I am so done with that woman. She doesn't even seem to notice I feel cruddy.
I really don't have anything new to share other than I got the final "note" of hire for my new job. I am now officially an employee of Home Depot. Carrying on the Clements hardware store tradition, I guess. I start either this weekend or next.
Headachey Picc User Out!
I really don't have anything new to share other than I got the final "note" of hire for my new job. I am now officially an employee of Home Depot. Carrying on the Clements hardware store tradition, I guess. I start either this weekend or next.
Headachey Picc User Out!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Update for 9/8/08
I realize it has been a long time since I updated. However, I have been feeling really bad and needed to take the time to just rest. The PICC line has been bothering me greatly since the last changing and it appears that I am massively allergic to the tape they used this time. Blistery pus filled things are popping up around the tegaderm layer. Hopefully it was ease with time. Or, at least by Thursday, when the tegaderm is due to change again. Sigh!
The Rocephin was extended from the original 28 days to 35 days to now 42 days. My last day currently is set for this coming up Friday (the 12th). Jane and I are getting along well with the infusion at home. But, man oh man, will I be glad when it is done and over with. Then again, I would give anything to have the fatigue, headache, and achy joints and muscle end.
We have arranged to have a second opinion on the doctor front. Dr. Shah, when I went on home infusion, said she would see me in a week. I called the VERY next day to set up the appointment. She said, "I'll get back with you." Two days later, nothing. I waited the weekend since she doesn't come in on weekends. Monday, I started calling again. No response. I decided to up the ante a little (since I only had a couple more days on IV fluids) and faxed them. Two days in a row I faxed them. No response. The IV pharmacy attempted to call her to find out if they were continuing the IV. No response. Then, on my last day, we finally got in touch with her office. "She is totally booked! No appointments for 2 weeks," says the receptionist. Jane got her to squeeze us in on Wednesday. But, in the meantime, I had decided too many "questionable" things had happened. I will be seeing a doctor at University of Maryland who deals a lot with Lyme patients on the 25th. Hopefully this doctor will have some answers. Dr. Shah certainly has none.
For those who asked, classes are going well. I very much enjoy my 3 hour class on Contracts. Dr. Green makes the three hours entertaining and very enjoyable. I am hoping he continues to teach Torts and Criminal Law because I really could get used to his teaching style very easily. I just have to get used to the time difference between California and Maryland. My class meets on Wednesday evenings from 9:30 p. to 12:30 a. ! I am totally worn out by the end of class. But this is all worth it. When I take that FYLX in October of 2009, I aim to pass. More on that at a later date.
Well... my energy is just about gone. Will have to write more at a later date. My closing thought, however, is about Chad Johnson. What was that idiot thinking? Changing his name to "Chad Ocho Cinco"? Doesn't he know that Ocho Cinco is not eighty-five... just eight and five? Idiot!
The Rocephin was extended from the original 28 days to 35 days to now 42 days. My last day currently is set for this coming up Friday (the 12th). Jane and I are getting along well with the infusion at home. But, man oh man, will I be glad when it is done and over with. Then again, I would give anything to have the fatigue, headache, and achy joints and muscle end.
We have arranged to have a second opinion on the doctor front. Dr. Shah, when I went on home infusion, said she would see me in a week. I called the VERY next day to set up the appointment. She said, "I'll get back with you." Two days later, nothing. I waited the weekend since she doesn't come in on weekends. Monday, I started calling again. No response. I decided to up the ante a little (since I only had a couple more days on IV fluids) and faxed them. Two days in a row I faxed them. No response. The IV pharmacy attempted to call her to find out if they were continuing the IV. No response. Then, on my last day, we finally got in touch with her office. "She is totally booked! No appointments for 2 weeks," says the receptionist. Jane got her to squeeze us in on Wednesday. But, in the meantime, I had decided too many "questionable" things had happened. I will be seeing a doctor at University of Maryland who deals a lot with Lyme patients on the 25th. Hopefully this doctor will have some answers. Dr. Shah certainly has none.
For those who asked, classes are going well. I very much enjoy my 3 hour class on Contracts. Dr. Green makes the three hours entertaining and very enjoyable. I am hoping he continues to teach Torts and Criminal Law because I really could get used to his teaching style very easily. I just have to get used to the time difference between California and Maryland. My class meets on Wednesday evenings from 9:30 p. to 12:30 a. ! I am totally worn out by the end of class. But this is all worth it. When I take that FYLX in October of 2009, I aim to pass. More on that at a later date.
Well... my energy is just about gone. Will have to write more at a later date. My closing thought, however, is about Chad Johnson. What was that idiot thinking? Changing his name to "Chad Ocho Cinco"? Doesn't he know that Ocho Cinco is not eighty-five... just eight and five? Idiot!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Have You Ever Just Wanted To Sit Down So You Could Just Cry?
Yesterday was one of those days that I absolutely hate. No matter what you personally do, it seems to either (a) go wrong, (b) offend someone else, (c) become totally misunderstood, (d) crushes the last bit of restraint you normally have not to go running off in a puddle of tears. Yesterday, it seems like every bit of a,b,c, and d happened. Stephen, good guy he is, neglected to tell me that he had a massive headache. So, he was really out of sorts. Whereas I was having a agreeable day despite my headache and aches. We went to the store with his mother, and when it came time to purchase dessert, he just wanted to act pouty because his choice was not chosen. I tried to make other suggestions (like buy some cookies I know he likes... or a box of the pie slices I know he likes). But, my suggestions were not taken well. He was still upset as we got to the check out. One of the cashiers was trying to get us to move lines. I was paying attention to that and trying to get him to move, but missed his mother trying to get our attention. So, I got blasted on that one while I probably was being a jerk about the cashier wanting us to move (which he didn't notice until I pointed it out).
Upon getting home, I just wanted to chill out a little and not deal with anything. I marinated the meat for the cookout very early so it could have about 6 hours of soak time. And, I then JUST crashed. In the back of my mind, I knew that I was going to have to do something about the propane tank for the grill. You see, every time we've had a cookout recently, we run out of propane since we grill a lot of things for long periods of time (ie: Potato/Corn) and it is always a safe thing to have our backup tank filled. I had forgotten we were using the backup tank and needed to get an exchange. When I asked Stephen if he could do it before people got there at 6 pm (it was now a quarter til 2), he refused to commit. He said he might or might not be able to do that because "he was tired". If only he'd also said, "And I have a headache and don't feel good", I might not have taken offense. You see, during my chill time, I had dusted Jane's living room, cleaned a snake tank, hauled Stephen's stuff all over the house to their rightful locations, cleaned up downstairs to make it appear livable, worked on the chicken to prepare it for grilling, been infused with my medication (and that was one HARD infusion), and listened to my niece talk about some things she needed to get out of her head. Making the house presentable for the cookout was Jane's goal and she needed help. Having gas for the cookout was my goal... and I didn't get help. I got my keys and prepared to go get the tank myself... which got vetoed and Jane ended up driving me. I cried a good portion of the way there... and was majorly disoriented because of my headache by the time we got there. I will say, I got it together quickly and we got home within 15 minutes.
Having already started the crying jag, I decided to just cool off. I washed a kitchen knife, glass, and spoon in the sink. My reasoning? I figured get out of the way now is something I don't have to wash later! I thought it made sense. Not 10 minutes later, I looked over and I noticed Jane was cutting up something. I thought, "Is that the same knife I just cleaned?" I was just amazed that, out of all the knives in the drawer, that one keeps reappearing. Jane seemed to misunderstand my amazement and think I was trying to make some side point ranging from she was using a dirty knife (I cleaned it. I should know it ISN'T dirty!) to there was something wrong with her having used that knife (I don't care what knife gets used... I just found some humor that the turn around was THAT quickly. It must REALLY be her favorite knife!). That's when the waterworks really began to flow. I didn't know where I could go and just cry myself out. I thought about the bathroom... but the dog was taking up residence next to the toilet. I thought about Stephen's and my bedroom. But, I wanted to make sure not to bother Stephen and his area (hence avoided our bedroom). I decided to sit in the living room, tears streaming down my face, red-faced, facing the windows in the back. i figured my MIL and niece would be busy in the kitchen long enough for me to cry it out, get over it, and I'd be fine. When do plans ever work THAT neatly? They joined me in the living room after about 5 minutes and whereas I might have "fooled" my niece for awhile that I was crying, I didn't fool Jane. Then again, she didn't get up and walk away, either. She kept an eye on me to make sure I was "ok" and just kept talking with Katie while the cat and I cried and tried to get under control. Stephen came up and kissed the top of my head and said he loved me, which got me crying all over again. Poor cat ended up sopping wet and probably is the best crying towel in the world. But, she never left my side the whole crying jag. Silly cat! After 50 minutes, I finally got my emotions in check and was able to get up and finish pre-grilling prep. work. The result. We had a really good family cook-out. Just Jane, Bill, Stephen, Kristen, Mark, Katie, Betty Jane, and myself. We had two kinds of grilled chicken (Lemon Pepper and Southwest marinades), baked beans, macaroni salad, potato salad, a salad, deviled eggs, and mashed potatoes. For dessert, we had a key lime pie. Everyone except Stephen enjoyed their slice of pie. Later that night, as we were trying to drift off to sleep, Stephen apologized for being less than helpful and THEN explained he had a headache and didn't want to complain because it could possibly be as bad as the one I have been living with, in his opinion. I felt bad for him. I told him, all he needed to say was headache. There is not a person in this house who doesn't know how a headache makes you feel. We would have suggested he just chill out and to let us know if we could get him something to make his head feel better. But, no. My silly husband has to make it into a "Your headache is worse than mine, so I won't say anything about it." SIGH!
achy Power Picc User totally exhausted and OUT!
Upon getting home, I just wanted to chill out a little and not deal with anything. I marinated the meat for the cookout very early so it could have about 6 hours of soak time. And, I then JUST crashed. In the back of my mind, I knew that I was going to have to do something about the propane tank for the grill. You see, every time we've had a cookout recently, we run out of propane since we grill a lot of things for long periods of time (ie: Potato/Corn) and it is always a safe thing to have our backup tank filled. I had forgotten we were using the backup tank and needed to get an exchange. When I asked Stephen if he could do it before people got there at 6 pm (it was now a quarter til 2), he refused to commit. He said he might or might not be able to do that because "he was tired". If only he'd also said, "And I have a headache and don't feel good", I might not have taken offense. You see, during my chill time, I had dusted Jane's living room, cleaned a snake tank, hauled Stephen's stuff all over the house to their rightful locations, cleaned up downstairs to make it appear livable, worked on the chicken to prepare it for grilling, been infused with my medication (and that was one HARD infusion), and listened to my niece talk about some things she needed to get out of her head. Making the house presentable for the cookout was Jane's goal and she needed help. Having gas for the cookout was my goal... and I didn't get help. I got my keys and prepared to go get the tank myself... which got vetoed and Jane ended up driving me. I cried a good portion of the way there... and was majorly disoriented because of my headache by the time we got there. I will say, I got it together quickly and we got home within 15 minutes.
Having already started the crying jag, I decided to just cool off. I washed a kitchen knife, glass, and spoon in the sink. My reasoning? I figured get out of the way now is something I don't have to wash later! I thought it made sense. Not 10 minutes later, I looked over and I noticed Jane was cutting up something. I thought, "Is that the same knife I just cleaned?" I was just amazed that, out of all the knives in the drawer, that one keeps reappearing. Jane seemed to misunderstand my amazement and think I was trying to make some side point ranging from she was using a dirty knife (I cleaned it. I should know it ISN'T dirty!) to there was something wrong with her having used that knife (I don't care what knife gets used... I just found some humor that the turn around was THAT quickly. It must REALLY be her favorite knife!). That's when the waterworks really began to flow. I didn't know where I could go and just cry myself out. I thought about the bathroom... but the dog was taking up residence next to the toilet. I thought about Stephen's and my bedroom. But, I wanted to make sure not to bother Stephen and his area (hence avoided our bedroom). I decided to sit in the living room, tears streaming down my face, red-faced, facing the windows in the back. i figured my MIL and niece would be busy in the kitchen long enough for me to cry it out, get over it, and I'd be fine. When do plans ever work THAT neatly? They joined me in the living room after about 5 minutes and whereas I might have "fooled" my niece for awhile that I was crying, I didn't fool Jane. Then again, she didn't get up and walk away, either. She kept an eye on me to make sure I was "ok" and just kept talking with Katie while the cat and I cried and tried to get under control. Stephen came up and kissed the top of my head and said he loved me, which got me crying all over again. Poor cat ended up sopping wet and probably is the best crying towel in the world. But, she never left my side the whole crying jag. Silly cat! After 50 minutes, I finally got my emotions in check and was able to get up and finish pre-grilling prep. work. The result. We had a really good family cook-out. Just Jane, Bill, Stephen, Kristen, Mark, Katie, Betty Jane, and myself. We had two kinds of grilled chicken (Lemon Pepper and Southwest marinades), baked beans, macaroni salad, potato salad, a salad, deviled eggs, and mashed potatoes. For dessert, we had a key lime pie. Everyone except Stephen enjoyed their slice of pie. Later that night, as we were trying to drift off to sleep, Stephen apologized for being less than helpful and THEN explained he had a headache and didn't want to complain because it could possibly be as bad as the one I have been living with, in his opinion. I felt bad for him. I told him, all he needed to say was headache. There is not a person in this house who doesn't know how a headache makes you feel. We would have suggested he just chill out and to let us know if we could get him something to make his head feel better. But, no. My silly husband has to make it into a "Your headache is worse than mine, so I won't say anything about it." SIGH!
achy Power Picc User totally exhausted and OUT!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Today... Right Now... Hi!
The highlight of my day today was getting home from several errands and being able to sit down and look at my cousin Ashli's blog. I love being able to sit down and read what is happening back there... especially when I feel as bad as I feel. I am glad things are working out for them and hope that things work out for Nathan and crew.
Today started out with having to run over to Dr. McClain's office. Aetna is obnoxious about referrals. Dr. Shah cannot refer me to another person (no specialist to specialist referrals). So, Dr. McClain requires 48 hours to change referrals to him. So, we had to go over there and deal with that. It just really is a hassle to have to explain why Dr. Shah is doing things and why Dr. McClain should care at all. So, after a brief explaination, a lot of eye rolling, and pulling my file, I was told I could come and get it in 48 hours. I asked which day that exactly would be BECAUSE 48 hours would be Sunday (they are not open Sunday) and they are closed Monday for the holiday. All I got was "Come back in 48 hours!" I guess I'll go back on Tuesday.
After that, we went over to my ex-bank to try to clear up a mess about service fees after I closed all my accounts and changed banks (because I was being service charged to death). They kept charging me service fees for two months after closing the account EVEN when there was no money in said account. Idiots! Got that taken care of without owing them any money. Wasted 30-45 minutes getting it straightened out, though.
We then went to WalMart so Jane could get socks. I enjoyed that trip... but I really was starting to wear out. I'm glad it was a short trip to WalMart.
When we got home, the new neurologist called and scheduled an appointment. I was really glad that this was scheduled and I'm ready to move on.
I keep getting asked about how I feel. In general, I feel very tired and headache-y. I'm just glad that we can do treatments at home.
Today started out with having to run over to Dr. McClain's office. Aetna is obnoxious about referrals. Dr. Shah cannot refer me to another person (no specialist to specialist referrals). So, Dr. McClain requires 48 hours to change referrals to him. So, we had to go over there and deal with that. It just really is a hassle to have to explain why Dr. Shah is doing things and why Dr. McClain should care at all. So, after a brief explaination, a lot of eye rolling, and pulling my file, I was told I could come and get it in 48 hours. I asked which day that exactly would be BECAUSE 48 hours would be Sunday (they are not open Sunday) and they are closed Monday for the holiday. All I got was "Come back in 48 hours!" I guess I'll go back on Tuesday.
After that, we went over to my ex-bank to try to clear up a mess about service fees after I closed all my accounts and changed banks (because I was being service charged to death). They kept charging me service fees for two months after closing the account EVEN when there was no money in said account. Idiots! Got that taken care of without owing them any money. Wasted 30-45 minutes getting it straightened out, though.
We then went to WalMart so Jane could get socks. I enjoyed that trip... but I really was starting to wear out. I'm glad it was a short trip to WalMart.
When we got home, the new neurologist called and scheduled an appointment. I was really glad that this was scheduled and I'm ready to move on.
I keep getting asked about how I feel. In general, I feel very tired and headache-y. I'm just glad that we can do treatments at home.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Today's Lunch and an Update
Today Stephen and went out to lunch at Mimi's Cafe. We very much enjoyed our experience. When we got home, I found out that I will be receiving treatments at home for the next 17 days. I am so happy. Hopefully it will work well.
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