I’ve got news!!
I’ve got BIG news!!!
I got another promotion at work yesterday. It appears the Executives I support feel that “my knowledge and understanding is being underutilized” and as their intuitions strongly agree with my analysis of the situation, I am inclined to agree.
So, with their highly trained minds at work, they decided that I should go back to school and obtain my Business Administration Human Resource Management degree. To sum it up in a nut shell, they have decided that I should be the Labor Relations specialist for our entire business unit. Our business unit employs over 15,000 people. We currently do not have a Labor Relations Specialist because HR doesn’t have the head count necessary or a person with the specified education requirements for us to have one. Our business unit has been “winging it” ever since the new collective agreement took effect in November 2005 and for the past year, I’ve been the one “winging it” all on my own.
As a Labor Relations Specialist (reading this directly from the hiring letter I received) I will be responsible for: Organizational Behavior, Organizational Management, Recruitment and Selection, Compensation Management, Strategic Management, Collective Agreement for bargaining unit and non bargaining unit employees. Among other tasks that may or may not include: Accounting, Business Law, Business Communications, and Public Relations.
HOLY CRAP. That’s all my brain can process right now. It just keeps repeating the same two words over n over. I feel overwhelmed and proud all at the same time. To have the CEO of a company look at you and say “You are capable of bigger and better things and I am going to help you get there” is amazing. It was a board room meeting I will never forget.
I keep looking back at where I was a year ago. I had just finished group therapy and I was just starting to figure myself and my life out. I was tentative and scared. I feel so strong and capable now. The complete turn around is truly mind blowing and knowing I am the one who turned it around with very little outside help is something I will forever feel accomplished for doing.
There is good news and bad new to this new career development.
The good news is my employer will PAY for my education. The bad news is they will only pay for it after the courses required to obtain the degree have been finished with a successful 65% or higher pass mark.
The good news is that my salary has increased dramatically. The bad news is that the taxes are going to kill me *lol*
The good news is that I now have a career with a company that will keep me gainfully employed for the rest of my life. The bad news is I may miss out on other opportunities in my career life due to becoming comfortable at my current employer.
The bad news is I have to hand over the team I currently support and help manage to someone that they haven’t even hired yet. There is no good news with this. I truly love the team I work with. The team of people (for the most part) are fabulous and the atmosphere is always a lot of fun. I know I will still have interactions with them in my new role(s) but it will never be the same.
The good and bad news is that I start my position on Monday. They are not waiting until I obtain the degree before putting me in the job function. They are not waiting until they have hired a replacement for me and I have had some time to train him/her. That has its drawbacks as I will be doing a job I know very little about on a scale that is monumental and I will also be performing key duties for the team I am leaving behind until I am replaced. It speaks to their confidence in me and my ability, but it also puts a lot of stress and pressure on me. I know there will be MANY situations and issues that I will not have the knowledge to deal with and that worries me.
The good news is that my contract of employment now includes a clause that states I cannot and will not be demoted or terminated for NOT knowing how to deal with any issue, problem or perform any specific job function(s) without having the necessary training, job assistance, and educational background….which basically means they can’t get frustrated and fire me because I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.
I’ve filled out the application forms, I’ve been accepted for the winter term (starting January 2008) and I have also been awarded the necessary funds to obtain the degree from my bank by the means of a personal line of credit for education (which means I don’t have to pay anything on it until 6 months after I graduate and complete the degree)
I am ready to go. I am terrified to go.
In other news…
I had a CT scan today to see how the clots in my lungs are doing. The results of that should be available within 3-5 business days and my family DR will call me when he has them…if the clots are still there he is sending me to a hematologist.
The probate has finally passed on my Boyz’ personal effects and financial matters. All of their debts have been paid off and all of their contractual financial obligations have been met. The lawyers have informed me that all of the willed belongings have been distributed to the appropriate family members and that the financial willed matters are being attended to right now. They advised me of the amount of $$ I am due to inherit from the collective five of them. I will not give the total, but lets just say, they have left me very nicely well off. It saddens me to think that way. It’s not like they were old and dodgy and some relative I rarely spoke to…they are my best friends. I know they wanted me to be taken care of and to ensure that my stability will never be an issue…but Jesus. I would give every single bloody penny back for just one more day with them. Time has passed but my heart still aches.
My sister – Kim – has had another MRI and it shows that there is still growth on her nodes…which means that the MS could (and probably will) come back just as destructive as it did the first time. Her soon to be ex husband is now fighting for sole child support based on the most recent MRI scan.
I no longer work with my father!!!!!! w00t!!!!!!! The company FINALLY gave him a settlement package for early retirement being that he is set to fully retire in June 2008. His last day was Thursday of last week.
Lance and I are doing great. We are still in the discussion stages of parenthood. I think with having to go back to school and obtain a degree that those discussions are going to be put on hold. I don’t want to have to try to learn my job, go to school, and have a baby all at the same time. I know what I am capable of managing and a child just doesn’t fit the pattern right now. That doesn’t mean that we will stop the fun part of practicing baby making techniques *grinz*
Life is moving along…things are crazy…but things are really good.
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health. Show all posts
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Moon Dance
Michael Buble - Moondance.
Howdy EveryoneThings in my little world have been INSANE.
I’ve worked 23 days in a row now. I am completely mentally exhausted. The only plus is that I got another raise and I am making double time for all the overtime I am putting in. That money is being spent faster than I can make it *lol*
Lance and I have done a lot around the house so to add to the mental exhaustion we can add physically exhausted too *lol*. We’ve decorated, landscaped, painted, bought appliances, changed the lighting in most of the rooms, found “accessories” (I love IKEA!!!! *lol*) and have completely made our house our HOME. I am also still organizing our junk for a Garage sale. Lance is annoyed because he wants his garage back *lol*
We’ve spent the nights in front of the fire in our back yard surrounded by friends and family. We had one amazing night outside *weg* and that’s all the detail I’m gonna share, but the video above should give you a better idea *grinz*
I’ve recently found a new addiction too. Facebook. Good gawd…I’m a total Facebook addict. I’ve connected with people I forgot I even knew courtesy of that website. We had a BBQ/Fire Pit last Friday night and invited some of my “Facebook Friends” over and we had a BLAST!!! Everyone brought their photo albums and we sat around getting wasted and laughing our butts off at the old memories…we even did our LypSync version of “Walk Like an Egyptian”, much to the neighbors amusement *lol*…My best friend from PLAYSCHOOL showed up. The water works weren’t far behind.
After I lost My Boyz, I shut out the remaining friends we had all shared. I REFUSED to get close to anyone remaining to me. I am learning how truly stupid that was. I am grateful to my friends for their patience and for their ability to understand that I am a moody bitch and love me dearly anyway *lol*
I am gearing up for July 7th. The Tour de France starts on the 7th and continues until July 23rd. anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE that bike race. I worship at the throne of Lance Armstrong and I am heartbroken at the plague of doping scandals that have rocked the sport. I’ve even managed to become “friends” with some of the bigger names in the sport through Facebook. I’ve been in conversations with Jan Ulrich, Ivan Basso, Yaroslav Popovich & Christophe Moreau now for almost a month. I am getting to know the men behind the bikes on a more personal level and it is really quite intriguing. My biggest dream is to spend the month of July in France and follow every stage of the Tour. One day…I wonder how Lance would feel about that as a honey moon. *lol*
My health is still status quo. I am taking 2 oxycontin a day now to enable me to work the 12+ hours a day that is required of me at the moment. I can’t drive a car, walk a straight line, or remember with any clarity things that happened last week, but HEY! I can sit up straight for more than an hour at a time *lol* Lance and I are still in separate bedrooms *sighs* I still can’t sleep lying down flat so I have to be in the spare bedroom because it has a headboard that I can prop pillows up against so I can lean at a 45 degree angle. It REALLY sucks. The animals have drawn sides. Pandora sleeps with me, Ringo sleeps with Lance. On the bright side, I had an X-ray and it shows that the clots are clearing somewhat and that they aren’t moving. My INR level has somewhat stabilized at a whopping 2.2 so I only have to go get my blood tested every 5 days now. The Warfarin is working and the oxycontin keeps me functioning. I cannot wait for this to be over.
I started swimming again too. I missed it, alot more than I thought I would. I am swimming 3 nights a week again and my body feels happier. I cant go flat out like I used to before these stupid blood clots, but it still feels great to MOVE and just float along.
I am reconnecting with my life and while at times I miss being online a lot, I am ultimately happy with the choices I am making. I hope you are all doing well. I miss you guys.
*hugs*
Monday, June 4, 2007
Updates on My Life
Things in my little world have been crazy. Lance and I are settling into being home owners with all the joys *insert sarcasm* that go along with it.
This weekend we woke up early on Saturday morning to clean the house and do the yard work before it got too hot…yea…too hot…its only June and we are already in 30’C temperatures…someone kill me…that’s about 86’F for my US pals who cant be on a normal temperature scale like the rest of the world …I dunno if I can handle 3 more months of this. I am already longing for winter *lol*
Anyway…as I was saying…we woke up early and decided to do the yard work – mow the grass, edge trim, weed whack, fertilize, weed the flower beds, water the flower beds…all that lovely stuff…and then we decided to clean the house and do laundry.
It was as I started to do laundry that I came to an important realization. My dryer is possessed. I swear to god. It is possessed. The stupid machine suddenly hates me. Whenever I put a load in the dryer it squeaks so badly and vibrates so roughly that it sounds like it’s trying to ram through the wall. Whenever Lance puts a load in the dryer it is calm and happy until I go anywhere near it and then it goes off its rockers and starts to scream again.
Just a tip…when you call an appliance repair man and ask them if dryers can become possessed expect to get laughed at and hung up on. *sighs* I called a different repair place and explained to them what the dryer was doing and the noises it was making – being very careful not to make any reference to it being possessed – and the repair guy said it sounded like a broken drum bearing or something…anyway, this guy figures it’ll probably cost more to fix than if we just replaced the dryer so the hunt is on this week for a new appliance. Why couldn’t the stupid thing break 2 months ago when it would’ve been someone else’s expensive problem?!!? *sighs*
Lance and I decided to have friends over for a BBQ and fire pit on Saturday night so we went out and finally replaced the cushions for our patio deck furniture and bought a new umbrella (the old one got snapped in half during a wind storm…it was lovely *sighs*)
After going to SIX different places for matching patio chair cushions we FINALLY found them. We rushed home and got our backyard all set up and had friends over and drank and BBQ’d and sat outside in the gorgeous 33’C weather in front of a ginormous fire that Lance (aka Paul Bunyan the Mountain Man) created…yea, I know it’s kind of ironic, its 30’C and we have a bon fire…everyone enjoyed themselves though. It was a lot of fun.
Sunday we went to a driving range. Yes…GOLF. Lance’s Golf Staff Texas Scramble Party thing at his work is coming up soon and he really wants to play in it and he really wants me to play with him because the person he wants to play with (Rob) is bringing his girlfriend (Nicole) and she’ll only come if I go... So…I learned something on Sunday. I learned that I CANNOT hit a bloody golf ball. It really wasn’t for lack of trying. I even busted out the Happy Gilmore moves. I couldn’t hit the stupid freekin ball of the top of the little stick thing. Lance laughed his ass off…hell, everyone at the driving range laughed their asses off. I was having flash back visions of me trying to learn how to roller blade and ice skate and then I finally gave up and started using the golf club like a baseball and HOLY BIBLE! That ball FLEW!!! *lmao*
oO(if any of you missed the truly hysterical though thoroughly embarrassing story of me trying to learn how to skate on roller blades and ice skates, click September 2006 on the right hand side and look for the entry called "Skating Anyone?" )
After the humbling, embarrassing, and outright ridiculous 2 hours at the golf range I decided that Lance and I should stop at Home Depot and get some paint for the fence, trim and decks of our house - *smirks* Just a tip Men…NEVER laugh at your woman, she WILL get EVEN!!!! *smiles sweetly*
The fence, trim and decks were in DESPERATE need of paint. We came home, changed into ratty clothes and proceeded to spend the rest of the day painting our house. It was too damn hot out to even pretend we were happy. We sniped at each other all afternoon until I made the decision that only one of us can be on one side of the house at a time *lol* After 8 hours and too many arguments to consider we finished and the house looks AMAZING now. It is all fresh and clean. I cannot believe how much work owning a home is. I really want to paint the guest bedroom but Lance hates the color I want…we are still negotiating *smirks* Next weekend we are going camping at the lake just so we can get away from this house and do nothing. If I am at home I KNOW I will find something else to fix up *lol*
I’ve decided that I am having a garage sale this summer. Lance and I have so many duplicates of stuff. We each had a full house full of things when we moved in together and most of the duplicate crap was just put back into boxes and has lived in storage in various parts of our house for almost 2 years now. Enough is enough. So as I am not able to do laundry because my dryer screeches like that thing from the Grudge every time I go near it, I am starting to go through all the crap in storage and moving what I want to sell into the garage. Lance is not so thrilled with my latest adventure. I told him to kindly shut up or I would sell his Golf clubs *lol*
My health is the same as it was the last time I updated ya’ll. The clots are still in my lungs. The pain meds are still being offered though I am not taking them. I am reliant upon an herbal tea that I got from my Chinese herbalist for pain management. It SMELLS so freekin funky and you have to boil it in 16 cups of water until it reduces to 8 cups and then you strain the …ick…and continue boiling until it gets down to 4 cups and then you can drink it and you have to drink it ALL in 1 hour…really, the preparation has too many rules, and I don’t follow them all to the letter, but it seems to be working. Please don’t ask me what is in the tea. I lost my herbalist when he started talking about tree barks *lol* he was just tossing random bits of dried brown clumps into a bag and I was just following him around nodding like I had a clue what he was talking about *lol*
Life is pretty good. It’s totally crazy but it’s good.
I’ve gotta rock on outta here, Lance is dragging me back to the driving range tonight…oh joy oh bliss…what did I ever do to deserve this?! *lol*
Hope ya’ll are doing good!!!
Ciao
This weekend we woke up early on Saturday morning to clean the house and do the yard work before it got too hot…yea…too hot…its only June and we are already in 30’C temperatures…someone kill me…that’s about 86’F for my US pals who cant be on a normal temperature scale like the rest of the world …I dunno if I can handle 3 more months of this. I am already longing for winter *lol*
Anyway…as I was saying…we woke up early and decided to do the yard work – mow the grass, edge trim, weed whack, fertilize, weed the flower beds, water the flower beds…all that lovely stuff…and then we decided to clean the house and do laundry.
It was as I started to do laundry that I came to an important realization. My dryer is possessed. I swear to god. It is possessed. The stupid machine suddenly hates me. Whenever I put a load in the dryer it squeaks so badly and vibrates so roughly that it sounds like it’s trying to ram through the wall. Whenever Lance puts a load in the dryer it is calm and happy until I go anywhere near it and then it goes off its rockers and starts to scream again.
Just a tip…when you call an appliance repair man and ask them if dryers can become possessed expect to get laughed at and hung up on. *sighs* I called a different repair place and explained to them what the dryer was doing and the noises it was making – being very careful not to make any reference to it being possessed – and the repair guy said it sounded like a broken drum bearing or something…anyway, this guy figures it’ll probably cost more to fix than if we just replaced the dryer so the hunt is on this week for a new appliance. Why couldn’t the stupid thing break 2 months ago when it would’ve been someone else’s expensive problem?!!? *sighs*
Lance and I decided to have friends over for a BBQ and fire pit on Saturday night so we went out and finally replaced the cushions for our patio deck furniture and bought a new umbrella (the old one got snapped in half during a wind storm…it was lovely *sighs*)
After going to SIX different places for matching patio chair cushions we FINALLY found them. We rushed home and got our backyard all set up and had friends over and drank and BBQ’d and sat outside in the gorgeous 33’C weather in front of a ginormous fire that Lance (aka Paul Bunyan the Mountain Man) created…yea, I know it’s kind of ironic, its 30’C and we have a bon fire…everyone enjoyed themselves though. It was a lot of fun.
Sunday we went to a driving range. Yes…GOLF. Lance’s Golf Staff Texas Scramble Party thing at his work is coming up soon and he really wants to play in it and he really wants me to play with him because the person he wants to play with (Rob) is bringing his girlfriend (Nicole) and she’ll only come if I go... So…I learned something on Sunday. I learned that I CANNOT hit a bloody golf ball. It really wasn’t for lack of trying. I even busted out the Happy Gilmore moves. I couldn’t hit the stupid freekin ball of the top of the little stick thing. Lance laughed his ass off…hell, everyone at the driving range laughed their asses off. I was having flash back visions of me trying to learn how to roller blade and ice skate and then I finally gave up and started using the golf club like a baseball and HOLY BIBLE! That ball FLEW!!! *lmao*
oO(if any of you missed the truly hysterical though thoroughly embarrassing story of me trying to learn how to skate on roller blades and ice skates, click September 2006 on the right hand side and look for the entry called "Skating Anyone?" )
After the humbling, embarrassing, and outright ridiculous 2 hours at the golf range I decided that Lance and I should stop at Home Depot and get some paint for the fence, trim and decks of our house - *smirks* Just a tip Men…NEVER laugh at your woman, she WILL get EVEN!!!! *smiles sweetly*
The fence, trim and decks were in DESPERATE need of paint. We came home, changed into ratty clothes and proceeded to spend the rest of the day painting our house. It was too damn hot out to even pretend we were happy. We sniped at each other all afternoon until I made the decision that only one of us can be on one side of the house at a time *lol* After 8 hours and too many arguments to consider we finished and the house looks AMAZING now. It is all fresh and clean. I cannot believe how much work owning a home is. I really want to paint the guest bedroom but Lance hates the color I want…we are still negotiating *smirks* Next weekend we are going camping at the lake just so we can get away from this house and do nothing. If I am at home I KNOW I will find something else to fix up *lol*
I’ve decided that I am having a garage sale this summer. Lance and I have so many duplicates of stuff. We each had a full house full of things when we moved in together and most of the duplicate crap was just put back into boxes and has lived in storage in various parts of our house for almost 2 years now. Enough is enough. So as I am not able to do laundry because my dryer screeches like that thing from the Grudge every time I go near it, I am starting to go through all the crap in storage and moving what I want to sell into the garage. Lance is not so thrilled with my latest adventure. I told him to kindly shut up or I would sell his Golf clubs *lol*
My health is the same as it was the last time I updated ya’ll. The clots are still in my lungs. The pain meds are still being offered though I am not taking them. I am reliant upon an herbal tea that I got from my Chinese herbalist for pain management. It SMELLS so freekin funky and you have to boil it in 16 cups of water until it reduces to 8 cups and then you strain the …ick…and continue boiling until it gets down to 4 cups and then you can drink it and you have to drink it ALL in 1 hour…really, the preparation has too many rules, and I don’t follow them all to the letter, but it seems to be working. Please don’t ask me what is in the tea. I lost my herbalist when he started talking about tree barks *lol* he was just tossing random bits of dried brown clumps into a bag and I was just following him around nodding like I had a clue what he was talking about *lol*
Life is pretty good. It’s totally crazy but it’s good.
I’ve gotta rock on outta here, Lance is dragging me back to the driving range tonight…oh joy oh bliss…what did I ever do to deserve this?! *lol*
Hope ya’ll are doing good!!!
Ciao
Monday, May 21, 2007
Flowers & Paul Bunyan
Today was a crazy busy day for Lance and I. We decided at 11 am to have a BBQ and actually use our fire pit so we invited our families over for some fun festivities.
We made all the phone calls, invited everyone over for 5 pm and then opened the screen door and looked outside.
Here’s a tip for anyone new to lawn maintenance…Scott’s Turf Builder lawn fertilizer REALLY freeking works. We have mowed the lawn 3 times in the past 10 days and we had to mow it yet again today. My lawn has decided it wants to be as tall as a corn field.
We also had to go to Home Depot to replace our fire pit blocks. The old ones were completely cracked. While we were there the man got a new BBQ under lining thing…I dunno what the hell it is, but he swears that he needed it…and he got a new axe…he was so thrilled with his sharp new toy that he carried it around Home Depot like Paul Bunyan…it was really entertaining.
I then realized OMG my family is coming over and my flower beds look like CRAP. The perennials that the previous owner bought last year did not fare well over the winter and they have all died. They are all shriveled, brown and UGLY.
So, I took my axe toting Paul Bunyan to the Home Depot Garden section for more plants. Well…HOLY CRAP…I’ve never been to a nursery before…I don’t know a damn thing about plants…all I know is that I like riots of color, varying heights, and not too much green… Imagine a gorgeous English flower garden…that’s what I wanted. What I walked away with was shade to deep shade green plants *sighs*
The flower bed that I needed them for faces north. It gets very little, if any, sun. Today I learned that it will be impossible to have riots of color there. I pouted a little …ok…a lot…and then proceeded to try to learn something about shade plants. I learned that Home Depot doesn’t carry a wide variety (they had 4 plants to choose from…oh yippee) so we paid for the stuff we had in our cart and went to an actual Green House Nursery.
When I told the lady at this nursery that I wanted as much color as possible for my deep shade plants she actually said “tsk, tsk, green gardens make such a stronger statement, they are so much more elegant” *rolls my eyes* my flip flop up her butt would’ve made a statement as well, but Lance, my Paul Bunyan super hero rescued me from the pretentious flower bitch by calling his sister who told me what I needed and what sections of the green houses to look at.
I ended up with green…more than I personally like, but I also ended up with a lot of flowering plants that will bloom in the shade. I snuck in a few bright happy colored annuals to help off set all of the green, and Lance bought me 2 hanging pots of plants for the front of our house full of bright chaotic colors, though I un-hung one to put in my Tina-the-turtle flower pot. (Wait’ll you see pictures of Tina…she’s too cute…she’s a turtle and she has a little sun bonnet on *lol*)
Tomorrow we are planting them. In the fall we are going to transport the tulips from our south facing flower bed and move them to the side of the house and then…oh yes! THEN my friends, I can have a big crazy riot of color chaos flower garden *grinz* I’ll suck it up with this ugly green flower bed as long as I can have my crazy colored one next year.
We rushed home from Home Depot and the Flower Nursery to unload the car, then it was back on the road to fill up the BBQ propane tank and then over to Lance’s sisters to get some wood for our fire pit. Another pit stop on the way home to get garlic bread, salad, corn on the cob, and some steaks…then we hit the liquor store to get some coolers and beer…and then finally we were able to go home and start doing everything that needed to be done.
Here’s another tip…if you are going to plan an out door party, make sure that you don’t need to do hours of work to the said outdoors on the day the party happens.
Lance mowed the yard, tore down the old fire pit, and built the new one. I cleaned up the house, got dinner organized, weeded my backyard flower beds, picked up dog poop *ugh* and managed to shower and get dressed before everyone showed up.
Tonight was a blast. My mom, step dad, and sister Kim came over for BBQ dinner and played train dominoes and talked and laughed and just hung out - After all the work we did for the firepit it was just too cool to sit outside and enjoy it *sighs*. My mom and sister turned it into a birthday party for me (yea, I’m officially old on Wednesday)
I am having a really hard time falling asleep lately. I keep myself busy and I am active throughout each and every day. I have weaned myself off of the pain killers and learning new ways to cope with these horrid blood clots. I cut my caffeine intake to 1 can of pop a day, if that, most of the time I drink water. I don’t know what to do to make sleep actually happen. I lie in bed and read and read and read some more just waiting to drift off, but here I am again at 2 am and I am still WIDE awake.
I’ll take pictures of all the flowers and the new fire pit tomorrow. I am now gonna go play PS2 and hope that some mindless game of Hot Shots 3 will take my brain to sleep.
Ciao!
We made all the phone calls, invited everyone over for 5 pm and then opened the screen door and looked outside.
Here’s a tip for anyone new to lawn maintenance…Scott’s Turf Builder lawn fertilizer REALLY freeking works. We have mowed the lawn 3 times in the past 10 days and we had to mow it yet again today. My lawn has decided it wants to be as tall as a corn field.
We also had to go to Home Depot to replace our fire pit blocks. The old ones were completely cracked. While we were there the man got a new BBQ under lining thing…I dunno what the hell it is, but he swears that he needed it…and he got a new axe…he was so thrilled with his sharp new toy that he carried it around Home Depot like Paul Bunyan…it was really entertaining.
I then realized OMG my family is coming over and my flower beds look like CRAP. The perennials that the previous owner bought last year did not fare well over the winter and they have all died. They are all shriveled, brown and UGLY.
So, I took my axe toting Paul Bunyan to the Home Depot Garden section for more plants. Well…HOLY CRAP…I’ve never been to a nursery before…I don’t know a damn thing about plants…all I know is that I like riots of color, varying heights, and not too much green… Imagine a gorgeous English flower garden…that’s what I wanted. What I walked away with was shade to deep shade green plants *sighs*
The flower bed that I needed them for faces north. It gets very little, if any, sun. Today I learned that it will be impossible to have riots of color there. I pouted a little …ok…a lot…and then proceeded to try to learn something about shade plants. I learned that Home Depot doesn’t carry a wide variety (they had 4 plants to choose from…oh yippee) so we paid for the stuff we had in our cart and went to an actual Green House Nursery.
When I told the lady at this nursery that I wanted as much color as possible for my deep shade plants she actually said “tsk, tsk, green gardens make such a stronger statement, they are so much more elegant” *rolls my eyes* my flip flop up her butt would’ve made a statement as well, but Lance, my Paul Bunyan super hero rescued me from the pretentious flower bitch by calling his sister who told me what I needed and what sections of the green houses to look at.
I ended up with green…more than I personally like, but I also ended up with a lot of flowering plants that will bloom in the shade. I snuck in a few bright happy colored annuals to help off set all of the green, and Lance bought me 2 hanging pots of plants for the front of our house full of bright chaotic colors, though I un-hung one to put in my Tina-the-turtle flower pot. (Wait’ll you see pictures of Tina…she’s too cute…she’s a turtle and she has a little sun bonnet on *lol*)
Tomorrow we are planting them. In the fall we are going to transport the tulips from our south facing flower bed and move them to the side of the house and then…oh yes! THEN my friends, I can have a big crazy riot of color chaos flower garden *grinz* I’ll suck it up with this ugly green flower bed as long as I can have my crazy colored one next year.
We rushed home from Home Depot and the Flower Nursery to unload the car, then it was back on the road to fill up the BBQ propane tank and then over to Lance’s sisters to get some wood for our fire pit. Another pit stop on the way home to get garlic bread, salad, corn on the cob, and some steaks…then we hit the liquor store to get some coolers and beer…and then finally we were able to go home and start doing everything that needed to be done.
Here’s another tip…if you are going to plan an out door party, make sure that you don’t need to do hours of work to the said outdoors on the day the party happens.
Lance mowed the yard, tore down the old fire pit, and built the new one. I cleaned up the house, got dinner organized, weeded my backyard flower beds, picked up dog poop *ugh* and managed to shower and get dressed before everyone showed up.
Tonight was a blast. My mom, step dad, and sister Kim came over for BBQ dinner and played train dominoes and talked and laughed and just hung out - After all the work we did for the firepit it was just too cool to sit outside and enjoy it *sighs*. My mom and sister turned it into a birthday party for me (yea, I’m officially old on Wednesday)
I am having a really hard time falling asleep lately. I keep myself busy and I am active throughout each and every day. I have weaned myself off of the pain killers and learning new ways to cope with these horrid blood clots. I cut my caffeine intake to 1 can of pop a day, if that, most of the time I drink water. I don’t know what to do to make sleep actually happen. I lie in bed and read and read and read some more just waiting to drift off, but here I am again at 2 am and I am still WIDE awake.
I’ll take pictures of all the flowers and the new fire pit tomorrow. I am now gonna go play PS2 and hope that some mindless game of Hot Shots 3 will take my brain to sleep.
Ciao!
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Its Lonely at Home
Its been awhile since I have written really anything worth reading…I’ve had some fun on my blog for the past few weeks and its been nice to just have a place to laugh and be silly with so much chaos going on in my little world. To be honest, the silly little videos just provide a much needed distraction from the thoughts that are running around rampant in my brain right now. I really need to get them out of me, so in no particular order…
The financing has been approved. The legal papers have been signed. The mortgage is FINALLY finished. When I started this insanely complex process back in the beginning March I thought the day would never come. I thought I would be carrying my briefcase full of papers that needed to be faxed to every one in god’s creation for the rest of my life. Closing date is May 1st and then Lance and I will be officially the owners of our new home *smiles happily*
My sister with Multiple Sclerosis, Kim, had a cat scan/MRI done in April that showed the plates on her brain were back – though not any where near what they were a year ago – they are still back. Kim has been complaining about her left eye going “splotchy” and her left hand going “retarded” again. She is moving this weekend. The divorce between her and her husband, Chad, is proceeding and their home has been sold. For the first time in her life my sister will be living on her own, on the opposite side of the city, with her 18 month old baby boy, Ty.
In March my sisters new boyfriend, Kenton, had spent the night at Kim’s house. Around 4 am he woke up to find my sister not in bed. He figured she was checking on Ty so he got up to see if she needed help with anything (I like her new boyfriend, he is proving himself to be a wonderful man) and instead of finding Kim in Ty’s room, he found her unconscious on the bathroom floor. Similar episode’s have happened twice since then.
The idea of my sister living alone with an 18 month old child is terrifying to me. I asked her to install lifeline into her rental home. She would have to wear a little “call button” type thing, but at least help wouldn’t be too far away. As it is, the distance between my new home and her new home is about a 40 minute drive. If she goes down at 4 am and Kenton isn’t there, who’s going to know? What will happen to Ty? I am REALLY worried about this, and every time I bring it up to my sister she shuts me down. She doesn’t want to hear it. She is excited about living on her own for the first time in her 28 year existence. I understand her excitement, but I also think she is freekin crazy for intentionally putting her child and herself at risk.
My dad is by all appearances doing fine. My sister told me that the infectious disease team has cleared him and pronounced that the bacterial meningitis is out of his system. The ENT specialist is still working with my dad to try to avoid surgery on his ear, which is where/how the meningitis was caused. I have had very limited contact with him. When I was in the hospital he came to see me, but not once during the 4 hours he stayed with me at the hospital did he ask me anything about how I was feeling, what the prognosis was, NOTHING, it was all about him as usual. It hurt, but it re-affirms my position that I am better off without him. I haven't spoken to him since I was released from the hospital.
My health is all over the board. My INR (international numeric ratio) that determines how thin my blood is has been as low as 0.6 and as high as 8.1 within the same week. A therauptic level while on blood thinners is somewhere in the range of 2.0 – 3.0. I have hit 2.2 twice in a month, otherwise it just goes all over the place, giving me a different number every day when my blood work is done. I have to go to the IV clinic and get vitamin K injections when it goes above 4.0. I have to get my blood drawn daily. I have to take warfarin (Kumadin) daily. And I am still on the pain killers for all the useless good they are doing. I am in constant pain and this whole situation is just getting old.
Work is trying so hard to be tolerant and accommodating. They set me up with VPN access from home so I am able to work in bed, and while I accomplish a lot more work without all of the distractions og being in the office, I find myself seeking distractions. I’ll turn my home computer on and chat on messenger, I’ll go play canasta online, I am becoming a DR. Phil addict. It’s lonely at home.
I need the narcotic strength painkillers to make a dent in how uncomfortable I am and I just don’t feel that its ethically right to go to a work environment blitzed out on drugs – needed or not, so I am spending most of my days at home with my laptop working….well, that and the other reason I don’t like going into work right now… I can’t wear a bra at the moment, every time I try to put one on I scream. Tight annoying things squeezing your lungs isn’t comfortable when you have clots in them, so I feel like a skid row transient when I go to work without wearing one…. I know its stupid, but it is what it is.
Lance’s beer league hockey team has made it into the playoffs (lord help me) and they will be playing 4 rounds if they make it to the finals. All the rounds are best of 5 games. So far his team has played 2 games in the first round and won both of them, so one more win and his team is on to round 2. His extracurricular hockey won’t be done before the NHL playoffs are. I can’t believe it. Then to make it even more entertaining to think about…if his team makes it to the finals, they will only have THIRTY DAYS before the new season starts for the following year. (OMFG. Shoot me now.)
Lance caused me quite a scare, a few weeks ago he got hurt playing hockey. He phoned me from the ER and said “I’m ok, don’t panic”…so of course, I panicked. He told me that he got a high stick across his cheek and that it was going to need stitches. He came home from the ER later on with 6 glaring blue stitches and eyes that were already beginning to swell and bruise. The next morning he could barely open his left eye. It was a wonderful shade of black, that turned purple, then green, then a really ugly blue, then yellow and now the bruising is gone and the stitches are out and he’s ok, not that he wasn’t ok before...but still. I thought my heart was going to stop beating when he said “I’m ok, don’t panic”. I have now laid down a “you put a bloody visor on your helmet or you don’t get to play” rule. He always bitched about how much he hated the visors blah blah blah…and ironically, now that he has a good one that doesn’t fog up, he actually loves it. *sighs* men…At least he’s getting me prepared for what the life of a hockey mom could be *lol*
Ever since I ended up in the hospital the distance between lance and I has grown. I have to sleep in the spare bedroom because I can’t fully lay down and that is the only bed with a headboard tall enough to prop 6 pillows up behind me to get me at a 45 degree angle. I miss sleeping beside him. I miss reaching out in the middle of the night and knowing that he is there. I miss cuddling with him and talking with him before we go to sleep. I miss the snuggle time with Ringo and Pandora as we all just lay in bed and love each other a little before we go to sleep. I miss SEX. I miss Lance. I hate this. Every night he comes to tuck me into what we are calling “the pillow throne” (I’ll take a pic of it tomorrow *lol*) and he rubs my back and kisses me and tells me that he loves me, wishes me sweet dreams and then goes to OUR bedroom and has snuggle time with Ringo and Pandora. I am left all alone in the other room. It’s lonely at home.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
I've Been...
A Bad Bad Girl.
I managed to break EVERY SINGLE one of my "do not do" (blah blah ) measures from my DR today.
I went swimming!!! ~ I dont even feel guilty. It felt so damn good, despite the fact that gasping for breath in a cute one peice is sooo not sexy.
I used my Eliptical for 15 minutes ~ felt like I was going to die and it took me 45 minutes with my stalker (aka oxygen tank) to get back to normal...but still...
I had a HUGE mixed GREENS chicken salad for lunch!! ~ WITH Olive Garden Salad Dressing!!! ...totally a no no...but soooooooo worth it. Why do you always crave the things you are NOT allowed to have?!?! I've been totally dying for a salad since they told me I could no longer eat them.
I had a GINORMOUS hunk of steak for dinner smothered in BBQ sauce with a baked potato covered in butter, chives and bacon bits...mmmmmmm....some things are just worth taking the health risk for! Medium Rare Red Meat is one of them.
I didnt sleep.
I didnt take it easy.
I didnt lay in bed and read.
I sat in my computer chair and played Canasta for a few hours instead.
I vaccuumed my house instead.
I carried finished laundry (yep, that I did today!) up and down 3 flights of stairs.
I didnt take one damn percocette. (though that is going to change in about 2 minutes)
I smoked cigarettes (yes, thats plural) and enjoyed every last blissful bloody drag.
I've been a Bad Bad Girl.
I managed to break EVERY SINGLE one of my "do not do" (blah blah ) measures from my DR today.
I went swimming!!! ~ I dont even feel guilty. It felt so damn good, despite the fact that gasping for breath in a cute one peice is sooo not sexy.
I used my Eliptical for 15 minutes ~ felt like I was going to die and it took me 45 minutes with my stalker (aka oxygen tank) to get back to normal...but still...
I had a HUGE mixed GREENS chicken salad for lunch!! ~ WITH Olive Garden Salad Dressing!!! ...totally a no no...but soooooooo worth it. Why do you always crave the things you are NOT allowed to have?!?! I've been totally dying for a salad since they told me I could no longer eat them.
I had a GINORMOUS hunk of steak for dinner smothered in BBQ sauce with a baked potato covered in butter, chives and bacon bits...mmmmmmm....some things are just worth taking the health risk for! Medium Rare Red Meat is one of them.
I didnt sleep.
I didnt take it easy.
I didnt lay in bed and read.
I sat in my computer chair and played Canasta for a few hours instead.
I vaccuumed my house instead.
I carried finished laundry (yep, that I did today!) up and down 3 flights of stairs.
I didnt take one damn percocette. (though that is going to change in about 2 minutes)
I smoked cigarettes (yes, thats plural) and enjoyed every last blissful bloody drag.
I've been a Bad Bad Girl.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
I Never thought I would say this...
but I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE HOSPITAL.
I am having alot of trouble breathing because of the collapsed tissue in my lungs ~ caused by the fact that there are blood clots there and the tissue behind the blod clots is dying ~ and all I can do is "breathe through it"
well...fuck me gently. This "breathe through it" crap is NOT working. I cant roam around my house because it's on 3 different levels and once I get down (or up) a level I am stuck there until I feel like I am not going to pass out or puke.
I saw my Family DR today and got my blood tested for my INR # level so I know how much Kumadin I am supposed to take today.
Did you know that Kumadin is the "generic" name for WARFARIN? Did you know that WARFARIN is RAT POISON!?!?!?!? if you go to Home Depot to get traps and chemicals to kill rodents you can buy a 10 lb BOX of WARFARIN for $10?!?!?
yes...I am injesting RAT POISON. This cant be good for me. *sighs*
I am going stir crazy at home. I am bored. I am lonely. I wanna go back to work.
Im feelin pretty damn sorry for myself at the moment.
I am having alot of trouble breathing because of the collapsed tissue in my lungs ~ caused by the fact that there are blood clots there and the tissue behind the blod clots is dying ~ and all I can do is "breathe through it"
well...fuck me gently. This "breathe through it" crap is NOT working. I cant roam around my house because it's on 3 different levels and once I get down (or up) a level I am stuck there until I feel like I am not going to pass out or puke.
I saw my Family DR today and got my blood tested for my INR # level so I know how much Kumadin I am supposed to take today.
Did you know that Kumadin is the "generic" name for WARFARIN? Did you know that WARFARIN is RAT POISON!?!?!?!? if you go to Home Depot to get traps and chemicals to kill rodents you can buy a 10 lb BOX of WARFARIN for $10?!?!?
yes...I am injesting RAT POISON. This cant be good for me. *sighs*
I am going stir crazy at home. I am bored. I am lonely. I wanna go back to work.
Im feelin pretty damn sorry for myself at the moment.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Rage Against Narcotics!!
I AM FINALLY HOME!!!!!!! omfg it feels so good to be here. The first thing I did when I walked through the door was run for my shower. I shaved…deep conditioned my hair…lathered myself up in all kindsa girlie stuff and proceeded to take VIM to scrub the damn tape remains off of my hands and arms.
The past 5 days have been the LONGEST days of my entire life.
On Friday when I went to the IV Clinic the DR there decided that I couldnt manage the pain on my own at home and that I was to be admitted. The IV clinic moved me (temporarily) back to the ER to wait for a bed on a ward. When I was moved to my ward/room from the ER I noticed that all the people in the beds on the ward were seniors…bed ridden, 100% dependant on whatever care was given to them... The charge nurse walks into the room I was assigned, looks at me, looks at the porter who had wheeled me down and says “is this her?” and then proceeds to start talking AT me and ABOUT me like I wasn’t even there. After about 15 minutes of her shit I finally snapped and said “I am in the damn room you know?!?!?” and the nurse that was taking my vitals started to laugh and said “ohh, this is gonna be fun” as the charge nurse glared at me, and proceeded to storm out of the room.
I refused to continue taking narcotics for my pain and “the battle royale” was on. I didn’t feel that the pain level I had experienced on Thursday when I was initially brought to the ER was the same on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday so I didn’t feel I needed the HEAVY drugs. I REALLY don’t like being “stoned and out of it”, especially if I don’t feel that I am in a safe environment where I will be cared for properly. I think that’s SMART and SANE. Apparently, the charge nurse thought otherwise.
The charge nurse told me “if you are in pain you’ll take what we give you and be happy” as she tried to shove a little cup with 20 mg of ATIVAN, 50 mg of SEROQUIL, and 75 mg of DEMORAL into my hand. My reply back to her was “no, actually, I wont” and for 5 days I had to fight to be allowed to take NORMAL Tylenol. 9 out of 10 people leave hospitals after extended periods of stay addicted to some form of prescription narcotic whether their pain level indicates that they needed the heavy drugs or not. I wasn’t prepared to allow this bitch to make me dependant on her, nor was I going to risk coming out addicted to Ativan or worse.
Apparently this charge nurse has never met a Norwegian before. My will is stronger than my desire to capitulate ANYTHING. I refused to allow her to have control over my situation. It pissed her RIGHT off….at least it made the days entertaining. *smiles sweetly*
I didn’t get taken to a “city” hospital that has DR’s on staff 24/7. I got taken to the emergency room that had the lowest wait time because the paramedic team that arrived at my house early Thursday morning didn’t think anything was “really wrong” with me. It was a county hospital that serves a small area, mostly seniors that are waiting on permanent beds in 24/7 nursing care homes. I saw my DR in the morning around 8 am every day, before any tests had been run and completed, and I never spoke to him. He was always in the hallway outside my door with the charge nurse hovering over him to make sure no one (meaning me) bugged him.
I was given COMPLETE lack luster care. Whenever I pressed my call button, the average wait time was anywhere from 25-55 minutes, depending on the time of day. Whenever I asked questions, or the results from the tests they ran daily on me, it was like I was trying to formulate a plan to take over the entire hospital.
The charge nurse refused to let me speak to my DR until I had completely had enough of her shit on Sunday afternoon and walked myself from my Ward back to the emergency room and signed in again as a patient needing emergency attention. Apparently my ward DR was working in the ER on Sunday afternoon and when the nursing staff in the ER told him that I had re-signed in as a patient waiting to be seen and was sitting in the waiting room he came busting out of the doors with a wheel chair, took me back to my bed, and talked with me for 3 hours.
My DR had NO idea of anything that had been happening on the ward at the hands of that psychotic power hungry fucking troll (aka the charge nurse). He then proceeded to rip a strip off of the charge nurse, and then promptly left the ward, leaving me to deal with the now REALLY humiliated and angry troll...and that is when I decided that I should involve my lawyer.
I phoned my lawyer and made her my legal living will executor. Talk about PISSED OFF hospital staff? *smirks* everything they said to me, wanted to do to me, wanted me to take…EVERYTHING had to go though her. I no longer felt I was "lucid" and "sane" to understand the information being given to me and to make the necesary decisions on my own *smirks*
I see my family DR tomorrow morning and am going to take it really easy today. I am off of the Fragmin now as my International Numeric Ratio (INR #) is maintaining a steady 2.2, which is a therapeutic level to allow the Kumadin to work on its own. I have to get my blood tested daily for the next few days and then my family DR will call me when the daily lab results come in and tell me how much Kumadin I am to take that day. The blood tests will eventually go down to weekly and then bi-weekly but until they figure out my exact INR # level they need to test it daily. That’s fine with me…at least I am out of that bloody hospital. If my condition happens to worsen over the next few days Lance had already promised me that he will take me to the University hospital where I will not be put in a geriatric ward and ignored.
It was a LONG 5 days. I am looking forward to my nap.
Ciao!
Kris.
The past 5 days have been the LONGEST days of my entire life.
On Friday when I went to the IV Clinic the DR there decided that I couldnt manage the pain on my own at home and that I was to be admitted. The IV clinic moved me (temporarily) back to the ER to wait for a bed on a ward. When I was moved to my ward/room from the ER I noticed that all the people in the beds on the ward were seniors…bed ridden, 100% dependant on whatever care was given to them... The charge nurse walks into the room I was assigned, looks at me, looks at the porter who had wheeled me down and says “is this her?” and then proceeds to start talking AT me and ABOUT me like I wasn’t even there. After about 15 minutes of her shit I finally snapped and said “I am in the damn room you know?!?!?” and the nurse that was taking my vitals started to laugh and said “ohh, this is gonna be fun” as the charge nurse glared at me, and proceeded to storm out of the room.
I refused to continue taking narcotics for my pain and “the battle royale” was on. I didn’t feel that the pain level I had experienced on Thursday when I was initially brought to the ER was the same on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday so I didn’t feel I needed the HEAVY drugs. I REALLY don’t like being “stoned and out of it”, especially if I don’t feel that I am in a safe environment where I will be cared for properly. I think that’s SMART and SANE. Apparently, the charge nurse thought otherwise.
The charge nurse told me “if you are in pain you’ll take what we give you and be happy” as she tried to shove a little cup with 20 mg of ATIVAN, 50 mg of SEROQUIL, and 75 mg of DEMORAL into my hand. My reply back to her was “no, actually, I wont” and for 5 days I had to fight to be allowed to take NORMAL Tylenol. 9 out of 10 people leave hospitals after extended periods of stay addicted to some form of prescription narcotic whether their pain level indicates that they needed the heavy drugs or not. I wasn’t prepared to allow this bitch to make me dependant on her, nor was I going to risk coming out addicted to Ativan or worse.
Apparently this charge nurse has never met a Norwegian before. My will is stronger than my desire to capitulate ANYTHING. I refused to allow her to have control over my situation. It pissed her RIGHT off….at least it made the days entertaining. *smiles sweetly*
I didn’t get taken to a “city” hospital that has DR’s on staff 24/7. I got taken to the emergency room that had the lowest wait time because the paramedic team that arrived at my house early Thursday morning didn’t think anything was “really wrong” with me. It was a county hospital that serves a small area, mostly seniors that are waiting on permanent beds in 24/7 nursing care homes. I saw my DR in the morning around 8 am every day, before any tests had been run and completed, and I never spoke to him. He was always in the hallway outside my door with the charge nurse hovering over him to make sure no one (meaning me) bugged him.
I was given COMPLETE lack luster care. Whenever I pressed my call button, the average wait time was anywhere from 25-55 minutes, depending on the time of day. Whenever I asked questions, or the results from the tests they ran daily on me, it was like I was trying to formulate a plan to take over the entire hospital.
The charge nurse refused to let me speak to my DR until I had completely had enough of her shit on Sunday afternoon and walked myself from my Ward back to the emergency room and signed in again as a patient needing emergency attention. Apparently my ward DR was working in the ER on Sunday afternoon and when the nursing staff in the ER told him that I had re-signed in as a patient waiting to be seen and was sitting in the waiting room he came busting out of the doors with a wheel chair, took me back to my bed, and talked with me for 3 hours.
My DR had NO idea of anything that had been happening on the ward at the hands of that psychotic power hungry fucking troll (aka the charge nurse). He then proceeded to rip a strip off of the charge nurse, and then promptly left the ward, leaving me to deal with the now REALLY humiliated and angry troll...and that is when I decided that I should involve my lawyer.
I phoned my lawyer and made her my legal living will executor. Talk about PISSED OFF hospital staff? *smirks* everything they said to me, wanted to do to me, wanted me to take…EVERYTHING had to go though her. I no longer felt I was "lucid" and "sane" to understand the information being given to me and to make the necesary decisions on my own *smirks*
I see my family DR tomorrow morning and am going to take it really easy today. I am off of the Fragmin now as my International Numeric Ratio (INR #) is maintaining a steady 2.2, which is a therapeutic level to allow the Kumadin to work on its own. I have to get my blood tested daily for the next few days and then my family DR will call me when the daily lab results come in and tell me how much Kumadin I am to take that day. The blood tests will eventually go down to weekly and then bi-weekly but until they figure out my exact INR # level they need to test it daily. That’s fine with me…at least I am out of that bloody hospital. If my condition happens to worsen over the next few days Lance had already promised me that he will take me to the University hospital where I will not be put in a geriatric ward and ignored.
It was a LONG 5 days. I am looking forward to my nap.
Ciao!
Kris.
Monday, March 26, 2007
just a quickie...
hi guys
i just wanted to let you know that i am in the hospital and have been since friday.
hopefully i am getting out soon because i am going ing crazy in here. i think the nursing staff is getting ready to throw a "woohoo shes leaving" party as soon as i sign my discharge papers *smiles sweetly*
for some reason i cant read commnents but i can blog...hopefully this takes...so i will catch up with all of you soon
i remain, the biggest bitch in the world *muiahahahaha*
your drugged pal,
kris
i just wanted to let you know that i am in the hospital and have been since friday.
hopefully i am getting out soon because i am going ing crazy in here. i think the nursing staff is getting ready to throw a "woohoo shes leaving" party as soon as i sign my discharge papers *smiles sweetly*
for some reason i cant read commnents but i can blog...hopefully this takes...so i will catch up with all of you soon
i remain, the biggest bitch in the world *muiahahahaha*
your drugged pal,
kris
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Diagnosis: Pulmonary Embolisms.
Yesterday I learned about PAIN.
Real honest to god all you can do is moan writhe and barf pain.
It started yesterday around lunch time with a small twinge in my lower back. It has since spread out to encompass my entire upper body.
This morning at four AM I finally gave in and told Lance that we needed to go to the hospital. I got to go in an ambulance because I couldnt get in the car.
After spending 13 hours in the emergency room today and having an MRI, two CT scans (one with dye, one without), multiple blood tests, and almost 50 mg of morphine they diagnosed "Pulmonary Embolisms" (which are blood clots) and they were able to further pin point the location of the Blood Clots to my LUNGS.
Breathing is a challenge, laying down is a challenge, sitting up is a challenge, using my arms is a challenge. EVERYTHING hurts.
They sent me home with 4 needles full of morphine, 15 percocette's and a bunch of immovane to help me sleep. I am so bloody stoned I dont have a clue what I am doing....but I am still not so high that I dont feel pain. This really sucks.
I have to go to the IV clinic for at least the next 3 days where they do a blood test daily to determine how thin my blood is, they will also inject me with a blood thinner called Fragmin and they will also tell me how many pills of Kudamin I am to take.
Fragmin and Kudamin are blood thinners. Blood thinners are used to make the clots "disappear". Kudamin will work on its own but because of where the clots are located there is SEVERE risk of the clots moving to my heart and/or brain and causing an embolism that will result in death, so they are speeding up the process with the treatments of Fragmin. I will be on the Kudamin for at least six months.
All I can say at this point is THANK GOD FOR EXTENDED HEALTH BENEFITS!!! Fragmin is $200 a shot before my prescription discount. It ended up being $19.00 a shot. *ugh* Lets hope I only need a few of them. Kudamin wasnt nearly as expensive. 100 pills after my prescription discount only cost $6.00.
Im scared.
Real honest to god all you can do is moan writhe and barf pain.
It started yesterday around lunch time with a small twinge in my lower back. It has since spread out to encompass my entire upper body.
This morning at four AM I finally gave in and told Lance that we needed to go to the hospital. I got to go in an ambulance because I couldnt get in the car.
After spending 13 hours in the emergency room today and having an MRI, two CT scans (one with dye, one without), multiple blood tests, and almost 50 mg of morphine they diagnosed "Pulmonary Embolisms" (which are blood clots) and they were able to further pin point the location of the Blood Clots to my LUNGS.
Breathing is a challenge, laying down is a challenge, sitting up is a challenge, using my arms is a challenge. EVERYTHING hurts.
They sent me home with 4 needles full of morphine, 15 percocette's and a bunch of immovane to help me sleep. I am so bloody stoned I dont have a clue what I am doing....but I am still not so high that I dont feel pain. This really sucks.
I have to go to the IV clinic for at least the next 3 days where they do a blood test daily to determine how thin my blood is, they will also inject me with a blood thinner called Fragmin and they will also tell me how many pills of Kudamin I am to take.
Fragmin and Kudamin are blood thinners. Blood thinners are used to make the clots "disappear". Kudamin will work on its own but because of where the clots are located there is SEVERE risk of the clots moving to my heart and/or brain and causing an embolism that will result in death, so they are speeding up the process with the treatments of Fragmin. I will be on the Kudamin for at least six months.
All I can say at this point is THANK GOD FOR EXTENDED HEALTH BENEFITS!!! Fragmin is $200 a shot before my prescription discount. It ended up being $19.00 a shot. *ugh* Lets hope I only need a few of them. Kudamin wasnt nearly as expensive. 100 pills after my prescription discount only cost $6.00.
Im scared.
Monday, February 5, 2007
The Wonders of Banana's
Bananas, containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose, combined with fiber, give an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression,
many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS:
Forget the pills -- eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the
banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened
with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work?
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in
over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Depression:
According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression,
many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS:
Forget the pills -- eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia:
High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure:
This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect way to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the
banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power:
200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation:
High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers:
One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened
with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn:
Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness:
Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites:
Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves:
Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work?
Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers:
The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in
over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control:
Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD):
Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking:
Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress:
Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes:
According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine," eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
