So today I went to a baby shower for a neighbor’s child (long story, LOL, but I say child because she is 18 or 19). What was funny is that the neighbors that were there were teasing me about getting pregnant (they know we are trying). That said, the single hardest thing for me during the entire event was not telling them I was pregnant, as they kept making comments like “We need to have another baby shower….” and “Gee, when can we have another shower….?” and “I wonder when we can have another shower…” I even joked that maybe we could have a Margarita Pre-Shower because I wanted to DRINK at this get-together (and we all like margaritas)! I can’t wait to tell them that I was pregnant at the time we were talking about it!
Category Archives: Health & Well-Being
Symptoms already…?
Okay, enough with the peeing and headaches and spotting and cramping already. 🙂
“Pregnant”
Holy shit.
Well, Clearblue Easy says I’m pregnant. I don’t think I’ve stopped shaking quite yet. (And yes, I told hubby first!)
Well, what I’ve been saying for the past two years is true (as soon as we find out for sure that he’s deploying will be the time I find out I’m pregnant) and what others have been telling me is true (as soon as one of you gets tested, you will get pregnant – Tom was tested about a month ago and had no problems).
My first pregnancy test ever!
My cycle has never really been normal, but even so, I was still a few days later than normal. (My overall average is like 25 days, but it’s been as early as 21 or as late as 30.) So, I thought “What the hell!?” and decided to take a pregnancy test. I mean, I bought a two-pack 11 months ago in preparation…I might as well get some use out of them! So I peed on the stick and….???
Let’s just say this particular brand has some markings that are considered “inconclusive” — if one of the boxes doesn’t have any marks, if the marks are going the wrong way, etc. So, where I was supposed to have a plus, the vertical line was definite, but the horizonal line was SOOOOO faint as to almost be invisible. The directions said if there was any line at all it meant pregnant, but I was not wholly convinced, since it was really very very faint. Just the vertical line is inconclusive.
So, I read it as inconclusive and decided to wait a few more days. I decided to buy a Clearblue Easy test—with a digital readout that says “pregnant” or “not pregnant.” Stay tuned.
Our rollercoaster ride.
I actually wrote this on a board where I have a few friends. I had NO idea at the time (obviously) that I was already pregnant…
So, before we got married we knew we didn’t want kids. Just plain didn’t want them. After we got married, we knew we didn’t want kids. Just plain didn’t want them. And we were both okay with that.
Fast forward to Tom being deployed and my grandfather dying two weeks later (so obviously he couldn’t be there). And my cousins (mainly Lisa and Lori) I were talking about how our parents (and their cousins) had really grown apart and we didn’t want that to happen to us and that turned into a discussion on having kids (some of my cousins have kids already) and I wouldn’t mind having a big family (I grew up with huge extended family)… and long story short, I decided I wanted kids. And after talking with Tom, and with him being deployed, yada yada yada, he decided he wanted kids. So we changed our mind and decided to have kids.
We decided to start trying in October 2005 (on our “honeymoon”) and just let nature take its course. I had no idea how long it would take, as I’d been on the pill for almost 10 years, then on Depo for probably four, then back on the pill for a year. My [step]sister got pregnant the month after stopping the pill. A friend got pregnant within a year after going off Depo (supposedly it can take up to two). Other people I talked to said it took anywhere from a month to a year.
The second month, I honestly thought I was pregnant. I [thought I] was late (my cycle has always been very irregular), my breasts were very tender, and I just felt different. Except I wasn’t pregnant. Okay, no biggie, it’s only been two months. Then for the hell of it I tried the ovulation detectors… and I never once ovulated. WTF? Four months, five months, six months, seven months pass. We’re not desperate, but just frustrated. How can it be so hard to get pregnant? We had sex (almost) every day for a month…surely that would work. No. We had sex exactly when we were supposed to (like a two week period, since my cycles are screwy). No dice.
Eight months, nine months pass. Two neighbors had babies, two more got pregnant, and I find out an old friend (who up until now has said they were not having kids)…is pregnant—having gotten pregnant the first night they decided to try. Cue the sappy and/or depressing music. This is the first time I was actually depressed about it (not for long, but still depressed—and Angi, if and when you ever read this, do NOT feel bad! It was VERY short-lived!).
Ten months pass. A neighbor (who just had a baby in February) is now pregnant again after a month of trying. Even though my doc said not to worry until a year has passed, we decide to have hubby tested, just because it’s much easier to test him than me. And his swimmers are fine. So it’s either me and my dusty eggs…or it’s just taking longer than normal.
We are just now starting our eleventh month. Of course, during all this, we’ve known hubby will be deployed. First for a year, then six months, now a year or nine months. We’ve already gone through the rollercoaster of deciding to have a baby, not getting pregnant as quickly as we thought we would, then the thought of him being gone a year and me not wanting to do it all alone (so we stopped trying for a few weeks), to him getting switched back to six months and us going full-steam ahead with the baby-making, but now he’s back to being deployed for a year (or 9-10 months) and part of me says to stop trying because of course, NOW would be the time I got pregnant, when he was going to be gone the entire time. But, if things keep happening (or, rather, NOT happening) like they have been, why worry?
I’m not making myself crazy (even if it seems that way)… I am just getting frustrated. I know life is never easy, but I didn’t think it would be this hard. I mean, as my girlfriend said, you spend your entire early adulthood trying NOT to get pregant and being told you can get pregnant at any time, but when it comes down to it, there are like three days you can get pregnant and it’s harder than you think.
Two broken toes
Or at least it certainly feels like it.
Let me start at the beginning.
Two weekends ago, during a period of inebriation, I slipped on a wet floor and fell. It wasn’t until the next morning that I noticed my left pinky toe area was EXTREMELY bruised and painful to walk on. It has gotten better over time (the bruising is gone), but it is still somewhat painful and hard to walk on.
So what did I do this morning?
Of course, I rammed my right pinky toes into a door/door frame. The pain just about brought me to my knees—and it did bring tears to my eyes. I could barely put any pressure on it at all, but I managed to make it downstairs (carrying the dog, no less) and put a cold pack on it (which didn’t really seem to help at all). I hobbled around to finish getting ready, and it was extremely painful. By 9:30, it was very swollen and bruising nicely.
Although I’m sure it would have been much more painful, I would rather have crushed the same toes I did before, so at least I would have one good foot to walk on.
Our poor little Maggie!
So we noticed this weekend (while we were at a friend’s house) that every so often, she was limping—holding her back right paw off the ground. We thought maybe she somehow injured it while playing with their dog, but the next time we looked at her, she was fine—running around and playing with no problems.
We forgot about it until yesterday afternoon, when the limp was REALLY pronounced and she was hopping on three legs. We propped her up on the couch and inspected her entire leg and paw, gently touching every inch, waiting to see if she would wince or whimper (or anything to let us know that was the spot). Nothing.
Her skin looks fine, her pads look fine, her nails look fine, her ‘knuckles’ (are they knuckles in dogs?) were fine—there were no cuts, bumps, or anything that would confirm something might hurt. We inspected between her toes/pads thinking she might have a picker or something in there, but we didn’t see anything. We let her up and she was running around with no issues—the limp was gone.
This continued throughout the night—limping one minute and fine the next. I let her out of the crate this morning and she was fine. I turn around and she’s limping again. I inspected her again—and nothing.We thought maybe she broke a nail tip or something, as she’s started this new jumping thing (when she’s outside and wants to come in, she jumps about 3-4′ in the air against the sliding glass door). But you would think if she broke something, it would be painful all the time, or at the very least, when we touched the affected area. But there’s nothing.
Well…one trip to the vet and, ladies and gentlemen, we have a Luxating Patella.
In some dogs, because of malformation or trauma, the ridges forming the patellar groove are not prominent, and a too-shallow groove is created. In a dog with shallow grooves, the patella will luxate (jump out of the groove) sideways, especially toward the inside. This causes the leg to ‘lock up’ with the foot held off the ground.
In other words, a messed up kneecap and tendons. The vet popped it in and out a few times, and each time he popped it out, she cringed…then he popped it back in and it was fine. Poor girl.
We’re supposed to keep her from jumping and from using the stairs. That’s going to be fun, as she’s crated upstairs but obviously needs to go out…and typicallly has free reign of the house (and LOVES flying up and down the stairs). She is crated during the day (8-5) and I asked if we shouldn’t keep her crated more, but the vet said no, not if you can help it. He said running is fine—just no jumping or stairs. The vet also said that it really shouldn’t be a painful issue, so not to worry too much about her—she just looks really pathetic when she’s limping.
If it gets worse (or doesn’t get better), there are two surgical options—one which cuts the bone in order to keep the tendon in place and one which stiches the tendon together to make it tighter. Here’s hoping we don’t need either.
Evil Lemonade
Oh my god.
So we had some “diet” Tropicana lemonade in the work refrigerator. I was there when it was purchased, so I knew it was diet (i.e. low-carb) so I could drink it. We actually bought two kinds, including Minute Maid 2-liters, but the Tropicana is BY FAR the better of the two. So I’ve been drinking the Tropicana all along and today, just out of coincidence, I happened to set the bottle down with the nutritional information facing me and…27 carbs per serving. WTF??? WTF??? WTF???
Turns out another employee bought some more Tropicana that WASN’T diet—and didn’t mention it—so with one lemonade I’ve been drinking TWICE THE AMOUNT OF MY ENTIRE DAILY LIMIT of carbs!!! Yes, I should have paid more attention, but if that was all that was in there, why would I even think the bottles would suddenly be something else?
The girl who bought them said “I saw you drinking one the other day and I was going to ask you if you were still on the diet but didn’t want you to get mad.” I told her she definitely should have said something!!! So, it’s been one per day each day this week. That’s 54 carbs a day x 4 days… and my limit is 30/day.
This is soooooo disheartening…
Our first bike ride in 5 years!
So Tom and I both got our bikes in working order (mine took quite a bit more work than his did)…but that’s what you get when you don’t use the bike and let it sit outside or in the garage for five years. The lady at the bike shop was thrilled, though, saying “I don’t get to work on these old bikes that often!” But, the consensus was it was better to fix the better quality/older bike than to buy a cheaper quality/newer bike.
So tonight, it finally stopped raining long enough to go for a bike ride. And… oh my. It sucked!! I mean, it felt great to be riding again, but first the seat was to high. Then it was too low. Then it was okay, but not perfect. And then I remembered that I hated the handlebars because you have to lean way over (even with the seat where it’s supposed to be) and it puts a lot of pressure on your hands/wrists…actually painful! We rode around the neighborhood (probably about two miles) and it was all my hands could take. I hope it’s something that my body adjusts to, otherwise it was a big waste of money getting it fixed… (I remember wanting to switch out the handlebars before, but it was going to be fairly expensive…and since we just spent a bucketful to get it ridable, I don’t want to spend any more on handlebars.)
Stay tuned!
This was SO not a good morning.
Yes, I cheated on my diet for three days, but it was a vacation weekend you know? But how the $%*@ did I gain 14# in one week? That is insane. I know my weight fluctuates anyway, but there is no way in hell I gained 14#. I have never ever gained 14# in one week IN MY LIFE.
And Tom? He took Maggie in for a vet appointment at 7:15 this morning. Except that, oh, they meant 7:15 *PM* and never once #%$&@# mentioned that fact. How the hell were we supposed to know they were open this one day until 8pm? That’s not their normal schedule, ever, and 7:15am made a lot more sense than 7:15pm. So Tom waited, in the parking lot, from 7am-8am until they got there, only to have their attitude be “Oh.” No apology or anything.
I have no willpower anymore.
So…the diet we started awhile back? Yeah, not so much. We did well for like three weeks (I think I had lost like 7#) and then I got really sick and didn’t eat for a week (lost another 6#) and then as soon as I got healthy, I ate and ate and ate. And started eating crap. And more crap. Of course, the 6# from being sick came back immediately, and then the 7# that I lost. Now add a few more pounds.
I need to get back on track. I am so far OFF the track I can’t even see the raceway. I hate this. What happened to all the willpower I had before to lose 60#? (Let’s just say I’m not at 60# anymore…although, to be honest, the only day I had lost 60# was actually the one day I hit my lowest weight. It was more like 50-55# overall.)
Fuzzy Update
Well, he seems to be just fine. He slept with me all night (a big treat, since we usually lock them all up at night) and it doesn’t seem like anything at all is wrong! So, we’re hoping that yesterday was just a fluke.
We did, however, have a fun challenge getting him his meds—he is the biggest frickin’ baby when it comes to anything like that (pills, flea stuff, etc.). It shouldn’t have been hard—a pill dissolved in water given through a syringe (squirted into his mouth). The first dose (last night) went all over me and him but we were successful this morning (although I was sure he was going to spit it out)!
So, we’re keeping our fingers crossed!!
A Fuzzy Scare
So Tom had today off and called me about 4pm to say that Fuzzy was vomiting up blood! He was scrambling to get The Fuzz into our vet (who didn’t have any openings) or another vet they recommended (they weren’t available!). After about the longest five minutes of my life, he called to say that our vet did make room for him. Tom assured me that Fuzzy looked fine and didn’t appear to be any worse for the wear…but still, I was freaking out, wondering if I should go home to be with him. (After one cat we had that got sick and died within like four hours…I am paranoid about the timeline of emergencies and treatment.) But on Tom’s assurance that Fuzzy really did seem to be fine, I managed to make it through the rest of the day.
They had already been to the vet and back by the time I got home. Tom said that the vet said Fuzzy appeared to be fine—he just felt his innards and didn’t do any bloodwork or tests or x-rays or anything. He said something to the effect of Fuzzy possibly vomiting due to stress of some sort—and if you vomit enough times, eventually blood will come up. So, he gave him a shot of something to calm his stomach, some special moist food with extra vitamins in it, and medicine for the next few days. (I have no earthly idea what could be stressing him out. Nothing in his schedule or life has changed at all in the past month. I thought maybe he ate something that didn’t agree with him and he was just trying to get it out—but he’s never been one to eat strange crap off the floor or anything.)
We’re just keeping our fingers crossed that it was some odd thing that is not going to turn into a serious problem (or isn’t already a serious problem that we’re just not noticing). We love him to death, but there’s just no budget for hundreds or thousands of dollars in vet bills…….
Oh, and the topper of it all?? Guess how much he weighed? You will NEVER ever guess. Ready? 13.8#. THIRTEEN POINT EIGHT POUNDS! From the beefy guy who at one time weighed 24#!! The odd thing is that he doesn’t feel ANY lighter than he ever did! So now he only weighs like 1-2# more than the twins! And about the same as Maggie!
Poor Maggie!
So she’s been scratching and digging practically since we brought her home. We felt bad for her, but didn’t think all that much about it.
Well, it started to get worse, and the vet recommended we wash all her bedding in dye-free/scent-free detergent (no fabric softener, either!) plus we changed her food to the ultra-expensive all-natural made-from-meat-and-veggies food. And she still itched and scratched herself RAW.
We took her back to the vet and he said it’s probably a food allergy—she’s most likely allergic to chicken! Hoo boy, there’s chicken in her treats, her bones, and of course the Ultra-Expensive Natural Food we just bought 30# of. Plus, he said she can’t have any toys for at least two weeks! He also wants to rule out germs or bacteria as the source (i.e. her saliva on the toys).
So in addition to the poor baby being scratched raw and going through ANOTHER food change (now we’re on an expensive lamb and rice formula)…she has no toys to play with! Which means she drives us nuts and is attacking Boots with more ferocity than ever! She does seem to be itching less, though, so it’s all worth it.
I thought it was going to be the worst day of the year…
I thought today was going to be the worst day of the year. I mean, what woman looks forward to her annual exam? I try to be adult about it—I know it’s something that HAS to be done and I know I shouldn’t be nervous, but I just can’t help it. My blood pressure was higher than normal, and sitting there waiting in the exam room in nothing but thin paper sheets, my hands were sweating like crazy. I wasn’t thrilled about my doctor, either—I don’t have a problem with male doctors for this exam, but I had seen him before on other occasions and I have to say I wasn’t overly thrilled with him—especially when there’s a female doctor there THAT I LOVE. But, as it was, I had to wait a month just to get this appointment, so I didn’t want to be particularly choosy.
I was getting myself all worked up while at the same time trying to calm myself down and think logically about the situation (no matter how bad it really is, it will be over in less than two minutes). So…imagine my surprise and total delight when the door opened…and it was my favorite doc!!! I was instantly a bit more at ease and we all joked about how nervous and sweaty I was and it was a little better. And, as luck would have it, the exam went very well and it was over just about before it began! Of course there was a bit of discomfort, but nothing like I had experienced before or had anticipated! She even said that she had gotten compliments before on how great her exams were! So, I am definitely requesting her from now on!!!
Infectious Tonsillitis
Well, after a (re)visit to the doc this morning because I still didn’t feel ANY better, they told me it wasn’t strep after all, but was infectious tonsillitis! I got an antibiotic shot to help boost my immune system against the infection (or something like that), additional pills (prednisone) to hopefully alleviate the swelling…plus they did bloodwork to test for mono (just in case) and scheduled a checkup in a week.
I haven’t been sick in years…and now I’ve been super sick twice in three months. This is SO not fun.
Strep Throat, Day 5
Unless something miraculous happens overnight, I will be headed back to the doctor in the morning. I have been taking antibiotics and painkillers every eight hours for four days and I do not feel ANY better and my throat still hurts as bad as it did last week (talking is still very difficult and I have little to no energy). I can’t imagine this is a good thing and am wondering if it’s something worse than strep…
Strep Throat, Day 3
Yes, folks, I’m on Day 3 of strep throat. And I’m MISERABLE. It started Tuesday evening with a little tickle in my throat and a few muscle aches, so I took Nyquil and went to bed at 8:30, hoping to sleep it off. No dice. I felt even worse in the morning—and actually had a temperature of 101! I normally run below normal, so I figured I was really sick. I kept taking Tylenol all day and slept most of the day (except when I had to force myself to take Maggie out).
I was even worse Thursday morning so I had Tom take me to the doctor (I was too out of it to even drive). My temp was 101.9 (!!) and the doc took one look and said it was surely strep (although he could let me know for sure when we got the labs back—Monday)…but he started me on antibiotics and Motrin anyway (and said I could go back to work Monday). I slept most of the day, which was good, and I have to say I loooooove Ambien (I also requested something to help me sleep, as Nyquil wasn’t cutting it). Today, unfortunately, I haven’t been able to sleep all day—and I laid in bed all day trying. It’s completely frustrating as I do NOT make a good patient.
The stage is set!
Three cats locked in the living room, the remaining cat locked out of our room, the dog outside the bedroom in her crate, half of a Tylenol PM…and fresh sheets. This has all the makings of a perfect night’s sleep. Here’s hoping, since last night was terrible.
Protein Power to the rescue!
It’s time. No more messing around! We started the low-carb plan again yesterday—we were both just so SICK of eating crap all the time! And apparently with us there’s no middle ground so it’s best if we quit the crap COLD TURKEY. (I can’t just eat a handful of chips. Consider yourself lucky if you can.) I already feel better, just knowing I have a good reason to say NO to anything I shouldn’t be eating—today was a test, too, as we had a birthday and the most yummilicious strawberry shortcake cake (we’ve had it a few times and I could honestly eat the whole thing it’s so good). I hope to lose another 60# in eight months like I did before (20# of which was weight I gained back). So, wish us luck!
Boots Update
I just talked to the vet and she did pee overnight (phew!). He said she doesn’t have anything medically-treatable, but she does have crystals in her urine. The best treatment right now is to change to a special food (to help prevent crystals) and get her to drink more (by adding broth or water to the food). Part of me is glad it wasn’t something more serious, but part of me wishes it was something that could be fixed with a week’s worth of drugs.
Boots’ Overnight Stay
Poor little Boots. I took her to the vet this morning to have a urinalysis done—we’ve seen her pee outside the box as well as squat to pee with nothing actually happening (both classic signs of something wrong) but we couldn’t get a sample, the vet couldn’t get near her with the needle (three people holding her down wasn’t nearly enough to get close to her), and after all day at the vet in a cage she still hasn’t peed. If she doesn’t pee overnight, they will have to sedate her to take the sample. Poor little baby.
Stupid Alarm Clock
Why is it that the bed is always the most comfortable at 7:15am after you’ve hit Snooze a few times? I swear, something magic happens to the mattresses and comforter between the time I go to bed and the time I’m supposed to get up… But of course, that magic wears off on the weekends when Snooze isn’t involved and I’m usually up and wide awake around 7:30.
GRRR—sleeplessness
I can’t believe I’m not exhausted—I only had five hours of sleep last night! I went to bed the first time at 10, tossed and turned wide awake—so got up around 11 and was on the computer until 1:30 (the time just flew!), then went to bed for the second time at 1:30. Then the cats were making noise (Bella found a twistie to play with, Fuzzy was purring crazy-loud next to me, and Boots was meowing downstairs) and Tom was snoring as well. Argh! The last time I looked at the clock it was just after 2… So I suppose the sleepiness will hit me later in the day.
Happy New Year (almost)
Sorry I haven’t posted much lately… I’ve been quite sick and haven’t had the time or energy to be on the computer. It started just about two weeks ago with a sore throat that I thought might be strep—although the doc ruled it out, saying it was probably just an upper respiratory thing. Although I’m on Day #12 of not being completely healthy, it’s mainly just a dry cough which leaves my throat hurting…it’s not fun, but not nearly as awful as the four days I couldn’t even get out of bed and the five boxes of kleenex I went through and the many sleepless nights I had because I either couldn’t swallow, couldn’t stop blowing my nose, or couldn’t stop coughing. I haven’t been this sick in I can’t remember how long, and it really sucks…but it reminds me how great it is to be healthy.
So the holiday season wasn’t too fun this year…but here’s hoping the new year starts off with a bang. I’m planning on posting new “kid” pictures later this weekend, so stay tuned…
Last night sucked!
(Kathryn, don’t read this as I don’t want you to feel bad!)
As the evening wore on (after we came home from shopping) I started getting really tired so I took Nyquil and was in bed with lights out by 8:30. However, I didn’t really officially get to sleep (i.e. or get any good sleep) until probably after midnight—my throat was really bothering me. From experience, I knew it wasn’t strep—it felt like sinus-y issues (you know, it feels like phlegm but nothing is there and you clear your throat and it hurts and you keep swallowing trying to get rid of it and nothing works). Tossing and turning, nothing is comfortable (no flu-like aches and pains, though, thankfully). Then Tom came to bed about midnight and I think I finally fell asleep asleep. Until about 2am when a loud crashing woke us up! We searched and searched and…the cats were locked up so we knew it wasn’t them prowling around. Finally Tom discovered that the downstairs bathroom mirror had fallen off the wall and crashed onto the pedestal sink and then hit the floor (the grommets/screws holding the hooks to the mirror frame came undone). So, we’re gone two weeks and it decides to do this the night we get back and sleep is critical for me. ARGH! (Now, we have to try to take the mirror back—it’s cracked—and see if they have another or try to find something else that matches the bathroom.) This morning really sucked because I’d finally gotten to sleep and was sleeping well—and 7am came too early. Unfortunately, Tom said he was feeling sick now, too. I really wanted to call in sick but figured that wouldn’t go over too well. So, I took DayQuil and Immodium and off I went. My head feels really foggy and the room spins slowly every so often…but of course, all my boss said was “Are you throwing up sick?” When I said not yet, she basically said “Sorry you don’t feel well, but glad you’re back!” So you can see why I didn’t call in sick… It’s only 10:30 and it feels like I’ve been here three days. It’s going to be a loooooooong day and an early night!
Low-carb strikes again!
I started again today. For real! I’ve been feeling like crap lately, so decided it was time. I feel better already, and it’s only been two meals! 🙂 I just want to lose about 10-15# or so before the cruise (to prepare for all that I’m sure we’ll eat!).
Tom’s Surgery
For those of you who weren’t up-to-date, Tom has had a bump on his wrist for some time now (I think it appeared after he broke his wrist) and it has recently become painful. He went to get it checked out (at my urging, of course, since he doesn’t like to admit to pain) and they said it was a ganglion cyst and should be removed.
So yesterday was the surgery. We had to drive to Wilmington (an hour away) so I had to take the day off. (I was actually looking forward to the waiting time, since I had postponed starting the new Harry Potter book for this occasion.) It was a loooong day for him—he had duty the night before, so he came home at 8 and we left by 8:30. He didn’t have to be there until 10:30, but I wasn’t taking any chances of being late since you never know about traffic or weather (it’s been stormy here lately). So we got there about 10 and after he was prepped for surgery I got called back to sit with him…for an hour and a half (12:30). Such a waste of time, the waiting. There was no need for it. (I guess we were there early in case the doc was ready earlier?) The doctor was’t sure whether the cyst was attached to the bone or nerve (I think) so depending on which it was, they may have had to scope the rest of the wrist. Anyway, he got out of surgery at 2, and I sat with him while he woke up. I never got to talk to the doctor again, so I have no idea what actually happened—where the cyst was connected and/or if they had to scope the wrist. So, either the doctor came out and just talked to Tom (which I doubt) or he forgot to come talk to us at all. And I was too into making sure he ate his crackers and drank his Coke…and forgot all about asking for the doctor!
At one point shortly after, the nurse came over and asked him “So, how’s the pain?” and he said “Not bad.” She asked, on a scale of 1 (no pain) to 10 (extreme pain) what level it was and he said, “Oh….7.” She laughed and said “Seven? Not bad is seven?” I said “He’s a marine.” 🙂 He felt really groggy and sick (said it felt like the worst hangover ever) and easily took the pain meds offered. We tried to leave about 3:30 but he wasn’t too steady on his feet and he turned green (or so they told me—I had gone to get the car) so they hooked him up to get more fluids and I got to read more Harry Potter!
We ended up leaving about 4 and we were both starving (I hadn’t eaten since 7:30 and he hadn’t eaten since midnight the night before) so I asked if he felt okay enough to go sit down and eat somewhere (he was still quite drowsy from the drugs). He said he was, so we stopped at Macaroni Grill. He looked and felt much better after eating a good meal. So good, in fact, that he suggested going to World Market (in the same plaza) to see if they had any islands for our kitchen…and they did, so we ended up buying it. (It’s not the perfect size, but it was close enough and we were able to see it in person, which was what Tom really wanted. We had found a bunch online that we liked, but he was afraid the quality wouldn’t be good.) So he slept on the way home and didn’t want to take any drugs when we got home. He said he didn’t like taking drugs and didn’t want to be foggy…but come this morning, he was taking the pills!
So he’s home from work for (I think) ten days or two weeks. If I remember right, they wanted him to take off some insane amount like 30 days to recoup but he can’t do that. For the next week, he just can’t lift anything heavier than a can of pop, but it hasn’t stopped him from doing stuff around the house already! He put together the island (he assured me he only used one arm to get it into the house) and he’s unpacking boxes!
What a trouper!
Diet & House Updates
DIET
The diet hit a few snags…the biggest of which is my TOTAL frustration with some of the exercises. Of course, the video demonstration makes it look SOOOO simple, but there are one or two I just cannot do. I have enough trouble trying to breathe correctly while I do them, and one is purely breathing which makes no sense to me.
The second snag is that the food is just soooo bland!! Tom can continue to eat anything (repeatedly) and I am just not cut out for either totally bland or the same meals (egg whites, chicken, rice, fruit) meal after meal after meal, day after day after day.
The third and final snag is that today we sort of fell off the wagon. We innocently decided to “splurge” on sushi for lunch—technically something we can eat (rice and fish), but the splurge came with the salad (lettuce okay, ginger dressing not so much—I forgot to ask for it on the side) and the miso soup. And we ate more than we should have. But still not TOTALLY awful. (And everything was soooooooooooooooooo good!) We decided that if we did that once a week, we could suffer through the rest of the week. (Tom, bless his heart, is trying to make this as easy as possible for me, because he knows I am about THISCLOSE to quitting and going back to low-carb.) So we went home and he took a nap and I watched some TV and we got a phone call about 4:30 saying “Where are you? We thought you were coming!” CRAP! We had the dates wrong—we were missing our friends’ BBQ at their new house (not friends from the neighborhood—friends from back in Virginia when Tom was as OCS). So it was off to Hampstead—a 50-minute drive—where we entered to find chocolate brownies, cheeseburgers, fried mushrooms, cheese and crackers, hot dogs, corn on the cob…basically nothing LEGAL to eat! So we picked at a few things and were in heaven at the TASTES…but ate too much (compared to what we normally eat) and just about got sick.
NEW HOUSE
We close this Friday. We close on our current house Wednesday, so that’s when we (meaning Tom) will start moving boxes into the new garage…so we can hopefully have everything done by Saturday. What am I saying, Hoping? We have to have everything moved out by Saturday at 3pm because that’s when the carpet cleaners come!
We continue to pack. The garage is full of boxes and the guest room is about full. We have packed so much but there’s still so much stuff left! Most of it is big-ticket items like dressers and beds and desks. I can’t fathom us getting it all done, but Tom seems to think we can do it. Of course, it’s supposed to be 98 this week, plus humidity, so it will probably feel like 115. Lovely.
7#
I’m minus 7# as of this morning. I know it’s still mostly water weight, but it’s still better than nothing!