Mono is a funny sounding name for a virus that I've done very little research on. I'm not sure if I'm a) scared to find out what I'd read or b) would feel helpless once I did know more or c) just too tired to read online for that long. For whatever reason, I'm not well read up on the topic.
But, I have lived, breathed, slept and sweated a mono-type virus for the past 3 weeks so I think that's why I'm self certifying myself to write these Confessions.
Mono attacks the immune system (I do know that) but how and why, is unknown to most (if not all) people. I have never been in contact with someone who has a virus like mine nor do I randomly drink out of random cups of random people's drinks when I'm randomly in public. I don't even drink out of public drinking fountains, for that matter. Mono is typically spread through saliva so you tell me how I got mono if I haven't been kissing random people or drinking out of random cups.
Mono has a constant fever pattern that is physically draining although the pattern is inconsistent. Some days I wake up sick; other days I wake up well for a couple hours. Some days my fever is only 99; other days I have a hard time keeping it away from 102. Coupled with that is extreme fatigue, a pounding head ache, frequent dizziness and growing physical weakness that seems to get worse every day.
Opening the fridge takes effort. Screwing lids into place is hard. Locking doors is a strain. Rolling over in bed is a huge job. Walking hurts, even slowly. Talking is draining -- my voice takes muscles I don't have. I feel so weak.
Little accomplishments are noticed though -- like tonight I made mac and cheese for supper and felt like the world's best gourmet cook. And I did it all while the ibuprofen I took 8 hours before was wearing off. I even washed the pans. But, even though it seems like success, that's physically exhausting to the point of it not being worth it. I pretty much just have to go to bed after that.
Mono also attacks your brain (I do know that from personal experience). Everything is a big deal and either leaves a Mom with Mono in tears or slumped in a dark hole of depression or both. Like at night when my husband puts the kids to bed, as soon as everyone walks out of the room, I burst into tears mourning the passing of another day in my kid's life that I didn't make any worthy investment in. The guilt. The fear. The sadness. The loneliness for a fun family night. It's a heavy load. And the brain power it takes to process these feelings has completely deserted me.
Spiraling into a whirlwind of what I'm sure are pointless fears, I find myself growing steadily lower. And then I start worrying about things like if I'm pregnant or not and finally after worrying about it for 2 days, I breathlessly take a test. I've never prayed so hard that the double lines would not appear. Shoving the memory of the frequent 102 fevers into the back of my head, I wait anxiously, telling God, "No baby should have to go through this! No baby should have to go through this!" I have never been so relieved after finding a negative test result. That to me was actually a little confirmation that God is still good and does know what's best for me. And for my children.
Rain or shine, the weather doesn't really effect a Mom with Mono. It's all alike to her. It all seems grey and gloomy. Although sunshine does feel good on a warm day, the brightness of the sun and the blue sky seem insignificant to the dark day it feels inside a Mom with Mono: if you can't enjoy it with your family, what's the point?
Resting and drinking fluids are easy to do for mono victims. I am so thirsty and so tired and could drink all the time and sleep forever. Of course you can't rest much when you drink a lot so the balance is usually soon found when dealing with mono.
And then come the aches and pains of laying in bed for so many hours out of a day. It feels like slats or springs or hard object are protruding from my pillow-top mattress and needles are sticking in my feet. So angling my legs in a different direction, I find temporary relief only to learn a little later that both feet are sleeping. If I google mono-type viruses, I'll find out if bad circulation goes with the virus. Otherwise, I see now how people get bed sores from being in bed for long periods of time.
It may be recommended to exercise which is something that would feel good to do in this warm, spring air. Yet even when I feel like doing it, and then do it, I spike a fever and suffer for several days, slowly getting back to the point I was before I exerted myself. Rest and relaxation are all a person with mono can do... poor circulation or not.
And finally, remembering that even though I may be helpless to care for myself, helpless to care for my children and helpless to care for my husband, God is not helpless to care for me AND all I care about. I confess thankfully that I am finding moment-by-moment comfort in that.
Disclaimer: I do know that I do NOT have the Epstein Barr Virus Mono and there is a bit of a difference between that and what the doctor diagnosed me with: a Mono-type virus. From what I understand, my spleen is not effected like it would be with the "main" mono virus which is caused by the Epstein Barr Virus.
Showing posts with label sickness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sickness. Show all posts
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Highlights Things I Learned While Being Sick
:: If your regular body temp is barely above 97F, and you happen to find out that you have a body temperature of 99.6F, you are definitely sick.
:: When you suddenly feel achy all over for no obvious reason, you have either come down with the flu or you have the first symptoms of an incurable terminal illness.
:: Ibuprofen is God's gift to mankind: use it wisely and take it rarely.
:: Just because you feel better after taking ibuprofen, don't fool yourself into thinking that you are indeed better. It's a hoax.
:: Pesto sauce is good to eat when you're sick. It can't look any worse coming up as it does going down.
:: End-of-day frappiccinos are a good way to lift every one's spirit. And use up milk that will otherwise go bad tomorrow.
:: If your head hurts, your eye sockets are charged with pain, your eye balls shoot shards of agony down to your toes, the backs of your legs have that post-marathon-ache to them and you'd just rather sleep all day, don't worry: you have the flu.
:: Blogging in bed is not for the weak. Trust me on this, I know.
:: Just because no body believe you're sick, doesn't mean you're not sick.
:: The longer you keep the old fashioned mercury thermometer in your mouth, the higher the mercury rises. Weird.
:: If you're sick of being sick, don't use the mind-over-matter method on yourself. It doesn't work. You will end up sicker.
:: If your symptoms disappear for a few days and you think your better, watch out.
:: A dull, throbbing back ache, 99.6F fever and a post-marathon ache in your legs are three prime symptoms of sickness. Especially if you haven't run a marathon any time recently. Just be glad your eye sockets are better.
:: Vacillating between being cold and hot is a good practice system for young women. I bet it helps prepare you for menopause.
:: Never underestimate the power of a shower. Take one every hour to keep from being sour.
:: Short term memory loss is synonymous with a fever and it's not, um, I can't remember the point I was going to make... never mind. I can't even remember what synonymous means for sure right now. I must've learned that word pretty recently.
:: If you make your bed while harboring a fever, you will automatically lose favors in your day. People just assume you must not be THAT sick if you can make your bed.
:: 24 hour flu bugs are definitely better than 168 hour flu bugs.
:: Don't think hard; use calculators as much as possible. Especially for big numbers... like how many hours are in a week.
:: If you make mental notes in your head like how you're going to get from point A to point B and you notice that point A and point B are only a few feet apart, you probably have the flu. Or a dreaded incurable illness.
:: If you think you have spinal meningitis and can barely squint at the computer screen you just staggered to in order to read the list of symptoms, save yourself the hassle: without an incredibly high fever and frequent bouts of nausea, you are fine. Well, you're fine in the sense that you don't have spinal meningitis. Welcome to the flu.
:: If you never get sick, don't say that.
:: I had a little birdy, her name was Enza. I opened the window and Influenza!
:: Don't hang around sick people.
:: When everything hurts, don't forget to breath.
:: Always wash your hands after using the bathroom, wiping your nose, scratching your back, putting on your socks, touching a door knob, licking your fingers, scratching your ear, fixing your hair, sorting dirty laundry, sweeping the floor, brushing your teeth, buttoning your shirt and making your bed. You never know how the flu is going to spread.
:: Finally, at all costs, avoid the flu.
:: When you suddenly feel achy all over for no obvious reason, you have either come down with the flu or you have the first symptoms of an incurable terminal illness.
:: Ibuprofen is God's gift to mankind: use it wisely and take it rarely.
:: Just because you feel better after taking ibuprofen, don't fool yourself into thinking that you are indeed better. It's a hoax.
:: Pesto sauce is good to eat when you're sick. It can't look any worse coming up as it does going down.
:: End-of-day frappiccinos are a good way to lift every one's spirit. And use up milk that will otherwise go bad tomorrow.
:: If your head hurts, your eye sockets are charged with pain, your eye balls shoot shards of agony down to your toes, the backs of your legs have that post-marathon-ache to them and you'd just rather sleep all day, don't worry: you have the flu.
:: Blogging in bed is not for the weak. Trust me on this, I know.
:: Just because no body believe you're sick, doesn't mean you're not sick.
:: The longer you keep the old fashioned mercury thermometer in your mouth, the higher the mercury rises. Weird.
:: If you're sick of being sick, don't use the mind-over-matter method on yourself. It doesn't work. You will end up sicker.
:: If your symptoms disappear for a few days and you think your better, watch out.
:: A dull, throbbing back ache, 99.6F fever and a post-marathon ache in your legs are three prime symptoms of sickness. Especially if you haven't run a marathon any time recently. Just be glad your eye sockets are better.
:: Vacillating between being cold and hot is a good practice system for young women. I bet it helps prepare you for menopause.
:: Never underestimate the power of a shower. Take one every hour to keep from being sour.
:: Short term memory loss is synonymous with a fever and it's not, um, I can't remember the point I was going to make... never mind. I can't even remember what synonymous means for sure right now. I must've learned that word pretty recently.
:: If you make your bed while harboring a fever, you will automatically lose favors in your day. People just assume you must not be THAT sick if you can make your bed.
:: 24 hour flu bugs are definitely better than 168 hour flu bugs.
:: Don't think hard; use calculators as much as possible. Especially for big numbers... like how many hours are in a week.
:: If you make mental notes in your head like how you're going to get from point A to point B and you notice that point A and point B are only a few feet apart, you probably have the flu. Or a dreaded incurable illness.
:: If you think you have spinal meningitis and can barely squint at the computer screen you just staggered to in order to read the list of symptoms, save yourself the hassle: without an incredibly high fever and frequent bouts of nausea, you are fine. Well, you're fine in the sense that you don't have spinal meningitis. Welcome to the flu.
:: If you never get sick, don't say that.
:: I had a little birdy, her name was Enza. I opened the window and Influenza!
:: Don't hang around sick people.
:: When everything hurts, don't forget to breath.
:: Always wash your hands after using the bathroom, wiping your nose, scratching your back, putting on your socks, touching a door knob, licking your fingers, scratching your ear, fixing your hair, sorting dirty laundry, sweeping the floor, brushing your teeth, buttoning your shirt and making your bed. You never know how the flu is going to spread.
:: Finally, at all costs, avoid the flu.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Some Kind Of "Therapy"
It was one of those days where the kids decided early on in the day that when one had a heart ache, they'd all shed a tear. They all seemed very devoted to the mutual commitment they made to bear in each other's burdens.
Alex had a high fever and diarrhea. He cried a lot and quiet often and it seemed pretty frequently too. Now that I think of it, he hardly quit crying all day.
Janae was having girl issues. Serious ones. She left for 2 minutes this morning and disappeared completely. It left me believing that she had been raptured. I almost ran down to the Baptist Church to see if anyone was there. But, then I realized that I was still here so obviously, the rapture didn't take place. Rapture or not, she was gone none the less. It was quiet while she was gone, except for Alex crying, which quiet is always nice around here. Rare too. I should've taken advantage of it and gotten something done -- especially since that 2 minutes felt longer than just 2 minutes. Actually, now that I think of it, I think it was more like 20 minutes... or was it 2 hours???
I spent all the time she was gone searching the entire house, front yard, back yard, bathroom, her favorite hiding place in the house and even up and down the street and back in the ally. I was about ready to notify Amber Alert when she climbed out of the van (I had already looked in) with a big smile.
Landon had also thoughtfully committed to tears today and if he wasn't causing tears for others, he was making them himself. Which is actually rare since he is not a cry-baby type, unlike the other kids that live with us. But today was "National Cry Day" at our house so I can understand the exception he made to participate.
After telling the kids that they were both going to take a nap if I heard anymore crying, I heard crying. Wow. Can you believe that? I heard more crying.
Landon denied that he was crying and I could see plainly and clearly that he was not crying. Which is always good and commendable and what we like to see in a child that lives with us. But between Janae's deafening wails, I learned that Landon had spit on her foot. My, my. How tragic. He may as well have just hacked her foot off with a machete, going by the decibels her cries were reaching.
He hadn't actually spit though; it was built up saliva that congregated in his mouth and then slowly oozed out and carefully landed on his sister's foot who was swinging on the swing that he pretty much wanted. Yeah, a great passive-aggressive way of dealing with conflict and ruling the case in your favor. You should try it sometime yourself; you may get a nap out of the deal like he did.
Meanwhile, the house reeked of poop, the kids were harmonizing in an unifying chorus of sobs and wails and melodiously filling our home with it's sound. The baby was weeping uncontrollably and would not be comforted because he was not being comforted. Basically, there was a lot of crying. And tears. Loud tears.
No body wanted naps under these conditions -- they never like to go to bed sad. Or going to bed at all. Yet the continued crying only proved how necessary the naps were. I called Toby just then to let him know that I was leaving for the night when he got home. Alone. You know: by myself. With no kids. Just so I didn't have to hear crying. He said, "Okay, Honey, have a good time. Are you sure you don't want to take the baby?"
By the time it got quiet and everyone had quit crying and succumbed to sleep, I was motivated to get some work done. So, bypassing the tripped-on-laundry, and sink full of dishes ,and dishwasher full of dishes, and littered house, and groceries on the floor, and supper still needing to be figured out, I headed downstairs and swept out under the basement steps. I know... real vital to getting my work done but hey, you try living in a house with screaming and crying and sick kids and don't tell me that you can still think clear when they're all finally quiet.
I got some visiting done on the phone with a good friend that just got back from Africa. We shared details about our exciting lives. When Janae woke up and heard who I was talking to, she immediately informed me that she wanted to "Gawka Bicky." (talk to Becky) She told 'Bicki' that she had new shoes that were green (brown) and that she wanted to have "Gawkee" (coffee) with 'Bicki' again. After she handed the phone to me, she said she "wanna dit on "Bicki's wap a-den." Our last trip home to Wisconsin found Becky making a pretty big impression on Janae. And Janae hasn't forgotten that at all.
Janae's little chat on the phone was a good distraction from the mournful morning and seemed to set the mood right for the rest of the day. (I'll just have to make sure she calls someone tomorrow.)
The evening was spent almost as exciting with a few added pieces of flair since Daddy was home. It's always fun when he's around. "Smoovies" (smoothies) on the front porch for everyone were waiting when he walked up the driveway. And nothing is better than a porch swing full of happy, smoovie sippers while the sun sets.
As if to get back to the mode of antics originally saught after for the day, Landon made one more attempt at chaos and tried (and succeeded) hooking up the sprinkler and turned the hose on long enough to create enough mud to require a good scrub down on his sister. When I told him to shut the water off and leave the sprinkler alone and always ask before he tries that again, he told me, "The sun is up in the sky; right over there," and he turned in circles trying to find the fading sun and finally pointed to the far west where it was almost completely set. Apparently when you're 4, that is a good time to run a sprinkler with your sister in the back yard. If you do it fast enough, there will be more mud and weeds that grow from the sprinkling water and you can enjoy getting a little wet yourself while the water runs freely.
After the kids went to bed, I took Alex outside with me to quick plant a few ivy plants. Nothing serious at all; just a little wrap-up-and-un-wind project. And it was going to be quick.
Now, I have heard people say that gardening and yard work is therapy for them. And I admire these people. When I do anything with plants, it seems like I need the therapy after I'm done. What therapy is there in getting your hands dirty and your feet muddy and your toenails packed with dirt? The only therapy I see in it is that it gives you another reason to just get the pedicure over with. I just don't get it. You horticulture people will probably comment and tell me some piece of wisdom pertaining to gardening but I can assure you: I do not relate to your culture of horti's.
I made one last effort to see what therapy is found in gardening and decided that after a stressful day, I should just try this theory on myself and see if it is true. After all, maybe I just haven't had enough stress in my life until today. And what would it hurt? My plants needed new pots anyway.
But, it's true: there is nothing relaxing about it. Nothing at all.
Especially when you are only out there a short time and you're almost ready to water your three freshly planted plants and you look over at your fussing baby who you just looked at a second ago and you happen to notice that there is yellow stuff smeared across his stroller tray and dotted on his face and hands and it's in his mouth and you look closer feeling slightly appalled and you find that he is sitting in that stuff.
Yup. I don't even have to give you the scientific name of that stuff. We all know it happens.
It dripped and smelled the whole way to the bathroom where I plopped him in the tub, clothes, diaper and all. He was pretty giddy about a bath but I hope that next time he wants a bath, he'll just ask.
And the next time I want therapy, maybe I'll just sweep out under some steps.
Alex had a high fever and diarrhea. He cried a lot and quiet often and it seemed pretty frequently too. Now that I think of it, he hardly quit crying all day.
Janae was having girl issues. Serious ones. She left for 2 minutes this morning and disappeared completely. It left me believing that she had been raptured. I almost ran down to the Baptist Church to see if anyone was there. But, then I realized that I was still here so obviously, the rapture didn't take place. Rapture or not, she was gone none the less. It was quiet while she was gone, except for Alex crying, which quiet is always nice around here. Rare too. I should've taken advantage of it and gotten something done -- especially since that 2 minutes felt longer than just 2 minutes. Actually, now that I think of it, I think it was more like 20 minutes... or was it 2 hours???
I spent all the time she was gone searching the entire house, front yard, back yard, bathroom, her favorite hiding place in the house and even up and down the street and back in the ally. I was about ready to notify Amber Alert when she climbed out of the van (I had already looked in) with a big smile.
Landon had also thoughtfully committed to tears today and if he wasn't causing tears for others, he was making them himself. Which is actually rare since he is not a cry-baby type, unlike the other kids that live with us. But today was "National Cry Day" at our house so I can understand the exception he made to participate.
After telling the kids that they were both going to take a nap if I heard anymore crying, I heard crying. Wow. Can you believe that? I heard more crying.
Landon denied that he was crying and I could see plainly and clearly that he was not crying. Which is always good and commendable and what we like to see in a child that lives with us. But between Janae's deafening wails, I learned that Landon had spit on her foot. My, my. How tragic. He may as well have just hacked her foot off with a machete, going by the decibels her cries were reaching.
He hadn't actually spit though; it was built up saliva that congregated in his mouth and then slowly oozed out and carefully landed on his sister's foot who was swinging on the swing that he pretty much wanted. Yeah, a great passive-aggressive way of dealing with conflict and ruling the case in your favor. You should try it sometime yourself; you may get a nap out of the deal like he did.
Meanwhile, the house reeked of poop, the kids were harmonizing in an unifying chorus of sobs and wails and melodiously filling our home with it's sound. The baby was weeping uncontrollably and would not be comforted because he was not being comforted. Basically, there was a lot of crying. And tears. Loud tears.
No body wanted naps under these conditions -- they never like to go to bed sad. Or going to bed at all. Yet the continued crying only proved how necessary the naps were. I called Toby just then to let him know that I was leaving for the night when he got home. Alone. You know: by myself. With no kids. Just so I didn't have to hear crying. He said, "Okay, Honey, have a good time. Are you sure you don't want to take the baby?"
By the time it got quiet and everyone had quit crying and succumbed to sleep, I was motivated to get some work done. So, bypassing the tripped-on-laundry, and sink full of dishes ,and dishwasher full of dishes, and littered house, and groceries on the floor, and supper still needing to be figured out, I headed downstairs and swept out under the basement steps. I know... real vital to getting my work done but hey, you try living in a house with screaming and crying and sick kids and don't tell me that you can still think clear when they're all finally quiet.
I got some visiting done on the phone with a good friend that just got back from Africa. We shared details about our exciting lives. When Janae woke up and heard who I was talking to, she immediately informed me that she wanted to "Gawka Bicky." (talk to Becky) She told 'Bicki' that she had new shoes that were green (brown) and that she wanted to have "Gawkee" (coffee) with 'Bicki' again. After she handed the phone to me, she said she "wanna dit on "Bicki's wap a-den." Our last trip home to Wisconsin found Becky making a pretty big impression on Janae. And Janae hasn't forgotten that at all.
Janae's little chat on the phone was a good distraction from the mournful morning and seemed to set the mood right for the rest of the day. (I'll just have to make sure she calls someone tomorrow.)
The evening was spent almost as exciting with a few added pieces of flair since Daddy was home. It's always fun when he's around. "Smoovies" (smoothies) on the front porch for everyone were waiting when he walked up the driveway. And nothing is better than a porch swing full of happy, smoovie sippers while the sun sets.
As if to get back to the mode of antics originally saught after for the day, Landon made one more attempt at chaos and tried (and succeeded) hooking up the sprinkler and turned the hose on long enough to create enough mud to require a good scrub down on his sister. When I told him to shut the water off and leave the sprinkler alone and always ask before he tries that again, he told me, "The sun is up in the sky; right over there," and he turned in circles trying to find the fading sun and finally pointed to the far west where it was almost completely set. Apparently when you're 4, that is a good time to run a sprinkler with your sister in the back yard. If you do it fast enough, there will be more mud and weeds that grow from the sprinkling water and you can enjoy getting a little wet yourself while the water runs freely.
After the kids went to bed, I took Alex outside with me to quick plant a few ivy plants. Nothing serious at all; just a little wrap-up-and-un-wind project. And it was going to be quick.
Now, I have heard people say that gardening and yard work is therapy for them. And I admire these people. When I do anything with plants, it seems like I need the therapy after I'm done. What therapy is there in getting your hands dirty and your feet muddy and your toenails packed with dirt? The only therapy I see in it is that it gives you another reason to just get the pedicure over with. I just don't get it. You horticulture people will probably comment and tell me some piece of wisdom pertaining to gardening but I can assure you: I do not relate to your culture of horti's.
I made one last effort to see what therapy is found in gardening and decided that after a stressful day, I should just try this theory on myself and see if it is true. After all, maybe I just haven't had enough stress in my life until today. And what would it hurt? My plants needed new pots anyway.
But, it's true: there is nothing relaxing about it. Nothing at all.
Especially when you are only out there a short time and you're almost ready to water your three freshly planted plants and you look over at your fussing baby who you just looked at a second ago and you happen to notice that there is yellow stuff smeared across his stroller tray and dotted on his face and hands and it's in his mouth and you look closer feeling slightly appalled and you find that he is sitting in that stuff.
Yup. I don't even have to give you the scientific name of that stuff. We all know it happens.
It dripped and smelled the whole way to the bathroom where I plopped him in the tub, clothes, diaper and all. He was pretty giddy about a bath but I hope that next time he wants a bath, he'll just ask.
And the next time I want therapy, maybe I'll just sweep out under some steps.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
An Everything-Went-Wrong-Day
Okay. I'll admit right now that today was just a bad day all around. I am not going to make this sound fluffy, fun and frivolous so don't expect a frilly story. It was just one of those days where nothing went right and everything went wrong.
I woke up with a raging bladder infection and peed about 37 times from 8am until 11am. (I'm not kidding you.) That was a good sign my day was starting out bad.
Toby needed me to bring him some window cleaning supplies so I planned on taking a break from the bathroom trips and looked forward to having lunch with him over his lunch break. The kids looked forward to that a lot too and Landon and Janae figured out where we'd eat ('Caffeine's' (Cafe) on the Square) and what they were going to order (pancakes). I didn't care what I ate; I just needed a distraction.
No matter how hard I tried to get ready, I was in so much pain from the infection. My doctor called in a prescription and I kept calling the pharmacy to see if it was in yet. At 10:30, it was finally time to go for lunch so I headed out to the van with the kids.
It was then I realized that I had no car seat for Landon; the car seat was in a work truck with Toby.
So, I called our nearest relative to see if they had their extra car seat handy and while waiting for them to get back to me, I continued getting the kids in the car.
I went to start the van and what should I find but the battery was dead. Totally dead. Not even the power locks would work.
By then, the Car seat Relatives got back to me and told me that someone else was using their extra car seat.
Okay. So, I was still out a car seat and now a battery too.
Not only did Toby need his stuff and the kids had their hearts set on going to have lunch with Daddy, but I needed my meds! The UTI was almost killing me.
So, I called a neighbor to see if I could borrow their car for a jump start. No answer; they weren't home.
I called a nearby friend to see if I could borrow their car for a jump start. She said she'd be right over.
I called another nearby friend and asked if I could borrow a car seat from them. They had extra! I was in luck!
The Battery Lady came over and as I bravely wielded the mighty jump start cables, she popped the hood on her car. There was a loud snap and unfortunately, the snap wasn't the hood popping; the whole lever from inside the car broke off. Just a dinky little wire teased us with it's past ability to pop the hood while the plastic handle sat helplessly in my friend's hand.
By now, the neighbor guy was outside mowing and I decided to see if there was something on his truck I could break in the process of getting juice into our van's battery. He obliged his truck and in no time, the van was running strongly and no harm done to his truck.
I re-loaded the kids and ran up the street to get the car seat. I stopped at the pharmacy to pick up my meds and we were finally on our way to go get our dad.
When I finally found Toby, he was on the phone, quite distracted, in the bank parking lot. He thrust me a form to fill out for my new Debit card and I proceeded to fill it out, not knowing if I was the Applicant or the Co-applicant of the Applicant. While waiting for him to get off the phone, the kids and I sat in the van until the "empty" light came on for our gas gauge. Knowing I had at least 80 miles until I was really empty, I didn't worry too bad but I knew that this was just another Bad Luck Token for my day.
Toby got off the phone and told me he needed awhile to work up an immediate bid for someone. So, with my on-empty-van, the kids and I drove around Seward. After about 45 minutes, Toby was ready to go but I needed to bring my form into the bank and pick out a PIN number.
While "picking out" my PIN number, the bank lady had to hassle with our account because Toby's debit card had quit working, making my card more of a hassle to get. Finally, after making a couple trips into the bank, it got worked out and we were headed to the restaurant. By now it was 1:00pm.
We went to "Caffeine's" and found out they had a long wait. The restaurant was packed. So, we skipped down the sidewalk and went to another place instead. We ate very quickly since Toby needed to get back to work and most of our food went home with us in "boxes."
I dropped Toby off for work and headed back home where a lawn waited to be mowed and a ton of work had to be done before company. About 2 miles out of Seward, Toby called me and said that he forgot to take the window cleaning stuff out of the van.
I u-turned and headed back into town and pulled up to his truck just as he held up the supplies he needed from some hidden place in the truck: my supplies for him were useless; he already had everything he needed and didn't know that until then. Lovely. He did keep the roll of paper towels I brought him but probably just because he wanted me to feel at least partly useful.
We then went home and I mazed through a littered house, put Alex to bed and brought the other kids outside to work on the yard with me. The meds had kicked in by then and I hadn't experienced any Bad Luck Tokens for about 15 minutes so I thought it was time to get on with life.
To celebrate, I made reservations for our upcoming Mother's Day Weekend Get-A-Way and know that after today and all that happened, that weekend get-a-way will be more worth it than if I hadn't had today.
Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there and may you find less reasons than I do to celebrate and enjoy Mother's Day this year. :)
I woke up with a raging bladder infection and peed about 37 times from 8am until 11am. (I'm not kidding you.) That was a good sign my day was starting out bad.
Toby needed me to bring him some window cleaning supplies so I planned on taking a break from the bathroom trips and looked forward to having lunch with him over his lunch break. The kids looked forward to that a lot too and Landon and Janae figured out where we'd eat ('Caffeine's' (Cafe) on the Square) and what they were going to order (pancakes). I didn't care what I ate; I just needed a distraction.
No matter how hard I tried to get ready, I was in so much pain from the infection. My doctor called in a prescription and I kept calling the pharmacy to see if it was in yet. At 10:30, it was finally time to go for lunch so I headed out to the van with the kids.
It was then I realized that I had no car seat for Landon; the car seat was in a work truck with Toby.
So, I called our nearest relative to see if they had their extra car seat handy and while waiting for them to get back to me, I continued getting the kids in the car.
I went to start the van and what should I find but the battery was dead. Totally dead. Not even the power locks would work.
By then, the Car seat Relatives got back to me and told me that someone else was using their extra car seat.
Okay. So, I was still out a car seat and now a battery too.
Not only did Toby need his stuff and the kids had their hearts set on going to have lunch with Daddy, but I needed my meds! The UTI was almost killing me.
So, I called a neighbor to see if I could borrow their car for a jump start. No answer; they weren't home.
I called a nearby friend to see if I could borrow their car for a jump start. She said she'd be right over.
I called another nearby friend and asked if I could borrow a car seat from them. They had extra! I was in luck!
The Battery Lady came over and as I bravely wielded the mighty jump start cables, she popped the hood on her car. There was a loud snap and unfortunately, the snap wasn't the hood popping; the whole lever from inside the car broke off. Just a dinky little wire teased us with it's past ability to pop the hood while the plastic handle sat helplessly in my friend's hand.
By now, the neighbor guy was outside mowing and I decided to see if there was something on his truck I could break in the process of getting juice into our van's battery. He obliged his truck and in no time, the van was running strongly and no harm done to his truck.
I re-loaded the kids and ran up the street to get the car seat. I stopped at the pharmacy to pick up my meds and we were finally on our way to go get our dad.
When I finally found Toby, he was on the phone, quite distracted, in the bank parking lot. He thrust me a form to fill out for my new Debit card and I proceeded to fill it out, not knowing if I was the Applicant or the Co-applicant of the Applicant. While waiting for him to get off the phone, the kids and I sat in the van until the "empty" light came on for our gas gauge. Knowing I had at least 80 miles until I was really empty, I didn't worry too bad but I knew that this was just another Bad Luck Token for my day.
Toby got off the phone and told me he needed awhile to work up an immediate bid for someone. So, with my on-empty-van, the kids and I drove around Seward. After about 45 minutes, Toby was ready to go but I needed to bring my form into the bank and pick out a PIN number.
While "picking out" my PIN number, the bank lady had to hassle with our account because Toby's debit card had quit working, making my card more of a hassle to get. Finally, after making a couple trips into the bank, it got worked out and we were headed to the restaurant. By now it was 1:00pm.
We went to "Caffeine's" and found out they had a long wait. The restaurant was packed. So, we skipped down the sidewalk and went to another place instead. We ate very quickly since Toby needed to get back to work and most of our food went home with us in "boxes."
I dropped Toby off for work and headed back home where a lawn waited to be mowed and a ton of work had to be done before company. About 2 miles out of Seward, Toby called me and said that he forgot to take the window cleaning stuff out of the van.
I u-turned and headed back into town and pulled up to his truck just as he held up the supplies he needed from some hidden place in the truck: my supplies for him were useless; he already had everything he needed and didn't know that until then. Lovely. He did keep the roll of paper towels I brought him but probably just because he wanted me to feel at least partly useful.
We then went home and I mazed through a littered house, put Alex to bed and brought the other kids outside to work on the yard with me. The meds had kicked in by then and I hadn't experienced any Bad Luck Tokens for about 15 minutes so I thought it was time to get on with life.
To celebrate, I made reservations for our upcoming Mother's Day Weekend Get-A-Way and know that after today and all that happened, that weekend get-a-way will be more worth it than if I hadn't had today.
Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there and may you find less reasons than I do to celebrate and enjoy Mother's Day this year. :)
Friday, November 30, 2007
Can You Hear Me Now?
Thanksgiving is over. Traveling is done. About 1400 miles on the road proved to be safe once again. And I am glad. God is good.
After arriving home safe and sound, we were hit from within. We got sick. Or, at least I did.
I am nursing a bad cold and cough that has paid me with a hefty dose of laryngitis. Or something like that. I cannot speak. I cannot speak sweet nothings to my hubby. I cannot speak babytalk to my baby. I cannot speak Toddler. I cannot even speak English. I call the homes of my family and my husband's family and all the kids want to get on the phone and hear me talk. Or make noise. Or whatever it is my voice is doing. They ask if I'm tired or sick or something. Or if my voice hurts. Or if I just got out of bed.
Actually, I feel almost fine. Except for a slight lingering cough. Oh, and for one other thing: no body hears me. My voice is so pathetic.
I tell my son to not touch the computer after I catch him chewing on it. He flips the "online" button to off.
I tell my daughter not to touch the cereal one more time. She takes the container and spills it all through the house, ending finally in her brother's room. I can't count how many times I've vacuumed Frosted Flakes in the last week.
I tell the baby when he's crying that everything is fine. He only cries louder.
I tell the dog to come. She runs the other way.
I tell my husband the garbage is full and would he please take it out. The garbage sits for another day in the corner of the kitchen.
And then I come to my computer to turn it on. And does that listen to me? Nope. Nothing. Zilch. Won't flicker. Won't do anything. So then you can't hear me either.
So what do I do? I get up and pick up cereal. Or hold a fussing baby. Or take the garbage out.
And then when I get really desperate, I smack the computer, punch the "power" button and the light flickers. Wow. Who knew that was a proven technical support method? Thanks to the good friend who told me to do that. (You know who you are.)
My computer is back! I can write again! I can speak without my voice! Finally, someone listens!
After arriving home safe and sound, we were hit from within. We got sick. Or, at least I did.
I am nursing a bad cold and cough that has paid me with a hefty dose of laryngitis. Or something like that. I cannot speak. I cannot speak sweet nothings to my hubby. I cannot speak babytalk to my baby. I cannot speak Toddler. I cannot even speak English. I call the homes of my family and my husband's family and all the kids want to get on the phone and hear me talk. Or make noise. Or whatever it is my voice is doing. They ask if I'm tired or sick or something. Or if my voice hurts. Or if I just got out of bed.
Actually, I feel almost fine. Except for a slight lingering cough. Oh, and for one other thing: no body hears me. My voice is so pathetic.
I tell my son to not touch the computer after I catch him chewing on it. He flips the "online" button to off.
I tell my daughter not to touch the cereal one more time. She takes the container and spills it all through the house, ending finally in her brother's room. I can't count how many times I've vacuumed Frosted Flakes in the last week.
I tell the baby when he's crying that everything is fine. He only cries louder.
I tell the dog to come. She runs the other way.
I tell my husband the garbage is full and would he please take it out. The garbage sits for another day in the corner of the kitchen.
And then I come to my computer to turn it on. And does that listen to me? Nope. Nothing. Zilch. Won't flicker. Won't do anything. So then you can't hear me either.
So what do I do? I get up and pick up cereal. Or hold a fussing baby. Or take the garbage out.
And then when I get really desperate, I smack the computer, punch the "power" button and the light flickers. Wow. Who knew that was a proven technical support method? Thanks to the good friend who told me to do that. (You know who you are.)
My computer is back! I can write again! I can speak without my voice! Finally, someone listens!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
The Cranky Bug
Sunday was only a short reprieve. Fevers, bad coughs and colds returned by Sunday evening. Weird virus. Watch out if you get it: it has a deceiving end.
The worst symptom of this virus is not the low grade fevers or the constant dripping noses. Rather, it's the overwhelming crabbiness and emotionalism in the person inflicted by the fever.
I have never given Tylenol for a low grade fever before but when it's accompanied with this level of crankiness, the meds seem to quickly relieve unhappy faces. Seriously, when it comes to meds, I am a stickler in letting the fever burn itself out as long as it's not above 104. (My kids seem to quickly spike to 105 so I usually try to keep on top of it when it gets to that height.) But, with the crying and fussing that continued eternally through out the day, I was ready to try anything. And Tylenol worked better than running away would've. (I can't run very fast or far right now).
So, if you have the occasion to come in contact with this bug, remember two things:
The worst symptom of this virus is not the low grade fevers or the constant dripping noses. Rather, it's the overwhelming crabbiness and emotionalism in the person inflicted by the fever.
I have never given Tylenol for a low grade fever before but when it's accompanied with this level of crankiness, the meds seem to quickly relieve unhappy faces. Seriously, when it comes to meds, I am a stickler in letting the fever burn itself out as long as it's not above 104. (My kids seem to quickly spike to 105 so I usually try to keep on top of it when it gets to that height.) But, with the crying and fussing that continued eternally through out the day, I was ready to try anything. And Tylenol worked better than running away would've. (I can't run very fast or far right now).
So, if you have the occasion to come in contact with this bug, remember two things:
- the virus likes to play around when it comes to leaving and will tease you for several days about when it's departure date is.
- it should be adequately referred to as The Cranky Bug.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Still Sick
I made a mistake when I said in my Sick House post that this sickness 
wasn't as bad as I expected.
wasn't as bad as I expected.It's ended up being worse.
Since last Sunday afternoon, we have had one barrage after another of fevers, coughs and typical flu-like symptoms. We even went to the doctor 2 days into this. And I hardly ever take the kids to the doctor unless its life threatening.
And this time it was. Janae was so congested, she could hardly breathe. That has since improved thanks to a dear friend lending us her nebulizer -- thanks Sarah! -- and I made a tea of thyme leaves and kept that steaming in her face for most of that day.
Even Landon is running high fevers, which for him is unusual. Plus, he has a really annoying (for him) cough that seems to jump out of no where at any given time.
Since last Sunday afternoon, we have had one barrage after another of fevers, coughs and typical flu-like symptoms. We even went to the doctor 2 days into this. And I hardly ever take the kids to the doctor unless its life threatening.
And this time it was. Janae was so congested, she could hardly breathe. That has since improved thanks to a dear friend lending us her nebulizer -- thanks Sarah! -- and I made a tea of thyme leaves and kept that steaming in her face for most of that day.
Even Landon is running high fevers, which for him is unusual. Plus, he has a really annoying (for him) cough that seems to jump out of no where at any given time.
Everyday is a new story too. I've never seen such unpredictability, all within the confines of "the flu."
One night they'll both be up coughing and coughing and coughing and then crying from coughing so hard. The next night, they'll both be lethargically sleeping in their beds with 103+ fevers. Janae even had a fever hit 105 degrees. I'm not sure what's worse; the constant coughing or the high fevers.
We routinely give the kids tepid baths, take temps often and rub Vicks on congested chests.
When Janae gets bored or just happens to think of it, she'll run into the bathroom and yell for a bath. It's quite comical with how addicted she's getting to her tub -- tepid water and all. I think it's the boats and "the guys" she has in her tub to play with. I figured out this week after so many baths that Noah and his wife are affectionately referred to as "the guys."
Both Landon and Janae have grown quite accustomed to having a thermometer stuck under their 
arms. When they see it coming, they'll willingly put their arm in the air, let me stick the cold, pointy stick in their arm pit and then wait for the beeper to go off. This is quite unusual for both of them since in the past, temperature taking was always a very traumatic thing for them. Yes, even under the arm. Don't even mention rectal readings. We gave those up unless the fever spiked really high and it was either call 911 or check the temp rectally.
arms. When they see it coming, they'll willingly put their arm in the air, let me stick the cold, pointy stick in their arm pit and then wait for the beeper to go off. This is quite unusual for both of them since in the past, temperature taking was always a very traumatic thing for them. Yes, even under the arm. Don't even mention rectal readings. We gave those up unless the fever spiked really high and it was either call 911 or check the temp rectally.Thankfully, Toby was off work most of the week due to the weather so I haven't had to brave this on my own. I typically take the night shift and then he takes the morning phase. It works out well. Except, usually the kids are the sickest at night and because I was up and down so much with them, I'm not sure how much restful sleep Toby ends up getting.
About mid-week, both Toby and I started feeling pretty bad but thankfully, that wore off within a day or so. I am so relieved. I think from all the noses I've wiped, all the snotty, feverish faces I've kissed and all the puke I've had on me, I must be naturally inoculated to this flu bug. (knock on wood...)
I thought the kids were better but now again today, Janae is running a fever and Landon gradually accumulated a temperature of 104.6. It's a bit scary to put them to bed when such high temps are ravaging their bodies. And it gets worse when you have to leave their side and go to your own bed and "rest" in sleep. Yeah right.
I never knew being a mom was so hard until this week. Even in my sleep, I can't rest. As Landon and Janae brave this wicked bug, it seems as if there is a constant threat on their lives 
that only a mom is supposed to defeat. Only she has the key to whole wellness.
that only a mom is supposed to defeat. Only she has the key to whole wellness. But, as I listen to the constant coughing and continue to drain Tylenol and Motrin bottles and still no relief, I wonder how successful I have been in defeating this. To put it honestly, this flu is endless. Eternal. Everlasting. And I can't get rid of it! Instead of it being defeated, I'm beginning to think that maybe I'm the defeated one.
All of you who are praying for us, thank you so much. I have to say that even though the kids aren't well yet, they aren't worse. It's this plateau that is getting difficult to figure out.
There has to be a magic button I can push somewhere to miraculously knock the kids off this level and put them on a healthy one.
There has to be a magic button I can push somewhere to miraculously knock the kids off this level and put them on a healthy one. Tomorrow marks the 1 week anniversary since this epidemic started. I'm hoping we can celebrate it with health and wellness for all.
Monday, February 26, 2007
The Sick House
Yes, finally, we have a sick house.
After going all winter with hardly a cold, we have the dreaded flu epidemic. I have to admit that thankfully, it's not been as bad as I expected it to be.
Yesterday, Landon came down with it. A cold and fever.
This morning, Janae had it too.
Now this afternoon, top both of them off with a cough, achy joints and a real hard time maintaining a happy attitude and you get a full fledged illness.
I gave them both baths to help relax and soothe their sore muscles. When I told them they could run more water, I didn't expect Landon to turn it all the way to cold. But, that's just what he did.
I think he was trying to get their fevers down really fast. And, considering he doesn't seem to care for Tylenol too much, a cold bath was a good substitute, I guess.
I replaced their freezing water with a nice, warm bath again and left them to play with an ark, a Noah and a couple boats.
I guess things were going too calm in their nice, quiet bath tub so Landon tried convincing Janae that it was fun to have water dumped on her head. As she protested and wailed and hollered and gasped, he kept telling her how fun it was to have cup after cup repeatedly dumped on her head.
She was too "nice" to do it back to him so I poured water on his head so he'd know how fun it really was.
"Mom! Don't -- I'm SICK!" he protested under the stream of water. I guess in his mind that was a good enough reason to not get dumped with water but that logic didn't seem to include his sister, obviously.
As I strip a wet bed, disinfect a puke covered high chair, clean a heavily soiled bottom as the result of diarrhea, smear Kleenex on overflowing little noses, try keeping track of what meds are given when, figuring out who's taken their vitamins already, tackle the skill of opening a child proof Tylenol bottle with one hand while holding a thermometer under a hot arm with the other, comfort 2 weepy children on my already full lap and try to do a million other life saving tasks, I thank God that had it not been for that darling man that came into my life four years ago, I could be having a very monotonous and lonely day.
And though I'm trying to get actual work done today, you can imagine my defeat when Landon came out of his room a little bit ago, observed the array of suitcases, toys, shoes and luggage scattered all over the living room floor and then said,
"The house is really messy, Mom."
"It sure is," I agreed with him.
I'm hoping for better days really soon. After our nice weekend, today has been quite the contrary.
When all this weary toil and care is past, The Anniversary update is coming to a blog near you! Stay tuned.
The picture to the right was taken during the last morning of our anniversary get-a-way. The kids were with us for the second night. We wanted to have a mini-family vacation after our anniversary so kinda did a conjoined "holiday."
Here Landon and Janae are seen drinking their morning coffee milk (they think it's real coffee though) while watching traffic 4 stories down. Our State capitol is seen in the back ground.
After going all winter with hardly a cold, we have the dreaded flu epidemic. I have to admit that thankfully, it's not been as bad as I expected it to be.
Yesterday, Landon came down with it. A cold and fever.
This morning, Janae had it too.
Now this afternoon, top both of them off with a cough, achy joints and a real hard time maintaining a happy attitude and you get a full fledged illness.
I gave them both baths to help relax and soothe their sore muscles. When I told them they could run more water, I didn't expect Landon to turn it all the way to cold. But, that's just what he did.
I think he was trying to get their fevers down really fast. And, considering he doesn't seem to care for Tylenol too much, a cold bath was a good substitute, I guess.
I replaced their freezing water with a nice, warm bath again and left them to play with an ark, a Noah and a couple boats.
I guess things were going too calm in their nice, quiet bath tub so Landon tried convincing Janae that it was fun to have water dumped on her head. As she protested and wailed and hollered and gasped, he kept telling her how fun it was to have cup after cup repeatedly dumped on her head.
She was too "nice" to do it back to him so I poured water on his head so he'd know how fun it really was.
"Mom! Don't -- I'm SICK!" he protested under the stream of water. I guess in his mind that was a good enough reason to not get dumped with water but that logic didn't seem to include his sister, obviously.
As I strip a wet bed, disinfect a puke covered high chair, clean a heavily soiled bottom as the result of diarrhea, smear Kleenex on overflowing little noses, try keeping track of what meds are given when, figuring out who's taken their vitamins already, tackle the skill of opening a child proof Tylenol bottle with one hand while holding a thermometer under a hot arm with the other, comfort 2 weepy children on my already full lap and try to do a million other life saving tasks, I thank God that had it not been for that darling man that came into my life four years ago, I could be having a very monotonous and lonely day.
And though I'm trying to get actual work done today, you can imagine my defeat when Landon came out of his room a little bit ago, observed the array of suitcases, toys, shoes and luggage scattered all over the living room floor and then said,
"The house is really messy, Mom."
"It sure is," I agreed with him.
I'm hoping for better days really soon. After our nice weekend, today has been quite the contrary.
When all this weary toil and care is past, The Anniversary update is coming to a blog near you! Stay tuned.
The picture to the right was taken during the last morning of our anniversary get-a-way. The kids were with us for the second night. We wanted to have a mini-family vacation after our anniversary so kinda did a conjoined "holiday."
Here Landon and Janae are seen drinking their morning coffee milk (they think it's real coffee though) while watching traffic 4 stories down. Our State capitol is seen in the back ground.
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