Tuesday, November 18, 2008
All Done
I am discontinuing this blog. If you wanna follow along on my new one and haven't heard from me for the new address, shoot me an email!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
In the Mood
What the beak is up with this blog!? It won't let me post pictures anymore! JERKS! Ohh well. We had our first snow today and I had some cute pix of me and Mikie sledding. From the minute he got up he's been wanting to go outside to sled. So after we all took a MUCH needed nap, he and I headed out (Erk was home from deer hunting - nope, no bambi!). Jack is doing pretty good - I won't say better. He's at a sort of standstill, but is certainly a tough kid! He has this sad look on his face and you can just tell he's in pain, but he's pretty positive. He took a nap on the couch today which was good. The boys helped me with Christmas cards tonight too which was cute. I have pictures of that too, but I can't share them - again, blogger = jerks!
I hope this finds you well. I hear Erk and Jack snoring upstairs! I'm the only one up and I'm listening to Christmas music - I know, gag me, but what can I say? I'm in the mood!!
I hope this finds you well. I hear Erk and Jack snoring upstairs! I'm the only one up and I'm listening to Christmas music - I know, gag me, but what can I say? I'm in the mood!!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Locked Out
Here and happy to report that the little dude with no tonsils is doing well. He did great in the night last night, slept like a champ. I woke him up every 4 hours (set my alarm) and had to turn the lights on so I wouldn't spill the medicine, but he'd fall right back to sleep. I think the 5:30am wake up meds are what woke Miss Mol up. That or Bean dog jumping off our bed (yep, she slept with Jack and I) and pacing the hallway before 6a. I finally got Molly up about 6:20a and we've been at it ever since. I had an underlying annoying feeling goin' on first thing this morning, but I know it was cause when days start really early like that, who knows where they'll go. But this day has been good - lots of tv and now Kung Fu Panda, but Mol took 2 naps today and Mikie and Jack are doing good. Jack has really impressed me - he has a great attitude and is handling the pain really well. He'll give me the thumbs down some of the time when I ask how he's doing, but typically it's a thumbs up.
Granny and Grampa stopped by earlier so that was a special treat. They brought both boys milkshakes :) They visited for a bit and I ran to church to drop off some stuff I made this morning for tomorrow's bake sale. Wouldn't you know, church was locked! So I dropped the bag of stuff to a friend at church and left her a message. Here's to hoping she gets it! Otherwise some birdies or racoons or someone is gonna have some tasty treats! I ended up making 3 kinds of Chex mix, Festive Spicy Apple, Muddy Buddies (also called Puppy Chow) and Cheesy Ranch. Mmm, they were all good :)
Well, I'd better go back in and watch the movie. Jack has been wanting me to cuddle today so I gotta take advantage while it lasts! Here's to hoping for another good night!
Granny and Grampa stopped by earlier so that was a special treat. They brought both boys milkshakes :) They visited for a bit and I ran to church to drop off some stuff I made this morning for tomorrow's bake sale. Wouldn't you know, church was locked! So I dropped the bag of stuff to a friend at church and left her a message. Here's to hoping she gets it! Otherwise some birdies or racoons or someone is gonna have some tasty treats! I ended up making 3 kinds of Chex mix, Festive Spicy Apple, Muddy Buddies (also called Puppy Chow) and Cheesy Ranch. Mmm, they were all good :)
Well, I'd better go back in and watch the movie. Jack has been wanting me to cuddle today so I gotta take advantage while it lasts! Here's to hoping for another good night!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Alrighty then! I've tried to post some more pictures from this morning and it continues to tell me I've reached my quota! JERKS! Anywho, I will show ya the rest tomorrow perhaps. Ya get the overall idea though :) Jack is snoring here next to me (finally, he wanted the tv on and me to check out fun websites) and Molly finally quit fussing. Mikie already came in here and did the ol' "bad dream" ploy even though he wasn't in bed but 3 minutes and by NO means was he sleeping yet! Ahh, the life of Ernie... and this weekend - I'm a great big hunter's widow!
Doing Well
Well, YIPEE. That's about the only word that comes to mind right now. Jack did TERRIFIC this morning, really a strong dude. He lost it when we got to our room and he was asked by the nurse to put his "gown" on, but he pulled it together. He thought the gown (pants and shirt with tigers all over it) was for babies! I thought perhaps that little episode would be what we were in for, and if it was, well than that was alright. But I was truly amazed. He perked up once he got a visit from our good friends who were there too (Ivan was getting his ear tubes taken out) and after that? He was in great spirits. We read the book we got from the library again ("Good-bye Tonsils") and the nurses came and went. The nursing staff there was wonderful by the way.
In no time, Jack was given a little cup of red medicine and within minutes he was talking silly and starting to lose his balance! Erk and I were cracking up at what all he was saying. Then they came to wheel him away. Wouldn't you know when given the choice, he wanted DADDY to take him to the OR, not ME? I wondered if maybe he'd change his mind as the morning wore on, but nope! Daddy it was :) That was really cute. So I gave him a hug and kiss and off they went - Erk all dressed up in a blue gown, hat and slippers. Erk was back to our room in no time and then headed to work for a few minutes. There I sat, texting on my phone, walking around the room with a big open spot where Jack's bed had been... Waiting... waiting... when finally the doc came in and said Jack did great. He said the tonsils were huge but the adenoid (sp?) was even bigger! He said Jack will breathe much easier now! Good deal. So then I was back to waiting. Waiting to hear when I could go see him. Doopy do...
A nurse comes in and turns down the lights and says "we'll make it a bit more relaxing in here for him, he's on his way," and in they wheeled him. He was visibly upset, dry heeving and crying. I felt so bad for him! The nurses were terrific, getting him a cold cloth, a pan to puke, etc. One of the dry heeves turned into actual blood and I must say, I was kinda freaked out! It was this huge GLOB! But instantly he was feeling better. He laid back but then got all upset again and wasn't making any sense. I climbed in bed with him and laid with him while he cried a few minutes, heeved again, then laid his head back and shut his eyes. He heard the movie come on (before the procedure he got to chose a movie to watch, he chose Monsters, Inc) and wide open his eyes sprung! I told him to go ahead and lay back and shut his eyes, that we could rewind the movie. So he did. And he slept and slept away. Erk got back with lunch from Taco Bell and we sat there and watched Jack sleep (and Erk tilted his chair back and shut his eyes).
It was approaching 1pm when I got some chapstick out and put it on his really super dry lips. That's when he woke up. He sat up and was white as a ghost but feeling MUCH better. He was talking fine, asking for something to drink, watching Monsters, Inc. and doing great. He had ice chips, some of Erk's diet pepsi and some ice water. Mom and Dad stopped up with Mousie and Mikie for a visit. That was really good - I'm sure it helped Mikie to see his big bro where he was to see it was a "big deal." I think between this hype of Jack's surgery and Molly walking, Mikie has felt lost in the shuffle! Anywho, we were released at 1:30p and I tell you what, this kid has been eating us outta house and home! We stopped on the way home and got him a milkshake at McD's, he's had yogurt, gatorade, ice cream, a popsicle! And he was still hungry! So I made him mac n cheese! He only had a little of that and was finally full :) That'll come in handy later when his appetite is in full swing again.
All of this to say, I'm thankful he's feeling so well - even playing on the floor for a while. I hope it continues, we'll see! I will be setting my alarm to get up in the night to make sure we stay on top of his pain meds! Thank you to all who prayed for our little man! Praise the Lord :)
In no time, Jack was given a little cup of red medicine and within minutes he was talking silly and starting to lose his balance! Erk and I were cracking up at what all he was saying. Then they came to wheel him away. Wouldn't you know when given the choice, he wanted DADDY to take him to the OR, not ME? I wondered if maybe he'd change his mind as the morning wore on, but nope! Daddy it was :) That was really cute. So I gave him a hug and kiss and off they went - Erk all dressed up in a blue gown, hat and slippers. Erk was back to our room in no time and then headed to work for a few minutes. There I sat, texting on my phone, walking around the room with a big open spot where Jack's bed had been... Waiting... waiting... when finally the doc came in and said Jack did great. He said the tonsils were huge but the adenoid (sp?) was even bigger! He said Jack will breathe much easier now! Good deal. So then I was back to waiting. Waiting to hear when I could go see him. Doopy do...
A nurse comes in and turns down the lights and says "we'll make it a bit more relaxing in here for him, he's on his way," and in they wheeled him. He was visibly upset, dry heeving and crying. I felt so bad for him! The nurses were terrific, getting him a cold cloth, a pan to puke, etc. One of the dry heeves turned into actual blood and I must say, I was kinda freaked out! It was this huge GLOB! But instantly he was feeling better. He laid back but then got all upset again and wasn't making any sense. I climbed in bed with him and laid with him while he cried a few minutes, heeved again, then laid his head back and shut his eyes. He heard the movie come on (before the procedure he got to chose a movie to watch, he chose Monsters, Inc) and wide open his eyes sprung! I told him to go ahead and lay back and shut his eyes, that we could rewind the movie. So he did. And he slept and slept away. Erk got back with lunch from Taco Bell and we sat there and watched Jack sleep (and Erk tilted his chair back and shut his eyes).
It was approaching 1pm when I got some chapstick out and put it on his really super dry lips. That's when he woke up. He sat up and was white as a ghost but feeling MUCH better. He was talking fine, asking for something to drink, watching Monsters, Inc. and doing great. He had ice chips, some of Erk's diet pepsi and some ice water. Mom and Dad stopped up with Mousie and Mikie for a visit. That was really good - I'm sure it helped Mikie to see his big bro where he was to see it was a "big deal." I think between this hype of Jack's surgery and Molly walking, Mikie has felt lost in the shuffle! Anywho, we were released at 1:30p and I tell you what, this kid has been eating us outta house and home! We stopped on the way home and got him a milkshake at McD's, he's had yogurt, gatorade, ice cream, a popsicle! And he was still hungry! So I made him mac n cheese! He only had a little of that and was finally full :) That'll come in handy later when his appetite is in full swing again.
All of this to say, I'm thankful he's feeling so well - even playing on the floor for a while. I hope it continues, we'll see! I will be setting my alarm to get up in the night to make sure we stay on top of his pain meds! Thank you to all who prayed for our little man! Praise the Lord :)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
PLEASANTLY surprised
Good evening! This comes to you with very good, encouraging news! I am thankful to report that after seeing my Ear, Nose and Throat doc this evening at 5:15pm, that it looks like my hearing in the left ear will be fully restored. WOW!
I figured I'd get the doc to look in the ear and say, "yep, it's ruptured" and send me on my way. But I was pleasantly surprised. The nurse first took a peek and said "Umm WOW" then walked out to get the doc. I waited... waited... shifting my weight from one leg to the other (sitting down but leaning forward) and then he came in. He took a peek in my right ear and said there may be some fluid in there, but that the eardrum isn't bulging (it was in Iowa per the ER doc) and then before looking in the left ear, he was saying what he predicted he'd see in there. Sure enough, it was as he thought and across the hall we went where he and a nurse suctioned out the blood and goobers all stuck in my ear. It felt weird, tickled and scratched the itch I've been feeling in there for a few days now! At times it hurt, but heck, it was getting all the bad out! He told me that I still have blood behind the eardrum and that it's still bulging (and some fluid remains in there) but that he wanted to do a hearing test to determine if there is any nerve damage. Ohh and he said he could see where the hole was where it ruptured.
So down the hall I went and had my hearing tested and the woman doing the test said afterwards, "boy, you sure can't hear outta that left one, can ya? I kept turning the volume up and up!" Yep, you're telling me! So after talking to ENT doc again, he told me the results don't indicate permanent hearing loss (PRAISE THE LORD). He prescribed some steriods for me to take to help with the inflamation and I go see him again in 4 weeks. I am so thankful, I can't even tell ya :)
Shifting gears, our man Jack goes in the morning kinda bright and early (the surgery is around 9:30a) - please keep him in your prayers! Them tonsils are huge! My dad joked that maybe they'll give us the tonsils and Jack can put some Velveeta on them and have them for a snack! I then said perhaps we can bring them home in a jar for a keepsake. Jack then asked what they really do with tonsils and I told him they donate them to another little boy who needs them :) What twisted minds we have! :)
Good night - I hope all is well - I hope you're doing better Pa!?
I figured I'd get the doc to look in the ear and say, "yep, it's ruptured" and send me on my way. But I was pleasantly surprised. The nurse first took a peek and said "Umm WOW" then walked out to get the doc. I waited... waited... shifting my weight from one leg to the other (sitting down but leaning forward) and then he came in. He took a peek in my right ear and said there may be some fluid in there, but that the eardrum isn't bulging (it was in Iowa per the ER doc) and then before looking in the left ear, he was saying what he predicted he'd see in there. Sure enough, it was as he thought and across the hall we went where he and a nurse suctioned out the blood and goobers all stuck in my ear. It felt weird, tickled and scratched the itch I've been feeling in there for a few days now! At times it hurt, but heck, it was getting all the bad out! He told me that I still have blood behind the eardrum and that it's still bulging (and some fluid remains in there) but that he wanted to do a hearing test to determine if there is any nerve damage. Ohh and he said he could see where the hole was where it ruptured.
So down the hall I went and had my hearing tested and the woman doing the test said afterwards, "boy, you sure can't hear outta that left one, can ya? I kept turning the volume up and up!" Yep, you're telling me! So after talking to ENT doc again, he told me the results don't indicate permanent hearing loss (PRAISE THE LORD). He prescribed some steriods for me to take to help with the inflamation and I go see him again in 4 weeks. I am so thankful, I can't even tell ya :)
Shifting gears, our man Jack goes in the morning kinda bright and early (the surgery is around 9:30a) - please keep him in your prayers! Them tonsils are huge! My dad joked that maybe they'll give us the tonsils and Jack can put some Velveeta on them and have them for a snack! I then said perhaps we can bring them home in a jar for a keepsake. Jack then asked what they really do with tonsils and I told him they donate them to another little boy who needs them :) What twisted minds we have! :)
Good night - I hope all is well - I hope you're doing better Pa!?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
How Could I?
How in the WORLD could I forget to mention on my blog earlier today that last night Molly took her very first steps? What kinda MOM am I!? :) Well, I'm here to tell ya now (as my hairy beast of a dog is tapping on the window to come in, staring at me... I tell you, this animal is nutso. She laid her head all as if she loves me in my lap while I was eating my turkey sandwich for supper (the kids are at Granny and Gramps tonight), then when I'm done proceeds to go right to the door to annoy the crap outta me until I let her out. THEN she taps on the screen (but it's dark so I can't see her) and lets me know she is all done out there. HOW FUNNY, now she is in the mudroom and knocked the lid off her metal container of dog food and is eating out of it. She acts as if she owns the place!) - ok - but now back to the big news of Mol walking...
She is 14 months and some people think that's the same as 14 YEARS old to be walking. But both boys were the same age when they decided to take those first steps too. TOO cute. She is so reluctant and will stand in one spot for 10 minutes, but will not unbuckle those legs to walk. So here are some pix that I hope at least give you a peek into what it was like :) I got the very first steps on video so I'm excited about that. Then the boys took turns videoing while I grabbed my camera. Ohh and don't mind her outfit, Erk had just changed her nasty poopy pants and her onesie "extension" (best invention!) is kinda coming undone...
She is 14 months and some people think that's the same as 14 YEARS old to be walking. But both boys were the same age when they decided to take those first steps too. TOO cute. She is so reluctant and will stand in one spot for 10 minutes, but will not unbuckle those legs to walk. So here are some pix that I hope at least give you a peek into what it was like :) I got the very first steps on video so I'm excited about that. Then the boys took turns videoing while I grabbed my camera. Ohh and don't mind her outfit, Erk had just changed her nasty poopy pants and her onesie "extension" (best invention!) is kinda coming undone...
Holding Hands with the Future
Mikie is having a snack and Jack is sitting in front of the heater. Molly is still zonked and I got up a bit ago after a short nap myself! Today just sounded like a good day to lay down and I tell ya, I was out the minute I hit the pillow.
This morning I got to help out in Jack's classroom. Last time I was signed up for it, it turned into a field trip day, so today was really my first volunteer experience. I wasn't really sure what I'd be doing. Turns out Jack's class got to try out a room where stations were set up for motor skills or whatever the beak you call it! So the whole class lined up and down the hallway we headed. I was in the lead cause Jack was second in line and Mrs. O told me I could lead the class and she'd bring up the rear. Jack grabbed my hand and looked up at me and smiled, followed by another little boy grabbing my other hand, then more kids started grabbing on to their hands and before I knew it, we were the width of the wide hallway! I felt like I was holding hands with the future. It was so cute :) We got to that special room with stations set up and Mrs. O left 5 kids with me and took the others back to class. We agreed we'd meet in the hallway 1/2 way every 10 minutes to swap out the kids. I tell ya, teachers don't get enough praise for their patience! Some of the boys in Jack's class are TURDS! Then you have the sweet, always listening and ready to line up boys. I'd say Jack is somewhere in the middle of that group!? Anywho, we had fun and before I knew it, we were thru all the kids and back in Jack's classroom making paper feathers to put up on the big turkey mounted on the wall. I stuck around for a while after the kids went out to recess to help put the feathers up and got a chance to chat with Mrs. O about our hunting trip, the new bizz for printing digital scrapbook pages, etc. She's a SWEET lady. I'm so thankful for her as Jack's teacher! We have our conference with her tonight at 6:45p and then I am actually meeting up with Shawna to meet some ladies who want us to do a "special project" for them! Fun stuff...
I hope this finds you doing well. Please keep Papa Loo in your prayers, he underwent some pretty major surgery yesterday and today has a fever and not much of an appetite I'm told. We love you Pa Loo! Ohh and Jack is having his tonsils out this Friday. I just spoke with the nurse about the time, what to expect, yadda yadda. Our little dude is going under the knife :( But these things have been needing to come out. His left tonsil overlaps his right! Please pray for him for his nerves and the whole experience to go smooth!
This morning I got to help out in Jack's classroom. Last time I was signed up for it, it turned into a field trip day, so today was really my first volunteer experience. I wasn't really sure what I'd be doing. Turns out Jack's class got to try out a room where stations were set up for motor skills or whatever the beak you call it! So the whole class lined up and down the hallway we headed. I was in the lead cause Jack was second in line and Mrs. O told me I could lead the class and she'd bring up the rear. Jack grabbed my hand and looked up at me and smiled, followed by another little boy grabbing my other hand, then more kids started grabbing on to their hands and before I knew it, we were the width of the wide hallway! I felt like I was holding hands with the future. It was so cute :) We got to that special room with stations set up and Mrs. O left 5 kids with me and took the others back to class. We agreed we'd meet in the hallway 1/2 way every 10 minutes to swap out the kids. I tell ya, teachers don't get enough praise for their patience! Some of the boys in Jack's class are TURDS! Then you have the sweet, always listening and ready to line up boys. I'd say Jack is somewhere in the middle of that group!? Anywho, we had fun and before I knew it, we were thru all the kids and back in Jack's classroom making paper feathers to put up on the big turkey mounted on the wall. I stuck around for a while after the kids went out to recess to help put the feathers up and got a chance to chat with Mrs. O about our hunting trip, the new bizz for printing digital scrapbook pages, etc. She's a SWEET lady. I'm so thankful for her as Jack's teacher! We have our conference with her tonight at 6:45p and then I am actually meeting up with Shawna to meet some ladies who want us to do a "special project" for them! Fun stuff...
I hope this finds you doing well. Please keep Papa Loo in your prayers, he underwent some pretty major surgery yesterday and today has a fever and not much of an appetite I'm told. We love you Pa Loo! Ohh and Jack is having his tonsils out this Friday. I just spoke with the nurse about the time, what to expect, yadda yadda. Our little dude is going under the knife :( But these things have been needing to come out. His left tonsil overlaps his right! Please pray for him for his nerves and the whole experience to go smooth!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Be Careful
I gotta tell ya, I am scared. I'm scared my hearing won't be restored and I'll be deaf in my left ear. It's hard - really hard to think about that. I've had people tell me "be careful what you wish for!" when I say I just wanna be able to hear my KIDS. They don't understand - seriously, hearing my kids little voices means the world to me. Mikie came in our room in the middle of the night and was talking to me... I had no idea. Erk told me this morning about it. Erk had Mikie come tell him the problem cause I wasn't saying anything. I couldn't hear him. Argh! I feel like I was just here with my ears - fortunately this "damage" isn't in my already corrected ear. I shouldn't have taken that 5 months of hearing in both ears for granted!
All of this to say I'm anxious to see the ENT on Thursday night (they squeezed me in after hours). Please pray that my hearing will be restored. I've been praying too that if it isn't restored, that I will be used in some way. Selfishly it's really hard to accept it's possible I might be partially deaf all over again...
All of this to say I'm anxious to see the ENT on Thursday night (they squeezed me in after hours). Please pray that my hearing will be restored. I've been praying too that if it isn't restored, that I will be used in some way. Selfishly it's really hard to accept it's possible I might be partially deaf all over again...
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Forget Me Not
We are home safe and sound! Molly is dragging a shoe box along the ground and laughing her head off at Bean cause Bean is trying to get it. The boys are building "beanstalks" up in their room outta books all piled high. Erk is doing "bills" and I'm digging thru odds and ends stuff like the kids backpacks and their nice clean tubs of clothing back from Nanny and Papa (THANK YOU for doing their laundry)!
We got home at a good time yesterday, made it home in less time than it took to get there. Mom and Dad brought the kids home and wouldn't you know? Molly was taken aback by me! She wasn't sure what to think! People thought I was nuts for thinking she might "forget me" but she definitely was unsure at first! Like she knew me, but just couldn't put her finger on where from! HA! Now she is back to lovin' her Momma :)
We had planned to head to church this morning but when getting ready and my now right ear plugged up, we decided to stay put. Erk was thinking he'd stay home anyways cause he has a lot he'd like to get accomplished today. I was feeling the need to go get "fed," but with the lack of hearing in both ears? I'd feel overwhelmed and confused and lonely all at the same time. So we'll do a special Bible time here at home this mornin...
I hope you have a great Sunday! Nice to think the only laundry that needs to be done is Erk's and mine from this past week, and that's manageable!
We got home at a good time yesterday, made it home in less time than it took to get there. Mom and Dad brought the kids home and wouldn't you know? Molly was taken aback by me! She wasn't sure what to think! People thought I was nuts for thinking she might "forget me" but she definitely was unsure at first! Like she knew me, but just couldn't put her finger on where from! HA! Now she is back to lovin' her Momma :)
We had planned to head to church this morning but when getting ready and my now right ear plugged up, we decided to stay put. Erk was thinking he'd stay home anyways cause he has a lot he'd like to get accomplished today. I was feeling the need to go get "fed," but with the lack of hearing in both ears? I'd feel overwhelmed and confused and lonely all at the same time. So we'll do a special Bible time here at home this mornin...
I hope you have a great Sunday! Nice to think the only laundry that needs to be done is Erk's and mine from this past week, and that's manageable!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
On the Road Again
Now how often can you be riding down the highway, sitting in the passenger seat pulling your trailer, AND be writing on your blog? Well that is me right now! Erk and I pulled outta camp about 2 hours ago and are well on our way. The weather is a bit on the cold side, and windy, but fortunately the wind is at our back. We've made one pee stop and back on the road we got.
I'm happy to report that my ear/throat/snot/headache have definately improved. My ear has the occasional sharp pain here and there, but overall it's good. About an hour ago my phone was ringing from a number I didn't recognize. I decided to answer and it was the ER doc we saw the other night checking up on me! Very, very nice. I asked him about the sharp pains, and he said that's all part of the healing process.
I suppose that's about all for now. Here's to hoping you are having a good day and maybe the sun is shining where you are! :)
I'm happy to report that my ear/throat/snot/headache have definately improved. My ear has the occasional sharp pain here and there, but overall it's good. About an hour ago my phone was ringing from a number I didn't recognize. I decided to answer and it was the ER doc we saw the other night checking up on me! Very, very nice. I asked him about the sharp pains, and he said that's all part of the healing process.
I suppose that's about all for now. Here's to hoping you are having a good day and maybe the sun is shining where you are! :)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
.JPG)
Piercing
Good morning. Coming to you live from a cool campground in the middle of cornfields with a stream of blood dried and crusty on the side of my face. Looks like I was hit in the face with a 2x4! Don’t worry, I wasn’t. Here’s the deal…
We had a great day yesterday. I went out in the field with Erk, Phyllis and Don to check out what this pheasant hunting bit is all about. I got to see the beautiful country side that Erk enjoys while looking for birds to shoot. We walked and whispered (apparently gotta be kinda quiet while trying to flush out birds) and just took it all in. The wind was blowing pretty good which wasn’t helping my ear ache out, but I just put my bright orange hood up. I told Erk that next year I’m gonna be “an orange highlighter for Halloween.”
We headed to a second spot to check out and Phyllis and I found ourselves sitting in a big open green field chattin’ while the men hunted with the dogs. Again, no birds to be found so we headed into town for some lunch. We went back to the same lunch spot we hit on Monday and enjoyed the day’s special :) Phyllis asked to borrow our truck to head to a sort of Amish country, while I opted to come back to the trailer to lie down. Erk came back too for a snooze. I was woken up not too long after dozing off with a piercing ear ache. Like, as in brought me to tears. Erk and I both got on our phone (amazing what phones can do now a days) and looked up on WebMD what to do about an ear ache. Found the old remedy of hydrogen peroxide. So I tilted my head to the right (with a tear rolling down my cheek) while Erk poured a cap full in my ear. Ahhh, relief. Instant relief.
I hung out here at the campground for a while while Erk and Don headed back to the field. Got some more scrapbooking done! Erk and Don came and picked me up and there I sat between the 2 of them in Don’s truck, Freckles (the doggie) in the backseat, speeding down gravel country roads. Can’t you just picture it? We met up with Phyllis back at their motel and hung out for a bit, heard that their neighbor at the motel (Joe) had an incident earlier in the day that took him to the hospital. Joe happened to pull in as we were hanging out outside so we waited for him to get off his cell phone to hear what happened. Apparently, he was in a field with his dog and went to lift this dog over a fence, while bending over a stick went right up his nose! YEEE-OUCH! It bled and bled, he said, so he began wondering if there was something stuck up there, and proceeded to head to the ER. He said it was a little sore, but fine by the time we were talking to him. We joked that we didn’t even know there was a hospital in this town, but good to know.
We invited Joe to come have supper with us in town and he did – we had fun joking around and giving our waitress a hard time. We had delicious fried chicken and I stepped out a minute while we were eating cause it was bedtime back home and time to say goodnight to the chitlins. As our time at the restaurant continued, I was having a bit more increasingly sharp pains in my ear. We headed back to the motel and laughed some more (fun to talk about old times in the office with Phyllis) and my face changed. Erk saw it. It went from happy Ernie to “ok, this is really bothering me.” We said our goodnights and headed back to the campground. I was driving and while chattin’ with Erk, I had to stop talking here and there cause my left ear just hurt so bad. We got back to the trailer and the pain was SO intense, I thought a baby was gonna pop outta my ear. The pain seriously reminded me of child birth, but in the side of my head! I was pacing the trailer, crying my eyes out, trying not to go insane from the pain. Holy cow it hurt. I was literally shaking in the knees and my lower lip was quivering like ya do when you are freezing cold, all because of the intense pain. Erk was so calm and encouraging, trying to hug me but I couldn’t stand still. Trying to have me look him straight in the eye which, when I could focus helped, but then I’d have to look away to cry. Can you imagine!? Then a sort of gurgle noise and I happened to grab a Kleenex, wondering if I’d catch some puss or something. No puss, just blood. A steady stream of it. At that point, Erk called my doctor’s office back home to see what we needed to do. We were waiting for a call back and after 20 minutes they hadn’t called, so he called back, then another 20 minutes, and we get a call back but my phone didn’t ring. Went straight to voicemail. So I called back and was wired directly thru to the doc on call. She was so kind, and apologetic that this was happening on my “vacation” and told me “you need to go to an ER or med center to get it evaluated.” So out the trailer door we headed, into town to that same ER we had just learned about a few hours earlier. By this point, my ear had been bleeding for an hour. We pull in and there is one other car in the parking lot. As we walked in thru the abandoned looking ER entrance, we came around the bend and saw 2 nurses, one in plain clothes and the other in scrubs. We talked with them about the issue and they paged the on call doc. While waiting for the doc to come in (technically he was a PA), the plain clothes nurse went to take my temp in my bloody ear, to which I quickly asked, “can you take my temperature in my other ear?”
Wondering if that was the sorta folk we’d be dealing with (taking a temp in a bloody ear!?!), we were very pleased with the doc who came in to check me out. He first checked my right ear (the ear I had surgery on in April, I’m SO THANKFUL this didn’t happen to that ear!) and he said that eardrum was bulging. It’s been sore in there, but nothing like my left. He checks my left ear and was like, “umm yeah your eardrum has ruptured.” He left the room and came back saying with his arms out as if he’s flexing his muscles, “what, were you just gonna tough this one out?” I said “I wanted a helicopter to swoop down and take me to the hospital but that didn’t happen.” And he laughed, reminding me that we aren’t back home, but are in the middle of nowhere :) He then said “you Nordic women are tough!” HA!
He printed some information on ruptured eardrums and wrote me a stronger script (I started on amoxicillin 2 days ago in addition to the pink eye drops, so I’ve been on meds) and we started heading out. While walking I was reading about the eardrum where it said “depending on where the hole or tear is in the eardrum, you may have some permanent hearing loss.” So I asked him where the hole/tear was or if it was rather large. He replied, “umm, there is so much blood in your ear, I couldn’t even see your eardrum!” He recommended I see my ENT that did my ear surgery as soon as we get home. BEAK! So there is a possibility that I may have some permanent hearing loss in my other ear. For now, it’s completely clogged, can’t hear anything at all outta my left side. At least with my right, I could hear a little bit (larger crowds were hard, but I could manage thru reading lips). Now it looks like lip reading is gonna come in handy! I was used to tilting my head to the left to hear better about 6 months ago, now the rolls have reversed…
So back home to the trailer we of course came and headed to bed. I fell asleep pretty quickly but then was woken up with PIERCING pain in my ear again. I took some deep breaths and waited patiently, nearly in tears again in the dark, but the pain finally went away when something else “gave way” in the ear. This morning I was met with more blood on the pillowcase and of course, all dried to my face.
And now here I sit. Erk headed out to hunt (it’s pouring rain, YUCK) and I’m gonna take it a bit easy this morning. They’ll pick me up for lunch, but between now and then? I’ll get cleaned up and listen (one eared) to some music. Maybe do some scrapbooking and hopefully my email will stay up and running longer than 2 seconds (now that we moved campsites, I can’t stay connected to email very long)! I hope this finds you doing well today…
We had a great day yesterday. I went out in the field with Erk, Phyllis and Don to check out what this pheasant hunting bit is all about. I got to see the beautiful country side that Erk enjoys while looking for birds to shoot. We walked and whispered (apparently gotta be kinda quiet while trying to flush out birds) and just took it all in. The wind was blowing pretty good which wasn’t helping my ear ache out, but I just put my bright orange hood up. I told Erk that next year I’m gonna be “an orange highlighter for Halloween.”
We headed to a second spot to check out and Phyllis and I found ourselves sitting in a big open green field chattin’ while the men hunted with the dogs. Again, no birds to be found so we headed into town for some lunch. We went back to the same lunch spot we hit on Monday and enjoyed the day’s special :) Phyllis asked to borrow our truck to head to a sort of Amish country, while I opted to come back to the trailer to lie down. Erk came back too for a snooze. I was woken up not too long after dozing off with a piercing ear ache. Like, as in brought me to tears. Erk and I both got on our phone (amazing what phones can do now a days) and looked up on WebMD what to do about an ear ache. Found the old remedy of hydrogen peroxide. So I tilted my head to the right (with a tear rolling down my cheek) while Erk poured a cap full in my ear. Ahhh, relief. Instant relief.
I hung out here at the campground for a while while Erk and Don headed back to the field. Got some more scrapbooking done! Erk and Don came and picked me up and there I sat between the 2 of them in Don’s truck, Freckles (the doggie) in the backseat, speeding down gravel country roads. Can’t you just picture it? We met up with Phyllis back at their motel and hung out for a bit, heard that their neighbor at the motel (Joe) had an incident earlier in the day that took him to the hospital. Joe happened to pull in as we were hanging out outside so we waited for him to get off his cell phone to hear what happened. Apparently, he was in a field with his dog and went to lift this dog over a fence, while bending over a stick went right up his nose! YEEE-OUCH! It bled and bled, he said, so he began wondering if there was something stuck up there, and proceeded to head to the ER. He said it was a little sore, but fine by the time we were talking to him. We joked that we didn’t even know there was a hospital in this town, but good to know.
We invited Joe to come have supper with us in town and he did – we had fun joking around and giving our waitress a hard time. We had delicious fried chicken and I stepped out a minute while we were eating cause it was bedtime back home and time to say goodnight to the chitlins. As our time at the restaurant continued, I was having a bit more increasingly sharp pains in my ear. We headed back to the motel and laughed some more (fun to talk about old times in the office with Phyllis) and my face changed. Erk saw it. It went from happy Ernie to “ok, this is really bothering me.” We said our goodnights and headed back to the campground. I was driving and while chattin’ with Erk, I had to stop talking here and there cause my left ear just hurt so bad. We got back to the trailer and the pain was SO intense, I thought a baby was gonna pop outta my ear. The pain seriously reminded me of child birth, but in the side of my head! I was pacing the trailer, crying my eyes out, trying not to go insane from the pain. Holy cow it hurt. I was literally shaking in the knees and my lower lip was quivering like ya do when you are freezing cold, all because of the intense pain. Erk was so calm and encouraging, trying to hug me but I couldn’t stand still. Trying to have me look him straight in the eye which, when I could focus helped, but then I’d have to look away to cry. Can you imagine!? Then a sort of gurgle noise and I happened to grab a Kleenex, wondering if I’d catch some puss or something. No puss, just blood. A steady stream of it. At that point, Erk called my doctor’s office back home to see what we needed to do. We were waiting for a call back and after 20 minutes they hadn’t called, so he called back, then another 20 minutes, and we get a call back but my phone didn’t ring. Went straight to voicemail. So I called back and was wired directly thru to the doc on call. She was so kind, and apologetic that this was happening on my “vacation” and told me “you need to go to an ER or med center to get it evaluated.” So out the trailer door we headed, into town to that same ER we had just learned about a few hours earlier. By this point, my ear had been bleeding for an hour. We pull in and there is one other car in the parking lot. As we walked in thru the abandoned looking ER entrance, we came around the bend and saw 2 nurses, one in plain clothes and the other in scrubs. We talked with them about the issue and they paged the on call doc. While waiting for the doc to come in (technically he was a PA), the plain clothes nurse went to take my temp in my bloody ear, to which I quickly asked, “can you take my temperature in my other ear?”
Wondering if that was the sorta folk we’d be dealing with (taking a temp in a bloody ear!?!), we were very pleased with the doc who came in to check me out. He first checked my right ear (the ear I had surgery on in April, I’m SO THANKFUL this didn’t happen to that ear!) and he said that eardrum was bulging. It’s been sore in there, but nothing like my left. He checks my left ear and was like, “umm yeah your eardrum has ruptured.” He left the room and came back saying with his arms out as if he’s flexing his muscles, “what, were you just gonna tough this one out?” I said “I wanted a helicopter to swoop down and take me to the hospital but that didn’t happen.” And he laughed, reminding me that we aren’t back home, but are in the middle of nowhere :) He then said “you Nordic women are tough!” HA!
He printed some information on ruptured eardrums and wrote me a stronger script (I started on amoxicillin 2 days ago in addition to the pink eye drops, so I’ve been on meds) and we started heading out. While walking I was reading about the eardrum where it said “depending on where the hole or tear is in the eardrum, you may have some permanent hearing loss.” So I asked him where the hole/tear was or if it was rather large. He replied, “umm, there is so much blood in your ear, I couldn’t even see your eardrum!” He recommended I see my ENT that did my ear surgery as soon as we get home. BEAK! So there is a possibility that I may have some permanent hearing loss in my other ear. For now, it’s completely clogged, can’t hear anything at all outta my left side. At least with my right, I could hear a little bit (larger crowds were hard, but I could manage thru reading lips). Now it looks like lip reading is gonna come in handy! I was used to tilting my head to the left to hear better about 6 months ago, now the rolls have reversed…
So back home to the trailer we of course came and headed to bed. I fell asleep pretty quickly but then was woken up with PIERCING pain in my ear again. I took some deep breaths and waited patiently, nearly in tears again in the dark, but the pain finally went away when something else “gave way” in the ear. This morning I was met with more blood on the pillowcase and of course, all dried to my face.
And now here I sit. Erk headed out to hunt (it’s pouring rain, YUCK) and I’m gonna take it a bit easy this morning. They’ll pick me up for lunch, but between now and then? I’ll get cleaned up and listen (one eared) to some music. Maybe do some scrapbooking and hopefully my email will stay up and running longer than 2 seconds (now that we moved campsites, I can’t stay connected to email very long)! I hope this finds you doing well today…
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Today
Why hello there! The wind is blowing again today so the trailer is being a bit knocked around. Yesterday the awning took a beating while I sat here on my laptop, so when Erk got home to pick me up for lunch yesterday he rolled it up. Erk saw that tomorrow is gonna be really windy, so we're thinking we'll change campsites. Where we are is very cool, but we have this stupid thought (but it's possible!) that we could roll on down this big hill we are set up on! That would bite! So we'll move on down the row and behind some trees to block the pending wind.
I meant to be in the field with Erk, Don and Phyllis right now but here I sit. I had a rough night's sleep last night (major sore throat still hanging around) and when I rolled outta bed this morning, my right eye was stuck closed. Yep, Ernie has pink eye! That combined with the knives I feel I am swallowing and the ear ache (and noises sound weird in my ears, so they are definately plugged), I made the call back home to the ol' doc. First I went with Erk to drop him off to hunt with Phyllis and Don and then I headed into town to find a pharmacy. Went on in and a nice lady gave me their phone number so I was armed with it to call my doc all those miles away. They called a bit ago to tell me a script (actually 2) had been called in and they are being filled. So I hope to be completely on the mend before long - at least I hope this sore throat leaves. Man, don't ya hate that?
Yesterday afternoon was a hoot though. Erk and Don went out hunting and Phyllis and I just sat in their motel room chatting the afternoon away. It's been so long since her and I have visited like that! I probably went on and on it seemed, but there was a lot of ground to cover :) Then the men got back and Phyllis and Don came to join us for supper at the trailer. Erk grilled some chicken, we had some other goodies and here we sat chatting the night away. What fun! Great friends and great company I tell ya!
Now I am waiting for the call that it's lunchtime, and I'll drive back into town and meet up with them. While there, I'll swing by and pick up my new meds and see where the afternoon takes me! I hope you are having a great day! Jack told me first thing on the phone last night, "I miss you Mom!" That was so cute, the dude who acts all macho, he misses us :( Mikie is wanting some pictures of John Deere's and Miss Mol giggles every time I get to talk to her on the phone. Cute!
I meant to be in the field with Erk, Don and Phyllis right now but here I sit. I had a rough night's sleep last night (major sore throat still hanging around) and when I rolled outta bed this morning, my right eye was stuck closed. Yep, Ernie has pink eye! That combined with the knives I feel I am swallowing and the ear ache (and noises sound weird in my ears, so they are definately plugged), I made the call back home to the ol' doc. First I went with Erk to drop him off to hunt with Phyllis and Don and then I headed into town to find a pharmacy. Went on in and a nice lady gave me their phone number so I was armed with it to call my doc all those miles away. They called a bit ago to tell me a script (actually 2) had been called in and they are being filled. So I hope to be completely on the mend before long - at least I hope this sore throat leaves. Man, don't ya hate that?
Yesterday afternoon was a hoot though. Erk and Don went out hunting and Phyllis and I just sat in their motel room chatting the afternoon away. It's been so long since her and I have visited like that! I probably went on and on it seemed, but there was a lot of ground to cover :) Then the men got back and Phyllis and Don came to join us for supper at the trailer. Erk grilled some chicken, we had some other goodies and here we sat chatting the night away. What fun! Great friends and great company I tell ya!
Now I am waiting for the call that it's lunchtime, and I'll drive back into town and meet up with them. While there, I'll swing by and pick up my new meds and see where the afternoon takes me! I hope you are having a great day! Jack told me first thing on the phone last night, "I miss you Mom!" That was so cute, the dude who acts all macho, he misses us :( Mikie is wanting some pictures of John Deere's and Miss Mol giggles every time I get to talk to her on the phone. Cute!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Halloween Pix
Hello and good morning! Just sitting here in the calm of the trailer, enjoying the sounds and sights all around. I have the windows cracked open to hear the birdies and the nice breeze, but also have the space heater going (kinda like driving a convertible with the heater on :). A good night's rest was had - I slept on a bottom bunk so I wouldn't get Mr. Hunter Dude sick and we both slept good. Erk made himself a big breakfast this morning, and I opted for my bowl of cereal and donut. I just can't always get behind a big breakfast ;)
Erk headed out about an hour or so ago to shoot birds, I've been on the phone chattin' with Mom which was great, and now I'm uploading some pictures to show you! It takes a while with this slower connection than I'm used to, but I'll see what I can do. Here are some cute pictures from Halloween. The kids were sooo cute (in my opinion) in their costumes! I hope you have a great day!
.JPG)
Erk headed out about an hour or so ago to shoot birds, I've been on the phone chattin' with Mom which was great, and now I'm uploading some pictures to show you! It takes a while with this slower connection than I'm used to, but I'll see what I can do. Here are some cute pictures from Halloween. The kids were sooo cute (in my opinion) in their costumes! I hope you have a great day!
.JPG)
Trick or Treatin'
Okey doke - looks like it's only gonna post 2 of my 4 pictures... What the beak! Ahh well, 2, 4 you get the basic Halloween idea :)
.JPG)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
