I was sad to let summer be over this year - just because I love the unstructured time. I am all for schedules but after 9 months of grueling school schedules, homework and then more homework and 3 carpools, summer is a welcome break.
We stayed close to home this year because we are saving for our New York trip. This year we did the following fun activities:
May - Lava Hot Springs and Promitory Point
June - Moab with the Evans Family
July - Lava Hot Springs
August - Evanston, Wyoming (Grandma and Grandpa's ranch)
August - Bear Lake
September - Evanston, Wyoming and Fort Bridger, Wyoming
We kept it cheap but had lot's of fun boating, riding horses, riding the doodle bug (4 wheeler), swimming, climbing a tree and just having some down time. I will say I am thankful that Anthony's mom let's us stay at her home in Lava Hot Springs and at the ranch. It makes real nice, cheap getaways. I also have to mention that every chance we are close to Ogden (Anthony even has made a detour to Ogden on our way to Evanston) we stop at David's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard. It is Italian ice with creamy custard. We always get the Mango. It is called "The David." How ironic is that? (My Dad's name is David and growing up he always reminded us that his name means the beloved.) The "David" is delicious and we do all love it. Even Blake. We also frequent the Burger Bar in Roy. I love their onion rings and fried mushrooms.
I am so excited for Fall! My favorite season is Fall. I love all the changing leaves. I can't wait to go on our annual car ride up in the mountains to see all the beautiful scenery. Nothing compares to Upstate New York's fall scenery - it is breath taking but Utah is not so bad. I love to get pictures of the kids with the beautiful autumn colors.
Football is also in the air and on TV. I have brainwashed Anthony and the kids - we are all True Blue BYU fans. We have enjoyed watching the games except the one where Utah pounded us but we are still true blue. We all love, love, love BYU football! We love to get our BYU football fix and have lots of snacks on hand while we watch. Go Cougars!!!!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Washer Repair Man
God bless the Washer Repair Man that came to my house last week. Let me explain,
we have had a rough week. Anthony's Honda broke down - we had to have it towed to our house. Anthony called our insurance company after hours to get it towed. With our member #, they couldn't find our policy. (We just received our insurance cards in the mail a couple weeks ago.) We were stressed thinking we didn't have auto insurance that we were paying for monthly. Thank goodness my sister has a truck, so her and her husband we able to tow the car home. Thanks Tricia! The starter went out, so that cost $250. Thank goodness we know a cheap mechanic because the dealership wanted $400. The car had to be repaired so Anthony could go to work.
The washer was leaking and barely getting by but it finally gave out, we received a monstrous phone bill and then I saw the EOB for Kassi's week hospitalization. Needless to say, I was feeling quite stressed.
Anthony called RC Willey to see if we still had a warranty on the washer - of course it had expired. The good news was that we still had a warranty on our fridge. Our ice maker has been broken for several months and we figured it was too expensive to fix, so we did without. Well, our ice maker was fixed - we needed a new one, with no cost to us. It is really nice to have ice again, especially in the summer heat. Anyhow, I got sidetracked, back to the real story.
My mom called some Washer Repair Men to see how much it would cost to get the washer fixed. Just for the service call, it was $79. My mom described what was going on with the washer, and one repair man said it sounded like the pump. He said it would be $250 for the parts and labor besides the $79 service call. He recommended that we go buy a new washer.
My mom called me at work to tell me the news. It was like the final blow. A washing machine is a necessity, especially when you have children. I have washed my clothes by hand - once on my mission in Chile. It is a lot of work! It takes a lot of time! It is not fun and the clothes do not come as clean as a washing machine gets them with very little effort.
A couple hours later, my mom called me again. She said, "You won't believe what happened?" Apparently, one of the washer repair men had called back to the house. He said he was outside our home and wanted to look at the washer. My mother told him that we didn't have $ to pay him. He said that she would have to shoot him to get him not to work on the washer. This man (an angel sent from God) proceeded to work on my washer for 2 1/2 hours. He refused to give my mother his name and he refused payment. He said he felt like he was suppose to come to our home and help us.
I was stunned! I called Anthony and he was stunned! Just when we were feeling really discouraged and abandoned, Heavenly Father, through another person, let us know he was aware of what was going on with us. This strengthened my testimony to know we are not alone. I am so grateful that this man was in tune to listen to the spirit and then follow the prompting. I want to be this type of person.
we have had a rough week. Anthony's Honda broke down - we had to have it towed to our house. Anthony called our insurance company after hours to get it towed. With our member #, they couldn't find our policy. (We just received our insurance cards in the mail a couple weeks ago.) We were stressed thinking we didn't have auto insurance that we were paying for monthly. Thank goodness my sister has a truck, so her and her husband we able to tow the car home. Thanks Tricia! The starter went out, so that cost $250. Thank goodness we know a cheap mechanic because the dealership wanted $400. The car had to be repaired so Anthony could go to work.
The washer was leaking and barely getting by but it finally gave out, we received a monstrous phone bill and then I saw the EOB for Kassi's week hospitalization. Needless to say, I was feeling quite stressed.
Anthony called RC Willey to see if we still had a warranty on the washer - of course it had expired. The good news was that we still had a warranty on our fridge. Our ice maker has been broken for several months and we figured it was too expensive to fix, so we did without. Well, our ice maker was fixed - we needed a new one, with no cost to us. It is really nice to have ice again, especially in the summer heat. Anyhow, I got sidetracked, back to the real story.
My mom called some Washer Repair Men to see how much it would cost to get the washer fixed. Just for the service call, it was $79. My mom described what was going on with the washer, and one repair man said it sounded like the pump. He said it would be $250 for the parts and labor besides the $79 service call. He recommended that we go buy a new washer.
My mom called me at work to tell me the news. It was like the final blow. A washing machine is a necessity, especially when you have children. I have washed my clothes by hand - once on my mission in Chile. It is a lot of work! It takes a lot of time! It is not fun and the clothes do not come as clean as a washing machine gets them with very little effort.
A couple hours later, my mom called me again. She said, "You won't believe what happened?" Apparently, one of the washer repair men had called back to the house. He said he was outside our home and wanted to look at the washer. My mother told him that we didn't have $ to pay him. He said that she would have to shoot him to get him not to work on the washer. This man (an angel sent from God) proceeded to work on my washer for 2 1/2 hours. He refused to give my mother his name and he refused payment. He said he felt like he was suppose to come to our home and help us.
I was stunned! I called Anthony and he was stunned! Just when we were feeling really discouraged and abandoned, Heavenly Father, through another person, let us know he was aware of what was going on with us. This strengthened my testimony to know we are not alone. I am so grateful that this man was in tune to listen to the spirit and then follow the prompting. I want to be this type of person.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
It is a M&M Day
I love peanut m&ms! They are my favorite. I have been trying not to eat them often because they make my hips bigger. Yesterday, I found a Wal-mart bag with 3 small bags of m&ms in it. They were the $1 size packages. I was able to resist the m&ms yesterday - no problem. I put them away for safe keeping.
Today, was an m&m day like no other. Blake ran away not once, not twice but FIVE times! One run away was jumping out of the van as I was backing up. The last run away was into the neighbor's house. He never knocks, he just lets himself in. I guess I should be grateful that he wasn't naked on any of his runaways today.
I was able to resist the m&ms until the 5th time. I put Blake in his room for timeout. He looked right into my eyes (which is rare) and smiled from ear to ear. He was pretty proud of himself. I had to put him timeout so I wouldn't hurt him. Then I marched directly to my hiding spot. As I type, I am indulging in my peanut m&ms and savoring every bite.
Now, I know I am an emotional eater. I also know I am going to have to subtract two points from my total healthy living challenge that I have been working on, yet none of that matters right now. I have to keep my sanity. Pure heaven would be a bubble bath and eating the peanut m&ms but the dang bubble baths tend to give me urinary track infections. (There are very few things worse than an urinary track infection.) So, I will console myself with my peanut m&ms.
God please give me the strength and patience to deal with this severley autistic son of mine.
Today, was an m&m day like no other. Blake ran away not once, not twice but FIVE times! One run away was jumping out of the van as I was backing up. The last run away was into the neighbor's house. He never knocks, he just lets himself in. I guess I should be grateful that he wasn't naked on any of his runaways today.
I was able to resist the m&ms until the 5th time. I put Blake in his room for timeout. He looked right into my eyes (which is rare) and smiled from ear to ear. He was pretty proud of himself. I had to put him timeout so I wouldn't hurt him. Then I marched directly to my hiding spot. As I type, I am indulging in my peanut m&ms and savoring every bite.
Now, I know I am an emotional eater. I also know I am going to have to subtract two points from my total healthy living challenge that I have been working on, yet none of that matters right now. I have to keep my sanity. Pure heaven would be a bubble bath and eating the peanut m&ms but the dang bubble baths tend to give me urinary track infections. (There are very few things worse than an urinary track infection.) So, I will console myself with my peanut m&ms.
God please give me the strength and patience to deal with this severley autistic son of mine.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Our Life
Our life has been crazy lately. I wanted to give a quick update so I don't forgot what is going on.
Anthony got a new job last summer. He likes his job but it has been quite the learning curve. He is beginning to feel more confident and not so anxious, which is good. I am grateful that he has a job and is willing to work so hard for our family - especially in these hard economic times. Anthony is still serving as the Elders Quorum President. He loves his calling, he is good with people, so it works out well.
I am still working part-time at discover. I work with the Activity Day Girls at church - which I love. I have been struggling with my hypoglycemia - mainly passing out. It was been a real struggle, first figuring out what was wrong with me - I had to wear a heart monitor for 3 weeks, have all kinds of tests and blood work done, etc. Anthony and the two older kids have learned how to monitor my blood sugar and get me juice when it goes to low - it usually ends up around 26 or 27. Still trying to learn how to eat to avoid this.
Zach is a junior. I can't believe that he will be 17 years old next week. He attends Paradigm High School which is a Charter School. It has has about 500 students in 9th - 12th grade. This is a much better setting for Zach as he struggles in big crowds. He is a part of the Salt Lake Explorer Program which are youth 14-19 years old that work with a police detective once a week - on Tuesday nights. The class is 6-8 pm. They learn all about police work, traffic control, the K-9 Unit, the DEA, etc. Zach loves it - he gets to wear a uniform, which he absolutely just loves. Zach wants to be a police officer so we make the drive to downtown Salt Lake each week for him to attend his meeting. Zach was able to do Traffic Control at the April General Conference for the Saturday session. He worked right in front of the Conference Center. He also did traffic control for the Salt Lake Marathon last week. Police work is his passion, so we try to encourage him in this endeavor.
Zach gave us a scare a couple of weeks ago. He yelled in a terrified voice at 6 am, "Mom, I can't move." What he meant was that he couldn't move his neck. He had torticollis, which is where is chin was resting on his shoulder, his neck bent over to the side. It was scary but with daily appointments for a week at the Chiropractor where adjustments and therapy were performed, he is back to normal.
Kassi is 15 years old and a freshman. Kassi had an unfortunate situation at school where a boy continually inappropriately slapped her on the butt. She asked him several times to stop but he just did it more. She told a teacher who advised her to report it to the office. The school suspended the boy. This caused all kinds of backlash for Kassi at school, on FB and even our home was toliet papered. It was so hard to watch her go through this. She would call from school crying asking me to pick her up. It is a shame that she did the right thing and then she was verbally tormented for it. It really shook her to the core and affected her self-esteem. Thank goodness things have calmed down.
Kassi tried out for the Dance Company at Copper Hills. She has only had one dance class for about a year when she was younger. She did her best and got 4 call back but didn't make the team. I was so proud of her for giving it her best. She was competing against girls that have been dancing since they were three years old. She took the news well and said she was glad that at least she tried.
Kaeden is in 3rd grade and is 9 years old. Kaeden really gave us a scare these last 3 months. I have taken him to the Dr. six times. He had strep throat, bronchitis, gastritis and then a terrible, hacking cough. I was really starting to think something was really wrong with him. He missed 3 weeks of school. The cough just would not go away. Finally, the Dr. suggested we give him Zurtec. Within 48 hours his cough was gone. I am so grateful that he is back to himself.
Kaeden loves legos. He loves building them and displaying them. He is so cute about it. He loves to go surf the internet to look for legos or go to the store and look at legos. He is out lego maniac.
Blake will be 8 years old next month. He is in 2nd grade at Carmen B. Pingree School for Children With Autism. He has been doing real well. He shocked me a couple months ago by typing the alphabet out on the lab top. I had no idea he knew his alphabet. He did it three times! I looked at him and said, "We don't give you enough credit for what you know, do we?" He just grinned at me. He has been signing mom and dad. It just melts my heart every time I seem him do that. Blake is doing so much better with eating. He has a lot of sensory issues - he won't eat any fruits or vegetables. He will eat orange ice cubes. He loves when I juice the oranges. It is all texture issues. His new love, which shocked me is hummus. That is pretty nutritional.
Anthony got a new job last summer. He likes his job but it has been quite the learning curve. He is beginning to feel more confident and not so anxious, which is good. I am grateful that he has a job and is willing to work so hard for our family - especially in these hard economic times. Anthony is still serving as the Elders Quorum President. He loves his calling, he is good with people, so it works out well.
I am still working part-time at discover. I work with the Activity Day Girls at church - which I love. I have been struggling with my hypoglycemia - mainly passing out. It was been a real struggle, first figuring out what was wrong with me - I had to wear a heart monitor for 3 weeks, have all kinds of tests and blood work done, etc. Anthony and the two older kids have learned how to monitor my blood sugar and get me juice when it goes to low - it usually ends up around 26 or 27. Still trying to learn how to eat to avoid this.
Zach is a junior. I can't believe that he will be 17 years old next week. He attends Paradigm High School which is a Charter School. It has has about 500 students in 9th - 12th grade. This is a much better setting for Zach as he struggles in big crowds. He is a part of the Salt Lake Explorer Program which are youth 14-19 years old that work with a police detective once a week - on Tuesday nights. The class is 6-8 pm. They learn all about police work, traffic control, the K-9 Unit, the DEA, etc. Zach loves it - he gets to wear a uniform, which he absolutely just loves. Zach wants to be a police officer so we make the drive to downtown Salt Lake each week for him to attend his meeting. Zach was able to do Traffic Control at the April General Conference for the Saturday session. He worked right in front of the Conference Center. He also did traffic control for the Salt Lake Marathon last week. Police work is his passion, so we try to encourage him in this endeavor.
Zach gave us a scare a couple of weeks ago. He yelled in a terrified voice at 6 am, "Mom, I can't move." What he meant was that he couldn't move his neck. He had torticollis, which is where is chin was resting on his shoulder, his neck bent over to the side. It was scary but with daily appointments for a week at the Chiropractor where adjustments and therapy were performed, he is back to normal.
Kassi is 15 years old and a freshman. Kassi had an unfortunate situation at school where a boy continually inappropriately slapped her on the butt. She asked him several times to stop but he just did it more. She told a teacher who advised her to report it to the office. The school suspended the boy. This caused all kinds of backlash for Kassi at school, on FB and even our home was toliet papered. It was so hard to watch her go through this. She would call from school crying asking me to pick her up. It is a shame that she did the right thing and then she was verbally tormented for it. It really shook her to the core and affected her self-esteem. Thank goodness things have calmed down.
Kassi tried out for the Dance Company at Copper Hills. She has only had one dance class for about a year when she was younger. She did her best and got 4 call back but didn't make the team. I was so proud of her for giving it her best. She was competing against girls that have been dancing since they were three years old. She took the news well and said she was glad that at least she tried.
Kaeden is in 3rd grade and is 9 years old. Kaeden really gave us a scare these last 3 months. I have taken him to the Dr. six times. He had strep throat, bronchitis, gastritis and then a terrible, hacking cough. I was really starting to think something was really wrong with him. He missed 3 weeks of school. The cough just would not go away. Finally, the Dr. suggested we give him Zurtec. Within 48 hours his cough was gone. I am so grateful that he is back to himself.
Kaeden loves legos. He loves building them and displaying them. He is so cute about it. He loves to go surf the internet to look for legos or go to the store and look at legos. He is out lego maniac.
Blake will be 8 years old next month. He is in 2nd grade at Carmen B. Pingree School for Children With Autism. He has been doing real well. He shocked me a couple months ago by typing the alphabet out on the lab top. I had no idea he knew his alphabet. He did it three times! I looked at him and said, "We don't give you enough credit for what you know, do we?" He just grinned at me. He has been signing mom and dad. It just melts my heart every time I seem him do that. Blake is doing so much better with eating. He has a lot of sensory issues - he won't eat any fruits or vegetables. He will eat orange ice cubes. He loves when I juice the oranges. It is all texture issues. His new love, which shocked me is hummus. That is pretty nutritional.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Carl Block Exhibit
The 2n Saturday of each month is CTA day from 9:00 pm - 3:00 pm. Blake goes to CTA and we have a fun family day. I really like to do things as a family that are difficult to do when Blake is with us. We go to the movies, gone to Snowbird, shopping at the mall, bowling, eating at restaurants, 25th Street in Ogden, etc. I really try to plan fun activities.
(It has taken me a long time to realize it is okay to do these family activities without Blake. Anthony tried to convince me of this for a long time.) Blake loves the CTA. The CTA is a place that cares for severely autistic kids and takes them out in the public. Blake often runs inside the CTA building because he is so excited to be there. Blake has a lot of sensory issues because of his autism and he is not able to do many of our Saturday activities and enjoy them. At the same time, I don't want my other kids to miss out on these activities.)
For January, we went to the Carl Bloch Art Exhibit at BYU. Carl Block was a painter from Denmark. Many of his paintings are religious and used in church buildings and in church manuals. We all loved the exhibit! We rented a couple IPADs so we could listen to the additional information. We spent 2 1/2 hours there. The time flew by and it didn't seem like we were there that long. This is something that Blake definately would not have enjoyed nor been able to handle.
After the exhibit, we went to eat at Sensuous Sandwiches (a favorite college hangout) and for dessert we went to Earth Fruits Yogurt. They have all different type of frozen yogurt with toppings galore. We were introduced to popping bobas. Kassi and I feel in love with them.It is a little translucent gummy ball with flavored fruit juice (mango, strawberry, orange, etc.) in the center. When you bite it, it pops and oozes in your mouth. It is like a gusher on steroids but so much better! I really liked the mango flavor. Apparently it is a new trend.
All in all, we had a great day! I hope the kids remember all the fun times we have had as a family. I know our life is hard with Blake and his severe disability. Blake has so many needs and we spend a lot of time and energy trying to help him. I hope my kids realize how much I love them and how I enjoy our 2nd Saturdays each month.
(It has taken me a long time to realize it is okay to do these family activities without Blake. Anthony tried to convince me of this for a long time.) Blake loves the CTA. The CTA is a place that cares for severely autistic kids and takes them out in the public. Blake often runs inside the CTA building because he is so excited to be there. Blake has a lot of sensory issues because of his autism and he is not able to do many of our Saturday activities and enjoy them. At the same time, I don't want my other kids to miss out on these activities.)
For January, we went to the Carl Bloch Art Exhibit at BYU. Carl Block was a painter from Denmark. Many of his paintings are religious and used in church buildings and in church manuals. We all loved the exhibit! We rented a couple IPADs so we could listen to the additional information. We spent 2 1/2 hours there. The time flew by and it didn't seem like we were there that long. This is something that Blake definately would not have enjoyed nor been able to handle.
After the exhibit, we went to eat at Sensuous Sandwiches (a favorite college hangout) and for dessert we went to Earth Fruits Yogurt. They have all different type of frozen yogurt with toppings galore. We were introduced to popping bobas. Kassi and I feel in love with them.It is a little translucent gummy ball with flavored fruit juice (mango, strawberry, orange, etc.) in the center. When you bite it, it pops and oozes in your mouth. It is like a gusher on steroids but so much better! I really liked the mango flavor. Apparently it is a new trend.
All in all, we had a great day! I hope the kids remember all the fun times we have had as a family. I know our life is hard with Blake and his severe disability. Blake has so many needs and we spend a lot of time and energy trying to help him. I hope my kids realize how much I love them and how I enjoy our 2nd Saturdays each month.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Adios Heart Monitor, Hello Hypoglycemia
Since November, I have been struggling with passing out. It's not fun, especially when it is in public like at Sam's Club or work. After the first instance at Sam's Club, the paramedics insisted I see a Dr. I am cheap, so I went to a Insta Care. They sent me to the hospital for additional tests. They had the nerve to send me a letter in the mail telling me I had a virus. I hate when a Dr. says the word virus. This makes me think that I just flushed my money down the toliet.
I thought the fainting would be a one time instance but that was not to be. On the bright side, I can recognize I am on the verge of passing out. I feel sick to my stomach, my hearts beats fast, I have a headache, everything begins to spin around me and a cold sweat develops on my face.
After fainting at work, Anthony called the Faint Clinic. They didn't accept out insurance but he found out the Doctors there were cardiologists. Anthony made an appointment for me to see a cardiologist. The Dr. was very concerned about my fainting episodes, especially since they could happen when I was sitting or laying down. There are 4 heart reasons a person faints. The Dr. did an EKG, a ultrasound of my heart and the dreaded stress test. The stress test was horrible. It didn't help that Anthony, the Dr. and his assistant and the nurse stood and watched me. I admit I am out of shape. I had no idea when I went to this appointment that I would be running on a treadmill that at different intervals would make steeper inclines all while an audience watched. If I had known that, I probably would have canceled the appointment.
The Dr. sent me home with a heart monitor. It attached with adhesives in four different areas of my torso. Just my luck, I had an allergic reaction to the adhesives. Think 4 large red, raw circles on my body that looked like bite marks. Not pretty. I was able to get hypo allergenic adhesives which where a little better but not much. I had to wear the heart monitor 24/7 for 2 1/2 weeks. Talk about a miserable experience. The idea was I was suppose to have a fainting experience while wearing the heart monitor so I could press the distress button and the doctor could figure out what was going on.
Finally, late on a Saturday night, I had an episode. Anthony was quick enough to think to take my blood sugar. (He is a diabetic so he has a monitor.) He was also quick enough to press the distress button on my monitor because I was to out of it. My blood sugar was at a 26 and then a 27. (Anthony tested it twice because the reading was so low.)
Long story short, I don't have heart problems. My heart is very healthy. I was so happy to send my heart monitor back to Life Works yesterday. I have hypoglycemia. Apparently, if your blood sugar goes below a 50, you could go into a coma. Nice. Now I am learning how to control it. Eat small meals every couple hours, eat a lot of protein and when I feel like I am going to pass out, eat or drink sugar.(Hard candy or juice.)
How ironic is this - Anthony has high blood sugar and I have low blood sugar.
I thought the fainting would be a one time instance but that was not to be. On the bright side, I can recognize I am on the verge of passing out. I feel sick to my stomach, my hearts beats fast, I have a headache, everything begins to spin around me and a cold sweat develops on my face.
After fainting at work, Anthony called the Faint Clinic. They didn't accept out insurance but he found out the Doctors there were cardiologists. Anthony made an appointment for me to see a cardiologist. The Dr. was very concerned about my fainting episodes, especially since they could happen when I was sitting or laying down. There are 4 heart reasons a person faints. The Dr. did an EKG, a ultrasound of my heart and the dreaded stress test. The stress test was horrible. It didn't help that Anthony, the Dr. and his assistant and the nurse stood and watched me. I admit I am out of shape. I had no idea when I went to this appointment that I would be running on a treadmill that at different intervals would make steeper inclines all while an audience watched. If I had known that, I probably would have canceled the appointment.
The Dr. sent me home with a heart monitor. It attached with adhesives in four different areas of my torso. Just my luck, I had an allergic reaction to the adhesives. Think 4 large red, raw circles on my body that looked like bite marks. Not pretty. I was able to get hypo allergenic adhesives which where a little better but not much. I had to wear the heart monitor 24/7 for 2 1/2 weeks. Talk about a miserable experience. The idea was I was suppose to have a fainting experience while wearing the heart monitor so I could press the distress button and the doctor could figure out what was going on.
Finally, late on a Saturday night, I had an episode. Anthony was quick enough to think to take my blood sugar. (He is a diabetic so he has a monitor.) He was also quick enough to press the distress button on my monitor because I was to out of it. My blood sugar was at a 26 and then a 27. (Anthony tested it twice because the reading was so low.)
Long story short, I don't have heart problems. My heart is very healthy. I was so happy to send my heart monitor back to Life Works yesterday. I have hypoglycemia. Apparently, if your blood sugar goes below a 50, you could go into a coma. Nice. Now I am learning how to control it. Eat small meals every couple hours, eat a lot of protein and when I feel like I am going to pass out, eat or drink sugar.(Hard candy or juice.)
How ironic is this - Anthony has high blood sugar and I have low blood sugar.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
A New Year
I know it has been a couple months since I have written on my blog. I have thought about it several times, I just haven't done it. I guess I should make it one of my New Years Resolutions. The problem is I have too many things I need to work on and not enough time to do it.
Things have been a little stressful since I last wrote. I often wonder why life has to be so hard. I believe that God knows what we need and he doesn't test us more than we can bare. With that said, what God thinks I can handle and what I think I can handle are two totally different things.
I have been having some fainting episodes. Sam's Club, at work and at home. The Sam's Club episode was the worst. Here is what happened.
I had been battling a bladder infection for the last week and a half. I just couldn't seem to get rid of it. I had been on two different antibiotics but it wouldn't go away. I had been feeling really run down. Friday afternoon, I wasn't feeling well but I thought I would just pick up a couple things from Sam's Club. The store was mobbed. As I was waiting in line, my ears started ringing and everything was muffled. Then I became dizzy. I didn't want to leave without my groceries, so I remained in line. As I was about to pay, I told the cashier that I felt like I was going to faint. Apparently, I fainted and he caught me. Thank goodness I didn't hit my head on the cement floor. I woke up to a bunch of strangers starring down at me. Each leg was elevated with a gallon of milk (that was leaking) and my head laid on top of a roll of garbage bags. It was quite surreal and extremely embarrassing! The paramedics wouldn't let me drive home, so I had to wait for my mom. (My mom was the closest to Sam's at the time. I didn't want to wait until Anthony's got there - his job is too far away.) I felt like fainting for a second time when I heard the Sam's manager tell 911 that I was in my late 40's. (Thanks a lot!) The paramedic joked that I must have passed out because I only spent $18 instead of the normal $100 at Sam's.) The paramedics insisted that I go to the hospital. I went to the Insta Care because my mother forced me to go somewhere and because I am cheap. That was my first mistake. They did all kinds of tests and then even sent me to Riverton Hopsital for more tests. The doctor called me at home a couple times. (Usually the nurse calls unless the doctor is very concerned. That is what they told me.) After all that, I receive a letter in the mail stating my fainting was due to a virus. I thought it sounded stupid and I was annoyed I had to pay 20% copay for hospital tests for a virus. I figured fainting was a one time thing and although very inconvenient and embarrassing, my fainting days were over. How I wish that was true.
I scared Anthony by fainting in the Computer Room. I thought I was just overdoing getting things ready for Christmas. I have a tendency to push myself, so I thought that was all it was.
The Sunday before Christmas, Anthony had an opportunity to go to Colorado to see his 99 year old Grandma Bruton who he hasn't seen in over 12 years. We decided he would take the older 3 kids and I would stay behind with Blake. It was one day trip and with over 9 hours driving time and then a new environment with a lot of people, we knew Blake wouldn't do well. I didn't want to do all the driving and then sit with Blake in the van because he wasn't behaving well. Long story short, Anthony had a great trip. e met up with his brother Lowell and his family and had a great visit. The kids met their great grandma and Anthony's biological dad, (Who was on very good behavior) a great aunt and a second cousin. They were also able to see Anthony's niece Ashley and her family in Grand Junction on the way home.
Blake did great for me. We went to Church, had Shellie's kids over for lunch and made gingerbread cookies. I took Shellie's kids home and decided to make bread sticks for Blake. I turned off the Bosch mixer and put my right hand in the bowl to push down the dough and pull out the metal dough hook. At that precise moment, Blake decided to turn the mixer on. I can't describe the pain, it was so horrible. I ended up with a sprained wrist, sprained hand and fingers, torn ligament, a cut and a bruised hand. Blake picked a bad time to imitate. I know he didn't do it on purpose. When it happened, I yelled his name. He ran to his bedroom crying. I felt bad about that. Thank goodness my sister Traci lives close by. She came right over. By that time my body was shaking all over - the Dr. said I was in shock. My mom watched Blake while Traci took me to the Insta Care.
On the bright side, I got out of wrapping all the Christmas presents this year. Traci and Anthony took care of it. (That is not one of my favorite things to do.) I missed work for almost two weeks because I couldn't type. I am right handed, so it was real drag. You don't realize how much you use your hand until you can't use it.
My first day back to work, I was still in pain but I was working through it. I was at my desk typing when out of now where, I started a cold sweat. Everything starts spinning around me and my ears get muffled. I tried to put my head down to stop the spinning - it didn't work.
Wouldn't you know I would have a dang fainting episode at my desk, face down on the floor. They sent dumb and dumber to help me. The guy that sits next to me said that it was a good thing I didn't have anything life threatening because I probably wouldn't have made it. It took six times for them to try to take my blood pressure because they couldn't find my pulse. My pulse sitting up was lower than my pulse laying down, so they were concerned. I was thinking, I don't think any of your numbers are accurate, so I'm not too worried. It took three times to test my blood sugar. The batteries were dead in the first machine, the 2nd machine wouldn't work. Finally, someone ran to find batteries for the first machine. The EMT poke my finger so hard, my blood went squirting a long ways. I have a knack for having bad experiences. The poor guy at work that sits next to me has been traumatized. All I did was sigh the other day and he turns around and asked me if I was going to faint again. He wanted to be prepared this time.
I heard about a Faint Clinic in Salt Lake. They didn't take my insurance but I found out their doctors are heart doctors. I went to a heart doctor last Thursday. He said there are 4 reasons related to the heart that a person faints. He did some tests. (The stress test about killed me, it didn't help that the Dr., his graduate student, the nurse and Anthony watched as I about killed myself on the treadmill.) Talk about embarrassing! The Dr. ruled out a blockage. He thinks it may be arythmia. (This is where the heart skips a beat.) He banned me from driving for the next 2 weeks until he figures out what is wrong. (This is literally killing me. I am very independent. I have to be driven to work and be picked up, I have 3 carpools I had to ask people to help me out. It's been a nightmare!!!!) I am hooked up to a heart monitor for 24/7 until I go back to the doctor. I ended up having an allergic reaction to the adhesive on the heart monitor (It has 5 lines you have to stick to your body.) The adhesive left welts that have now popped are are oozing with yellow junk. It looks like someone bit me all over my torso area. They are sending me some hyper-allergenic adhesives I should be getting them tomorrow. I hope this works. The dumb monitor goes off constantly, I have to be plugged into the wall by the monitor all night and 2-3 hours a day. It has really hampered my life style. Anthony said we should pray that I faint so I don't have to go the full two weeks with the heart monitor. I told him he could pray but he had to pray that I would faint at home and not in public. The public fainting is really getting old.
I just hope the doctor finds something, we can fix it and be done. I will scream if I get a letter in the mail for a second time telling me that my fainting is due to a virus. The heart test is also stressful because my insurance will only pay for the test for the first 24 hours. Anything after that is not paid for. Now I am doing an appeal with the insurance company because the Dr. said I need it for the whole two weeks and Anthony said we were doing it whether the insurance pays or not. I am just praying I don't get some huge atrocious bill. The dumb heart monitor has 5 lines, a cell phone and a pager like device already cost $1300. They sure think a lot of their annoying device that constantly beeps. We finally called the company to find out how to lower the volume because it is embarrassing to go somewhere beeping every minute or two. Everyone is looking around to see where the beeping noise is coming from.
I know this too will pass, I just hope it passes sooner rather than later. I feel like we have enough on our plate with two disabled children and then with Kassi's medical issues. Apparently, the Lord thinks we can handle more. I pray for strength to endure and to keep my sanity through it all.
Things have been a little stressful since I last wrote. I often wonder why life has to be so hard. I believe that God knows what we need and he doesn't test us more than we can bare. With that said, what God thinks I can handle and what I think I can handle are two totally different things.
I have been having some fainting episodes. Sam's Club, at work and at home. The Sam's Club episode was the worst. Here is what happened.
I had been battling a bladder infection for the last week and a half. I just couldn't seem to get rid of it. I had been on two different antibiotics but it wouldn't go away. I had been feeling really run down. Friday afternoon, I wasn't feeling well but I thought I would just pick up a couple things from Sam's Club. The store was mobbed. As I was waiting in line, my ears started ringing and everything was muffled. Then I became dizzy. I didn't want to leave without my groceries, so I remained in line. As I was about to pay, I told the cashier that I felt like I was going to faint. Apparently, I fainted and he caught me. Thank goodness I didn't hit my head on the cement floor. I woke up to a bunch of strangers starring down at me. Each leg was elevated with a gallon of milk (that was leaking) and my head laid on top of a roll of garbage bags. It was quite surreal and extremely embarrassing! The paramedics wouldn't let me drive home, so I had to wait for my mom. (My mom was the closest to Sam's at the time. I didn't want to wait until Anthony's got there - his job is too far away.) I felt like fainting for a second time when I heard the Sam's manager tell 911 that I was in my late 40's. (Thanks a lot!) The paramedic joked that I must have passed out because I only spent $18 instead of the normal $100 at Sam's.) The paramedics insisted that I go to the hospital. I went to the Insta Care because my mother forced me to go somewhere and because I am cheap. That was my first mistake. They did all kinds of tests and then even sent me to Riverton Hopsital for more tests. The doctor called me at home a couple times. (Usually the nurse calls unless the doctor is very concerned. That is what they told me.) After all that, I receive a letter in the mail stating my fainting was due to a virus. I thought it sounded stupid and I was annoyed I had to pay 20% copay for hospital tests for a virus. I figured fainting was a one time thing and although very inconvenient and embarrassing, my fainting days were over. How I wish that was true.
I scared Anthony by fainting in the Computer Room. I thought I was just overdoing getting things ready for Christmas. I have a tendency to push myself, so I thought that was all it was.
The Sunday before Christmas, Anthony had an opportunity to go to Colorado to see his 99 year old Grandma Bruton who he hasn't seen in over 12 years. We decided he would take the older 3 kids and I would stay behind with Blake. It was one day trip and with over 9 hours driving time and then a new environment with a lot of people, we knew Blake wouldn't do well. I didn't want to do all the driving and then sit with Blake in the van because he wasn't behaving well. Long story short, Anthony had a great trip. e met up with his brother Lowell and his family and had a great visit. The kids met their great grandma and Anthony's biological dad, (Who was on very good behavior) a great aunt and a second cousin. They were also able to see Anthony's niece Ashley and her family in Grand Junction on the way home.
Blake did great for me. We went to Church, had Shellie's kids over for lunch and made gingerbread cookies. I took Shellie's kids home and decided to make bread sticks for Blake. I turned off the Bosch mixer and put my right hand in the bowl to push down the dough and pull out the metal dough hook. At that precise moment, Blake decided to turn the mixer on. I can't describe the pain, it was so horrible. I ended up with a sprained wrist, sprained hand and fingers, torn ligament, a cut and a bruised hand. Blake picked a bad time to imitate. I know he didn't do it on purpose. When it happened, I yelled his name. He ran to his bedroom crying. I felt bad about that. Thank goodness my sister Traci lives close by. She came right over. By that time my body was shaking all over - the Dr. said I was in shock. My mom watched Blake while Traci took me to the Insta Care.
On the bright side, I got out of wrapping all the Christmas presents this year. Traci and Anthony took care of it. (That is not one of my favorite things to do.) I missed work for almost two weeks because I couldn't type. I am right handed, so it was real drag. You don't realize how much you use your hand until you can't use it.
My first day back to work, I was still in pain but I was working through it. I was at my desk typing when out of now where, I started a cold sweat. Everything starts spinning around me and my ears get muffled. I tried to put my head down to stop the spinning - it didn't work.
Wouldn't you know I would have a dang fainting episode at my desk, face down on the floor. They sent dumb and dumber to help me. The guy that sits next to me said that it was a good thing I didn't have anything life threatening because I probably wouldn't have made it. It took six times for them to try to take my blood pressure because they couldn't find my pulse. My pulse sitting up was lower than my pulse laying down, so they were concerned. I was thinking, I don't think any of your numbers are accurate, so I'm not too worried. It took three times to test my blood sugar. The batteries were dead in the first machine, the 2nd machine wouldn't work. Finally, someone ran to find batteries for the first machine. The EMT poke my finger so hard, my blood went squirting a long ways. I have a knack for having bad experiences. The poor guy at work that sits next to me has been traumatized. All I did was sigh the other day and he turns around and asked me if I was going to faint again. He wanted to be prepared this time.
I heard about a Faint Clinic in Salt Lake. They didn't take my insurance but I found out their doctors are heart doctors. I went to a heart doctor last Thursday. He said there are 4 reasons related to the heart that a person faints. He did some tests. (The stress test about killed me, it didn't help that the Dr., his graduate student, the nurse and Anthony watched as I about killed myself on the treadmill.) Talk about embarrassing! The Dr. ruled out a blockage. He thinks it may be arythmia. (This is where the heart skips a beat.) He banned me from driving for the next 2 weeks until he figures out what is wrong. (This is literally killing me. I am very independent. I have to be driven to work and be picked up, I have 3 carpools I had to ask people to help me out. It's been a nightmare!!!!) I am hooked up to a heart monitor for 24/7 until I go back to the doctor. I ended up having an allergic reaction to the adhesive on the heart monitor (It has 5 lines you have to stick to your body.) The adhesive left welts that have now popped are are oozing with yellow junk. It looks like someone bit me all over my torso area. They are sending me some hyper-allergenic adhesives I should be getting them tomorrow. I hope this works. The dumb monitor goes off constantly, I have to be plugged into the wall by the monitor all night and 2-3 hours a day. It has really hampered my life style. Anthony said we should pray that I faint so I don't have to go the full two weeks with the heart monitor. I told him he could pray but he had to pray that I would faint at home and not in public. The public fainting is really getting old.
I just hope the doctor finds something, we can fix it and be done. I will scream if I get a letter in the mail for a second time telling me that my fainting is due to a virus. The heart test is also stressful because my insurance will only pay for the test for the first 24 hours. Anything after that is not paid for. Now I am doing an appeal with the insurance company because the Dr. said I need it for the whole two weeks and Anthony said we were doing it whether the insurance pays or not. I am just praying I don't get some huge atrocious bill. The dumb heart monitor has 5 lines, a cell phone and a pager like device already cost $1300. They sure think a lot of their annoying device that constantly beeps. We finally called the company to find out how to lower the volume because it is embarrassing to go somewhere beeping every minute or two. Everyone is looking around to see where the beeping noise is coming from.
I know this too will pass, I just hope it passes sooner rather than later. I feel like we have enough on our plate with two disabled children and then with Kassi's medical issues. Apparently, the Lord thinks we can handle more. I pray for strength to endure and to keep my sanity through it all.
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