I'm not a doctor, but I'm getting pretty good at using Web MD

So. The cardiologist's office called yesterday with the results from my Holter monitor.

"Your results were within normal limits."

Normal? You call losing my breath while sitting down doing nothing normal?

I was pretty upset after I hung up the phone. I felt like I'd wasted two days of my time and no-telling-how-much money, and every test I took seems to have come back as "normal."

I have a follow up appointment in about two weeks, so maybe I'll get more answers then. I sure as heck am going to ask more questions!

Looks like I need to fire up Web MD.

An update, of sorts

I don't have much new information on my heart, just yet. Jason dropped the monitor at the cardiologist's office last night, and it'll be a couple of days before I hear those results.

They did call today, and tell me that my thyroid is normal. I guess that's good news, except, don't we all kinda wish that our thyroid is to blame for things like weight gain and sluggishness, instead of our poor diets and lack of exercise?

Yeah, me too.

So thus far, all we know for sure is my thyroid is A-Ok. Hopefully the other results will be in sometime next week. My next face-to-face appointment is in two and a half weeks, and I'm really, REALLY hoping they won't wait that long to get back with me.

Thanks for the prayers!

How to: scare your kid

Just come home from the cardiologist's office with a bunch of wires hooked to you.

Yeah, that's what I did today.

I'm sorry I haven't gotten my Kroger Shakedowns from the past two weeks posted, but I've been dealing with a bit of a health issue over here.

I've had issues with my heart for years. In fact, before I was born, the doctor detected an irregular hearbeat. We've always chalked it up to my size (I was over nine pounds when I was born) and a stressful pregnancy (my mom was going to the city hospital because they were broke, and it was August in Memphis. 'Nuff said.)

When I was in college, right before I graduated, I ended up in the ER because of my heart rhythm. To be fair, I was 100 lbs. overweight, not taking care of myself AT ALL, eating a steady diet of junk, planning a wedding, and trying to finish school. Know what set off the episode? I opened my Visa bill from ordering my invitations.

Of course, that EKG came back perfectly normal.

Since I have lost weight, I haven't worried so much about my heart. I was still having the odd palpitation, but it really wasn't that serious - until last year.

For some reason, I was having episodes where I'd lay down at night to sleep, and my heart was pounding so hard I thought it would beat out of my chest. During the day, not only would my heart flutter, it would skip so many beats that it felt like it was turning flips trying to catch back up.

I almost fainted a couple of times walking around Walmart. And just sitting at my desk or in the car would bring a severe shortness of breath.

Since I didn't have insurance, I didn't feel like there was much I could do. I prayed. A lot. And it would get better. And then it would come back.

And then last year, I was able to buy insurance. The heart issues continued, but I'd visited an OBGYN who thought my uterus was tipped over and too big, and ordered an ultrasound. I figured I'd let myself get through one health crisis at a time, you know.

Well, my uterus is some sort of gymnast, because by golly, it's back where it needs to be. But my heart kept giving me problems.

So last week, after losing my breath while sitting at my desk, I asked a co-worker what cardiologist she used and made an appointment. I figured if my insurance didn't require a referral, it didn't make much sense to go to a general practitioner first, and waste that time and money just to end up at the specialist anyway.

So, Tuesday, I went. They performed an EKG, which showed my resting heart rate at over 100 bpm. Normal is under 80! I explained to the doctor that it felt like that at night when I was trying to sleep. He drew blood to check my thyroid, and scheduled me for a Holter Monitor and an echo cardiogram (basically an ultrasound of my heart - who knew?)

They were out of monitors yesterday, so I went back today. It was actually pretty cool to see my heart beating on that screen! The tech didn't say anything about what she saw, so I'm hoping it was normal.

Then, they put me into a monitor.

I've got five electrodes hooked to different parts of my body, and a small device the size of a cell phone on a lanyard around my neck. And I have to wear this contraption for 24 hours, meaning I not only have to sleep in it, but I also cannot shower tomorrow morning.

This ought to be fun.

I've been very open with Anna Marie about all of this, answering her questions about what happened at the doctor's office. But tonight, as I was putting her to bed, I could tell she was concerned about my condition.

So, we had a long talk. I told her that it was OK to admit she was concerned about me, and a little freaked out by all the wires stuck to me. I assured her that God was in control, and that no matter what happened, He would take care of all of us.

And then she asked me how much this visit was costing.

I explained about co-pays, and how I'd get a bill for part of the rest. From what I can gather, she was afraid that we wouldn't have the money to send her to camp this summer! I assured her that we had money set aside for camp, and that she didn't need to worry about that either.

I don't like sensing that she's upset. I want her to feel free to tell me how she feels, without worrying about whether those feelings are OK or not. I think she's just a little freaked out because she's never known me to go to doctors - I haven't had insurance since she was a baby.

Hopefully, this little experience will be good for the both of us. I will find out what's up with the old ticker, and Anna Marie will learn that she can talk to me about how she's feeling.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to try to get as much rest at this medical equipment will allow!

So, on Tuesday I knew…

What lies in the shadow of the statue.

On Wednesday, I knew…

not much else.

I don't know how many LOSTIES there are reading this, so all I'm going to say about this subject is that, while I did learn a few things from the premier, I was not as blown away by awesomeness as I was when I watched last season's finale.

I'm trusting that the writers know what they're doing. WE SHALL SEE.

•••

What I did know on Wednesday, though, was that I'd apparently only gotten three hours of sleep.

Someone asked me if it was caffeine, or maybe LOST, and someone else asked me if it was anxiety. Honestly, I don't know. It's just that sometimes, when I lie down to sleep, my heart starts to beat really, really hard - not fast, just HARD - and it keeps me from settling down and resting.

In retrospect, I think it was probably adrenalin. I had been going hard at it all day Tuesday. I had more to get done than I had time to do it, and miraculously, it got done.

Observe my schedule:

• Get Anna Marie off to school
• Find her a belt, because the pants she was wearing were too big and she forgot to grab one on the way out. I went back home and couldn't find one either, so, in the 15 minutes I had before I had to be back at the school to read to a couple of kindergarteners I help on Tuesdays I ran to Walmart, picked up a two-pack, and got to the school ON TIME.
• At the school, I had them summon Anna Marie to the office, and while she was putting on her belt she reminded me that I'd forgotten to give her any lunch money! "It's OK, mom, Ms. Sandy (her teacher) said she'd pay for it." Well, I had my checkbook, so I sent her back with her lunch funds for this month. Thanks, though, Ms. Sandy!
• Read to both of my kindergarteners
• Ran to the vet's office to pick up some Heartguard for the dogs
• Made it to work by 9 a.m.
• Wrote some stuff, answered some phone calls, sent/received some emails
• At lunch, I ran home to give the dogs their meds, and eat a bite myself
• Went to my favorite consignment shop to try and find Anna Marie a football team shirt to wear for our special service on Sunday (no luck)
• Drove across town to a sporting goods store, found her an Ole Miss shirt on clearance for $6
• Made it back to work ON TIME.
• Worked a few more hours, and went to a city board meeting which, miraculously, let out in time for me to get to my Women's Ministries meeting at church
• Drove half an hour to the town where the church is, grabbed a sandwich at Subway, and made it to the church (just about five minutes late)
• Spent about half an hour after the meeting, discussing my passion for saving money (and sanity) with coupons
• Drove home
• Hurriedly laid out my clothes for the next day, started a load of laundry, fixed my coffee pot up, and spent the next hour and a half watching LOST on the DVR.

Is there any wonder why I had trouble calming down after all that? My last cup of coffee had been around 4 p.m., and it was nearly 11 when I got to bed, but Amanda assures me that caffeine can stay in your system up to 12 hours.

I took two Benadryl last night to help my system calm down, and I did sleep better, but I'm still recovering from Tuesday.

If anyone has any suggestions as to what might be happening, I'd be glad to hear them!

De flu! De flu!

Am I the only one around here old enough to remember watching Fantasy Island on Saturday nights as a kid? And getting scared half-to-death?

No? Good.

Sigh. I'm typing this on the desktop, because it appears that Jason didn't bring the laptop in when he came home from work. And now he's gone, and I'm here at home, and I've just realized what he's getting for Father's Day this year - a more comfortable office chair.

If you follow me on Facebook - and really, that's probably the worst thing to happen to my actual blog in a very, very long time - you know that I'm mother to a sick little girl.

Except - she isn't acting sick! Well, she did on Monday. She came home from school and took a nap! And then I came home to find her all lethargic, lying in her "Hippo Chair" watching television. Complaining that her legs were achy. And I took her temperature, because only a fever could make her act that way.

Yup. Bring on the Advil.

Monday night before bed, she's fine. Tuesday morning, more fever.

(And then tears, when she hears that she had to miss school.)

I felt worse than she did yesterday, so much so that I fell asleep watching TV. I never do that. Never.

After a couple more rounds of fever-fighting Advil yesterday, she woke up this morning ready to go.

(And truthfully, so was I, because I had a special section to get done and it had to be done TODAY. And I hadn't started on it at all on Tuesday! Don't blame me - the run sheet, which tells me what ads are running, probably wasn't finished until yesterday anyway. But I digress.)

I took my fever-free daughter to school and hightailed it to work to get started, only to get a call from the assistant teacher about 9 a.m.

She's running a fever.

I went to pick her up, and I could tell she just wasn't feeling well. She had what my mother calls "weak eyes."

I took her to work with me, and then Jason let Amanda leave the auction and come back down to get her. By the time she arrived, we'd made the decision to take her to the doctor.

Amanda took her in, and miraculously, they were seen within a few minutes.

A flu test was administered. Did you know they can do that now - stick a Q-Tip in your nose and tell you if you've got the flu? Guess when you don't have health insurance, you're sort of out of the loop on these things. It came back positive, and the doctor (oddly enough, named Anna Mary) said that she must have a very strong immune system, because she looked pretty good for someone with the flu.

We're strong stock.

They were finished about lunch time, so I took the two AM's out to Subway for lunch. Amanda brought the little one back to my house, and I braved the wilds of Walmart for the Tamiflu that was prescribed.

(Did you know there's a run on the stuff right now? Isn't flu season supposed to be over? Walgreens was out, and Walmart only had enough to fill half the prescription!)

She has to miss the rest of the week of school. But she's acting like she isn't sick at all! She's eating fine, she's playing - the only way you'd know she was ill was to look at her eyes, or maybe at her flushed cheeks if she's running a fever.

So now, Jason went to choir practice, and I'm here with Anna Marie. Several miracles happened today - Amanda was able to watch Anna Marie; we caught the flu in the early stages, so we might not need antibiotics; I finished my special section; and Jason brought home dinner, so I didn't have to cook!

As sad as she is to be out of school, she did learn the magic that is getting your mom to check you out. She told Amanda while they were waiting at the doctor that she wished she had a phone, so she could call me every day to come get her.

She's gone from a H.A.T. (Here All the Time) kid to a truant, in one easy step.

I did at least call the school for today's work so she won't be swamped when she goes back. And she was thrilled. Thrilled! I have one funny kid.

I'm just praying that Jason's strong immune system, and my flu shot, hold up through this ordeal.

Someone saved my life tonight

Well, actually it was last night, but I was too tired to post this then.

It all started when I joined the gym yesterday morning. Of course, being in the middle of the work day, I didn't work out, I just paid my fee. I had to work late last night, but I'd decided that if I got finished at a decent time, I'd go by the gym. I had my clothes with me and a gym bag and everything!

My meeting was over by 5:45, so I figured that I could get in a half hour and still be home before too long.

Whoo boy - I did the recumbent bike, and my thighs really felt it! I had my iPod with me, but I never used it - the exercise machines all have little TVs, and I just plugged my earbuds into that.

(I don't know how accurate the on-board computer was, but it said I did 10 miles in that 30 minutes.)

I did a cool down, and headed a few doors down in the strip mall to Subway to pick up some dinner. It was there that my troubles began.

I was wearing a pair of the capri workout pants I'd found on clearance on Monday, along with a long-sleeved T-shirt with a short-sleeved shirt over it. I looked fierce!

I also, unfortunately, had my heavy wool coat on, because it was so cold outside. But inside that Subway it was roasting! And the line was really long, so I had to wait quite a while.

By the time I was ordering my Veggie Delight, I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. I was afraid I'd throw up right there - but that would've been preferable to how I began to feel.

First my head started "buzzing." That's the only way I know how to describe it. It was like when Anna Marie and I had been playing around with some massagers at Walgreens once, and she put it on my head - except much more intense. I tried putting my head down close to my knees, to see if that would help.

Obviously, it didn't, because then I started to lose my hearing! I literally felt like my ears were closing up. Not good!

The middle-aged woman who was making my sandwich asked if I was ok. She advised me to sit down, and asked if I'd like some water. I told her that would be nice, and that I thought I'd overheated at the gym.

I took off my coat, sat down, and the next thing I knew there she was with a bottle of Dasani she was pouring into a cup for me. She also poured cold water onto a napkin and rubbed my wrists, my forehead, and the back of my neck.

Immediately, I started to feel better. It was like my body temperature dropped all of a sudden. She (who happened to be black) bent down and whispered in my ear, "You know you white girls can't take getting overheated like that!"

She asked if there was anyone she needed to call, but I knew Jason was already in his PJs watching TV in bed, and that Anna Marie had already had her bath and was in hers too. I figured that if I was feeling better, there was no use in calling them.

After sitting there for about five more minutes, I got back up. The line had disappeared by then, and I finished my order and came home.

I thanked her profusely, and I have a good mind to call the owner (who is also an alderman in our town) what a great job she'd done. I don't know what might have happened if someone hadn't been around who knew what to do - because although I did, I wasn't functioning properly and couldn't have done it to myself.

She said she was teaching a class once and a boy got overheated, and that she remembered the directions the nurse had given her. What are the odds that she'd be working at the same time I needed that exact help? I dare say that the teenagers who normally staff that restaurant wouldn't have been as knowledgeable.

I went back to the gym this morning - I'm going to have to go early in the morning, before my family and my job need me - and I took some precautions. Short-sleeved shirt, bottle of water, etc. This was even worse than when I got overheated during the 5-Star races a couple of years ago.

I learned my lesson last night - and I never, ever want to have that experience again.

It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your blog is?

Ok, so it isn't 10 p.m. It's more like 12:30 p.m. local, and I'm feeling the need for a nap because of the Chinese food I had for lunch.

(Why do we think that one type of ethnic cuisine is more sleep-inducing than another? Think about it - we blame it on Chinese, Mexican, Italian - I think they're all to blame. I think we just like to sleep once we eat. I think we need to adopt the Latin American practice of shutting the town down for two hours midday, so we can all take naps. But I digress.)

Dude, the Sickness, it is trying to come on strong in the Turner household.

Friday night, Anna Marie had an "episode" in the car, and by "episode" I mean "throwing up all over herself, the seat, the car mat, and one of her Webkinz.

In the parking lot of Kroger.

She had been complaining that she wasn't feeling well, and she wouldn't eat her dinner, and then the next thing I knew, bam - there she goes.

And at home. All night long.

The poor dear slept with a towel under her, and a trash can beside her. Old school style!

She recovered by Saturday night - longest 24 hours OF.MY.LIFE. So, we went to church on Sunday and then to the most awesomely awesome Super Bowl party at the home of our friends Brooke and Ron.

As I said in the RSVP email, the Turners might not even know who is playing, but we love food, and we love our Small Group peeps, so we were there!

If you're on Facebook, I was tagged by our hostess Brooke in some photos from that night. Look it up!

Monday morning, I had a board meeting to cover and I called Jason when it was over to see if he was back from his trip to Memphis yet.

He wasn't. And he asked if I could pick Anna Marie up from school when the time came, because he planned to go to bed when he got home.

Uh oh.

He did just that, too - while I was home eating lunch, he came in and went straight to bed. He didn't get out for the rest of the night, except for a few minutes later that night when I was coming home from another meeting, and he was trying to get Anna Marie to bed.

He did go to work yesterday, but on my way to take Anna Marie to school, I felt - nauseous.

And then I felt achy.

And so I took some Pepto, drank a diet Sierra Mist, and went on in to work. Not because I didn't have a sick day to take off, but because I had too much to do at the office.

After a couple of hours at work, I couldn't take it anymore and went home. I tried to rest for a few hours, but the city was working on a gas pipe two doors down, and it was LOUD.

I just did the best I could.

I did feel better after the rest and some ibuprofen, but I still felt kind of run down the rest of the day.

Fingers crossed - we all three seem to be up on our feet today. I can only surmise that the flu shot my employer so graciously provided me with at the beginning of the winter has helped me avoid the worst of whatever is going around.

I sure hope we're all well because - dude. Tomorrow night. Winter Jam.

I've been looking forward to this for months, and nothin's gonna keep me from my TobyMac.

After all, I saw the second Lord of the Rings movie through a full-blown case of the flu. Surely I can muddle through this concert with a little fatigue, right?

Silence is golden . . . not!

I can't talk, y'all.

Now, for some folks (like, say, my husband) this might not be a big deal. But if you've ever met me in real life (or, read one of my blog posts) you'll agree - for me, it's a HUGE deal.

It started last week, when my sinuses started going haywire. And gradually, over a couple of days, my voice got worse and worse - until, on Saturday, it pretty much went kaput.

KAPUT!

I took Anna Marie to the circus, and no voice. (Yes, I have pictures, no, I haven't messed with them yet. Remember, patience.)

I went to church yesterday morning, and attempted to participate in Sunday School. No voice. I had to mouth the words to the praise and worship songs, because, again, no voice.

It was starting to come back a little, but then we went to small groups last night, and, although I tried my best to rest it, I just had to use what little voice was there. By the time we started home, guess what - no voice. Again.

It's just awful, y'all. I had to take Anna Marie to the doctor this morning for a checkup, and try to explain to the doctor how she was doing without the benefit of my voice. I'm off work today, but I dread going in tomorrow because I won't be able to rest my voice like I'd like.

(Maybe I'll take off tomorrow too, he he. Anna Marie is off, and I think she wants to go to the auction, but who's to say I don't deserve a bit of time alone?)

On the bright side, I am sipping a cup of mocha coffee, made in the new coffee maker which Jason bought me this morning. Half price at JC Penney's, y'all!

Now that my coffee future is secure once more, I can dedicate the time I'd spent trying to find a new machine to something more rewarding - like, say, RESTING MY VOICE.

(Sorry - that caps lock is the only way I can get any volume right now.)

Maybe this little detour from my normal gabby ways will teach me something about listening, or being still, or some such.

Or maybe I should just take up sign language.

I feel like I've been hit by a Mac truck

more animals

Right in the stomach.

I don't know what's come over me, but I woke up feeling really icky today.

(And no, I'm not pregnant, but thanks for asking.)

I had to take Anna Marie to work with me today, because they're having teacher meetings and I didn't want her to miss her dance class this afternoon by going to the auction. So, she stayed in my office for about 30 minutes while I went to a meeting, and then I made sure the magazine revisions were uploaded, and then we left.

And I still feel blech.

And she wants me to play Monopoly with her, but all I want to do is lay in bed.

And in about an hour and a half, I have to wrestle her into her tights and take her to dance.

And then I've got to have her at church by 6 p.m. to get ready for a special something-or-other that I found out about last night.

And she isn't taking my "tummy ache" excuse for a reason not to play the board game, so here I go.

Hopefully, I won't pass out from the blech at the dining room table.

I don't think I match the new tiny lampshades and curtains very well.

Traumatic

Oh.my.goodness.

That's the only word I can summon to describe today's experience at the doctor.

Traumatic.

No, they didn't do the blood test. My cousin, who turns out, works in that office (Hey, Cheree!) said it was too expensive and most insurance wouldn't cover it.

The staff was great - the doctor was great - it really wasn't their fault. The trauma is inherent in the procedure.

The first part of the visit was fine. We talked to the doctor. We talked to the nurses. They took a sample of her blood from her finger (to test her white blood cell count) and she did some breathing tests, to rule out asthma.

From the get-go, the doctor didn't think she has allergies. (I KNOW! CRAZY TALK!) He thought she was getting a virus during those times of the year. That scenario kinda made sense to me, since we'd had a virus-related problem when she was about six months old, and the pediatrician had said it was "that time of year" for the viruses.

Also, at the time, she was teething, and, of course, putting EVERYTHING in her mouth, so a virus was highly likely.

I like to think that, six years later, she isn't still shoving everything she comes across towards her gullet, but I do realize that viruses are out there, lurking.

Lurking. Like a latent blog-reader.

But anyway.

A bit later, Anna Marie was instructed to take off her shirt. She sat in my lap, with her head against my chest (aww!) as the nurse wrote "A,B,C,D" in four quadrants on her back. Then, she had four, eight-pronged "thingies," of which each prong had been dipped in a different irritant. They appeared to have wee tiny needles on each prong, but Anna Marie didn't mind that part so much.

I should have known we wouldn't get off that easy.

After no spots seemed to be reacting, we did another breathing test and, for good measure, she was given a dose of an inhaler.

Then, the nurse called me into the hallway to explain what was coming next: Anna Marie had to lie on her stomach on the table, while she was injected with more irritants - under the skin!

This part did not go so well.

We were already exhausted from all the breathing tests, and the fact that it took some major cajoling to get her to take that inhaler. (And also a demonstration by the nurse.)

Y'all, if you've never had to hold a child while she was injected - count yourself blessed. I stood at the head of the table, holding her hands, praying and trying to keep her calm while she got, oh, eight or 10 shots into her back.

Afterward, Anna Marie was loathe to even talk about the experience.

I guess it'd be worth it if we found some good results - but, no.

No allergies.

No asthma, or at least not enough to actively treat.

Nothing.

We're left with nothing to go on!

The doctor prescribed a topical decongestant for the next time her nose starts it's nonsense (which, if history repeats itself, should be in just a few days.) After about four days, with no improvement, I'm to bring her in to their office so she can be further evaluated.

Thankfully, we weren't in there four hours. We left after two-and-a-half. I called mom to see if there was any food left at the auction (they were shutting the bar down) and she saved me a chicken breast and some vegetables.

(Anna Marie just swiped some tomatoes, pickles, and olives from the salad bar.)

Oh, but let me tell you - I'd promised Anna Marie ice cream once we got through. And though I'd fully intended to go somewhere fancy, I realized she'd be just as happy (and I'd be much less broke) with a Fudgesicle from the auction.

Except, when I left for an hour to run to The Children's Place (where I scored a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for $6!) she somehow got chocolate on her clothes.

Which were clean when I left. Which was after I'd given her the Fudgesicle.

Guess who talked Gramma into giving her a second Fudgesicle?

I think Gramma needs a little "time out."

Back to the diagnosis - I know there are parents out there whose kids are REALLY sick, and who have to go to LOTS of doctors to find out what's wrong. I guess what I'm feeling today is a tiny bit of what they might feel - I put my kid through all that trauma, only to find out that it was utterly useless. And, that there really doesn't appear to be a whole lot I can do to help her when these episodes come around, except try this new medicine and this new course of treatment, and see if it eases her suffering any.

Friends, that part of my day just might be the most traumatic part of all.

I'll gladly pay you Tuesday

For one of the two blog posts I owe you today.

Because one is all I have time for at present.

In about two hours, Little AM and I will be at the allergist's office, where she'll likely be poked and prodded beyond all reason.

(No, she doesn't know that yet. Yes, I've promised her ice cream when it's all over.)

Hopefully, prayerfully, they'll find out why she has such bad allergy attacks at the end of July/beginning of August. And also in November. And also in May.

And maybe even why she broke out into such awful hives just before school got out.

Part of me thinks I'm overreacting (even though it was two separate doctors who recommended this testing) and part of me knows that, in about two weeks, I'll be right back at the doctor's office trying to find yet another prescription answer to her allergy symptoms.

The other post I owe you? The irrepressable Valerie has nominated me for an award, and I have to nominate some other folks, but I just haven't had a chance to get my ducks in a row about that yet.

The (possibly) worst part about this testing? We'll be in there for about four hours, right around the middle of the day. For two girls who are used to eating on a schedule, it's cutting right smack dab in the middle of our lunch hours.

But fear not - I'm thinking ahead, and stocking my purse with Fruit Roll-Ups.

Because what better sustinance, in times of medical testing, than plastic fruit that'll make your tongue look like Batman?

ER

We ended up in the emergency room with Anna Marie last night.

After two days of Benadryl, her hives still weren't getting any better. Plus, her coughing wasn't improving, something that surprised me since I thought all that antihistamine would surely dry up whatever was draining down her throat and making her cough.

We stayed home from church, but went to lunch with my parents and my brothers and their "women."

(I don't mean any disrespect by that term - but one of them is married, and one of them will be soon, and there's just no simple term for that. Or, if there is, I'm too tired to think of it at this point.)

Anyway - back to the story.

We ran a few errands, and decided to drop the stuff we were supposed to bring to last night's small group meeting by the couple's house. They have a 10-month-old daughter, and we really couldn't be sure what was causing Anna Marie's symptoms, so we didn't want to expose the baby to a possible virus.

Oh, and we also got the antibiotic prescription filled, because I figured she wasn't improving so I had the doctor's blessing.

After I put Anna Marie to bed last night, still coughing and hiving, my mother called. I was telling her how frustrated I was, how nothing I was doing was helping my child, and how I just didn't think it was natural for all that Benadryl to not clear up her hives. And, she was developing new ones constantly!

Mom suggested that I go ahead and take her to the hospital.

I asked her to go with me. Jason was working on getting a computer ready for my aunt, and, while he's a great dad, since it wasn't life threatening he'd just have been bored up there and thinking about what he needed to get done at home.

(Plus, I'd have just been on the phone to her every few minutes anyway.)

I dressed her in something comfy in case she fell asleep, grabbed "Favoritey" the blanket, Griz the bear and Bunny her Webkinz bunny (Thanks Sue!) and we headed over to the ER.

It really wasn't that bad of an experience, even though this is really not the most top-notch facility here. In total, we only spent about two hours, and got home a little after 10 p.m.

She received a steroid shot and a Benadryl shot for the hives, which started to work immediately. She also got a chest x-ray to make sure she didn't have pneumonia. Which, she doesn't - just bronchitis.

The doctor showed me up her nose, and there was a good bit of infection up there that's draining. That's what's making her cough, and building up in her lungs. He advised me to take her to see an allergist, because all the medicine I'm giving her isn't doing any good and she's ending up with these chronic sinus infections every three or four months.

He gave me a prescription for Zithromax, Prednisone, and Benadryl. I'm going to go to work in a little bit, and then run to the pharmacy at 9 a.m. when they open so Jason won't have to get her out. I don't think she's going to school today, which I kinda hate because it's her last full day of kindergarten. But tomorrow is the zoo trip, and I'm trying to get some of this medicine in her so she can feel like going.

I feel badly that I waited until last night to take her to the ER, but I was trying everything I knew (and that I thought the doctor had advised) to take care of this. I am glad that we didn't wait until later this week when school was out, because it very well could've been pneumonia by then.

Seeing my daughter's bones on that x-ray was such a surreal experience. I realized that those bones had begun their growth inside of me! It was another thing that made me feel a little more connected to her, something that I must admit has been somewhat of a struggle at times.

She's sleeping now - I think this is the best sleep she's had in days. I don't know how, but it seems those shots have helped her coughing too. Usually by now, she'd already be up and asking for some relief.

I think we may finally get some relief now, all of us. And not a moment too soon.

Sleep, what's that?

Oh, gentle readers, this has been quite the eventful few days.

You have heard (briefly) how I took Anna Marie to the doctor on Thursday morning because she'd spent the night prior coughing her little red head off.

We obtained four sample bottles of an antihistamine/decongestant/cough medicine, along with a prescription to be filled if they worked, and another for an antibiotic if she didn't clear up in a day or two.

Friday at school, she was fine. Bascially no coughing. Friday night was a different matter. She started up again, and somehow we all got to sleep.

Yesterday, she woke up coughing so hard she was shaking, and saying "Mom, hurry up with that medicine!"

An hour later, she was saying, "Mom, look how much red spots I have from the itching!"

Oh, my goodness. She was covered in hives on both arms and legs, a few on her trunk, and a good many on her little behind. I grabbed some hydrocortisone creme for the itching, and called the doctor to find out if the cough medicine could be the culprit.

He's not sure, but he told me not to give it to her just in case. He also told me it was OK to give her Benadryl, since it was a different kind of antihistamine than the one in the medicine. So, I've been dosing her every four hours since yesterday, and watching for signs of trouble - swollen throat, tongue, or lips, or trouble breathing.

She woke up a few minutes ago, coughing, and the hives have spread to cover her trunk and her face. Oddly enough, she isn't complaining of them itching, and hasn't since I gave the first dose of Benadryl yesterday.

It looks like we won't be going to church this morning, either. And, if that Benadryl doesn't start making a dent in those hives, we'll be making a trip to the minor medical clinic. It doesn't open until 1 p.m. today anyway, so we've got time.

(We were going to take her last night, after the cookout where we saw my brother for the first time in two years, but they closed at 6 p.m. on Saturdays.)

(Aww. How cute! She just came in here to check on ME!)

Y'all, I'm just about tore down from the floor down! I don't know when I've had a full night's sleep!

And this week is the zoo trip!

I think when this clears up, I'm going to see about getting her some allergy testing - this is too much to go through four times a year.

Playin' hooky from church

Shh. Don't tell anyone, but instead of typing this, we should be on our way to church.

But I don't guess it's playing hooky when your kid is running a fever, is it?

Yes, dear readers, the cough has returned. It has been about three months since its last appearance, so I guess we're due a visit.

This time, he brought his good friend fever. Fever just got into town this afternoon, or at least that's when I ran into him, when I went to pick The Kid up from dance practice.

We came home and I gave her some Tylenol, and now we're just trying to relax. It's just about time for her cough medicine, and she didn't eat her supper but has been asking for Sun Chips. How can I tell a coughing child no? I guess it's a little like being pregnant - you eat what will make you feel better.

My little patient is getting a bit impatient for me to get off this computer and refill her chip bowl, so I guess that's my cue to cut out of here.

Please just keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

What a weekend

Ups and downs, folks. Ups and downs.

That's been my weekend.

It started out innocently enough - Friday was a quiet night at home. I was feeling a little "off," but I didn't think much of it.

Saturday was a different story.

Let me interject, my mother was set to host a jewelry party here at my house this afternoon, because my dad still hasn't fixed the hall bathroom at her house. That's partly due to the stroke, and partly due to his extreme - EXTREME paranoia about stuff that's not that paranoia worthy (like a little mildew. I know that mold can be dangerous, but I think he's being a bit extreme.)

So, I was supposed to spend yesterday cleaning.

It didn't happen.

I was awakened bright and early by a bright and shining red head demanding cereal. I was still feeling a bit "off" but managed to make her breakfast and get myself some oatmeal and hot tea.

As the morning progressed, so did my feelings of queasiness. When my mother called about 10 a.m. to ask if Anna Marie could go to a museum with my dad, his best friend, and his best friend's granddaughters, I was more than glad to offload her let her go. I told mom how I was feeling, and she sent over some sinus medicine with pain reliever and some sort of nausea medicine.

My mother, the back-door pharmacy.

I took the meds, and informed Jason that he was on his own for lunch because I just wasn't hungry. (Told you I wasn't feeling well.) I fell asleep on the couch, and he woke me up about half an hour later to suggest that I move to the bedroom.

I was out for another 3.5 hours.

I thought I'd eat a little something, since all I'd had all day was oatmeal and it was now 4 p.m., and the only thing I could come up with was microwave popcorn.

So far, so good. Still feeling a bit queasy, though.

Anna Marie and dad came back, and he and Jason hatched a plan to go to dinner. I got out of my PJs for the first time all day, and accompanied them. I managed to get down a hamburger (yes, I know, probably not the best choice, but I figured it might shock my system into action and get the queasiness gone.)

Little AM went home with my mom for the night, and I spent the rest of the evening running back and forth to the restroom, and, in between, suffering horrible stomach cramps.

I dozed on and off all night, and woke up about 7 a.m. The house was clean, except for some work on The Kid's room. I thought I was feeling better, so I spent a feverish 30 minutes in there.

Just don't open the closet.

I started feeling bad at church, which was really unfortunate, because it meant I was in the restroom when the pastor announced that we'd be closing the church at the end of the month.

See - we helped plant the church in 2003 with my parents. We'd struggled along until last spring, when my mom felt it was time she stepped down. Jason and I, along with a couple others, stayed on, and the conference sent a new pastor. He's from this area, but he lives two hours away and only came down on weekends. Our attendance was up, thanks to the pastor's extensive family and friends, but that was all - the attendance. No one was contributing anything - time, talents, or "treasures." In other words, not only was no one else willing to work, no one else was willing to give money to the operation either. Our bills were only $750 per month for rent and utilities, and no one was getting a paycheck, but we were still short each month. The conference helped us for several months, but I guess they determined it was a lost cause.

(Yeah, we were doing better before, with fewer people, because everyone was working and contributing. Go figure.)

Am I sad? A little. I also know it wasn't all our fault - we were here, where we felt God wanted us. If those who told us they couldn't find a church they fit in to, or where they could use their talents, didn't come, or did but didn't stay, that's not our fault. They have no excuse now.

I'm not really sure what we'll do now - we'll have service on the 17th and 24th, and then it's over. Jason and I really have to pray about where God wants our family to go next. We've all kind of known this day was coming - or at least I did, because Jason handles the church books and I knew there were shortfalls - but I don't know if any of us were prepared for it to be this soon.

We made it through the jewelry party just fine. I was feeling much better by then. And, I booked a "book party," because the company has a special promotion that ends February 26 and I just don't see myself planning a shindig at my house within the next two weeks.

Ok, so strike that first phrase. I guess my weekend wasn't so much "ups and downs" as it was "down, down, up."

Capped off by a serenade at bed time by that bright and shining red head.

Things I have learned today

1. If your child contracts a highly-contagious, highly-scary disease (such as, oh, say, pink eye) you will notice the tell-tale signs of said disease exactly one half hour after the doctor's office closes.

2. Although her eyes will be runny and icky before she goes to bed, and you will have to clean them out every 10 minutes (and wash your hands at least as often), and although her eyes will be glued shut with the ickiness of it all when she wakes up in the morning, by the time you get to see a doctor, they will be neither runny nor icky.

3. Although you may spend 45 minutes at Wal-Mart waiting on a prescription to be filled, and gather several random things to pay for at the same time, when you get home you will find out that your "friend" has come for his monthly visit. And you only have two pieces of "protection" left. And it's raining outside, so you don't want to get out. But you have no choice.

4. I cannot be trusted around an open box of cheese-flavored crackers shaped like aquatic animals.

5. It's very odd to have a child who is too sick to go to school, but not sick enough to lay around watching TV and needing general mothering all day.

6. If you watch enough cable during the day, you're going to get major baby fever.

7. Just because your dad isn't paralyzed, and isn't slurring his speech, doesn't mean he hasn't had a stroke.

8. When your kid, who previously refused to work on her "R" sounds because she wanted to go to speech with her friends, is tested again for speech, she will proceed to say those "R" sounds perfectly to the therapist. And then proceed to say them incorrectly the rest of the time, just like normal.

(And might I note, she was tested "again" because when they tested her in the fall, we agreed to test her "again" after Christmas because I mistakenly believed that I could cure her by this semester. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Because she refused to work on those sounds because SHE WANTED TO GO TO SPEECH.)

Oh, Gentle Reader, let me give you a rundown of my last few days: Dad goes to the hospital on Sunday with unexplained dizziness and nausea. Turns out he had a stroke (I still don't understand, but I'm a writer, dangit, not a doctor).

Yesterday about the time we were eating dinner, I noticed the attractive eye discharge and pink eyes so indicative of a case of pink eye.

(I knew what it was instantly, because she'd had the same thing when she was seven months old. I also knew what a hassle the whole process is, what with the wiping and the hand washing and the OMG DON'T TOUCH YOUR EYES.)

And the doctor's office had closed half an hour earlier, and I didn't think it was serious enough to warrant a trip to the ER. And, barring the matted-up eyelashes of this morning, she was all-but-cured by the time we saw a doctor. But I had to keep her at home today anyway, which meant she missed the group picture of her class, and the "100th Day of School" celebration, and a classmate's birthday party.

And also, she won't be getting a pefect attendance award at her high school graduation.

And now, she has eye drops which must be administered thrice daily, and it takes me longer to chase her down than it does to drip them onto her closed eyelids and have her open her eyes so the drops go in.

Y'all, I'm tired. And I'm cold. And I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see that all this wet weather we're having had frozen solid by morning.

I'm going to bed before I "learn" anything else.

Necessity is the mother of invention

Or, you could say, your husband not getting paid this week is the father.

Jason informed me Thursday that I needed to watch my spending (as if I have a problem!) and I was all "Yeah, I know. Gas shot up 15 cents overnight." And he was all, "No, I didn't get paid this week."

Come again?

The car auction where he, my mother, and Amanda work running the cafeteria switched to a new accounting program. And it wasn't printing out any checks! So no bills (including the cafeteria catering bills) were getting paid!

For the record, just about everyone who "for real" works for the auction (i.e., not independent contractors like Jason) gets direct deposit. I think those who don't, get a Visa card with their money on it. So no one who "for real" works there was going without a check.

They had hoped to have a check for him by Friday. Didn't happen, of course. He's probably going to truck it up there tomorrow, which in my book is rather silly, because he has to go up there Tuesday anyway. You know, to work. And, hopefully, get paid for that work.

Anyway, back to my necessity. Instead of going out for our usual Sunday-after-church lunch, Jason asked me last night to take some chicken out of the freezer to throw on the ole' George Foreman today.

Turns out that was a good idea, because we have one very sick little red head in our house and had to leave church early, but that's beside the point. She was fine last night when the decision was made.

Anyway.

When Jason got home, I threw the chicken on the grill with some dry rub and barbeque sauce, and heated up some frozen veggies. Anna Marie ate about two bites of chicken (which she normally loves) and declared herself full.

Told you she was sick.

I had planned on having rotini for dinner. I knew we had a half jar of sauce in the fridge, and I thought we had some noodles. About 4 p.m., Jason waltzes through the living room where AM and I were vegged out, and said, "I know it's a little early to be thinking about this, but what are we having for dinner?"

"Rotini."

"We're out."

Oops. We'd had some Friday night for dinner, and Jason had cooked it before I got home so I was unable to do a pasta inventory.

My mind, which is not used to having to come up with meal plans on such short notice and little food, sprang into action.

We had chicken, and some frozen vegetables, and some rice. Voila! Chicken fried rice!

Sometimes, I'm so smart I scare myself. I felt like an Iron Chef!

We didn't have an egg, but I figured that was the least of my concerns. And I had to use packets of soy sauce left over from our last episode of take out, but hey, they're no longer taking up space in my kitchen.

It turned out pretty good to be the first time I'd made it, and eggless at that. Unfortunately, Anna Marie fell asleep on the couch about the time it was done, and wouldn't eat. I let her stay there for about an hour, and then we moved her to her bed.

She started feeling "puny" last night after we left the funeral home and wouldn't eat her dinner. She's been running a low-grade temperature off and on, and I've been giving her Tylenol and her sinus medicine. This morning her fever had subsided, but once we got to church she was feeling bad again. Our church is in a storefront building, and set up somewhat like a coffee shop (in fact, we have coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and juice free for folks before, during and after service). In one corner we have four circa-1972 vinyl chairs, and she spent the time I was up on stage singing praise and worship curled up in one of those chairs with Jason's coat over her. I think at one point she fell asleep. When I got finished singing, we stayed for a bit of the message and I brought her on home.

She's also complaining of a sore throat (which scares me it might be strep) but she isn't running a very high fever, and she isn't complaining very badly about the throat. Only tomorrow morning will tell if she'll make it to school or not.

Delayed paychecks, sick little ones - it's always something, isn't it?

Just call me Gil Grissom

'Cause I'm in CSI mode.

You will all remember that Anna Marie has been coughing of late. And that we've tried several different medications to treat said cough.

And that she went to the doctor on Monday, who suggested that we continue with the Delsym because it was pretty effective. It does, after all, have six times the concentration of cough medicine that the Dimetapp did.

What you don't know is that she has been acting absolutely terribly the past two days. In fact, I got a call from the teacher today.

The teacher, y'all. This is some serious stuff.

Yesterday she got in trouble for talking to herself at naptime. That wasn't a big deal with me - I've been known to do the same thing. But when I got her from choir practice after school, she was just awful.

Her "listener" was broken.

She got in trouble at the office, and then again when she got home because she still wouldn't listen. She wouldn't sit still, and she was climbing on everything.

We had a long talk last night, and a "reminder" before school today. And then when I got back from lunch, I had a voicemail saying she was on "yellow #2" and that I needed to call the school.

Uh oh.

Seems she wouldn't sit still at lunch. She kept getting up out of her seat, even after being told to sit down. And on the way back, there was a puddle the teacher told them to avoid. You can guess what happened next - Anna Marie looked straight at the teacher and stepped in it anyway.

Her teacher even put her on the phone with me when I called back. She offered no explination for her actions. I did ask her if she needed to go to the bathroom, and she said yes. So I told the teacher that she'd been sick, and what kind of medication she was on, and that could be the problem. I also told her that AM had been drinking more since she'd been sick, and that maybe she was needing a potty break.

Oh, and also that her dad and I would deal with her when she got home, because that behavior was unacceptable.

I felt like I sounded like I was trying to excuse her bad behavior. Honest, I wasn't. The teacher called to see if I knew why she might be acting up all of a sudden, and I was trying to help. By the way, the teacher doesn't normally call the parent until the problem gets to "red" but she felt like this was unusual, even for AM.

So, after school Jason brought her to my office so I could get her ready for dance. And she was still in the same not-listening frame of mind.

We started to really think about the possibility the medication was causing the problem. I know that antihistamine/decongestants can cause either sleepiness or excitability, but she didn't get that prescription filled until yesterday. She didn't have any until bed time. And the other medication is amoxicillin, and seriously, who's ever heard of that kind of effect from an antibiotic?

Not I.

So, after some dilligent research, I've come to this conclusion: it's the cough medicine. I've left a message with the nurse to ask if she thinks this is a possibility, but really, I think I'm right. I know she's had a problem with this behavior in the past, but I don't know if it's ever been this bad.

We're quickly running out of consequences, so I think I'm going to skip that particular cough medicine tonight. Because really, I'm at my wit's end with this situation.

And besides…



Today is Jason's birthday. I was going to enumerate all the wonderful things about him, but, of course, that was all overshadowed by the recent unpleasantness. I'll have to wait for another day - I'm all exhausted now.

(Slightly off topic - did y'all know that's how many people in the South during the Civil War referred to the hostilities? "The recent unpleasantness." Also popular was "The War of Northern Agression.")

(Do I know a lot of useless information or what?)

Pictures from Saturday

Oh, and I guess y'all want to know how AM is feeling today, huh?

Well, she only woke up once last night, and then slept until the alarm went off without coughing, so I thought she was improved. And then the coughing started again and I told her that Jason was taking her to the doctor before she went to school.

"Can't I go next Saturday?" she said.

"No. For one, your doctor isn't open on Saturday. And two, I'm not going through another week of this."

(In hindsight, I guess I should've said that she didn't need to go through another week of coughing.)

So, he got up and took her, and came out with a prescription for a stronger medicine for congestion and drainage, and an antibiotic to help ward off an infection.

For the record, I'm not crazy about willy-nilly antibiotic use, but she's only taken them about three times her whole life, so I'm not feeling too badly about this.

Anyway - we went to the Big Box Retailer at lunch to get them filled. Half an hour later, we went back to the pharmacy to pick them up. Of course they had the Amoxicillin - of course they did. What they did not have, however, was the other medicine - the one she probably needed worse. I have to go back tomorrow at lunch to pick it up.

Hmph.

The doctor did say to keep giving her the last kind of cough medicine we'd bought, Delsym, because it worked pretty well.

Of course, she didn't have a coughing fit the entire time she was at the doctor's office, Jason said, but started as soon as they left.

Figures.