Getting Away

Branson for my birthday shopping trip!  I’ve been in Branson all weekend for a girls’ weekend away-mostly shopping for our families! : )  But, since I’ve gotten a little bigger (no blame, no shame..just bigger), I shopped some for me.  After all, it was a birthday trip!  We go every year for my birthday (thank you, my BFF Angie!), and shop ‘til we drop.  This year we stayed two nights-it’s always different.  It always depends on the kids’ schedules, and our husbands!  God bless them for letting us get away and shop.  We recharge our batteries, and refill our closets! Heehee I even got candles and some Harry & David soup mixes this time, so it’s not all clothes.

Dad got out of the hospital on Friday, thank goodness.  He has to take it easy for a while.  We learned that having a blood transfusion causes iron, potassium, and calcium to drop to nothing.  He’s got to load up on those, and Mom is doing what she can to get those down his throat.  He’s not a big guy, so he’s not eating that much.  I told her to supplement with vitamins-he needs so much, it’d just be too much food!  And she thinks it’s tough to eat what he’s eating: chicken-fried steak, and banana splits!  He’s got it rough.  : )

I had a doctors appointment in Little Rock today, so we had to get the kids to school early to head out of town!  When I walked Ethan in this morning, he was fine, then when I hugged him bye, he got all whiny, and wouldn’t let go.  He hid behind my legs, kept mumbling that he didn’t want me to leave, and then grabbed me, and didn’t let go of my neck.  He had his legs wrapped around me (it really does make me feel loved and needed, so I can’t get mad!), and the teachers had to pull him off after I told them I was supposed to be in Little Rock at 11:30.  I felt so bad.  I would have almost taken him with me, but during the procedure, I don’t know what he’d do.  The trip would be no big deal-he’s a great traveler!  I just feel bad (does a mother ever not?).  I miss my little munchkins.

So I had my next appointment at the specialist clinic in Little Rock today. I didn’t get in to see the doctor till 12:30 (it was Dr. Batres, and he was nice), but it was for a hydrosonogram instead of a hysterosalpingogram.  It was just saline water-but they had to use a huge speculum to get the syringe/catheter in, then get the speculum back out.  Not nice.  I did okay, but it was awful.  The good thing is I learned.  I saw Dr. Miller after lunch, and he explained the situation.  I have two adhesions (also called Asherman’s Syndrome) across my uterus, and they were either caused by my c-section when Ethan was born or by the d&c in April.

They have scheduled for the adhesions to be taken out on Thursday.  Dr. Miller said that the miscarriages can cause the adhesions, but the adhesions could’ve caused the miscarriages.  It depends on when they were formed, and there’s no way to know for sure when.  The yucky part is that our health insurance pays for NO infertility, so it won’t pay anything to repair fertility.

They will do the surgery as an outpatient procedure next door to the fertility office.  I won’t be completely out, just “conscious sedation”-asleep, but wake-able.  I’m not excited (Understatement of the Year).  To keep the adhesions from growing back, they will put in a balloon to hold the walls of the uterus apart.  I’ll go back in about a week to have the balloon deflated and taken out.  Yes, it can be painful, and yes, I might whine. : )  I’m a teensy bit relieved that they’ve found something I can cure.  It might not solve all problems, but it explains a lot.  I can’t believe it took so long, and why didn’t the first specialist in Little Rock do the hydrosonography?  This would have been the last thing I thought it was. I did ask my doctor in May if I should be on Estrogen or Progesterone to prevent adhesions after my d&c, but he said no.  Hmm..the things I’ve learned.  I think you have to be an advocate for yourself-no one else is going to do it for you!

Say prayers for my uterus and my kiddos that used to call it home! : )

Finding Joy in Others

Adding insult to injury...
Maternity benefits only pay out if you are actually still pregnant. Go figure. I had no idea. If you miscarry, you pay the per visit rate, which can add up if you have blood work and visits three times in a week, and a recheck at two weeks. : ( They only charge for delivery so all the visits are "free", so. . .they don't get paid if you don't deliver. I learn new things every day.

Yes, busy with two kids in basketball, and still hard at it in scouts for both, gymnastics, etc. Last weekend was so nice with no games... This weekend we have four!

Tonight is Mary Claire's first sleepover! She is going to Emily's house tonight, and we plan to pick her up around 10pm. She's having pizza and cake, so we'll estimate a bolus for her over the phone, but I'm sure she'll go high! : O It'll be easier to go pick her up, bring her home, let her sleep in her bed, and we'll check her in the night to bring her blood sugar back down. Our plan is to take her back in the morning for a craft at Home Depot (that she sooo doesn't want to miss!), but her two games are during that time, so we'll have to do some bargaining!

She's just so excited! : ) I love to see her all hyper and happy. We went to Build-a-Bear last night to get her friend a gift pet and jammies, and she had so much fun! We also got Ethan a sweet teddy bear since he's been pushing Mary Claire's bear around in the pram for a couple days. We hear him telling it that he loves it, and he feeds it, covers it up, and pushes it all around. It is just so sweet! He also did that with her Big Sister Dora doll, and then looked it in the eye and said, "Look at me. Listen to me." It was so funny!! I wonder where he got that! : ) He is just so sweet; he just makes me smile. : )

Psalm 16: 5-11:
⁵ LORD, you have assigned me my portion and my cup;
you have made my lot secure.

⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.

⁷ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.

⁸ I have set the LORD always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,

¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

¹¹ You have made known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

My kiddos are filled with joy lately-what a blessing! They sure can make or break your days. When they are full of joy it's hard to be in a bad mood around them! When they are crabby, I'm busy searching for some light from within to bring their spark back. Isn't it great when we can find joy in others? : )

Insurance and Powder: Big Messes

Where do I start? . . .I guess with the beginning. I remember why now why I started to blogging-to get it all out. Which was first, the chicken or the egg? That's how I feel today.

Mary Claire woke up with a blood sugar of 441 this morning (remember 100 is normal), I rechecked right away, and got 386. She'd gone to bed at 92, and at her last check (11:30 last night) she was 189. A little high, she got a correction, and we thought she'd be fine. We were so wrong, and we are often wrong. You don't get a whole lot of encouragement with a horrible havoc-wreaking disease like diabetes. It's so hard.

We gave her more insulin and checked to see when her last site was (to judge site "life" and insulin life), and it was just Saturday at 11am! It hadn't even been 48 hours (they are supposed to last 3 days). She really didn't want me to change it, and was begging me (and after all the tears on Saturday, I didn't want to either). We checked her again at 7:45, and she was still 411, so I gave her more insulin. Her body becomes so resistant to the insulin when she's that high. She was starving, and it makes me hurt. I didn't eat breakfast (partly not to eat in front of her, partly out of sympathy). I finally talked her into some scrambled eggs (no carbs), and she ate them. We worked on some math she had to correct, and she cleaned her room. I took a shower, and painted her fingernails, all in the name of wasting time, right?

She was finally down to 118 (an exciting number!), and ate some mini-wheats hoping the fiber would hold her over. Well, since it was close to nine, her bolus ratio change, we were nervous about how much insulin to give her. Before 9am she would get a 2.6 (2 units and 6 tenths), and after 9, she'd get 1.3, BiG difference! Well, right before I left to take her to school, she was 52! Ahh, does it ever end? I gave her some fruit snacks, and she had a little root beer. When we got to school, she said she still felt low. She was 72. I gave her two peanut butter crackers, and went with her to class.

She had a substitute! On a day like today. I almost took her back home, but she needs to be there. I did lots of talking to the sub and back to the nurse (worried for her!). I haven't heard from them, so she must be okay.

My next hurdle was the pharmacy (there should be a limit on what I can handle in one day!). I called in two refill on Saturday, they called back and said they only had one box of each. I told them I'd wait till Monday so they could fill them (otherwise I'd have been back on Monday anyway) to avoid two trips to Fayetteville. Well. I got there, and they wanted over $300. Ha! Our pharmacy insurance changed, and they were denying the claim. Mike, the pharmacist, called them, I waited for too long, and told them I would be back later. I ran over to Sam's to get a couple things, then back. No more luck. He hung up on them after a 10 minute hold, so he gave me one box of each and told me to call them. I was grateful for the box of each (but now I have to deal with them? what do I say? what do they want? what's the problem?), but not looking forward to the second trip I was trying to avoid.

I called Ches (as I was not so well by this point), and he called. They didn't believe we could be checking her blood this often (10-12x day), so they wanted to fax the doctor a form to fill out before they'd fill her prescriptions. Then they told us it would take 24-48 hours, so I'm really glad we got those tiny boxes now! I'll make it two days on those. I also had to call the doctor's office (in Little Rock) to forwarn them and to let them know I need them to fill it out asap so I can fill my prescriptions!

What a day, and all before lunch. I'm tired. I put Ethan to bed, and he's getting into his drawers now (and spreading wipes, powder, Lansinoh lanolin, lotions, etc. all over his room!). I've been back in once, but last night was a doozy! He powdered his dresser, bed, carpet, and self. Ches vacuumed it up (he was feeling generous!), and now we're watching so it doesn't happen again. I was going to move all the stuff to their bathroom, but there's not room. She has all the drawers full: hair stuff, bows, washcloths, hand towels, etc. I'll have to think of another place and meanwhile, keep an eye on him!

Pray for our insurance to do it's job! And for them to understand it's so very hard to keep an eye on a small child with diabetes, and harder if our hands are tied with limited supplies.

: : And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 : :

From the Gym-through the day-to the Hospital!

I'm so worried about Ethan! He fell off his barstool while eating a late lunch, and hit his head and back! He cried for almost 15 minutes! Then was sooo sleepy! I feel awful for him! I called the pediatric clinic, and they said to wake him up every hour or so to make sure he CAN wake up, then to watch his pupils (if they are unequal sizes, that's bad), then to see if he walks straight. Oh, the stress a parent can feel, in the blink of an eye. Does he have a concussion? Won't know for a while. Poor thing. He fell off the bed when he was about 5 months, and I think I was more upset than he was! It's hard to watch your baby cry and be in pain!!

Another late nap for him today-my fault! We went to gymnastics then to Susan's for him to play with Isabella and to help Hannah plan her wedding! How exciting it is! Do you remember getting married? There is sooo much anticipation, and you want everything perfect-it's great. She's getting married the second of January, 2010, which will be here in the blink of an eye! She will get to use the poinsettias in the church, so she will do well with flowers! I want to help her, she is so very sweet! : )

Having a clean house just makes me want to keep it clean! I find myself picking up shoes, returning keys to the hook, and putting the clothes away! My bed is even made-oh, rejoice! Although, I'd love to go lay in it right now... Ok, maybe it keeps me out of it since I don't want to mess it up!

Clay has a boy scout function at Fast Lane tonight! He agreed to let Mary Claire go, but she's not so excited. Why, I don't know. Maybe she thinks it'll be all boys, maybe it's 'cause she's not so good at bowling! Last time we went with JDRF, she rolled the ball so slowly, it got stuck in the gutter and SToPPeD! Someone had to go down and get it! She was embarrassed! We'll see if she ends up going! At the last minute, they always decide they don't want to get left out! I guess an evening with Mom at home looks less intriguing!

Last night, Mary Claire cleaned her room SO well! I didn't really tell her to, but she wanted to "organize" her kitchen stuff in her fridge/sink cabinets/stove at Bedtime! I told her after her (MeSSy!) room was cleaned she could play with them, or organize them. So she got into gear, and seriously did a great job (no stuffing-under-the-bed!).

Okay, I started my post earlier this afternoon, so here's the update:
*update: 10:30pm: home from dr.-he sent us to hospital for CT Scan. An admittance mgr came out and told me the test was several thousand dollars. (!!!) and long story short, that the test had to be pre-approved by our insurance company (which was closed and doesn't allow back-dated pre-certifications, let me remember to injure myself between 8-5), so therefore I had to sign a form that said I'd be responsible for the entire balance (which would also include the radiologist and possibly an anesthesiologist to put him under if he couldn't be still). Umm, what? Why do I have insurance that costs an arm and a leg each month? Oh, now they REALLY want REAL body parts! Ugh, makes me sick. Anyway, talked to dr. he thought he could wait for the test, and may not have to have it. (Since he was obviously fine: running around the waiting area, and actually ran OUT the automatic doors while was on a land line with the dr!! I had to drop it and run like all the other women around!) Now he's in bed, sleeping well, we'll have to wake him once tonight (to make sure he wakes), and will report back to the dr in the am.

I'll report tomorrow, hopefully with better news. I'll post in between volunteering, then lunch out with Jen, then my date tomorrow night! : ) Exciting day! I'll have to find something cute to wear! : ) (As opposed to my uncool baby-gym clothes that wore themselves to the hospital-you never know in the morning what kinds of things will fill your day! : O ) I guess you should always be prepared (like the girl scouts say!)

Real Sick Day

Sometimes I expect to open my blog, and see a new post *magically* appear! Yeah, right. It's a weird feeling, to wait to see what comes up! I look at what I wrote, and it seems like a year ago! I do so much living in a day!

Today, we had another kind of sick day. Ethan woke up from his nap crying, and so sad and pathetic. I felt sorry for him, but I didn't know what was wrong, or how to help him. He finally told me "Tummy hurt", so I figured we might be in for quite an evening, and he didn't let me down! He's now thrown up more times than I have fingers, and everything from clothes to my bed sheets, to my furniture slipcovers, to towels, blankets, washcloths, is washing or waiting its turn. I had to do a gross thing: I knew the throw up was coming, and I didn't want it on my freshly steam-cleaned carpet, so I caught it in my lap, and kinda scooped it toward me. I know, gross. I had Mary Claire (she was so ultra-helpful!!) run get a laundry basket and towels, and we stripped down right there, me and my baby. He seemed to feel better for a little while, so I put him in the tub, jumped in the shower, then jammied, and jammied him. We had a short recovery time (time to put stuff in the washer) before it started again. This time, we were on my bed-bad idea, but I was getting sleepy. So, now my sheets are stripped, and I'm waiting on the washer to finish. I've already called the nurse (ACH nurses field the calls this late), and she thinks it's a virus, even though he has no fever. We are to call back if he's not better by morning. It could be an ear infection, but he has tubes in his ears, so I think that's unlikely (tomorrow insert my wrongness here).

In other news, Ethan's gymnastics could've gone better. I think he doesn't like the waiting in line part. That seems to be his downfall. Poor kid: none of us truly like to wait, but it's part of the game of life. (like having to wait to see what's truly wrong with him!)

I have made a decision about which painter to use. I called my insurance company again, called the painter, and they'll have to rendezvous to get the price right (or at least agree on something) before the work shall begin (which I dread). He said it'd take about a week. Not so bad. May have to eat out some since the kitchen will be in scaffolding and plastic for a few days. Hmm..I should see the upside to this! : )

Do you know anyone locally who likes to iron? (I know, ha ha) I have all these clean clothes that are calling out to an iron that just doesn't answer. I know they need to be taken care of, but when? Between throw-up laundry loads? After the hand-washed dinner dishes (since my dishwasher was running the day's dishes)? After watching the fourth Curious George video with Ethan? Yeah, anyway, I need some ironing done. In a smoke-free home, pets okay, just no fur on the clothes, please. Not picky, no sharp creases needed, just flatish.

We went by Mom's today to pick up a paper, and we stayed a while: lunch, playing outside, pruning her crape myrtles and boxwoods.. : ) Ethan had a ball (well, literally and figuratively!). He ran around the house, played with the cars, sticks, and a big dump truck. He was so cute! He did run down the hill and into another yard (by a barbed wire fence!! Yes, she lives in the country) and I panicked. Mom wants him to be tough, but I was so worried! It looked like he was swatting at the barbed wire, so I ran to him. He was fine, maybe it was just a bee? Anyway, I somehow broke my sunglasses as I was hacking at the branches up above my head. They fell, and darn it, they are so cute and rhinestone-y, but they don't have the resolve to stay in one piece! Then it got worse. I was looking up into the sun, trying to cut off the old flower parts (which you can use in homemade potpourri), and then my crazy hair was in my eyes, face, mouth.. It made it so much harder-the wind was awful! But I have to say the warm sun was awful nice-I was glad to not have a jacket on!

Alrighty, washer is calling me. It wants to go for another round, and can I make it happy!

Lost Plastic

We made it successfully to MDO today, and Ethan was great! He wanted me to get him a puzzle, then he got into his seat. He's growing up!

When it was time to leave the house to take him, he wanted me to go. He told me, "Mommy, bye-bye," and pointed to my seat-front right-since Ches was planning to take him. I ran and got my stuff, since I'd already gotten ready, and we all went out. After we dropped him off, we went to the new Target in Rogers! It was just beautiful, and stocked perfectly. I mean books in the One Spot up front were stacked perfectly-even inside the big bins. It was fun, they had new stuff-like furniture similar to what Ikea has for storage, new designers making functional office supplies/storage (where did I spend most of my time??), and finally a local Target has the shoes I got in Houston back in January. The turquoise ones I got, I finally wanted to wear, and they were too big. So, Rogers had them, and I rebought! Now I have the first pair with the receipt ready to return.

I also bought two new lime-y, recycle-y green tubs to recycle!! No, we don't currently recycle since in Springdale you have to pay extra, and I think it's wrong. They sell the bulk stuff to buyers, so the city makes money off our recycling trash, but they charge us monthly. So they make money both ways (I have heard that the market has dropped the price they get on recycleables, so maybe they aren't making as much currently). The only reason I have decided to recycle (besides it being very good for the environment) is that my kids keep asking why we don't recycle, and telling them we have to pay extra is lame. They just want to help our earth, so I'll start doing better. Now I know what must have happened in my students' homes when we used to teach about recycling at school-Pressure! So, now we'll be doing our tiny part. Besides using WM's black bags for our groceries-no more plastic! and they hold sooo much more! Sam's even has their gigantic version now, but I haven't invested in them thus far. Maybe in another year. Baby steps.

Right before I picked up Ethan, I got gas (at WM-yes, I go every day. I know the door greeter now. Very Sweet.). Well, somehow in the process, I lost my debit card. I didn't realize till it was time to get Ethan. I had not printed a receipt, so I didn't have a phone number to call them. So I just called the bank, and had it cancelled. It was easier than me having a panic attack. I also enrolled (free for 30 days) in the special credit monitoring service they offer. Just in case. Then, picked up Ethan, circled back to Lowell, and guess who had my debit card? Yep, the gas station. The girl at Bank of America had told me that if I cancelled it, and found it, she would be unable to reinstate it, but at least I'd found it, and it was mine to trash. If I could've just waited 45 minutes to make the full circle. Oh well, it was getting awful old and worn-looking anyway. Maybe the new one will be prettier! : ) I'll know if 5-7 days.

My other big job...the insurance thing. I've been procrastinating about calling to check on my insurance money for the freezer motor/auger, and turned in the receipt/bill maybe a week and a half ago? Well, it's been on my to-do list to call them for about a week. Today, I got a check in the mail for the freezer! They reimbursed, and I didn't have to call. Talk about relief. Small hooray! : )

Tonight is p.r.e. for the kids, and I'm starting to think about dinner...maybe we'll grill chicken. Clay just finished his homework for school that's due on Friday, so he won't have to do it tomorrow-boy scout night. They are having fun playing outside-it's so beautiful! A heavenly 63 degrees. Warm, sunny, not too windy. I just hope Ethan wakes up to get some playtime out there too! The kids came in slamming and banging, and he slept right through it!

Enjoy your sunny day, and hold on to those little plastic thingies!