Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Updates all around...
I'm back home now! I rolled in on the train Monday morning, and pretty much slept through yesterday.
The train between here and Iowa runs overnight, so I didn't really get to see any scenery. But, I did see one notable thing while I was riding. There was an older guy in my car, who was on oxygen. He was wearing high-waisted pants with rainbow suspenders. And, here's the good part, a T-shirt that said, "Drink Til You Want Me." Love it! I wish I could have taken a photo!
My sister's surgery went well, and she's starting to feel better. She's still got a hard row to hoe, so if you could keep her in your prayers that would be great!
I still need to schedule Sage's surgery. She's stressed out about it, so I think it would be best to just get it over with.
Kaywinnet, the dog, is doing pretty well after her major abdominal surgery. She's still in a cone, and on 4 different medications, but she should be OK.
I'm having a really crummy fibro flare. It feels like there is gravel in my shoulders and hips. But, I'm not gonna complain because it will go away and life is good :-)
Are you all ready for Thanksgiving?
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The train between here and Iowa runs overnight, so I didn't really get to see any scenery. But, I did see one notable thing while I was riding. There was an older guy in my car, who was on oxygen. He was wearing high-waisted pants with rainbow suspenders. And, here's the good part, a T-shirt that said, "Drink Til You Want Me." Love it! I wish I could have taken a photo!
My sister's surgery went well, and she's starting to feel better. She's still got a hard row to hoe, so if you could keep her in your prayers that would be great!
I still need to schedule Sage's surgery. She's stressed out about it, so I think it would be best to just get it over with.
Kaywinnet, the dog, is doing pretty well after her major abdominal surgery. She's still in a cone, and on 4 different medications, but she should be OK.
I'm having a really crummy fibro flare. It feels like there is gravel in my shoulders and hips. But, I'm not gonna complain because it will go away and life is good :-)
Are you all ready for Thanksgiving?
Labels: holiday, kids, medical, pets, travel
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Wednesday, November 19, 2008
What a day!
Sorry I haven't blogged in a little bit, I ran out of town last week on the train (awesome way to travel!) and I've been in Iowa helping my sister through some bad stuff. Not the least of which was a surgery to remove her gall bladder yesterday.
The surgery went well, but they were having a hard time getting her pain under control afterward. She's on some pretty serious painkillers every day after a series of botched surgeries in the military, so the stuff they were giving her just wasn't helping. And they were insisting that nothing else could be done, and that Julie just needed to relax. I'm a big believer in relaxing and breathing and all that, but there's a point where that's just not going to help, and Julie was long past it.
I turned into the Nurse's Nightmare, and pretty soon they had a cocktail that knocked the pain down a little, and allowed her to sleep. Then I just needed to make sure they were getting them on board on time all day, but they were really good about that. I wasn't quite as bad as this scene, but I was ready to go here if needed. (That part of the movie always makes me cry.)
Then, in the midst of dealing with all this, we got word back from Sage's biopsy. Her growth was the kind of birthmark I'd suspected, and he recommends surgery. The good thing is that there's no cancer in it right now, thank God! So, I'm at the hospital dealing with two sets of surgeons all day...
To add to all that, Davin called to tell me that the reason the dog keeps throwing up is that there's something metal obstructing her intestines and she needs immediate...wait for it... yep, surgery! It turns out she'd eaten a jingle bell AND a magnet and not only was her intestine obstructed, it was perforated. They expect her to be OK, it looks like we caught it right in time.
So, I need to set a surgery on the calendar today for Sage, and go get Julie from the hospital. And, Davin's picking up Kaywinnet from the vet.
So, it's all good, but it's all overwhelming, too. I need a minute to have a nervous breakdown, then I'll get back on track!
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The surgery went well, but they were having a hard time getting her pain under control afterward. She's on some pretty serious painkillers every day after a series of botched surgeries in the military, so the stuff they were giving her just wasn't helping. And they were insisting that nothing else could be done, and that Julie just needed to relax. I'm a big believer in relaxing and breathing and all that, but there's a point where that's just not going to help, and Julie was long past it.
I turned into the Nurse's Nightmare, and pretty soon they had a cocktail that knocked the pain down a little, and allowed her to sleep. Then I just needed to make sure they were getting them on board on time all day, but they were really good about that. I wasn't quite as bad as this scene, but I was ready to go here if needed. (That part of the movie always makes me cry.)
Then, in the midst of dealing with all this, we got word back from Sage's biopsy. Her growth was the kind of birthmark I'd suspected, and he recommends surgery. The good thing is that there's no cancer in it right now, thank God! So, I'm at the hospital dealing with two sets of surgeons all day...
To add to all that, Davin called to tell me that the reason the dog keeps throwing up is that there's something metal obstructing her intestines and she needs immediate...wait for it... yep, surgery! It turns out she'd eaten a jingle bell AND a magnet and not only was her intestine obstructed, it was perforated. They expect her to be OK, it looks like we caught it right in time.
So, I need to set a surgery on the calendar today for Sage, and go get Julie from the hospital. And, Davin's picking up Kaywinnet from the vet.
So, it's all good, but it's all overwhelming, too. I need a minute to have a nervous breakdown, then I'll get back on track!
Labels: family, medical, pets, travel
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Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Stephen Fry, "The Letter"
This is long, but it always cracks me up. It's a lovely blend of puns and absurdity, wrapped into a vampire story. What more could you want?
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Monday, November 10, 2008
Catching up
First of all, today is the Marine Corps Birthday. Happy Birthday!
Sage's head seems OK today, there was no bleeding or weird stuff over the weekend. Now we just settle in and wait for the results.
The kids and I watched Squirm, a 1976 horror film about man-eating earthworms. I'm trying to figure out how I can count that for school.
We went for a drive up in the mountains yesterday. It's dingdang cold up there! We were up over 10,000 ft for a while, and it might as well be January when you're that far up. I'll stick with town and wait a little longer for winter.
Don't forget to come find me on Facebook if you do that sort of thing: Jen Lindner-Green :-)
Look who I ran into this weekend!
It's not really Johnny Depp, but MAN he was good! He even had the swishy walk and the accent. I wanted to snatch him up and bring him home, you know, to play Monopoly with or something. I'm a good girl! And, more importantly, I'm an oooooold girl...
Happy Monday!
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Sage's head seems OK today, there was no bleeding or weird stuff over the weekend. Now we just settle in and wait for the results.
The kids and I watched Squirm, a 1976 horror film about man-eating earthworms. I'm trying to figure out how I can count that for school.
We went for a drive up in the mountains yesterday. It's dingdang cold up there! We were up over 10,000 ft for a while, and it might as well be January when you're that far up. I'll stick with town and wait a little longer for winter.
Don't forget to come find me on Facebook if you do that sort of thing: Jen Lindner-Green :-)
Look who I ran into this weekend!
It's not really Johnny Depp, but MAN he was good! He even had the swishy walk and the accent. I wanted to snatch him up and bring him home, you know, to play Monopoly with or something. I'm a good girl! And, more importantly, I'm an oooooold girl...
Happy Monday!
Labels: facebook, homeschooling, horror, medical, military
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Friday, November 07, 2008
Biopsy
Not something you normally expect for your 10 year old, but we're rolling with it.
When Maya and Sage were born, we were able to tell them apart because of a birthmark Sage has on her scalp. It was flat, and a little bumpy, and no hair grew in that area. So, even in the dark, we'd know which baby we had.
Once her hair covered it, we never thought about it again. Until last month when it changed. It stayed the same size around, but started bulging out all over the place. Plus, it became crusty and oozy.
We took her to the pediatrician, who immediately announced that he had no idea what it was, and sent us to a dermatologist. But, even though he didn't know, he gave me some good medical search terms, and I was able to find out what it likely was.
This was confirmed by the dermatologist today. It's most likely a nevus sebaceous. This birthmark can change during adolescence (ta da!) and can sometimes become malignant (boo!), but that having it go bad is rare.
So, the dermatologist took a biopsy today. If it is a nevus sebaceous, we will likely have surgery to remove it because there's a risk that basal cell carcinomas can form within it. Even if that's the case, there's no concern on the dermatologist's part that the growth is cancerous now, and it doesn't usually become that way before the patient's 20s.
So, really, even though it sounds kind of creepy, it's all good. We'll know well ahead of time if anything's going to be a problem, and if she does need to have it removed it will be an hour or so under local anesthetic, then straight home. No biggie.
We should know in 2 weeks what's going to happen next.
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When Maya and Sage were born, we were able to tell them apart because of a birthmark Sage has on her scalp. It was flat, and a little bumpy, and no hair grew in that area. So, even in the dark, we'd know which baby we had.
Once her hair covered it, we never thought about it again. Until last month when it changed. It stayed the same size around, but started bulging out all over the place. Plus, it became crusty and oozy.
We took her to the pediatrician, who immediately announced that he had no idea what it was, and sent us to a dermatologist. But, even though he didn't know, he gave me some good medical search terms, and I was able to find out what it likely was.
This was confirmed by the dermatologist today. It's most likely a nevus sebaceous. This birthmark can change during adolescence (ta da!) and can sometimes become malignant (boo!), but that having it go bad is rare.
So, the dermatologist took a biopsy today. If it is a nevus sebaceous, we will likely have surgery to remove it because there's a risk that basal cell carcinomas can form within it. Even if that's the case, there's no concern on the dermatologist's part that the growth is cancerous now, and it doesn't usually become that way before the patient's 20s.
So, really, even though it sounds kind of creepy, it's all good. We'll know well ahead of time if anything's going to be a problem, and if she does need to have it removed it will be an hour or so under local anesthetic, then straight home. No biggie.
We should know in 2 weeks what's going to happen next.
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Thursday, November 06, 2008
I am probably the last person in the free world to get onto Facebook, but I'm on there now! You can find me if you know my real name (which you should by now, it's Jen Lindner-Green.) If you're on there, come find me! Just tell me who you are because I may only know your blog name.
My very first friend over there is my awesome guy in London, Mark Tingley, whom I've known since the early 90s when he found me sleeping on a park bench on the Pearl Street Mall.
Then, somehow magically, it keeps finding people I know on there to catch up with. It's kind of spooky, actually. If they can sort out that I knew this particular person from across town or friend from 15 years ago, how come we can't find Osama bin Laden? I'm serious.
And, it's way less full of emo angst AND easier to sort out than myspace.
Don't worry, I'll still be around here as much as I can, but I'm having a blast finding folks I haven't seen in ages!
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My very first friend over there is my awesome guy in London, Mark Tingley, whom I've known since the early 90s when he found me sleeping on a park bench on the Pearl Street Mall.
Then, somehow magically, it keeps finding people I know on there to catch up with. It's kind of spooky, actually. If they can sort out that I knew this particular person from across town or friend from 15 years ago, how come we can't find Osama bin Laden? I'm serious.
And, it's way less full of emo angst AND easier to sort out than myspace.
Don't worry, I'll still be around here as much as I can, but I'm having a blast finding folks I haven't seen in ages!
Labels: behind the times, facebook
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Wednesday, November 05, 2008
I made myself some slippers,
right in tine for the cool weather! For a while there I was wondering if fall was ever going to come.
I crocheted them over a couple of evenings, and just sort of made it up as I went along. Well, I mean, I did that on the first one, the second I just tried to do the same as the first.
They're a little big around, but they stay on and keep my feet warm. Yay!
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I crocheted them over a couple of evenings, and just sort of made it up as I went along. Well, I mean, I did that on the first one, the second I just tried to do the same as the first.
They're a little big around, but they stay on and keep my feet warm. Yay!
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Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Pharmaceutical Thoughts/Life Changes
Remember when you were in college and you took acid with your friends, and you would write down all the stuff you said because it just seemed so BRILLIANT at the time? Of course, then you had to deal with a house full of sticky notes the next day that purported to explain the functionings of time, or wondering if that stuff you saw was always there and the dose just gave you the power to see it? Yeah, brilliant, ahem...
Well, it's been a long, long time since those days, which is good. I feel like I have such a tenuous hold on my brainpower as it is since bearing children, that it's just not worth risking coming completely untethered for the sake of this form of temporary, fake enlightenment. Gotta admit, those were fun days, though!
No reason for bringing that up, except that I have a migraine and the meds are trying to work. I love my meds. I love my doctors. The world is a better place for me because of them. It does sort of weird me out though, that I'm still pumping drugs into my body to mess with my head after 20 years, the only difference being that they're just not as entertaining. Could this be what it means to grow up? To be old?
Ooh, it just occurred to me that, since the early 90s, I went from LSD to LDS. Hmmm. If I could get in a time machine now and go back and talk to myself then, I don't think the then me would believe it. Then me would be all like, "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K." And I'm pretty sure the rest of the message would be lost. Glad to be where I am, but still not sure how I got here...
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Well, it's been a long, long time since those days, which is good. I feel like I have such a tenuous hold on my brainpower as it is since bearing children, that it's just not worth risking coming completely untethered for the sake of this form of temporary, fake enlightenment. Gotta admit, those were fun days, though!
No reason for bringing that up, except that I have a migraine and the meds are trying to work. I love my meds. I love my doctors. The world is a better place for me because of them. It does sort of weird me out though, that I'm still pumping drugs into my body to mess with my head after 20 years, the only difference being that they're just not as entertaining. Could this be what it means to grow up? To be old?
Ooh, it just occurred to me that, since the early 90s, I went from LSD to LDS. Hmmm. If I could get in a time machine now and go back and talk to myself then, I don't think the then me would believe it. Then me would be all like, "Strange things are afoot at the Circle K." And I'm pretty sure the rest of the message would be lost. Glad to be where I am, but still not sure how I got here...
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Sunday, November 02, 2008
Dia de los Muertos
Did you do anything special for the Day of the Dead?
I didn't. I mostly ate more candy, and left church early with a migraine (it shouldn't be, but I'm starting to wonder if this is related.) This was extra bad, because today was also Fast Sunday, and I obviously wasn't fasting :-/
So, even if I had been celebrating, it would have ended badly. Trust me, if there were any sugar skulls around here today, I would have just sucked THEM right into my face alongside the leftover candy, and that would have been a waste.
I did enjoy that extra hour, though!
Labels: DST, holiday, migraine
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Saturday, November 01, 2008
Hurl!
Well, I didn't bother with a costume yesterday, but today I'm going as this:
Oh man, I need to get away from the candy!!!!!
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Oh man, I need to get away from the candy!!!!!
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