how many ways can you say sick
S: Slimy, sniffly, slow, sticky, sleepy, snot, stuffy, sore, sneezing.
I: Icky, infirm, irritable, ill, idle, infectious.
C: Contagious, clammy, cranky, cold, chapped, coughing, crusty, commiserate, contaminated.
K: Kleenex.
We all have it. All I can say is, it’s a good thing we didn’t have big plans for school vacation week.
this little piggy stayed home
Wednesday evening I noticed Josh had a little cough. Last night when I put him to bed I noticed he was a little warm. Yep, he had a slight fever, 99.2. This morning it was 101. Josh doesn’t get fevers very often so I figured since it’s Friday I’d better take him to the doctor while I had the chance. Why do kids always get sick on Fridays?!
By the time he had his temp taken by the nurse it was up to 102.5. That with a bunch of other symptoms meant the dreaded flu. They won’t test for H1N1 because he is otherwise healthy. Apparently the state is afraid they are going to run out of testing supplies so they only test those with health problems or who are bad enough to be hospitalized. The assumption though, is that it is H1N1 because that is what is going around, mostly among kids. Whatever, either way the symptoms are basically the same, and it’s no fun.
We did get some Tamiflu for him so hopefully he won’t have a bad case, but we’re stuck at home until his fever is gone for at least 24 hours. I have no idea when that will be and it’s really screwed up my weekend! I’m supposed to be in charge of a haunted house tomorrow, but I really shouldn’t go now in case I’m contagious. (If I’m going to come down with it too I would be contagious before I have symptoms.)
We were also supposed to go to my new baby nephew’s baptism on Sunday and obviously we won’t be going to that either. ~sigh~ Darn it, I really wanted to get my hands on that baby!
At this point I’m just hoping Josh is better in time for Halloween. We’ve worked way too hard planning his costume! (Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi, all in black with a hooded cape, one black glove, and a GREEN lightsaber. Blue will just not do.)
The final icing on this no good very bad day was finding out my laptop bit the dust. It wouldn’t boot up this morning and my go-to computer guy just couldn’t make it better. The system board is deader than dead. (The laptop killer strikes again!) I either need to replace it or get a new computer. About the same amount of money either way.
I think I’d better get crocheting. I’m gonna hafta sell a lot of scarves to pay for a new computer.
Filed Under family, life, the boy Tagged bad day, computers, flu, life, sick, the boy
sorry, it’s mostly about snot
It’s been that kind of week.
- Josh is on his second day home sick from school. Mostly cause of the pinkeye, but the coughing up a lung doesn’t help either. Neither does the massive amounts of snot.
- He’s missing picture day at school. He still get his picture taken later, but he won’t be in his class picture. Bummer.
- The eyedrops, oh, the @*$&% eyedrops. Every 2 hours.
- I’ve been to Target twice in three days and last night I realized we need more kid cold medicine.
- I can’t go back there again with a sick kid, I just can’t. Yesterday’s trip cost me a $35 Lego set while we waited for his eyedrop prescription to be ready. I just can’t say no to him when he’s this miserable.
- He’s not sick enough to just lie in bed and read a book though. He wants to do crafts! He must paint or die! And puzzles! All. Over. The. Place!
- I’m out of my coffee. The horror! I need my coffee. Especially today.
- How bad would it be to take my pestilential kid to the coffee shop?
- I have a headache.
- I’m desperately trying not to get sick too. I think I need a haz-mat suit. Clean up on aisle eye 7 2.
- I can’t tell if the headache is from lack of coffee or imminent illness.
- I have company coming tomorrow. I should probably warn them about the pinkeye, huh?
- Why isn’t it Friday yet? I need it to be Friday.
It’s been that kind of week. And it’s snot over yet.
it’s good to be home
I am home at last. I napped in the guest bed because I couldn’t get comfortable in my own. Too soft I think. It hurts more to lie down than sit but I do need some sleep. I don’t know how well I will do tonight but it has to be better than being in the hospital.
My boy and my man are falling over themselves to help me. Josh brings me pillows where ever I sit so I can prop up my arms and my back. He likes to be needed and he’s great at fetching. Damon is in the doting phase. Don’t go up the stairs without telling me. Do you need something to eat/drink? Did you take your drugs. Where are you going to sleep? I’m not sure he likes to be needed so much, but he’s pretty good at it.
Everyday has to just get better from here, and I expect I won’t blog about it so much from here out. Even I’m a bit bored by my blog. 
Of course the only other thing to talk about is omg how far behind I am in work now that I’ve lost an entire week! Let’s not acknowledge that yet though. Let’s stay in blissful ignorance of the looming paperwork.
Okay, changing subject, so at least one of you admitted to wanting to see some staples. Heh. I will set it up so those of you who don’t want to don’t have to! If you’re in a feed reader or you’ve already clicked over the to the actual post instead of the main page there’s nothing I can do to help you on this one – just stop scrolling right now! Click Read More below to continue reading and to see the photo. If you’re grossed out by that I’ll say good bye here.
giggle analgesic
I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to post yesterday. It was, in many ways, a pretty good day and full of distractions – the best one being my sister.
I was seen by my surgeon’s PA late in the morning. She was awesome. She did pull the big honkin’ bandage off of my abdomen and I got my first glimpse of the train tracks on my belly. Well, shit.
I have the small incisions from where they tried to do the laparoscopic procedure as well as the long incision across the top of the stomach towards the right where they had to open me up. Who wants a pic? Hubby votes no, I shouldn’t publish one and Caro votes yes, I should. She’s seen it and didn’t faint so I’m leaning towards her side. Damon will probably never willingly see it anyway! If y’all want to see a photo I swear I’ll post one.
I lost count at 32 staples. Lost the count only because I can’t really see them all from my perspective. But still, that’s a lot of staples. These aren’t the kind you use to hold a few pieces of paper together either. These look like the kind that you build your freaking house with. Yikes. I only remember having 10 or 12 staples with my c-sec. It’s hard to believe, but this surgery was more invasive than that one was.
In any case I was also cleared for…dun dun dun…a shower! Just in time for my sister to get here. Did you know they actually saran wrap your IV to keep it dry? I had one arm completely covered and I couldn’t even bend my elbow, but still, I got a shower! There is nothing better when you’ve gone for days without one. I would take a shower over food at this point. Good thing too, since I haven’t actually had food yet. Broth is good, broth is gooood, broth is gooooooood. ~sigh~
In any case, laughter is really good medicine and I hit the real pain meds less often because I had snickers and snorts for my anesthetic all day and into the night. Yes, she even slept over in my room and put up with all the many noises and interruptions that come with nighttime in the hospital.
Hopefully today will bring more good news. I might get off the IV. Maybe the staples can come out – I don’t know if they do that before they release me or at a follow-up visit. (I know with my c-sec they were pulled on day 3 but it’s hard to judge by that.) Maybe I’ll finally even fart. That I definitely have to do before I can bust outta here! Sheesh.
I really don’t know if I can go home today or tomorrow, no one is ready to say. But I’ll let you all know as soon as I find out.
Thank you again for all of your well wishes and I’m sorry I don’t have anything else to talk about! I hope everyone had a fantastic Fourth of July. (I got to see Nashua’s fireworks display right out my window last night!) It’s okay to tell me if you went to a bbq, I don’t mind living vicariously! xoxo
slowly, slowly
I am healing. But just very slowly. I know that I am a little better today than I was yesterday. I know tomorrow I will be a little better than I was today.
Tomorrow they take off the humongous itchy bandage and check the incisions and staples. It most definitely hurts but I am walking a fine balance wire of pain meds versus handling the pain. I still have dilauded on the little clicker that I control. That means I can keep clicking once every 15-20 minutes and keep the pain at bay all day long if I want. But that comes with price – it makes me uncontrollably sleepy. I would never be able to leave the bed.
Getting up and walking around is the only way to make the healing go faster. It’s the only part of this I can control. So I forgo the meds when I can in order to stay mobile and lucid. When I can’t take the pain anymore I click that sucker, take a nap for awhile, then do it all over again in an hour or two.
I still have not had any real food. Just jello, popsicles, and juice. Funny thing is, I’m not really hungry. The only thing I crave is a shower. Maybe tomorrow after the incision check? I can only hope.
Also tomorrow, my sister Carolyn comes to visit me – overnight even! It’s good, because I can tell that as I’m feeling better I’m getting antsy about being here so very long and I’ll need the distraction. The only bad thing about her visiting is that when we are together we tend to giggle like a couple of crazy loons and oh, does it ever hurt to laugh right now!
More tomorrow. xoxo
bummer
It’s getting harder to find the funny in all of this.
I had my surgery at 6:00 pm last night, and unfortunately they couldn’t to it laparoscopically. They did have to cut me open. Ouch. It’s a setback but I’m trying to stay light about it. That’s not working too well.
I still haven’t had any food. Not even broth. I just now got a little apple juice to sip at because I’m so sick of ice chips I whined until the doc let me have it. Sheesh. It’s not like I’m asking for a steak dinner.
I can’t seem to stop having crying jags. I don’t know if that’s the pain killers or the lack of calories or just the overall frustration. I’m not a cute crier. I’m puffy, and red, and have bloodshot eyes. Because I wasn’t unattractive enough wearing a johnny. Well, really 2 johnnys – the extra one to cover my butt when they actually let me walk around.
The highlight of the day both Tues. and Weds. was my shower. No really. Both were a major production. But it was the only thing that felt good either day.
I don’t get to have a shower today. Or tomorrow either. Because the big bandage on my belly has to stay there at least 48 hours. Yes, I do have deodorant!
I can’t go home probably until Sunday. Sunday. That feels like light years away.
Josh is going to my MIL’s tonight. She and her husband drove all the way here – 3 hours each way – to come get him for us. He was supposed to go this weekend for the 4th of July festivities anyway, he’s just going a day early now.
I can’t run my 5K on Saturday. Obviously. But I can’t get over how bummed out I am about it. I really wanted to do this. I had set myself a personal goal and I so badly wanted to achieve it. I know I will do it another time, but I’m just not done being annoyed about it.
I never mentioned to you all that I also signed up for the BlogHer Chicago 1st annual 5K on the Friday morning of the conference. Now I can’t do that one either and it bums me out even more, if that’s possible really. I can only hope that by then I’ll be okay to go cheer on the others, but I just don’t know. At this point as long as I’m cleared to fly to Chicago I have to be happy.
I’m still waiting to find out how long it’s going to be before I’m allowed to do any exercise. 4 weeks? 6? That’s almost the whole summer. So much for my running schedule.
Anyway there is a lot of stuff buzzing through my brain right now. I can’t keep my eyes open anymore so I have to end this. I’m sure I’ll post more tomorrow, maybe then I’ll have some answers.
Btw. I can’t even tell you all how much your comments here, on facebook, and on twitter have helped me get through these last two days. You all made me laugh and cry and have just generally cheered me up every time I opened my computer and found new notes from so many different people in my life. I will never forget that. xoxo
what gall
In case you haven’t seen my moaning and groaning on twitter you might not know that I’m happily ensconced begrudgingly captive in the hospital. I had a massive gall bladder attack in the middle of the night on Monday (well really Tuesday by then.) I’ve known for about three years that I’ve had gallstones but I’ve never been symptomatic. My first attack is my last attack.
I’m having surgery sometime this afternoon. Hopefully it will go easily and be done laproscopically so I can go home tomorrow and heal fast. If they have to open me up I’ll be stuck here for a few more days.
My friends. I have not eaten anything since Monday evening. Raspberry Italian Ices do not count as food. I was only allowed clear effing liquids all day yesterday. Up until midnight. Now I’m denied even the smallest sip of water. Clearly I’m a prisoner and I’m being tortured! Isn’t withholding food against the Geneva Convention?? All I get are these little green sponges on a stick to dip in ice water and wet my mouth. Unacceptable I say. Unacceptable! I’m ready to chew those dang sponges. They look a little like jolly ranchers!
I have to say thank you to my lovely husband who thank God had this week off anyway so he can take care of Josh, and he brought me my computer last night. What more could a girl ask for? (Food would be nice!)
Also, my friend Nicole who babysat last night while Damon had his final exam last night AND she mopped my floors! I know for a fact she mopped in places I haven’t touched since I moved in three years ago! She’s taking care of Josh again this afternoon so Damon can be here while I have my surgery. AND she bought me the pretty blue nail polish I wanted so I can have sparkly toes for BlogHer. Love her. It’s good to have good friends.
And then there’s my sister Carolyn who talked me through some pain last night while I was waiting for meds. Did I mention the meds? Mmmm. Dilauded. Good stuff. Oooooooo. The nurse is giving me some right now. I feeeellll funkkkkkyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
You know when you’re a little drunk and you lie down and those pesky bedspins kick in? That’s what Dilauded feels like when I first get it. Then I fall asleep whether I want to or not. zzzzzzzzzzzzz
OMG the cotton mouth is killing me. Sorry, off topic. Now she’s bringing me anti nausea meds. Cause you know what else dilauded does? Makes you want to puke. Except I have nothing left to puke up. So I have hunger nausea. Oh joy, that feeling brings me back to pregnancy days. Not something I ever wanted to relive.
Okay so not only did my sister talk me through the pain, then she was content to listen to me ramble and giggle for a good hour after I got the meds. I have no idea what I said.
Just like I have no idea what I’m writing now! Drugged up blogging, uh huh.
So you know my very favorite things about the hospital? Let’s do a bullet list!
- free wifi
- a private room
- those little anti-slip socks they make you wear and chastise you if you take them off
- sleeping whenever and however much I want
- peeing in the hat. (whooops my snark is showing) If you have no idea what I am talking about then you are very lucky. It’s the basin they put across the toilet to pee in so they can measure all my output. Seriously. Gross.
- nodding off mid-sentence. Just ask Damon how cool that is.
- nodding off mid-blog post.
Can’t. Keep. My. Eyes. Open. And I think I’m gonna hurl. Can’t go back and edit. Hope this post is semi-coherent. yikes.
I could use some comment love peeps. Keep me entertained?
black out
I’m a fainter.
When I’m in pain my brain shuts off and my vagus nerve takes over. And I pass out. Vasovagal syncope. Out cold.
<Disclaimer: If you’re either squeamish or male you might want to skip this post. Trust me.>
The earliest time I remember it happening was in the dentist’s office when I was first in braces. My mouth was already pretty sore and when the dentist started telling my mother some last minute thing to do with my teeth he didn’t just point toward my gums, he poked them. I’m sure he didn’t mean to, he was the nicest dentist I ever had, but yeah, dang that hurt! And down I went. Right in front of the receptionist’s desk. Scared the crap out of everyone! My poor mother!
My family and friends got kind of used to it but it was always shocking, not to mention, frankly, pretty freaking funny, whenever it happened.
Like the time I was at my neighbor’s house and we were all playing in the woods. I slipped on a rock and landed on my tailbone. Ouch! I leaned against a tree for support but it didn’t help. I woke up lying on my back in a small stream of water mud with my friends standing over me. I certainly wasn’t more than nine or ten and they were younger than me! I can’t imagine what they thought happened but they sure were laughing their butts off!
Truly the funniest one was when I had my ears pierced. My mom and my 2 older sisters with me. Like a rite of passage or something. Typical mall kiosk, typical ice cream shop for lunch afterward. What wasn’t typical was the conversation – which was my oldest sister Lisa telling us about piercing her own ears with an ice cube and a needle. Eww!
I woke up under the table.
It’s okay to laugh. We still do.
I think can hear Carolyn laughing right now.
I even passed out at school in 7th grade. But no one knew. I didn’t feel good ~ahem~ because of the “cramps” <don’t say I didn’t warn you guys> and I was sitting in the principal’s office waiting for my mom to come pick me up. The principal and his secretary had both stepped out for a few seconds. Just long enough for me to find myself waking up on the floor, face down, right in front of the open door. I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and sat back in my chair. Right before they walked back in. Gee, I don’t know why he told me I looked pale!
The most embarrassing, (yes, there was one more embarrassing then sliding off my seat under the table at a very busy restaurant) was when I was about 16 or 17 and working at a summer job at at pizza place/variety store. I told my manager I didn’t feel well, (those pesky cramps again) and instead of sending me home she sent me to the basement to shred humongous blocks of mozzarella cheese. You know, so I wouldn’t be around customers. Duh.
Do you know incredibly bad massive quantities of shredded cheese smells? Especially when you don’t feel well to begin with? Ugh. So gross. But I finished my task and went back upstairs to tell her I was worse. She was flirting with the bread man and ignoring me so I leaned against the soda cooler. And BAM. On the freaking floor. Only they couldn’t get a hold of my mother. (These were the days before cell phones, of course!)
So guess what they did? They called a freaking ambulance. And then kept sitting me in a chair instead of letting me just lie down! Dumba$$es. So I kept fainting, over and over! After they called the ambulance they then called my poor father at work to meet me at the hospital, FOR CRAMPS!! The horror. Oh, the horror.
Can I just say one thing here? Does anyone else see a pattern? Really, am I the only one who uses the word cramps as a euphemism for BEING STABBED WITH AN ICE PICK STRAIGHT INTO MY UTERUS???? Because seriously if “cramps” just means like just a little discomfort or some $hit to you all then I really hate everyone right now.
Ahem.
Sorry.
Can you tell I have cramps?
And that I had vasovagal syncope recently? As in Monday. Because of a dang pap!!! And the ensuing effing CRAMPS!!!!!!
I really did warn you.
I’m probably going to really regret hitting publish.
ps. I can give blood with no problems whatsoever. Go figure.
second verse, same as the first
Sick day #2.
Josh is better but still had a slight fever of 99.8 so he couldn’t go to school again. He’s a little more energetic though he’s sneezing a bit. I think he’ll be fine tomorrow. I hope.
He was so pathetic yesterday. He barely ate anything and pretty much just sat on the couch. Here’s my evidence of a rare spontaneous nap:
I actually had to pull the blanket back a little because I thought for sure he would suffocate under there. He didn’t believe me that he really slept until I showed him this as proof!
So today, while he hides under his blanket and reads every book he can get ahold of, I’m washing my hands til they bleed and pounding vitamins, airborne, and tons of water in hopes of staving this thing off. As Stimey would say, blerg.