Home Again

Well, he's home!!!

The dogs went nuts, as usual, when we pulled in the driveway. I put them outside and helped Sean to the recliner.

We stopped by Wal*Mart to fill his prescription and pick up some "soft" food. I also picked up a pill crusher because he can't take regular drinks of water, he has to take small sips. He is on Vicodin and they were getting stuck in his throat.

He is feeling pretty sore, which is to be expected. He can't drive for a week, can't lift more than 15 pounds for two weeks, looks like an hunched back old man when he walks, moves like a turtle and for the most part can't eat the things he likes.

He should have fun while I'm out of the country.

Laparoscopic Nissen Fundoplication

No, this is not a foreign language. For those not in the medical field a laparoscopic nissen fundoplication is a procedure done when you have acid reflux.

Sean has been dealing with this for as long as we have been together and well before that. He had an endoscopy at the end of January. The WONDERFUL Dr. Waldon, said that surgery was more than likely in Sean's future, but that he wanted him to try some medications that Sean had not been on before. (hard to believe that there were any out there) When Sean had his follow up, Dr. Waldon referred us to someone he consideres one of the best GI doctors here in town, Dr. Tripses.

I have taken care of some of Dr. Tripses patients in the hospital and knew that he was, indeed, one of the best. Sean had his consult on Thursday and they had him in to do the surgery today.

So, tonight, Sean is where I usually am on Monday nights and I am where he is. The plan is for him to come home tomorrow, but they can keep him for 72 hours if they need to. It will depend on how Dr. Tripses feels he is in the morning. Tonight he was saying he is pretty sore and he will be for a while. He has five small bandages where they did the surgery.

It's ice chips for now and he will advance to more solid foods as he can. He had steak "for the last time" on Saturday night.

Its been 38 years...

since these pictures were taken. My wonderful parents celebrated their anniversary today!

Since my dad retired, they had planned on taking a road trip and were going to be out of town on their big day. They spent today not doing what they wanted.

As I've been saying, for what ever reason, our family is just doomed when it comes to road travel. I guess, if you are a member of this family, something has to go wrong. The "circus", as I have come to call our car travel, this time was the need for a new transmission in the middle area of an Indian reservation two hours from Santa Fe and about two hours from Phoenix.

It ended up being a beautiful place to visit. Pricey, but beautiful.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad !!! I Love You!!

Molly's Birthday

Our beloved Molly, the boss of the dogs, the grumpy old lady, the "good" one, turned 10 and we had a party.

Noelle baked the cake for her, (all by herself~is she really old enough?), I frosted it, Noelle put the candles on it, Sean lit them, (with Michael telling him "hurry up, they're melting") and we all sang "Happy Birthday".

The dogs each got a piece of cake and a peanut butter flavored Frosty Paw as a treat.

Noelle got Molly a pink and clear stoned "necklace" as her present.

Here are a few photos. (notice the kitchen still isn't done)

Micro~UGH!!!

There is nothing, NOTHING good I can say about micro. I have tried reading along with the professor, (who by the way feels that everything is "important" and "lives for this stuff"), tried to follow the notes he posts three minutes before class that take 15 minutes to download and studied with a group.

Alas, this had helped nada. I have officially bombed my first test. I didn't fail, but, I bombed. I was very close to getting a "C". Over 75% of the class got a "C" or less.

I will be the first to admit that in high school, I did not apply myself. The only things I really cared about were running track, working on the yearbook and spending time with Sean.

As an adult, I know the importance of applying yourself, and work very hard to get good grades. It is very disheartening when I have really applied myself and studied and get a grade like that. It is also difficult because I had set a certain goal for myself. I have a GPA that I have set for myself that now looks unattainable.

However, do you know what they call nurses that get a "C"?
Nurses.

Como voce vai?

I had my first Portuguese lesson today!! I sound very American it's so funny. The Spanish I took, and vaguely remember from high school, is finally paying off.

My friend, Jackie, is going. Her parents are from Mexico so she is fluent is Spanish. Portuguese is very similar so she sounds like a pro.

Another friend, Jody, is going. She is from Alabama. Listening to someone from Alabama try to speak Portuguese is just too funny. She has a very, very thick southern accent.

I leave on March 8th and return March 19. There is only a three hour time difference. It is also very humid in Brazil. I don't think the pictures will be too pretty.

Naturally curly hair + high humidity does not a good picture make.

A Special Blog

I'm posting a link to a very special blog. This is a woman that I took care of at work. It is a remarkable and amazing story of love and devotion. It makes you realize that the bad day you thought you had wasn't so bad at all.

If you remember, the reason I became a nurse is because of my gramma (my spelling).

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and after a long fight, lost her battle. I would go to Minnesota to help care for her and wanted to be able to help others. I miss her dearly and know that she is looking down on me and is very proud.

When I became a nurse, I had new respect for my Aunt Julie. She is an oncology nurse, so she knew everything that was happening and what would happen next to gramma. I can't imagine how hard this was for her.

When you are a nurse, you know the things that come next when someone is ill. Sometimes, it is hard to know, but you are thankful for knowing at the same time.

Bad Mommy

Noelle has had, what I thought, was a cold that just wouldn't go away. I told her to drink more water and orange juice. Bought her a box of kleenex, some Luden's cough drops, some Delysm and some children's Nyquil.

Well, I was wrong, she has asthmatic bronchitis. She is having breathing treatments, (thank heavens I kept the nebulizer from when the kids were little), using Advair, (which she hates because it "makes my tongue dry), and taking an antibiotic.

I guess I was in nurse mode where you think of people who go to the doctor for every little thing and don't want to be "one of those people".

I won't let her cough as long next time.

Nursing School 15

You've all heard of the "freshmen 15", well, I think I have the "nursing school 15". Ok, so it's not 15 pounds, but I have gained back about eight pounds of the 50 I lost last year. I keep telling myself to work out, but I have to have the time first.

It's frustrating! I know it's because I spend too much time sitting. Sitting at school, sitting to study, sitting at work. UGH! When it warmed up not long ago, I was going to start walking one of the dogs again, then it turned cold.

I see one guy who lives on our street that runs everyday, no matter what the weather is doing. I see him when I'm studying or watching TV and think, "I should go for a walk". I have yet to actually blast my rear up and do it.

Maybe I can on Sunday after I wake up. Oh wait, that's Super Bowl Sunday~there's always next week.