Susan's Side: January 2009

Ok I just ordered my yard plants online.....must say I am a skeptic but they are guaranteed....anyone ever done this? I am afraid I am going to get a bunch of twigs hope not. If it works it will be much cheaper than lowes or homey d would be...
In other news there is not much to tell, both boys got great report cards Dale all A's and Reid all +'s which is the best he can do so I am excited for that, and both behave and are assets to the class which is wonderful. Macy is doing great too...I have noticed she colors more than both of the boys ever did...and does it well in the lines and all...very good control and dexterity for her age. Dogs are good, Duke is good, I am kidney stone free for the time and am good so I guess will go with no news is good news.

Creativity challange.....Dale is in his school play that in in March and I have to make him an ant costume....so if anyone has ideas....I was going to do bike helmet with pipe cleaner anteanas, black sweats with foam attached to the calfs to look like their pokey legs and black hose stuffed sewn to the waist for the other 2 with fishing line to link them to his arms for a little movement..gotta figure out the segmentation for the body bulge and butt buldge....I want it light but round???? hhhhmmm

oh well hope all is well in your worlds and have a great week.

In a matter of 3 weeks we have been very busy....on top of the regular holiday business.

Rewind Dec 8th, 2 days post Disney, I had to go have x-rays done of my kidneys.... I did and it was quick and easy I assumed I was done....do you hear Murphy laughing???
Get a call Dr wants to see me, schedule appointment for the 15th? and go . He says you hurt....NOPE feel good actually....well you have a lot of blood in your urine and come look at this....You have 3 kidney stones to pass, 2 on the left and one one the right....here is some pain meds and wish you good pee's....not in those words but the synopsis is accurate. So I have mild pain that week....on the 19th we did the kids class parties, and sing along that Bepaw came and played in the parent school band which was very cool of him to do. Sunday the 21st I started to hurt, and the 22nd all day was AWFUL, and sadly Mama Sam and Troy came into town that night and I was in bed, Tuesday I felt pretty good, as well as Wednesday, and Thursday, Friday and Saturday....not wanting to run a marathon but could be upright and speak and cover what I was feeling to an extent. Sunday hit and again pains, and Monday was again Awful, went to have more xrays on tuesday still in pain, and called my mom and finally caved and asked her to come get the kids, who were at daycare....It was too painful. So they pack up and head to San Antonio, and I get the xrays and head to the dr....feeling better as the pain had eased, just a back ache. I see the dr and had felt like all the pain was deep pelvic so the stones were low and in a day would pass. He says come see this....there is a huge stone up HIGH on the left....I was crushed, "we need to operate on it , you cannot pass it's too big, and if we do not you could very likely end up in the Er in Colorado" ....which we were headed to on Friday...this is Tuesday! Sound FUN. So we set up surgery on Wed....the 31...happy new year. I go in feeling pretty good, just a major back ache, no pain meds as I could not have anything to eat or drink, but I was ok. Surgery went well... he saw the stone....to big to basket, he shot it with the laser and basket ed out the pieces and placed a stint in to help flow with the swelling. I head home and not 2 mins in the drive I and in tears and monstrous pain...cannot speak, writhing in pain...this continues all the drive home.....5 pm...holiday traffic, across town....NOT FUN. Duke went and filled all the rx's, I tried to lay on the couch as some took effect. Next day I actually felt fair...minus the feeling to pee all the time from the stint, but felt ok even went to the store...fast forward 2 hours and back in pain....huge pain...I took a bath...nothing...tears to duke to call the dr and see what else I can take safely. The Dr tells duke to remove the stint. In my first stone surgery prep it was seen that I have 3 kidneys 2 on the left and one on the right....the 2 on the left are small and make one regular size, the other is small but normal....so the ones on the left are smaller....ureters are smaller too....and to be even more circus like the kidneys each have a ureter that join together to make a Y and travel to the bladder. I my past I did not tolerate the stint which is just a tube from the kidney to the bladder, my urters spasmed and landed me in the hospital overnight. So my Dr was aware of this potential and this is why he allowed Duke to remove it, 2 days early....and it is easy to remove but gross and we all can appreciate medically trained staff in these situations...which my husband is not...but he was awesome and out it was....relief for an hour....and then BIG PAIN...my mom showed up with the kids as she was to drive to Austin and fly with the babies to Colorado the next morning 6 am...and so were we. Duke caught her outside and said we can't go like this....so they convince me to go the ER...and my DR sends us to a hospital 30 mins across town, yet there is one less than a mile away...never again, I will go to my own and they can accomodate me, besides it being VERY crowded we were also one of the few with insurance coverage...we arrived at 5....were there until 2 am....they did xrays...nothing, small clot to pass, why the pain....no clue, the dr even looked at my back to see where the stint was....NOT there....it is placed inside the "tank" so he was not really knowledgable but did dose out pain meds....shots of torodol...nothing...morphin...I was numb but still felt it, I did not tell the Dr out of fear they would keep me overnight and since the pain came and eventually went I felt ok to go so we went and headed home packed the last of the stuff and had a no kidding 30 min nap and went to the airport for a 6 am flight. Mom changed her flight to go with us which was a huge help, the pain came back on the plane but stopped, came back after breakfast with everyone, and again while getting skis and groceries. I skied Saturday and hurt only a bit....it was a one pain killer pain so I was ok...I figured if I needed 2 I had no business skiing....I did end early and watched macy/ reid ski, felt good that night and good the next morning and lunch hit and I hurt, so I skied one more run and went down and played with Macy and this episode lasted all night and I finally took and Oxycontin and had crazy dreams about BIG feet and people skiing on stilts, rested on Monday and took the kids swimming and stuff....felt ok. and that morning I spoke with my Aunt a nurse and said with all the pain killers I numb me but the pain and spasm sensation is still there .....I thought about AZO.... a bladder infection med that alleviates pain and urgency with that and maybe it would relax my ureters too....I took one and maybe it helped....I took more at dinnertime but had no food in my stomach and threw it up....SOOOO GROSS...but I had a numbness in my nose and throat...not totally numb but a little bit....So the next day, I ate and then after breakfast tuesday took another....felt awesome all day, good that night...and since then have been ok and not on any pain killers since monday....which is nice.....so that was my Christmas, New Years and Vacation from the medicinal point and here is some from a family point.

Macy SINGING Frosty the Snowman....with boo bood lip

We saw Santa, Macy wants a barbie, Reid grabbed a candy cane and ran, and Dale said that Mr Juan not santa....his days are numbered.

We went bowling with Troy and Mama Sam and discovered that Mama Sam has untapped bowling potential. I was Tim Duncan twinkie b/c I used the largest bowling shoes the rink had...sz 18, only used by Timmy and ME....the laces would not even tighten around my foot so I put my shoe in it and bowled looking like ronald mcdonald....but we had fun. we also made one of the ugliest gingerbread houses in the history of gingerbread houses....but the kids had fun and the time with Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Troy was great

We had an awesome christmas with the Troy Daniels and Mama Sam, Dollhouse, Wii's, Ds's, jeep doors, Blackberrys, Lawn Mowers, Paintings....we are truly blessed
We also went and drove thru Santa's Village for our Christmas light fix with Grandma and Bepaw.

I did manage to get all my christmas stuff put away the day after Christmas...and good thing since life happened to toss me a curve ball.

We met up with 14 others to ski in Colorado....really great to do that, my kids LOVED spending time with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and having all these new people to receive attention from.

My ski'n family

The whole crew...minus the few non skiers and ski schoolers

Snow slide fun

We celebrated Reids 6th Birthday with a yummy cake and gifts and balloons during the UT game and UT won so that was a nice gift too....

My boys can SKI....Dale is a little machine and does awesome, and Reid too....when you ski with them it is like playing chase.....you simply try to catch them...since they do not need rest breaks they just go...but it was fun AND Macy was up on ski's...and she loved it, we did a few runs as a family on the bunny hill which was neat for me.

Macy on the chair lift with Daddy

My little unicorn....their helmet heads were a hit....it all began b/c I owned a blue helmet that Dale and Reid wore and Macy refused since it was Blue....so I purchased the cover for less than the helmet rental...and got ones for Dale and Reid and I tell you it was a piece of cake to pick them out on the mountain.