The Little Things in Life

There are times when you wonder (like Amy and Rory from Doctor Who) if life just got started.
The past few months seems like our life kicked into hyper gear.
We have been busy with Doctors appointments, dentist work, school, soccer, birthday parties and so much else.
I never meant to go quite for so long. Really I meant to come back and give you the update on Hubby and his seizures.
So here we go - one massive missive, condensed to a semi manageable length.

Prissy ~

In October she turned 10! (Where has the time gone!) We had a great Monster High Birthday party for her - they watched 13 Wishes (the newest M.H Movie) We had a Monster Dance off as well as a mummy wrap contest.
The winners took home some great prizes and everyone had a ball - really they are still talking about this party!

G'man ~

My boy has had a BALL this fall. We placed him on a indoor soccer team and they came in first place. Okay not to brag but they won all 8 of their games and some of them they won at 15-0. He LOVES soccer now!
He also won B.U.G lunch at his school on the same day as his Best Bud. (Bringing Up Grades). I am very proud of how great he has been this year!

The Hubs and I

 

Hubby has had 11 cavities, 3 crowns and one infected tooth worked on. He has also been on two different meds as well as diagnosed with Left Frontal Lobe Epilepsy. 

The medicine he is on has helped. He is having seizures less frequently but they are growing worse in strange ways (he was able to do a task while one part of his brain was still seizing).

I have been having a ball with my Bestie as this is the first year that all four of our babies have been in school full time!

Our friend C.A just came home from Cambodia and she has 6 more weeks to go until her first baby arrives! I can't even say how happy I am that she is back in the states!

Weather across the nation has been cold and brutal - Utah is no exception. We have been under 32d for the past two weeks! With most days starting off at 4d and getting as warm as 18d today's 30d actually felt warm - we got close to having something (anything at this point) melt!

Luckily before the cold settled in we were able to install a new warmer front door as well as plug up some large holes.

This came in handy last weekend when G'man turned off our heater with his soccer ball. Even though it dropped down to 4 degrees that night it was still a frigid 52d when we woke up.

 

We still don't have all the answers. Hubby's health still isn't where we would like it and we don't know if it ever will be again. 

Today.

Money is still tight. 

Family is still family. 

However, we have a home. 

We have each other and we have hope for tomorrow.

So today is a good day.

Today, I miss my mama, but cuddle with my son and daughter. 

Today is important.

Its filled with the little things.

School, work, fish and chips, family movie night, frigid air and hot cocoa. 

I don't know what tomorrow holds but today... today is a good day.

Neurology and Everything Else

Where to start... I guess I would have to start explaining today, by starting with Monday. ps. this is a rather long post, but worth reading!

Monday hubby had a dentist appointment. Basic cleaning and to find out what was going on with a back tooth that was hurting (feeling like it was being pushed out).

As we drive down SR-111 (very middle of no where) I hear a very dreaded sound. Thump, thump, wump wump.

We pull over and Ta-Da! Flat tire!

I call the dentist to let them know we need to reschedule.

After spending around 20 minutes to acquire the spare and jack the car up to a manageable height. We run into a major snag.

I can't move the lung nuts. It isn't going to happen.

Hubby gets one lug nut off and then spends the next 10 minutes holding his tummy (where he had major invasive surgery two months ago) and trying not to cry.

Note to the new visitor of this blog - I am married to a very manly man. He does not cry. It takes more than you would imagine to get this man to cry over being hurt - ever! (I have seen him undergo 5 surgeries)

We call in help. Hubby's BFF JarHead and his very amazing Wife came to our rescue! ~ Thank you so much you two! ~

Now fast forward to today. A month ago we made an appointment to see a neurologist due to hubby's surgeries. The appointment was at 1 pm. I had made arrangements with my BFF for her to watch the kids.

BUT we had a dentist appointment that needed to be made up. Hence we got a 10:20 appointment this morning.

So here I am driving down SR-111, again, on the way to the dentist, again, and I BARELY miss hitting a doe! 

We make it to the dentist in one piece (Thank you Jesus!) and the kids and I get comfortable in the waiting room watching Despicable Me and then the first ten minutes of Meet the Robinson's.

Hubby comes out at 11:52! By this time I was getting worried about not making it to my BFF's and back up to the doctors!

Hubby has 15 cavities, an infection - needs a root canal, a few fillings and to remove and plug one of his teeth! All in all roughly 12,000! They are going to send us a mock up of plans and stages at varying prices for our tiny budget and we will go from there. 

This year we need to worry about the infected tooth, the rest can wait.

Now my hubby is very clean - the dentist was impressed with how clean his teeth are - the problem comes from bad diet as a child and extremely poor dental hygiene as a child. Also his C-pap might cause some damage to his teeth.

You just can't undo what's been done. 

We dropped off the kids and run to the Neurologist appointment - already both of us are drained!

Two hours later, we have a follow up, an EEG planned, new trial medication and most likely a diagnosis of Epilepsy. 

Nothing is definitive yet. Nothing solid. Nothing known.

However, Dr. Buchanan was a very well spoken, polite and knowledgeable doctor. 

We run grab the kids - who have amazingly been ANGELS (why don't they act like that HERE!?) and come home.

So to recap my week - broken garden hose, busted car tire, broken bathroom faucet, HUGE amounts of dental work, and a very large unknown in our future.

I think its safe to say we need prayers. I also would like to find the Angels that is holding my blessings. He seems to have gotten lost.

The good news? Hubby is down 78 pounds and I am down 18 pds. I had a bad week the week of my birthday and had to re-loose all the fun I had! 

Next week, I'm hunting an Angel.

Two Month weigh in and Health update

First off I am sorry I have not been blogging lately. Our life has taken a few turns that we didn't expect.

My darling hubby has lost a whopping 70 pounds exactly in two months!

 

I have lost 15!

While the surgery and diets have been amazing and we wouldn't want to go back, it has triggered something else.

What we are not sure of.

It started about two weeks after his surgery. He had a very scary grand mal seizure. (freaked the living crap out of me!)  Then he had a few more - then even more.

To make a very very long and scary two months short, we have been to the doctors, the ER and for a contrast MRI.

We have an upcoming appointment with a neurologist as well as an EEG and an ECHO.

The MRI did not come back great. In fact it has left us with more questions and heavy hearts while we wait to meet with the neurologist.

It showed a few "dead" spots in his brain as well as the fact that his brain is no longer functioning on the same level as most men his age.

This is all recent as we had an MRI done just 2 years ago.

As for current treatments - he is on an anti-seizure medication that has helped as he has only had 1 in the 9 days that he has been on it.

Needless to say this is scary for us. Right now we are waiting to find out more, waiting for more tests... I feel like parts of me are slowly coming undone.

The scariest part is all the research I have been doing. The fact that the may not be able to figure out what is happening. That it may continue to happen.

That my beloved could die from this has me more emotional than I can say.

So, I will blog more. Wait. Pray and of course update you when we know more.

 

A Long Weekend

Friday we took the kids to their school PTA Carnival. 

Saturday morning I woke to the news that a very good man and friend, Randy Chavez passed away.
Here is his obituary so that friends and family can attend the Memorial and Funeral. 

Later Saturday another friend of mine (a woman I baby sat for) died, no funeral information for her has been past on, but my humble respects to Gina Smedly's family.

Sunday we went to the zoo - Hubby has been house bound for two weeks and wanted to get out and be in clean air.
We made it through the Asian Highlands and the Arctic Exhibit before we had to turn around and come home. It was too much to soon. Hubby is still in lots of pain and his energy is very low. Right now at the Hogle Zoo they have several large animal statues done in lego's, due to our short trip we only saw three but we will be heading back soon, the blessings of a membership.

Today (Monday) is my husbands two week weigh in after the surgery - so far he is down a whopping 41 pounds!
I am down 6 pounds!
 

New Beginings

The black shirt is from Christmas - its the original before.

The red/hospital gown is after losing 20 pds in the two weeks before surgery.

He is home.

No more complications.

A few very long days of recovery and then we start to walk!

I have lost and gained back the 4 pounds and am still working on losing.

Healthy diet, exercise and sticking to it - should help.

This is the last stage on my Path to Me.

The first few stages were waking up, getting active, accomplishing goals and re-finding my sense of humor.

The last phase and the longest is to lose all the depression and baby weight that I gained.

Will keep you posted.

This is a little bit of the amazing moments that kept me away from my blog. Sorry, its been so long. Will keep you posted on our weight loss.

The hub's and recovery

Monday Hubby went in for Gastric Bypass Surgery.

He was supposed to come home today.

Supposed, is the key word.

There was a minor complication.

Minor as in, it won't cause any problems, need surgery ect ect.
Complication as in, he's not home.
Tomorrow they will x-ray him again, check his progress and decide whether or not to release him.

You see they have to check to make sure there aren't any holes. However, sometimes - like this time - they see something else.
The upper intestine was LARGE, filled with air. The small intestine wasn't moving. Two things can cause this, a blockage and a temper tantrum.
Luckily for my hubby his is due to a temper tantrum. (They have a very technical term for it) However its when the muscle refuses to squeeze again.
In other words its angry at being cut and throwing a baby fit.

On its own it will start to work again within a few days at max. They will go in and x-ray him again tomorrow and see if its moving yet.
If it is then he will be released.
If not he will spend another night in the hospital.
Thankfully all of this is covered by insurance.
As long as the doctor notes it in the charts (and he has) we have already met our out of pocket deductible so this is all a free ride.
Too bad its not more fun.

The kids and I, miss him, miss normal and frankly I think I could drive to the hospital blindfolded.

Will post photos hopefully tomorrow.
The good news is in the 2 weeks pre-surgery hubby lost 20 pounds! Can you imagine how quickly he might lose the weight over the next few months?
I really have to kick my butt into gear so I can catch up!

A long time with a long road

Its been two months since I have posted. I am sorry.
I have so many things I would love to share and document.
So many projects, activities, and family events that I have stored away wanting to share.

They were swept away with our recent choice. My husband is going in for Gastric Bypass Surgery, tomorrow.
For the past two weeks he has had nothing to eat, drinking only fluids and protein shakes.
I tried to follow the same diet as he did, I made it 2 days. Kid you not, I get grouchy without food!

Instead I swapped to eating breakfast (smaller portions and calories) and dinner (also smaller portions).
In the two weeks I have lost 4.5 pounds. Tomorrow we will find out how much hubby has lost.

We are determined to have our lives back.
Since this is a very physically demanding task - losing so much weight so quickly weakens you - we have been running around the house finishing off projects, getting the house as ready as we can for the next few months.

We have even worked more on the kids playground as they will be off school soon.
In the mean time while my husband is off work recovering (you have to be able to move around and his job is sedate) we are hoping to get some house painting done.
Today we finished fixing the out side lights, the leaky faucet and a few things out side.

Tomorrow at 1:30 pm we go in and he should be released to come home Tuesday.
 I will post more - hopefully some before and after photos as well!

An Eye Full

So today was a full day of running around.

First off I dropped off Patch for his hair and nail cut appointment.

Then I came home (attempted to clean but didn't).

Ran back to pick him up and run him by the house.

At which time I then had to run to the school grab both kids for their first eye visit.

First off I am not a slacker when it comes to getting things checked but I have paid attention to my children and Prissy has always seemed to have great vision.

It wasn't until this year that G'man started complaining about seeing the board at school.

Then he started getting closer and closer to the TV to watch it.

After talking with his teacher I made an appointment for both of them.

No surprise Prissy has 20/20 vision.

G'man is nearsighted,

but he also has astigmatism in his left eye.

Which can cause blurry vision, tired eyes and cause further damage if left to struggle on.

The good thing is that he will only need to wear the glasses at school.

For sports, summer and around the house he will hand them over to me to take care of.

So the above has a photo of the glasses we ordered and will be here shortly.

I have to say that I LOVE our Shopko eye center!

Our Dr. Broadbend was amazing with G'man. 

Talked him through everything, calmed him down about what was going to happen and was amazingly patient!

Patches before and after photo!

He is so cute!

Sunny Day Picnic

I know I haven't been blogging lately - I wish I could say I was very busy - saving the world - something fun.
In truth though I have been done with the cold crappy weather. I lacked ambition. Focus.

Today, however, the sun came out! It was actually warm and dry!
The kids decided to celebrate by spending most the day outside - including begging for a picnic lunch outside.

A few months ago (my southwest Miche party) I bought 120 nacho bowls. (and yes that was the smallest amount I could buy at a time!)
Now I have been finding tons of fun uses for these containers around the house.
Today was another great day!
I made their sandwiches (turkey for G'man & PB&J for Prissy) in the cheese area I added some chips.

Yesterday we ran to IKEA, my hubby has a chair. A very special chair. The only chair.
You see a few years ago hubby had back surgery. This makes it very hard for him to bend, or move up and down.
Thus he can not have a soft, plushy, squishy chair. It needs to be firm. Supportive.
This is a chair we bought a few years ago at Ikea. Then the kids got a hold of it and... well after a few years of my children trying to climb the chair and their papa, it broke.
As this is the ONLY recliner we have ever found (5 years searching) that does not hurt his back, we went and got him a new one! This is his b-day, valentines day & fathers day all rolled into one.

I have lots of fun news I will be posting this week so I will be back! and soon!

Valentines 2013

First off - Happy Birthday to my Sweet Sister Dawn Marie! I love you!

For the holiday I helped make both of my children's Valentines Day "boxes".
Prissy's is actually a soup can I painted and then she added stickers too.
G'man's was the funnest box I have ever done. Thanks to pinterest, I found several variations of the Monster box and had lots of fun creating a monster for my son.
He LOVED it! and he won the best box award!

I also, to celebrate, did my nails yesterday. I also got this tip from pinterest to use a freezer bag to help make the shapes before adding them to your nails!
Thank you pinterest!

Prissy also has a "special" friend over today. She likes him, he likes her... yeah its rough being a mom.
However, as I won't let me daughter date so being special friends is as close as its getting.
N had a rough day today, some of his friends left his jump roping team and stole several of his other team mates as well.
So today he started training Prissy and G'man.
I told him good luck.

G'man - he would do amazing if he would settle down to take directions.
Prissy - she is my shining star, my love, but her balance.... well she got that from her Auntie. (okay and a little bit of it from me)
But N likes her and wants to spend time with her - and have a jump roping team - so I said good luck.

Now I am not much for this over the top lovey dovey day. I don't mind hanging a heart on my door and doing my nails.
The rest has always been my sisters birthday day and I am okay with that.

I don't like flowers - they make it hard for me to breathe.
I don't like expensive jewelry as I am allergic to gold and silver.
I don't like Chocolate's (well I will take a little bit) because I am FAT.
I don't like Pink.
I don't like Red.

My hubby has it easy with me. Once before we were married he bought me a pearl necklace. I love it. It has silver and is now waiting for my daughter to grow up.

I am cooking a special dinner tonight as we did our special Chinese dinner over the weekend.
After that its life as usual.

So for those over the top lovey dovey people... good for you. I however, would rather have my hubby treat me like an angel all the days of the year than waste it all on one day. (or wasting our money)

Wordless Wednesday

Whovian's vs. Trekkies

No matter the name, Geeks, Nerds, Outcasts, Brilliant Minded or just plain weird. We all love our "special" shows.
Many such shows are Monk, House, Big Bang Theory, Star Trek and my personal favorite Doctor Who.

While many of us have watched all or many of these. I have noticed a rather large difference between, Whovian's and Trekkies.
Don't get me wrong - large amounts of both groups watch both shows. However, its how they act that show what camp they really belong to.

You see a few months ago I joined a discussion on Star Trek and again this week (hence the post). We were talking about our favorite shows, captain's, characters ect when I noticed that many people would preface their questions saying - Do not say, Star Trek Enterprise.
For some odd reason most of the devote Trekkies refuse to watch or acknowledge the last Star Trek TV series.
I for one like it. I like the cast, the crew and the premise.
However, I am also a Whovian.
You see us, Doctor Who'rs, are used to change. We might not always like losing our favorite doctor (mine being David Tennant) but we move on and allow the new doctor to grab our hearts.
Each new Doctor brings something new to the Tardis.
His own personality, quirks and isms.

It does not seem that Trekkies have the same open heart/mind. Which has left them without a continuing TV show.
Why would they create another TV show for a group of people who love Star Trek, but ONLY the versions already out. Loving only the past.
Even the new Star Trek movies - which are amazing! - are still causing ripples in the Trekkie groups.
Many are hoping that the movies will find a way to realign the time lines - allowing the Star Trek they know and love to still "continue".
Instead of allowing the new off rail version of the timeline.

For a show that was supposed to challenge the way people thought or saw things. Challenging preconceptions and ideas, their die hard fans don't seem to like change.
They don't even seem willing to try.
I have read too many times, I heard the Enterprise wasn't good so I didn't watch it.
Eh? Really?
You love Star Trek, but some random person's opinion is going to stop you from forming your own opinion?

So I say if you are a Stuck Star Trekkie, give Enterprise a try. If that concept is too radical for you at first then try watching Doctor Who.

Update: A few ideas to re-launch the Star Trek Series for ALL the fans.
1. Joss Whedon directs it.
2. Bring Wesley Crusher on as the Capt. Will Wheaton is at a perfect age to come back for this role! (The idea that he has a special future and special powers being added in would make a wonderful new twist to the series.)
3. Have Star Trek move into the area of space occupied by The Alliance/Rebels from the Firefly series. They made comments about "Earth that was" but never stated that it was gone - just that they left after pollution - which fits in line with Earth's history in Star Trek Deep Space Nine's Bell Riots.

Crazy Hair & Everything Else!

Prissy loves Crazy hair day! Each year we try to do something different - as I am not the amazing hair mama this is about as good as it gets!
G'man does not laugh at himself and really hates it when anyone else does - hence I was banned from touching his hair... poor kid.

Last night I had a meeting with his speech teacher, teacher & principal. The meeting is called an I.E.P, however, speech isn't like normal I.E.P's.
We talk about progress, about goals... and about his very rigid, self imposed, standards. You see my son aims for the moon and is very upset any time he misses.
Very upset.
Melting down, tears and self directed anger for coming short of his own goals.

We (myself and the team) all just want him to try, even if he fails, he learns and gets better.
He, doesn't see life that way. For him, right now, its all or nothing.
I am at my wits end. Thankfully, despite his growing tantrums his teachers love him.

Ps. if you are dropping by for the first time I am not a "Mommy blogger." I am not the amazing crafty, art project, every moment filled with kodak moments.
I am a brutally honest mom who fails more often than not. I have two kids that are both struggling with reading (I'm a writer, hence the irony.)
We have insane and crazy moments.

Two weekends ago I ended up in the ER with Prissy because she stabbed herself in the finger with her Epi Pen. This weekend while playing outside in the snow, she ran out of her boot.

She ran out of her boot.
In the snow.
And left it there.

When she realized that she didn't have a boot on anymore, did she come inside? Go back and grab the boot?
Nope.
She wrapped her jacket around her foot and kept playing.

....I promise I could not make this up.
The insanity gets worse... its been 5 days since she walked out of her boot and guess what?
Even though its a black and hot pink hello kitty boot, its still lost somewhere out in the snow.
We have looked, all of us, every day, for hours.
I feel like singing, oh where or where has my little boot gone? Oh where oh where can he be?

Then last night, after bathing the kids I go in for a rare long hot bath.
While my head in under water I hear loud voices. Upon resurfacing I find my son on the other side of the curtain of the bathtub - crying.
I cover up, open the curtain and find him holding a bump on his head.
First words out of his mouth?
"Mama, *Prissy* just tried to kill me."

Yup 10 minutes into my bath and already the world is ending. I really should know better. I should know by now that I can not take a bath while they are awake or at home.
After questioning both of the children and my husband, no one knows anything or saw anything.
All my husband knows is that one moment my son was sitting, then his sister walked over, and then his head was hitting the floor.

In spite of everything, somehow, I have managed to convince my children's teachers, doctors ect. that I am an amazing mother.
These day's I just smile, nod and wonder if this is how most mothers feel. Like somehow we've defrauded them into thinking we are better or different than we are.

Utah's Toxic Air

Before the almost full foot of snow that's dropped in the last two days, we had Toxic Fog. A thick heavy layer of smog, fog and pollution.

It hard to tell due to the large amounts of white, but its around 3 feet, yes its a four foot fence but it slopes down. Its hard to describe and depending on drift, my yard has anywhere from 2 1/2 to 3 feet. We have more snow inbound tonight and tomorrow so we will see what we end up with.
The rest of this post will be on last weeks issue of Toxic Fog ;). Hope you enjoy my rant.

New's Quote, 

The icy fog has smothered the Salt Lake Valley for several weeks and trapped lung-busting soot emitted in the city underneath.

The level of pollution in the city is now the highest in America according to the Environmental Protection Agency and medical experts are now urging residents to stay indoors.

And

The greater Salt Lake region had up to 130 micrograms of soot per cubic meter on Wednesday, or more than three times the federal clean-air limit, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Utah regulators are working on a set of plans to limit everyday emissions, including a measure to ban the sale of aerosol deodorants and hair spray that contain hydrocarbon propellants. Those plans, however, will take years to show results.

Snow cover amplifies the phenomena called a temperature inversion - Salt Lake City was a foggy freezer box Wednesday at 18 degrees, while Park City basked in sunny 43-degree weather. The warmer air aloft acted like a lid on the frigid valley air, leaving it with no place to go.

For weeks, industrialized cities in northern China have been dealing with bouts of sickening smog several times more toxic than Utah's. But by U.S. standards, Utah's pollution index is off the charts with readings routinely exceeding a scale that tops out at 70 micrograms a cubic meter. The EPA sets a standard for clean air at no more than 35 micrograms.

News links on our Toxic Air.

Daily Mail - Utah's Toxic Fog make's UK's newstands - great photos of the fog.

CBS News

Fox 13 - Attempting to make it sound better

Fox 13 - Our government not really making any changes - trying to leave cleaning the air up to using public transportation. 

Fox 13 - Utah Mom's for clean air trying to get government legislators to pledge to a more active role in cleaning Utah's Air.

Utah Mom's For Clean Air - How did I not know about this group until now?

So while the snow has in fact "cleaned" the air for us once again, the simple fact of the matter is any time the air "settles" (still air, dry air ect) we get inversion. That by itself is still nasty to breathe. Add in varying factors and voila Toxic fog/air. 

The main problem is that even if this legislative session makes and creates real air changing laws and ideas, it will be years until they are implemented and even more until they are effective. 

It can be another 10 years before we see cleaner air on a full time basis. 

So what do we do in the mean time?

I for one am looking into buying special masks for Asthma and Allergy. (links at bottom of post) Since my daughter Prissy has sever Asthma and hayfever, buying washable, re-usable masks is key.

I will also pick one up for my son and I - not sure if hubby will agree to wear one or not even though he also has asthma.

We may look silly for the first year or so - however, if things continue the way they are we may be at the forefront of a new fashion. At least locally.

How about you? IF you live/lived in a polluted area what measures would you take?

 

Links to masks

Here are the top two I am looking at

For the kids (latex free & washable)

For me and the hubby (washable)

and others

I can breathe Masks

Mask buying guide 

One Long Day

The day started early. My BFF picked me up bright foggy and early. Utah is having toxic fog, smog and inversion the last few days - its horrible!
We went downtown to the new salt lake Library where the Utah Autism Coalition was meeting. They are getting ready for the coming legislative session.
For those that don't know Utah has the highest amount of Autistic kids in the nation and yet we still don't make sure that they all qualify for health care!
The UAC is trying to get a bill passed that will allow people with Autism to receive the treatments or meds they need.
Now many people say that this is too expensive. NOT helping is too expensive. With the proper help 70-80% of the kids can grow up to hold jobs, take care of themselves and be all in all, "Normal".
Without help of any kind only 2-6% make progress enough that they will be able to care for themselves as adults.
Helping them now will save taxpayers a fortune in long term care. Not to mention that the numbers of Autism continue to grow!

Next up in the day my hubby went with my BFF to see if he could fix her grandmothers shower - long story short - Nope.

She returned, dropped him off and mentioned that she had the rest of the day off!
My husband and her husband agreed to both watch the kids and give us the day for a girls day!
We went and watched Les Miserables! It was amazing!
We cried for almost 3 hours straight!
Then we went out for dinner at our favorite place (at the moment) Iggy's!
Yummy!
We spent the time talking back and forth both about the movie and about Autism. Her two amazing children have autism, so this is a subject near and dear to us.

Before going home we ran by the store, grabbed a few groceries.
When I got home it was almost time for the kids to go to bed.
I started to help them with their bedtime routine.
Right before Prissy went to brush her teeth I sent her out of the bathroom to take her night asthma mends... That's when the crap hit the fan!
My daughter started screaming!
I mean bloody murder, terrified screaming!
Hubby ran from the living room and me from the bathroom.
My daughter had her EPI Pen, sticking out of her FINGER!

HINT: if you look up EPI Pen in finger on the internet they will tell you MANY times to NOT put an EPI Pen into your finger!!!!

This is a needle that is meant to go through blue jeans into your thigh! Its long and its sharp!
Not to mention the medicine is life saving, but dangerous! It is not meant to go any where near your fingers!

We ran to the ER.
Alright, I didn't run, but I did drive like a crazy woman!

Note: my hubby and I had both tried to pull it from her finger, to prevent the releasing of more medicine... it wouldn't budge.

The ER Dr. gave us the option of numbing the area before pulling it free - to which I reminded him that she is allergic to Lidocaine. He told Prissy tough luck and yanked the needle free - pulling it from the bone!
We had to x-ray the finger to make sure that it didn't cause a bone fracture.
Thankfully it didn't.
We have been very blessed!
The EPI medicine didn't not release into her finger because the needle pierced the bone.
It didn't fracture or hurt nerves or veins.
Again we are blessed!
She will be fine.

On the way home I bought her a finger brace to protect the weakened bone and we will need to watch it to make sure it does not get infected over the next few days.

So the day was a great girls day, the night a bad night with Prissy!

SNOW!

Powder, tires or men, snow is fun, cold and a pain in the bum!

Yesterday it snowed. 10-12 inches of snow depending on the drift from 3 pm to Midnight. If you are a person who loves to ski, you have the money and can leave whatever you are doing... now would be the time to head for Park City, Utah - this is the best Powder Snow - its so light and flaky!

Its also a huge pain in the bum to shovel! You pick up a scoop - its light and flaky - it dribbles slowly off the side of the shovel... as I said beautiful, crystal clear, sparkly, powder snow that is annoying as heck!

See that large snow plow? Yeah it was stuck in front of my house for five minutes! Better than the Magna Senior Center van that was stuck for almost 15 minutes in front of my house before getting help from two men - one a Salt Lake County employee!
Me on the other hand - after calling and confirming that there was no snow day granted and the kids did still need to go - I went dug out the car and then voila! I remembered my BFF gave me a car with brand new snow tires!
 SCORE!
Yeah I wrote her and thanked her again and she keeps telling me to stop! I don't think I am ready for that yet I a still just so happy that I had better traction than half the other people on the road! And that I have a car - did I mention that I have a car?

Then because school wasn't cancelled I went to the PTA meeting! Another mom has joined up and I am so happy! Thank you Tera for braving the insanity!
We are lucky we have a very involved school and lots of people willing to help out making the PTA an easy fun place to be.

Can't wait for my hubby to be home and safe for the weekend!

Blizzards and Family

Its a blizzard out side so I tell the hubby its his turn to get the boy. 

He says, "I wouldn't know where to get him."
I say, "What would you do if I break my leg or get in an accident?"
He says, "Drive carefully!"

So I went and got G'man in the snow, car's sliding all around, half the cars are driving without their lights on.

Visibility is 20 feet max.

I get there, get the boy, clean the car off again - as it was covered again in the 3 minutes it took to get him.

On the way home I'm yelling at all the cars that are driving like idiots. 

Then a large WHITE truck is driving toward me I can barely see it at 10 feet away because aha! it doesn't have its lights on!

Yeah they win the prize - the your the dumbest idiot on the road prize, lets drive in a blizzard, in a white out, in a white car without our lights!

Brilliant.

Two hours later when its time to pick up Prissy from the after school program... yeah hubby does it.

I take the photos above, go back inside and get comfortable. 3 minutes later hubby calls me to come out side to help him get the van out of a snow bank!

Luckily he only got stuck the once, but he did have to take the long way to pick her up.

Now finally my whole family is home and safe!

As of this moment we almost have a foot of snow in just 3 hours! Most of it being dumped in the last hour in a half.

As for the hubby health update

Yesterday - hubby saw the new doctor. The CT was a much clearer photo, he has ONE kidney stone its not 11.8 instead its 8.8 and its not obstructing anything. So its not causing the pain.

Doctor thinks its due to hubbies weight and previous back surgery. 

Not (like the other doctor) that the surgery area is having issues ie a screw loose, but that due to his having fused the lower sections of his back and still being over weight that the vertebra above the surgery area is now also being pulled out of alignment and may need another surgery.

Today - hubby (before the snow storm) hubby went for an MRI with contrast to check his back.

So we will see soon if its his back or if we are still searching for answers.

Thankfully this doctor seemed much more tuned in. 

Also if you live in an area like or near mine you might want to try a new family favorite recipe

Oven Chili Cheese Dogs - check it out!

Hubby's Heath Update

And why I hate Doctors...

So we've fired his most recent doctor and today we are giving our current clinic their last shot at being in charge of my husbands health.
Two months ago my husband started to have intense back pain. Having had both a back surgery AND kidney stones in the last 10 years we had to submit to several different tests to determine the cause.
An Ultra Sound revealed that he had stones in both Kidneys - one as large as 11.8 mm.

Since a stone over the size of 6 mm can not pass on its own we know we have two options - one where they break up the stones with sound waves and allow them to pass in smaller forms. - Two surgery.
The doctor wanting a clearer photo of his kidneys sent him for a CT Scan, yesterday he went in to get the results of the CT Scan.

She didn't have it, didn't look for it, didn't remember asking him to get it. She also thinks he may have gall stones since his liver levels are still off.
Meanwhile, he is having severe diarrhea  vomiting and is starting to get dizzy.
So to re-cap possible liver failure, possible kidney failure, possible gall bladder issues.
No tests, no help from the doctor, and no surgery scheduled - in fact the doctor still somehow thinks that it maybe a screw loose in his back (from his back surgery) despite the fact that we KNOW he has several large kidney stones.
Does she have any plan on dealing with them? Nope.

Yeah, we fired her and complained about her lack of professionalism.
Today we try again.
We are also looking for an internal medicine doctor who will stay up on his Kidneys, Liver and other functions.
Today we will find out what the scan shows, make possible future plans or appointments.

Friday we have an MRI scheduled for his back - this way we can check to make sure everything is still in place correctly back there and allow the doctors to focus on his Kidney Stones.

I am frustrated.
Tired.
Grumpy.
Worried.
Stressed.
Aging quickly.

Now I am going to find something, somewhere that will help me to calm down - chocolate and tea hasn't touched it! (yes that is truly depressing)
Also my happy pill is not working so approach with caution.

Elderly Abuse

Elderly Abuse and why we should be ashamed.

Mama & Grandma out to eat

Many states are still working through their laws - some only have physical and sexual abuse to an elderly. Other's abuse is confined to care centers. This is very important, please check your state laws and see how well they protect their elders.

My state, thankfully, will go after ANYONE who will try to harm or exploit an elderly person, even intimidation of an elderly person is illegal here - not only illegal, but you can be tried and found guilty of it.
After reading through many different state laws, I have to say that I am proud of my state!

My sister, Grandmother and myself

1. What is Elderly Abuse?

Elderly abuse can be anything from physical abuse, emotional abuse to taking advantage of trust to steal from them.
Visit NCEA home - National Center on Elder Abuse
If you suspect elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation,  Click Here for state reporting numbers, or telephone
the Eldercare Locator at
1-800-677-1116.

2. Who can turn in an Abuser?

Someone who knows either the Elderly person OR the Abuser. Family members, medical personal, clergy, social workers... anyone.

3. Can you be sued for turning someone in for Elderly Abuse?

NO. On the website listed, it clearly states that you need to report SUSPECTED abuse. They investigate and will determine whether or not its worth pursuing. You do not need concrete evidence to call in. This means you are not at fault if they are proven innocent.
In fact in a few states NOT reporting suspected elderly abuse is itself a Crime.

4. What is the punishment for Elderly Abuse?

This to me is kind of fun. A person found guilty of Elderly Abuse will be tried for whatever they are found guilty of - physical abuse, theft, embezzlement PLUS taking advantage of an elderly person.

By Utah State Laws - Terms and Definitions.

Exploitation:
(iii) unjustly or improperly uses or manages the resources of a vulnerable adult for the profit or advantage of someone other than the vulnerable adult;
     (iv) unjustly or improperly uses a vulnerable adult's power of attorney or guardianship for the profit or advantage of someone other than the vulnerable adult; or
     (v) involves a vulnerable adult who lacks the capacity to consent in the facilitation or furtherance of any criminal activity.
     (b) A person is guilty of the offense of exploitation of a vulnerable adult as follows:
     (i) if done intentionally or knowingly and the aggregate value of the resources used or the profit made is or exceeds $5,000, the offense is a second degree felony;
     (ii) if done intentionally or knowingly and the aggregate value of the resources used or the profit made is less than $5,000 or cannot be determined, the offense is a third degree felony;

Intimidation:
means communication conveyed through verbal or nonverbal conduct which threatens deprivation of money, food, clothing, medicine, shelter, social interaction, supervision, health care, or companionship, or which threatens isolation or harm.
If done intentionally or knowingly, the offense is a second degree felony.

Harm: 
means pain, mental anguish, emotional distress, hurt, physical or psychological damage, physical injury, suffering, or distress inflicted knowingly or intentionally.
Same fines and laws as stated above apply.

Deception means:
     (i) a misrepresentation or concealment:
     (A) of a material fact relating to services rendered, disposition of property, or use of property intended to benefit a vulnerable adult;
     (B) of the terms of a contract or agreement entered into with a vulnerable adult; or
     (C) relating to the existing or preexisting condition of any property involved in a contract or agreement entered into with a vulnerable adult; or
     (ii) the use or employment of any misrepresentation, false pretense, or false promise in order to induce, encourage, or solicit a vulnerable adult to enter into a contract or agreement.

These are just a few of the terms and fines as laid out in the Utah State Law.

Why should we be ashamed?

Ask any adult about elder abuse. Financial exploitation and they can tell you of at least one person who they KNOW to have exploited or have been exploited.

In my family we (the family) allowed "minor" emotional exploitation of my grandmother. I am very deeply ashamed that it went unreported for years.
Why? Because my grandmother started a cycle that we didn't know when or how to break.
She wanted her family to come to her for help.
Two people took advantage of this.
Her daughter and her daughter's daughter.
It started out as grandma helping because she could - because she wanted to.
It ended with her being pressured to change her will.
There are ways to protect yourself or your family member when the times comes - power of attorney is one way, but it has to be complete.
My uncle had power of attorney and yet my cousin was still able to get my grandmother to change her will without his knowledge - this is where you need to make sure to have all your T's crossed and your I's dotted.
Found out that she (grandma) left the money in a hidden trust before my uncle was made her executor.

My grandmother after her stroke

Why did we allow it to continue after it reached unhealthy and emotional levels?
Because my cousin and my aunt were leaches - they sucked small amounts from her. Nothing "worth" going to the police over. Nothing that would put my grandmothers financial future in danger.
Still the fact remains that grandma was taken from and pressured from those two to often to count. The rest of family treated my grandmother with respect and love.

Does this sound like Placating?
Good because it was and I am ashamed.

The fact is that we never want to prosecute family. We never want to have to step in and say ENOUGH.
We want it to magically work out. It doesn't.
Take a stand, get informed, protect yourself and your loved ones.