And I'm in a downpour at the moment.
Yesterday I made a follow-up to my hospitialization doctor appointment, a full physical appointment, two dentists appointments, one for Thomas and one for me, and an eye doctor appointment. Imagine my surprise when my eye appointment was TODAY.
Well, there's good news and bad news. The good news is I have been diagnosed with rosacea, if that can be good news. Now I always suspected I had rosacea because my cheeks are always red, but I never thought much of it. WRONG. It is in my eyes. This is the reason that I have not been able to read a book for a couple years now. So the good news is that I have artificial tears and I am to practice blinking A LOT when reading, and I should be a reader again. That makes my year. I never knew rosacea could harm the eyes, but it really can. Scary stuff!
This got discovered today because I did NOT wear makeup. So I think from now on, I won't wear makeup to any doctor appointment.
I probably do have glaucoma. I go back for some weird test as soon as they get me scheduled. It doesn't appear I have any optic nerve damage, which is good. Not good news, but caught early and treated, not the worst news. Hopefully.
The really bad news: I was referred to a neurologist for special evaluation and testing. I go blurry eyed in one eye when I recline, such as laying down to watch TV. When I get up, it takes 15-20 minutes for my vision to clear. The opthalmologist suspects there may be something very wrong with my carotid artery. Yikes.
I'll have to get on the phnone tomorrow and find a neurologist that is on my insurance plan, because we don't have one locally. This scares the crap out of me because there is a family history of carotid artery blockage. I also have to get on the phone and get all my Denver medical records sent to my doctor. I was given some, but no specific test results except the stress/treadmill test. I also have to think back to every single eye doctor I've ever been to, find their numbers, and get my records. Good grief.
The neurologist part scares me the most.
It could all be worse, but I just wasn't up for this today. I guess I wouldn't be up for it any day, but I've had enough going on right now.
I came home and bawled.
~~~~~~~
On a school-related note, things have been better. We've been getting into the habit slowly but surely. Book learning is going on again in our house, which is a very good thing. We've decided to work really hard so we don't have to use the entire summer (or month of June) to catch up.
I talked to my dad on the phone yesterday and he sounded so good -- better than he did when he was in the hospital. That did wonders for my heart and soul. It is so hard being so far away.
I asked Bob to take the afternoon off tomorrow. He readily agreed. I just need him to be close right now. He's good at chasing off the scary monsters in the closet, so to speak.
We're supposed to get up to six inches of snow tomorrow. Good grief, it's April already! Snow, snow, go away, please come back another day...preferably next winter.
Here's hoping next week is better!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Three Little Kittens
On a lighter note, I saw this video today and *loved* it. If you like kittens, you'll enjoy it.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Stink, Stank, Stunk
I fear my future blog entries are going to all be negative. Please, forgive me.
School today? Stink, stank, stunk. We both had a terrible time getting started up. We finished three subjects. It took us all day. 'Twas an awful day.
The house is a pit, I have bills to pay, dishes to wash, laundry to do. I took the weekend off and so did everyone else. Big mistake on my part. At least I got unpacked.
I actually snuck in a nap this morning, too.
Tomorrow is another day. While Bob might be upset with what little we accomplished, I'm cutting Thomas and myself some slack. Each day will be better.
If I had three wishes to be granted, this is what I would wish for:
1) Good health for my father -- and all my loved ones, but especially dad.
2) Easing of Thomas's struggles with life in general at the moment.
3) A maid, a cook, an errand runner, a bill payer, a laundry doer, a tutor: Wait, what I need is a wife!
School today? Stink, stank, stunk. We both had a terrible time getting started up. We finished three subjects. It took us all day. 'Twas an awful day.
The house is a pit, I have bills to pay, dishes to wash, laundry to do. I took the weekend off and so did everyone else. Big mistake on my part. At least I got unpacked.
I actually snuck in a nap this morning, too.
Tomorrow is another day. While Bob might be upset with what little we accomplished, I'm cutting Thomas and myself some slack. Each day will be better.
If I had three wishes to be granted, this is what I would wish for:
1) Good health for my father -- and all my loved ones, but especially dad.
2) Easing of Thomas's struggles with life in general at the moment.
3) A maid, a cook, an errand runner, a bill payer, a laundry doer, a tutor: Wait, what I need is a wife!
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Sunday, Sunday
Dreading Monday. I think getting back into the routine will be good for both Thomas and I, but I’m dreading it nonetheless.
Yesterday I didn’t shower and get dressed until afternoon. Same today.
I tried to get a nap in yesterday, but the phone kept ringing. One time it was dad calling on his new Jitterbug phone. That was a nice surprise.
The whole family packed up and hit Wally World last night. We were looking for an intermediate sized crate for Tesla, but they didn’t have one we liked. What they had was a bit too small, and the large was way too large. We need to venture out into the real world soon as Tesla is too big for his crate now. He fits, he curls up fine, but I’d like him to have a tad more room.
I bought myself something last night. A Bissell stick vacuum. I was getting very sick of lugging around my small canister vac to do floors. Dad had a cordless Shark that was good at picking up chunks on carpet (dog food, big crumbs, etc.) and that got me to thinking about my own floors. I tried his Shark on his wooden entryway and his laundry room floor. I wasn’t impressed. I was, however, impressed with the way it was light weight and easy to maneuver.
I looked online and found some great stick vacs, but always impatient, I decided to buy one at Wal-mart last night. It was only $19.99. Bob put it together for me and I am very surprised, but it works very well. It’s like a Dust Buster with a handle and floor attachment. The only drawback is that the cord is so short it won’t reach the entire floor in my kitchen. So I need to run out and buy an extension cord for the thing.
It’s the small things in life that get us through – and having something new to vacuum my hardwood floors is really the highlight of my month.
I have been avoiding looking at school work. I should be sitting down going over things, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Tomorrow is going to be a difficult day for both Thomas and I. Thomas is very upset that we’ll be doing school until the end of June. Can’t be helped, though.
I’m thinking of cutting some subjects short. We had started studying civics, which we both really enjoyed. It’s not imperative that we finish that this year, though. I’m going to scrutinize my list and do only what is of utmost importance: math, science, reading, grammar and writing. I’ll tweak as we go. I’d like to throw history back into the loop, but I’ll let time tell. We do need a gentle day tomorrow.
I’ve been looking at cell phones, or prepaid cell phones to be exact. The last time Bob was in South Carolina, we got hit with a cell phone bill that was over $200. We typically pay $86 a month. Our company just got bought out, and the new company charges you .10 a minute if you’re not on one of their towers. What a jolt to the system that was after we were used to never paying extras for years. My cell phone bill from Denver is going to be a KILLER. I bet it will be over $300. You just have to have a cell phone in an emergency.
So, while in Denver I bought Thomas his first cell phone, a Trac Fone. We couldn’t get a local number with the phone he got, so he got a Colorado phone number. It was easy to use, and the cost would be very cheap if we got the high minute card and double minute card. He used his phone everywhere – including all the way back to Minnesota – and always had coverage. I looked at some of the other prepaid phones, and it looks as if the Trac Fone would be the best bet for us. My plans are to switch to unlimited long distance on my land line and just use the cell phone when out and about. I use my current cell for all long distance now. I think that’s what we’re going to do. In case of emergency, Trac Fone cards can be purchased anywhere, so I could buy a big-minute card if need be.
I hate making decisions like that, but I really detest our new phone company. I went in person to the local store to ask about and then contest that big phone bill, and they were so rude I filed a complaint. I talked to the service center online and they weren’t much better, but they did cut my overages in half. We had such a great deal, and it’s gone. None of the other cell phone companies in our area are nearly as cost effective as our old plan was. So, prepaid wireless it is.
My mood this weekend has been very low. Friday night I cried for about four hours straight. I had cried off and on during the whole ordeal, but not for long. At home, safe and sound, I was able to really let it all out. I hate being so far from my dad. Thomas has been very upset this weekend as well. He’s actually had a few crying spells himself. I had to remind Bob to go very easy on him because of all the trauma he has experienced. I cannot imagine what Thomas is thinking – it was hard enough on me, and I’m over 40. How on earth a young child would process all that happened is beyond me. He doesn’t really want to discuss anything. Typical male, perhaps? He’s letting off steam slow but sure, though. Bob and I have both told him that if he needs to talk, we’re here. I’ve also asked him some prompting questions to get him to open up a bit. He’ll talk a little but then just tell me he doesn’t want to talk about it. So I’m going to let him be, yet be there for him. He’s like me, he’s somewhat delayed reaction. I have a feeling as we get back into our routine, he’ll have an emotional week. As will I.
Yesterday I didn’t shower and get dressed until afternoon. Same today.
I tried to get a nap in yesterday, but the phone kept ringing. One time it was dad calling on his new Jitterbug phone. That was a nice surprise.
The whole family packed up and hit Wally World last night. We were looking for an intermediate sized crate for Tesla, but they didn’t have one we liked. What they had was a bit too small, and the large was way too large. We need to venture out into the real world soon as Tesla is too big for his crate now. He fits, he curls up fine, but I’d like him to have a tad more room.
I bought myself something last night. A Bissell stick vacuum. I was getting very sick of lugging around my small canister vac to do floors. Dad had a cordless Shark that was good at picking up chunks on carpet (dog food, big crumbs, etc.) and that got me to thinking about my own floors. I tried his Shark on his wooden entryway and his laundry room floor. I wasn’t impressed. I was, however, impressed with the way it was light weight and easy to maneuver.
I looked online and found some great stick vacs, but always impatient, I decided to buy one at Wal-mart last night. It was only $19.99. Bob put it together for me and I am very surprised, but it works very well. It’s like a Dust Buster with a handle and floor attachment. The only drawback is that the cord is so short it won’t reach the entire floor in my kitchen. So I need to run out and buy an extension cord for the thing.
It’s the small things in life that get us through – and having something new to vacuum my hardwood floors is really the highlight of my month.
I have been avoiding looking at school work. I should be sitting down going over things, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Tomorrow is going to be a difficult day for both Thomas and I. Thomas is very upset that we’ll be doing school until the end of June. Can’t be helped, though.
I’m thinking of cutting some subjects short. We had started studying civics, which we both really enjoyed. It’s not imperative that we finish that this year, though. I’m going to scrutinize my list and do only what is of utmost importance: math, science, reading, grammar and writing. I’ll tweak as we go. I’d like to throw history back into the loop, but I’ll let time tell. We do need a gentle day tomorrow.
I’ve been looking at cell phones, or prepaid cell phones to be exact. The last time Bob was in South Carolina, we got hit with a cell phone bill that was over $200. We typically pay $86 a month. Our company just got bought out, and the new company charges you .10 a minute if you’re not on one of their towers. What a jolt to the system that was after we were used to never paying extras for years. My cell phone bill from Denver is going to be a KILLER. I bet it will be over $300. You just have to have a cell phone in an emergency.
So, while in Denver I bought Thomas his first cell phone, a Trac Fone. We couldn’t get a local number with the phone he got, so he got a Colorado phone number. It was easy to use, and the cost would be very cheap if we got the high minute card and double minute card. He used his phone everywhere – including all the way back to Minnesota – and always had coverage. I looked at some of the other prepaid phones, and it looks as if the Trac Fone would be the best bet for us. My plans are to switch to unlimited long distance on my land line and just use the cell phone when out and about. I use my current cell for all long distance now. I think that’s what we’re going to do. In case of emergency, Trac Fone cards can be purchased anywhere, so I could buy a big-minute card if need be.
I hate making decisions like that, but I really detest our new phone company. I went in person to the local store to ask about and then contest that big phone bill, and they were so rude I filed a complaint. I talked to the service center online and they weren’t much better, but they did cut my overages in half. We had such a great deal, and it’s gone. None of the other cell phone companies in our area are nearly as cost effective as our old plan was. So, prepaid wireless it is.
My mood this weekend has been very low. Friday night I cried for about four hours straight. I had cried off and on during the whole ordeal, but not for long. At home, safe and sound, I was able to really let it all out. I hate being so far from my dad. Thomas has been very upset this weekend as well. He’s actually had a few crying spells himself. I had to remind Bob to go very easy on him because of all the trauma he has experienced. I cannot imagine what Thomas is thinking – it was hard enough on me, and I’m over 40. How on earth a young child would process all that happened is beyond me. He doesn’t really want to discuss anything. Typical male, perhaps? He’s letting off steam slow but sure, though. Bob and I have both told him that if he needs to talk, we’re here. I’ve also asked him some prompting questions to get him to open up a bit. He’ll talk a little but then just tell me he doesn’t want to talk about it. So I’m going to let him be, yet be there for him. He’s like me, he’s somewhat delayed reaction. I have a feeling as we get back into our routine, he’ll have an emotional week. As will I.
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