On Tuesday, I went in for my laparoscopic surgery to remove my dermoid cyst, look for endometriosis, and tubal ligation. The surgery itself went fine, I guess. I mean, I'm still alive, no lasting damage done.
The day was very long. I had to be at the hospital for 11:00 a.m., which meant no food after midnight, and no liquids after 8:00 a.m. (and only clear ones before that.) it was a long time to wait to be without fluids. That really sucked. I was so thirsty. I have no problem going without food, not that I could have eaten with my nerves anyway, but I hate being unable to drink. My head was pounding by the time surgery came around 2 in the afternoon!
My mom came with me, and I felt bad for her. It was a lot of waiting around for her. At least I was unconscious for part of it.
So this was my first experience with anesthetic and surgery. I was very worried about the coming around part, but it wasn't that bad. They didn't rush me, or tell me to stay awake, so that was good. They did, however shove pills into my mouth when I was half conscious. I thought that was weird. I think I was coming to, and losing consciousness a fair bit, although it didn't see like it at the time. I remember coming to, coughing, and then feeling like I didn't want to open my eyes, so I didn't. In my half-lucid state, I was thinking rather childishly that if I pretended to be asleep, they'd leave me alone. HA HA! The next thing I remember is someone calling my name and shoving a straw between my lips, then telling me to open and shoving pills in my mouth! Lucky for them I take pills easily, unlike some people I know that can't take pills at all.
The next thing I remember is them moving me to the next recovery room. I did manage to look at a clock and was shocked to see it was around four. I was in a fair amount of pain, like really bad cramps. They were asking me how bad the pain was, on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worst pain I ever felt. Well, I've felt some really bad pain in my life. I've had two children without any drugs, so I know pain! But telling them that this pain compared to that was merely a three wasn't going to get me any more pain meds. I'm learning that the hard way. Thankfully they took pity on me when they couldn't take watching me lie there grimacing and writhing anymore. They shot me up with something, and then I was better.
But I was so sleepy. My mom came into the room,we talked for a bit, then I went to sleep on her. So she just played solitaire on my ipad When I woke up, I felt a bit nauseous, so even though the nurse was hoping to get rid of me, she shot me up with gravol, which meant that I had to stay another half hour. I was ok with that. I promptly passed out again.
The next time I woke, I realized the whole place was pretty much vacant. But I still felt sick. Mom helped me dress, then got my drunken self into a wheelchair and wheeled me out. That was the worst ride I've ever had. By the time mom got to the doors, I was opening the barf bag and holding it up to my face. When she went to get the car, I asked her to leave me outside, despite the negative temperatures. Actually, that's the only thing that helped; the cold, cold fresh air.
When I got home, I went to the bathroom and looked at myself in the mirror. I was shocked by how grey I looked. Horrible.
I basically slept on and off since two o'clock that day until seven the next morning. That's a lot of sleep, even if some of it was drug-induced!
Since then, I've been ok. The incisions aren't too sore, it's more the air that's stuck inside of me that's killing me. They pump air into you so they can see what they're doing, but don't remove it. So it's stuck in my abdominal cavity, bubbling around and driving me crazy. It's painful, as gas can be. Only I can't burp or fart it out (forgive the crudeness!), I can just hope for it to somehow dissipate.
The weird part of this experience is that the doc never came to talk to me afterwards. I had to call his office the next day to find out what happened. I also had to make a follow up appt for six weeks away.
So as it turned out, I never actually had a dermoid cyst. What I do have, is stage four endometriosis, which is severe, and a lot of scarring on my uterus and ovary. Apparently, my ovary is stuck to my bowel, so he couldn't remove it without fear of putting a hole in my bowel.
So basically, he said my option is to have a hysterectomy. Which I guess doesn't really make it an option. Unless I choose to not have one, but then what? I'll continue to have these painful episodes. And likely they'll get worse. But even a hysterectomy doesn't guarantee the endometriosis will go away.
So that's my story. I don't know what to do,but I'm guessing the next time the endo flares up, I'll be making a solid vow then to end the pain by any means possible.
Showing posts with label sickness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sickness. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Ouchy!
On Wednesday morning when I got into the shower to start my day, I could feel a pain in my back on my right side and what felt like a menstrual cramp in my groin area on the same side. I couldn't understand why I was feeling this, because really, it was completely the wrong time of the month for that. Plus, I never get cramps on one side only.
So I carried on with my day, although the pain continued to get worse. By mid-morning I had to lie down and just let the kids play around me. By noon, I was dying for naptime, and had to call DH to come home as soon as he could. Movement aggravated the pain, and I wanted to walk around holding myself hunched over like an old lady.
Finally, 5:00 came and all the kids left and DH sent me to the clinic. Two hours later I was home with no diagnosis. Stupid, useless Dr. They did test my urine and said no infection was present there, and that I wasn't pregnant. Well duh! I could have told them that! I actually did tell them I only just finished my period the week before, do wouldn't that be a little too soon for pregnancy? Whatever. So the Dr apparently didn't know what was wrong with me. Even when I asked him if the pain could be coming from my ovaries, he said no, the pain was in the wrong place!
Turns out, that Dr needs to brush up on his female anatomy.
Over the next night and in the morning I was in excruciating pain. I was in tears at one point. I don't even remember labour being as bad as that, although I'm sure it was, just not as constant. At least labour pain came and went in waves, giving me relief in the intermittent off periods. Anyhow, DH took the kids to a friend's place to be taken to school from there, and he took me to the hospital.
At first, when I hobbled into the triage area if the ER, it looked quite empty and I thanked the heavens. However, not two minutes later, the ambulances started rolling in. And we all know that of course they take priority. An hour or more later I was dying. I was whimpering and writhing in that stupid plastic chair, trying to find the most comfortable position. I really was about thirty seconds from saying "to hell with it," and laying down on the disgusting floor.
Finally, the angels of mercy looked upon me and they granted me entrance to the place with beds. The wonderful, heavenly beds. No other bed has ever been more comfortable, more wonderful.
And yes, I know it was a gurney.
From that point on I was given something called Toridol (sp?) via IV, and then taken for a CT scan. Then I was given a most wonderful blend of morphine and gravol. Ah, sweet heaven.
After a nap that I was rudely awakened from by the Dr, (how dare he!) I was told my kidneys were fine and that I did indeed have cysts on my ovaries, the right sided one being larger and therefore causing pain.
Ok, they really shouldn't talk to you when you've only just woke up in a gravol/morphine induced stupor. It's really hard to focus! Thank god DH was there to take all the info in.
So I was sent home with a paper explaining the results (in medical jargon, and I actually ended up googling much of it to try and decode and decipher it) and told to make an appointment with my family doctor within the next few days so he/she could send me for an ultrasound within the next two weeks. Hah!! Obviously the man didn't have any idea of how hard it is to get appts in this town!
So we shall see what happens next… For now I have a lovely bottle of Tylenol + codeine.
So I carried on with my day, although the pain continued to get worse. By mid-morning I had to lie down and just let the kids play around me. By noon, I was dying for naptime, and had to call DH to come home as soon as he could. Movement aggravated the pain, and I wanted to walk around holding myself hunched over like an old lady.
Finally, 5:00 came and all the kids left and DH sent me to the clinic. Two hours later I was home with no diagnosis. Stupid, useless Dr. They did test my urine and said no infection was present there, and that I wasn't pregnant. Well duh! I could have told them that! I actually did tell them I only just finished my period the week before, do wouldn't that be a little too soon for pregnancy? Whatever. So the Dr apparently didn't know what was wrong with me. Even when I asked him if the pain could be coming from my ovaries, he said no, the pain was in the wrong place!
Turns out, that Dr needs to brush up on his female anatomy.
Over the next night and in the morning I was in excruciating pain. I was in tears at one point. I don't even remember labour being as bad as that, although I'm sure it was, just not as constant. At least labour pain came and went in waves, giving me relief in the intermittent off periods. Anyhow, DH took the kids to a friend's place to be taken to school from there, and he took me to the hospital.
At first, when I hobbled into the triage area if the ER, it looked quite empty and I thanked the heavens. However, not two minutes later, the ambulances started rolling in. And we all know that of course they take priority. An hour or more later I was dying. I was whimpering and writhing in that stupid plastic chair, trying to find the most comfortable position. I really was about thirty seconds from saying "to hell with it," and laying down on the disgusting floor.
Finally, the angels of mercy looked upon me and they granted me entrance to the place with beds. The wonderful, heavenly beds. No other bed has ever been more comfortable, more wonderful.
And yes, I know it was a gurney.
From that point on I was given something called Toridol (sp?) via IV, and then taken for a CT scan. Then I was given a most wonderful blend of morphine and gravol. Ah, sweet heaven.
After a nap that I was rudely awakened from by the Dr, (how dare he!) I was told my kidneys were fine and that I did indeed have cysts on my ovaries, the right sided one being larger and therefore causing pain.
Ok, they really shouldn't talk to you when you've only just woke up in a gravol/morphine induced stupor. It's really hard to focus! Thank god DH was there to take all the info in.
So I was sent home with a paper explaining the results (in medical jargon, and I actually ended up googling much of it to try and decode and decipher it) and told to make an appointment with my family doctor within the next few days so he/she could send me for an ultrasound within the next two weeks. Hah!! Obviously the man didn't have any idea of how hard it is to get appts in this town!
So we shall see what happens next… For now I have a lovely bottle of Tylenol + codeine.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Gettin' Down To The Wire
So now we're less than 48 hours from being on the plane (or car) and leaving. And the reason I put "or car" I'll tell you in due time.
As you know, L had an ear infection last week. He's still finishing up his antibiotics, which are for ten days. On the weekend I had my mom, who is a registered nurse, take a look at his infected ear to see how it was coming along. She has one of those ear-looking-into-thingies (I think they may be called an otoscope? or autoscope? I'm too lazy to google it right now.) She said it looked red still. I'm not sure if that's to be expected or not, but it wasn't exactly good news to me.
This morning I had DH take L to the clinic to get his ear re-checked, and possibly more antibiotics if needed and advice on if we should fly or not. And here's why I put "or car". I said to DH that if L can't fly, we'll drive to Florida. I know it's a huge drive, but we actually have a few extra days to play with seeing as how we're supposed to be flying back on the Thursday, but we could technically not come home until the Sunday.
Anyhow, the clinic was a zoo apparently. We have two clinics near us, and they are both very busy a lot of the time. This is due to the fact that at least 35% of the population has no family doctor around here, and then on top of that, people like us that are on a doctor's list, can never obtain an appointment! And I'll get to that later...
So he took L in, and was told that the clinic was closed until noon today. Okaayy...So off he went to the other clinic which was of course, a mess. He said he stood in line for about 20 minutes and it NEVER MOVED! While in this line, he witnessed not one, but two different children vomit on the floor, while one of the mothers who was ahead of him in line, just stood there and watched her child. He guessed she was scared to leave the line. He also said (and I know, gross) that by the look of the vomit, the kid had been throwing up for quite some time, so my question is, why wouldn't you have come prepared for that?? Like with a bag, or bucket or something?
STUPID PARENTS!!
At that point, he turned around and left. And I'm glad. I don't want either of them sitting around waiting in that environment for hours on end.
So off he went next to our doctor's office. It's all the way on the other side of town, about a 15 minute drive if you catch some good lights. He knew that they don't answer the phone until 9:30, even though the office opens at 9:00, which is why he decided to drive over and present himself. He was hoping that perhaps they might squeeze him in. DH was basically told where to go, in a not-so-nice manner by the oh-so-pleasant staff there. And to try for an appointment in,
get this........
.........
.............
JUNE!!!
Yeah.
That is the state of our medical service here. Brilliant isn't it? And that is why our clinics are so busy all the time.
Plus, there seems to be some sort of vomiting flu bug going around. Gads.
L told me that there were about 7 or 8 kids away in his class yesterday!
O.
M.
G.
If we actually escape to Florida without any sort of virulent virus or bacteria, it will be a FREAKIN' MIRACLE!!
As you know, L had an ear infection last week. He's still finishing up his antibiotics, which are for ten days. On the weekend I had my mom, who is a registered nurse, take a look at his infected ear to see how it was coming along. She has one of those ear-looking-into-thingies (I think they may be called an otoscope? or autoscope? I'm too lazy to google it right now.) She said it looked red still. I'm not sure if that's to be expected or not, but it wasn't exactly good news to me.
This morning I had DH take L to the clinic to get his ear re-checked, and possibly more antibiotics if needed and advice on if we should fly or not. And here's why I put "or car". I said to DH that if L can't fly, we'll drive to Florida. I know it's a huge drive, but we actually have a few extra days to play with seeing as how we're supposed to be flying back on the Thursday, but we could technically not come home until the Sunday.
Anyhow, the clinic was a zoo apparently. We have two clinics near us, and they are both very busy a lot of the time. This is due to the fact that at least 35% of the population has no family doctor around here, and then on top of that, people like us that are on a doctor's list, can never obtain an appointment! And I'll get to that later...
So he took L in, and was told that the clinic was closed until noon today. Okaayy...So off he went to the other clinic which was of course, a mess. He said he stood in line for about 20 minutes and it NEVER MOVED! While in this line, he witnessed not one, but two different children vomit on the floor, while one of the mothers who was ahead of him in line, just stood there and watched her child. He guessed she was scared to leave the line. He also said (and I know, gross) that by the look of the vomit, the kid had been throwing up for quite some time, so my question is, why wouldn't you have come prepared for that?? Like with a bag, or bucket or something?
STUPID PARENTS!!
At that point, he turned around and left. And I'm glad. I don't want either of them sitting around waiting in that environment for hours on end.
So off he went next to our doctor's office. It's all the way on the other side of town, about a 15 minute drive if you catch some good lights. He knew that they don't answer the phone until 9:30, even though the office opens at 9:00, which is why he decided to drive over and present himself. He was hoping that perhaps they might squeeze him in. DH was basically told where to go, in a not-so-nice manner by the oh-so-pleasant staff there. And to try for an appointment in,
get this........
.........
.............
JUNE!!!
Yeah.
That is the state of our medical service here. Brilliant isn't it? And that is why our clinics are so busy all the time.
Plus, there seems to be some sort of vomiting flu bug going around. Gads.
L told me that there were about 7 or 8 kids away in his class yesterday!
O.
M.
G.
If we actually escape to Florida without any sort of virulent virus or bacteria, it will be a FREAKIN' MIRACLE!!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Quarantine??
I know you're probably all tired of listening to me whine and moan about my issues, and even my DH says I'm looking for trouble. So I'm trying to take advice of others to heart, and thank you all for your advice and comments (either through the blog, or emails). L's ear feels fine to him so far, after almost a week of being on cefzil (I think that was the name), but we will take him to the germ factory otherwise known as the clinic to get his ear looked at again on Monday. (And he will be instructed to NOT TOUCH ANYTHING while we're there!)
This weekend I'm hoping to accomplish a lot of my To Do list, providing no one gets sick, that is. And speaking of that, is it weird that I want to encase my family in a giant plastic bubble for the week? All I've heard lately is "this person is sick" or "my friend's kid is sick" or "we were all sick last week" from everyone I talk to as well as friends' postings on Facebook.
Ugh.
To top it off, one of the girls I look after, S, was up all night last night puking, dry heaving and crapping. Oh god. She was here, at my house, ALL DAY yesterday! It totally makes me want to go bleach my whole house. Instead, I'm sitting here blogging about it. Not that I have a choice, I have three kids under 3 today, so it's not like I can leave them unsupervised while I go upstairs and disinfect for the next two hours. But mark my words, I will be doing some of that for sure once they're in bed. Thank god for naptime!!
The three toddlers in question have colds now. I've been wiping their noses all week. I don't know if this is the cold I had the week before, or a new one. I wish there was someway to tell, like some sort of colour-coding to the snot pouring out of their noses.
"Oh I see J has blue snot, that's the same as M and me last week, but C's is purple so that's a different virus."
That would be kinda handy. At least I'd know I was either fairly safe from getting it again or quite likely to get another virus.
So the question is, what next? I seriously want to keep my kids away from all other children and dirty contaminated surfaces for the next week. It makes me want to pull them out of school for the start of next week. But considering they're already going to be missing a week of school already, I'm not so sure I should. Maybe the teachers could send their work home to me? Hmmm... However, I'd also need to close the daycare in order for us to truly be quarantined and that's not going to happen so ingress there's not much point. Only at home, I can nag them more about washing their hands. So, what to do, what to do…
This weekend I'm hoping to accomplish a lot of my To Do list, providing no one gets sick, that is. And speaking of that, is it weird that I want to encase my family in a giant plastic bubble for the week? All I've heard lately is "this person is sick" or "my friend's kid is sick" or "we were all sick last week" from everyone I talk to as well as friends' postings on Facebook.
Ugh.
To top it off, one of the girls I look after, S, was up all night last night puking, dry heaving and crapping. Oh god. She was here, at my house, ALL DAY yesterday! It totally makes me want to go bleach my whole house. Instead, I'm sitting here blogging about it. Not that I have a choice, I have three kids under 3 today, so it's not like I can leave them unsupervised while I go upstairs and disinfect for the next two hours. But mark my words, I will be doing some of that for sure once they're in bed. Thank god for naptime!!
The three toddlers in question have colds now. I've been wiping their noses all week. I don't know if this is the cold I had the week before, or a new one. I wish there was someway to tell, like some sort of colour-coding to the snot pouring out of their noses.
"Oh I see J has blue snot, that's the same as M and me last week, but C's is purple so that's a different virus."
That would be kinda handy. At least I'd know I was either fairly safe from getting it again or quite likely to get another virus.
So the question is, what next? I seriously want to keep my kids away from all other children and dirty contaminated surfaces for the next week. It makes me want to pull them out of school for the start of next week. But considering they're already going to be missing a week of school already, I'm not so sure I should. Maybe the teachers could send their work home to me? Hmmm... However, I'd also need to close the daycare in order for us to truly be quarantined and that's not going to happen so ingress there's not much point. Only at home, I can nag them more about washing their hands. So, what to do, what to do…
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Stressed!
I am so stressed out, I can't help it. I'm trying not to be, I'm trying not to see the negative and look for the positive, but it's not working and I'm failing miserably. Every day that the trip looms closer, my blood pressure goes up in direct relation. And what, exactly, is the problem you may ask?
Money.
What else but money? It's my stressor extrordinaire . Of course, I'm thinking about a million other things at the same time, and that isn't helping.
Like, how L developed a screaming ear infection on the weekend like no other he's had before, and just when I thought we were all on the mend. So now I'm stressed that all the fluid trapped in there won't be cleared out by the time we have to board a plane, especially since I asked the walk-in dr. guy if he was going to be alright to get on a plane in ten days and he just shrugged his shoulders.
What if we go get L's ear checked next week and the doctor says he'll be in extreme pain if we try to fly? How do
I crush my whole family's hearts by telling them we can't go on the trip of our lifetime ( so far, anyway)? What if he looks ok at the doctor's but upon descent the poor kid is in screaming agony?? I could barely stand listening to him crying for two solid hours on Sunday. I don't think my heart could take it knowing how much pain he would be in.
And then there is the constant running list of things to do/buy/pack before we go, running through my mind like endless movie credits on a screen. And yes, I've made lists but it doesn't help. Because even when I make lists for shopping, I always still seem to miss items. So I'm afraid I'll forget something.
Of course I'm worried about things I can't control, like the weather, and someone getting sick.
Sickness. That's a HUGE one, as you probably know.
And the weather, well, I'm just being a complainer I know, but it's bothering me that every time I look up the long term forecast for Orlando it says the week we're there is slightly colder and rainier than it has been there for the past month! Why? Why OUR week?
And back to the money.
God I hate money. I'm still worried that we're going to end up spending more money than we have (which is basically anything over a dollar) on food, even though we were told that we wouldn't have to. I mean, it kind of goes against the grain really, being that dependent on someone else. It's not like I'm 14 and telling my parents I'm hungry and can I have some money for a snack. We can't do that. It'll be too weird. And what if we split up most days, and end up on our own (sans grandma) for lunch? As if we're going to say, "Ok, we'll meet you back here at say, 4:00, and by the way, we'll need $40 for lunch please." Do you see where I'm going with this? Each day will still cost us money for food.
So I'm now thinking about that, and trying to plan grocery shopping when we get there so we can pack lunches and stuff. And then my mind starts me thinking about packing containers, ziploc baggies, etc, and here we go with the mind credits again.
I was sitting and trying to pay some bills online, when I opened our gas bill and it's over $400!!
WHAT?!?!?!
Upon closer inspection, and I still have yet to verify this, it appears that we didn't have a bill last month and that this is a bill for two months a la Powerstream (our hydro). So now they've adopted this awful awful plan of billing us only every two months so that I can have a small MCI every time I open a bill.
Fun.
But how did I miss that? I don't remember reading anything telling me they were doing this now. And why did I not notice the fact that we didn't have an Enbridge bill last month?
Oh yeah, because I was too busy hyperventilating over taxes, which we still haven't filed. And being stressed about an upcoming trip.
To top it all off, I'm basically a single mom these days due to the fact that DH is busy busy with studying for exams and schoolwork and stuff.
What stuff? I don't know.
I just know that if the roles were reversed and I was the one in school, I would still be having to do all the cooking and laundry and cleaning.
Just sayin'.
Money.
What else but money? It's my stressor extrordinaire . Of course, I'm thinking about a million other things at the same time, and that isn't helping.
Like, how L developed a screaming ear infection on the weekend like no other he's had before, and just when I thought we were all on the mend. So now I'm stressed that all the fluid trapped in there won't be cleared out by the time we have to board a plane, especially since I asked the walk-in dr. guy if he was going to be alright to get on a plane in ten days and he just shrugged his shoulders.
What if we go get L's ear checked next week and the doctor says he'll be in extreme pain if we try to fly? How do
I crush my whole family's hearts by telling them we can't go on the trip of our lifetime ( so far, anyway)? What if he looks ok at the doctor's but upon descent the poor kid is in screaming agony?? I could barely stand listening to him crying for two solid hours on Sunday. I don't think my heart could take it knowing how much pain he would be in.
And then there is the constant running list of things to do/buy/pack before we go, running through my mind like endless movie credits on a screen. And yes, I've made lists but it doesn't help. Because even when I make lists for shopping, I always still seem to miss items. So I'm afraid I'll forget something.
Of course I'm worried about things I can't control, like the weather, and someone getting sick.
Sickness. That's a HUGE one, as you probably know.
And the weather, well, I'm just being a complainer I know, but it's bothering me that every time I look up the long term forecast for Orlando it says the week we're there is slightly colder and rainier than it has been there for the past month! Why? Why OUR week?
And back to the money.
God I hate money. I'm still worried that we're going to end up spending more money than we have (which is basically anything over a dollar) on food, even though we were told that we wouldn't have to. I mean, it kind of goes against the grain really, being that dependent on someone else. It's not like I'm 14 and telling my parents I'm hungry and can I have some money for a snack. We can't do that. It'll be too weird. And what if we split up most days, and end up on our own (sans grandma) for lunch? As if we're going to say, "Ok, we'll meet you back here at say, 4:00, and by the way, we'll need $40 for lunch please." Do you see where I'm going with this? Each day will still cost us money for food.
So I'm now thinking about that, and trying to plan grocery shopping when we get there so we can pack lunches and stuff. And then my mind starts me thinking about packing containers, ziploc baggies, etc, and here we go with the mind credits again.
I was sitting and trying to pay some bills online, when I opened our gas bill and it's over $400!!
WHAT?!?!?!
Upon closer inspection, and I still have yet to verify this, it appears that we didn't have a bill last month and that this is a bill for two months a la Powerstream (our hydro). So now they've adopted this awful awful plan of billing us only every two months so that I can have a small MCI every time I open a bill.
Fun.
But how did I miss that? I don't remember reading anything telling me they were doing this now. And why did I not notice the fact that we didn't have an Enbridge bill last month?
Oh yeah, because I was too busy hyperventilating over taxes, which we still haven't filed. And being stressed about an upcoming trip.
To top it all off, I'm basically a single mom these days due to the fact that DH is busy busy with studying for exams and schoolwork and stuff.
What stuff? I don't know.
I just know that if the roles were reversed and I was the one in school, I would still be having to do all the cooking and laundry and cleaning.
Just sayin'.
Friday, April 8, 2011
One Crazy Day
Yesterday was a crazy busy day. One of my kids, C, showed up at 7:30 in the morning and promptly went and laid on the couch. Since he normally doesn't come that early, I thought he may be tired, but when I asked him if he was ok, he said that he wasn't feeling well, and that the night before he had been sick to his stomach.
Great.
Here we go again...
You all know my policies by now I'm sure. And these parents are usually great. They pay me on time, they are really great about me taking time off if I need it, they are very personable and easy-going and we all get along great. So I knew this wasn't a case of the usual "my-kid-is-sick-but-I-don't-really-care-because-I-still-need-to-go-to-work". Besides, he was going to school in an hour anyway.
A phone call later to his mom determined that she believed he didn't want to go to school so he was faking, and that the issue last night was forced from coughing.
Ok.
I could go along with that because I know this guy, and he is a GREAT liar at times (although a sweet kid) and a bit on the dramatic side.
About 20 minutes later when I'd finished dealing with breakfast and my own kids, I checked on him and he was still on the couch, although he told me he'd been sick in my toilet twice.
Yikes!! And, poor guy.
So I told him I'd need to call his mom to come get him and that he shouldn't be going to school. That's when he tried to change his story. It became, "Well...it was only a little bit one time..."
Okaaaaayyyy.... I wasn't sure what to make of that. Was he afraid I was calling him out? Because I actually didn't hear or see him throwing up.
Another phone call to his mom and we decided to send him to school as he may or may not have been telling the truth, and she would alert his teacher.
A little bit later, I gathered all the kids and we started to get ready to leave for school. C started to get ready, stopped, and went into my powder room upstairs here. This time, I listened at the door, and sure enough I could hear him being sick. Poor kid!!
A very hasty third phone call later, and his mom decided that since I had to troop everyone to school anyway (I couldn't leave him alone at the house) that I would deliver him to the office, and her mother would pick him promptly up from there. Ok.
Strangely enough, C was still chipper and ran to school alongside the other kids. If that were me, I'd be dragging my butt!!
About 45 minutes later, I was getting crafts sorted out back at home for the non-school children, and I heard the door open upstairs and someone call out, "Hello?" It turned out to be C's grandma, who got it mixed up and thought that he was here! Poor Kid!! If I'd known she would take that long, I would have brought him home with me. At least he could have been laying on the couch and throwing up in privacy rather than be stuck in a stuffy school office sitting on a hard plastic chair!
So as it turns out, he was trying to downplay his illness because he WANTED to go to school! Apparently, he thought if he missed choir that he would get kicked out! Again, poor little guy!
So that was the first part of my morning. The rest of the day was also crazy and hectic, because I had to scour both bathrooms he was sick in (not that he missed the toilet, because he didn't, but I needed to eradicate the lingering germs!!), in between breaking up bickering 5/6 year-old girls, getting crafts/cleaning up crafts, making/cleaning up playdough, getting snack and trying to throw in the laundry the blanket and pillow C had been laying on (again, no spillage, I'm just a freak when it comes to germs). Oh, and Lysol-ing the heck out of every surface in the daycare.
The bickering girls were getting to me. So I packed everyone up and even though there wasn't much time left before lunch, we headed out to the park. I couldn't stand another second stuck in the house!!
Then after lunch, the two little kids went down for a nap and this used to be my own time, my quiet time. Not anymore.
I used to make the older kids go watch a movie downstairs so I could have a little peace. If they weren't going to nap anymore (and really, what five year old does?) I still needed a break. But now they don't want to watch a movie anymore. They want to play Wii (which is upstairs on my main tv) because I made the mistake of letting them play a couple of times as a treat before. So now they just hang around, staring at me as I'm trying to clean the kitchen and eat lunch. Ugh. I know I'm their sitter and this is my job, but seriously? Do I have to entertain you ALL the damn time?? Who else works for 10 hours a day and doesn't get a break? So it was a long, long afternoon. At one point, I even went upstairs to put laundry away just to have a few minutes to myself, because they're not allowed up there.
After school, I took nine kids to the park and tried to stay there as long as I could. Lately all the parents have been showing up right at five. Talk about stretching it to the last minute! (I close at five by the way.) So I didn't get rid of anyone early, and after they all left I went straight inside and started on dinner.
DH came home in time to eat with us, and I had to listen to him complain about how tired he was.
SERIOUSLY??
Not what I wanted to hear after the day I'd had. All he had to do was come home, plunk himself down at the table and pick up his fork. He was at school all day! It's not like that's physically taxing! To be fair, I do know it's mentally tiring, which is mostly what my day was too, but really? If you're going to complain on and on, at least ask the other person how their day was. Then I had to clean up dinner, wash the dishes, and start folding laundry. He didn't lift a finger.
MEN!! I seriously wanted to shove the laundry basket up his ass!
I'm hoping and praying today all the parents take pity on me and pick their kids up early so I can get started on my weekend!
Great.
Here we go again...
You all know my policies by now I'm sure. And these parents are usually great. They pay me on time, they are really great about me taking time off if I need it, they are very personable and easy-going and we all get along great. So I knew this wasn't a case of the usual "my-kid-is-sick-but-I-don't-really-care-because-I-still-need-to-go-to-work". Besides, he was going to school in an hour anyway.
A phone call later to his mom determined that she believed he didn't want to go to school so he was faking, and that the issue last night was forced from coughing.
Ok.
I could go along with that because I know this guy, and he is a GREAT liar at times (although a sweet kid) and a bit on the dramatic side.
About 20 minutes later when I'd finished dealing with breakfast and my own kids, I checked on him and he was still on the couch, although he told me he'd been sick in my toilet twice.
Yikes!! And, poor guy.
So I told him I'd need to call his mom to come get him and that he shouldn't be going to school. That's when he tried to change his story. It became, "Well...it was only a little bit one time..."
Okaaaaayyyy.... I wasn't sure what to make of that. Was he afraid I was calling him out? Because I actually didn't hear or see him throwing up.
Another phone call to his mom and we decided to send him to school as he may or may not have been telling the truth, and she would alert his teacher.
A little bit later, I gathered all the kids and we started to get ready to leave for school. C started to get ready, stopped, and went into my powder room upstairs here. This time, I listened at the door, and sure enough I could hear him being sick. Poor kid!!
A very hasty third phone call later, and his mom decided that since I had to troop everyone to school anyway (I couldn't leave him alone at the house) that I would deliver him to the office, and her mother would pick him promptly up from there. Ok.
Strangely enough, C was still chipper and ran to school alongside the other kids. If that were me, I'd be dragging my butt!!
About 45 minutes later, I was getting crafts sorted out back at home for the non-school children, and I heard the door open upstairs and someone call out, "Hello?" It turned out to be C's grandma, who got it mixed up and thought that he was here! Poor Kid!! If I'd known she would take that long, I would have brought him home with me. At least he could have been laying on the couch and throwing up in privacy rather than be stuck in a stuffy school office sitting on a hard plastic chair!
So as it turns out, he was trying to downplay his illness because he WANTED to go to school! Apparently, he thought if he missed choir that he would get kicked out! Again, poor little guy!
So that was the first part of my morning. The rest of the day was also crazy and hectic, because I had to scour both bathrooms he was sick in (not that he missed the toilet, because he didn't, but I needed to eradicate the lingering germs!!), in between breaking up bickering 5/6 year-old girls, getting crafts/cleaning up crafts, making/cleaning up playdough, getting snack and trying to throw in the laundry the blanket and pillow C had been laying on (again, no spillage, I'm just a freak when it comes to germs). Oh, and Lysol-ing the heck out of every surface in the daycare.
The bickering girls were getting to me. So I packed everyone up and even though there wasn't much time left before lunch, we headed out to the park. I couldn't stand another second stuck in the house!!
Then after lunch, the two little kids went down for a nap and this used to be my own time, my quiet time. Not anymore.
I used to make the older kids go watch a movie downstairs so I could have a little peace. If they weren't going to nap anymore (and really, what five year old does?) I still needed a break. But now they don't want to watch a movie anymore. They want to play Wii (which is upstairs on my main tv) because I made the mistake of letting them play a couple of times as a treat before. So now they just hang around, staring at me as I'm trying to clean the kitchen and eat lunch. Ugh. I know I'm their sitter and this is my job, but seriously? Do I have to entertain you ALL the damn time?? Who else works for 10 hours a day and doesn't get a break? So it was a long, long afternoon. At one point, I even went upstairs to put laundry away just to have a few minutes to myself, because they're not allowed up there.
After school, I took nine kids to the park and tried to stay there as long as I could. Lately all the parents have been showing up right at five. Talk about stretching it to the last minute! (I close at five by the way.) So I didn't get rid of anyone early, and after they all left I went straight inside and started on dinner.
DH came home in time to eat with us, and I had to listen to him complain about how tired he was.
SERIOUSLY??
Not what I wanted to hear after the day I'd had. All he had to do was come home, plunk himself down at the table and pick up his fork. He was at school all day! It's not like that's physically taxing! To be fair, I do know it's mentally tiring, which is mostly what my day was too, but really? If you're going to complain on and on, at least ask the other person how their day was. Then I had to clean up dinner, wash the dishes, and start folding laundry. He didn't lift a finger.
MEN!! I seriously wanted to shove the laundry basket up his ass!
I'm hoping and praying today all the parents take pity on me and pick their kids up early so I can get started on my weekend!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
A Little Bitchy Bloggy
Yesterday I was steaming mad. Madder than a one-legged waitress at Ihop.
I have policies in place in regards to illnesses and the children. These policies are to help prevent the spread of illnesses and mostly to stop me from getting sick! These stupid parents don't seem to understand that! If I get sick, I have to CLOSE THE FREAKING DAYCARE!! How hard is that to understand?? So not only are they going to have to care for their own sick child and take time off work for that, but sending them back to daycare earlier than they should is going to cause them to have to take time off work again when I CLOSE THE FREAKING DAYCARE!!
One of my policies is "24 hours diarrhea and vomit FREE". That seems pretty easy to understand, doesn't it? If your child has had diarrhea or vomited in the last 24 hours, then they can't come to daycare! I've read numerous articles that state that even after a person's stomach virus symptoms have resolved, they can still be contagious for several days. Now, I realize I can't ask parents to keep their kids home for several days symptom-free, but I think 24 hours is fair. And there are always those kids that haven't puked for 12 hours, you think they're ok, and then they start all over again. I don't need (or want) that in my house!
So yesterday, parent M drops off her child S and tells me in the morning that she had a quiet weekend, she may have a cough, and that she wasn't herself the day before. When I questioned that last part, did she tell me she had been sick?
No.
She danced around that whole part of her day and told me that she "just wasn't very bouncy or her energetic self".
So she flat-out lied to me.
Because come lunch time and I'm serving the kids grilled cheese sandwiches (just the thing for an upset stomach), and S takes two bites and informs me that her "tummy still a little bit hurts" so she didn't want anymore. I asked her if her tummy hurt yesterday. Yes. I asked if she threw up yesterday. Yes. Twice.
Well.
And here's where I'm a doormat. I wish I had the guts to call her (M) up at work and ream her out. But I thought face-to-face would have been better. But by the time her mother arrived five hours later, my anger had mostly cooled and I wimped out. I had whole speeches prepared in my head! Why oh why didn't I let her have it?!
Because I'm a wuss.
A wimp.
A doormat.
I hate confrontation.
And of course, I'm still angry.
I did question M about the whole thing. Her excuse was that her daddy thought that it was food poisoning, get this.....................
from unwashed celery.
Whatever.
I HIGHLY doubt that. Because seriously, even though I've been lucky to avoid food poisoning (I think), I do know people that have had it, and it ain't pretty. I'm pretty sure you don't just throw up twice and move on. And I'm fairly certain that fevers are usually involved too. Along with terrible stomach cramps and diarrhea.
And considering how stuffed up and nasal S sounded this morning before I dropped her off at her bus stop, I am fairly certain that it was some sort of CONTAGIOUS virus!!
Regardless of that, I just don't understand how selfish people can be. And people that call themselves Christians too! I'm not religious particularly, but I do try to live my life in an honorable and caring way, trying to think of others before myself as a Christian would. But it really gets under my skin when people who flaunt that they are Christian, and baptize their children and make it seem like they're better than you for it, don't even live by the rules their church sets out for them!! Being selfish is a sin, right? Or am I wrong?
This woman will skip off work any old time she pleases for herself because she's "too tired" that day, or she "needs a break".
Seriously? Is that an honorable work ethic?
She doesn't have a stressful job. Not really. She's not a doctor, or lawyer, or police officer, or air traffic controller, or anything else high-stress like that. No one's life depends on her success or failure, she doesn't answer to a tyrant boss, she doesn't even have long shifts.
She's a high school music/drama teacher. Not even a chemistry teacher, where she may be working with volatile chemicals.
Nope.
I don't doubt that her job is important to someone. Probably even many someones. I'm sure that students connect with her in ways that they don't with other teachers. So in that respect is it fair for her to take off a day because she's tired? If students are counting on her, how would that make them feel to know that their teacher can't be bothered to deal with them that day? Nevermind that we, the tax-payers are paying for her salary, and in consequence to her day off, also her replacement's salary.
Now I ask you, is that not a selfish attitude?
I don't take a day off work unless I'm bed-ridden. Literally.
I've worked through many sleep-lacking days, days when I've been nauseous, days when I've had debilitating stomach cramps, days when I've been too dizzy to walk a straight line, days when I've had a broken arm and days with colds so bad I couldn't stop blowing my nose or coughing. Because to me, I think, I'm letting too many people down if I do call in sick and I am still functioning reasonably well. I know I'm part of a much bigger picture here.
Anyway, back to the selfishness. My point is, is that taking time off work for legitimate reasons like you are sick or your kid is sick is fine. We all have to do it.
But thinking only of yourself is not fine. She sent her child here without thought to the other people she was infecting, the other parents who will have to take time off work, the other kids who will be miserable, and last but certainly NOT LEAST, her own child's discomfort!! Why is it ok for her to take a day off work when she feels like having a day off, and not ok to take one when her own daughter is actually sick? I'm sure that S would far rather have been in her own home. That kind of thinking is just backwards to me.
I have policies in place in regards to illnesses and the children. These policies are to help prevent the spread of illnesses and mostly to stop me from getting sick! These stupid parents don't seem to understand that! If I get sick, I have to CLOSE THE FREAKING DAYCARE!! How hard is that to understand?? So not only are they going to have to care for their own sick child and take time off work for that, but sending them back to daycare earlier than they should is going to cause them to have to take time off work again when I CLOSE THE FREAKING DAYCARE!!
One of my policies is "24 hours diarrhea and vomit FREE". That seems pretty easy to understand, doesn't it? If your child has had diarrhea or vomited in the last 24 hours, then they can't come to daycare! I've read numerous articles that state that even after a person's stomach virus symptoms have resolved, they can still be contagious for several days. Now, I realize I can't ask parents to keep their kids home for several days symptom-free, but I think 24 hours is fair. And there are always those kids that haven't puked for 12 hours, you think they're ok, and then they start all over again. I don't need (or want) that in my house!
So yesterday, parent M drops off her child S and tells me in the morning that she had a quiet weekend, she may have a cough, and that she wasn't herself the day before. When I questioned that last part, did she tell me she had been sick?
No.
She danced around that whole part of her day and told me that she "just wasn't very bouncy or her energetic self".
So she flat-out lied to me.
Because come lunch time and I'm serving the kids grilled cheese sandwiches (just the thing for an upset stomach), and S takes two bites and informs me that her "tummy still a little bit hurts" so she didn't want anymore. I asked her if her tummy hurt yesterday. Yes. I asked if she threw up yesterday. Yes. Twice.
Well.
And here's where I'm a doormat. I wish I had the guts to call her (M) up at work and ream her out. But I thought face-to-face would have been better. But by the time her mother arrived five hours later, my anger had mostly cooled and I wimped out. I had whole speeches prepared in my head! Why oh why didn't I let her have it?!
Because I'm a wuss.
A wimp.
A doormat.
I hate confrontation.
And of course, I'm still angry.
I did question M about the whole thing. Her excuse was that her daddy thought that it was food poisoning, get this.....................
from unwashed celery.
Whatever.
I HIGHLY doubt that. Because seriously, even though I've been lucky to avoid food poisoning (I think), I do know people that have had it, and it ain't pretty. I'm pretty sure you don't just throw up twice and move on. And I'm fairly certain that fevers are usually involved too. Along with terrible stomach cramps and diarrhea.
And considering how stuffed up and nasal S sounded this morning before I dropped her off at her bus stop, I am fairly certain that it was some sort of CONTAGIOUS virus!!
Regardless of that, I just don't understand how selfish people can be. And people that call themselves Christians too! I'm not religious particularly, but I do try to live my life in an honorable and caring way, trying to think of others before myself as a Christian would. But it really gets under my skin when people who flaunt that they are Christian, and baptize their children and make it seem like they're better than you for it, don't even live by the rules their church sets out for them!! Being selfish is a sin, right? Or am I wrong?
This woman will skip off work any old time she pleases for herself because she's "too tired" that day, or she "needs a break".
Seriously? Is that an honorable work ethic?
She doesn't have a stressful job. Not really. She's not a doctor, or lawyer, or police officer, or air traffic controller, or anything else high-stress like that. No one's life depends on her success or failure, she doesn't answer to a tyrant boss, she doesn't even have long shifts.
She's a high school music/drama teacher. Not even a chemistry teacher, where she may be working with volatile chemicals.
Nope.
I don't doubt that her job is important to someone. Probably even many someones. I'm sure that students connect with her in ways that they don't with other teachers. So in that respect is it fair for her to take off a day because she's tired? If students are counting on her, how would that make them feel to know that their teacher can't be bothered to deal with them that day? Nevermind that we, the tax-payers are paying for her salary, and in consequence to her day off, also her replacement's salary.
Now I ask you, is that not a selfish attitude?
I don't take a day off work unless I'm bed-ridden. Literally.
I've worked through many sleep-lacking days, days when I've been nauseous, days when I've had debilitating stomach cramps, days when I've been too dizzy to walk a straight line, days when I've had a broken arm and days with colds so bad I couldn't stop blowing my nose or coughing. Because to me, I think, I'm letting too many people down if I do call in sick and I am still functioning reasonably well. I know I'm part of a much bigger picture here.
Anyway, back to the selfishness. My point is, is that taking time off work for legitimate reasons like you are sick or your kid is sick is fine. We all have to do it.
But thinking only of yourself is not fine. She sent her child here without thought to the other people she was infecting, the other parents who will have to take time off work, the other kids who will be miserable, and last but certainly NOT LEAST, her own child's discomfort!! Why is it ok for her to take a day off work when she feels like having a day off, and not ok to take one when her own daughter is actually sick? I'm sure that S would far rather have been in her own home. That kind of thinking is just backwards to me.
Friday, January 28, 2011
I'M FREE!!!
Yesterday was the day that I've been waiting for - Cast Removal Day. I had to book the day off with all my parents, but I was still doing before and after school. Of course, it was the usual hurry up and wait at the hospital, what with waiting to register, then waiting to be called in to have the cast removed, which wasn't too long, and so on. The removal process was literally less than a minute. The guy took the saw thing, and zip - down one side, then zip- down the other side, then he used scissors to cut through the batting and snap, off it came with a shower of dead skin flakes.
Ew, yeah, I know.
Then he shooed me off to x-ray.
At first, my arm felt very naked and vulnerable. I immediately wanted to protect it, instead of revelling in the freedom. While sitting and waiting for my x-ray, I experimented gently with how far one way or another I could bend my wrist. It's not too bad, actually. I think the fact that I used my hand so much for the 6.5 weeks, plus the fact that I could and did wiggle my arm around inside the cast helped. I can bend my wrist back farther than I can forward, but even today it is more flexible and less sore than yesterday afternoon. Yesterday there were a few times that I got a sharp stabbing pain shooting down my arm when I positioned my thumb a certain way. I haven't had that today, or maybe I just haven't put my thumb in that position.
But I expected all this stuff; the dead skin, the weird feeling, the weakness/stiffness. What I didn't expect was how sensitive my skin is now where the cast covered it. It's strange. If I stroke my wrist or arm, it's so sensitive that it borders on irritating. And my palm is sensing things differently than my other palm. That's the weirdest part. I put my hand down on my bare knee, which is a tad stubbly since being shaved about a week ago. With my left hand (cast one), it felt very pokey and rough. With my right, it just felt a little stubbly, but not very. I put my left hand down on the computer desk here, and the temperature felt so cold I thought it was wet. I put my right hand down, and it just felt cool, not cold. Fascinating.
It shows as adults how desensitized our skin and expecially our hands are. I wonder how much more sensitive a newborn baby's skin feels? No wonder they cry about everything! The softest blanket to us, could feel rough and chafing to them.
Anyhow, I was happy to be finally free and able to put my winter jacket back together (I'd had to pull the liner out and use one of DH's sweatshirts because the liner's arm wouldn't fit over the cast.) I also got to finally put a glove on my left hand! After seeing the Dr., who congratulated me on healing so well (whatever, like I did that on purpose!) I was sent to a nearby building to purchase a brace, just like one you'd wear for roller blading. So I'll be wearing that for skiing, and I wore it last night to bed because I was afraid I'd wrench my wrist in my sleep or something.
Speaking of skiing, I was really hoping to go this weekend, since I can wear my coat properly, and mitts and everything. Now of course I feel like I'm coming down with a cold.
Of course.
The universe hates me.
I haven't had a cold AT ALL this winter!! Definitely not since I got the cast on. I couldn't have come down with a cold last weekend, when it was like hell had frozen over temperatures and we had nothing to do but hang out inside the house all weekend! Oh nooooo, of course not. So I am taking aconite (a homeopathic remedy), drinking green tea with ginseng, and I might even consider taking some of that nasty cold-fx that makes me feel nauseous and gives me heartburn.
DAMN!
Ew, yeah, I know.
Then he shooed me off to x-ray.
At first, my arm felt very naked and vulnerable. I immediately wanted to protect it, instead of revelling in the freedom. While sitting and waiting for my x-ray, I experimented gently with how far one way or another I could bend my wrist. It's not too bad, actually. I think the fact that I used my hand so much for the 6.5 weeks, plus the fact that I could and did wiggle my arm around inside the cast helped. I can bend my wrist back farther than I can forward, but even today it is more flexible and less sore than yesterday afternoon. Yesterday there were a few times that I got a sharp stabbing pain shooting down my arm when I positioned my thumb a certain way. I haven't had that today, or maybe I just haven't put my thumb in that position.
But I expected all this stuff; the dead skin, the weird feeling, the weakness/stiffness. What I didn't expect was how sensitive my skin is now where the cast covered it. It's strange. If I stroke my wrist or arm, it's so sensitive that it borders on irritating. And my palm is sensing things differently than my other palm. That's the weirdest part. I put my hand down on my bare knee, which is a tad stubbly since being shaved about a week ago. With my left hand (cast one), it felt very pokey and rough. With my right, it just felt a little stubbly, but not very. I put my left hand down on the computer desk here, and the temperature felt so cold I thought it was wet. I put my right hand down, and it just felt cool, not cold. Fascinating.
It shows as adults how desensitized our skin and expecially our hands are. I wonder how much more sensitive a newborn baby's skin feels? No wonder they cry about everything! The softest blanket to us, could feel rough and chafing to them.
Anyhow, I was happy to be finally free and able to put my winter jacket back together (I'd had to pull the liner out and use one of DH's sweatshirts because the liner's arm wouldn't fit over the cast.) I also got to finally put a glove on my left hand! After seeing the Dr., who congratulated me on healing so well (whatever, like I did that on purpose!) I was sent to a nearby building to purchase a brace, just like one you'd wear for roller blading. So I'll be wearing that for skiing, and I wore it last night to bed because I was afraid I'd wrench my wrist in my sleep or something.
Speaking of skiing, I was really hoping to go this weekend, since I can wear my coat properly, and mitts and everything. Now of course I feel like I'm coming down with a cold.
Of course.
The universe hates me.
I haven't had a cold AT ALL this winter!! Definitely not since I got the cast on. I couldn't have come down with a cold last weekend, when it was like hell had frozen over temperatures and we had nothing to do but hang out inside the house all weekend! Oh nooooo, of course not. So I am taking aconite (a homeopathic remedy), drinking green tea with ginseng, and I might even consider taking some of that nasty cold-fx that makes me feel nauseous and gives me heartburn.
DAMN!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
A Waste of a Day
I am quite upset. Today was supposed to have been a perfect day, my last "day off". Next week I will have a new baby starting, and the schedule I have goes back to normal. Sigh.
I had so many wonderful plans for today. And it's such a BEAUTIFUL day as well.
So how did I spend it?
In bed, asleep, for the most part.
This morning I got up at my normal 6 am, and became so dizzy I almost hit the wall going into the bathroom. I had to steady myself against the bathroom counter before I could go turn on the shower. While in the shower, I was still dizzy, trying desperately to keep my head still (which is the only thing that seems to help) while wetting my hair. Do you know how hard that is? Not an easy task unless you want water pouring down your face. I didn't even bother to actually wash (I know, ewww, but I do take a shower every day!) and instead just wet myself before stepping out I was so nauseous.
My DH comes into the shower shortly after I do, as he has his breakfast first, and I begged asked him if he would stay home and help me this morning. Of course, I already knew he wouldn't, as that's just the type he is. I have to be literally dying first.
So I took a Gravol, and went downstairs to soldier on with my day. I told the boys they had to make their own lunches today, which I normally do myself, as I don't really think a lunch of nothing but chewy granola bars and cookies is entirely healthy. But today I couldn't care less. As long as they didn't come home starving, I'm happy enough with that lunch.I had so many wonderful plans for today. And it's such a BEAUTIFUL day as well.
So how did I spend it?
In bed, asleep, for the most part.
This morning I got up at my normal 6 am, and became so dizzy I almost hit the wall going into the bathroom. I had to steady myself against the bathroom counter before I could go turn on the shower. While in the shower, I was still dizzy, trying desperately to keep my head still (which is the only thing that seems to help) while wetting my hair. Do you know how hard that is? Not an easy task unless you want water pouring down your face. I didn't even bother to actually wash (I know, ewww, but I do take a shower every day!) and instead just wet myself before stepping out I was so nauseous.
My DH comes into the shower shortly after I do, as he has his breakfast first, and I
They also had to make their own breakfast, which they are getting better at, as that is a more frequent occurrence. I then drove them to school, which I NEVER do, and came home to bed.
Gravol totally knocks me out, and now it is wearing off, so I am now more lucid, but also more nauseous. Time to decide if I can make it through without it, since I have to go and get all the kids from school soon.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Those Four Little Words
Those words you just dread, the ones you hate to hear, they strike fear in your heart:
"I Don't Feel Well"
Arrrggghhh!
I guess it's good that my kids are at an age now that they can actually express that. Better than the toddler age when you just have to make that assumption based on their behaviour.
But God, I hate hearing those words. Every mother does, I know. But for me, it's on a whole other level.
I am practically a vomit-phobe. Emetaphobia. I looked it up. I don't have an "intense" fear, per se, but the thought of it immediately starts my stomach churning, my hands a-shaking, and cold sweats to break out. I don't know why. You'd think someone like me would be used to it, working in the childcare field.
I can't stand listening to someone vomit, watching it, and of course smelling it. Ugh. I was NEVER that wonderful caring girlfriend that would hold your hair back after a night of binge drinking. If you were that person, I admire you. If you were the vomiter, you were on your own, and I'd be far, far away from you.
I can count on the fact that if my kids utter those words, any constipation I may have had is now a thing of the past. Gross, I know. Probably more info than you wanted. But the whole stressful situation just has that effect on me.
So last night when R told me he wasn't feeling well, his tummy was upset, my own body went into overdrive. Every time my kids are sick, I can never tell if I'm actually getting what they're getting, or just my own body's over-reaction to it all.
At least we are finally at a point with the two of them now that they mostly recognize the nausea, and if I give them some sort of container (lately it's been the old potty catcher, the part you pull out and empty out from the potty) they'll use it. Thank God for that!
Poor R suffered with nausea for the whole afternoon and evening before his stomach finally purged itself. I so hate feeling that way - that waiting to barf phase. I even gave him Gravol which obviously did nothing. Today he is up in bed, far away from the rest of the kids, but still feeling nauseous and miserable. Poor kid.
And here's another reason why I hate the whole sick thing in my house. In this house we can't just have a normal sick day. No lounging on the couch, no peace and quiet with screaming babies downstairs. I can't even spend the day cuddling my sickies (although the bad mother part of me is kind of glad about that), because I have to be with the other kids.
And then the worse part of the fear that I get sick is that I have to make the choice to either work through my own sickness, or close the daycare down for the day (or however long I'm sick for). And I have to make that decision early. Like by 5:30 or so that morning. And then if I do close down, I'm inconveniencing all the families, plus I'm not getting paid. So that adds to my whole phobia of stomach bugs.
So there you have it. Just a little quirk about me.
Pray this ends with R, and doesn't spread to the rest of us.
"I Don't Feel Well"
Arrrggghhh!
I guess it's good that my kids are at an age now that they can actually express that. Better than the toddler age when you just have to make that assumption based on their behaviour.
But God, I hate hearing those words. Every mother does, I know. But for me, it's on a whole other level.
I am practically a vomit-phobe. Emetaphobia. I looked it up. I don't have an "intense" fear, per se, but the thought of it immediately starts my stomach churning, my hands a-shaking, and cold sweats to break out. I don't know why. You'd think someone like me would be used to it, working in the childcare field.
I can't stand listening to someone vomit, watching it, and of course smelling it. Ugh. I was NEVER that wonderful caring girlfriend that would hold your hair back after a night of binge drinking. If you were that person, I admire you. If you were the vomiter, you were on your own, and I'd be far, far away from you.
I can count on the fact that if my kids utter those words, any constipation I may have had is now a thing of the past. Gross, I know. Probably more info than you wanted. But the whole stressful situation just has that effect on me.
So last night when R told me he wasn't feeling well, his tummy was upset, my own body went into overdrive. Every time my kids are sick, I can never tell if I'm actually getting what they're getting, or just my own body's over-reaction to it all.
At least we are finally at a point with the two of them now that they mostly recognize the nausea, and if I give them some sort of container (lately it's been the old potty catcher, the part you pull out and empty out from the potty) they'll use it. Thank God for that!
Poor R suffered with nausea for the whole afternoon and evening before his stomach finally purged itself. I so hate feeling that way - that waiting to barf phase. I even gave him Gravol which obviously did nothing. Today he is up in bed, far away from the rest of the kids, but still feeling nauseous and miserable. Poor kid.
And here's another reason why I hate the whole sick thing in my house. In this house we can't just have a normal sick day. No lounging on the couch, no peace and quiet with screaming babies downstairs. I can't even spend the day cuddling my sickies (although the bad mother part of me is kind of glad about that), because I have to be with the other kids.
And then the worse part of the fear that I get sick is that I have to make the choice to either work through my own sickness, or close the daycare down for the day (or however long I'm sick for). And I have to make that decision early. Like by 5:30 or so that morning. And then if I do close down, I'm inconveniencing all the families, plus I'm not getting paid. So that adds to my whole phobia of stomach bugs.
So there you have it. Just a little quirk about me.
Pray this ends with R, and doesn't spread to the rest of us.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Brithday Blues
On Friday it was my birthday. My, hmmm hmmm, 36th birthday. I don't know why, but for some reason, that number sounds so big to me. Turning 35 didn't affect me this much, or any other number. Just, 36 sounds so old. So much closer to, gulp, 40! *shudder* How depressing.
So the day started off as per normal. It was a working day, so, same old same old. Only I slept pretty badly the night before, and the day before I had been dizzy as anything upon waking, which did get somewhat better throughout the day. So I wasn't feeling 100% Friday, but what can you do? As a mom, you carry on.
My sister came over which was THE VERY BEST part of my day. Of my week for that matter. So I got to spend the day with my adorable niece and nephew and of course, my sis. However, as the day wore on, I was feeling less and less "well", but I tried to ignore it and also tried to be careful with not spreading any germs to anyone, most of all the baby. I also had the unexpected pleasure on Friday of having only two kids to look after, and they happened to be two of the easier ones. No babies!! YAHOO!
Then, partway through the day, we decided that we'd pull the boys out of school early, so that they could spend some time with their Auntie and cousins as well. I called the school and set it up, and at the second nutrition break, my sis went to the school to pick up the boys as a surprise. Of course, I still had to go back to the school later at the regular dismissal time to pick up one of the other kids I look after, but it was what it was. Well it sucked actually, because it was raining, and cold, and I was pretty sure I was starting a fever by then. But I sucked it up.
By the time everyone finally went home, and it was just me and the boys, my body was aching and I was running a temp close to 101. I dragged my shivering ass fully clothed into bed and stayed there for the night. So much for a birthday celebration. No dinner out, no cake, nothing. DH came home around 5:30, saw me in bed and resigned himself to the fact that he was in charge for the night.
Ok, being sick sucks so much when you are a mom. Nobody cares about you. Nobody checks on you, or soothes you, or asks you if you need anything. Not only that, you just fall asleep, and someone comes into the bedroom asking for something. Can't you ask Daddy?? I'M SLEEPING HERE!! You have to remind your stupid husband to actually feed the children, and absolutely nothing gets done all weekend! So the whole weekend's mess is left until you are better. I will say, however, that at least he went and got some groceries, and he did finally do some dishes, but only after I had to ask him to! What, you thought they would magically clean themselves??
But I am going to focus on the positive side, which was...I got to spend one day lounging around doing nothing but sleeping and watching tv in my pj's, and without any GUILT, so that was nice. Too bad I had to feel crappy to do that, but that's the part that nullifies the guilt, so there you go. Of course I do feel guilty that I may have infected my sister and her family, but that wasn't really my fault, I didn't realize that I was sick until later in the day, and by then it was too late. I just hope that they stay healthy.
Yesterday (Sunday) we had to go out to do some coat shopping. So I joked that my big birthday meal out was at the mall food court. Yippee.
So the day started off as per normal. It was a working day, so, same old same old. Only I slept pretty badly the night before, and the day before I had been dizzy as anything upon waking, which did get somewhat better throughout the day. So I wasn't feeling 100% Friday, but what can you do? As a mom, you carry on.
My sister came over which was THE VERY BEST part of my day. Of my week for that matter. So I got to spend the day with my adorable niece and nephew and of course, my sis. However, as the day wore on, I was feeling less and less "well", but I tried to ignore it and also tried to be careful with not spreading any germs to anyone, most of all the baby. I also had the unexpected pleasure on Friday of having only two kids to look after, and they happened to be two of the easier ones. No babies!! YAHOO!
Then, partway through the day, we decided that we'd pull the boys out of school early, so that they could spend some time with their Auntie and cousins as well. I called the school and set it up, and at the second nutrition break, my sis went to the school to pick up the boys as a surprise. Of course, I still had to go back to the school later at the regular dismissal time to pick up one of the other kids I look after, but it was what it was. Well it sucked actually, because it was raining, and cold, and I was pretty sure I was starting a fever by then. But I sucked it up.
By the time everyone finally went home, and it was just me and the boys, my body was aching and I was running a temp close to 101. I dragged my shivering ass fully clothed into bed and stayed there for the night. So much for a birthday celebration. No dinner out, no cake, nothing. DH came home around 5:30, saw me in bed and resigned himself to the fact that he was in charge for the night.
Ok, being sick sucks so much when you are a mom. Nobody cares about you. Nobody checks on you, or soothes you, or asks you if you need anything. Not only that, you just fall asleep, and someone comes into the bedroom asking for something. Can't you ask Daddy?? I'M SLEEPING HERE!! You have to remind your stupid husband to actually feed the children, and absolutely nothing gets done all weekend! So the whole weekend's mess is left until you are better. I will say, however, that at least he went and got some groceries, and he did finally do some dishes, but only after I had to ask him to! What, you thought they would magically clean themselves??
But I am going to focus on the positive side, which was...I got to spend one day lounging around doing nothing but sleeping and watching tv in my pj's, and without any GUILT, so that was nice. Too bad I had to feel crappy to do that, but that's the part that nullifies the guilt, so there you go. Of course I do feel guilty that I may have infected my sister and her family, but that wasn't really my fault, I didn't realize that I was sick until later in the day, and by then it was too late. I just hope that they stay healthy.
Yesterday (Sunday) we had to go out to do some coat shopping. So I joked that my big birthday meal out was at the mall food court. Yippee.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Sick, again.
The curse continues. I am sick, again! What is with this???
People are supposed to be healthier in the summer, not sicker!
L is FINALLY fever free, after 7 looooooonnnngggg days and two visits to the clinic. Who knows what it was, all I care is that it's gone now. But I somehow think that maybe he was fighting two viruses at once. The one that caused flu-like symptoms, that I caught last week, and then this cold. Fortunately for him, other than the fever, the cold hasn't been too bad for him, unlike me.
I feel like death warmed over today. I am just thankful that it is not a beautiful sunny day; it is miserable and rainy today. So I don't feel guilty about not taking the kids outside to play.
On a completely different note, I got to see my nephew yesterday. He is, of course, gorgeous!! I was sad that this cold kept me from getting too close to him, or my sister, but you must do what you must do. I would feel terrible if he got sick and was only a few days old.
My niece, M (she'll be 3 in Aug) was already starting to feel the effects of jealousy. She is very used to being the cute one, the centre of attention from all, the Princess. This is going to be very hard on her, and hard on my sister as well. You see, she is the youngest cousin (well, was) and so was doted on by all her aunties as well as Grandmas and Grandpas. Plus, my sister, who is a teacher, would take her to school with her in the mornings (where she would get picked up by her babysitter) and was loved and adored by all manner of staff and student.
Wow.
What a kick in the teeth for her. Within a half hour of my sister arriving home from the hospital, she had already had a tantrum about not getting enough cookies. My poor sister, N, is in for a rough ride. Lucky my mom lives around the corner from her to relieve her.
I was lucky that way. We didn't have too many issues like that, as R was already more than used to sharing his mother's affections with many other children. I think that must have helped a lot.
On a sadder note, my poor dad is probably NEVER going to get to meet this baby. N has some kind of irrational hate for him, stemming from when my parents split up last October. At first, she was angry with him for "doing this to Mom and our family", which I could understand, but didn't really share. Then it went on from there. I just don't understand why she hates him so much, and what is it that he's supposedly done to make her deny him access to her house, her life and her family.
I don't talk with her about it, as I'm afraid that it would cause an argument between the two of us, and if you knew me, you would know that I am such a WIMP when if comes to confrontation.
But I feel so bad for my dad. He really hasn't done anything to deserve this kind of ostricization (is that a word?) and it's just sooooo unfair that he doesn't get to meet and hold his newest grandchild.
The weird thing is, is that my mom and dad are quite civil with each other. Yes, my mom hates what he did, but she is accepting it now, and probably doesn't see the point in being a hateful nasty person towards him for the rest of their lives.
Oh, I could go on and on, as one subject leads to another, but I think this post is probably long enough, and rambling enough too!
People are supposed to be healthier in the summer, not sicker!
L is FINALLY fever free, after 7 looooooonnnngggg days and two visits to the clinic. Who knows what it was, all I care is that it's gone now. But I somehow think that maybe he was fighting two viruses at once. The one that caused flu-like symptoms, that I caught last week, and then this cold. Fortunately for him, other than the fever, the cold hasn't been too bad for him, unlike me.
I feel like death warmed over today. I am just thankful that it is not a beautiful sunny day; it is miserable and rainy today. So I don't feel guilty about not taking the kids outside to play.
On a completely different note, I got to see my nephew yesterday. He is, of course, gorgeous!! I was sad that this cold kept me from getting too close to him, or my sister, but you must do what you must do. I would feel terrible if he got sick and was only a few days old.
My niece, M (she'll be 3 in Aug) was already starting to feel the effects of jealousy. She is very used to being the cute one, the centre of attention from all, the Princess. This is going to be very hard on her, and hard on my sister as well. You see, she is the youngest cousin (well, was) and so was doted on by all her aunties as well as Grandmas and Grandpas. Plus, my sister, who is a teacher, would take her to school with her in the mornings (where she would get picked up by her babysitter) and was loved and adored by all manner of staff and student.
Wow.
What a kick in the teeth for her. Within a half hour of my sister arriving home from the hospital, she had already had a tantrum about not getting enough cookies. My poor sister, N, is in for a rough ride. Lucky my mom lives around the corner from her to relieve her.
I was lucky that way. We didn't have too many issues like that, as R was already more than used to sharing his mother's affections with many other children. I think that must have helped a lot.
On a sadder note, my poor dad is probably NEVER going to get to meet this baby. N has some kind of irrational hate for him, stemming from when my parents split up last October. At first, she was angry with him for "doing this to Mom and our family", which I could understand, but didn't really share. Then it went on from there. I just don't understand why she hates him so much, and what is it that he's supposedly done to make her deny him access to her house, her life and her family.
I don't talk with her about it, as I'm afraid that it would cause an argument between the two of us, and if you knew me, you would know that I am such a WIMP when if comes to confrontation.
But I feel so bad for my dad. He really hasn't done anything to deserve this kind of ostricization (is that a word?) and it's just sooooo unfair that he doesn't get to meet and hold his newest grandchild.
The weird thing is, is that my mom and dad are quite civil with each other. Yes, my mom hates what he did, but she is accepting it now, and probably doesn't see the point in being a hateful nasty person towards him for the rest of their lives.
Oh, I could go on and on, as one subject leads to another, but I think this post is probably long enough, and rambling enough too!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Let The Summer Begin!
Well, summer is not off to a great start. Our first day off school (yesterday, Friday, was a PA Day) was spent mostly inside. Which really sucks, because it was such a nice day. But poor L has had a fever now since Tuesday (just a virus, the doctor claims) and I was sick with his flu (or whatever) on Thursday, so yesterday I wasn't feeling terribly energetic either.
Hopefully this is not a sign of the summer to come!
We actually did pretty well this winter. Minimal colds, no flu (thank God!) and only a couple of ear/throat infections all around.
So I hope we are not going to be making up for our good fortune here during the summer!
The summer flies by so quickly! We have to pack in a whole year's worth of fun into only 10 weekends (maybe 11). That has to include cottage trips, amusement park trips, camping trips, beach trips, some sort of vacation (meaning for me, no cooking or cleaning, so ---hotel somewhere) and of course, visiting friends and family trips. YIKES! How do we do it, you say? We don't. We never really get to do all we want to do in one summer, and as much as we want to. These trips are on top of regular home maintenance and also home improvements to boot. It's really overwhelming to think of it all.
So you see, we just can't, can't, CAN'T get sick!!
Hopefully this is not a sign of the summer to come!
We actually did pretty well this winter. Minimal colds, no flu (thank God!) and only a couple of ear/throat infections all around.
So I hope we are not going to be making up for our good fortune here during the summer!
The summer flies by so quickly! We have to pack in a whole year's worth of fun into only 10 weekends (maybe 11). That has to include cottage trips, amusement park trips, camping trips, beach trips, some sort of vacation (meaning for me, no cooking or cleaning, so ---hotel somewhere) and of course, visiting friends and family trips. YIKES! How do we do it, you say? We don't. We never really get to do all we want to do in one summer, and as much as we want to. These trips are on top of regular home maintenance and also home improvements to boot. It's really overwhelming to think of it all.
So you see, we just can't, can't, CAN'T get sick!!
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