My God....

I am incredibly uncomfortable.

I think I will down another Vicodin and fall asleep listen to this on my iPod....













Goodnight, all of my readers.

Love you all!

:)

If you're looking for that "Perfect Date"....

Here's Bobby....










Sorry. I just couldn't resist.....

So, here's the story.....

So, here's the story that I promised the other day.

I have had a cyst there for MANY years. My dermatologist always said that if it became red or started to hurt, that they would need to remove it....and she warned that it would leave a NASTY scar...and that I would be awake during the process.

ICK. NOT my cup of tea.

So...it hadn't bothered me...I wasn't going to worry about removing it, even though it had become visible to the naked eye.


Anyways....for about a month, it has been etting larger and larger in size. Somewhere around Monday, it started to become tender. By Thursday, it was HURTING and had started turning red. Well, with our impending travels coming up, I felt that it was very important that it get addressed before we left, so that I wouldn't be in pain, or have an issue, while we are in Europe.

Friday night, I was sitting at my couch doing paperwork, and I kept getting little wafts of "dog poop" smell. I asked if anyone else smelled it....nope. Well, I got up to use the bathroom, and then checked my back. There was something sticky on it. I peeled it off, and (for lack of a kinder, gentler term) it looked like a booger. I IMMEDIATELY smelled that icky smell, so I put my finger to my nose. YUP! The smell was coming from the oozing from my back. green puss started coming out as I applied pressure. I walked out and told Dean what was going on. he came in (being the pimple-pinching affeciando that he is), and started messing with it until the pain was too much and I felt I was goin to faint. I decided to contact a nurse friend of mine in TX. She said I needed to take my temp, call my doc and be prepared to go into ER. She called it exactly right.

Dean took me down to ER, they checked me in, and I saw that the waiting room was about 2/3 - 3/4 full. After they put my wristband on me, a nurse took us DIRECTLY to a bed. Do not pass "GO", do not wait in the waiting room. Oddest thing I have ever been through.

A nurse practitioner came in, fully gowned with face mask, hair covering....the works. Took one look at it, and told me what they were going to do. Right there on the table in ER, she gave me a shot to numb my back. Dean said they put so much in that my skin bubbled up. She them IMMEDIATELY took a scalpel and opened up my shoulder blade. Dean said the incision was only about 1/2" long. Put a pair of tongs on the wound to spread it open, then began pushing the affected area with all of her force. I really couldn't feel anything, but was in tears, and knew that she was pushing REALLY hard. She then packed me full of gauze, put gauze on top, and had another nurse give me a Tetnus shot. The would was left open with the packing sticking out (hence, all the blood in the picture). Dean said that what came OUT of the incision looked like brown honeycomb, and did not have any pressure behind it. No squirting. The nurse said that it did NOT look ANYTHING like staph, but they sent a sample off to the lab.

I have an appointment at 10:30 today. Doc will be taking out my packing, and reviewing the lab results. My understanding it that if there is infection, then it will be repacked, and left open. If not, then he has the option of stiching it up while I am there. So....I will let you know what happens at the docs...and what the lab report reads.

So...no "vampie bites". Just a gruesome "quickie" surgery at the hospital on a late Saturday night. :(

I DO have a blog coming....

It will be about THIS:

Brick......HOWSE.....

That's me.


BEFORE alcohol.

















That's me AFTER a few drinks...


.....and after dancing to BRICK HOUSE!!




Paulette, RaeAnn (in the pic with me) and I went up to Lake Tahoe for a few days. Had a BLAST!! RaeAnn was asked to golf in a Teamsters tourney. She kicked ASS!! She was better than ALL of the guys on the course!! Even won money BECAUSE she was the greatest!! She ended up 11 under for the course. Carried her whole team. And she said it was a "bad day". I had so much fun!



Back in the OK Corral.....


Slowed down on my Biaxin, because I was having SEVERE reaction to it. After taking one dose (instead of two) for two days, I end up with strep again. So...I am taking 2 a day now....as prescribed....and being sick. I have an appt. with my doc tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, he can make everything better!



Well...I am off to church....much to my chagrin. Don't feel good AT ALL. Last thing I wanna mess with is 5 3-year olds. I'm too tired and weak.


Maybe I will blog more later...

We've got that! Well....I'VE got that....

If there's a doctor in the house....they might know what this is.


"Streptococcal pharyngitis usually appears suddenly with a severe sore throat that may make talking or swallowing painful. In severe cases, breathing may be impaired.

Symptoms may include:

Sudden and severe sore throat
Red and enlarged tonsils (I DON'T HAVE ANY!!!)
Yellow and white patches in the throat.
Difficulty swallowing
Tender cervical lymphadenopathy
Fever of 38°C (101°F) or greater. (I think 103' AFTER 3 Motrin IB counts...)

And in addition:

Absence of cough or dry cough
Halitosis
Abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting
Rash[1]
Peeling skin on fingertips a few weeks after treatment
Hives or other systemic allergic response, without the presence of the symptoms listed above


...and, BECAUSE I have this:





...I get to wear THIS:





...and take THIS:





If you have never HAD the pleasure of taking Biaxin, it's like sucking on THESE for 2 weeks:





....only, they are anything BUT close to new. Let's say they get run through Las Vegas slots for about a month. Then, put a whole bunch of them in your mouth. That HAS to be the same taste that Biaxin leaves in your mouth after the second dose. The sad thing is, I've taken this so many times, I'm almost used to it.


So, if you ever see me in Vegas....and you see me licking the coin drop trays of slot machines......you'll know I am out of money, and probably feeling a little under the weather....



Funny thing was, after I told the doc that I was running 103' Sunday night/Monday morning....AFTER taking 5 Motrin IB....and she came in 2 minutes into my 5 minute Rapid Strep Test and said "OH CRAP!"........I started tasting dirty coins in my mouth.....

She's at it again!!

Sorry I have been gone for so very long. I've been a little pre-occupied.....


Things here have been a little nuts. My friends husband of 34 years up-and-moved-out, in a fast and furious week....without any notice. It came as a shocker to all of us. So, I have been trying to be there for her. Trying, being the operative word.


Besides that, Dean is getting over being sick. He NEVER gets sick...so this was an anomaly. To add to that, a couple of weeks ago, during his cardiac rehab, they stopped him during his workout, and said there was a problem. Took him straight up to his cardiologist, and was told that he was in atrial fibrillation. He's been on coumadin and Toporol, and sees the doc again on Monday. Looks like they will be taking him to the Heart Hospital and de-fib'ing him there with the paddles. Doesn't sound like fun to ME. On Tuesday, he is supposed to leave to Las Vegas. He gets to race a NASCAR around for 10 laps....3 times. He comes home on Thursday.

I am trying to have an old high school friend over for dinner on Tuesday night...but, was just reminded that I am subbing for "old ladies" bunco. I was the VERY youngest, until another lady brought her daughter-in-law. So, I am next to oldest now. Most of the ladies are well over 60...all the way up to almost 80. They're a HOOT!! I'll have to figure out how to rearrange my schedule now. :-\

It's been a rough couple of weeks for me. Things have really been wearing on me. A couple of you are aware that I had an issue one week ago this past Friday. I was considering suicide. Seriously considering it. I could visualize exactly how it was going to go down. With MUCH prayer, I just took my day, minute-by-minute...and made it through. Since then, I have come to realize how very much I mean to my friends and family, and how much I am loved. I greatly thank all of them for the support that they have shown, and the prayers that they have been praying for me. I'm just at an all-time low...and I can't do it alone. Thank you all.


On a MUCH more positive note, Briana is at it again! Not only did she finish her charcoal sketch of the sheet that was AMAZING, she was handed another project in her "beginning art" class. She was to reproduce a famous picture, using shapes, rather than lines and curves. She chose a picture of Marilyn Monroe, and then changed her mind because it was too difficult. Upon telling her art professor, he said she could do better work....so.....she switched back to Marilyn, fearing that she would NOT be able to finish the project. Well....she finished. And she texted me to tell me that her art class "hates" her again. Here's what she came up with, against the picture she copied it from:





Here it is by its beautiful self:





Her next project is to do the same picture, using geometric shapes. I can't WAIT to see how that one comes out! I'll keep you posted!


My upcoming schedule of travel should be fun. I was invited to go to Harvey's in Lake Tahoe with a couple of girlfriends. One was invited to play in a golf tournament with the Teamsters. I guess she kicks ass (besides BEING a kick in the ass!!), and all the guys want her in their group when it comes to golfing. I just knew that she had a gold medal in softball from the summer Olympics that were in Japan several years ago. RaeAnn....YOU ROCK!! So, we will be leaving sometime next Sunday and returning shortly after. Quick trip, but should be a nice little get away. Hopefully, I will get as lucky on the slots as I did on Dean's and my trip to Vegas!! I won over $1000 on the nickel machines! Well....ONE machine. ;)


So, have you seen JUNO yet? I LOVED it!! Was SSOOO glad that I bought it! The gal that plays the part of Juno, has the demeanor and wit of Janeane Garofalo. HILARIOUS dry wit. The girls and I have just ADORED watching that movie over and over again. Other than that...the only other thing that's been on TV (at least while Dean is home), has been the Dodgers. So, I have being doing a lot on the computer. I love the Dodgers....but, watching it constantly is not a strength of mine. I can listen to it in the background, that's fine.

Been working out a lot. My workouts will be getting longer and harder starting May 1st. This will be the second time I have pushed them up since I started back after my surgery. Feels GREAT!! I have had lots of compliments already about how I look like have lost weight. I haven't. I think I have gained muscle. However, I have lost one size already. My trainer says I should lose another size within 4 weeks!! I CAN'T WAIT!!

Well....I think that's about all of the exciting news in MY little world.


OH! If you know my mom and her house situation, we met with her attorney on Friday. We will be going to binding arbitration by the end of May. I presented him with a bunch of pictures of her house....UNFINISHED....and he was REALLY thrilled that I had thought of that. So, he's going to ask for a 6 hour meeting, instead of the 4 that was originally scheduled. Say a little prayer for her (and me!!). She and Heather need to get moved into a new house....and we need to get ours back!


Hope all is well with you. Once again...I apologize that I have been so preoccupied and not "mentally" available to blog. ;)