Back to the ER

When the kids were a bit younger, we spent a considerable amount of time in urgent care or the ER. My kids have broken a few bones over the years: Josh broke a toe, Gideon broke his collarbone, Mackenzie broke her leg. But it's been a good while since we had any reason to go to the ER. Until yesterday. Gideon and Zion were in their room, and Zion tripped and fell, and his knee came down right on Gideon's right hand. Gideon's finger was displaced very badly, and I was pretty sure it was broken. So we went on down to the ER and had it checked out. Gideon's finger looked like this:

After they did the x-rays, the doctor said that it was broken at the base of the ring finger. He then had to reduce it (put it back into the right place). The nurse bandaged it up, and then he looked like this:

As you can see, the lortab was very useful. We went to see Dr. Rehak (yep that's his name) today, and he said that he has to keep it buddy-taped 24/7 for the next two weeks. After that, he can remove it twice a day for the next two weeks, then he has a follow-up appointment. Hopefully everything will be all healed by then.

Part of having kids is these kinds of visits. I have to say that the ER at John Hughston hospital is exceptionally efficient and friendly. And the staff at Dr. Rehak's office at the Hughston Clinic are just awesome. It makes these kinds of traumatic accidents a little more bearable when you don't have to deal with people who hate their jobs.

I have a lot of stuff to say

...But when I log into the blog it's like it disappears. I read other blogs, and I think about how marvelous it must be to just be able to shoot off a few lines and it resonate with other people. I mean, my blog is basically invisible. I had another blog, but when I wanted to change my email address, it wouldn't let me, so I ported it all over here. But I didn't port my 1.5 reader(s). So wherever you are out there, here I am!

I have recently encountered a situation where I reacted strongly, and I wasn't exactly proud of the vicious feelings that surfaced in me. I mean, I'm never surprised when mama bear comes out, and that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm talking about a customer service issue. Seems a website that I paid to participate in changed some of the rules, which they are entitled to, but then they were extremely upset when I decided I wasn't going to give them any more of my money and I decided to leave them with it. We're talking flipping out upset. And I wasn't the only one concerned with where things were going. A large group really was disturbed, and so we all picked up and left. I can't for the life of me figure out why they were surprised. But I felt rather vindictive, and so I removed posts that would be a problem, changed my username and left. I was sitting here thinking about whatever that was that came out of me. I was angry and shocked and a little mean. I thought I was a nice enough person, but I really doubt anyone around me is surprised at my reaction. I'm kinda blunt and up-front about what is going on in my head, and if I'm not, my face betrays me something fierce. But things like this sometimes make you look in the mirror and say, "Hey, chick, don't kid yourself, you can be a real witch sometimes."

I have never been that "nice person." You know what I'm talking about, that person like Melanie Wilkes in Gone With the Wind, that never believes any evil about anyone, even when they (talkin' to you, Scarlett) truly are evil and deserve a finger-wagging from Melanie. I wonder what makes someone "nice". Is it upbringing, birth order, doormat issues? Why are some people just nice, and other people, well, not so much? Believe me, I really TRIED being nice. But it's really hard to PRETEND to be nice, when you're just not. Does anyone else feel like this? There are people in this world that are just not bothered when someone else just steamrolls them into a flat greasy spot because they are self-serving and out to get what's coming to them. And I think about those kind of people too. The ones that don't care who they run over or hurt to achieve their own selfish plans. The people that (in the stories) never win and get what what they deserve in "the end". That doesn't always work out in real life. Sometimes those people win. Sometimes the nice people end up getting punished and the jerks get the prizes. But I guess that's another blog entirely.

Anyway, what I was getting at was that sometimes when the pressure is on, you really find out who you are. And sometimes it's not at all what you thought you were.

Experiments in Surgical Procedures

Well, it's been a while since I updated this thing. Not like anyone reads it anyway. Let me see if I can catch up all the news.

• I decided to change my major from Diagnostic Medical Sonography to Pre-Med. Yep, going to medical school. I know, I'm old, but I'm doing it anyway.
• I transferred to Columbus State University. I'm officially a sophomore now, YAY! And I feel like a real college student since I switched from a technical college to a REAL University.
• I have two licensed drivers and one driver with a new learner's permit. Car insurance? WOO!
• I moved from Salem, AL, to Seale, AL. From the sticks to Hooterville.
• My life is officially CRAZY!

So I know it's weird to write about really personal stuff, but this is just too hilarious not to share. I have had this mole on my hip (READ: upper butt) my entire life. And for my entire life, I have worn pants. But for some reason, this mole decided to get all irritated and start bothering the heck out of me. I tried slapping a bandaid on it, but it didn't really change anything. SO I whined and complained until my hubby tired of hearing of it. He said that he could use compressed air to freeze it and it would eventually fall off. I was hesitant at first, but it's REALLY bugging and I didn't want to pay to go to the doctor. So we decided to try it out. He (sorta) protected the surrounding area and fired away. It hurt like mad and I changed my mind in the middle. He said I was a whiney butt and stopped. Well, he didn't do a great job of protecting the area, so I have a little widespread frostbite on my hip (er, butt). So I pulled out my computer and started doing a little online reading. I found several forums where people said they just decided to snip the pesky things off, and were they ever so glad that they did it. So I decided that I would just snip it off. Well, it's in an area on my hip (ok, butt) where it would be quite difficult to get to, much less have the coordination to cut it off. John volunteered. I was a bit trepidatious (scared to death), and I finally agreed. Of course we sterilized everything. So John snipped it off. It hurt for a second, but not anymore than it has for the last few weeks. It bled a good bit, so much that when he pulled of the bandaid that needed to be changed, it flung blood on his shirt and on the shower door. We laughed and said I had better not drop dead in the next few days. Well, he has an identical mole on his back, so I told him since he was so cavalier about operating on me, he should allow me to take care of his. SO yep, I removed his! We're weird, right?

Mama Bear

I've learned something new in the last week. It doesn't matter how old my babies get, I am still a MAMA BEAR. I love each one of my children, and I will not stand quietly by while any one of them is in pain. So watch out, I'm fired up. That is all.

About Loss

I've been reading a few blogs today about babies with HLH syndrome. It's a congenital heart condition, and it has to be corrected quickly because it is not compatible with life.

One blog that I read was written by a mother who lost her 7 week old son within the last week. I can't imagine being able to write anything after such a loss. But I imagine it could be cathartic. And all the while she is speaking of a God who is ever present in her suffering, comforting her. I can't imagine being able to testify about a loving God in the shadow of such a loss. But what a comfort, knowing that her son is whole and well and waiting for her in Heaven. She is struggling with some people who have targeted her blog with their political agenda. But she came to the conclusion that instead of shutting down her blog to outsiders, that the message of hope and faith in God on her blog could reach even a hateful person who has come to accuse her in the death of her son. What an awesome message, that even in her grief, she is more concerned about their souls. Bravo, Jill!

The second blog that I have been reading is by Matt Hammitt, who is also the lead singer of the Christian band, Sanctus Real. I saw them in concert at AtlantaFest in June, and he was talking about how his wife was pregnant and that they had found out that the baby had HLH syndrome through an ultrasound scan in April. They have been posting updates on the blog, Bowen's Heart. This is a bumpy ride for them, and baby Bowen is currently in moderate care.

I started reading the first blog because one of my twitter friends was really angry about what the "intactivists" are doing to Jill. Apparently they are saying that he shouldn't have been circumcised due to his heart condition and that it contributed to his death. Because every one of them are doctors and have read his chart and can conclusively say that this is correct. No, wait. They can't. It is a shame that someone has the indecency to harass a grieving mother the very day that her baby died. Shame. But while I was reading this blog, I remembered about the Sanctus Real concert and I went looking on Facebook to see if there was a blog to follow on their baby. Then I started reading Bowen's Heart.

So I've been sitting here for 2 hours bawling my eyes out about babies with broken hearts, and praying. Because I'm up anyway, I had to wait for my oldest to get home from work because I can't sleep unless all my chicks are under my wings. I can't imagine trying to sleep at night if one of my babies never came home again. It must be serious agony. What must it be like to cry until you don't have any tears left, but the pain hasn't lessened at all?

So as I go to bed tonight, I am saying extra prayers for baby Bowen, and his parents. I'm also praying for Jill and Shane and their family, that they will be able to grieve their loss without the harassment of a bunch of hateful ignorant (insert very ugly words that I'm thinking here).

God bless you, Matt, Sarah, Bowen, Jill, and Shane. I'm praying!

e-mealz!

I just wanted to share on my blog this cool new idea I found online. For a long time, I have tried to make sure that I sit down once a week, make a menu and a grocery list for my family for the week, and then head to the grocery store. I have a grocery budget, and it's REALLY hard to stay within that budget with six children, three of whom are TEENAGERS!

Since I've been back in school and four of the six are either in football or cheer, it has been REALLY hard to make the time to make a proper menu and grocery list. I really try to make sure our family eats at the table together, but it has gotten really hard to get everyone here at the same time. I will try to make a blog post on how important table-time is for a family, because that's a completely different post, but trust me when I say that table-time is VERY important.

Anyway, so someone on facebook mentioned e-mealz, and when I went to check it out, I was VERY happy! E-mealz creates a weekly dinner menu and corresponding grocery list that is specific to certain grocery stores. They even have a version for those who don't shop at the stores they have listed. But they tailor the list to the specials going on in a particular store for that week, which allows you to save money on your groceries! But even if you can't use the store-specific list, making a menu and having a list will literally HALF your grocery budget if you're the type to just wander the aisles looking for something for dinner. How many of us have walked into the store with no list looking for dinner ideas and arrived home having spent $75 and all you have is dog food, oreos, milk and hamburger meat? Trust me, that is NOT a yummy casserole idea.

So e-mealz has a referral program, and I'm posting the banner here in this blog post and permanently on the sidebar. You don't have to click on my banner, you can go to e-mealz.com and try out a sample menu or sign up for yourself. But if you click my banner, I get a 25% referral bonus. Which is really awesome because I'll be saving on my groceries AND getting some money back. Cool, right? Then you can put the banner on your blog and your facebook and get referrals too! WIN-WIN!

(**Use the code "savemoney" to get a $2 discount for your first quarter of e-mealz**)

Insanity

So this is my fourth quarter of school. I'm enjoying it very much, even though it's a stretch for me and especially for my family. They've stuck with me through Medical Terminology, two quarters of Anatomy and Physiology, and now it's PHYSICS. Color me dippy, but I hadn't really pondered that Ultrasound was HEAVY in Physics. I have Introduction to Physics, and then once we get to know each other a little better, I will have two quarters of Physics when I get accepted into the actual Ultrasound program. We had our first class today, and it was heavy. This one is not going to be a gimme. Of course, none of them have been so far.

I'm finding it a little tough to get all the schoolwork handled, homeschool my babies, and actually shovel the muck out of my house as needed. Oh and paying the bills. Can you say stressed? I'm like the poster child for Tums. But I know that a lot of people have balanced a home and family and college, so I'm just hanging on by my fingernails.