Hubby and I had a date night last night. Nothing big, we went to Outback and had dinner then went over to Border's to browse around. Now I've been reading a lot online about Fibro, but these websites only have so much bandwidth so they really can't post a book's worth of info on the web. So I've been looking online at books to buy. Unless it's an author I know though, I usually prefer to look at the books before I buy them. So, last night I wander over to the health section and start looking for the Fibro books. (this is where the fail comes in) Where do I find them? On the shelf that basically sits on the floor. I had to get down on the floor to actually look at them, and the get back up. That's painful!! Yes, the occasional non-fibro person may buy these books, but for the most part it's going to be people with Fibro that want to buy them. Now I know that the people at Border's did not set out to cause people with Fibro pain, or make things inconvenient for them. They are following some sort of plan-o-gram I'm sure. It just annoys me though that corporate drone-ism overcomes actual caring about the customers and knowing what they sell and why. Oh-well, I told the guy at the checkout about the bad placement. He said he would tell the manager. Next time I go in we'll see if it did any good.
OK, let me update you on what has been happening. First, my MIL has breast cancer. I'm not sure if I mentioned that in a past post. She has been going through Chemo and at the end of this month is having a double masectomy. She is doing surprisingly well, considering her age (close to 80) and is looking pretty good. Second, my sister is pregnant. They found out about a month ago that the baby has some pretty sever heart defects and will require open heart surgery almost immedietly after it's born. Again, the prognosis is pretty good, and everyone is hopeful that she (the baby) will be out of the hospital within a month to 6 weeks. Both of these items are stressful events, but you keep a good face on and keep your hopes up. This last week though, I got hit with another item and I just sank down into a mire of grumpiness and panic. I had a doctor's appointment last Thursday. THAT doctor's appointment, the one every women should go to every year. Well, it's been about 4 years for me (bad Raven, bad) my last doctor got tired of paying Ohio's malpractice insurance premiums and left the state. I just never got up the energy of replacing him. Well, I finally went to a new doctor, and she's great. During the appointment she gave me a breast exam, and found a lump and some tenderness. She gave me an order for a mamogram. Oh Joy...now I have panic and the fun of getting my tits squished. I managed to get an appointment on Monday. Most of it didn't hurt, mainly just the last one, centered around where the tenderness was. That one hurt like a bitch. They told me they would send the results to my doctor in 3 to 5 days. I came home yesterday and there was a message from the doctor telling me everything was fine. No cancer, just a fibrocystic breast. Meaning I have an internally lumpy and thinkening breast. No big deal, beyond the fact that I will have to get mamograms on a regular basis now. :::Big sigh of relief::: So that's why I have been rather uncommunicative. I've been a state of panic...along with my husband...who I think had an even bigger sigh of relief. I was just hit with trauma stick one too many times to handle lately. I did have fun avoiding thinking about it though. I bought a new cell phone, went and test drove a Smart car, and dyed my hair red.
I'm still here and reading other people's blogs. I've got some serious crap going on in my own life right now and don't have much energy or mental capacity to blog about anything else at the moment. Hopefully, this stuff should resolve itself this week or early next and I will be back. So, everyone else...go blog...I need the distraction!
I've always said that raising daughters was more difficult that sons. Considering that I only have one son...I don't have a huge test sample. But, it seems to me that with boys you teach them how to pee standing up (and try to hit the target), give them some condoms and make sure they know how to put them on. Girls on the other hand...you have to teach about their periods, about birth control, and disease prevention, PMS, personal safety and so on. The last one, personal safety is a big one in my book. I've taken self defense classes and read up on tips about keeping safe. I always go out to my car with my keys in my hand, pay attention to my surroundings, only use drive up ATM's. I have passsed on a lot of my tips and tricks to my girls. This weekend...one of them got a reason to use it. Dorky Daughter was walking home from a friend's house. She had her head phones on, but the volume was low. She could still hear traffic and people. She had her cell phone in her hand. She was walking on one of the city's bike paths between 2 developments. Someone came up behind her out of the woods. They smacked the cell phone out of her hand. They then tried to grab her around the waist. She did exactly what I and her Tai-Chi teacher have pound into her head. She kicked out behind her (and made contact) and ran as soon as the person let go. She immediatly ran back to her friend's house. She was amazing and did everything she should have. I wasn't home when this happened, I was at the craft store. When she called me and started to tell me what happened I told her to hang up and call the police. The police came and took a report. Unfortunatly all of this happened to Mandy from behind her, so she didn't see anything...just heard an "oofff" when she made contact. Hubby was on his way to Albany...he was in Erie when I got a hold of him. He immediatly turned around and came home. Circle the wagons...we're protecting our children. While the kids and I were waiting for Hubby to get home we decided to take back our lives and go hunting. I really didn't think we would find anyone, but it made us feel better. We drove around the 2 different developments looking for anyone limping. We didn't find anyone. My sister asked what I would have done had I found the person. "I was in my mini-van...what do you think I would have done?" The kids are back to their normal selves...but the new rule in effect is no walking on these pathes alone.
Well, I go back to work tomorrow. I'm actually kind of excited. I miss working. If this is what retirement is going to be like...screw it...I'll work until I drop. I don't think it would have been as bad if Hubby could have been home with me, but he had to work. I did manage to get a few small things done around the house. That made me feel a little better, not quite as useless. We'll see how things go tomorrow. I'm still not at the top of my game, but damn I am doing so much better than I was a week ago.
Damn! You are one hot number. You have a lot of sex appeal. You know you're sexy, and you're not afraid to put it all out there.
And while you're very appealing, you're careful not to be trashy or over the top. Sexy is all about attitude. And you totally have the attitude that people love.
How You Are Sexy
You are friendly and outgoing, even to people who don't deserve it. Your positive body language makes you even sexier.
Your modern look is sexy. You don't give people too much of the same old thing. You like to change it up.
You are open to all sorts of experiences, and you have a taste for the exotic. Your adventurous spirit is very sexy.
You are flirtatious and fun with most people. You know how to keep things light, friendly, and sexy.
Went for my post-op doctor's visit today. That was fun. I was supposed to go back to work on the 15th (next Tuesday) but the doctor said I'm not bouncing back quite as fast and he wants me to stay home until the 21st (a week from Monday.) Now I know I'm not bouncing very fast...but did I really need medical confirmation on it? According to my husband...yes...since I won't listen to anyone else. What really pisses me off is that when I had a C-section and an asshole husband I pretty much came back from that in a week. I had to, asshole wasn't doing crap to help take care of the baby. This surgery was minor compared to that, and almost a week later and I still can't sleep through the night (or on my right side) I still walk slightly hunched over. And I'm still not eating all that well. When I mentioned the C-section and how fast I got over that to my doctor, he asked how old I was then... All Right...so it was 16+ years ago...I was much younger. Damn it!! I feel like such a wimp!! Obviously an old wimp at that.
Well, the surgery went well. I don't care much for any kind of medical visit. I only freaked out once during the pre-op...and got angry once during the post-op...so Hubby thought I was doing pretty well. The pre-op...no one warned me that I would need a shot of Heparin...IN MY STOMACH!!! The thought of it still makes me tear up. I completely freaked out and was ready to walk out. They could have put that shot just about anywhere else on my body and I would have been fine...but my stomach?! They finally called my doctor who said, fine...but it in her thigh. Still not great...but I was willing to let that one happen. Surgery goes off without a hitch. I wake up in the nearly empty maternity ward. The only reason I think they put me in there is because they knew I was a smoker and would attempt to escape. What made me angry though were the damn intercoms. When I'm sick or injured I need sleep to recover. I would just start drifting off and the damn intercom behind my bed would go off with them calling someone to another room. After about the 5th time of being woken up like this I got mad. Hubby had gone to get the kids from school so I had no one to stop me. I got up and put on my sweatpants and did 5 laps around the floor, right past the nurses station. Dragging along my IV and shuffling my feet...but I did it. I also managed to drag my butt into the bathroom for a couple of hit on a smoke (I know bad Raven...but I was stressing out by this point.) I had also already eaten a pretty decent sized meal and hadn't puked. They couldn't keep me anymore. So as soon as Hubby showed back up I told him to go tell the nurses to call transport and got the hell out of there. I've been living on percoset and other "home" medications for the last few days. Today is the first time I really feel like I can sit somewhere besides the couch. So, I'm up and moving...thanks to everyone for the good wishes. Those always help.
I'll be off-line for the next few days. I'm getting a body part removed tomrrow. I'll do anything in the name of weight loss!! Just Kidding! I'm getting my gall bladder removed tomorrow. One of the aches and pains I thought was just part of getting older turned out to actually be something that can be fixed. Damn good thing too, cause it's be causing all sorts of issues during the last week or so. Soooo...I go under the knife tomorrow morning. Then I get 2 weeks off work. I'll write again once Hubby leaves next Tuesday. I doubt he'll let me off the couch between now and then. C'ya!
I heard this little tid biton the morning radio the other day. Isn't this what we want people to do? Vote for who they think will do the best job? Threatening people with legal charges if they change their party affiliation is not the way to go about it. I will admit several years ago I changed my affiliation so I could vote for a Republican. Turned out, he didn't get the nomination, so in the next primary I changed back. I guess I would be one of the ones worrying about having to go to court!!! When did this country turn into Cuba?
I worked at the Irish Heritage Club here in my town during St. Patty's Day. For the most part, it was fun. People having a good time, good music and dancing. But, there are of course a few bad apples that you want to strangle. Here is my vent...
Dear Drunk Old Man, No, you may not sleep in the chair at the end of the bar. That is a prime spot, when you are sleeping you are not buying anything, hence wasting the space. If you are that tired and drunk, GO HOME! When you do wake up, don't get cranky with me. No I cannot sell you the chips on the rack behind the bar. As I told you the last 5 times we are working on tickets only this one day. I have NO cash behind the bar and those chips are not on the menu. You want chips, you are going to have to get you butt up out of that chair and go buy a ticket and go where they are selling the food. Oh, you're going to report me to the board...fine...I'm doing this as a volunteer...I could care less. There's the Board President...complain to him. Thanks for not leaving a tip! No Love, Raven
Dear Board President, Just because cranky old man has been a member since Jesus walked the earth does not mean to you have to give in to him. The .67 cents you told me take and just keep and give him the chips did not make up for his abuse. Pissed off, Raven
Parent of a couple dozen or so Unruly Children, We are not a babysitting service. Paying the dollar for them to get in the door does not mean you go off drinking and let them run wild. They tore up the closed hall, almost knocked down several elderly members, tried breaking into the candy machine for the money that goes to charity, spilled drinks on the dance floor, and were generally disrespectful. And when we tell you that the hall we just cleaned up from your little darlings is closed...so no you can't go in there with your little darling and use the bathroom, don't get pissy...yes, we are very satisfied with ourselves. Too old for this shit, Raven
Unruly Children, Are you being raised in a barn? I know you don't pull this kind of crap at school or church...what makes you think you can do it here? Yes, those are St. Bernards living at the house next door...don't go near them...see the sign...no you can't pet them...the sign is there for a reason...yes they are cute...no do not go over there...awww sorry did the barking scare you...maybe if you read the GOD DAMN SIGN!!! Oh, so a half hour later when I catch you and your friends throwing snowballs at them...yeah that will make them more friendly. You're lucky I didn't call the cop that is making his rounds for that crap. Get the hell away from there. Wanting to give you a good smack, Raven
Everyone who is not a regular at the pub, Leave a god damn tip. I've already worked 8 hours at my normal job. I got roped into doing this with the promise of decent tips, so I'm working another 8 hours. Just because we are doing a ticket system doesn't mean you shouldn't leave a tip. Especially when you've been up to the bar 8 times in the last hour or so. Leave a buck or two. The rest of you, don't get upset when I don't know how to make some fancy smancy drink. I don't do this for a living...as it says on the door...we're volunteers back here. You want to drink it, maybe you should know what the heck is in it. Sober and not happy about it, Raven
That's my vent. My regulars at the bar were what made it fun. They were a blast and I had a good time hanging out with them. For my 8 hours behind the bar I made $50 in tips. Any regular bar I would have easily cleared a couple hundred. Almost all of that came from the regulars. The rest were cheap bastards.
Thanks to everyone for the well wishes. I spent the weekend on the couch...medicated. This was not entirly by choice. Hubby growled at me if I attempted anything more than going to the bathroom. So I took my medicine like a good girl. Thankfully Hubby left early today which meant I could get up and move around! Yeah!!! I promised him I would call tomorrow for the follow up (ultrasound) that the emrgency room wanted. I'm also working behind the bar tomorrow during the St. Patty's Day goings ons...hubby wasn't too pleased with that...but growling long distance doesn't have quite the same effect. Right now I just want to get over my medication hangover and get on with my life.
:::grumbling::: damn age...things starting to hurt...not working right...pain...damn
So I've spent yesterday in some pain. I spent some time on WebMD...came to some conclusions that it was kidney stone...or appendicitis. No fever...so go with the kidney stone. Nothing they can really do about that, and I'm not a big believer in pain meds...they make me even more loopy than I am normally. Hurt even more thins morning...getting ready to go to work I had a rip roaring pain and fainted. Hubby took me to the hospital...I bitched the entire time. It still hurt...but it was better. Turns out I have ovarian cycts and one burst. Ohhh goody. Even more doctor visits will now follow. I HATE going to the doctor. This aging thing really sucks!!!
