A Beginning

Now join hands, and with your hands your hearts. - William Shakespeare

My little brother is getting married today.

OK, he's not exactly my little brother - he's really Prince Charming's little brother.

But still. I've known him since he was 18 months old. We've grown up together. All that "in-law" business is just foolishness when you have a family as nice as ours.

And now God has brought a lovely, sweet young lady into his life and that means I'm getting a new sister. It means some other stuff too, of course, but right now, I'm just enjoying seeing how good God is to our family.

We love you, Stephen & Natalie and we pray God will bless your new home together!

In Which I Explain My Absence

Well, dear blog friends, it's been awhile. Since my last post my medical problems intensified - what was "just the flu" turned into pneumonia (although I didn't know it).

Last Sunday I missed church again. (Highly unusual for me. I think I'm now our church's youngest shut-in at this point...) Philip called our regular doctor Monday morning. This is how you know your symptoms are serious: the dragons guarding the doctor's office receptionists get you in within two hours that same morning.

My dad took solo baby-sitting duty so that Philip and I didn't have to take the girls to the appointment. We only waited a little bit before a nurse called us back. She took all my vitals, asked a few questions and almost immediately, my doctor came in. My doctor is a very kind, sensible man. He doesn't talk down to you or use so much "doctor-speak" you can't understand him. He did the usual doctor stuff, asked a few questions, and then sent me for a chest x-ray (in the same building).

Chest x-ray? How exciting. Did you know that you have to stand up straight, curl in your shoulders and hold your breath for a chest x-ray? Do have any idea how hard that is to do when you can't breathe? I do.

Then I carried the case with my x-rays (I think I had two or three taken) back to the exam room. The nurse came for them so the doctor could look them over and he was, quite quickly, back in my room. He told us that radiology would confirm the diagnosis within a day but he was already sure I had pneumonia and he was concerned about two things specifically: my heart rate was very high and my oxygen levels were very low.

He told us about the medicines he was prescribing and about some of the over the counter things I should take as well and then he looked at me and told me, "I'm throwing everything and the kitchen sink at this. I don't have anything to do after this. If these don't work, we're out of options and you'll need to be hospitalized."

!!!

He explained carefully everything to us what was going on and why I might need to be hospitalized. He told Philip to keep a close eye on me and if anything got worse to call him and we'd start admission.

Scary stuff, to say the least. Anyway, we filled the prescriptions (including the most expensive antibiotic ever, but hey, if it keeps you out of the hospital...) and headed home. I tried to eat something (I hadn't been eating much for the past few days) and then took my first five pills.

Not happening: everything came back up. Now that's a bad feeling. I went to bed immediately, unable to eat anything or take any medicine. How are you supposed to get better when you can't even take your medicine?!

A few hours later I tried to eat again and then took the antibiotic. So far, so good. I managed to choke down a few of the other pills. Then I didn't sleep again for about 24 hours, as a side effect of one of my medicines.

And have I mentioned the fact that I turned pink and white in a full body rash? No? Well, that happened too.

Tuesday morning my doctor called us, both to check on me and to tell us that radiology had confirmed pneumonia and I would need to come back for more x-rays in a few weeks (assuming I didn't end up in the hospital) to be sure everything was healing as it should. Philip asked the doctor whatever questions we had about the illness and medicines. Philip was most concerned, I think, about how exactly he was supposed to keep my oxygen level from dropping when he had no way of measuring it. (Doctor's response: If she gets worse in any way at all, call me.)

So, anyway, that's where things stand right now. I think I'm getting better but my lungs still protest. I can sit up for awhile and even do a few small things with the girls but I haven't been anywhere yet and even the thought of walking around anywhere just makes me tired. I'm still taking all my medicines (and will be for at least another week), even though I very much dislike some of them, and I'm trying not to look at the house because two weeks is a long time for a homemaker to not make her home and you can just imagine the rest. (Very Important Note: Philip has done an amazing job taking care of me, the girls, and all his usual obligations.)

I think I can honestly say I have never been this sick before in my life so it's a new experience for me. I'm so thankful for all of you who have been praying for us and helping us. I hope to be back to at least a semblance of my regular life within a few days, but we're taking one day at a time here and I suppose that's all I can ask.

In Which I am Quite Sick

It now appears I can blame my grouchiness of a few days ago on my health. While I grumbled to you folks, my body was busy coming down with the flu and cooking up two major infections on top of that (sinus & ear). As I will now elaborate all my health problems, I shall now offer you the chance to stop reading.

Have you looked away yet?

Friday afternoon I started feeling sneezy, achy, feverish, and so on. (Sounds like Snow White's Seven Dwarves, doesn't it?) I dosed up on over the counter medicine and went to bed. I woke up at 1:30 AM, drenched in sweat and shaking. After that I couldn't get comfortable as I was either shivering with cold or burning up.

Despite all that, I wouldn't have gone to the doctor at all (I can be stubborn like that) but then I woke up Saturday morning in the most intense ear pain I have ever had, and believe me when I tell you, I know about ear pain. One of the less beloved traits inherited from one side of my family (not to name names) is a propensity for ear infections. Specifically, the little tubes inside my head are just that: little. And it doesn't take much to fill them with whatever nasty fluid my head concocts.

From my excessive ear infection history, I knew that the next thing would be my ear-drum bursting and I almost hoped that it would, because at least then it wouldn't hurt so much (the gross stuff thereby leaking out and all pressure relieved). However, this is not really a good idea because it takes the ear-drum a while to heal and several years ago (back when Tigger was a baby) I had such a severe ear infection and ear-drum tear that the doctors began to warn me I might never recover full hearing. Many medicines later, those fears were eased, but it was a long and worrisome thing.

Prince Charming went to visitation at our church, the girls tried to play quietly, and I attempted to go back to sleep. I felt completely exhausted of course, after that night, but I couldn't sleep because of my ear. When Prince Charming returned I practically begged him to take me to the doctor. (I'm pretty sure I was crying fairly non-stop at this point, but maybe I imagined that.)

He called our family doctors, who oh so not-helpfully informed us that I could come in Monday. So we went to an Urgent Care, where I know I must not have been feeling well since I didn't take off my jacket and shoes before they weighed me. (I mean, really, who needs the extra weight?!)

The nurses took my vitals and asked questions, most of which Prince Charming had to answer since I couldn't a) hear very well and b) be bothered to speak. Then we were back out in the waiting room where we...waited. And waited. And waited. Then it was back into an exam room where we, naturally, waited some more.

At this point one of the nurses came in, wearing a mask and brandishing what looked like a very large q-tip. Nothing good can come from this. She told me they were going to test me for the flu. She told me she would have to swab my nose, which didn't sound too bad, but let me tell you, it felt like she was trying to shove that cotton swab up to my brain. And for her next trick: the other nostril! Let me just say that I have an entirely new appreciation for the phrase "stick it where the sun don't shine".

After that thrilling experience, we waited some more. Then a very nice doctor came in and told me that the rapid test had confirmed that I have the flu. (Side note: he did not specify H1N1, so I have no idea which flu I'm carrying). Then he told me that it shouldn't cause an ear ache. He felt my face and checked my ears - sinus and right ear infections confirmed as well.

He wrote me three prescriptions for various things (another side note: nothing for the flu, per se) and told me to take it easy for a week and stay out of work (yet another side note: ha!). He asked me if I needed him to write me a note. (I suppose I should have said yes, just to remind myself to take it easy, should the situation warrant it)

Then we left to have my prescriptions filled. Prince Charming went in for me and I heard - and I am not making this up - a long story on health care reform on NPR while I waited. Then Prince Charming came out with my meds and, lo and behold, apparently Prince Charming hadn't been clear enough when asked by the nurses if I had any allergies, because the main antibiotic for my ear was one that I am allergic to. He told me that the pharmacy had wanted to call the doctor about it, because they have my allergy noted in their records, but he had just wanted to hurry home. So then he had to go back in and ask tell them "yes, please call the doctor but meanwhile we are going home and you can call us if he orders something different".

Needless to say, I went home, took the two medicines I did have, drank some juice and ate a little bit (absolutely all I'd had to eat that day), and went to bed. Prince Charming had to go back out and pick up my new medicine a little later.

So, I've spent most of the past three days in bed, I didn't get to go to church today, and I'm sitting here shivering while I write this blog post.

I guess it's back to bed for me.