February 10, 2009

• Strep – This Side of Losing Your Mind

  That may be a slightly exaggerated title.  I don’t really believe I’m losing my mind, but I’m certainly not alert and “challenged” today.  The level of pain is leaving my senses dulled and makes talking nearly impossible. 

  Some of you wrote about your strep experiences.  I told the P.A., yesterday, I likened my throat pain to mono – when I couldn’t swallow my own saliva.  I dehydrated and was admitted to the hospital with secondary hepatitis, due to dehydration.  The P.A. said my neck, tongue, throat cavity, AND tonsils were swollen and my throat cavity was almost completely shut, making it hard for me to breathe, too.  My hands looked like I was 80years old, so I know I was dehydrated, despite my valiant attempts to drink small bathroom Dixie cups of water.  Last  night, I was able to eat Ramen noodles for dinner.  I tried a piece of chocolate chocolate cake and it was a little painful to swallow.  And here, I thought chocolate could fix ANYTHING!!!!!  Nothing is as swollen today – just very sore. 

  I’ve been awake since 3am.  I fell asleep last night reading, and woke up at 3am realizing I hadn’t brushed my teeth or taken my antibiotic.  I got up to take some pain pills and the antibiotic.  Jesse was sleeping somewhere else, so I didn’t think my teeth took precedence!  It was the pain from my throat and more body aches, combined with more sweating, that woke me up.  I took 4 Ibuprofen.  She said I could alternate Tylenol and Ibuprofen every three hours.  The maximum Ibuprofen that’s safe to take is 4, or 800mg.  (to Lori K.:  Tylenol is much easier to become addicted to and Ibuprofen is less often seen as something causing rebound headaches.  Believe me, I asked!!!)  How can someone so sick forget their antibiotic?  Loosing my mind?  Kinda.

  I laid there forever, with Chirper snuggling right smack against my body.  I moved to Jesse’s side since I was sweating and Chirper scooted over next to me.  I felt like a mother cat!  Suddenly, around 5:20am our house’s burglar alarm went off.  It took Jesse forever to wake up.  I thought he was in the room next to me and I called his name . . . then grabbed my sore throat.  He mumbled and fumbled around.  Ends up, he was sleeping in the den – closer to the alarm in the garage!  Within seconds (literally) the alarm service called.  I told them we were checking the house and gave my ID information and “secret code.”  I figured the chance of someone breaking in at almost 5:30am were slim to nothing.  She said she’d stay on the line with me and then our home phone went dead.  I yelled to Jesse to check the alarm connectors on all windows.  He said nothing, so I came out of the bedroom (against our “if the burglar alarm should ever goes off” rule) and found him walking in circles.  He wakes up more slowly than me.  I told him the home phone was dead and sent him to check the other 3 phones instead, while I did the connector search.  The gal called back on my cell phone, which I had in my hand as I checked, and I told her I was checking the windows.  Jesse yelled that all phones were dead – the only thing about the alarm going off that spooked me.  I guess I’ve watched too many scary movies before I made the decision to no longer watch them.  I finally found a connector in the kitchen that appeared okay, but when I touched it, I found it was hanging by a thread.  I had already told the lady to not call the police because no burglar was in the house and all of our lights were on – unlikely that a burglar would continue the break-in.  I’ll get the super glue and glue the connector back today.  Losing my mind?  Kinda.

  I say all of that to say, I was wide awake.  *I’m* the one who has sleep issues.  Jesse can go back to sleep easily.  After being awake almost 2 1/2 hours, I knew it would be impossible.  He laid in bed with me and said he doubted he’d go back to sleep.  I was prepared to read and then realized he probably COULD go back to sleep, if I didn’t have the lamp on.  I went out to the den and finished my book and he DID fall back asleep.

  The girls are encouraging me to stay in bed today (I’m trying to sit up so I don’t get weak) and telling me they can handle everything.  The did a few “no-no’s” yesterday and Jesse chewed them out for not obeying what he had said to (and not to) do.  I figured *no problems today* – and they ARE concerned about me.  Now they are arguing over breakfast and what to and not to eat.  I found myself trying to offer choices and talk with “razor blades cutting my throat” pain, and then the light went on.  I told them they were capable of fixing their own breakfasts and they should each make what they wanted and leave the other sister alone.  Losing my mind?  Kinda.

  Since my throat cavity is less swollen, I grabbed a flashlight to check it out.  The left side of my throat felt like *OPEN* cuts when I tried to swallow warm coffee and another thing of baby food fruit this morning.  Lo and behold!  The left side of my throat is bleeding.  The other side has the white scabs, or blister-looking, sores.  I guess I coughed so hard last night (I think I was sleeping with my mouth open and choked myself), that I knocked off those protective blister things.  My throat *IS* bleeding on the left side from two *OPEN SORES*!!!!  No wonder my throat hurts!

  Since I feel disoriented, and will probably be able to take a nap this afternoon, I will keep myself quiet – reading more books.  Jesse told me to stay out of the kitchen today and he’d take care of dinner again.  Rissy is doing her own laundry.  Makes me think she and Luci can start doing their own ALL the time, as long as they are home all day.  There is a bit of house work needing to be done, but nothing the girls can’t do.  They tend to argue when they have nothing to do and I’m not up to teaching school.  Chores will, hopefully, keep them occupied and I won’t have to listen to them in another room arguing over a movie, or a snack, or what dress they should wear . . . . Losing my mind?  Kinda.

  This is another lesson in lessening my need to be a control freak.  I’m on the blink today!

  The man from Child Welfare just called and said he needed a secondary caregiver.  I told him I already said it was Stephanie.  He said I might have told someone, but not him.  I told him I had, but didn’t really want to get in a verbal battle.  He repeated he needed to do a walk through of Stephanie’s apartment.  I explained, AGAIN, that the children would never stay at Stephanie’s apartment, there’s no room, and the children would stay with us.  He said, “Well I need someone who has enough room for your children.”  I told him I knew of no one who could house my three children plus two or three foster children – that’s SIX extra people!!!  The only one I knew with a big enough house was my friend, Tangi, who has six children of her own!  I told him Stephanie had said he was welcome to come out and see her apartment if that would satisfy the requirement.  (trying so hard not to roll my eyes, here!)  He has to make sure it’s child safe AND do a background check on her. Then, he wanted to know when he could come out to have us sign some papers.  I explained I was sick and didn’t feel he should come to our house this week.  Jesse called in on the other line, so I put the caseworker on hold and asked Jesse when he was planning to take off next week.  Jesse said, what *I* felt like saying, “Tell him ‘We’ll get back with him.’”  So, I did.  Losing my mind?  Kinda!

  Be blessed  ~

  • 11:41 am
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