9-1-1: "Just the facts, Sir."

Reblogged from JimmieJoe.com:

Should 9-1-1 operators kiss your ass, or save it?

Recent news coverage of the escape of three women from a decade long imprisonment, after their kidnappings as teens, has many people commenting on a perceived lack of empathy or concern for the victims on the part of the 9-1-1 operators in Cleveland, Ohio.  Most of the criticism is unwarranted.

Amanda Berry, the woman who escaped from the house, can be heard calling 9-1-1, …

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Hard Lessons

This past week has been hard for me.  My son was offered a job in Denver and only had two weeks to get everything together to move.  Even though I am happy that he found this terrific job, the thought of not seeing him everyday saddens me.  I did a lot of crying while helping him pack things up, and at times it was hard to hide my emotions. The two of us worked hard to get everything done, but we both wished we had more hands and another week to accomplish it all.

Thursday night I just couldn’t sleep or stop crying.  I went downstairs and looked in on him sleeping, the last night he would be sleeping here.  Next time he will be a guest.  I cried even more.  Sitting on the couch looking at all the boxes all over,  just made me sob more.

Then it hit me.  It was as if someone kicked me in the ass and said “get over it girl”!

I tried to understand how he must be feeling.  Moving out of his childhood home.  Leaving a job here in Chicago that he was very successful at. Taking a chance at a job in a new field in a different town.  Not knowing where he would be living long term, or if this job opportunity was the right choice.

I stopped crying and realized that my job was over.  I had raised him, I nurtured him, I taught him right from wrong, and now I needed to let him go…..my heart has to release him.

Several times a week he would come over for lunch, eat all the food in the fridge, and watch ESPN.  I loved those visits.  I came to depend on those lunches…….too much.

Today he is settled in Denver.  His beloved girlfriend, Anna is there, and her family has welcomed my son with loving open arms.  I am happy for him.  Even though I miss him already, I am so proud of the Man he has become……how dare I cry for myself?

 I just keep thinking of how much money I will save on my grocery bill!

Just remember Dan (I don’t think he even reads my blogs) this quote from one of our favorite books when you were little.

“I’ll love you forever

I’ll like you always

As long as I’m living

My Baby you’ll be”

*From the book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.

http://youtu.be/Im5rJ5zOSMw

,l,l,l,l,l,lppo

 

No One Sees Me

No one sees me, it is as if I just disappeared, vanished, ceased to be.

I am enveloped in fog, zero visibility and I remain unseen.

The sun hasn’t come out and cut through the thick gray fog, I just wait…..until someone, anyone comes and gets me.

My world is small, few people enter my world although everyone is welcome.

Alone is sad.

I JUST WANT TO BE OKAY

Tags

Addison's Disease, exhausted, secondary adrenal innsuffiency, steroids, stress, tired

“Someone asked me what are my “Favorite/most useful coping skills – for pain, depression, and all the silly side effects that come with having chronic illness?””

Hmmmm?  Do I have any coping skills, or do I just roll with the flow?  My first thought is that I am only able to cope with my illnesses with the help from my medications.  Other than that, I don’t handle this “chronic illness stuff” well at all. But, I have made it  through many a bad day by remembering some basic things:

• Accept what you have and don’t argue with God anymore…I don’t mean give up…just accept it

• Accept help from the people who love you

• Accept that your HUSBAND and kids are as frightened as you are about this new thing called “chronic illness”

• Help your family understand what you need…I don’t mean a glass of cold pop or a sandwich…You need to tell them you need rest, understanding , companionship, and sometimes you need to be alone just to be mad at this rude intrusion of illness

• Help yourself by keeping a journal or blog to express your feelings that you don’t want to share with anyone

I had to accept that I couldn’t drive.

I had to accept that I had to leave my job.

I had to accept that my social life was extinct.

I had to accept that many people just would never understand my illnesses.

i had to accept that my family would not become malnourished because I CAN’T cook every night.

i had to accept that my house would never be clean again.

So, I adapted and tried to do what I could to make my life a little more comfortable without feeling guilty.

My bedroom is beautiful and an oasis for me.  Fleece sheets when it’s cold, crisp cotton sheets when it’s not.  Ridiculously expensive down pillows that are worth every penny I spent on them.

 At times, when I feel bad days a’coming,  I will keep healthy snacks and drinks in my room so I won’t have to go downstairs.

I let my dog and cat sleep with me when I am feeling especially sorry for myself.

I am not embarrassed to ride in those cute little scooters they have at some stores.                                                  

 I am not embarrassed to sit on whatever I can find if I get tired when I am out…and that includes the floor.

 I am not embarrassed to go out without makeup…something I would never have done before I got sick.  I will stay in my jammies all day if I need to.

Sometimes I won’t take a shower until someone comes home because I am afraid I will fall.

 I finally admitted I needed a handicapped tag for my car.

 I let myself cry if I want to.

ALL I WANT IS TO BE OKAY

So, now what? WARNING…..TMI…..toilet talk

Tags

colonoscopy, endoscopy, Gatorade, the shits, toxic gas

Had my endoscopy and colonoscopy on March 7 and everything went smooth.  I didn’t wake up during the test, which is always my greatest fear.  Doctor said he removed several polyps from large intestine, and one off my esophagus.  He got a few samples from my small intestine to test for active Crohn’s.  Everything came out good.  No cancer, no diverticulitis, no Crohn’s, no monsters and no aliens.  No infections either. So now what?  Of course he uttered the two things that us Poop people never want to hear……….IBS and spastic colon.  It was a relief that there was no indication of active Crohn’s Disease, but all of this is so frustrating.

We talked about the “poop attacks” and the problem with gas pains, spasms and toxic smelling gas.  No explanations.

The “clean out” went fairly well, but the thought of Gatorade at this point makes me gag.  I have not had any diarrhea or terrible pain since the tests, so maybe I pooped out the monsters that were causing my major problems. Hopefully.

Dr. Handsome wants to do a short-term  treatment with XIFAXIN in hopes that it will kill anything left inside.  I looked up the medication, and I DO NOT WANT TO TAKE IT!  The warnings listed for this drug made my head spin.  I haven’t decided what to do yet.

I’m still feeling the effects of the stress on my body from it all, thanks to my adrenals….the lazy bastards.  I have been quite exhausted and sleeping a lot and have even stress dosed (taken extra steroids), which seems to be keeping my head above water.

So, I am hoping I will just go back to my “normal miserable” with the G.I. problems, which I don’t think is asking too much.

The Cardinals

Reblogged from Tim Steffen:

“See the cardinal?” she asked.

“No,” he replied.

“Right there.” She pressed her finger against the kitchen bay window. “Underneath the evergreen tree, by the driveway.”

He saw it – a shock of red feathers against the white snow that had fallen the night before. Next to the red cardinal alighted a female. She was plump and grayish-brown in color with ginger-tinged wings.

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Beautiful story. MyMother loved Cardinals, and when I see one I think of her.

Beef Stroganoff

Reblogged from tracy fulks:

• 

I remember the light of the refrigerator spilling out across my mother’s kitchen floor as I stood, overwhelmed and frozen, staring at the contents. The half-empty gallon of milk, the bag of limp and withered celery in the vegetable drawer, the carton of eggs. The unopened garlic and herb dip stared at me, as if I were finally going to deliver on the implied promise of company and crackers.

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Everyone will love this......warning....have tissue available

Have You ever seen a Dream Walking? Well, I did,

Tags

90th birthday, birthday, coffee, cookies, dragonflies, grief, grieving, Ma, Tootsie

Today I walked down the stairs turned into the kitchen and was my Mother sitting at the kitchen table with the dog at her feet. Tootsie was in the room when Ma died, and I think she somehow knew when she left. Tootsie loved her. Ma loved Tootsie.

I was speechless…..”No, you aren’t dreaming” she said, “Can I have some coffee….if you have enough?”

She walked over to the kitchen counter and watched with interest how the Kuerig coffee machine worked…..hmmm she said.  She asked me if I remembered how she liked her coffee.  ”Half coffee, half water, with just a little cream”  She liked to drink coffee at my house because I always had flavored creamers, she never bought it….too extravagant.  She used skim milk at home.

I sat down across from her and she smiled.  ”It’s my birthday you know.  I would be ninety today, what a party that would be.  You girls always overdid it, but I liked it.”

She had heard me asking her to visit. She picked this special day, her birthday, to finally come. Sometimes I thought the dreams of her were just dreams.  She assured me that anytime I thought she was here….she was. Did you send the dragonflies that day?  Of course she did, she said with a smirk……who else?

I asked her what it was like…wherever she was. Impossible to describe she said….there are no “words” to even begin to help me understand.

She told me to get my shit together, quit mourning, and fix things.  Things are such a mess, how do I fix it all?  She smiled her familiar purse lip smile and told me I knew what to do.  I always knew what to do.  Just do it.

Did you have any cookies?  ”You always have good cookies for Joe”.  Oreos or Chips Ahoy?  When she didn’t answer I turned around ……….and she was gone.  Her coffee cup was still there, I could smell her Emeraude cologne, but she was gone.  Dammit!  I looked at the clock, and it was 4:44, our favorite number.

I can’t tell anyone about this, they will think I have lost my mind.

As Ma would say, “We had a nice visit”.

Happy Birthday Ma.  If I’d known you were coming I’d have baked a cake.

A dream??  I have no idea.  But, it was nice seeing her.

A Little Nervous I Must Admit

Terrible day. The Crohn’s monsters hit me hard today.  Sons-a-bitches.  Running to the bathroom, never making it in time, getting more upset every time.  I will not elaborate on scrubbing bubbles, bleach wipes, emergency loads of laundry, showers and crying.  The Joe-Man came home to check on me, Bill brought Gatorade for me after work, and Dan has been monitoring my blood pressure.  I was successful at giving myself a shot, so glad I had one here, it kept me out of the ER for sure.

I called my handsome Gastro doc, and I have an appointment on Feb 7th.  The nurse wants me to call tomorrow and check in.  Terrible day.

 

I fell down…………..BOOM

Yesterday I was putting clean sheets on the bed and somehow got my feet all mixed up and I fell.  Well, really I just kind of   s l i p p e d   off my feet onto my ass.  So, there are am sprawled out on the floor checking myself for blood or bones sticking out somewhere and I found nothing horrible.  And, yes I had my phone on my pocket so if I had needed to cal anyone I could have.  I really thought I had broken my arm because it hurt so much and it bruised quickly.  I slammed my arm into the bed frame on my graceful descent to the floor but better my arm than my head I guess.

Today I am a black and blue mess and I hurt all over.  I ate frozen pizza for dinner because I feel sorry for myself.    I.AM.A.KLUTZ.