So, I have a long health history. I think that has been established. I also have some crazy stories about hospital stays. I'm pretty sure that I've never had a normal one. Here is one for your entertainment. I'll write some others in the next few days.
When I was 14 I slipped on the stairs of our home hitting the middle of my back on the edge of a stair. It knocked the wind out of me, and I felt like I might pass out, so I tried to call for my mom. In the effort to call for help I fell down the stairs, literally head over heels. This was an older home and the stair case was really narrow, so I hit the sides of the stairs a lot on the way down. The stair case ended at a very small landing where the hallway teed. There was a metal ladder leaning against the wall at the bottom of the stairs, I hit my head on that. The landing at the bottom of the stairs was cement. My sister found me unconscious, ran over, and lifted my head up and then dropped it on the cement floor. Then she ran and got my mom. They called 911. At some point I had a seizure.
We lived about 35 minutes outside of town. The ambulance service in the small town was all volunteer (still is). By the time they got there I was conscious and felt really bruised and headachey, but otherwise fine. As the volunteer ambulance service came in I could see that they were all in their 60's, and all very nervous. They were extremely worried about making sure I didn't move (for good reason). They got me on the stretcher and put one of those brace things around my head to keep it from moving. They picked me up only to realize that there was no way to turn the stretcher to get up the stairs, the area was just too skinny. They set me down and huddled up to figure things out.
There was no other way out of the house so they decided to take me off of the stretcher, put the stretcher on the stairs (it was partway on the stairs and partway on the landing, braced by the wall), and then try to scoot me onto the stretcher. They got the stretcher all set up but then felt that it was on too steep of an angle to safely lift me onto it, and they couldn't lift me onto it without me bending my legs or something. they were also worried about getting me up the stairs. They were really steep and narrow. Only one person could go on them at a time. They were worried about being able to lift me and get out without dropping me. (Remember, they were all in their 60's; retired). It's a good thing that I only weighed about 95 lbs.
They huddled up again to think it over. I'd commented several times that I could just get on the stretcher myself, but they didn't want me to move a muscle. So, while they were all huddled up and looking away I quietly shimmied myself onto the stretcher. After a minute they turned around and saw me there. They were all very upset and gave me quite the lecture about not moving around.
They strapped me down and then started up the stairs.There were a few little stumbles, but they didn't drop me. I remember being on a really steep slant and desperately praying that I wouldn't take another trip down the stairs!
They stuck me and my stretcher on a bench in the ambulance and away we went. My mom sat in the front with the driver. There is one part of the road that sunk a lot where it connects to a bridge, creating quite the bump. The driver was going 100 mph (so my mom tells me) and they started coming up on the bridge. My mom started frantically yelling at the driver to slow down, but he didn't. We hit the bump in the road and the ambulance got some air. When it landed my stretcher (which wasn't strapped down to anything) flew into the air and then hit the bench, BAM, bam, bam, bam, bam! Boy did my head hurt. I remember thinking that if I didn't already have a concussion I certainly had one now!
We got to the hospital, and I had a CT Scan; all of that went fine. They had just contracted a traveling MRI and they decided they wanted to use that too, so off we went in the metal hospital bed to have an MRI. On the way there the tech kept telling them that they were not to let go of the bed for any reason because if they did the machine would suck me down the hall and slam me into the machine. He repeated these instructions several times. They got me in, the tech let go of the bed to prepare the machine and asked that the door be shut. Both of the other people let go of my bed to shut the door, and my bed flew down the hall and slammed into the machine. Ouch. They then instructed me to not fall asleep, but I did.
Thankfully the rest of that stay was normal.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Saturday, March 28, 2015
New Adoption Profile
Our new adoption profile on Parent Profiles is live! Here is a link.
Go see it and tell everyone you know about us!
Thanks! :)
Friday, March 27, 2015
Snow Angels
The last couple of weeks have been pretty busy for us. We started with a trip to Salt lake to see another surgeon. I wrote about that in another post. While we were in there I stepped on little A's foot while we were going down the stairs. It didn't seem like anything then. I was fine (we stumbled and fell a bit), her foot wasn't even red, and we went on with our day. Allan and I went to the surgeon, the Temple, and ran a few other errands. I did a lot of walking that day. That night when we got home (about 10:00pm) I got out of the truck and my foot felt tender and like there was something in my shoe. I realized later that there wasn't anything in my shoe, but I did have a huge lump on the bottom of my foot! It was really tender, so I went to the doctor a couple of days later. I tried to go the next day, but all of the doctors were either out of town or in surgery, and I didn't feel like it merited an ER visit so I waited. I had an x-ray and it showed that I hadn't broken anything but just strained it. Most likely when I stepped on little A's foot.
I tried out a new cookie recipe that had no added sugar. It was really gross, but I still ate them all because they were chocolate. Little A had a blast helping me stir and then licking the spoon when we were done. She is such a good little helper. :)
Little A had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa and was especially thrilled when they made spaghetti for dinner. I haven't made that with actual spaghetti noodles in a long time because she makes such a huge mess. She did not disappoint, lol! It took a LONG time to clean up that mess! That happy, cute face was worth it though!
We are looking for a new dresser for little A. I have the day bed from when I was younger and am handing it down to her, but it needs a dresser. I found one on KSL.com that matched the bed pretty well, and we arranged to pick it up when we were in SLC. We drove the truck down so we could get it home. Then when I called to say we were coming the guy said he'd forgotten to tell his wife that he had already sold it and someone else had just left with it. Ug. I hadn't paid for it yet so it wasn't that big of deal, just a bummer that we drove the truck down for nothing. We looked around some more but couldn't find anything else, so we went home empty handed. Allan is making a toddler sized trundle bed to go under the day bed. It's still a bit large for little A so the trundle bed will be a nice in-between.
It finally snowed again! We were so excited! Little A and I went outside and played as soon as the sun came out. I helped her make her first snow angel. It doesn't have a head because she refused to put her head down in the snow! She really wasn't very impressed with snow angels.
She did really like snow balls though. I tried to make a snow man but the snow was too powdery and wouldn't stick together enough. After a while we went to the front yard and shoveled the drive way for Allan. Our neighbor saw me shoveling and came over with his snow blower and finished up for me, which was SO nice! We actually have a snow blower, but I can't use it with Little A out there. Loud noises like that really freak her out: crying, hyperventilating, it's bad. So, it was really nice that he came and did it. Allan was SO thrilled when he got home. He was really tired and was dreading having to clean off the walks when he got home. It was a really great surprise for him!
Little A LOVES the Friend magazine. She is always so thrilled when it comes in the mail and she has a magazine of her very own to look at. There was a picture of strawberries and bananas in one. She came to me every day for a week showing me that picture and saying "Mmmm."
We finally made it back to story time. We got there too early though so we played outside for a while until the Library opened. They have an old gun outside that the kids can climb on. Little A thought it was awesome!
We didn't make it through all the stories, but we did manage to make an elephant (I was going to send it to AG but Little A quickly tore it to pieces when we got home). She also loved the licorice they gave her for a snack and quickly devoured it.
We got together for a play date with cousin P and Aunt K6. We needed to plan a baby shower for K3. K6 is really good at party planning and pretty much had it all covered by the time I got there! The girls had fun playing dress up and teasing the dogs. They had a little snack before dance class.
We went to dance class for the first time in almost a month! Little A got sick and then we were out of town so much that we never were able to make it. She was so happy to be back! She is starting to be a little braver and will hold hands with her teacher (cousin A) and interacts with the kids a little more. They all move so quickly that she gets overwhelmed. There is another little girl that is quieter like her. They really hit it off and love to dance together.
Allan had to go on a scout camp out that weekend. They had a lot of fun, but also had quite the adventure. The truck and trailer got stuck in the snow, and they had to call someone to pull them out. They discovered a gas leak in the cabin they were staying in. Thankfully they were able to just turn it off, and there was a wood stove they could use to keep warm. They had a fun time playing night games. Then on the way home the other vehicle got stuck in the snow, they were able to just push him out. Then Allan, who was driving the truck and trailer, hit a bad hill and fishtailed to the side of the road. Thankfully God was watching out for him and he ended up in a good spot that he could get out of. The road was pretty bad that day. He was very relieved to be home. He told me that this is pretty normal for a scout camp out. I will be praying a lot every time he goes, lol!
We found out when the surgery will be (with less than a week in advance) and have been frantically preparing for that. I got with my Mom and sister, K3, to make a bunch of freezer meals (some for her for after the baby comes, and some for me for after the surgery). We arranged for people to care for Little A while I had the surgery and then afterward when Allan would need to go back to work. We are so grateful for our family who is always watching out for us.
I tried out a new cookie recipe that had no added sugar. It was really gross, but I still ate them all because they were chocolate. Little A had a blast helping me stir and then licking the spoon when we were done. She is such a good little helper. :)
Little A had a blast with Grandma and Grandpa and was especially thrilled when they made spaghetti for dinner. I haven't made that with actual spaghetti noodles in a long time because she makes such a huge mess. She did not disappoint, lol! It took a LONG time to clean up that mess! That happy, cute face was worth it though!
We are looking for a new dresser for little A. I have the day bed from when I was younger and am handing it down to her, but it needs a dresser. I found one on KSL.com that matched the bed pretty well, and we arranged to pick it up when we were in SLC. We drove the truck down so we could get it home. Then when I called to say we were coming the guy said he'd forgotten to tell his wife that he had already sold it and someone else had just left with it. Ug. I hadn't paid for it yet so it wasn't that big of deal, just a bummer that we drove the truck down for nothing. We looked around some more but couldn't find anything else, so we went home empty handed. Allan is making a toddler sized trundle bed to go under the day bed. It's still a bit large for little A so the trundle bed will be a nice in-between.
It finally snowed again! We were so excited! Little A and I went outside and played as soon as the sun came out. I helped her make her first snow angel. It doesn't have a head because she refused to put her head down in the snow! She really wasn't very impressed with snow angels.
She did really like snow balls though. I tried to make a snow man but the snow was too powdery and wouldn't stick together enough. After a while we went to the front yard and shoveled the drive way for Allan. Our neighbor saw me shoveling and came over with his snow blower and finished up for me, which was SO nice! We actually have a snow blower, but I can't use it with Little A out there. Loud noises like that really freak her out: crying, hyperventilating, it's bad. So, it was really nice that he came and did it. Allan was SO thrilled when he got home. He was really tired and was dreading having to clean off the walks when he got home. It was a really great surprise for him!
Little A LOVES the Friend magazine. She is always so thrilled when it comes in the mail and she has a magazine of her very own to look at. There was a picture of strawberries and bananas in one. She came to me every day for a week showing me that picture and saying "Mmmm."
We finally made it back to story time. We got there too early though so we played outside for a while until the Library opened. They have an old gun outside that the kids can climb on. Little A thought it was awesome!
We didn't make it through all the stories, but we did manage to make an elephant (I was going to send it to AG but Little A quickly tore it to pieces when we got home). She also loved the licorice they gave her for a snack and quickly devoured it.
We got together for a play date with cousin P and Aunt K6. We needed to plan a baby shower for K3. K6 is really good at party planning and pretty much had it all covered by the time I got there! The girls had fun playing dress up and teasing the dogs. They had a little snack before dance class.
We went to dance class for the first time in almost a month! Little A got sick and then we were out of town so much that we never were able to make it. She was so happy to be back! She is starting to be a little braver and will hold hands with her teacher (cousin A) and interacts with the kids a little more. They all move so quickly that she gets overwhelmed. There is another little girl that is quieter like her. They really hit it off and love to dance together.
Allan had to go on a scout camp out that weekend. They had a lot of fun, but also had quite the adventure. The truck and trailer got stuck in the snow, and they had to call someone to pull them out. They discovered a gas leak in the cabin they were staying in. Thankfully they were able to just turn it off, and there was a wood stove they could use to keep warm. They had a fun time playing night games. Then on the way home the other vehicle got stuck in the snow, they were able to just push him out. Then Allan, who was driving the truck and trailer, hit a bad hill and fishtailed to the side of the road. Thankfully God was watching out for him and he ended up in a good spot that he could get out of. The road was pretty bad that day. He was very relieved to be home. He told me that this is pretty normal for a scout camp out. I will be praying a lot every time he goes, lol!
We found out when the surgery will be (with less than a week in advance) and have been frantically preparing for that. I got with my Mom and sister, K3, to make a bunch of freezer meals (some for her for after the baby comes, and some for me for after the surgery). We arranged for people to care for Little A while I had the surgery and then afterward when Allan would need to go back to work. We are so grateful for our family who is always watching out for us.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Chronic Pain Update and Spiritual Promptings
I will be having a hysterectomy soon. I have mixed feelings about this, but I am hopeful that everything will turn out well, and I will be healthier afterward. Allan and I, and our family, have prayed a lot about this, and we feel really good about it.
We saw another surgeon last Wednesday. He specializes in colonic pull-throughs (which is what was done when I was an infant) and will be helping the other surgeon. Basically his job is to get through the scar tissue and around the colon so the other surgeon can do his job. He was very clear that while he would do his best there is a very real chance that he could hurt my bowels resulting in a temporary ostomy (lovely, at least he said temporary). He also said that as long as he could move forward laparoscopically it didn't matter how slow he had to go, he'd keep going. But, there is also a real chance that they won't be able to move through the scar tissue and will have to do a laparotomy, which is an 8-12 week recovery. Eesh. If they can do it laparoscopically then it will be a 4-6 week recovery.
Occasionally throughout my life I have received some really strong spiritual promptings and guidance. This is one of those times.
The first one I remember was to not date a certain boy. Unfortunately I didn't follow that one, but I did learn a lot about hearing, understanding, and following spiritual promptings through that experience.
The second was to not marry that certain boy and to serve a mission instead. Thankfully I followed that one. :)
The third was to move closer to the university I was attending and to get a different job. I followed that one as well and shortly after met, and married, Allan.
The fourth was to stop attending the university, quit my job, and become a housewife. That one was difficult for me to follow, but I did it and have never regretted it.
And the next one was now. To have a hysterectomy.
Each of these promptings has been incredibly strong and have come in ways that were undeniable. I've learned to trust these promptings and follow them even when I don't want to and don't fully understand. They always bring so many blessings.
In church today one of the men who was speaking told a story of how he broke his nose playing football in high school. For the next 30 years he struggled to breath through his nose and suffered other problems from that injury. With encouragement from his wife he went to a doctor and underwent surgery to finally fix his broken nose. He stated that it was very painful and took a long time to recover, but that when he finally did he was a new man. He had finally been healed!
This resonated with me a lot today. This is going to be painful and take a long time to recover from. I may have to undergo hormone replacement therapy among other things. But, we are hoping that when I finally do recover and adjust to the new things that this brings I will be healed.
We saw another surgeon last Wednesday. He specializes in colonic pull-throughs (which is what was done when I was an infant) and will be helping the other surgeon. Basically his job is to get through the scar tissue and around the colon so the other surgeon can do his job. He was very clear that while he would do his best there is a very real chance that he could hurt my bowels resulting in a temporary ostomy (lovely, at least he said temporary). He also said that as long as he could move forward laparoscopically it didn't matter how slow he had to go, he'd keep going. But, there is also a real chance that they won't be able to move through the scar tissue and will have to do a laparotomy, which is an 8-12 week recovery. Eesh. If they can do it laparoscopically then it will be a 4-6 week recovery.
Occasionally throughout my life I have received some really strong spiritual promptings and guidance. This is one of those times.
The first one I remember was to not date a certain boy. Unfortunately I didn't follow that one, but I did learn a lot about hearing, understanding, and following spiritual promptings through that experience.
The second was to not marry that certain boy and to serve a mission instead. Thankfully I followed that one. :)
The third was to move closer to the university I was attending and to get a different job. I followed that one as well and shortly after met, and married, Allan.
The fourth was to stop attending the university, quit my job, and become a housewife. That one was difficult for me to follow, but I did it and have never regretted it.
And the next one was now. To have a hysterectomy.
Each of these promptings has been incredibly strong and have come in ways that were undeniable. I've learned to trust these promptings and follow them even when I don't want to and don't fully understand. They always bring so many blessings.
In church today one of the men who was speaking told a story of how he broke his nose playing football in high school. For the next 30 years he struggled to breath through his nose and suffered other problems from that injury. With encouragement from his wife he went to a doctor and underwent surgery to finally fix his broken nose. He stated that it was very painful and took a long time to recover, but that when he finally did he was a new man. He had finally been healed!
This resonated with me a lot today. This is going to be painful and take a long time to recover from. I may have to undergo hormone replacement therapy among other things. But, we are hoping that when I finally do recover and adjust to the new things that this brings I will be healed.
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