Thunder Stealer

Yea, that's me....I stole the Shankster's thunder. As of this morning I do not have a voice. Lost it sometime during the nite. Never had that happen before. Don't like it. The not talking part. I'm a talker. It's worse too since the Shankster cannot talk, it has been a very interesting day.

A lot of funny moments when I thought I knew what he was wanting, and tried to say it for him to get it all turned around into something else That is ok, laughter is just what we needed today.

.....along with some better pain killers, a nurse to care for me and the Shankster, a cook for both of us and one solely for Homie as he is driving us both bonkers.

Who said silence is golden?
;)

Day #6

For the Shankster Day #6 is no better than the past 2 days. He is still in much pain and the medication is no help. Good news is I found a couple of more soft foods he can swallow without chewing and he says it has helped.

Bad news is, I am sick. I awoke yesterday to a terrible dry throat. All day I seemed to be drinking water like it was going out of style. But felt fine....until around 8pm. Last nite was the worst nite I have spent in a long time. I coughed so hard I thought my head would explode. My head feels full and killing me. I had the chills and just felt plain miserable. So I knew I had to get to a doctor to find out what was going on. I felt horrible, not for myself, but for the Shankster and how bad I would feel if what I have is contagious and he got it. I can't even imagine him coughing with bronchitis with the pain he already has.

So even though I had to see my usual doc's brother (which I have seen before and didn't like at all) I was going. Turns out he was very pleasant and even popped a few jokes. I was thinking now who are you, and what did you do with Dr. Steve? He was very understanding about my concerns with getting the Shankster more sick and even seemed concerned himself asking all about him. So the bad news is this, I have a fever, and I have bronchitis, and a sinus infection, bacterial...not what I was hoping for. He says I will even get worse before I get better..yikes. He was nice enough to give me some pills (see, I knew there were still some docs like this) that will take care of me in hopes of nipping this in the bud before the Shankster sniffs it out and tries to grab onto it for himself!

He is like that you know...wants everything I have.....:)

Day #5

Day #5 is not much better. Pain is still making itself very present and with no relief from the medications, I do believe it is taking its toll on the Shankster. After much trial and error I did manage to find a couple of things that he could swallow for nourishment this morning, as ice cream, pudding and jello were just not cutting it for breakfast.

I found that the prepackaged creamy oatmeal went down easily and made him smile. The smile has been few and far between since Friday... Now this was not like the regular oatmeal he loves usually that made him want to scream when he tried it Sunday, as it went down rough and thick and hard to swallow. Its funny as you really don't know how thick or rough some foods are that you think are soft until you can't chew at all and you have stitches on your tongue.

I also made some Raspberry Tea for a change from regular tea and water for the Shankster.

This is my only problem. I think that the Shankster may lose a bit of weight from this not finding anything substantial to eat, but I think I just may gain it, as I have to try everything I make for him to see if it is edible, then eat it when he cannot so not waste it, along with my usual meals, of course.

Man, I can't win for losing.....:)

Kaxander

Day #4

Guess I should really start at day #1.


Shankster got the surgery & all went well. The "lump" was actually a Tumor. The size of a Mediterranean Olive....quite big for the tongue. And the Doc says he has never seen something as this in this area. The good news was that he doesn't think it was anything to worry about. YAY! But it will still be checked out and we should find out in a week. So still send good thoughts his way please.
And as I figured, Shankster was trying to talk when I arrived in his room after the surgery. As long as I have known him, whenever he has had surgery, afterwards he is a talking nut. I think probably due to the medication they give him, but still he usually does not shut up.
This time was a bit different as you really couldn't understand him, but he thought you could. :)

They gave him something to control the saliva and said he would be VERY dry and thirsty for days. I, along with the nurse, told him to not try and talk. She told him she wanted to bring him something to drink....did he want water? No response. She said well we also think if you want you could have some Pepsi. His eyes lit up. The same thing happened when she offered Jello.

So when we got home I made Pudding, Jello and some Bean Soup. (per his request) He was sure he could get the soup part down easily. I Went and got some ice cream and made some tea hoping this would be enough for the first day. We established early that COLD went down a lot more smoothly than hot...or even warm. So Bean soup not much of a hit.
We knew ahead of time there would only be drinking for about 11 days, but I didn't have a clue it would be this hard to figure out the best things to get down to fill up a stomach in order to take the 4 different medications they sent home with him. If he takes 3 of them on a empty stomach he will get nauseous. So far on day #4 we have done pretty good without the nausea.

Day#3 wasn't the best for pain. He awoke with more pain than he has had so far. And so #3 was miserable. Today isn't much better for pain. And it is harder to eat...or drink his meal. I blended a banana with some ice cream and he scarfed that down very quickly. So guessing he loved it.

Now to work on the pain, the pain pills only seem to be working for 2 hours, not 4, so We finally called Doc to see about the level of pain vs. pain pills. Luckily for the Shankster he gets something different to try..lets hope it works better.
Now if I can only stay balanced enough to get myself across the street to get them for him. I would tell you I am a bit sick today, got a sore throat last nite and am stuffy to boot, Head seems full of pressure and I am dizzy to boot.....but its not about me for the next 15 or so days...its about the Shankster...so I won't say a thing.

;)

Surgery/Round #1

Tomorrow is the day for sending good thoughts, vibes, prayers, and anything that can be mustered up in support for the Shankster. Hoping this first surgery goes well, outcome is positive and he recovers quickly. He is not looking forward to the miserable pain the doc said he would be in for 11 days...or the not talking or EATING! yikes. Hey is this some sort of a diet? I would say Sign me up, but I don't want a diet that is this painful. :) (just kiddin Shankie!!)

I just pray he does well and that he is strong enough for the second round that awaits him on the 26th. Stay Strong Shankie!!!!!

BPPV

After waiting 2 days to get the car back to have a way to go, I got my bootie to the doctor asap this morning. I was miserable since Sunday evening with the extreme dizziness. I don't think or remember if I have ever had an earache, so when my right ear started hurting yesterday was thinking this was my problem, and with the dizziness so bad, thought I was in need of a miracle pill, toot sweet.

Much to my surprise, after several "tests" doc says this is what my problem is. BPPV. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo. Translation...I'm Dizzy every time I move my head.

Basically this is what I got out of what he said.

Small crystals are built up in the inner ear fluid but doesn't cause a problem as this is where they belong. If they shift to a different part of the inner ear canal, the fluid there moves at a different speed than normal, which causes the nerve cells to send signals to the brain which now don't match the visual input from the eyes. Dizzy. This is what I am.

There is a maneuver that can be done to "reset" so to speak, the crystal/or crystals back to where they belong. Epley Maneuver. We did this in the office. I thought I was going to fall off the table in the 3 person Merry Go Round that was now the Doctor's office. Me, Doc and The Shankster. Luckily for me, the Shankster and Doc was on both sides of me and were keeping me from falling off the Ride. It was the absolute worst dizziness I have felt. Gee I waited 2 days for this, I thought I would just get a pill and it would all be gone in a matter of days. What the heck?

Oh and I almost forgot when he told me to remove my earring, and before I could say What for, he jerked my ear in a way where I was ready to Kick him where the sun didn't shine. Said it was some kind of a chiropractic move. Ok. I was almost regretting spending the gas money to drive up there.

But I have to say even though I was disappointed that I didn't get that pill, I am Happy to report that the pain in my ear and neck is completely gone. Nice move from the Chiropractic Ninja.

And I also wonder what happened to the days when you could complain to the doc and get a pill, take it a few days and your problem was gone. Now I have to do this maneuver several times a day and hope it helps in a few weeks. In other words, NO PILL, and ride this Merry Go Round several times a day and hope to not puke.

I bet I don't get a Corn Dog either.

Googly Eyes

The Shankster is calling me this, it appears to be my new nickname. :)

It's ok, I just wish it wasn't because of the reason. Dizziness. Of course that was my middle name since 1992....but for the past few years, it had either taken a back burner or I had just gotten so used to it, it wasn't as noticeable. Until recently. I had even went from taking 4 pills a day to be able to walk around like normal (whatever that is) down to 1 pill a day, and eventually to none. Mostly because they were too expensive and my insurance didn't cover them. I just figured I would try to do without them if possible, and it was, for a while.

Then recently I noticed I didn't seem to be able to shake the dizziness quite so easily, I told the Doc I might need the pill help once again. He decided to get me some that I could afford instead of the ones that worked.....ugh. But these pills are cheap, and I like cheap...and I only have to take them as I need them, so if I feel or get too dizzy to maneuver...(act normal) I can pop a pill. It is supposed to take care of the situation. It didn't. That was a few weeks back.

Yesterday I awoke to the room spinning uncontrollably....I took a pill and it seemed to help. But this dizziness was not the dizziness I am used to. Ha...see I am used to it. Anyhow usually it is me that is spinning, but yesterday the room was spinning. Not a good feeling. Today I awoke fine. Thought it was a fluke...or something I ate. Until I got in the shower...very strange to see the shower head floating all about. I made my way in to tell the Shankster and this is when he said I had Googly Eyes....He can tell when I am dizzy and how bad by my eyes. I took another pill. But it has been with me all day.

But no matter, The Shankster made this a Happy Mother's Day for this Googly Eyed mother .

Ahhhhhhhh....

Well it has been nice....but the time will end sometime today...so nice to feel a bit normal if only for a few days. I only wish this week had went a lot better...especially for the Shankster. For any visitors I may have, please pray for the Shankster as he will need all the help he can get for the next 3 weeks. Thanks.