Good Morningggggg Shayla's Bloggggg!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Said like "Good Morning Vietnam!!!!!" Anyhoo, greetings my friends. I hope you are well. I have had quite the week. My darling Ping has completed yet another week of school. She loves it. Sadly, she has a cold. I guess we are going to be battling this stuff for a year as she gets used to everyone's bugs. For those of you who know me, I am a Germaphobe. I admit it. One day when there is a 12 step program, I will be there. I am not as over the top as some, but I am pretty vigilant. I no longer touch door handles. Those are GROSS! I hate touching carts in stores. All of those gross places that everyone else touches, you know? That is why I have Purell and Germ X EVERYWHERE!!!!!! So the fact that she came home with a cold really bugged me. I expected it, but not in the first week. Now daddy has a cold. Guess who is next? Hopefully not me, but I am touching what they are, so how do I get away with it?

So let's run down the latest and greatest since my last posting. Last weekend was fine. It was a long weekend. We stayed around the house on Saturday and Sunday working on house projects. On Monday we went to Donna and Brad's house and swam for a short time. It was cold! So we didn't stay in for long. Now this week would have been perfect. Oh well. We had a great time hanging out. Their children were home and I always love to see them! It's hard for me to see my Godchild. She is 14!!!! I think she still likes me, but who knows. I hope so.

Tuesday came in with a bang. I had to take our cat Sophie to the vet for 9:30. So Bill tried at 7am to catch her. He had no success and told me it was my turn. So I got Ping ready for school and drove her up the street. I came home and cornered Sophie in our family room. After 45 minutes of chasing her out under the couches, I finally figured that I would just grab her. Going for the GUSTO! So her back legs and tail were hanging out under the couch. So I grabbed her tail and tried to move my hands quickly up to her neck so that I could get her in the cage. She had a completely different agenda. She was NOT GOING and clearly I was not getting the message. She withered her body to each side and kept scratching me. I was determined not to let go. I finally get her to the front of the cage and as I am sticking her inside it, she fully turns, latches onto my right arm and beats the hell out of it. She was scratching and biting like she was fighting for her life. I finally had to drop the mission. It was like a blood bath. I was a mess. Blood was all over me and all over the floor. I am really not even exaggerating here. It was awful. I ran out of the room crying. I was a mess. I was in shock. I immediately went to the sank and washed everything I could. I could not stop bleeding though. I hysterically called Bill as I didn't know what to do. He wanted me to call 911. I could not do that. I had to get Ping. So when we got off the phone, he called Karen and Rick. Karen was home, but Rick was at the Fire Station. So she called Rick and he came over to investigate my wounds. I didn't know he was going to come until Karen called me and told me. Bill hadn't told me he called Rick. Rick came over, looked and said that I should probably hit the ER for an evaluation. I said "thank you" and off he went. He then called me 15 minutes later and said "I really think you should go and get some IV antibiotics!" So I hung up with Rick and went to get Ping. Around 1pm or so, Ping and I sat down to watch TV. I was really tired all of a sudden. Just as I closed my eyes, Karen appeared at the door. She brought over McDonalds. It was so sweet of her. She wanted to help since I was such a mess. I didn't expect her at all. So in she comes and the first thing Ping does is spill her entire 32 ounce drink. UGH. I felt awful. What made it worse was that she had to clean it up because I could barely use my arms at that point. So we got settled and began to eat. Right in the middle of eating and chatting I felt very spacey. It came and went. Well Karen had to leave to get ready for work, so I decided to sit down again. I still didn't feel great, so I finally picked up the phone and told Bill I was going to drive over to him since he works at the hospital. He looked and agreed that it looked awful, but it was not the mauling he expected. Sorry to disappoint hon!!!! While I was in the parking lot, I called my primary care to check on some antibiotics that I had asked them earlier to call in for me. She said she would, but that I should probably be seen as bites are very dangerous. So I hung up the phone and told Bill to park the truck. I was going in.

Well they have a Prompt Care Department. I had never heard of it. So I got in within 2 hours vs a lot longer. I got a terrible Nurse Practitioner, but a nice doctor. They were shot happy. They set me up with IV antibiotics and drew lines around the wounds with a pen. They said they thought I would have to come back the next night and perhaps even stay. WHAT????? I didn't want to stay, I have a young chick to take care of. They wanted to give me a Tetanus, but I had one in November. They wanted to give me series of Rabies shots as well. They estimated that I would need THIRTY shots!!!!!! I said "no way." Honestly, I don't believe Sophie has Rabies at all. She didn't attack me out of the blue. She attacked me because I provoked her!!!! So I finished up my IV and headed home. I was told to return the next day if the redness and swelling went outside of the circles. Well within hours it was way outside the circles.

So here we are on Wednesday morning and I have to get Ping to school. I take her to school and head off to a 9:30 appt. They don't get me into the room until 10:45. I am NOT happy. Everyone loves this doctor. He is a foot doctor. However, everyone hates that we always have to wait. The waiting room is often a lot of fun though. Never enough seating, that is one big issue, but I digress. So I go to sit down with my awful looking and feeling arms and the woman next to me says "sweetie, do you knit? If you don't, you can't sit there. See the gentleman next to you? He is a closet knitter." She was a riot. This is a sassy woman. I immediately wanted to ask her if she would be my friend. She was just full of life. I am guessing she was 65 or so. Everyone there is usually at least that! So I finally get pulled in and I am sweating over getting Ping. I should have already left for my baby. However, I know I can go a little late. So the doctor tells me that my heel pain from my Plantar Fascitis is awful. Very tight and inflamed. So he steps out and his assistant/wife starts strapping me. They have never done this before to me. It's kind of involved, but she was rushing because she knew I had to run. She told me to keep my feet dry for 5 days. HUH? I shower you know. She told me to put bags over my feet. The prospect of this is overwhelming, but at this point, I don't care. I have to get out of there. So I fly to the school from the next town over and get Ping. I apologize for being late. It was only 3 minutes. I felt awful though. This is my job. I need to get her there and pick her up promptly. I take this job more seriously than any other. I was told that she was in a safe place and I shouldn't worry. I knew that, but I felt like a derelict mom. Anyway, we headed home and waited till 2pm to meet with a gentleman who was bringing me photo albums of my great aunt and great uncle. I have been trying to meet with him since before my mom passed. I was NOT GOING TO MISS HIM COMING!!!! I didn't care if I was half dead! So he came at 2 and I finally got my hands on the photo albums. I was thrilled. However, I was dying. My arms were a mess. I just needed to get back to the emergency room. So right after he left, Ping and I headed over to UMASS again. Bill took Ping and entertained her for a short time and then he left to go to school. So I met with a doctor who immediately asked me to arrange for child care. She wanted me to stay. She also called for an Orthopedic Surgeon to come in to see me. She was concerned about the swelling and didn't want me to get "Compartment Syndrome." That is where your arm blows up to the point of cutting off circulation and you lose that part of your arm's functioning. LOVELY. So at this point, I have 2 doctors and a nurse and PING. Ping was climbing the damn walls. She literally used her feet and pressed the unlock lever. She was rolling me around the damn room!!!! She was pulling the curtain back and forth. At one point she put a chair and a step stool behind the door, she took 3 band aids and put them across the door to the wall and a glove on top of the lever to get out. I don't know what she was doing. Was she baracading them out or us in? I was in tears. They are pressuring me to find child care, she is off the wall and I can't focus because her nose is dripping with the cold and I am trying to get her not to rip out the IV as she almost did!!!! I think at that point, Meri called me. I was in tears. She offered to send Joe up when he left work, but I declined. I mean she is my child. I can't expect others to care for her. Bill couldn't miss school as it was the first night of the semester. So I was the only logical person to take care of her. I was sinking though. Bill left at 5 for a 6pm class only to find out it started at 7pm!!!!!!! So there I was with utter chaos and he was sitting in the car waiting for class to start. Not an ideal situation here!!!!

So they made my "overnight accommodations" and escorted me into an "observation room." It was a room with a TV. They brought in a TV with children's videos. However, the nurse wasn't getting it started, so Ping was pulling tubing off the walls and twisting them around her neck like necklaces. This is tubing for the ER!!!! Then she tried to get into the big long cabinet there, but she stopped. She also was twirling on a pedestal seat. The little round cushion that you can lay and go WHEEEEEE on??? At one point, she was going down onto her head and the nurse who was next to her caught her. Thank goodness. I wasn't a huge help as my hands were in tough shape!!!!! The nurse finally put the video on and Ping was absorbed into it so much that she was starting to pass out. At least she was finally quiet. Not long after, our friend Joe came in. Meri called him and had him come in to help. I can't tell you the last time I was so grateful to see someone. He was such a huge help. They moved me by wheelchair up to my room and she was able to hold Uncle Joe's hand the entire way. She truly adores him and asks for him all the time. Meri was busy working, so that is why she sent Joe up. Lucas was having a great night over grandma's so this all worked out perfectly!!!! So as they were settling me into my room, Joe took Ping to get some dinner. It was wonderful. It's impossible to watch a child at a hospital. It was no easier for me than if Ping went to school with Daddy. I should have made him take her!!!!!

Joe came back with two chicken strip meals and a sub. I was starving as was Ping. So we all sat there and ate and tried to tame the small wild beast. The poor thing had a cold and was so exhausted. This was no place for her. Bill was kept the entire class! I thought for sure he would get out early. He came at 10:20. The 3 of us watched Sarah Palin's speech and then they left. For most of the time, Ping was passed out in Uncle Joe's lap. She was not going to daddy at all. She was warm and cozy!!!!! So there I was, alone!!!!! So I arranged to get a CPAP so that I could sleep. They hooked me up to more antibiotics and I watched a little TV before falling off to sleep. Sleep is used loosely here as you don't sleep in a hospital. They are always checking your vitals or something.

So now it it Thursday morning. They bring me pancakes with bacon. I don't touch the bacon because of the salt. I had one pancake. I didn't want to have bathroom issues since I was sharing a room with someone. We both thought the room was way too hot, so we kept passing out. I couldn't even reach for my phone when it rang. I finally did wake up. I had a hand doctor visit me. She thought it looked okay. I later had a Hospitalist doctor and then a doctor who specializes in infectious diseases come and see me. Finally she had her boss come and see me. They all thought I needed to continue on with the IV antibiotics, but the lead doctor in infectious diseases upped my dose from 1.5 to 3. As you can see, he doubled it. I was getting it every 12 hours. 6 and 12. They also wanted to do an x-ray to make sure no teeth were lost in my arm! I discussed the Rabies issue with all of the doctors. The ID doctor really felt that we should watch Sophie for 10 days and go from there. It was a small risk that I would be infected. He knew she was behind in her shots and that she had been outside for 4 weeks this summer, but still felt I was probably going to be fine. I feel that way too, but in the back of your mind, you worry. This is not something that is curable. So I think in the end I would have sucked it up and gotten the shots!

So I waited for the x-ray for the rest of the day. They never came for me. I basically passed the time on my cell phone and watching TV. Bill came in with Ping, but she was so exhausted so she was moody. I told them to head home. I was glad to have my charger for my phone. That was all I really needed at that point. So for the rest of the evening, I watched TV. It was so hot in that room, I felt so groggy. They fed me at 5pm, so by 9 I was so hungry. I stayed up till 1:30 or so. It was funny. I am sitting there with the nurse and the personal care assistant and the pca says "I am the Queen, she is the Princess (the nurse) and you must be the Angel, meaning me." I had the CPAP attached to the top of my forehead so the alarm wouldn't go off. I just laughed and said "my feet are strapped for my Plantar Fascitis, I have Lympedema (so I had my stockings on), my CPAP is on my head and my arms are a mess. I could not be sexier heading into my forties if I tried." They all laughed at that. Never mind that I was sweaty and greasy looking too. What a mess I was and am! I finally went to sleep. I didn't even wake up at 6am for my next dose. That shocked me.

I had French toast and some cranberry juice for Fridays breakfast. The Hospitalist came to see me and said I would be leaving today barring no issues with the x-ray. I couldn't wait. I literally sat around all day staring at the walls. Bill came up with Ping for a short time. He then dropped Ping off at Meri and Joe's because he had another class today! It started at 4. He got out early and was able to go back and get Ping by 5:30 vs 7:00 as I thought he might have to be there the full class. I finally went for the x-ray late this afternoon. They were clear. I got my discharge papers at 5:30 after eating my dinner and I flew to the parking garage. Bill came home shortly after. I put my feet into bags, tapped them up and hopped in the shower. I felt so gross from not showering for days and for sitting there sweating. Well the shower was great, but the bags didn't work. In fact, they filled up with water!!!!!!! So I ripped them off in the shower. Hopefully, the strapping will be okay. Ping had to have bags on her feet too. Just like her mama. So Bill accommodated her. It was so cute. We took pictures which I will post.

Since I have been home I have paid the bills, checked 250 emails, checked on my two forums, done some banking, done some filing, caught up on my blog, set up some stuff for errands tomorrow, etc. Feels good to be home accomplishing something! I have to go to bed now. I have been writing here for nearly 2 hours and I am so darn achy, it's awful. I have to get some rest as I have errands and my arms are really bugging me at this point. I was supposed to take my antibiotic at 12. It's nearly 2:30!

So that is what has been up with me. I didn't reread this, so please point out my spelling errors or where I don't make sense, so I can fix it!!!!! Thanks.

Mama Out!