Thursday, August 23, 2007

I'm Off

I am not forgetful
Three ladies were discussing the travails of getting older. One said, "Sometimes I catch myself with a jar of mayonnaise in my hand, while standing in front of the refrigerator, and I can't remember whether I need to put it away, or start making a sandwich."

The second lady chimed in with, "Yes, sometimes I find myself on the landing of the stairs and can't remember whether I was on my way up or on my way down."

The third one responded, " Well, ladies, I'm glad I don't have that problem. Knock on wood," as she rapped her knuckles on the table, and then said, "That must be the door, I'll get it!"
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         Thought I would start off with a joke.  Cute huh.  

      I got off at 12 last night for low census.  Yippy.  I am off now for 9 days.  It was great because now I can get all the packing and shopping done today while I am alert and orientated instead of groggy.  We are bringing Zoey to the vets for boarding today also.  The lump on her leg is bigger so I am going to see if they will remove it while she is there.  I am so afraid the cancer as returned as it is on the same leg.   I wish I could bring her with us.  She will hate not being here.

     My son bought a new huge tent.  It came with chairs, sleeping bags, mess kits, just everything we will need.  He has power gels, power bars, power drinks, you name it.  Now to get real food.

     Last year he had to get a vein stripping done because he had bad varicose veins.  His legs still hurt to this day.  He didn't get much relief from the surgery and had many complications.  Poor kid.  AT work he has to wear support hose or Ted hose so he can stand for hours.  With all the riding and training he has been doing his legs have been very sore and keeping him awake at night.  Like me he seems to be able to stand a lot of pain.  He says this is the last race he will be in, from now on just ride for fun.  Sad for him.  I hope this goes well and he has a great time.  He just wants to finish.  I hope he does.  He is so competitive I bet he will.

    This kid has had his share of medical problems growing up.  As a child he was allergic to everything and had pneumonia twice.  Then he got Reye's syndrome after chicken pox.  He was in the hospital often.  When he was 12 he had kidney failure from a strep infection and developed ARDS, ( adult respiratory distress syndrome,) almost killed him.  He got asthma from that and it took about 8 years to completely recover.  He has a heart arrhythmia after the strep infection.  In spite of it all he has always pushed himself.  He is very athletic.  Many a time as a teen we had some very scary moments while he struggled to breath.  Now he can easily ride 60 to 80 miles on his bike without breaking a sweat.  He has come a long way.  So I hope this ride goes well for him.  Sad that yet another health problem is preventing him from doing something he loves in the future, but I am glad he will get to do it tomorrow. 

    It has been raining non stop since yesterday.  Makes it hard to get the stuff done like airing out the tents and sleeping bags but it will be OK.  I am going shopping soon and going to my MIL's to see how she is.  I don't want to drop Zoey off until the last minute.  We can't pick her up until Monday so we will miss her fussiness.

    Well, this isn't getting my chores done.  Take care all.  See ya when I get back.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cute joke! Make me laugh!
Sorry your son has had such a rough time of it. I get Strep infections and am so afraid they will cause other problems. So at the first sign of a sore throat I'm usually calling my Doc. Scary stuff.
I hope you have a wonderful time and take lots of pictures for us to see, ok?
Be safe!
Pam

Anonymous said...

I loved the joke Julie!  Lol!
As for your son..what a super young man he is too.  To have overcome so much all his life, and still keep having a 'bash' at life too, is to be greatly admired. I wish him well in the race.  
Taking part in any sport is the real part of the competition.   At the end of the day, there would be no race and no winner without the rest of the participants.   Good for him...and all the best too!
As for your Zoey.  I hope she comes home alright when you next see her.  At least she will be in good hands at the vets.
Hae a fabulous holiday....take care and enjoy yourself too.
Hugs
Jeanie xxxx

Anonymous said...

Have a great time

Mary

Anonymous said...

i'm impressed with your son's motivation and determination...like you said, so many would just give up.  i recently had surgery for my varicosities using radio frequency waves and ablation.  the doc made very small punctures to remove the bulging and ropy veins, but i've recovered quickly, it was only the tiniest bit invasive...and i've been pleased.
gina

Anonymous said...

have a safe and fun trip:)

Deb

Anonymous said...

Aw, Julie, your son has certainly had his share of ailments from a young age.  I thought my Joey had quite a few also but not quite as many.  Funny, I've heard so much about Reyes but never knew anyone whose child actually had it.  I hope all of you have a wonderful, relaxing time and that Zoey is just fine.  Chris

Anonymous said...

Camping to me is a lodge that does not offer room service. Wishing you all the best of pioneer fun.
Caregivingly Yours, Patrick