Wacky Wednesday - Eye Progression

Do you remember reading about how I almost died (literally) on the CT scan table when I had a BAD reaction to the contrast dye used via IV?

Well, here is the progression of my eyes during recovery.

Day 1

Swollen face.

Broken blood vessels all over my entire face.

Broken blood vessels in my eyes.

Day 2

Looks worse.

My kids came back home after 2.5 months in Oklahoma. I felt so bad, thinking THIS is what my kids have to see of their mother after 2.5 months away!!! But then I reminded myself that they at least HAVE a mother. I almost died. Nurse called to check up on me and said the medical team wasn't sure I would make it.

Day 3

My eyes hurt. They are sore.

Not wearing contact lenses.

Day 4

Concealer was my best friend that covered

up the broken blood vessels on my face.

Day 5
Getting Better

Day 8

No more broken blood vessels on my face!

Day 9.

A little over a week and starting to feel normal again.

Still not wearing contact lenses.

TWO FULL WEEKS LATER...

My eyebrows looked great throughout it all!

You Have a WHAT?

When the kids were in Oklahoma, their grandparents got the kids horses!

Motor Mouth and his cousin share a horse 

named J.R. after the two of their names. 

Mini Me and her two cousins share a horse

named P.E.T. after their threw names.

We got a bunny rabbit named Bun Bun.

It's our city horse. LOL!

And she ate Mini Me's homework!!!

First Day of School - 2011

School started about a month ago. 

J was in town to take first day of school photos. 

J took the kids under the El tracks just down from the school 

for an impromptu photo session.

He dropped the kids off at school. Then he was off to the airport.

This was the first day Mini Me was a student at Motor Mouth's school. 

She absolutely loves it!

Can't Sleep Because of the Bad Words

Parent Fail Tonight.

In my defense, I was at a new knitting and crochet circle I co-founded.

But J. Widney was home with my children...

J. Widney was excited to watch "Bridesmaids" on DVD tonight. He put the kids to bed like a responsible parent. And like a responsible parent, he checked to see if Mini Me was still awake. We live in a loft so the wall between the living room and Mini Me's bedroom does not go to the ceiling. That means she can hear EVERYTHING in the living room, dining room, our bedroom, and the kitchen.

"Mini Me?" "Mini Me?"

No response.

Bridesmaids deleted scene at the ice skating rink:

"F**k. F**k. G*****n. S***. F**k. F**k. G*****n. S***."
Repeat for 2 minutes. Literally, 2 minutes.

"Daddy, I can't sleep with all of those bad words!"

So Daddy moves Mini Me to Motor Mouth's bedroom (It has brick walls to the ceiling.

Motor Mouth: "Dad, I can't sleep. Mini Me keeps saying bad words!"

Wordless Wednesday - Rabbit Ate My Homework!

For real.

I Was Sued

Yeah, I was. I was pretty shocked. Especially because this person accused me of assault. Really. Me.

I had to lawyer up. The attorney suggested we pay this person something to go away. I then informed him that I did not hit this person. He didn't ask before that. He was funny - he said everyone should experience being sued at least once in their lifetime. Really? I could have lived my life without the added stress of this nonsense. There should be some burden of proof or level of proof required before someone can sue another person.

In court, my accuser proved that this was a frivolous law suit, brought by a mentally unstable person. I didn't have to say anything, really. At one point, the judge said to the plaintiff: "You have been talking for over fifteen minutes and I still don't know why we are here." I took that to be a good sign for my defense. Oh, did I mention the plaintiff told the judge there wasn't a single attorney in all of Illinois that would take the case...?

The judge found in favor of the defense - that's me. After it was all said and done, the judge had the plaintiff escorted to the elevator with a bailiff. Then she called my witness and I over and thanked us for our patience in dealing with the plaintiff and for the patience we exhibited in court.

If only I could give you details of the level of insanity on display that day. Email me personally if you want some details...

Knowing Me, Knowing You - Aug '11

knowing me, knowing you - august 2011

Time once again for that monthly interview project, Knowing Me, Knowing You created by my dear friend, Fairy Blogmother. And yes, I know it is September. It's been that kind of a month.

1. Are you going to BlogHer?Nope. I thought it would have been fun a few years ago when I was more into blogging and BlogHer was held in Chicago. But I didn't find out about it until too late. Now I don't have the time or inclination.

2. Do your kids share a bedroom? Did you share a bedroom?No and Yes but yes and no.

Our kids have their own bedrooms but prefer to sleep together. They get in trouble for talking past bedtime. They each have double/full-sized beds so sometimes they sleep in Motor Mouth's room and other times in Mini Me's room. Usually, they sleep on their own unless we have house guests or laundry piled up in Mini Me's room...

I shared a bedroom with my sister for a few years but then my dad built her a bedroom in the basement. It was a good thing. We are very different when it comes to our level of cleanliness and very different people to say the least.

3. Have you bought anything using a group buy website like groupon, wagjag or the like?I have, quite a bit too. Groupon used to be better than it is now, I think. We have used Craigslist a fair bit as well.

4. Are you watching Big Brother?Nope. I watched the first season, enjoyed it and never watched another season.

5. Do you have any tattoos?Yes. Three. Lower back, foot, wrist. I have another foot so I may get another. But I'm not sure. I think I may be tattooed out of places on my body. I will NOT get a tattoo on my arms, shoulder, chest or back. 

Okay, so head over to the Fairy Blogmother to see her answers and to play along. 

When You Go Away

Mini Me sang this impromptu song to J this evening:

Daddy I love you
You are the best daddy
I was sad because you went away
But I knew you weren't dead
And would come back home.

I Almost Died

On Friday, I went in for a fairly routine pelvic/abdominal CT scan with IV contrast. I've been having pain in my lower back that is now 24/7. Doctor wanted to check for kidney stones and to rule out cancer.

I have been very independent for most of my life. At the age of 10, I began going to the doctor by myself. When I was 11, I had a thyroid biopsy alone (my mom was at the mercy of the bus and didn't make it in time). In high school, I went to a brain surgeon (for headaches) by myself. Ditto the dentist. I say all of this so you understand that it was out of the norm for me to be anxious about this appointment and to pull out all the stops to get someone to go with me.

J was out-of-town so our friend, the Divine Miss R came with. I was double gowned and an IV stuck in me. Once in the CT room, I was told to lay down on my back and put my arms behind my head, outstretched. I assumed their bondage position as my left hand IV was hooked up to the machine. First few passes of the scan went fine.

They put saline through the IV. It was fine. They added one contrast (total of three). It was fine. Then they added another contrast. Felt really hot and like I had to go really bad but it was fine. And the last one.

I felt nauseous. Then the heaving started. The nurse/technician came running in, moved the machine and brought me a container. My hand was still attached to the IV so needless to say, it was awkward at best. I was half sitting up, half laying down but with my torso twisted towards the head of the bed as that is where the IV was coming from.

I couldn't stop throwing up. Blood. Lots of blood. Can't breathe. It won't stop coming up! Breathe. Can't breathe. More coming up. More blood. Calm your core. Can't breathe. Is this how I'm going to go out?! More. Slow. Breathe. I can breathe. Finally, the violent heaving of my torso stopped. First a shallow breath. Then a deeper one.

The doctor was there. The nurses were there. The looks on their faces got me alarmed. I knew I must have looked really bad. Then she asked if I could lay back down and finish the last two scans. After that, they wanted to observe me. I have since learned they thought I was going to code on the table. Even though I was at a hospital, it was a fair distance to the ER and they didn't think I would make it down before my throat closed.

When I got back to the observation room, the Divine Miss Rosie was there. I got her to give me a mirror. I knew I looked bad. I didn't realize how bad! The whites of my eyes were blood red. My entire face had red, broken blood vessels, my eyes, forehead, cheeks, nose had swollen with hives. Black mascara was smeared above and below my eyes.

About 1 hour into recovery after the swelling started to go down

I am extremely grateful to the Divine Miss Rosie for being there with me. Knowing I was not alone and having someone to drive my car were priceless. Our friend, Usher, came to be with me in the afternoon. Having Usher there was so comforting. That evening Dr. CC picked J up from the airport so I didn't have to at night. 

Let Me Tell You About My Day

I had the most amazing day today! We had our all staff meeting in the morning. It was fun to see the teachers again. We have a great group of teachers and I'm excited about this school year.

Today, several of the teachers gave me kudos for the hard work I've been doing to get the classes filled. They know this because our principal told them. It's great when your boss tells you directly that you are doing a good job but for your boss to tell other people. Sometimes, that is even better.

I had great conversations with several potential parents and had great follow up meetings with co-staffers this afternoon/evening. I walked out of my office on a major high.

Then I got a voicemail from my kidney specialist's office. See, I had been having some pain lately so I went to my doctor. Who, as it turns out, is on a sailing trip for 3 1/2 months! Love my job but I'm in the wrong line of business, clearly. I was surprised when they told me I had blood in my urine. Called in a scrip for me and off J went to our neighborhood Walgreen's. Horse tabs for three days. Done.

The doc I did see had suggested I go to a kidney specialist. Kidney specialist also sails and wants the contact info for my doctor and wants to know where he went on his trip. Kidney specialist ran his own tests and said he wanted to run some more lab work. Kidney specialist said it could be kidney stones or cancer or endometriosis or nothing. Kidney specialist said we could do a CAT scan or an ultrasound or we could wait on the lab results.

So I'm waiting on the lab results and have convinced myself that it is endometriosis coming to haunt me 20 years later. Only this time, I'm just gonna cut my uterus out. I have also convinced myself that this is all in my pretty little head.

Then I got a voicemail from my kidney specialist's office. (I know I repeated that up 3 paragraphs. It's a writing technique, not a mistake.) And now I need a hug. Only J is out of town. Why does s*** always hit the fan when J is out of town and not here to help clean it up?! Or give me a hug. I thought about going across the way and getting a hug from Glass Girl or Her Girl. Only I know I would break down in sobs. This is why I should get a hysterectomy. To remove the hormone inducing insanity.

I need a hug right now. Excuse me while I hug my rabbit and sob because I have blood in my urine and have to go for further testing. Totally irrational. I know. Again, excuse me. I need to see a rabbit about a hug.

Wacky Wednesday - Amusement

Seems I don't need kids, drugs, or alcohol to amuse myself...

Marilyn Monroe in Chicago

26-Foot Marilyn Monroe "7-Year Itch" sculpture on Michigan Ave 

by Seward Johnson

This location is famous for art installations.

Most recent....

 American Gothic, also by Seward Johnson, same location

(An heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune)

Screw Toyota, I Should've Bought a Chevy

I am so disappointed in Toyota. This is a major statement coming from me. I have been a loyal Toyota supporter and fan since I was 13 years old and my dad started working for Toyota. My dad's income from Toyota helped to clothe, feed, and house me through high school and college. My first, second, third and sixth cars were purchased from Toyota.

Less than two years ago, we purchased a new itty bitty city car - a Toyota Corolla. It had about 3 miles on it. Wednesday evening, our new car started making a horrific sound. We pulled over and the engine was smoking. I was scared. I thought our car was on fire. The car managed to limp home. The next morning, all of the radiator fluid had leaked out. A friend followed J to the shop to make sure he made it there safely.

Come to find out, the water pump was NOT recalled. It was REDESIGNED. Toyota KNEW this was a problem but said nothing. That pisses me off. I drive with my kids on the highway. I could have been stranded somewhere with my kids during the hottest summer since 2006. That's not cool, Toyota. If you knew about it, you should have said something about it. Especially when we took the car to the DEALERSHIP this month.

A huge reason for purchasing a new car was to avoid costly repairs in the first 3-5 years. We maintain our car by having the oil changed on time, rotating tires, getting the recommended service. This was just not cool on Toyota's part.

It made me wish we had bought a Chevy. 

Saturday Six

Usually the game is Friday Five but it's Saturday and here I am on my blog. Not sure I'll hit 6 but let's see....

1. I am in love with my rabbit. She reminded me of the rush of love that you feel when you have a new baby or a new niece or nephew. That unconditional, "I will love you regardless for the rest of your life, I did did not know I could open my heart so fast and so fully" kind of love.

2. Tickets are booked for my kids to return. I'm realizing I only have about a month left and need to make the time count. That means cleaning out their toy closets!

3. My sister is coming to visit me next weekend. This will be the first time someone in my family has come to visit in 3 years (other than my niece). I miss my sissy. She will love Chicago. I hope.

4. I really love my job. I know I've said this on here before, but I really do. It's crazy because I work harder and make less than I have in a very long time and it was only supposed to be for a year. But now I'm hooked and both kids will be at my school. Our lives will be radically different this fall.

5. It is amazing how much gas (and money) we save without having to drive to the other side of town twice a day for our daughter's school. We can go a whole week on ONE tank of gas.

6. I have been spending a fair bit of time in Boys Town lately. The gays have the best restaurants, the best bars, the best shopping, the best looking men. I would hate them if they weren't so fabulous!

Look at that, I hit six. And, I have several thoughts on blog posts I need to do. I could have hit at least ten. 

Night From Hell Sent from Heaven

Maybe I should have entitled this "Wacky Wednesday" for the level of insanity that happened this past Wednesday!!!

Tours

I had two meetings and four tours scheduled. ALL four of my tours called to reschedule! When the last one called, I texted J and told him to come get me. 

Dinner

J started cooking dinner. He messed up the rice. Who messes up rice? J is an amazing chef so this was extreme. We went out to eat.

Traffic

We texted a friend and decided to meet up for dinner. Getting to his place, traffic was insane!!! It took us almost an hour to go 5 miles.

Power

The power went out at the restaurant we ate at. It was sweltering hot without a/c! I threatened to start taking clothing off every minute the bill did not arrive. We were at a gay restaurant. Trust me, those boys did not want to see what my momma gave me.

Purse

The bar we went to afterwards was so gorgeous I was entranced when we left and forgot my purse! I had to run back to get it.

Ticket

On the way to the next bar, we went to feed the meter.
We got a parking ticket!!!
J thought we had until :40 but it expired at :34.
Ticket was clocked at :37. Sigh.

Yogurt

J was so pissed at getting a ticket, he decided he needed to go out of our way to get a treat at Forever Yogurt. I was not so bothered by the ticket - I'll blame that on the a-a-a-a-alcohol.

Noise and Smoke

About a mile from our exit on the highway, a weird noise got louder and longer. It was scary. When we pulled off at the exit, there was smoke coming out of the ENGINE!!!

We have a NEW car. Smoke, crazy ass noises, and leaking coolant is not supposed to happen to NEW cars!!!

I have to admit. I was scared. I thought our engine was on fire.

BBQ

We enter our condo from our patio balcony. J accidentally touched the grill. It had been on ALL evening! This sent us into laughing hysterics.

Heaven Sent

Every single one of these crazy incidents was exactly what needed to happen. J was scheduled to go on a business road trip on Thursday morning. The car would have died farther out and J would have been stranded.

If J had not burned dinner, we would have stayed in all evening which means we would not have sat in traffic. If the power had not gone out on our side of the street only, we would not have had to wait for our bill and would have gone home instead of seeking a/c at a bar. Had we not gotten the parking ticket which made J go out of our way to get yogurt, we would have gotten home without knowing there was a problem with the car.

Have you ever had something insane happen that made life better for you in the long run?