Well.....

February 28, 2011

Well....

Today has been a busy day for me, but if my hand and arm were working totally again....I would have had everything done this morning before lunch.

Went to the Container store to get some more DVD things to organize all the DVD's so that they are not falling all over the shelves in the family room.

Dad decided to buy a new couch, so that is spurring me on to organize the entire room.  There really isn't that much to do, just the entertainment stuff.

Then Dad also decided to replace the carpet in the entire downstairs except the family room.  So, in a week or so, they are coming to entirely tear up the downstairs.  We have to move small stuff, and there is no way all the rooms will have everything moved unless we start now.  I think before I put things back in the sewing room, I am going to go thru everything and purge!  That will make Dad happy!

Spent yesterday afternoon trying to clip coupons.  Got a bunch done, but there are still a bunch to do.  I can only cut for so long.

Today, after the container store, I went to the grocery store and spent almost 2 hours!  It's somewhat difficult to do everything with just one hand....I can only pick up very light things with my right hand, although it doesn't have any more bandage down by my wrist.  There are still bandages on my elbow.

The hand surgeon says I can do what I want as long as it doesn't make my hand hurt.....well, that isn't very much.  I can brush my teeth again, and today I managed 4 curls in the front of my hair!  I can dress myself again, but, undoing hooks isn't happening yet, and getting pills out of jars is still beyond my capabilities.  I can change laundry, but only a few little pieces at a time, and folding it takes FOREVER!!  I am determined to try to sew something this week....we'll see!  I can type, but have to use the cushions to hold my wrist in the proper position, which is ok I guess....heaven knows I don't want to do this again!  I can unload the dishwasher, but have to do it one dish at a time....loading it is the same.  There is no getting dressed up, writing my name legibily, or make-up....isn't possible yet.  I can drive the car, but Cymbre has to start it and put it in gear...I can manage to get it back in park when I come home, but I have to use my left hand to turn the key off.  Dad has to cut up my food if I need it....and they have to leave the lids loose on the peanut butter and jam.  Dad pours some milk in a glass and leaves it in the frig for me for cereal.  I am going to start working on my sunday school lesson now in order to have it ready in two more weeks.
I may try taking a bath tonight, but Dad will have to be here in case I can't manage to get myself out!  He won't mind.....he is a good personal nurse.

And you know the worst part of all this...they want to do my left hand ASAP!  It will have to wait until April because Dad is leaving town for 2 weeks in March, and it's Spring Break for the girls too.  We are going to Dallas the end of Spring Break to attend a Dance Convention that Cooper has wanted to go to for several years.

We have discovered that the windshield wipers on the mini cooper don't work....so Dad will have to get that sorted out.  Dad says Cooper is doing better than any of the other kids at the stick shift!  That makes her day...Dad took her over to the test course and practiced parellel parking on Saturday night....says he thinks the real problem is that he taught her how to do it with just her mirrors, and they want her to look over her shoulder...so she is working on that too.  Dad also has to get extra keys made at the mini cooper dealer because it is a lazer cut key....that will be expensive!

Dad has driven the mini cooper to work a couple of days....he looks funny to me in that little tiny car, but it gets great gas mileage!   The problem is after he drives the cooper, then he drives the focus and uses the break like a clutch!  I haven't had that problem, but I have only driven the cooper once to the dance studio and home to show it to Ms. Andee.

Cymbre got a new wire at the orthodontist today....two more months and he thinks he will be ready to put her bottom braces on again.  Cooper is just in her retainers.  So Cymbre will have sore teeth for a few days, but they are beginning to look much straighter on the top than they were.  Hopefully, at the end of this very LONG road, she will have to beautiful smile that Cooper has now!

Cooper did really well at Star Quest dance competition....got a platinum on her jazz, and a high gold on her tap!

The girls have finished the duet, and now are just cleaning it up and rehearsing it and their solos with Ms. Andee and Ms. Traci.  Before we know it they will be starting all over for next year.

Dad has the arrangements for Tap Kids taken care of, and the stuff for Cymbre to go to Utah.  She is thrilled!

They have called Cymbre to be the Beehive Class President, so she is working on sorting out counselors and stuff.  Now she will have to go to BYC...which messes up dinner every Fast Sunday.  We lived through it with Cooper, so I imagine that we will survive for Cymbre too!  I just turn the roast on a bit later, and starve until they get home.

We went to Lowes to get a new lamp, and the guy that was helping us was cutting something with one of those carton cutter knives, and slit his wrist.  He was bleeding A LOT, and went running to the front of the store....thankfully, a customer who was a nurse was up there and immediately took care of him.  I need to go back to see if he was ok....he cut it really deep and was dripping blood everywhere.  I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have to call an ambulance to get him to the ER quickly!  We didn't get the lamp, but went to a different Lowes later and managed to find the same one.

Cymbre has started to buy some flowers for her garden again this year...she is going to use it as a value project for YW....Dad will have to help her dig right now because I can't....but soon I will be able to help her.  It's something we enjoy doing together every year.  She found some hot pink geraniums for the planter box too.  And I found a Bougainvillia hanging basket again this year....couldn't get one last year.  They have such beautiful blooms.  I love the hot pink ones just outside my kitchen window on the shepherd's hook thing in the ground.

Well, my hand is getting tired, so I have to stop typing...all of you make sure to do something for someone else today.

Hugs those grandbabies, and skype Grandma!

Mom

One Hand...Are You Kidding Me?

February 20, 2011

So this week I have discovered that life is so unfair and BORING when you just have one hand and one good elbow in order to function!

I had my carpal tunnel surgery, and my cubital tunnel syndrome surgery on the same arm the same day.  That meant I went from numb hand to TOTALLY incapacitated in one swoop!  Did you know that you can't even stand up after surgery when you are still somewhat groggy without two hands to balance?  And since the nurse in holding on to your good arm to help...the situation is somewhat hopeless!  And trying to get dressed is an exercise in diligence that I finally just said, "you know what...I am just going home to bed so who cares about all these clothes...just do the necessary ones to cover me up and GO GET MY HUSBAND.  They never want to go get him when I want him...I always have to do all this stuff like breathe deeply, move body parts that have just been operated on, tell them my name 500 times...(For pete's sake, just write it down will you?) and wake up!  Give a girl a break  ok!!  Then they shoot you full of painkillers and expect you to walk yourself to a wheel chair which they park clear on the other side of the stall...what the heck?  You want me to walk over there when I have one slipper on, my blouse is on but not buttoned, and my pants are crooked because three people put them on me?  And I still have this IV thingy in my arm, and the other one is bandaged?  And I am barely coherent?  And where is my husband?  And can you see the pretty birdies up there in the corner???  (Not really any birdies)And that painkiller is NOT WORKING!!!  And if I have to walk that mile to the wheelchair, wouldn't it be quicker to just walk to the car which is parked right outside the front door?  And could I have something to drink since you people are starving me, and my bloodsugar is just a bit on the LOW side?  And where is my husband?  Finally they get the wheelchair closer, and take me to a room where they want me to sit in a recliner...a WHAT?   Just how am I going to get out of that thing?  And yes, I already moved my fingers for you just a minute ago, and the doctor moved my elbow for me because I can't!  And FINALLY, Guy shows up!  My guess is that they want him to think I am comfortable in a chair at home just waiting for him to come home from work instead of just having surgery while he counted the minutes out in the waiting room for over and hour and a half, and another hour in the recovery room where who knows what happened while I was asleep!  I do know the surgeon kept coming over to ask me to wiggle things, but since I was INCOHERENT, he had to move them himself...guess he earned his payment on me at least!

Then after a few minutes of debating how long I was going to stay in that recliner, they decided to just let Guy give me more pain medicine after I was safely home and in bed and he went to the store and got it and came home and tried to wake me up.....OK, does anybody care that I am in PAIN around here?  So the nurse disconnects the IV, which always bleeds a while, and then with Guy's help (which is better than 3 nurses)we managed to get out to the car and leave....however, they didn't buckle my seatbelt!  So there I am trying to sit up, and use my bandaged arm to pull the seatbelt out enough that Guy can buckle the thing...somehow I made it home in one piece, but that bed sure felt good, and Guy propped my arm up on his pillows and left me there to sleep while he went for the pain medicine.  I don't think I moved for several hours...he would just come in and wake me to take the medicine...make me eat something...and then situate me back in bed.  He left to get the kids, but I don't remember it, nor do I remember them coming home.  I woke up about dinner time and managed to get to the kitchen under my own power....but didn't stay long.

I made several discoveries that evening....it is impossible to go to the bathroom and use your left hand to do what you need to do....you can't brush your teeth with your left hand, you can't squeeze the toothpaste and get it on the brush, comb your hair, you can't even change into a clean nightie by yourself.  And you know those child proof bottles where they like to put your medicine....those are a major obstacle course!  Thank goodness Guy is here to open my medicine!  Now since he is going back to work, he will put all my pills for the day in a little bowl so I can get to them.  IF anybody is laughing...just wait until you have surgery!

The big obstacle for in the morning is going to be getting myself dressed, so I can take Cymbre to school, and then starting the car, and putting it in gear.  I think I better practice tonight.  Cymbre could help to start the car, but then she won't be here when I get home to turn it off...just a small problem when I park inside the garage, don't you think?  Thank goodness it's not a manual transmission....that would only be ok if we still lived in England where everything is on the other side!  Feeding myself all day will be the other problem....Guy says he will leave everything with the lids loose, and a small container of milk in the frig for me.  So now who will be there to open my soda, or will I have to abuse the can until I can get it to leak into a cup?  And forget about pouring juice out of that gallon jug in the frig...did you know that thing weighs at least a ton!  And I can't hold the thing, pour and hold the cup all with my left hand...and curling my hair will not be happening either...guess I will just go with the natural look, or maybe I could just add some mousse and spike it!  And who will spread the peanut butter on my sandwich...Just try that left handed and see the mess you make!  Maybe I will just wait to eat until I get the girls from school...I just have to start the car, and drive to get Cooper, who can then drive us everywhere else.

Well, at least I can type....and my hand isn't totally numb, just the finger tips of two fingers.....but my elbow is killing me!  They sliced the thing open about 3 inches just where you bend it, and then they tell you to flex it 5 times and hour every hour you are awake....ok, yeah right!!!  And these hugh bruises on my arm...what the heck...I just went to sleep, and woke up and now it looks like they fought a war on my arm!

The girls took pictures, but they are still in the camera....good luck with that!

February 8, 2011

So much has happened in the last month....

Today I was supposed to have surgery on my numb hand, but because of a bad case of bronchitis, we had to put it off for a week.  So hopefully, they will manage to get it done next Tuesday early in the morning, and by lunch time Dad will have me home and resting.  They are going to fix the carpal tunnel stuff, and also a pinched nerve in my elbow!  Hopefully, they don't have to move the elbow nerve, because that makes for a much longer recovery period.  All the lab work has been done, so hopefully, I passed everything this time, and there won't be any further delays.  I know my blood sugar was where it is supposed to be...I checked it in the car before I went in to see the vampire.

Cymbre hurt her knee again, however, it's a new injury, and they have had her out of dance for almost a month...we see the Doctor again this week, so we are really hoping that she can start to dance again.  Since it is the beginning of competition season and everything.

The girls went to the Jump Convention, and Cooper won 2 scholarships for a total of about $500.00.  She was pretty excited, and she also got to dance onstage with Mike Minery...a master tap teacher.  Cymbre went to observe classes since she couldn't dance, but she still learned several new things to take back to show Ms. Andee.

Cooper will be competing again this next weekend...she wants to try to go to the World Championships of Dance, so she needs to place in several competitions in order to be invited.  Wish her luck, and say your prayers.  Her solos are really great this year!

Dad has just spent the weekend in Utah blessing the new granddaughters....I sent the dresses, but didn't manage to make them this time because of this stupid numb hand!  As soon as I am recovered I am going to make one just to have in my Grandma box, so this doesn't happen again.

Cooper had her 16th birthday, and now I am hoping that Dad will get her a car sooner rather than later....her driving would be such a help.  They went for her license, but they have to go back and take a driving test even though the course Dad taught her says you don't.  Her test is scheduled for the 23rd right after school.  She is planning on passing the first time.  She had to drive for me last night because my arm was just hurting to much to hang on to the steering wheel.  Thank goodness, she can do it.

Cooper's birthday party is this Friday....that should be fun as she has invited around 30-40 people.  Talk about a house full of teenagers.  Hopefully, they won't play that screaming vikings game....that would really shake the house!  We ordered the sandwich tray from Costco and I guess we will make some cupcakes, chips and salsa, and M&M's,  that's usually what she wants.  She will have 4-5 games, and they will just hang out....thank goodness this will be before the surgery.

The girls missed a day at school because of an ice storm that came our way...it was supposed to bring snow, but we didn't get that lucky!  The girls would have loved it!  Dad stayed home from work, and the roads were terrible, but it started to melt by the middle of the afternoon.  Dance was cancelled for several days.

We got wonderful news the Aunt Anny is now cancer free...so all those prayers have been doing their jobs!  Uncle Glen was thrilled when he called the other day.

Dad went with the girls to do baptism at the temple again....seems like the moms always get left at home though.

Everyone seems to think I am crazy being happy about another teenage driver in the house, but I am....I don't have to live at the dance studio all the time, and she can take herself places.  And if I time it right, her and Dad will end up doing all the pumping of gas!  And she can run to the store, and I won't have to haul groceries!  And once she gets her car, Dad will be able to go to work early again, and that means he comes home early again.  That's always a benefit to me.

Guess that's about all for now....must get some curls in my hair before I go get Cooper...we have to go to the orthodontist today.

Love you.

Mom