I'm ready for my weekend away

Going to Florida tomorrow and this trip couldn't come at a better time. It's been one of those weeks.

1. Found out that my 2nd dad has a fast spreading, incurable cancer. I've been friends with Shellie Rae Silcott O'Toole (my middle name is Rae too and we bonded over that) since 1981. I feel as though her family is my family too. We have so much history together. I will need to dig out some pictures of Jack and the Silcotts from over the years. I'm just sick about it. It takes me back to the day we found out Dad had ALS. Hard to get that incurable diagnosis.

2. A little baby in the NICU will probably die in the next couple days. He is a twin and he was born at 23 5/7 weeks to wonderful parents who are from out of state. Her family is here in Ohio and they were visiting when she went into labor. He's very sick. Both boys were baptized at the bedside today and news from the doctors is not good. Why does this have to happen?

3. Another baby died yesterday at the hospital. She wasn't in our unit but she was in the PICU which is just down the hall from the NICU. I don't know any details but I do know she was 4 months old and had so many loving family members there throughout the day. I only knew this from the visitor badges they had on-all had the same last name of the patient on them. What I witnessed was this-people in the hall, in the lobby, in the elevators, sobbing, holding each other up, praying. I could just sense it was an end of life situation. It was heartbreaking to witness. When I went in this morning, I checked the census and she was "discharged". Again, why does this have to happen?

I usually can keep myself together at work but not today. I barely made it out the door before the tears starting flowing. All I could think was how lucky we were 8 years ago. How lucky we are to have Evan with us today.

Anyone want an 8 year old boy?

All I have to say is good thing I am working 3 days a week this summer. My child is making me crazy. Doesn't listen, talks back and thinks he should get money for ANYTHING he does around the house. When I was recuperating last Wednesday and my mom was gone for awhile (she had spent the week with us), I asked him to get me some water and my pills which he did right away and happily. I told him later that I appreciated him taking care of me when Grandma wasn't here and he wondered if he was going to get paid for it. WHAT?? I said do I get paid when you are sick and I take care of you?? My sister Liz bought me the above responsibility chart-it comes with tons of different chores and you change them around, etc. I told him that it didn't matter to me if he fed the cat, cleared his place, set the table, etc. every day-he would NOT see an allowance at the end of the week unless he got a magnet for Show Respect every day. I told him that is the most important one right now in this house and with other people. So far he's 0 for 4-we started this Friday . I am happy to say that it looks like he might get it today though. :)

No birth control worries ever again

So it happened. I had the Essure procedure done yesterday. I have to say that for anyone considering permanent birth control (because their husband won't even think about a vasectomy), it really is the way to go. My appt. was at 8 and we were in car by 8:45. Now, I'm not going to say it was pain free and pleasant 'cause it wasn't BUT the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

PROS
1. Prescription for percocet.

2. Fairly quick recovery time of 24-48 hours. I have to admit I pushed myself today and overdid it (did my morning walk and worked) but if I had rested today, I probably would feel fine. Bleeding and cramping are really the only side effects. I'm really tired though tonight.

3. Done in the drs. office. No general anesthesia. In and out in less than an hour AND depending on your insurance plan, you may just owe your office visit co-pay.

4. Did I mention the percocet? You also get one valium to take before you go.

5. It's permanent.

6. You can see your uterus and fallopian tubes on TV. In my drugged state, I thought that was pretty cool.

7. Turns out that Trista Sutter of The Bachelorette is having it done. Hmm, what do you know.

CONS
1. It's permanent. You need to make sure you want no more babies.

2. You have to take a pill the night before that causes some bad cramping and even some stomach upset.

3. You have to get a shot in your hip. It really didn't hurt.

4. You have to get TWO SHOTS in your CERVIX. Those hurt like hell. No one told me about those shots until my legs were up in the stirrups. Probably people would back out if they knew that needles were going to be put in their vagina!! There are certain things that do not belong in one's vagina and needles are one of them.

5. A bit uncomfortable when the coils are being placed but once again, you get to watch it happening on TV.

So, in 3 months I go to the hospital for a xray that they take while injecting dye into my tubes to make sure there is blockage. That's it.

I'm glad it's over though!

No more babies take two

Scheduled for 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. Let's hope the equipment is working and it can really happen!!

No more breast cancer treatment

My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer about this time 8 years ago. What a crazy summer that was! Evan was only 6 months old and we were all still trying to come to grips with all HIS medical issues and then Rosemary had to just add to the chaos. Anyhow, she had a mastectomy but did not have chemo or radiation. Her doctor put her on Tamoxifin for 5 years and then Aromasin for the past 3. Both have something to do with decreasing the production of estrogen. Anyhow, Mom is followed very closely by her surgeon and oncologist and the other day the oncologist decided to give her a clean bill of health and told her she could stop taking the Aromasin. YIKES!! It's exciting yet scary. All we can do is pray that she doesn't have a recurrence, right? I pray for me and I pray for Liz too. I don't think about it too much but we are both very diligent about getting mammograms. I can't say that I'm diligent about self-exams although I know I should be. I'm working on it!

ALS report on CBS Evening News

Watch CBS Videos Online

Wow, this is very exciting news in the world of ALS research.

The game ball

Evan has struggled this baseball season with hitting. At the beginning of the season, he seemed to have better luck with the bat and ball actually connecting but recently not so much. I feel bad for him because every time he gets up to bat, he has all 4 coaches giving him instruction so it's no wonder he got a little nervous each time. My sister played softball for years-high school, college and beyond. She gave him some help on Sunday and lo and behold, he got a hit last night at his game!! I wanted to cry. He made it to 1st base and then after the next batter, to 2nd. At the end of the game, the coach said that we usually don't give out game balls if we lose, but tonight he wanted to give it to Evan. He was so proud of himself. It goes without saying that Mike and I were very proud too! Tonight, he was excited to practice with Mike out in the yard, both hitting and catching. 4 more weeks of baseball.............