So far, today has been a good one. I either can't get to sleep or I wake up early(like today), but it isnt bothering me today. Had to wait on coffee, but that was okay. Janie's doughnuts actually made me hungry enough to go to McDonald's for breakfast(really haven't cared about food lately so that's good-even Debbie ate, a major accomplishment)! I've had appointments all week but today is pretty much my own, maybe Debbie will even be up to going out with me today-that would be nice.Tonight there's a line-up of shows on HGTV that I truly enjoy and am looking forward to, and maybe I'll check into Vicki's chat for awhile. So today is going alright. Yesterday was a whole different story. I was bummed-out all day,thinking constantly about my Mom or worrying what's gonna happen with Debbie. I kept on a decently even keel, but I really felt down. Sometimes I even get a bit manic, though I have no particular reason to be.
In other words, I'm going up and down like a yo-yo. I'm riding that emotional rollercoaster of life. And while I know it's fairly normal to do this, it's really getting on my nerves. I'd rather just go through the grief and try to go on with my life than have all these mood swings. Guess that's not possible, and I know I'm not alone in this, but how do you deal with this?It's definitely not the first time I've dealt with major grief, but it's never been quite like this before. I pride myself on my ability to stay calm,cool and collected under any circumstances and I can't do that well when I don't know if I'm gonna be laughing,crying, or fairly steady from one minute to the next. Anyone have any ideas? Hugs,M

Hey Janie! Give those kittens hugs from me too! SERIOUS INDEPENDENCE from a chronically ill person??? Never heard of such a thing!! I think it's a prerequisite for survival when you spend so much time being poked,prodded and being baaically totally vulnerable.Tell her hello from me if you wouldn't mind and that I'm pulling for her.

Didja know you don't have to clean the garage if you don't HAVE a garage??The house we live in had the garage converted to an extra living space(where my beloved puter and pets reside). We needed the extra wheelchair space more than the garage. So we don't have to clean our garage!

Always good to see you Janie!! Keep the faith with your son-he's gotta get a clue that before anything else you're his mom an dyou love him someday. Take care-Melissa

[ August 15, 2002: Message edited by: Melissa M. ]

Joan Marie, THANKS FOR ASKING. Yeah, he's the one with the birthday tradition; HE'S the one I STARTED it with. (By the way, my younger son, too.) I happen to have MANY traditions for my children. And, know what? Even if they choose to ignore them, at least they remember them. And, they will NOT be let down from MY end.



Know what? Because of YOU, my kittens have had many more hugs and smiles (at least I like to think so) than any of the other kittens at the Vet's. They are both so precious.

However, because we don't have many friends who come to call, they know that - when the doorbell rings - "something/someone" is coming in. They both hide for the HILLS!!!!!!!!!! Poor kitties.

Snowball, on the other hand (who - if you haven't read for a while) - is their baby brother. He's solid white and used to have blue eyes that have now turned to a pale green. HE is a character and a half. If it ain't nailed down around here, "Snowball" will eat it! And, though he is a month younger than his brothers, they so TOTALLY RESPECT him. He is really funny!

Nice to hear from you again. And .......... hope to hear from you again, soon.

Joanmarie, that is so funny about your brother.Tell him if he sends a picture you will be able to tell him one way or another

jANIE, i CAN THINK OF MANY FUN THINGS TO DO BESIDES CLEAN THE GARAGE

I too am so sorry about you friend Kay.She is so fortunate to have you as a friend .No one could know her plight until they have experienced all she has been through.So very sad.

Hi Janie,

Was catching up on my forum family (after losing my mind on another thread this morning) and noticed your posts. Sorry to see that Kay is still struggling. Please know my prayers are added to the many others in flight.

Then there was your little blurb about your oldest son. Is that the one I encouraged you to continue your birthday tradition with?

Well...that made me want to share this little story with you because your son reminds me so much of my brother. My kid brother called me today for the first time since we moved (that's a little more than 4 mos. now). He didn't ask how either of us were doing. He didn't really want to discuss my only nephew, his son. What he wanted to know was whether or not he had crabs or what because he was all scaley "down there." Imagine that!?! So when your son finally decides to get back in touch, lookout...he may have a totally different reason to call than you might expect.

Hope you found that story as funny as we did. It was so typical of him.

Just wanted to say hi and please give an extra hug to Grin and Barrett for me.

Joan Marie

How am I doing? A little strange to me that the folks here ask but my own family doesn't. Har de Har Har Har!

Kay is still having so many problems. She continually tries to be INDEPENDENT, but she can't be because of so many health problems. She continues to "try to have" her crazy sense of humor (which I appreciate), but I can read right through her when I hear her voice on the phone.

She's back home; she's got more tests to take; she has a kitty cat named "Casper"; she's got more friends than any of us could ever DREAM of having ... yet, she remains very fragile, innocent and vulnerable. And, she only lets a small few of us "in". I'm happy to be one of those.

On another topic, my elder son ........... oh heck; I don't even want to think about that right now. I'll tell you guys later.

Hope everyone has a good evening. I'm going out to help hubby clean out the garage. If anybody can think of a more FUN thing to do, PLEASE LEMME' KNOW, K??????

Until then, I'll talk with y'all later.

Love and hugs to all of you.

Janie,
Kay is a real trouper. How is she now? She is in my thoughts and prayers. How are you doing? This can't be easy watching your best best having so many problems.

Vicki

[ August 13, 2002: Message edited by: Sugarlips ]

Thanks for asking, everybody.

Well, Kay's getting the "boot" again -- they released her to go back home yesterday! They still have much more testing to do on her, but it's that old "we've gotta' have that bed" routine.

She is worn out from so much testing, however. She "just may" rest up some at home and then go back in for the tests. But, she also told me yesterday that her kidneys were not producing as much as they had the day before. Heck, she "may" be back in there again NOW, for all I know. I'm gonna call her and find out.

I am very sure she appreciates all the prayers!

I'm very sorry to hear about Kay's major problems Janie. I will be praying for her as well as for you since I know you're extremely close to her. Is she doing any better at all or what's happening? Take care-Melissa

Thanks for your kind words, Vicki.

Kay is back in the hospital again! She went in at 3:00 pm yesterday (and had to lay in the ER until 1:30 am today until they had a bed for her!)

She has internal bleeding; bad blood count; kidneys not doing well (and that's just the GOOD things.)

Poor kid. She reminds me of my own mother in some ways. When the good Lord passed out "good health", she misunderstood and stood hiding behind the door.

Janie,
I'm so sorry to hear about Kay. She sounds like such a neat person. I can see why you like her so much. Everyone needs at least one friend like that. I will keep her in my prayers.

Vicki

Just received an e-mail from my friend, Kay. She WAS scheduled to undergo surgery yesterday morning at 8:00 am, BUT ............. (part of her e-mail to me follows):

UPON CHECKING INTO MERCY YESTERDAY, THEY DID THEIR USUAL LAB WORK, BLOOD WORK AND SUCH. THE RESULTS WERE THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO UNDERGO THE (MAJOR)SURGERY, AS THE DOCTOR PUT IT. MY BLOOD LEVELS WERE ALL OUT OF WHACK, EVERYTHING LOW EXCEPT THE WHITE BLOOD CELLS, WHICH WAS TOO HIGH. ALSO IT WAS DETERMINED THAT MY KIDNEYS ERE NOT UP TO PAR. THEREFORE, THEY ONLY DID A PARTIAL SURGERY...REMOVAL OF A SCREW FROM THE LEFT FOOT AND REMOVAL OF THE NAIL FROM THE BIG RIGHT TOE.
THE DOCTOR ADVISED THAT HE WOULD HAVE TO WORK WITH THE NEPHROLOGIST, AND THAT WE HOPED TO GET ALL LEVELS WERE THEY NEEDED TO BE WITHIN A WEEK TO 10 DAYS. THEN WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE SURGERY.

I AM TO STAY OFF MY FEET AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THIS WEEK, NO DRIVING, SKYDIVING, HANG GLIDING ETC. MAYBE WE CAN HAVE THIS SURGERY DONE BEFORE THE COLD WEATHER ARRIVE, IT WOULD BE NICE TO WEAR CLOSED SHOES BY THEN. (Janie note: See how KWAAZY this gal is!)

I APPRECIATE YOUR PRAYERS, KIND THOUGHTS AND WONDERFUL E-MAIL SENT THROUGHOUT. THANK YOU, AND I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.
HAVE A BLESSED DAY, AND BE GOOD TO YOURSELVES.
LOVE,
KAY

..........
I'd imagine a few forum prayers would be welcomed as well. Love, Janie

Compassion.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jim Kallio:


See how IT does work Janie--

IT does work--get out of your own way and let IT work

---

IT? What am I missing here, J.?

See how IT does work Janie--

IT does work--get out of your own way and let IT work

[ July 10, 2002: Message edited by: Jim Kallio ]

First and foremost, THANK YOU, to all who helped me through this day! You know who you are.

Know what? Kay called me a little bit ago and told me she needed her "daily LAUGH fix". I was honest and told her I couldn't DO it. Not today. Boy, she did a total turn-around and became the GIVER and I the RECEIVER. (NOT our normal 'roles'.)

I told her what was going on with me; she and I both cried. (EA, she ALSO told me she was gonna come over and beat me up!) Wow, what a great friend, huh?

Yes, Vicki, she is on pain meds. She got her "procrit" shot yesterday so she's feeling some stronger. Still not eating much, though.

Funny, she called ME for a laugh and wound up making ME laugh.

Janie,
I know just how hard it is to see your best friend leaving you and there is nothing you can do about it. It is so heartbreaking. Is she on pain meds? Does she have someone at home to help her? This must be tearing you apart, Janie. I'm so sorry.

Vicki

Good morning! Thanks, guys, for asking. I talked with Kay last night around 9:00 and she is still in a Lot of pain and goes back to the doctor today. ONE problem they discovered was that the urethra was blocked and no amount of Lasix they gave her was gonna help that. DUH! So, having had that procedure done in the hospital, that's when they sent her home. She is still very swollen in the legs and feet, though. Having only 20% kidney function isn't helping things much, plus she's not eating very well. She said she had a 'mater sandwich for breakfast yesterday. That's better than nothing and at least she was able to keep it down!! Time will tell. She's got a ways to go.

Me? I'm down. Thanks for asking, though. Not to worry; been down before and manage to climb back up.

Janie,
How is Kay doing? How are you? It does seem like they are pushing her out the door sooner than they should be. That is so unfair.

Vicki

I understand Kay's problem getting pushed out of the hospital-Debbie's been discharged when they had no business doing so. It's a big problem. How is she doing? Is she getting any help at home-aaside from her loving friends I mean? How are you doing Janie? We love ya-pass it on to Kay!