Easter Sunday

I woke up this morning about 5 in pain. I ached all over, I thought I might throw up, then wondered if it was diarrhea. Nothing that easy, just pain. I came out in the front room & sat in the swivel rocker/recliner. I swiveled it away from the bright light from the network server & sat there dozing fitfully until Don got up, gave me some ibuprofen & I went back to bed.

Nick woke me up about noon to tell me that I wasn't needed in the library. Don had called & said it was "covered." Instead of going back to bed, I got up & put the roast on. I bought a 5 pound pork roast last night. Eddie has gone home, so I don't have to worry about having dinner ready & over by the time he has to be home. I'm using a recipe that is appearing in the Citizen this coming week, Coca-Cola brisket or something like that. They didn't have a brisket at the store last night, not that I would have been able to afford it anyway.

So, my new "project" for the month is to continue striving to make it to bed "on time." But I'm changing my bedtime to midnight. Also, I've been a FlyLady fan for a long time & the monthly habit for April is making your bed every day. That is something I've pretty much mastered. Even if I go back to bed in the middle of the day, even though people die in bed, I get up & remake the bed. I have a selfish reason for that. Our bed is "catland."

As you can see by the picture, our cats share the bed with me in the morning. Here I am working on a daily to-do list & Jae is practically on my lap; Prissy is on my right side, against my knee; Sammy, the yellow cat; Brackin, at the end; and Marsha, the gray cat sitting up.

Lent, Day 37

Just a few more days of the Lenten season & then I'll have to come up with new titles for my subject line. I have had trouble trying to figure out what day of Lent it is. I hope I've numbered them all correctly.

Don made it to bed before I did last night. I had to fill the humidifier of my CPAP machine & then put it in after the lights were out - grrrr. So, it must have been about midnight again.

I spent the morning trying to figure out why the bank wouldn't let Luana cash Mother's rent check on Monday. I still don't know the answer to that, but she got it cashed. Then I checked on the vet charge account to see if there would be enough available credit to pay for both cats & saw only $23 available. So, I spent the morning, what was left of it after I got up at 10:30, working on finances. I was supposed to be to work at noon & didn't make it. I was going to have a piece of toast & take my meds before I took the cats to the vet.

But Nick has been obsessing about Daddy's little red jeep. How he wants to get rid of it & nobody will let him. I told him I did not want to get into an argument about the jeep. I didn't have time.

Nick & Don-Mike did put Brackin & Prissy in the carriers & carried them out to the car for me. By then, I was running late, still had to go up to the Citizen & tell them I'd be later than I was, but I'd still come in.

Prissy's eye has been gray, like Boots' was when I took him to the vet. Dr. Larry, the older, retired vet, was working today, I didn't ask where Dr. Cliff was. I like Dr. Larry better. He looked closely at Prissy's eye. He wanted to see if there was a "foreign body" in it. He found a ripped 3rd eye lid. He said, "Huh, I thought so." Somebody had swatted at Prissy & scratched her in the eye. We all know who did that. Miss Marsha Lu thinks she is God's gift to the Bartlomé family. She's always swiping at the other cats, especially Prissy. And poor little Prissy has been the pariah since the boys (Boots & Astro) died. Astro was the pariah before. Prissy has never fit in, but she & Boots seemed to have a rapport.

I think I know now how Boots died. Nick told me that Sam had run Boots off. We found him out under the lilac tree, so weak, he couldn't stand up. So, I'll bet his gray eye was the result of a swipe from Sam & it got infected.

Anyway, while I was explaining to Becca, the receptionist at the vet's office, that I didn't know how I was going to pay for this because I couldn't find Mother's credit card, I had a sudden, extreme gut ache. OMG, it felt like someone had taken my gut & was twisting it. It hurt SOOOOOOO bad. Becca & Marie, the vet's assistant, gave me a lollipop, they got some Ensure for diabetics, but I could only drink 3 swallows of the Ensure, then I tried throwing up, sticking my finger down my throat & gagging myself, in the bathroom, of course.

I had not had anything to eat before I left, the appt. was at 2 & I was about 5 minutes late. So, we wondered if it was low blood sugar. I hadn't had any of my pills either. I handed Becca my cell phone & she called Don-Mike, but I didn't know I had Big J's programmed as his default number. I always just use the speed dial. So, we tried his speed dial, it went to his voice mail, so she left a message. Then she called Nick. Luckily Don-Mike was at Big J's in Richmond & came back & got me. He called Nick to tell him not to come, but he was already in Franklin. Nick opted to keep coming. Don-Mike stopped at Big J's & picked up his food & while he was in getting it, I swiped 3 big swallows of his drink, still thinking it might be low blood sugar.

I curled up in the fetal position, trying to get some relief from the pain. He asked me what side of the road Instacare was on & I finally sat up. He was on 1400 North, headed for the hospital. I told him I wanted Instacare, but we could go to the hospital, if he wanted. He said ERs are so stinking expensive. I said Instacare was on 4th North & 2nd East. He took 4th East & wended his way to Instacare. OMG, those roads are bumpy. I'm so glad he had his new truck. I could stretch out in the back seat, not that I did.

Nick pulled in right behind us. I think he went directly to Instacare though. I am so glad Nick was there. He stayed right by my side. Don-Mike went right back out to the truck to eat his lunch. Nick helped me at the registration desk, stood by me through the triage room, helped me to the examining room & sat there with me. He left when I told him to go out to the truck & get the cell phone to call Jessi, my supervisor. Don-Mike came in then with Nick. Don-Mike had called Don, so he came up after work. The boys left when Don came & stopped in Richmond to pick up the cats.

The doctor examined me. By that time the pain had let up & I was able to straighten out. I told Nick by the time the doctor came, I was going to be better. Still tender & still having some pain. My urine sample was good, my blood work was good, slightly anemic, no surprise, but my potassium level was up, woo hoo!! My sugar level was 125, slightly elevated, but good considering I hadn't had anything to eat. They took an x-ray & found that there was a lot of stool backed up. I KNOW that wasn't a blocked bowel. The doctor suspects a gall bladder attack. They had to send that blood work to Logan Regional's lab, oh groan, more medical bills.

Anyway, the doctor told me to drink lots of water & they would call in the morning with the results of the blood work they sent to LRH.

Don stopped at the vet's for me to pick up the car. It was 10 to 6 & I told him I was going to go in & tell them I was ok. Whoever went in to pick up the cats told Becca & Marie it was gall stones. I told Nick to tell them the doctor thought it was gall bladder.

Lent, Day 36

We have some idiot racing up & down our street & revving his engine right outside our house. I'm so tired of the "kids" on the corner. I was so psyched Saturday, I thought they had moved, but ... no such luck, as we can hear. He does it at 2 a.m. in the morning. I was talking to a neighbor about half a block away about this neighbor a few weeks ago. He called him "ignernt." It tickled me. Something I didn't expect to hear. It's supposed to be ignorant, but means rude, LOL. Supposed to be Cache Valley-ese, but supposedly found in Canada. Hell-oooo!!! Some parts of Canada were settled by people from Cache Valley.

Anyway, today was much better, health-wise. Again, the attempt to get to bed by 11:30 failed & I made it to bed by 11:55. I was awake at 6 this morning & couldn't get back to sleep. My CPAP mask is ripped & air was leaking. I didn't want to get up & disturb Don. So, once he was up & out of the bathroom, I was in the bathroom & up for the day. I guess I'll have to try Mother's "old" mask again (above).

Speaking of CPAP masks, Mother wore her new CPAP mask (left) until 5 a.m. THIS MORNING!!! Woo hoo!! The longest she has worn it since she got the CPAP machine. She just kept the mask on her face when she got up & went to the bathroom. That's when it has been coming off in the past. Don-Mike told her to take the hose off the mask when she goes to the bathroom in the middle of the night & leave the mask on. She said she did that last night. I asked if it didn't bother her & she said yes, but she hurried. I wouldn't be able to do it, I'd fall or hyperventilate or both.

She said she didn't feel very good this morning when she got up. She'd had a weird dream. I told her it was good for her to dream. People with sleep disorders usually don't fall asleep soundly enough to dream.

I cut Don's hair tonight, almost gave him a buzz by using the shortest guard we have. A buzz will be the next cut, no guard on the clippers. The short hair looked so cool, as in not warm, but not cold , LOL, I was tempted to do it to my own. He actually looks cool, as in sharp, with the short hair too. Could be I'm prejudiced :)

Mother's protime was 2.7 today, within normal limits, keep on the same dosage of coumadin & recheck in 2 weeks.

A work day tomorrow & vet appointment for both Brackin & Prissy. Our vet is in Richmond, Utah. I picked up a cat carrier at the vet's today on our way home from Logan. I'd have forgotten if Mother hadn't reminded me. With 2 cat carriers, ours & the vet's, I can take both cats. Then Don can return the vet's carrier on Thursday on his way home.

Lent, Day 35

Today I woke up at 9:10 when Don-Mike woke me up. I had been awake earlier, but decided it was too early to get up & evidently went back to sleep. I need to be to work by 9 a.m. on Monday, so I got up, hurried & got dressed, took 2 meds, lexapro & metformin, grabbed my 2-liter bottle of Diet Mt. Dew & ran to work. I knew I wasn't going to have time to stop at the Conoco & get a refill.

I parked behind The Citizen & bent over to retrieve my cell phone off the floor of the passenger side of the car. I felt really dizzy. When I sat up, I was dizzy & clammy. I thought I was going to pass out. I sat there with one foot in the car & one foot out of the car. I thought they were going to come out & find me dead in my car. Shortly after I started working at The Citizen, one of my coworkers didn't show up for work one Friday. Walt Ross, the owner at the time, tried calling her off & on all day, but she never answered. He finally called her daughter to see if she knew where her mother was. The daughter found her dead on the back step of her house, one shoe on & one shoe off. It was in January.

Anyway, I decided I wasn't just going to sit in the car, I could make it to the door. I was actually wondering if I was going to make it across the alley. I stopped just as I got across the alley, but told myself I could make it to the door. I made it to the door, then encouraged myself to make it to the time clock. I punched in & then bee lined right for the editor's office. I walked in & Rod, the editor, said, "RaNae you don't look very good." I said I wasn't dead yet, so I couldn't call in sick. Just then Doug Webb, the senior mortician, walked up to the door. Rod quipped, "RaNae, he came to get you." Bob, assistant editor, said, "He's too early." LOL We all laughed &, of course, Doug didn't know what we were laughing at. I told him & then Vicki came in & said I didn't look very good. I said I felt terrible, but I thought it was low blood sugar. She had some mini dark chocolate-filled peanut butter bars. She gave me one & I ate it & sat there for a few minutes. I was amazed at how fast I started feeling better. Color came back to my face & I was able to get up & go to our work station. Jessi, our supervisor, said she was going over to the Conoco to get a drink & asked if she could get me something. I said yes & asked her to get me a muffin loaf. I gave her some money. She soon came back with it. I gobbled it up & felt better. I've had a headache all day & have just felt generally crappy.

Don-Mike traded in his '06 Mustang today for an '04 Chevy Silverado 2500-HD (heavy duty) 3/4 ton 4x4 with a 6.6 liter V8 Duramax diesel engine & an Allison 1000 automatic tranney. He got it for $19,900. The salesman said if he hadn't brought in the page from the Internet he printed it would have cost him $2,000 more. He only got $9,000 as a trade-in for his Mustang. He's pleased with the pickup. He's been wanting a diesel for a long time. One of the ladies he works with told him it was about time he got a truck he doesn't have to work on, LOL. It's got a short bed with a camper package & a towing package. It has a running board so it's easy to get in & out of. It has cloth seats & he wanted leather. He had leather in his 'Stang. He has 4 other trucks. I wonder if he'll get rid of any of them.

Last night I would have made it to bed at 11:30 except I spilled a glass of apple juice as I was reaching to get something behind the recliner. I can't believe how upset I was. First, I was upset the glass had been left there half-full. I'm sure Nick forgot where he put it. He's getting so bad at remembering. Second, I had to clean it up. Third, I wouldn't make it to bed at 11:30. I did make it to bed at midnight, but I hadn't got any soft water at Mother's to fill the humidifier of my CPAP machine. Today, I forgot to get distilled water at the grocery store or to run over to Mother's & get any water. Tonight I'll have to use hard water & remember to get some tomorrow.

I have to work every day this week. It's the Tourist Special Edition. I'll have to take Mother to the doctor tomorrow for her pro-time. Wednesday afternoon I have to take Brackin in for his booster shots. Prissy has an infection in one of her eyes. It's gray. I've probably waited too long & she's blind in that eye.

Lent, Day 14

I was reading testimonials & emails from the inbox on my FlyLady email account. I have an email account just for FlyLady. Anyway, one of the subject lines caught my eye & I decided to read it instead of filing it somewhere. "Fighting Fatigue." That's what I do ALL the time.

Last night I was ready to turn out the light & go to bed at 11:30. I had done everything I needed to be in bed by 11:30 for the first time since I started this, but ... you knew there was a "but" didn't you? Sammy was laying in front of my pillow. He came in hurt tonight, he could barely limp. Brackin was down further, but both cats were on my side of the bed & I hated to move them. Finally, I scooted Sammy over a little bit & crawled in bed. I covered Sammy & moved my legs around Brackin. They both were purring, but I wasn't very comfortable. Finally, I put the CPAP mask on & went to sleep. I woke up when Don came to bed. He puts the cats in the laundry room when he goes to bed. So, I knew I could stretch out & be comfortable. I woke up at 9:35 again this morning. I got up after 10. What is this with 9:35??

Back to the FlyLady email on fighting fatigue. A FlyBaby from Pennsylvania had written in explaining Lent & she said:

My Lenten commitment this year is also related to FLYing. I've been doing part of your system but not all of it. I finally realized that the biggest hindrance for me is fatigue. I've never really committed to an evening routine, I stay up too late (my "me" time), and I'm always tired. I know my body, and my family, deserve better. You've said time and time again how important the evening routine is, but some of us are just stubborn, I guess.

So, for Lent I'm giving up going to bed late. And I'll build my evening routine (in babysteps!)

I guess I need to see what a FlyLady evening routine is. I obviously have one, don't we all? Mine just isn't written down.

Don-Mike came by on his way home. He had driven Nan's Am, his Trans Am, to work today & came over to say good-night & get his Mustang. He parks Nan's Am here, out by the old garage, & the Mustang is garaged at his house. When he bought the Trans Am I said it must be a keeper, it has a name. He bought it from a lady named Nannette & it was already named.