My Life – Page 28 – The Dackel Princess

I Love You Claritin!

Picture this…a woman with a pocket full of kleenex, sneezing up a storm and coughing sidles up to the Pharmacy counter. Now she is not sick, she just has allergies. The woman coughs again, sneezes three times, before talking to the Pharmacist.

“Never had allergies like this before. I need help! What can I take that has almost no side effects, but will help me?”

She checked my medications and then said “Claritin” Just regular plain Claritin. So I bought a box to try and I hoped and prayed that it would work.

It’s been funny this year. My allergies have never been like this. Oh a little coughing and sneezing, but not like this!

How many of you suffer from seasonal allergies? I have had a little, but this year it is BIG. I can now appreciate when people have complained about their allergies.

My brother in-law especially, has had severe allergies all his life. He doesn’t complain about them much, but I have known him since I was 8 years old, I can safely say, I would recognize his sneeze anywhere!

About 2 hours after I took my very first Claritin, I noticed that my sinuses were drying up. The sneezing had been reduced, and my eyes weren’t watering as much. And last night, I actually was able to lie down in bed and I could breath!

This morning, I feel normal. No sneezing, coughing or watery eyes. I don’t feel run down or like I am on the verge of an allergic breakdown! LOL!

Now I was not paid for my opinion about Claritin. I never believed that these wonderful allergy medications actually worked, but I was desperate! Now, you can call me a grateful user.

My Blessings

Today I am writing about my dearest friend, Carol. I met her 10 years ago, and she quickly became one of the most important women in my life.

Carol is an identical twin. Her sister is named Carolyn. I cannot recall how many times I have teased her about this. After all, back when she was born, times were different. And with an identical twin, she may actually be Carolyn and not Carol at all! (lol)

She has told me many stories of her mother, affectionately called Ma, and I wish I’d gotten to meet her. She sounds like an amazing woman.

Carol is always a phone call away. She is never too busy to answer a call, or listen to my happy chattering, or hold me in her arms when I cry.

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I’ve told her many times, that she is not just a friend, but a second mother to me. Someone who loves me regardless of my short comings.

She has said I am another daughter for her. I wasn’t looking for her, and she wasn’t looking for me, and yet, there we were ten years ago, falling into each others paths.

Sometimes I believe that God finds people we should have in our lives. So he drops us into a situation and then lets us see how things work out.

So it was with Carol and me. We met, and decided that we really wanted to be in each others lives.

What a blessing that has been.

My Weekend

The weekend seemed to fly by. It was a good one, as I drove down to visit with my daughter and grandchildren. My grandson is changing so quickly right now. He will be 17 months old next week, and remarkably moves and acts much older . The cutest thing about him is, if he sees any sort of machine, lawn mower, tractor, etc, he stops and watches intently.

The neighbors were mowing their lawn and each time the rider mower passed us, Quinn waved. And his eyes never left the machine! And Quinn loves it when his Daddy takes him for a lawn mower ride too. He doesn’t wiggle around, he just sits quietly and helps Daddy drive the machine!

Mandy made a terrific breakfast while I was there and it was fun to share this with the kids. I brought a fruit tray and when I arrived Mandy had also gotten a fruit tray. All I can say is…fruit is good!

After breakfast, I spent some alone time with Savannah as it was time for Quinn to nap. Savi is five years old now and very interested in how things work. We played around taking pictures together and then Mandy asked her if she wanted to take some pictures of Mandy and me. At first she looked nervous, but she carefully lined up the camera and took a couple of pictures of the two of us, and they came out pretty well.

This is one of the pictures that Savannah took.

Soon it was time for me to go, and I got in my car and headed out toward the highway. As I neared the entrance to Route 93, I could see that all the cars were completely stopped and there was no movement.

In the summertime on the weekends, it is not uncommon for the main routes into New Hampshire to be completely clogged with traffic. I thought for a split second and then opted for a back router going north. Route 28. It’s actually a pretty route. It parallels the main highway and goes through all the little towns. The traffic lights and the mini rotaries slowed me down, but I did keep moving, and when I reached Concord and hopped back on Route 93, things were moving right along. Still, it took me 45 minutes longer to get home than it usually does.

I made lunch for Jack and me, played with the pooches and took a short nap. Yes, even Oma needs a nap!

Then on Saturday night we watched a Bruce Willis movie. “Hostage”. It was very unlike most Bruce Willis movies, this was suspenseful, and kept both of us riveted to the TV. We did not want to miss a moment of this film! Made in 2005, his daughter Rumor also plays his daughter in the film.

Sunday was a slower day for us. I’d been up late watching the film, and so I just did the basics.

Monday finds me making a Recycling Center run and taking out the vacuum and sucking up all the Lili hair!

Have a great Week Everyone!!!

Allergies!

It was time for me to return to infectious Disease Doctor down in Concord, NH. A truly remarkable woman, who treats me like a human being!

I had my appointment with her, and we went over tests, she examined me, and we came up with a game plan. I needed two referrals, and will be back to see her in one month.

One thing she and I spoke of, was my allergic reaction to one of the IV antibiotics that the doctors in Boston had used. The reaction was so bad, it landed me back in the hospital for a week, until they figured out what was wrong with me.

The drug was Ceftriaxone. A very powerful antibiotic. They actually gave it to Jack after his amputation and he had no problem with it.

Me? Well, I thought I was going to die! You see a very small percentage of people get what is called “Red Man’s Syndrome”. So, it only seems reasonable, that someone like me who is allergic to almost everything, would have trouble with this drug!

Of course the doctors in Boston allowed me to remain on this drug until I was readmitted with severe dehydration, due to the unbelievable side effects of this drug! The side effects were truly gruesome! Here are the ones I had.

Redness or rash on back of neck, arms, upper torso or face
Itchiness of the rash or red blotches
Low blood pressure
Rapid heartbeat
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
Fever or chills
Hives
Muscle weakness
Dizziness or fainting

Now you would think with all of these side effects presenting that the doctors down there would have caught on fairly quickly. But, they did not. In fact when they hospitalized me the third time, I told the doctor I felt like I was going to die. I really did! No one listened. It took them 5 days to diagnose that this was a drug allergy.

My New Hampshire Infectious Disease doctor listens to me, and to her, I am not just another patient.

We now have a game plan to treat me and hopefully all will continue to go well.

Maribeth At Three

Growing up I was pretty much of a Tom-boy. I loved to climb trees, ride bikes, play in the dirt with Tonka Trucks and run around our neighborhood like a little street urchin.

I remember the day my mother had enough of trying to keep my hair snarl free, and she took her sheers and chopped off my hair into a very short pixie cut! (See, I was ahead of my time!)

But Grandma and Dad both didn’t like it, and so my hair was left to grow out.

Just before my fourth birthday, I was supposed to be a flower girl in a wedding, instead I got appendicitis! I was rushed to Falmouth Hospital and operated on.

I remember waking up in the night with terrible stomach pain! I made my way into my parent’s bedroom and I remember being laid on their bed. My legs were tight to my chest. When Dad tried to pull them down, they snapped up so fast I think I might even have hit him!

Off we drove to the hospital and my Dad drove the wrong way and ended up going to the Community Theater! Eventually we made it, and Dr. Wessling removed my appendix.

All I remember about all of that was, he was nice and the ether smelled terrible!

I remember looking through the bars of my hospital cot to watch “Captain Kangaroo” and “Bozo the Clown”. I think I was in the hospital for a week.

My sister was not allowed to come up. She was beside herself with worry! So, my parents thought it was wrong to keep us apart and they snuck her up to pediatrics so Melodie could see me.

I was given all sorts of presents while I was in the hospital. I think Digger the Dog was my favorite.

The only problem was, that by the time my birthday rolled around, I’d gotten all the gifts.

I remember coming home and going up the stairs to my room when I slipped on the steps and fell. I cried out to my mother, “Oh no! I’m bleeding!”

My poor mother came running, thinking my stitches had ruptured, only to find I had cut my finger!

Somehow Mom managed to make a party for my birthday a few weeks later in November. And magically, there were presents for me too.

All this from the earliest memories in my mind. I do admit to fact checking one part, but everything else was accurate.

Amazing what a three and a half year old can remember!

Family Recovery

It’s nice to have Jack home, where I can care for him, feed him and watch over him. Add to that, the fact that I no longer am driving two and a half hours a day, and we just about have a perfect situation.

Jack is sleeping quite a bit. I think this is a good thing, as his body needs a chance to fight the infection that he still has, as well as get over the surgery he had.

I would think that the body reacts badly when it loses part of itself. Even though Jack feels nothing in his feet, no pain, due to his Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy, I imagine that the body itself knows that something was done.

I am Jack’s chief nurse. Once a day I clean the toe-less area and bandage it up. The first time I saw it, I was shocked. It looked odd to see his foot with no big toe. But now I am used to it, and I think once it is healed, well, it will be rather beautiful! After all, it looks far better than the infected toe that they removed.

I’m insistent that he eat three meals a day. Even if they are small ones. This means, I also eat three meals a day, which is good for me. Both of us have little to no appetite, and have lost weight.

I have been joking with Jack, telling him we should take that Princess Cruise to Hawaii in the Autumn. It’s 15 days. From Los Angeles, four days to Hawaii. Then four days cruising around the Islands, then four days to Mexico, and one day back to LA. Jack says that 8 Sea Days would be terrible! What would we do?

Hmmm! Well, we would sleep late. We would lie in the sun and swim in the pool. We would eat lovely meals. We would drink champagne. We would see a different act in the theater every night. And for those 15 days, we would be alone! Quiet, loving and alone.

He is not convinced! But I am still working on him.

Arnie is intrigued with the tennis balls on Jack’s walker. Arnie loves to chew and destroy tennis balls and we actually had to spray on bitter apple to keep Arnie from eating them. Now Arnie lies under the walker, guarding it!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

A Saturday To Remember

This past Saturday was a busy and wonderful one! It started on Saturday morning, when I left early to drive to Savannah’s dance recital. I stopped at the Outlet Mall in the rare possibility that I might find a pair of jeans. You know right up there next to the horror of trying on a bathing suit, is trying on jeans!

I went to Talbot’s and tried on a pair of jeans and a shirt and both fit like they’d been made for me! Jeans! I could not believe it! And they were a smaller size too! One thing is for sure, these darn antibiotics have robbed me of an appetite and the weight has fallen off.

Once I was happily back in my car, I again headed South. As I drove along, I passed several speed traps (I never worry about them because I am a Granny driver!), and eventually I pulled off to get a bouquet of flowers and some thing to drink for me. I found some lovely purple carnations, white roses and baby’s breath for Savannah. After all, every Prima Ballerina must have her bouquet after the Recital.

I almost never drive into a city unless I know it well, but on Saturday I had to drive into Lowell, Massachusetts. It’s currently full of construction zones and this made it pretty easy to take a wrong turn. And I did.

I should have stayed going forward, but I turned left. Ugh! Well I drove a little further and then “banged a U-ee” In other words, I made a U-turn and corrected my error. Of course, I got beeped at, but not too bad, really.

Then I arrived at the Recital. I met up with my daughter, Mandy, and Matt and his parents and my former husband, Bob. We all waited for the doors to open and then we gratefully took our seats inside, out of the heat!

The show began, and a few numbers passed, and then…there she was, our Savannah. This year, Savi wasn’t nervous at all. She knew what she should be doing and she did it with sass, pizzazz and so much happiness! I sat watching with happy tears streaming down my face. She was marvelous!!!

After Savi was done with her first number the children were led to the balcony, where they could watch the show. I happened to catch a glimpse of her watching the show and my heart swelled. My beautiful, sweet, talented, loving, granddaughter. Oh, how I adore her!

In a bit, Savannah’s class was up on stage again and they performed one more routine. Again, I felt such love and joy.

The Recital ended with a big balloon drop and the kids were thrilled. Mandy went to get Savi and I waited outside with Matt and Bob. Then there she was, running toward me, talking a mile a minute and waving two of her balloons in the air. Mandy took one of them so I could give Savi her flowers. We stood talking for a bit before I kissed my girls and said good-bye.

On my way out of Lowell, Massachusetts, I was cut off by a small car, and the girl inside flipped me off. Okay, a trip into the city of Lowell with one false turn, one honking of the horn, and one finger flip off, is actually not bad really! After all, it is a larger city than I am used to!

Once back on the Highway, I drove along with the heavy traffic until I reached the grocery store, and loaded up on food, and gassed up the car before hitting the road again and heading home.

I got here to find Jack searching for Lili. I asked when he had last seen her? He answered about an hour ago. I clicked the remote for the garage and…Lili came waltzing out! Poor baby had been locked up in there for a while. Needless to say, she was very happy to see me!

After having a small bite of dinner, I headed to bed, where I fell instantly asleep! The end of a truly great day!

I’m Cooking Again!

In the last few days I have felt better than I have in a while. The effects of the antibiotics have not been so bad, and not only have I been able to eat, but I have felt like cooking too. And baking.

A friend of mine is also sick right now, so I bake double batches of things like Snickerdoodle and Chocolate Chip Cookies. Then both households can enjoy a little something special.

However, my cooking desire has also extended to things like meatloaf, roast beef, a roasted leg of lamb. All of these things provided meals for several days and I enjoyed making each and every one of them.

Fresh corn on the cob is now available in our stores. Usually the corn starts coming from Florida in April, then Georgia, and South Carolina in May and now, I think it is coming out of North Carolina. All I know is, that from now until September, we will be eating a lot of corn.

We also have had a lot of strawberries coming in from California. Oh, how we both love those! Last night we put on an old movie, “Uncle Buck” and sat watching and laughing, while eating Strawberry Shortcake!

Today is a no cooking day. What does this mean? It means I have enough leftover food, so that I don’t need to cook any new food!

All of this makes me happy. Happy to be feeling better, and also happy that I can cook again.

The Pillow Queen

Those of you who know me well, know that one of the things I am really picky about is my pillow. For years I have been searching for just the right pillow. One that supported my head and neck, without being too soft or too hard.

I have spent a fortune over the years and tried every pillow known to man. However, after my cervical spine surgery, it became imperative to find one that supported my neck. I tried for months to find a pillow, a position in bed, anything that would give me some relief.

Finally, I did a search on Amazon.com for Cervical Pillows, and after seeing several that were highly recommended, I began to search for more information on the Internet.

I found the D-Core Cervical Pillow, Standard, Firm. Now this sounds a bit crazy, right, and the pillow actually looks a little bizarre, but my goodness, since I’ve gotten it, I sleep so much better and wake with little or no neck pain at all.

Each morning I am thankful for this weirdly shaped pillow that supports my neck and face, and puts my head smack dab in the middle.

Could it be that the Pillow Queen has finally found the magic one? I sure hope so. I also hope that the pillow lasts for a while.

That would be perfection!

13 Steps

Yesterday I needed to do our laundry. No matter what, we somehow have to do this at least once a week. In the past this hasn’t been a big deal, but since I have gotten home from the hospital those 13 steps down and 13 steps back up, just did me in.

Yesterday, I had three loads to do, and as I went down stairs and back up, and then down again, I noticed that it was easier to do those stairs, both ways. And this evening, instead of feeling tired, I feel good!

Could this be the turning point in my recovery? I am thinking that it is! I know this means a few things. It means I need to keep working hard. Exercising and making simple everyday tasks work to help me get stronger.

Time to fold the clothes!