A lot better!

Went to work today - made it through a half day. Came home and was asleep before half an hour. Will lay down again soon. At least ALL food/fluids are staying down now!!

Maybe tomorrow will be a full day!

The beginning of the end?

I think I will go to work tomorrow.
My energy level is still r-e-a-l-l-y low, but at least I can keep food down.
B never had it as bad as I - thank goodness - he couldn't have handled it! ;-)

A little oatmeal this morning, a little rice this afternoon, some otter pops and lemon water, a little pho broth this evening....

Quarantine!

Joy of joys, B has just awakened with the same symptoms that I have... which means he can't preach today. There's no way.

I've been up twice in the night already, but at least the phenergan is allowing me to sleep for a time. I did have some veg pho broth last night and it was, I swear, almost the best thing I've ever tasted - but alas, it only stayed with my until this morning. Makes me hope I'm never stranded somewhere without food or water, a la "Survivorman."

I'm fairly certain I won't be at work tomorrow.

Update...

OK, so because there were NO signs whatsoever that things were improving, I talked to my doc in Fremont - who told me to go the nearest Urgent Care Clinic or ER. Since I knew any Urgent Care would have a much less wait time, I chose the one where I'd gone last year when I had the initial allergy stuff a year ago February and which, incidentally, is the nearest one.

My hunch paid off. There were only 2 people ahead of me, instead of 36 loud, obnoxious ones in an ER waiting room. Of course, I had to use the bathroom - twice! - while waiting, but still. When I recounted my symptoms and said that when I could actually HEAR and FEEL my intestines moving, I knew I had to run to the bathroom, he put his scope to my abdomen and said that it was definitely active. So my armchair diagnosis was correct: the doc confirmed a "severe case" of gastroenteritis. Yee haw. He wrote a script for phenergan - although the suppositories would be more effective, that's not very practical right now. He was also surprised that I can't even keep water down - suggests that I continue with clear liquids, though, and said I can even add a little lemon to water or broth. B is off to get some pho broth for me. Maybe I can absorb a few nutrients from it.

There's nothing really other to do - can't give an antibiotic and hopefully the phenergan will knock the nausea/vomiting and allow me to start eating something, anything... the last "food" I've had to eat was an artichoke on Thursday evening. Doc thinks I'm actually still out "a few days" and that I need to stay on a bland diet for a bit even when I can handle solids again, so I don't know that I'll be able to make it to work on Monday.

Could be worse, though - I could be in the middle of a migraine or on my period. So see, I am an optimist. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!!!!

2 things that should never happen at the same time

OK, so I awoke around 3 am with intestinal rumblings that I could both hear and feel.
At first I thought it was a manifestation of migraine, as I had one of those, too. But since the vomiting and watery diarrhea are still present as I type this, I'm convinced it's some sort of gastroenteritis. I'd've thought that all the "stuff" in my GI tract has been eliminated, but apparently not. How long can this last? Since I don't have any pedialyte, I did find the random bottle of gatorade in the frig, so I'm sipping that - my muscles are aching from mineral depletion. Needless to say, I stayed home from work today.

I'm ok for about 10-15 minutes before the waves start building again. And let's not even talk about the challenge of experiencing both AT THE SAME TIME. Oh, yeah. Mostly they've been kind enough to at least give me time to be one-after-the-other and shift position, but all-together-now, Lord have mercy.

(At this point, I can picture my sister both laughing and saying, "aw, poor baby")

And... it's B's birthday! He is celebrating by giving a funeral 3 hours away for a congregation member who died last weekend of a burst aneurysm.

Woo hoo! Happy Friday!

A blessed Resurrection.

A busy week....

So Kym came for her birthday and we had a great time! Since I'm working now, it just worked out that we ate out all meals except breakfast. Breakfasts were made for us every day, though, so we didn't even have to put out any effort there, either, except to chow down. :-)

I was really worried about when she'd get here on Monday because she kept getting delayed at home - but she made it in time to pick me up from work, and presented me with a new book, "Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street," which features a picture of Oscar the Grouch, so I immediately launched into "I Love Trash!" :-) We then went to sushi for dinner. and she was sufficiently impressed by the freshness of the food at the sushi bar, so I'd say it was a success. The only drawback was the group at the bar next to us, whose conversation was too loud for its topics.

Tuesday was her actual birthday, so we awoke to a birthday breakfast of blueberry pancakes and yogurt with mangos and raspberries. I had to go to work, but she came and picked me up for her birthday lunch, where we went to my favorite (so far) Indian resto in Fresno ... then that night we had Thai in the Tower District before going to the Tower Theatre for the Ladysmith Black Mambazo show. Dinner was fun and the show was great, and I loved having her here, so I hope Kym enjoyed her birthday, too!!! Click photo above to enlarge.

Then Wednesday she was leaving so she came again to meet me for lunch on her way out of town, and we found a good Persian restaurant. It's more expensive (and more "formal" inside than Falafel, Etc in Fremont, but the food was really good, and they had Persian tea! Yum. The baba was really flavorful and not too heavy in texture or garlic; the hummus was thick and also not overpowered by garlic, so that's a really good find. I have to take my mom there when she next visits me.

Wednesday evening we were then to host the Rev Mark Sell for a couple days as he was traveling through CA so we could visit and give him a check for his work, but he had gotten food poisoning along the way, so we never got to meet up.

As Kym will remember, we had what looked like a pond brewing in the front yard. At first we thought perhaps with all the rain we'd had it was settling there and because the sun wasn't on it, it was not drying out. Well, B started digging yesterday and figured there must be a leak in the pipes somewhere. He realized that where it was pooling was not the site of origin. See photos....
That's the pond with soil removed...



and here is the source: Yes, UNDER those 3 sprinkler pipes. Joy. So..... we have no water in the house, are using the bottled water for the toilet, so that we can still use that... and B is working on repairing the pipe right now, as I type this. Whee. So far, the water is leaking DOWN, into the yard and not into the house... which, of course, is MY big concern. :-) And I'm hoping it's an easy fix once B can repair the pipe. At least it wasn't tree roots in the pipes or a sewer issue. Ugh.

Of Ladysmith and allergies

I have so far surmised that this "thing" is allergies - my throat was fine for the rest of yesterday, and rough again this morning only when I awoke. My nose is a little runny, but so are my eyes, and allergy meds seem to be keeping all mostly at bay. I am so glad it's not a sinus infection!!!
For a few reasons.
1. My sister is visiting tomorrow through Wednesday
2. We're going to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo Tuesday night, her birthday
3. I have to go to work, no matter how I'm feeling

Work is going ok, but I am NOT thrilled that they are dumping the entire Workers Comp process on me. I mean, first, I don't even really like dealing with numbers, and for what they're paying me, it is ridiculous. I am paid the same as the receptionist, from whom they have little expectation - and I get this. I'm a bit bitter.

Surly Saturday

Ok, I don't really feel surly overall, but my throat does. I'm hoping that the gargling-with-salt-water maneuver will do the trick. I'm crossing my fingers it's just allergies/time of year since I seem to have passed through the sickies at work, as they are all doing better now. What does worry me a little is that one woman with whom I have to closely work has been coughing a lot and sometimes breathes on me. UGH! But I am hoping to eliminate whatever ails me, hoping it's just allergies - which I never had until I moved to this region - as last year these allergies/sinus issues kicked me hard last year at "about" the same time - it was actually about a month earlier.

They're playin' basketball....

Sylvester Seay, Fresno State basketball #30

Last night B and I went to the SaveMart Center to see the men's basketball game, Fresno State v Nevada. Tickets were courtesy of my boss - and seats were in the 2nd row ON THE FLOOR, CENTER COURT. Excellent seats. My sister asked if I wiped any sweat off me, but we weren't _that_ close. ;-)
And tonight is the women's game, same schools - AND if you bring your ticket stub from last night, tickets are just $1 and it's a breast cancer fundraiser, as well. So.... we may go again tonight. The women's team is leading the league in several places, apparently.

A good thing about living here is that we are only 10 minutes from Fresno State, so getting to/from any event there is quite different than going in to the City. So for a 7 pm game, we're home just after 9.

Friday - notes...

Will revisit these later to add details about the day --
Derma
Indian lady at hospital library
Ulta
Valentine presents - Kym and Mom
Lunch at Ramzi's
Pink Nail Polish
Notes on a Scandal
Rain
Pedometer: shopping = more steps!

Trader Joe's

Thank you for joining me again for lunch. Today we have: Trader Joe's is a great place, especially for weekday lunches at work!

I am also making some headway on the St. Patrick puzzle Kym gave me and B for Christmas. Take a look at it - it is the hardest puzzle I have ever worked on. Mom thinks her red bird one was hard - and it was!! - but, yowza, this one is fierce.

Monday's lunch

It's too breezy to take a walk, and since it is lunch time and I am at my desk, come sit and have lunch with me!
I started with this: -- Can you believe this salad is only 130 calories, including dressing? -- and ended with this:
Well, ok, just one half of one "baton," not the whole box -- Lovely, decadent heart-healthy dark choco! It's smooth and somehow very snackable for dark choco.

I am drinking green tea for my beverage. I am nowhere near my 10,000 steps for the day, but my pedomaeter stays with me and every little bit helps!

A coworker has decided to go on a liquid diet this week, thinking it will help her prepare for the stomach stapling she is to undergo in a week and a half.

Of slumdogs and nail polish

Work was better overall this week - it's still not "comfortable," but at least I didn't come home in a funk every night.
Unfortunately, though, I had 3 migraines over the past week, and I hope it's not a continuing trend.
In fact, I couldn't even make it to church this morning due to the pain, as I only started to feel better about 10 minutes ago... and I took the meds over 2 hours ago. I'm guessing that later today I'll work on swatching more of my nail polish stash - See here for an example: It helps me to compare existing colors and to see what I have without having to pull out the bottles.

Yesterday afternoon, B and I splurged on a matinee at a regular retail cinema to see "Slumdog Millionaire." I really wanted to see it before it wins all the awards and because it's about Indian society. After having seen it, I won't be surprised when it picks up its awards (so far it has won 4 Golden Globes and 5 Critics Awards, and is up for 10 Academy Awards and 11 BAFTAs) and it's really a universal story in that it could have been shot anywhere in the world's impoverished areas. A work of fiction and based on Vika Swarup's novel Q and A, it apparently is very true-to-life.

... Which brings me to Friends of Mercy, which is run by a friend of mine, of sorts, the Reverend Mark Sell. His organization works to educate on Hospice Care in the US and to support AIDS orphans/widows and victims of Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya, primarily in the Kibera slums of Nairobi, in conjunction with the Meekers at Springs of Life Lutheran Church. I am sure that many of the storylines in "Slumdog Millionanire" could be easily translated to this region. Pr. Sell's organization does amazing work in caring for the physical and spiritual needs of the population it serves. One of my dreams is to be able to go with Friends of Mercy on one of its expeditions. The adult and children's Sunday School at B's congregation have been collecting money each week to help in this project. Of course, it's my "baby," so the support hasn't been great, but what doesn't seem like a lot here will surely help in Kenya. If you want to support, there are links on the websites to which I've linked above, or you can just contact me.

Whee.

I am sorry I haven't been keeping up with this, but so many days I feel like I have nothing to say.

And now that I've started the job, I am too tired to keep up. I'm in bed by 8 - and "hopefully" by 7 each night. I just am not a person who's been given a lot of energy resources, so I need a lot of sleep anytime I have scheduled activities, even if that activity consists of only being in an office all day. Being around other people is draining, and talking, meeting, running things - takes a lot out of me.

Right before I started the job, I was able to schedule my yearly diagnostic tests (the 24th) - and one turned out fine... the other, the mammo, was questionable. Of course, my first thought was that all was ok, since I'd had to go back with my very first mammo a little over 3 years ago. NP called the very next weekday (which happened to be my first day of work, the 26th)) and told me to expect a letter from the Women's Ctr... so I figured I'd wait until the letter came. The day after that (27th) I got a call from the Coordinator at the Women's Ctr, who wanted me to come in "tomorrow," so I figured it was a little more serious. Thankfully, my boss let me take the entire day off so that I could drive to Fremont to get the recheck done immediately - but woo, 3 hours to Fremont, 2 hours with mammo, radiologists and ultrasound, lunch with Mom at Falafel. Etc and 3 hours back to Fresno. Thankfully B drove and went with me.

Mom and Kym were also at the Women's Ctr for moral support since they know I get anxious (heh) - Mom was in pink (aw) and Kym brought me a beautiful blue scarf that she made. I need to get a photo of it and post it. After all that, the determination was to wait 6 months and check that side again, and if all's the same, 6 months again for the regular bilateral. Most of what was seen was the same as in Oct of 2005, but the additional sono that day showed a new spot, potentially a cyst - the borders of which appear "textbook simple cyst" but whose interior may be unusual. So we'll see.

Work is going ok, and everyone seems really nice - but again, the energy thing - on top of not really knowing what to do and the employer not really knowing what they want me to do. They want me to get them into safety compliance but then they throw other things on me because they're in such chaos in terms of order - both on the $ side of things and generally knowing where things are. It's very tough and I feel lost.

Not even going to mention the church things, except that I can no longer attend my husband's midweek evening class, nor will I be able to attend midweek Lenten services because I will need to be in bed by the time they even start, much less attend then drive back home the 30+ miles.

So right now it's pretty much office and sleep. Can't really have dinner because I'm not up long enough for my food to digest before bed. But it's ok - I have a good enough lunch to carry over. I'm not hungry when I get home anyway.

A New Year, A New Job

I start a job on the 26th - funny thing is, it's a newly created position, so they don't really know what to call it or what I'll be doing. Closest I can come to a label is Office Manager - they company seems to be quite successful in spite of itself. So I'll basically be making the office more efficient by creating and implementing policies and procedures for a better flow. Sounds simple, but it will be a challenge - the company is 8 years old and they've just sort of ambled through. Yee haw.

The environment otherwise seems to be a fairly pleasant one, so all should be well. Plus it gets me into the local job pool, and perhaps I can make other contacts.

On the parish side, things are nuts.

Logical?

Before I bore you with my recap of the past month and a half, click here: the quiz

It's a very quick (just 15 questions) quiz to gauge whether you think logically. Funnily enough, I scored 100%. I'm sure you will, too.