Two ER Trips Later...

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a small little pimple on my leg.  Fast forward a week, and I had several angry looking blisters.  They weren't painful, just annoying, because I couldn't shave my legs.  Then last Wednesday, the one you see in the picture above showed up.  At first, it was a little spot.  After about 24 hours, it started hurting.  Bad.  I showed my mom, who is a nurse, and she suggested I go to the ER, saying she thought it might be an infection of some sort.  Up until this point, I thought they were from sweating, because they were mostly on the backs of my thighs, and sitting in the van all day, I sweat there.

I put off going to the ER for a couple of days, but by Friday, the pain was bad enough that I went.  The doctor took one look at my legs and said I am fighting some type of infection, and put me on antibiotics.  He said if that blister up there was a little more "well formed" they would have cut it.

Um, no thanks.

After three doses of the antibiotic, I woke up this morning with a nasty rash on my upper legs.  I called my mom again, thinking I was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, since I am allergic to penicillin.  She said I needed to go back to the ER, so that's what I did.

Turns out, I have a pretty bad yeast infection.  I thought you only got those on your girly parts, but the doctor said you could get them anywhere.  He said it could be from the antibiotics or that my body is simply fighting the other infection so hard that I will pick up every other little thing.  Fun, right?

So he gave me a prescription cream and another type of pill, so now I am on three different medicines. He also suggested I take benedryl, which if you know me at all, you know how bad an idea that is.  I do not do well on medicines that cause drowsiness, so my mom gave me some children's benedryl, and I took a 1/4 tsp, and at this moment, I am fighting to stay awake.

I just hope that by the end of this week everything is cleared up and I am back to normal.

Veripur Hand Sanitizer Moisturizer Review

I hate hand sanitizer.  I hate the way it smells and I hate the way it burns my hands, especially in the winter when they are all cracked and dry.  Despite the pain and the smell, I always use it.  I carry a bottle in my purse at all times.  It comes in handy after using a public restroom, or after a coughing fit.  And we have been having a lot of those lately, thanks to this wonderful flu the girls and I have been battling. 

I was thrilled when I discovered Veripur Hand Sanitizer Moisturizer.  This stuff if amazing.  The tube I have is unscented, and there is seriously no scent to it at all.  You know how some unscented stuff is actually pretty smelly...this is not one of those products.  There is no alcohol smell because this sanitizer is alcohol free.  This also means there is no burning (yay!).  As a bonus, it even makes you hands all smooth, thanks to the added hydrating ingredients including avacado, jojoba, and grape seed oil.  

Here are the specifics:

• kills 99.9% of germs upon application
• protects for 4 hours after application
• non-drying and alcohol free
• contains hydrating moisturizers
• helps prevent the spread of germs
• tested and proven effective against 20 commonly found strains of bacteria and four viruses
• convenient size

You can buy this product exclusively at Walgreens.  The 3 ounce tube I have costs $5.99, and they also have a 13 ounce pump for $10.99.  You can also buy it online here.

My tube is living happily in my purse.  It replaced the alcohol based one I used to carry, and even the kids are grateful for that, because I have been making them use it all the time.  I not only want to protect them from germs, I also want to keep from spreading our germs.  As of right now, my son and husband have avoided catching the flu from us girls, and I want to keep it that way.

I wrote this review while participating in a Mom Central Consulting blog tour on behalf of Veripur Hand Sanitizer Moisturizer. I received a Veripur product sample and a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate

Where Should We Put A Hot Tub, If We Could Afford One?

I'm sick.  I woke up yesterday morning after a night of nausea feeling like I had been hit by a truck.  This morning (after only sleeping about five hours) I woke up with swollen, itchy eyes, sneezing, and a nice cough.  I am about ready to crawl back into bed.  I think another day of laziness might just be what the doctor ordered.

Junior has been keeping the kids busy, which mean they haven't been bothering me.  The girls have been cleaning their room and doing laundry, while Ryan helps Junior clean up the yard.  I have to admit to being impressed, too.  The guys have raked all the leaves and trash up, and put everything in the shed where it belongs.  Our house seems to be where everyone's trash ends up when the wind blows, which means it is always messy looking.  Junior has spoken to our maintenance guys about doing some improvements outside, like repainting the outside of the house and maybe adding on to the front porch.  I have always wanted a porch where we could put a table and chairs, and maybe our grill, but the one we have is no where near big enough for that.  The maintenance guy said we could do whatever we wanted, as long as it was up to code, so when we get some extra money, Junior will start construction.  I have a feeling he is going to spend the next couple of weeks checking out covered patio design ideas online before we decide exactly what we want to do.   If he gets his way, we'll have a hot tub and big screen television out there.  I am not opposed to this, but I don't want a hot tub by my front door.  Maybe I can convince him that he needs to extend the side porch.  The only problem with that is that the side porch is right by the road, which means we would have absolutely no privacy.  The ideal would be building a back porch, but we don't have a back door, so that's out of the question. 

Maybe we'll just wait until we can afford to buy a place of our own before we put in a hot tub.

If It's Not One Thing...

I am finally starting to get over this cold.  My chest is still a little tight, and I get tired easily, but I think I am on the mend.  Brandi stayed home from school to get over her cold, and Junior came home from work with a migraine.  If you remember, this cold started with a migraine for me, too, so I know where Junior is headed.  It wouldn't be so bad for him if his ankle wasn't already hurting.  He doesn't remember doing anything to it, but it has been sore for a couple of days now.  I told him he needs to go to the doctor to get some medicine, but he insists that he's fine and if he needs something, he will buy tramadol without prescription online.  That stuff is supposed to help your muscles relax, so I'm not sure why he thinks it will help his ankle.  Are there even muscles in your ankle?

I just wish we would all get over this cold and feel better already.

I've Been Sick. Really Sick. Like, My Head Is Going To Explode Sick.

That's right.  Ryan gave me his head cold, and it sucks.  I hate not being able to breathe through my nose.  I hate that my throat is on fire, so I can't swallow without pain.  I hate that I can't go three minutes without sneezing.

Last night, I took some cold medicine, which usually knocks me out for about 24 hours.  No joke.  I have no tolerance for medicine.  Well, apparently, this cold is different, because I was up at 4am this morning, and could not fall back to sleep.  Even after the kids got on the bus, I couldn't fall back to sleep.  which means right now, I could lay over and fall right to sleep, but I can't.  I have work to do.  Stuff that can't wait until tomorrow.

Why don't Mommies get to take sick days?  Junior gets to curl up on the couch for two days when he doesn't feel good.  Why can't I?

I Think I Might Be Sick. I Mean, Really Sick.

I woke up yesterday not being able to breathe.  Not congested, but my chest felt heavy, and it was difficult to take a deep breath.  I ended up napping for most of the morning, then we took a trip to Walmart, which completely drained me.

I should have stayed home.

I was freezing cold, and the sweating two seconds later.  My entire body hurt, and then around 1am, the fun part started.  I am a huge baby, and I hate throwing up.  I hate it.  But, I made it through the night, and am not feeling very much better.  I have been able to keep down a few sips of soda, but I am afraid to eat.  (I'm not really hungry anyway) 

I am just praying that the kids don't get whatever it is that I have.

It's Been A While Since I've Been Sick. I Guess I Had It Coming.

I woke up this morning having a hard time breathing.  I haven't felt like this since before I quit smoking.  All I want to do is spend the day in bed, but I'm a mom, so that doesn't happen.  Even though the kids are old enough to be self-sufficient, there are still things only the mom can do.  So, after napping on and off from about noon until three, I am out of bed and trying to get some work done.  It's insane how on the days I feel fine, there are no paid opps to be found.  Today, I am completely overwhelmed, and most of them need to be done before tonight. 

I guess that means I'll get to sleep later...or maybe I'll take one more little nap now...

I'm Lucky, And I Know It

I read hundreds of blogs a day.  I know, it's crazy, but as I drop ecards, I always check out a blogs newest post, even though I don't comment.  Some blogs are funny, while others are extremely serious and boring.  And then there are the ones that tug at my heart. 

I blog honestly.  I talk about my kids, and my husband, and whatever else is on my mind.  There is no rhyme or reason to this blog, other than to have a journal of my life.  My kids may be interested in reading all of this one day.  If they do, I hope they can see in my words how much they mean to me.

There are parents out there dealing with neurological diseases in their children. Reading what these moms and dads write brings me to tears sometimes.  It makes me take a second and really think about how lucky I am that my kids were born healthy, and continue to be healthy.  I am not looking online for epilepsy treatments or ways to prolong the life of my child.  It is so sad to read what some kids are going through, yet I get sucked in, and feel like I am fighting along with their families.   But isn't that what a blog is for?  To find support and encouragement?

I get tired of reading some blogs where all they are worried about is "making it big".  These people drive me nuts.  One day they are begging for sponsors to get to the big conferences, and the next they are claiming that they will never blog again, because someone else is getting better endorsements.  Now, don't get me wrong here.  I have been known to complain a little when gooogle drops my ranks, or I miss a high paying opportunity, but I don't think I have ever threatened to quit blog because of it.  The people who do are just looking for comments, wanting their egos stroked.

Sorry, but that is not my thing.  If you want to stop blogging, stop talking about it, and just stop blogging.

Okay, I think I got a little off topic here.  I was trying to write about how lucky I am to be a mom of healthy children.  I know I am, and I thank God every night for it.  I also say a little prayer for all those blog mommies out there who aren't as lucky.

My Day. It Was A Long, But Good One

Brandi is still sick.  Well, I say sick because she is running a fever, but she has no other symptoms.  When I ask how she feels, she says nothing hurts (ears, throat, chest, stomach), she just doesn't feel good.  For a while this afternoon, her fever broke, and I thought she was doing better.  She even got in the pool for awhile.  When we got back home, her temp was back to 101.7.  I'm thinking we might just hang out at home tomorrow and let her, and Junior, start feeling better.

Junior's hand is looking better.  It is in no way looking good, but it look better than it did yesterday.  This is a good thing, because it means he won't go in for surgery on Monday.  Huge sigh of relief.  I think the high dose of antibiotics is doing the trick.  He is still hurting, but the pain medicine is making it bearable.

I spent today with my mom, sister, Grandmother, and my favorite aunt.  I was so close to her growing up, and it was wonderful to spend time with her today.  She has to fly back to Florida in the morning, so I dragged Brandi over to my mom's house and set her up in bed with her movies while I visited.  Do I get the bad mom award for that?  I am not usually emotional, but I cried when I saw my Aunt today.  It's been about 6 years since I have seen her.  When I was little, I used to spend weeks at a time at her house.  If we had a vacation from school, I was at her house.  During the summer, I spent weeks on end over there.  She is the only person in the world still allowed to call me Jenny.

I guess that's about it.  I am beat, and ready for bed.  I know I have said this before, but swimming, and being in the sun, wears me out!

When It Rains, It Freakin' Pours!

Junior's hand is a mess.  He had to go back to the ER this morning to have it checked, and the doctor didn't like the way it looked.  He didn't think the antibiotic was working well, and Junior lost some range of motion in his hand, so the doctor sent him to a specialist.

The specialist really didn't like the way it looks.  He put Junior on another antibiotic (a very high dosage) and finally gave the poor guy some pain medicine.  He also re-packed the wound, and showed Junior how to do it himself, because between now and Monday, Junior has to pull the old dressing out and put in a new one, twice a day.  We had to get a special (aka expensive) medicated gauze to go into the wound.  If the medicine doesn't kick in over the weekend, Junior is looking at having surgery Monday morning.

Fun, right?  The poor guy is freaking out, and I can't blame him.  They are talking about going in and scraping out the infection.  I used a black sharpie to outline the redness today, that way we will know for sure if there is any improvement.  I remember them doing the same thing to my boob.  I am hoping and praying that by tomorrow we see it getting better, and that there is real improvement by Sunday.  If you find it in your heart, send up a little prayer too. It would be greatly appreciated.

To top off today, Brandi decided to get sick.  She is running a fever (101.2) and not feeling great.  I was supposed to babysit my nephew in the morning, and my grandmother and aunt are coming in tomorrow, too.  If she still has a fever in the morning, we won't be able to go see them.  I'm not to worried about seeing my grandmother, because she will be here all week.  My aunt is leaving on Sunday, though, and I really wanted to see her.

We are also supposed to go to my dad's house on father's Day, but I am not too sure if Junior will be up to socializing.  Right now, he is in a drug induced sleep (thank you lortab!), and I think he wants to stay that way.  I can't blame the guy, though.  If there was gauze stuffed into a cut on my hand, I'd be wanting to sleep away the pain, too.

I am off to get some work done, and maybe go take Brandi to bed.  She is looking pretty pitiful. :(

I Feel Like, Well, Crap

I hate when I don't feel good. 

I just took a four hour nap, and it didn't help one bit. 

I am hoping this queasy feeling doesn't turn into something worse.

I also hope no one else in the house gets it.

I think I might just go back to bed...

My Chest Hurts

I have got a nasty cough, and it is making it hard for me to sleep. Every time I lay down, I have a coughing fit.

So, I had Junior take me to walmart so I could get some medicine, and I expect to spend the next 24 hours sleeping.

I'm not kidding...I do not do well with medicine. Even the day time formulas make me sleepy. I will have to drag my butt out of bed tomorrow, because Brandi's best friend from her old school is having a birthday party tomorrow, and Brandi is so excited to go. Then Sunday we are going to my mom's to celebrate the March birthdays. So, that means I need to get my rest tonight.

I'm off to pop some pills....

More Sickness

Junior came home from work sick today. I was hoping and praying that what Kasi had at the beginning of the week had left the house, but apparently not. Now I am hoping and praying that the rest of us don't get it, even as I sit her feeling a little nauseous myself. I don't think I am going to make it through the night without getting sick myself.

We shall see.

I hated that Junior had to drive home feeling like he did. It's a good thing he didn't wreck the van. That would have been bad, considering we just paid the thing off. I wouldn't want to have to consider using an autobody irvine repair shop to have it fixed while Junior recuperates. He would hate that. I mean, he can't even get off the couch to refill his drink, but he will go out and work on the van.

Men and their priorities.

Thankfully a family friend brought over some ginger ale and soup, complete with crackers. He even offered to take Junior to the hospital, which he declined. My mom just got over that nasty norovirus, so I am pretty sure that is what Junior has. He should be feeling better in a day or so. Brandi was invited to a birthday party this weekend, and I really wanted her to go. But, if we are sick, that's not going to be possible.

She is going to be pretty disappointed.

The Bug Has Hit Our House

Last week, my mom and sister both got "the bug". It seems this virus is everywhere, knocking people on their butts pretty quickly. They were feeling better over the weekend, so we got together with them on both Saturday and Sunday. I guess they wanted to share with us, because Kasi got it two nights ago, and spent yesterday on the couch with a pretty high fever. Thankfully, she is feeling a little better today, and really wants to go back to school tomorrow. Imagine that, a kid who wants to go to school.

I called my mom this morning, and she said she has it again, only worse. I am sitting here praying that no one else in my house gets it, and my mom is struck with it twice. Not good.

Hopefully, Junior and I won't get it. I don't want him to end up having to be out of work, and I find it hard to run this house when I am sick. Another concern is that we do not have health insurance. The kids are covered by Medicaid, but Junior and I have nothing. If we need to see a doctor, it's a trip to the emergency room that costs way too much money. We have looked into getting insurance, but what they offer through Junior's work is outrageous. Even for just the two of us, it is too expensive. I have heard good things about Blue Cross Blue Shield, and have been on Junior to call them and see how much a policy will be for us. It has been years since we have had insurance, and the older we get, the more I worry about something serious happening to us. Junior doesn't come from a very good gene pool, as both of his parents fought cancer in their fifties. He is almost 44 now, and if the time comes that he has some health issues, I want us to be covered.

Of course, finding the right policy with the right provider is going to take some time, and a lot of research. But, in the end, it will be worth it.

My Poor Baby

Brandi is sick, yet again. Another upper respiratory infection. She is out of school until Friday, and I am not sure yet if I will even send her then. She has been running a low fever, and I like for the kids to be fever free for 24 hours before they go back to school.

I ended up taking her to the ER, because we couldn't get in to see our doctor due to therapy. After three hours and a couple of chest xrays, we were finally on our way home with a prescription for Robitussin plus codeine (or some type of special stuff), which of course her insurance wouldn't cover. Thankfully it was inexpensive, and we actually had the money to fill it ourselves. So, right now she is medicated, and trying to not fall asleep so she can watch Wizards at 11.

I don't think she is going to make it.

Home Sick, Yet Again

I let Brandi stay home again today. Last night before bed, she got upset, and said she didn't know why. This usually means she isn't feeling too great. When I woke her up this morning, she immediately started crying, which was odd. I told her to go ahead and get dressed, but as soon as she got out of the bed, she started coughing. It was a deep, croupy kinda cough, and the more she coughed, the harder she cried. I knew there was no way she would make it through the day, so she's home with me yet again. This kid has missed so much school, I am waiting for them to sick the truancy officer after me.

I was happy not to have to go out in the 30 degree temperatures this morning to walk her to the bus stop. Instead, we piled back into bed and sleep the morning away. She is now bundled up on the recliner watching Hotel For Dogs. And feeling fine.

That;s usually the way it goes, though.

Grilled Cheese And Soup

Sounds yummy, right?

It was. With all of us fighting colds, I decided that soup was on order for supper tonight. I also made grilled cheese with american and provolone cheese. Junior skipped work today, and is staying home again tomorrow. His cold is bad in his chest, and it hurts him to breathe. He refuses to go to the hospital, and is self medicating with nyquil.

If he's not better by Saturday, or at least showing improvement, then he is going whether he likes it or not.

Carson And Lylah

I thought you guys might enjoy a picture of my newest little niece and her big brother. Notice the hand holding her head...precious! It also warms my heart that my sister uses the blanket I made for the baby...even carrying it to the hospital with her. Colleen called this afternoon and asked if I wanted to spend the day at her house tomorrow...of course I wanted to, but I have developed quite an annoying cold, and am sneezing and congested. I think my eyes hurting was the beginning, because all day today they have done nothing but water. But, having a cold means no baby love, so I will be sitting home. As much as I want to see them, I do not want to get anyone sick, especially little Lylah.

I just better be over this by Saturday...Brandi will kill me if we can't visit then...she has yet to meet her newest little cousin.

Still Home Sick

Brandi has pretty much lost her voice. Her fever is still around 101, and her cough is worse this morning. I gave her the cough medicine and motrin, and am torturing her by making her sit and watch television-no playing. The more she moves, the more she coughs, and it hurts her chest.

I spoke to the school nurse today, and they are going to get her work together, and I am going to go pick it up later. We'll spend time tonight and tomorrow getting it done, so when she goes back on Thursday, she isn't too far behind.

That's if she goes back on Thursday. I prefer not to send her to school with a fever.

Is That A Happy Face?

Brandi was not at all happy that she had to wear a mask at the hospital. I wish we were able to go to our regular doctor instead of spending 4 HOURS in the ER, but the kids insurance is still messed up, so we didn't have a choice.

When we were in triage, the nurse said her symptoms...tummy ache, sore throat, fever, cough...sounded like the flu, so she was given a mask to wear. She hated it. There were so many people there wearing them, though, so it's not like she stood out.

When we finally saw the doctor, he said she has an upper respiratory infection, but it's viral, so no antibiotics. He said to get a DM cough syrup, and keep her out of school until Thursday, because apparently she is extremely contagious. That's not good news for the rest of us.

Her fever finally broke, and has stayed down for a few hours now. I had to beg for tylenol while we were waiting in the ER...her fever was up and she was on fire.

She is still up right no, watching Hannah Montana. I am going to call the school in the morning to get her work so she isn't too far behind when she goes back on Thursday. We are also working on her animal project. She got to choose any animal that does not live in SC to do a report on, and she chose, what else, but an elephant.

Gotta love this kid.