Here I am, sitting in my last class of the day. The kids' grades are in, except for the end-of-course scores, which won't be in until tomorrow. The kids are watching a movie on the other computer via projector, and I'm slowly trying not to go crazy. I have never, EVER wanted summer vacation to get here more in my life as I had this summer.
It has been a long, tiring year. We've all been through a lot, my little family and myself. Sickness, death...it's been a long struggle. This has been a hard year for Greg school-wise, and I know he's ready to rest and recharge.
I'm ready.
I've been on my CPAP monitor for almost a month, so I'm finally beginning to sleep a bit through the night. My health is getting better. Now all I need is to lose some weight...yeah, something I've been saying all my life.
But hopefully it will happen.
All I know is I can't wait to rest, relax, dig in my garden, eat fresh vegetables and can them, and just be at home.
It will be fantastic.
Let the countdown to summer begin.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
It's been a long, long, time...
Wow. I can't believe how long it has been since I've had an entry in this blog. So many things have happened since July of last year...way too many to put down in one entry, so I guess I'll hit the highlights.
The biggest, and worst news of all, is that our family lost our dear Nadine in October. She succumbed to the brain tumors that were discovered by the doctors in June, and quickly deteriorated until God chose to take her home. She was surrounded by family and friends in her last moments. She will be missed forever--she was a beautiful, kind, loving lady. I was lucky to have such a wonderful mother-in-law.
Greg is plugging away at school--doing well, making good grades. Hopefully in another year or so he will be teaching. He's excited, and I can't wait to see him in "action" as a teacher. He truly loves the special ed kids, and he'll be so good with them.
My "bonus" son is wonderful, as usual--getting more handsome all the time, about to turn 11 in March, and smart as a whip. Makes awesome grades. He's pretty darn near perfect.
Biggest news with me is health-related, of course...seems like the past three years I've done nothing but fall apart physically. I had major hospitalizations in 2007 & 2008, managed to escape 2009 without one, but man, did I bust 2010 wide open!
January 6th or so I had a stomach pain attack and went to the ER--not here, in Murfreesboro. I won't go back here to the hospital unless it's a life or death situation. Anyway, turns out it was a partial bowel obstruction, which corrected itself with a few days of no food/drink and a tube down my nose into my stomach (ugh). The surgeon scheduled an appt. to talk about surgery in the summer so I wouldn't have to be out of work...
nope.
January 25th I had another attack, only worse. Much worse. This time it was a total bowel obstruction, and the doctor had to operate, no putting it off. So he went in and fixed two hernias and removed 1 1/2 feet of my intestine which was damaged from the hernia. I've been on medical leave ever since (no pay, of course). I go back to work Monday...I can't wait. I know my kids can't wait, because they've told me so.
So that's the update, in a nutshell. Hopefully, I'll get better about keeping this thing up to date.
The biggest, and worst news of all, is that our family lost our dear Nadine in October. She succumbed to the brain tumors that were discovered by the doctors in June, and quickly deteriorated until God chose to take her home. She was surrounded by family and friends in her last moments. She will be missed forever--she was a beautiful, kind, loving lady. I was lucky to have such a wonderful mother-in-law.
Greg is plugging away at school--doing well, making good grades. Hopefully in another year or so he will be teaching. He's excited, and I can't wait to see him in "action" as a teacher. He truly loves the special ed kids, and he'll be so good with them.
My "bonus" son is wonderful, as usual--getting more handsome all the time, about to turn 11 in March, and smart as a whip. Makes awesome grades. He's pretty darn near perfect.
Biggest news with me is health-related, of course...seems like the past three years I've done nothing but fall apart physically. I had major hospitalizations in 2007 & 2008, managed to escape 2009 without one, but man, did I bust 2010 wide open!
January 6th or so I had a stomach pain attack and went to the ER--not here, in Murfreesboro. I won't go back here to the hospital unless it's a life or death situation. Anyway, turns out it was a partial bowel obstruction, which corrected itself with a few days of no food/drink and a tube down my nose into my stomach (ugh). The surgeon scheduled an appt. to talk about surgery in the summer so I wouldn't have to be out of work...
nope.
January 25th I had another attack, only worse. Much worse. This time it was a total bowel obstruction, and the doctor had to operate, no putting it off. So he went in and fixed two hernias and removed 1 1/2 feet of my intestine which was damaged from the hernia. I've been on medical leave ever since (no pay, of course). I go back to work Monday...I can't wait. I know my kids can't wait, because they've told me so.
So that's the update, in a nutshell. Hopefully, I'll get better about keeping this thing up to date.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Oatmeal That Tastes Like Peanut Butter Cookies...
I love oatmeal. In fact, it's just about the only cereal I will eat in the mornings, period. I also love peanut butter (but not as much as my Greg does, trust me). As I was making my morning oatmeal the other day, I was trying to figure out how to get some protein in my breakfast without adding more carbs, when it hit me--peanut butter has carbs. Why not add it to the oatmeal? Yeah!
The final product was yummy--as Greg and I have proclaimed it, "a peanut butter cookie in a bowl." Here's the concoction for each serving:
Just add the peanut butter and sweetener to the hot oatmeal and stir well. It has about 350 calories, 20 grams of fat (GOOD fat), and 35 carbs. Sounds like a lot, but you get waaaay more than that in a fast food breakfast, right? right.
The final product was yummy--as Greg and I have proclaimed it, "a peanut butter cookie in a bowl." Here's the concoction for each serving:
- 1 serving hot, cooked old-fashioned oats (don't use instant--ugh!)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter (we used chunky)
- sweetener of choice to equal 2 tsp of sugar (I used a mix of stevia and splenda, as they are natural sweeteners, but don't mess with a diabetic's blood sugar)
Just add the peanut butter and sweetener to the hot oatmeal and stir well. It has about 350 calories, 20 grams of fat (GOOD fat), and 35 carbs. Sounds like a lot, but you get waaaay more than that in a fast food breakfast, right? right.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Tuesday Morning...
Another quiet summer morning here at home for me as I wait for Greg to come home from his mom and dad's. Poor Nadine is steadily growing worse, both physically and mentally. We are going to the neurologist in Murfreesboro this afternoon to get a report, and hopefully some news on a course of treatment. Tomorrow we meet with the oncology group.
I'll report when I know something.
I'll report when I know something.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Updates on a Wednesday...and a rant about doctors and diabetes!!
I'm home from the doctor in Murfreesboro; Mama and I both had an appointment about our eyesight. Mama had great news--her eyesight had miniscule changes and she doesn't have to come back for a year--yay!
My news wasn't great, but wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. There was a problem, but Dr. Cherney felt that since my diabetes was getting under control so quickly that the problem might correct itself without any laser surgery. I was so thrilled! The idea of somone taking a laser to my eyeballs was not exactly tickling me pink.
When I think of how long I probably went with my Type 1 diabetes undiagnosed, it angers me so much....I know it went on at least two years because when my gallbladder was taken out my blood sugar was over 600 then. What did I hear from the surgeon and my then-primary doctor? "You need to eat better and take better care of yourself, and your sugar will go down." I WAS eating fine, thank you very much, but the fact is when almost anyone in health care sees a person who is heavy they (like most people in society) assume that heavy person eats constantly and eats the wrong foods. WRONG. I guarantee you there are people 1/3 my size that eat 3x more than I do all over this planet. But do you think those doctors listened to me? Nope.
Finally, along came Dr. Bryan Chastain, God Bless Him. He was the man who saved my life, and believed me when no one else would listen. I went to him because he was Greg's doctor, and he spent time talking to me, asking me questions, and checking out my health to see what was really going on with me. When he couldn't get my blood sugar under control, he sent me to someone who COULD. That was the Eskind Diabetes Clinic at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Within two months, my Hemoglobin A1C went from 10.8 (dangerously high) to 8.5 (1.5 point from high normal). The clinic has helped me feel so much better about myself, and feel so much better pysically. When I think of how long I have felt so tired, so sick, so depressed BECAUSE I was so tired and sick, I want to scream at those other doctors for robbing me of all that time of my life I missed out on. I feel so sad for my last two years of students for not being "all of me" the last two years of my teaching. Look out next year's 10th grade--woo hoo! Now all I have to do is go get some new glasses, and I'll be all set!
Another update...our sweet Nadine is still in limbo. No news, except that there are two scheduled dr. appointments next week regarding the tumor in her head. Her mental state drifts in and out--she is lucid one day, a bit lost the next, hallucinating the next. Her gait is more staggering day by day, and her legs are very weak, as are her arms. She is having a very hard time sleeping at night, and sleeps fitfully off and on during the day. We are all trying to be brave and positive, anxiously awaiting the doctor visits and dreading them at the same time. It's going to be a million years until Tuesday, and yet it will be here too soon.
Please keep Nadine in your prayers...
My news wasn't great, but wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. There was a problem, but Dr. Cherney felt that since my diabetes was getting under control so quickly that the problem might correct itself without any laser surgery. I was so thrilled! The idea of somone taking a laser to my eyeballs was not exactly tickling me pink.
When I think of how long I probably went with my Type 1 diabetes undiagnosed, it angers me so much....I know it went on at least two years because when my gallbladder was taken out my blood sugar was over 600 then. What did I hear from the surgeon and my then-primary doctor? "You need to eat better and take better care of yourself, and your sugar will go down." I WAS eating fine, thank you very much, but the fact is when almost anyone in health care sees a person who is heavy they (like most people in society) assume that heavy person eats constantly and eats the wrong foods. WRONG. I guarantee you there are people 1/3 my size that eat 3x more than I do all over this planet. But do you think those doctors listened to me? Nope.
Finally, along came Dr. Bryan Chastain, God Bless Him. He was the man who saved my life, and believed me when no one else would listen. I went to him because he was Greg's doctor, and he spent time talking to me, asking me questions, and checking out my health to see what was really going on with me. When he couldn't get my blood sugar under control, he sent me to someone who COULD. That was the Eskind Diabetes Clinic at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Within two months, my Hemoglobin A1C went from 10.8 (dangerously high) to 8.5 (1.5 point from high normal). The clinic has helped me feel so much better about myself, and feel so much better pysically. When I think of how long I have felt so tired, so sick, so depressed BECAUSE I was so tired and sick, I want to scream at those other doctors for robbing me of all that time of my life I missed out on. I feel so sad for my last two years of students for not being "all of me" the last two years of my teaching. Look out next year's 10th grade--woo hoo! Now all I have to do is go get some new glasses, and I'll be all set!
Another update...our sweet Nadine is still in limbo. No news, except that there are two scheduled dr. appointments next week regarding the tumor in her head. Her mental state drifts in and out--she is lucid one day, a bit lost the next, hallucinating the next. Her gait is more staggering day by day, and her legs are very weak, as are her arms. She is having a very hard time sleeping at night, and sleeps fitfully off and on during the day. We are all trying to be brave and positive, anxiously awaiting the doctor visits and dreading them at the same time. It's going to be a million years until Tuesday, and yet it will be here too soon.
Please keep Nadine in your prayers...
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Pardon me Roy, I'm at the Chattanooga Choo Choo...
So I'm at a conference on the new curriculum standards, and I'm staying at the historic Chattanooga Choo Choo. It is very nice, and since I booked through hotwire.com, I got the room for a steal. Better yet, the state of TN is going to reimburse me, so it will be free eventually...yay! I am trying very hard to enjoy myself, but there's so much going on at home.
My mother-in-law is having a terrible health scare right now, and I so wish I was back home for that. I talked to Greg last night and told him I was coming home, but he insisted I stay. He said there was nothing I could do if I were here. Still...
The thing is, I just told Greg a few days ago that I had not been able to shake the feeling of dread that came over me all of a sudden one night. I hope that it's just a coincidence.
Please keep our Nadine in your prayers. She is one of the sweetest and most loving ladies I have ever known.
My mother-in-law is having a terrible health scare right now, and I so wish I was back home for that. I talked to Greg last night and told him I was coming home, but he insisted I stay. He said there was nothing I could do if I were here. Still...
The thing is, I just told Greg a few days ago that I had not been able to shake the feeling of dread that came over me all of a sudden one night. I hope that it's just a coincidence.
Please keep our Nadine in your prayers. She is one of the sweetest and most loving ladies I have ever known.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Two Years Ago Today...
The greatest man in the world made me the happiest woman in the world...the best part? Life just gets better with every passing day. There's no better feeling than knowing you've found someone who loves you no matter what happens, who stands by you and protects you with all his heart, who thinks you are way more beautiful than you really are, who calls you his best friend (and means it), and who still makes your heart skip a beat when he walks in the room.
Two years ago today, I was happy and thrilled to become the wife of such a wonderful man. Two years later, I am even more happy to be his wife. That short walk down the aisle was the beginning of the greatest journey of my life.
The song we played at our wedding is linked on my Twitter posts to your right--I tried to post it here, but to no avail.
Have a great day everyone--I know I will!
Two years ago today, I was happy and thrilled to become the wife of such a wonderful man. Two years later, I am even more happy to be his wife. That short walk down the aisle was the beginning of the greatest journey of my life.
The song we played at our wedding is linked on my Twitter posts to your right--I tried to post it here, but to no avail.
Have a great day everyone--I know I will!
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