6-2-14

7:30am

 This will be a long post since I'm

trying to get caught up for the past week.

Mom took me to the ER 5-26 because

I was having severe stomach pains.

They ended up keeping me til 5-29.

They ran blood tests and a stool sample.

Said I was dehydrated, low on potassium.

Hooked me up to an IV with different antibiotics,

potassium and fluids.

Then I got sent in for a cat scan which said

I had severe colitis, an inflamed colon.

They did a test for C-Diff which came back

negative thank God!

After a day or two I was given a colonoscopy.

They also did biopsies which came back negative.

The colonoscopy did confirm the severe colitis inflammation.

 The nurses gave me dilauded for pain sometimes

Tylenol or Tylenol 3.

I went 28 hours the first day or so without any food or drink.

I wasn't allowed to have anything other than ice chips!

I was complaining of a headache and maybe some

other pain and I think the nurse gave me Tylenol 3.

Everyone (family) got worried when I threw up.
Well duh.  When you have no food in your belly

and codeine is given to you, yeah your stomach

is going to get upset.  I threw up one other time also.

After that I was put on a clear liquid diet.

I was so hungry by then eating broths, popcicles,

jello, ice water....yucky after awhile.

I finally was upgraded to a regular diet and 

pigged out lol.

On Thursday I saw my GI who wanted to keep

me for a couple more days but I was ready to go home.

I had to wait to clear it with the hospital doctor which

gave me the go ahead.  So I was released around 4pm.

 The stomach pains were almost gone and I had

my appetite back.  Diarrhea was still there and had no change.

So since Thursday I've been taking it a little slower than normal.

I don't lay in bed like I should if I'm not tired because

that makes me feel worse so instead I try to

get up and do things to keep moving.

Plus who wants to lay in bed after being in the hospital

confined to a bed all that time!

It was very hard the first couple of days

because I didn't think the hospital wanted me out of

bed like the last couple of times I was there

when they allowed me to walk the halls.

Instead this time around they gave me shots

every 8 hours in my stomach (on top of my stomach

pain and muscles hurting so bad, ughh)

to prevent blood clots.

Well all that time in bed resulted in me hardly being

able to walk the first couple of days out of the hospital.

It hurt so bad from my lower back to my thighs.

Everything had stiffened up.

It was horrible.

It's gotten better but there are times when my

my body starts hurting to the point of taking

Tylenol just to get some relief from body aches.

Like last night out on call with hubby.  We were out and about and 

the body pain started and I thought I would loose my mind

if I didn't get some relief soon so we stopped

at Speedway to get some Tylenol which helped so much.

 Hubby was on call at work this week but had 

some guys at work take call for him in the evenings

while I was in the hospital.

That would allow him to be able to come to the

hospital in the evenings with the kids.

But he was back on call from Friday to Sunday.

And yes I was back out going with him to work then.

I was tired of being cooped up in a hospital

with walls that felt like they were closing in on me!

Saturday morning we went to the flea market.

It was something to do.

I haven't been yard saling in three weeks

and was ready to try and walk the flea market slow and easy though.

It was a beautiful day so the flea market was packed

full of people and vendors.

I got me a large frosted cupcake scented candle for $1.00,

snack items for the kids for this week

like Cheez Its for a buck and a 6 pack of supersteak tomato plants
for $2.00.

 I got hubby a rolling toolbox for $7 talked down from $8.

I've always wanted to get him one of these

because his back and hips don't feel the greatest

and his tool boxes are HEAVY to pick up.
It has 3 different tool boxes on it that detach from one another.

I think we only had one emergency call Saturday but

still had to go to hubby's work to close 3 pools.

We took our boys to the pool at 7pm

to let them swim til close at 9pm.

I hate closing the pools because you never know

if you will have problems from people who've

been out there partying all day.

Sunday on call was more busy.

We had to go open all 3 pools by 9am.

Everything was quiet then so we went and did 

our grocery shopping for the week ( or more ).

This was a great grocery shopping trip.

I thought I had hit the jackpot with marked down meat.

It's been awhile since I scored like this so went crazy lol.

I've been finding that Kroger marked down meat

is still too expensive at times.  I mean really,

marking something down from $20 to $10

is not in my budget!

So here is what I got...

 Just remember to get 1 pound rolls of

Bob Evans sausage costs anywhere from $2.50 to $4.00 each!

So to find store butcher sausage at these

prices was a steal and I grabbed everything they had!!

With the rising cost of meat I was having a hay day!

Found tuna fish for .50 cents a can.
Stocked up with 10 cans.

1.40 pound pkg ground sausage $1.24 

1.44 pound pkg ground sausage $1.23

1.26 pound pkg ground sausage $1.21

1.39 pound pkg ground sausage $1.28

That's .89 cents a pound.

 1.36 pound pkg ground sausage $1.12

1.19 pound pkg ground sausage $1.05

1.15 pound pkg ground sausage $1.02

1.27 pound pkg ground sausage $1.13

1.25 pound pkg ground sausage $1.06

1.39 pound pkg ground sausage $1.23

1.20 pound pkg ground sausage $1.11

Pork cubed steak

$1.45

$1.52

2.58 pound boneless pork loin roast $2.29

2.44 pound boneless pork loin roast $2.37

2.20 pound boneless pork loin roast $1.95

That's .89 cents a pound!

After the grocery trip we got several work calls

from stoves not working, hot water tank needed replaced,

garbage disposal leaking, etc.

Ended up with 9 - 10 hours overtime

this weekend.

There's been a few move outs at hubby's work

this past weekend so I've been keeping my eye out for stuff.

I found 2 wireless routers.

180 count box plastic utensils,

bag of plastic cups,

decorative box,

popcorn,

small air compressor,

butterfly knife,

pocket knife.

 I also managed Sunday to get all my tomatoes planted.
I ended up with 20 tomato plants and
1 mystery plant.  I say mystery because it was
in one of the 6 packs of plants I bought of tomatoes
and planted it to see what it could be.
Could be a weed for all I know lol.
I've got Supersweet 100 cherry tomatoes,
Supersteak tomatoes
& Beefsteak tomatoes.

Remember they are having a largest tomato growing
contest at hubby's work this year.
Wasn't sure what plants to buy but I knew beefsteaks
were pretty big tomatoes and have grown
them before.  I hadn't heard of Supersteak so thought
they were like beefsteak but maybe bigger?

Once the plants start producing fruit I'll find a couple
plants to narrow down which ones I want to work on
growing the largest tomatoes.  Gotta be on the lookout
for the right flowers to bloom with a cluster not like
your typical single flower.  Then focus on making that
plant only grow that tomato and removing everything else
so the energy goes straight to growing it bigger.
The rest of the plants will be for home use.

When I planted the tomatoes I mixed epsom salt 
and egg shells into the soil.  A couple of plants
I forgot to put the egg shells in so placed them on
the soil around the plant.  Now I have birds stopping
by to eat the egg shells.  I guess they eat it
when needing calcium to make eggs for babies so
I've read.  Weird.


11:30am


Just got done paying bills.
That was a lot!
I had my regular bills plus a water bill
along with 2 doctor bills.
I think I am all caught up at the moment
on doctor bills.  I haven't seen anything new for awhile.
Then will come recent bills from the GI
and stragglers from the recent hospital stay.
Financial assistance covers all hospital costs
except for things like cat scans, xrays and such.


Alrighty, now if I feel energetic, huh huh huh,
I'm going to try to make a meal menu
out of the things I have in the pantry,
freezer and fridge and see how far I can stretch it.
LOL.  Remember the kids are out of school
so that means an extra meal and snacks each day.
Ughhh, this oughtta be fun.
The more I can stretch it the more I can save money
and not have to buy as much at the store.
Gonna need that extra money to use for doctor bills!


BREAKFASTS (rotate each week)

1.  Egg sandwiches
2.  Pancakes
3.  Cereal
4.  Egg sandwiches 
5.  Pancakes
6.  Cereal
7.  Egg sandwiches

LUNCHES (rotate each week)

1.  Hot dogs
2.  Bologna sandwiches
3.  Ramen noodles
4.  Grilled cheese & tomato soup
5.  Tuna macaroni
6.  Tuna fish sandwiches
7.  Chicken patty sandwiches

SNACKS
1.  popcorn
2.  Peanuts
3.  Cookies
4.  Cake
5.  Mandarine orange fluff
6.  Pudding
7.  Jello
8.  Teddy grahams
9.  Graham crackers with frosting
10.  Freezer pops

SUPPERS

1.  Pork cubed steak with mashed potatoes & gravy
2.  Fajitas 
3.  Tuna & noodles
4.  Lasagna casserole
5.  Spaghetti
6.  Pork chops, corn, stuffing
7.  Sausage biscuits & gravy
8.  Spaghetti (2x's)
9.  Pork roast, potatoes & gravy
10.  Pork roast, sauerkraut, potatoes & corn
11.  Pork roast, stuffing, scalloped potatoes
12.  Brats, macaroni & cheese
13.  Sausage links, fried eggs & pancakes
14.  Tuna & noodles (2x's)
15.  Breakfast casserole
16.  Oven tacos
17.  Goulash
18.  Quesadillas
19.  Stroganoff
20.  Sloppy Joes
21.  Meatball subs
22.  Sausage gravy over mashed potatoes
23.  Cheesy sausage sliders
24.  Creamed chipped beef over toast
25.  Fried rice, smoked sausage & mixed veggies
26.  Scalloped potatoes, smoked sausage & creamed green beans

Well that's as far as I have gotten.
Almost a month's worth.
I haven't checked my freezer in the basement
to see what's in there to make even more meals out of!
This is only from the upstairs fridge/freezer, pantry
and what I put in mom's freezer.
I'll post this on my fridge and cross of meals as I make them.


1:20pm


I've kept the air conditioner off today so far.
It actually don't feel too bad in here.
Any way to cut back and save money I'm all for it.
Kids aren't complaining.
Windows open and fans blowing.


3:10pm


I laid down for a little bit.  The first nap I've taken since being home.

I was reading Chris Bradley's weather report for upcoming storms
for Wednesday.   He said there is a possibility that this storm
expected late afternoon after 4:00pm could cause a
bow affect.  Y'all remember what that is called right?
Derecho.  The Super Derecho that hit us a couple years
back took out power for 3 to 7 plus days.
Just be prepared in case we have any more major
storms or power outages.
Have cash on hand, fuel in the cars and for generators
emergency food & water and things ready
like batteries & flashlights or solar garden lights
charged up for back up light sources.
I prefer these over candlelight due to fire hazards.
I know blah, blah, blah same stuff different day.
Don't say I didn't tell you to prepare for if it does happen again.
While I have an emergency food supply
which does not require an appliance to heat or cook
I also have a power inverter for my truck
should I want to plug a crock pot into it
and cook a meal.  I also have the saucer like coffee cup
or candle warmers that I can plug into it also 
should we want to warm up a cup of soup,
veggies or what not from a can.
I just bought a new battery last week for my truck
so I'm ready to roll.
FYI if you need a battery for cheap
Interstate Batteries sells reconditioned batteries
for around $40 or so!  Installed is $58 with tax.

Whelp, time to go take some Tylenol
because I'm getting body aches.
My shoulders are starting to hurt again.
Gets hard to put my arms up to even brush my hair.
Then time to put the crock pot in the crock.
I made today's supper yesterday 
so it's already cooked just needs warmed.
 I have pork cube steaks with a packet of
onion soup mix, a can of cream of chicken soup
and about a half soup can of water.
I also need to cut up some potatoes and
boil them for mashed potatoes.
Serve with cubed steaks and soup as the gravy
for the potatoes.