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.




 

5-24-14

9:30am

I have not been feeling well with 

all over throbbing, stomach pains, tiredness

and more than usual bathroom trips.

I keep chugging along with half a smile but I make sure

my family (in my house) knows that I haven't

been feeling well and to know what 

to expect from me when doing things.

I started taking my medicine and ibuprofen

for pain.  I haven't really taken my medicine in

almost 6 months but have been for the last week.  

First of all I didn't see where it

was doing me any good when I still landed

in the hospital twice.  Then when I needed a refill

from my GI's office they took their sweet ole time

of a month to get me my medicine.

So I went without.  Plus it's just too darn

expensive while I'm still trying to pay off dr. bills

from my hospital stays and GI doctor.

10:30am

Hubby's wants to go to the race track today.

It has been up in the air as to where we are going.

It started out as National Trail Raceway,

then to Columbus Motor Speedway

and now I think we're going to Pacemakers

in Mount Vernon.

Make up my mind already!

7:30pm

Too pooped to pop.

Anytime we spend the day at the drag strip

I get so tired and wore out by the time

we make it back home.

I'm ready to head to bed at only 7:30pm!

Once at the track we parked by the strip

to watch the cars.  A little while went by

then the stomach pains came once again

and I needed a port-a-potty close by

so we had to move the truck closer to the potty.

It was a good thing because I had to go four

times while there and once upon returning home.

When the stomach pains come it will stop

you in your tracks and will make

you do a lamaze type breathing technique!

10:15pm

I was thinking that maybe the stomach pain

was being caused by sudden movements

like going from a sitting to standing position.

I was wrong.  Was totally asleep

with very little movement til now when I was

rudely awoken with stabbing stomach pains

that had me jumping out of bed and running for the bathroom.

Usually the pains are followed by having to go potty

most of the time.  But there have been a few times

it didn't do that.

I was very thirsty also but that could of been because

of possibly sleeping with my mouth open.

And...There's another bathroom trip not even

5 minutes later.  

I know I should be writing about other things

but I have to take notes about the way I'm feeling

that way if I go to the doctors or hospital I 

have reference as to what happened and when.

Hubby thinks I should call my GI and make an

appointment.  I just laughed and laughed.

When I was in the hospital and getting ready

for discharge my GI doctor says to make

a follow up appointment with his office

in two weeks to see how I was doing.

No explanation in the world could have gotten

me into that office in two weeks time.

The next available time slot was a month

and that was with a nurse practitioner and not

even my doctor!  I also requested to be squeezed

in if there was a cancellation.  No such luck.

I really don't have the money to go to the ER.

Hell I'm still trying to pay off doctor's and the

hospital from last October and December and 

that's after getting financial help through the hospital.

I worry about getting C Diff again.

The say if you have Crohn's and get it once

then the risks are high of getting it again.

The hospital told me that if I returned back to 

them in the next year I would also be

put into isolation that I could infect other patients

there even a year later!  

C Diff is to be taken seriously as it could cause

very severe complications and even death

if not treated.

Of course tomorrow the GI office isn't open

and I'm sure they are not open Monday due to the

holiday.  If I could get into their office I know

they could put me on Prednisone and Flagyl.

I can't do the Cipro.  I found out the hard way

twice that I am allergic to both the pill and

IV form.  Don't want to go that route again!

GI doctor's appointment he put me on Cipro pill.

I kept taking it and noticed severe stomach pains

on top of the stomach pains I already had.

He took me off it.  I go into the hospital

and told them I had a bad reaction to the pill

so they decide maybe it would be different

if they tried the liquid IV form of it.

Oh hell no!.  As soon as they started pushing

that needle into the IV tube it felt as though

my whole arm was set on fire.

I'm begging and pleading with them to stop.

It hurt so bad I was crying.  They

finally did and tagged my wrist saying

I was allergic to it.  They should of listened

to me when I told them the pill form didn't work for me.

5-25-14

8:10am

I ended up sleeping 11 hours last night!

My eyes opened at 7:45am this morning

and I thought to myself laying there, hmmm,

I feel refreshed and don't feel half bad.

Well that was for a split moment anyway.

As soon as my body got into the upright position

gravity took over.  In 25 minutes of being up

I have been to the bathroom 3 times already.

Ughhhh!

And another bathroom trip 8 minutes later

for 4 trips so far after waking up.

Yesterday we ate lunch around 11:30-noon

at the drag strip.  I did not eat for 12 hours after that

and only had one slice of pizza that was leftover in our

fridge.  I don't think I even ate the whole slice just 

picked at it.  

9:15am to 10:40am

Another potty trip then I laid back down for another

hour and slept.  Got back up and still feel sooo tired

and have no energy.

In the middle of the night I was laying on my back

and I awoke to the cat sleeping on my belly.

Never does that.  Do they sense when you don't feel good?

And every time I go potty it's there weaving in

and out of my legs.

10:45 to 11:15am

Stomach started hurting so bad that I was doubled over.

Made my 6th trip to the bathroom this morning

then went and laid back down for a half an hour

with a heating pad on my stomach.

11:30am

Hubby made me an egg sandwich.

I ate about 1/3rd of it and the stomach pains started again.

I didn't have to run to the bathroom this time around.

Hubby keeps giving me the evil eye about going to the ER.

I'm tough.  I will ride it out til I get better or cannot

take it anymore.

3:40pm

I went with hubby to the store.

I felt like a walking zombie.

Time to go lay back down.

Earlier when I laid down on my back

I started feeling and pressing on my stomach

to see if there were any tender areas

and there are a couple which tells

me there is inflammation in there or an infection.

7:05pm

Well I managed to sleep for another 3.5 hours

before my stomach woke me up sending me to the bathroom.

I'm up to 8 or 9 bathroom trips today

and I have slept 15.5 hours in the past 24 hours.

Still going on only about 1/3rd of an egg sandwich.

I haven't eaten anything else.

No appetite.

I'm going to try and eat something.

Hubby cooked some brats and hot dogs on the grill

along with some tater tots.

I didn't think that would work well for my stomach

so when we were in Kroger I got a

sliced turkey entree.

I also got a bottle of mango juice.

I don't know why but I crave mangos

every time I don't feel well like this.

I can't figure out what it's telling me

because I don't eat or drink mangos any other time.

In the hospital I kept ordering their

mango smoothie or whatever it was called because

it didn't have

any milk products in it and it was so good.

8:05pm

Got about half way through eating

my turkey slices, mashed potatoes and gravy

when the severe stomach pains started again

causing me to moan & groan all the way

to the bathroom.

Kitty will be loving on me tonight.

He got my leftover turkey.

8:30pm

Heading back to bed.

My energy has run out once again.

5-26-14

8:00am

Got up at 6:30am to get hubby up and ready for work.

The potty trips and severe stomach pains

have returned again for yet another day.

Last night I noticed I was starting to sweat 

when sleeping.  

We have the air conditioner on and

the fan blowing on us at night.

This happened the last time

when I ended up in the hospital.

The doctor's said it was one way the infection

is working its way out.

8:30am

I'm not trying to bother anyone with taking

me to the ER at the moment.

Mom is out of town at my brother's

for the weekend and should be home sometime today,  

hubby is on call this week at work,

and the kids only have 2 more days of school left.

I tolerate a lot I tell ya.

The pains feel like someone is taking

a knife to my stomach.

It's like labor pains.  They start off slow then hit

the peak and taper off.  Usually it is followed

by trips to the bathroom to go poo.

There's not much poo.  How do you have any

poo anyway when you haven't had much to eat anyway?

The throbbing is from head to toe

and is like the throbbing you get when

you hit your thumb with a hammer.

All over aches that feel like you have

the flu but no congestion or drainage.

9:50am

Ya know I think I'm going to make a

ER/hospital bag and just keep it in the car

for those trips to the hospital.

About like how a pregnant woman would make

her bag for the big day.

It seems to be a common thing for me lately

so why not.  And something tells me with my

symptoms I'm going to end up there again really soon.

Now what would I put in a tote bag?

Thinking back to when I was in the hospital last

time and the things I had people bring me from home.

1.  Depends because you get tired of calling

the nurse to change your bed and to request

a new change of gowns and undies.

2.  Extra underwear & socks.  Things get dirty

and it takes forever for the hospital to bring items to you.

I had undies disappear after a colonoscopy

and didn't have on anything under my gown!

3.  Hemorrhoid cream or Tucks.  I think it took the hospital

2 days to get this for severe hemorrhoids that were

really painful!

4.  Extra pair of stretchy pants, sweat pants or pj bottoms

to put on under the hospital gowns for when you 

want to walk down the hall to the waiting room or if it gets too cold.

They either recommend you walk each day or take a medicine

to prevent blood clots in your legs from being in bed so much.

5.  Deodorant and perfume because you don't know

when you will get to shower!

6.  Sweater because it gets cold in hospitals

7.  Snacks for the people who came with you.

8.  Reading material: magazines, newspaper, books.

10:30am

I got most of my bag packed.

Then I managed to get a load of laundry started.

I made sure it had enough clothing items

in it for the boys and hubby to get through

for a couple of days should I got to the hospital.

Whether I go to the hospital or not,

go to the ER, get admitted again,

I am preparing ahead of time.

The last couple of times were a disaster around here.

They couldn't find anything!!

And when I came back home the house

was a wreck from them digging around

looking for things!

11:00am

Going to go lay down.

Energy has depleted.

Had a hot flash earlier.

Started getting the sweats at times

with fans running and the AC on!

Started feeling a little warm so I took my temp.

After not feeling hot for the past 4 days

my temp is now 99 - 100 degrees.

Not looking good.

Hubby called before then and asked me how I felt.

I said the same.

He then asked if I should call my doctor.
I told him I didn't think the regular GI doctor could do anything
at this time.

2:52pm

Have been laying down in and out of a nap

and watching tv.  My head started hurting

so I took a couple tylenol.

Took temp for the 3rd time today and it's

still reading 99.5 degrees.

3:45pm

An hour later my temp is 100 degrees.

It sucks being sick.

I totally missed getting my last two

recipes into the Eggo contest.

The last time I got sick I was

working on an apple pie recipe for a contest.

Got it made.  Had the guys at hubby's work

sample it and give me their opinions

then before I could even enter that contest

I ended up in the hospital.

Bummer :0(

Trying to get an easy supper going.

I used Italian bread cut in half,

spooned spaghetti sauce with splenda mixed in it

on top, sprinkled with cheese,

sprinkled with seasonings and in the oven it went.

I was going to get my waffles done as well

and had everything ready to go.

I might as well make them for the kid's breakfast.

I'll just take note of how I make

my recipe and see if the contest comes up again next year.

Why I am I so freaking hot?!

When you have a fever shouldn't you be shivering?!