Chickens, Broken Bones, Fabulous Friends, and much more.

I am so tired! Whew! It's not like I have done SO MUCH today. But man, it sure feels like it! This morning my ankle was really bothering me. I kept the aircast off this morning while at Home, and just stayed on the couch. I did some things online, read a little bit, tried to keep the kids from killing each other while speeding around the house on their riding toys, and pretty much just tried to stay put. I had a doctor appointment with Dr. Kim (gastroenterologist) that had been scheduled for next week, but when I was walking into the Orthopedic Specialist's Office yesterday (or hopping along on my crutches, rather) they called and said that Dr. would be seeing patients the following day and would I like to move up my appointment? So I said sure, and at 11am today went BACK to the hospital to see Doctor. So I took a long bath, during which Ardyn and Marek both wanted to sit on the potty. Marek came into the bathroom and wanted to get in the tub (per usual) and started to strip off his pants, and then tried to pull off his diaper. He got his pants down but not OFF is ankles, and then got his diaper off, but the velcro tab stuck to the back of his sweatshirt so he was hobbling around the house with his pants around his ankles and his diaper dragging along behind him attached to the back hem of his sweatshirt by the velcro. He was saying "Dadddddddy. I neeeeed go pottty." and I could hear him searching the house for daddy. I finally got him to come back so he wouldn't pee in the floor, and Ardyn located daddy, who came and put Marek on the little potty because by that moment Ardyn wanted to go too. Marek had tried to get on the big potty but he is WAY tooo short to accomplish that feat.

As soon as I put my aircast on to go to the Doctor... excruciating. It just touches the exact spot of the break, which happens to be very near the skin on the outside of the area of my ankle bone. When I put my tennis shoe on.... Yowza. I wasn't sure I could wear it at all. But by the time I had limped to the doctor and got through my appointment, it was tolerable, or perhaps just numb.

I am scheduling another scope, this time lower only, to check on the inflammation/colitis and see what exactly is the status. It's been just short of a year since my first one, and Dr. Kim is putting me on one additional med right now that is a fast acting tablet to soothe the acid in addition to the PPI. The PPI works great, with the exception of when I lay down at night. Dr. is giving me this as a supplement to the PPI, just for use on occasion when I feel that hard to swallow lump going on. He thinks that since things have been going well with the upper symptoms, we don't need to repeat the upper scope this time. So I scheduled the scope without my calendar because I am an idiot and didn't bring it with and haven't gotten everything into MobileMe yet... and of course I accidentally scheduled it so that the PREP is the same afternoon as the school zoo trip (uh-oh) and the actual scope is the day of Ardyn's Dance class Pictures, which she will wear her recital costume for. Just seems like a couple too many things going on those two days. So I think I will move it forward a bit, so that it's just AFTER recital weekend and BEFORE zoo day. Jeez. Doctor also has switched to a new Prep (MoviPrep) which (I know this may astound anyone) I am actually excited about. ha ha. I know. But it's all liquid, and seems to be LESS than the previous amount, and you can drink MORE Liquids of your choice, AND there is no "poop pill" that you need to take on top of it. About time. It also comes in a much more manageable container than the previous GIGANTIC jug. The girls at the office said that patients have been telling them it's much more tolerable and they get better test results as well.

So, anyway, after that fab appointment (I am not being sarcastic, it really was good) I got to see AO and CB for a bit, which was cool. Then I came home and my ankle was killing me! Off with my shoe. Sarah brought a casserole and Jamie brought lunch, we ate and then I went to the couch. Foot up. Then we took a nap, that actually lasted like an hour but took about 4.5 hours, because Ardyn kept waking Marek up, causing problems, and eventually was so exhausted herself (to bed late from coloring eggs and up toooo early) that she couldn't even function. We missed dance. I feel bad because I know recital is coming up, but my ankle hurt and Evan was gone and she NEEDED to be taking a nap. Then we got up, I got a casserole from Courtney and a loaf of bread, which went right into the oven and we ate supper. Then the kids took a bath and I put them to bed. Back to the couch. Foot up. Then I went down and sorted laundry. it took my SO LONG to sort that the load I started was doing it's final rinse when I finally got the clothes sorted. yay. Then I cleaned the chicken brooder and fed and watered them.

I just wanted to note, that I am so grateful for the food. The mail train has already been awesome. We have been eating well and we are in casserole heaven... and chocolate heaven :) I feel guilty because I have been given the "yes" to walking, but it is broken and it still hurts like hell, and I am trying to limit my time on it. Plus I have two weeks of laundry, two weeks of dishes, and a ton of other stuff to do... and I hope that I can slowly get some stuff accomplished while not being on my foot much. We have a big day planned tomorrow but hopefully not a whole lot of it will require me to be on my feet :)

I AM going for a second opinion. I called my family physician, and spoke to the nurse, who agreed that a second opinion was not a bad idea. She suggested seeing Dr. Perona at St. Margarets, who used to work with Dr. Sompalli. She mentioned that she was confident in Sompalli but that perhaps a second opinion can't hurt. I have had my records sent to the physician and checked that Dr. Perona is a primary care physician for insurance and that I can go see him so soon after just seeing Dr. Sompalli. So, next week sometime. they suggested that I might need to have another xRay because the xray will be over a week old by the time he sees me, and It may have healed or changed since then. So now we wait a bit.

Tonight Evan brought in the two bags of chicken food I got on Wednesday. I bought another 20# bag of chick starter and a 40# bag of 15% starter finisher. I have been doing a ton of reading about chicken health and nutrition, and several of the books that I have read, recommend that you move chicks of my particular breed to a grower/finisher at around 8 weeks, instead of 10. Then you keep them on the grower/finisher until they start to lay and then move them to layer. I wanted to get some more feed at TSC the last time I went, and when I told the lady that I wanted to buy some starter/finisher and asked her where it was, she tried to talk me out of it. In fact, she downright refused to show it to me because she told me that my chicks needed to stay on chick starter until they were 10-13 weeks old. Um. Okay. I was stumped because I had read a bunch about being able to move them sooner, and the chick starter comes in fairly small bags and I was about to finish one. I wasn't sure I wanted to go buy another bag of chick feed and then move to finisher after that. I had intended on buying the finisher, opening the bag to see if it was much larger (pellet) or more of a crumble, and determine if they can swallow it. She wouldn't even show it to me. Grrr. This was the samek woman who told me that I didn't need to buy pine bedding for my brooder if I already had cedar, because it didn't matter, and then a week later I read in like 5 places that cedar contains a dust that causes a lung disease that will kill chickens, and that young chicks are incredibly susceptible to it. Nice. So I ended up making my THIRD trip into the store for the correct bedding, that cost me $4.50 - less than the gas it probably took me to make the trips. So later that day, when I got home and started researching feed again, I kicked myself for not telling her where she could stick it. AND then this week I went back and got a bag of chick starter and a bag of finisher. When I opened the finisher, I saw that it was really small crumbles and then I was cranky because I had already OPENED the bag of chick starter (duh) and I probably could have gotten away with taking it back. These chickens are HUGE, but they are about 5 weeks now so I just tell myself that I will feed them starter for another 2 weeks or so and then whatever starter is left I will start to halve with the finisher and transition them slowly as recommended. They are eating a TON now. To give you an idea, when they were little, they ate 1/8 quart of chick starter per day, for the whole six of them. Now they are eating a full quart feeder of starter each day. I don't want to give them much more than that because they are a heavy breed and I don't want them to get overweight as they will get foot and leg problems. Right now they are eating just that much, and leaving a tiny bit in the feeder by feeding time. So they are eating EIGHT TIMES what they ate 2.5 weeks ago. Yep. And they drink 2 quarts of water a day. They are already technically outgrown their brooder, but so far they aren't really fighting, are very healthy, clean, and happy... and have great appetites. I do have one runt, but it doesn't really seem like she is being picked on. In fact I sometimes wonder if she might be a he. I clean the brooder and their feeders every day, so I am not as worried about the crowded quarters as I could be. They still like to roost on their perch (a tension curtain rod) and they also like to fluff their feathers big and full and kick around the pine chips to make a nest like impression in the bedding and lay down together. Too cute.

So, that's the scoop. I have an icky feeling that there will be water in the basement tomorrow. All the rain that is already making water stand in the yard, and the forecast for tomorrow is for severe storms and rain. Wind, hail. I hope this isn't so, but I tried to tidy up the basement a bit so that things don't get wet. I put all the chicken feed and potting soil up on the potting bench, and then I refilled both 5 gallon buckets with fresh feed and covered them tightly. The only thing I didn't get done was sweeping the floor a bit, but it's 1am so I think I might be okay to just sleep now.

And Yes, this is how I take it easy. If my body rests, even the slightest.... my mind RACES.
For example, if God promised to never flood the world again, what is this inevitable doom that seems to make me want to build an ark and protect my family. All this rain. The storms and the rain get worse each year. The ice caps are melting, and I believe that scientists might be right when they say that the Earth is in this natural life cycle where it cleanses itself of our bad influences to start itself fresh again. We could be wiped out like the dinosaurs. What's God's perspective on that? I don't feel very safe here right now.
Goodnight!

Color. Me. Confused.

So. This morning I get up with a soft cast from the thigh to toes. Intending to go to the orthopedic surgeon, and according to the ER physician, MAYBE they would cast me from the knee down instead.

So, we go into the ortho office, spend 20 minutes filling out paperwork, get into the actual room, unwrap the soft cast and remove it, the Nurse Practitioner says that the bone is not a bone that they cast breaks, that the ER did a bit of overkill, and that they will give me a walking boot. Yay I think. Then Dr. S comes in and touches it, and says that I don't need anything. No crutches. No cast. No walking boot. No aircast. NOTHING. yes, you heard me. Nothing. I twist my ankle and fall down the steps twice in one week, pain, swelling, bruising, and a mild break.... and I need nothing.

My problem with this is that, while not having a cast is good news, not having anything is... well.... frightening. I have had bad ankles, excessive twisting, and twice have fractured bones (once in 2007 and again this past week) and I need... nothing.

In some ways I understand. He wants me to walk on it. He wants me to strengthen it. But does he not consider that I have two small children and that everything that I do is sort of hazardous? I don't want to be carrying my son and have my ankle give out. I said "Can't I wear my aircast for support?" and he said "if you want support, wear an ace bandage" and he proceeds to wrap my ankle. I learned with I was 17 that an ace bandage does not in any way prevent a sprain or twist of my ankles. I'd be better off in flip flops. I don't think that Evan understands my concern, he's probably just relieved to be off Mom Duty.

So today we came home, I ditched my crutches, and put my aircast back on. I have to have something for support to prevent my ankle from twisting. It bothers me that I can't get the ortho doctor to understand that these breaks are just secondary to excruciating sprains. I saw an Ortho Specialist in Peoria back when I was in college, and that is where I got my first aircast. He understood that the ace bandages and elastic ankle support braces are not enough for my problem. Maybe I should have gone back there instead. I just don't understand.

So, at this point in time, I don't know if I should just cancel the meal train? I can walk, I can drive, etc. I am planning on keeping my foot up as much as I can so the swelling will stay down. He said that the break will be painful for at least 2-3 months as it heals, and that is especially painful to the touch because the break is right on the outside of my ankle.

I am terrified that I am going to fall again. But I guess at this point I am supposed to be happy that I am walking again? Huh. Guess I am right back to square one.

Well, off to drive my van for the first time since Sunday, and pick up Ardyn from school and take Marek to get a haircut, and tonight I guess we will color easter eggs? Jeez this is strange.

Is there any topic I don't touch on?

It's strange that we have been so busy, but I don't feel like I have anything to write. This morning I am trying to get some things done inside, because we have been gone so much that I am again getting behind. I am having a hard time convincing Marek that he does not need to be outside every second of the day, particularly because mom sometimes has things like laundry or dishes that need to be taken care of. Although, despite all my green efforts and lack of paper plate use over the past two years, I am seriously considering some heavy paper plate use this summer. It would be so much easier to keep up on dishes if summer meals were on disposable plates!

Today is the second day that we have our new friend Asher over to play. It has been going well, he is a sweet little guy. Marek doesn't really do well with Asher being the small one, but whenever Marek even looks at Asher or tries to talk to him or play with him, Asher starts crying... so that's probably not helping much. LOL. But they are excited to see each other in the morning, and so that is a good start.

I am going to start trying out a new iPhone app, called Home Routines. I am hoping it isn't like the other apps that seemed like a good idea but I could never keep up with, like Grocery IQ, Groupon, Mealboard, etc. The Idea by home routines is much like Flylady, or Motivated Mom's Planner. Another mom brought the Motivated Moms Planner to MOPS last month, but I missed the meeting, so I didn't know about it until I saw Facebook talk. I googled it and looked into it. It seemed very promising, except that it didn't have the ability to customize, and if you want it customized, you might as well make your own planner. On the Motivated Mom's Planner website, I was looking at the cost ($8) and saw that they had an iPhone app. the app is a little more flexible and also costs about the same. But then I saw that there were other similar apps that were higher rated, specifically Home Routines, which allows you to fully customize your tasks if you choose to, and edit them, and also allows you to add your own tasks, your own zones (which can also be edited) and has options as to when your chores reset, which zones happen which weeks, etc etc. It was also less than half the price, and had more and higher ratings by users. I decided to go ahead and give it a try. It's great because I have morning chores, afternoon chores, evening chores, and weekly chores, and I can even add other things if I want to. The zones are so nicely customizeable, not just WHAT your zones are (I put the bathroom in the same zone as the playroom and kids' bedrooms, because we always tend to work on those three together) and I appreciate the fact that I can add a front porch, back porch, and pantry to the pre-programmed list of zones. I can cluster rooms together (like dining room and living room, because ours are sort of one in the same) and that I can edit exactly what I want to do in each room, like have the kids pick up their crocs and put them in their baskets, or replace the hand towels in the bathroom, or take the recycling to the van on a specific day so that it makes it's way to Princeton when we are already heading that way for preschool. I can even create a morning chore that reminds me on that day to take the recycle OUT of the van and to the recycle center.

Now the thing is, I can still ignore tasks if I want to. So it all boils down to WILL I DO IT and WILL I KEEP DOING IT. I hope they come out with a motivation app sometime soon.

I am currently working on my Farmgirl Badges. This week I am hoping to get to Hobby Lobby to get some transfer paper so I can print out the badges I have earned so far.. and start embroidering them. I have Crochet beginner and Crochet Intermediate, Shopping Green beginner and Intermediate, Gaining Ground Beginner, Backyard Farmer Beginner, First Aid Beginner, and Aprons Beginner. I have several more that are partially completed. Once I get them all embroidered, I have no idea where I am going to attach them. Some put them on a denim jacket (which I don't want to do) and some on a tote bag (eh. I dunno)

We went out to the farm yesterday to work on the coop. the weather was beautiful and there was plenty to be done, but dad was working on seeing the hay ground, so I could only do the things that I could accomplish without any help. I took the roof off the chicken coop and pulled all the nails. Then I drew out the nest box measurements on the plywood. Last night I brought the plywood home, hoping that I would be able to cut it in the garage after the kids went to bed, but that didn't work because I couldn't find the circular saw. Someone must have taken it out of the garage. I found a the battery powered one, but it just couldn't cut it, which was SO frustrating. I ended up starting and having to leave it uncut. Grrr. Today Evan looked for the saw and said it is missing from the garage. Boo. SO now I am trying to determine if I want to feed everyone lunch and then load up all three kids AND the plywood and try to go to the farm and get it cut, or just wait till sometime later. Problem is, chicks are growing fast and weather is about to turn cool and rainy again, and I would love to be moving forward. Before we can side and roof, we need the nest box assembled and attached, and the holes cut in the back wall of the house for the hens to enter the next boxes. I need the side access door cut in the wall of the house, and a front and side door built and attached. The legs need to be put on.... and then I can work on siding. There are so many things that I feel like I can do if someone would just show me how to get started, but it's hard because dad has lots to get done too when the weather is nice. I know I should just be patient, but patience means full sized birds crammed in my basement.

This morning I got a call from the Gastroenterology Office about arranging payment for my bill. I had just opened it last week and thought it was awfully high, but what else is new. I hadn't gotten a chance to look up all the EOB's yet. I decided to go ahead and call the insurance company. Come to find out, all 4 claims were processed as out of network and nothing was paid.... because the Doctor's Office is not including the last two digits, the suffix, of the Tax ID number, in the physician's OR the group's billing information. This resulted in the insurance company's system NOT finding the physician or the group he practices with, and therefore made all the claims be denied for me. So the insurance company has corrected all of his tax ID numbers in their system and resubmitted them all through their system in order to have them reviewed and hopefully paid accordingly. So I tried to call the physician's office back, and they are at lunch. Of course. With no voicemail. I have such limited time to make a phone call without being interrupted by an ornery, screaming, hungry, persistent, or tired child... I hate when I can't at least leave a message so that they can call back later if they need more information. It sometimes takes me weeks to get a phone call completed.

For example, when I was on the phone with the insurance company, Marek decided he needed a banana. He had already had breakfast, AND a snack, and I was in the process of making lunch. The last thing I wanted him to have was more food because then he wouldn't eat lunch. Then 20 minutes later Ardyn starts asking me who I am talking to, and question after question, and then tells me that she needs to talk to that insurance lady about doctor bills because her ankle hurts and she wants to go see the doctor. Oy. This is why I get so cranky when my husband says "can't you just call" as though I am the person with all the free time on my hands. What he doesn't understand is that I have no QUIET on his hands. I am hoping that the new app will help me remember to make phone calls during quiet intervals.

So anyway, I call back after lunch, and I wait on hold for a little bit, no big deal. I get to the person who called me earlier and I told her that I had printed out all my EOB's and that I had them all in front of me, and had called the insurance company. I verified all the dates of service with her, and then I explained that the insurance company did not receive the last two digits of either the physician OR the group tax ID number. I told her that they were resubmitting each claim into their system with the corrected information and that it would take 30-45 days for the claims to be reprocessed and paid. This is when she started to get a little defensive. I told her that the claims had been paid as out of network providers. I told her there was one other issue that I wanted to share with her, and that the insurance company told me that the very first date of service, which was the time that I was an inpatient at the hospital and the surgery department called the gastroenterologist in for a consult, that the visit had been billed to the insurance company with an incorrect code for outpatient consultation, when it should have been inpatient consultation as I was an inpatient in the hospital. Then she got angry with me and started saying that this isn't possible, and she's looking right at the code and the location and I stayed calm and said "that's fine, I am just relaying what the insurance company is telling me, and they pay differently for outpatient consultations than for inpatient, and they may require you to resubmit the claim with the correct code." And then she said "But I am saying that is NOT possible and I don't know why they are telling you that" and I said "Listen, I understand what you are saying. I have done my part and called the insurance company and looked up all my EOB's and I am just telling you what the insurance company is doing and how they are now handling it. If you have a problem you are more than welcome to call the insurance company directly and discuss it with them." - Kind of like putting the conversation to an end.

What frustrates me is that most insurance companies and physician offices expect that every person that crosses their path has no idea about their rights, their insurance claims, and the potential (the very HIGH potential) for mistakes and incorrectly filed claims. I am not saying that the doctor's office made a mistake, I am saying that somewhere there is an ongoing miscommunication, every date of service from August 2010 until March 2011, and that this problem is not going to be fixed by continuing to do what they are doing. Obviously.

I am fortunate (I think) to have worked in healthcare, and learned a bit (and just a bit) about insurance and coding and health billing. I was also fortunate to work in the office of a REALLY particular and stingy insurance salesman (no, not related to me at all :) Who went over every single EOB and medical bill with a fine toothed comb, comparing each thing and even taking a calculator to each one to be sure there were not mistakes. And I can tell you, he found a mistake on at least 3 in 5 EOB's. This taught me that there is a very high chance you are being incorrectly charged, billed, OR reimbursed. So, hopefully this gets all straightened out with the insurance and the physician, because I have another appointment with the gastroenterologist and probably also another upper and lower scope coming up in the next month or two.

My ankle has been killing me today. I think it's because yesterday afternoon I was just sitting around here with the brace off because my leg was sweating and itching under it, and then when I left home initially I forgot it. Walking on it without the aircast felt fine, but I ended up having to come home and get it because it started hurting. Then when I was on my way home after MOPS Tacos, my ankle started to itch again, so I took it off, and forgot it in the van. Well, I have been walking on it this morning without the aircast and it hurts pretty dang bad. I am going to have to take myself outside and get it pretty soon. When Paige gets Asher I need to have Ardyn all dressed for dance class and ready to go soon after, so I keep hoping that if I just sit here with my foot up I can just go out and put the aircast on when we leave. But man is it hurting! stupid weak ankles.

Well, Marek wants to cuddle and rock, he's a tired guy today. Later :)

Anyone want trade places, just for this week? Thursday looks good for me.

I've been trying to get to the blog for SO long now. I have several reviews that I need to get written, and I feel badly that I am a bit behind on them... but am looking on the bright side that they will be thorough reviews with products that I have really tested on a long term basis (positive spin... see how that works?) I really hate that now I have to go back and read my own blog to remind myself what I have already talked about. But tonight I am NOT going to do that. Sorry. Just not. It's my blog, you know how I operate.

This week is going to be SO busy that I am trying not to panic. I tell myself that God won't give me more than I can handle, but it's not what he gives me that worries me... It's the things that I can't help but volunteer for ;) Basically I love to volunteer, but if you see me coming this week, and you are a friend, do me a big favor and stop me. Just tell me to take a deep breath, reconsider, and really, don't take anything but NO for an answer from me. I just can not do one more thing without doing permanent brain injury this week.

The week has of course already gone off with a big bang, considering that today was Labor Day. And yes, three glorious Labor Days ago, I spent 15.5 hours in labor with Ardyn. *sigh* where does the time go? I would love to write a whole post about just that, and another entire post about just her Birthday dinner (we haven't even GOTTEN to the party yet!) but I haven't even uploaded the pictures from the camera, and I just can't fathom blogging without checking the pics and adding some for you to see. It's how I roll.

Tuesday is the big MOPS kickoff meeting, and most of you know by now that I am head-over-heels in LOVE with MOPS. I adore it. This year I really wanted to be an even bigger part, and help spread the word and the love to other moms because we can ALL use this support network. It has changed so much about my life and the way my children are raised and are able to interact with others. Without MOPS, Ardyn would not be in preschool this year. I would not have known that she COULD be in preschool (stupid public school cutoff dates!) and I really wouldn't have known much at all about the preschool that we chose for her. She wouldn't be starting dance. And I wouldn't have half of the sanity that I still seem to be clinging to.

So as part of the big MOPS kick-off, because I am now a Steering Team Member... I had lots of responsibility. We all did and do, but this year my position is a "new"one to our chapter... Discussion Group Coordinator. We have never had discussion groups in our chapter before, so this is very exciting, and really badly needed... but also will be a welcome challenge as we forge a path that we don't have set for us. So I have been working on centerpieces, names for our discussion groups, themes for each group, some creative/crafty stuff to go along with them... and also several forms and mailings that will go with the new group format. Also updating the website to get everything ready for this new season!

Tomorrow we have to be at the church EARLY in order to get things setup, and I still have copies to make and things to laminate.... all before tomorrow night's meeting. Also, did I mention that we have our contractor arriving TOMORROW to setup his gear and schedule delivery of our roofing supplies? And that is super exciting but in addition to starting the roof, they will also be starting (at the same time) the front porch. Yes. Front Porch. Home of my crap. Nothing says "welcome to my house" like a front porch sewing room and "scrap-crap" all over a temporary table. Be prepared to trip over cords and weave around containers. Seriously. But since I am finishing the MOPS meeting stuff, the table can be put away. Which had to happen tonight in case they need to get inside tomorrow. And it's 11pm and I haven't moved the Wicker furniture outside. Or stuffed the centerpieces yet. And yes, I know I shouldn't be blogging, but I can't HELP it. I should NEVER be blogging but I need this release. It's like a memory-dump for me.

So this week the contractor starts the roofing, and the tearing out of the front porch windows and door, and I have to have one side of the porch cleared before Wednesday and likely cover the sewing crap on the other side so that it can be moved to the "finished" side and they can work on the "other" side. When this is all done, I have this grand master plan to move all of the sewing stuff to the opposite end of the porch and get more light, as well as more room, and also a perfect view of the front yard from the sewing table so that I can watch the kids play outside and work at the same time.

Oh and then there is that pesky little thing about Ardyn going to school twice a week, and Ardyn also starts dance this week! I am super excited about dance, but there is just ONE teeeeeny tiny hitch.... the same day that Ardyn starts dance? I have my first colonoscopy and EGD (upper scope.) Yay me! If you've been reading (have I talked about this on blog or just facebook?) I have had these horrible attacks that at first we thought were gallbladder, but two ER visits, a fabulous one-night and two-day stay in the hospital, and bloodwork, Gallbladder Ultrasound, HIDA (nuclear medicine) scan, and a Abdominal CT with contrast later.... they think I have Crohn's or IBS. The specialist is leaning towards Crohn's wholeheartedly. And I have had a few attacks since being out of the hospital, the latest being about 24 hours long in which I thought I might alternately die, poop myself to death, or belch up an intestine. Yep. Good times. And this attack lasted 24 hours WITH double doses of Pepcid around the clock, a single dose of Prilosec (I was desperate) about 10 thousand TUMS, and a prescription Opiate painkiller. Yep. Still painful. That's the kind of pain we are talking. WTF.

So this Wednesday, I get to start my day by taking Ardyn to school. Then I get to take both kids and all their gear to my mom's, then I get to return home to a house full of contractors, and then I get to commence my first meal of the day, which will consist of.... wait for it.... ONE GALLON of liquid laxative. Yep. That's right. Those of you who have never had a colonoscopy.... don't be shy. Read alllllll about it. ONE Gallon of liquid laxative. No meals. limited liquid diet. You know what the GE's office staff said "You probably shouldn't make any plans that day." Um, ya think? Are there people who think they are going to drink a gallon of laxative and still make plans? Oh my. So they actually also told me that "we have several patients who say it's better to just take the gallon into the bathroom and drink it there." Yep. Can't wait. Did I mention I've decided I can't be responsible for my kids that day? And that I told my husband that he will wait on my hand and foot, even if that means replenishing toilet paper? I am so not going through this alone. Someday he will have to do this. I vow that he will. And then, after drinking half of my gallon of laxative, I get to drift off into a peaceful sleep. And then wake up at 4am to start drinking the other half, which I must have drank before my morning appointment, and when I am FINALLY done with that gallon, I get to take not ONE, but TWO ducolax prescription laxative pills. Yep. Because I am sure there will still be some scary poo hiding in there somewhere. After 24 hours of no food and a gallon of laxative. Surely. I mean, these doctor's are SPECIALISTS. This is what they do for a living. Don't tell me that they don't see some poo here and there? But I have to top it all off with laxative tablets. Not one. Two. (okay, ending my rant)

So. Let's see how my week is shaping up.
1. Setup for MOPS kickoff meeting, finalize papers and decorations, make copies, etc.
2. Clean off half of front porch and stuff crap in an unnoticeable corner.
3. MOPS Kickoff meeting
4. Sleep
5. Take Ardyn to school
6. Come Home and pack kids things for two days with Grandma and Auntie.
6a. House inundated with construction work. Marek screaming and biting my legs whilst cleverly unpacking everything I pack.
7. Pick up Ardyn from school
8. Take kids and their Krap to Grandma's
9. Come home to half-a-front porch and start drinking my laxative
10. Poo a l0t, hope bathroom exhaust fan doesn't transfer smell to roofers and knock them off the house.
11. try to sleep.
12. Poo some more.
13. try to sleep.
14. Angrily wake-up before the sun
15. Drink More Laxative
16. Poooooooo
17. Take two ducolax
18. Poooooooo to the noise of construction starting all over again.
19. Head to hospital and hope I don't poop my pants on the way there.
20. Register.
21. Get put into hospital gown and under anesthesia.
22. Swallow Scope.
23. Hope I don't know what happens when they "turn the bed around" (the nurse's exact words)
24. Recover
25. Dress
26. Get Driven Home
27. Get Waited on Hand and Foot
28. Hope that I want to eat again sometime
29. Somehow get the children home and take Ardyn to her first dance class.
30. Start thinking about when to have poor child's birthday party that I have halfway finished.
30a-30e. Finish Pinata. Finish Invitations. Finish Decorations. Mail Invitations. Bake and Decorate Cupcakes.

So, anyone want to trade weeks with me?

Remember that I said don't let me volunteer for anything. I mean that. Can I make myself clearer?

Goodnight!

15 inches of snow in less than 12 hours!

Looks like it finally stopped snowing. We have gotten 15 inches of snow here in less than 12 hours. Everyone is home today, snowbound. All morning guys spent time pulling out people on main street who thought they were going somewhere. My sister works 3rd shift and got snowed in at work, when she tried to leave, the whole front end of her car got buried and she had to dig it out by hand and go back to the parking garage. Evan and I stayed up till 4am, and by that time the Wyanet-Walnut Blacktop was completely closed, and the drifts were about waist high. It's just before noon and we officially have 15 inches of snow. I guess that means today was meant to pick up this messy house and put the lights and ornaments on that tree that's been looking at me all week. I tried to let the dogs outside but the snow was so deep they couldn't walk. So I had to bundle up and go get the shovel, and dig them a square where they could pee. I also picked up the lawn furniture so that it was out of the way for when the plow guy shows up. The picture of the snowdrift in front of the door is taken from INSIDE the house, that's what the back porch looked like this morning when I woke up.

The neighborhood just started to start officially digging out around 10:30. The best thing about being in small town, everyone knows everyone and everyone helps each other out. Whoever hsa a 4 wheeler with a plow, a truck with a plow, or a bobcat, goes around helping whoever doesn't, and they pull each other out when they get stuck. And Believe me, there have been lots of stuck folks this morning. I heard that a state plow truck overturned on 251 and that it was loaded with salt. I heard that 6 state plow trucks from the Bureau County Region are stuck alongside the road somewhere and unable to plow. Around 11, a plow truck came through and plowed one lane open on the Wyanet-Walnut Blacktop.

Yesterday was Evan's birthday, and I had two doctor's appointments. One at the Dermatologist, in which I was told my acne is 30% better, and given (okay, sold. It was $225.00) a Zeno. I have been trying it out to see if it works for me, it has a 30 day money back guarantee. The second appointment was at an Oral Surgeon's, where they had me watch a horror movie about wisdom tooth extraction. Then they decided that all 3 need to come out and that we will do that on January 26th. For someone has never even been hospitalized, has never had a broken bone besides toes and fingers, hates needles, and has never been put under anesthetic.... this should be a frightening adventure. I am less worried about my teeth than being knocked out. Husband is super supportive, having been under several times, and he will be there to take my home and feed me soup and pain pills.

After those two Doctor's appointments, we ate at Ruby Tuesday's in Peoria and then went through Circuit City and Guitar Center. Then we came home and watched Nacho Libre, which was okay. Funny. Not exceptional. We watched You Me and Dupree on Wednesday night, and totally loved it. They are due back tonight but we might not be able to get to Princeton, although now that it has stopped snowing they should get the roads cleared this afternoon. I think we are going to Anya's tonight for pizza and Game night with Ryan and Emy. That should be fun.

Well, SOMEONE Needs to clean this pig pen, so I had better get going.

Oh and I made TWO of Leanne's snowballs, and mine are not nearly as cute as hers, but since I am snowed in and I have 6 more started, I should get better with practice. Check them out...