My Granny

Today is my Granny's birthday. She's 91. We saw her two Saturdays ago.  She's confused sometimes and she says mean thing sometimes. I'm not sure she means to be mean, she just doesn't have much of a filter left.   Last year we had a big birthday party for her.  I posted this blog post after her birthday. 

http://jim-merson.blogspot.com/2010/10/grannys-birthday.html

She doesn't live alone any more -- she's had to move in with my Aunt Cecelia so she can take care of her.  She has moments of confusion, followed by moments of absolute clarity. She asked us 10 times if that was our car in the yard, but then asked my sister if she still worked for Hospice. She asked me "what grade are you in again?" but knew I'd been there for a long time.  She asked if I got a job in a library yet, but asked Robyn if Josh was "her boy" about 6 times.   She has to use a walker and doesn't eat much, but still has these moments where she seems just like she always has. 

A Love Story

Have you ever wondered how different today would be if something hadn’t happened yesterday,  or the day before or a year ago or 10 years ago?  I do.  But, every now and then, I KNOW how a day would be different.  For example, I know as sure as I know my own name that if my mom hadn’t passed away in 2001, that today would be a very different day than the one I’m going to have.  Let me explain. . .

(By the way, I’m telling this story, so I’m telling it like I’ve always heard it.  This may not be the truth, it’s just what I’ve heard! So, if you know different, so sorry. It’s my blog and I’ll tell it like I want to!)

 

So, sometime is April or May, 1961  Betty and Bobby BOTH went to Belle Glade High School’s prom.  However, they DID not go together.  Betty’s daddy took her – she was a senior.  Bobby had graduated from Pahokee High School a few years earlier and he was someone's date (named Sylvia,  Bobby was quite the “player” and I’ve found several prom pictures of him and several young ladies.) He was apparently a good catch – he had his own car, had a job making decent money and the job provided a house and a work truck! What more could a girl want in 1961??? 

There was some hanky-panky going on, as before Bobby went to the prom with his date, he came to Betty’s house. 

 

Some sources say their first date was actually in February – they rode around with some friends in the car.  I’ve heard it this way: the tradition in Belle Glade was the day after the prom, everyone went to the beach.  Sylvia kept hinting that she wanted to go to the beach. Bobby kept saying he had to work. But, as the sun came up, there they were, Bobby and Betty on the way to the beach. 

In August they were married.

The next June, they had a baby girl.  A few February’s later, another baby girl.  Several October’s later, yours truly.   

Almost 40 years later, they are together, at the beach and Betty has a heart attack.  One of their first dates, at the beach. Their last date, at the beach. 

 

 

 

 

Now, here’s how I know today would be different.  Today, would be my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary.  If things were different, we’d be having a BIG party.  Mom was most happy surrounded by lots of people. for their 25th anniversary,  we  had a party for them.  Mom made dresses for all three of us, and one for herself.  Everybody came – it was a big deal. My nephew Ken was a baby, rolling around in a walker.  I was still in high school!! I don’t know how we managed to do it!   I can only imagine what kind of stuff we’d have to do for this one!! The fact that today is a Saturday would have made it much easier for everyone, but we’d be running around like crazy this morning, getting everything ready. 

Not many people I know  had parents who were still  married to each other and only to each other.  In a high school class once, I was the only one.  I am very blessed to have parents who loved each other, truly, until “death did they part.” 

Tummy Trouble Part 2

So, after my doctor did blood work, he sent me for an ultrasound.  You need to understand, I have been mostly healthy except for a small round with hepatitis when I was in the 7th grade – many moons ago.  Except for that, I’ve never even spent one night in a hospital, so this whole testing thing was new to me.  Additionally, I had to go to the Regency for my ultrasound, which is where babies are delivered. I was sure that someone was going to see me going into or coming out of the Regency and put two and two together. . .and get FIVE.  AND it happened. I was telling people at church about my ultrasound and someone asked “Are you expecting?”” NO, NO, a 1000 times NO!!!

The nice thing was, the lady who did my ultrasound warms her gel. I had been warned to watch out for cold gel, but she keeps her nice and warm.  It wasn’t very bad, she just runs that little thing all over you. I could have fallen asleep. I kept trying to see the screen – I wanted to see what she was seeing. . .

After my sonogram, my doctor sent me to a surgeon. He thought it was my gall bladder and needed to come out.  But, we all know how that turned out.

An Experiment

Hey, I'm trying something I read. If you work at my school or even if you don't, but work at SOME school, please take this little experimental quiz for me. Thanks!!

Being “Un-Friended”

I know in the whole scheme of the world, this probably really doesn’t matter, but it bothers me.  I HATE it when people “un-friend” (de-friend??) me  on Facebook.  It hurts my feelings.  I’m not sure why. I notice my friend count sometimes and notice it’s gone up or down. . .  but I notice it most when someone comments on something and I go to their home page to check on them and I can no longer see it and it says “ADD FRIEND.”  Sometimes I think people un-friend me because they are doing things they don’t want me to see they are doing.  My first thought is always “Oh no, what did I do to hurt their feelings bad enough for them to unfriend me?”  I always blame myself.  Maybe it’s really not about me. 

Tummy Trouble Part 1

A few months ago, (I’m thinking April) I felt really sick while I was eating my lunch at school and felt sick for about an hour later.  I felt nauseous and just “icky.” I assumed it was just school lunch – not so much what I ate, but the fact that we eat lunch in 22 minutes, including travel time back and from the cafeteria and restroom time! 

A few days later, it came back.  Eventually, it got so that every time I ate, I sick.  So, I decided, this is a good way to lose weight, I just won’t eat.  Unfortunately, even if I didn’t eat, I still felt sick.

I tried to notice if any food in particular was any worse.   The only thing I can determine is that tomatoes seem to cause the sick feeling to last longer. 

I kept trying to decide if it was just stress from school, or what.  Finally, I made an appointment with the doctor. I went to see my doctor on June 13th, the first Monday we were out of school.  My doctor drew blood to see if there was anything weird in my blood.  Apparently, if I had an ulcer that would have shown up in the blood. He said if the blood shows up normal,  I would have an ultrasound. 

Tummy Trouble Part 3–A PIPIDA scan

This entry is called Part 3, but I haven’t written Parts 1 or 2 yet. I’ve started them, but not gotten finished yet. I know, it’s confusing, but it’s the way my mind works!!

Yesterday  (Friday) I had the pleasure (NOT) of having a PIPIDA scan. When the doctor said “You need a PIPIDA scan” I of course, had NO idea what he was talking about so I had to Google it! Getting scheduled for the scan was another whole blog entry or may be best left alone. . . Short version – getting scheduled was  a NIGHTMARE!

So yesterday morning I get up and my sister drives me to the Nuclear Medicine section of the clinic.  It’s right across the hall from the pacemaker section, so you can imagine our company.  The very nice lady calls me in back and starts an IV.  Somehow, we start talking about school. That ALWAYS happens. . . She sticks in the IV, tapes my right arm so my elbow won’t bend and send me back to the waiting room.  Of course I’m nervous and have to use the restroom. which is NOT easy with either of my choices – A) use my left hand or B) take care of everything without bending my right elbow!

Then, she calls me back. . .

A PIPIDA scan is a check of your gall bladder.  If I’d actually already posted Part 1 and 2 on this topic, you’d know, I have been having stomach pains and nausea every time I eat since about April.  Doesn’t seem to matter WHAT I eat, just the fact that I’ve eaten anything makes me miserable for about 30  - 90 minutes afterwards.

So, I have to lay on this little skinny tray that looks like what they roll out of autopsy room on TV. It’s long and skinny, and honestly, I was a little concerned about parts of me being too wide for it!! They give you a pillow and one under your knees and there is an armrest on each side, but they are NOT terrible comfortable! You lay under this big horseshoe shaped thing that has a big box under it. 

The technician sticks some radioactive stuff into the IV.  She told me, “This will light up your insides.” The big box moved until it was right over my belly.  Then it moved down until there was only about a hands width between it and  me!  The nice technician said, “Okay, now it’s taking pictures.” 

You have to lay there, lie there, until your gall bladder gets to a certain luminosity I guess. It seemed like forever and I seem to have lost all concept of time.  I prayed for everyone I knew and listed them by name! I prayed about my job and our house and my daddy, for my church and all the people in it!  I sang songs (in my head of course) and I may have even dozed off.  Then she said, “You’re at 8, w hen you get to 12, I give you the other medicine.”  So I started praying for everyone all over again!

Finally, I guess I was glowing inside to her satisfaction.  She let me move my left arm,which was cramping and tingling up under my head which was MUCH better.  Then it felt like she put a fire extinguisher in my lap.  I’m not sure that’s what it was, but that’s what it felt like. I couldn’t see it, because of the giant box!  She warned me that the next step might make me feel uncomfortable.  She said “I’m giving you another  injection. This one makes your gall bladder think you’re getting food. (I hadn’t had anything to eat or drink since midnight and it was after 10:30 at least!!)  She said “You may feel some cramping or some nausea, so know that! This medicine takes 5 minutes to go in, and then we take pictures for 30 minutes.”  

The big box moved so it was closer to my head and at a 45 degree angle.  The stuff started pumping in. The fire extinguisher thing (which I assume holds the medicine) began making this clicking noise.  I noticed that there was a particular rhythm to the clicks.  Almost instantly, my old familiar pain came back. . . with some extra! I felt nauseous  and spent the next 5 minutes praying “God please don’t let me vomit!”  Thankfully, He granted that request!  I could hear the rhythm change when it got to the end of the 5 minutes and then it beeped.  The technician came over and took it out of the IV. 

A while later, I was done. I guess it was 30 minutes, but again, I had no concept of time.  I do know, when I came out it was almost 11:30 and we started about 9:40-ish I think.  She had told me it would take at least  1 1/2 hours, but it would all depend on how long it took my gall bladder to light up. I guess it took a little longer than an hour for that part.

I left with a bandage on my arm and an ache from holding my right arm so still.  I almost couldn’t get up off the little tray thing – there’s nothing to push or pull on and I’d laid so still for so long, I was a little disoriented.  It was interesting, that’s for sure. 

My sister took me to lunch – I was STARVING – and we came home. Now I wait to see the surgeon again, and see what he says. . .