Suzanne Calling

Well, sometimes the glue isn't enough, then again... I wish I had the pics to post, but I think my camera was left behind in Bob's hotel room. Bob just called to confirm this. We went down to Sarasota last night and saw two more of our oldest and dearest friends. I met Bob (or Bawb, as he's typically addressed) the first day on campus at my alma mater. He now lives in California and is married. The last time we met up in person, to the closest any of us can recall, is 1998. He was about to move to California for a new job and Ed and I were about to purchase our first home together. While the miles between us were many, the phone calls kept us in touch. It's nice to note that even though we hadn't seen each other in years, last night felt like it'd only been a week since we last hung out at one of our Long Island haunts. Donna had ventured down from Jacksonville, and it was a miniature WHPC reunion. The two of them had noticed a greek restaurant o...

Santa has arrived at our house, and in a few hours the kids will be happy to find the things they've asked for under the tree. This year, though, they'll find a letter from Santa. He's told them that the elves were really busy and the computer parts will be shipped to Daddy to put it together for them. Heck, they've watched him put together computers before and so this probably won't seem that strange. Everybody wins, too, they don't get a machine loaded with crap they don't need and a huge hard drive. In other news, my freaking leg is driving me nuts. The ointment works well, but it feels like I'm pouring sulfuric acid on my leg each time I use it. The ulcers are gettng much better, so I suppose the pain is a small price to pay to have a healthy leg. Our Christmas Day will be spent at the inlaws, consuming smoked turkey and vegging. Curious to see how well Williams Sonoma smokes a turkey-I usually hate smoked meats. We're bringing sides and d...

We got something in the mail that beats any present money could buy. The state of Florida has determined that Gameboy is eligible for Medicaid. This is a huge relief, as we can now get more services for him. The social skills therapy that three psychiatrists have recommended and we've been all for since the initial diagnosis, for one. We can get him occupational therapies as well. This means that the financial hell that we've experienced will slowly get better. No one really wants to hear of anyone's money woes, but folks, we were there at the bottom of the barrel. At one point, I was seriously ready to sell my car and get a junker to pay for those meds that make his ability to function possible. I can't begin to tell you how relieved I am-it is the thing I wanted the most this year. The letter is just the beginning-and the adventure ahead in learning what I have to do to get the child what he needs is going to be interesting! A bottle of champagne is in order,...

Back to the Vascular group today. Nurse M looked at my leg and likes the improvement. She did some debridement-not fun. I got woozy and felt like I was going to pass out, but fortunately, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Now I've got some festive green ointment that seals the wounds and pulls out more of the crud. Still hurts like the dickens, but I can see how much better it has gotten in the week since I last saw her. She concurred with Kathi, that I need to take the Vicodin on a regular basis for now and not just when I'm in excruciating pain. The swelling has gone down enough so that I was able to get the compression stocking back on the foot. Woohoo. I also got my professional crocs and I must say, they look pretty good with a pair of dress pants. A note to any of you considering the crocs-the professionals probably have the narrowest fit of any of the styles they carry. If I didn't have the swollen foot, I would love this fact. Back to have a foll...

I promised I would write about the wedding. :) It's December, so of course, I had to work Saturday. I worked until noon, then headed home to find Ed and the boys packed and my dress ready to go. I just had to throw a few things into the bags and we would be on our way. We did have to head back to the house because we forgot meds for oldest son. We had reservations for one night at our favorite resort, the Polynesian, as we couldn't get two nights at anything but a Deluxe resort(thanks to hectic retail schedule, I didn't make reservations early enough). However, reservations made through CRO have a 48 hour cancellation window. On the way there, I called CRO and found a room at Port Orleans Riverside for two nights. That worked-the rooms sleep 5. Jane was kind enough to watch the boys through all these events-otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to go. We were told to meet at the Poly for the bus to the dessert party, so we headed over a little early to view the ...

Sometimes, I'm tired of being the glue. You wonder what that is? It's when you're the only thing keeping something together. When the ex and I still lived in New York, it was basically me being the 'cruise director' and coordinating all the activities our group of friends did and keeping things together. Once I moved to Maryland, it was frequent phone calls back to NY-but the calls were reciprocal. The difference was, my phone bill would be triple or quadruple anyone elses. I was glad for this-it was part of being the glue. The ex and I split, jobs changed, but through the years, I've picked up friends along the way and lost far too many of them that I wish were still in my life. As much as I hate AOL, I have to thank them for Instant Messenger, because it's how I maintain being the glue with a few friends who I don't even have phone numbers for (paging Dave, Jeff and Russ-this means you!). To an extent, the blog has some glue like properties, be...

I'm back from my doctor's visit and still in pain, but this is the upshot: 1. I got to see the two nurse practitioners instead of Dr. S (Halleluiah!). The one nurse has pretty much seen me since I moved to Florida as she was involved in the first Doppler they did on my leg in July '04. Seems the wounds are getting worse because there is an underlying infection (who ever though that the capris I was living in prevented infection?). 2. We discussed the what and why and then they went to consult with Dr. S and Dr. J happened to be on the floor (in between surgeries-Thursday is his OR day). Both docs suggested debridement, while Nurse M thought moist dressing and then an Unna Boot once the infection is gone. Nurse A concurred, and both nurses came to me with the treatment options. I told Nurse M that I'd called my sister (nursing student) when I couldn't get in to see them, triaged and asked what SHE would do if I were her patient and sis suggested moist dressing, ...

As I write this, it's 3:32am and I can't sleep. Why? Because my vascular issues in my leg have gotten so bad that I have resorted to taking the painkillers left over from my last surgery. Unfortunately, I took the last one last night-and I had no idea that it had gotten this bad in the two weeks that I'd started taking them. I think I fell asleep at 11:30 and was up at 12:05. The best description I can come up with is that my lower leg stings as if I've gotten severe road rash. In addition, there's the sporadic stabbing pain-this is what prevents me from sleep tonight. I'm dealing with a double edged sword. If I wear my compression stocking, it adheres to the scabs on my ankle. This means excruciating pain when I take the stocking off (more intense pain than the stinging and stabbing), but by not wearing them, the sores on the leg are worse. Yes, I know it's gross. My friends, you know that if I'm to the point that I'm taking the damn painki...

The frustrations of Asperger's Syndrome: Imagine if you will, a child with genius intelligence. This child can read at nearly college level and has amazing recall abilities. However, this 1o year old acts emotionally on the level of an 18 month old-temper tantrums and all. He's stubborn, willful and wants everything HIS way. Never mind the fact that all the adults in his life tell him he has to do XYZ, he wants to do ABC. Rewards to encourage good behavior don't work-you give him an inch, he wants a mile. Punishment to discourage poor behavior doesn't work, either-he continues to be bad because he can't get his way. I just got back from a visit to the school for something unrelated, but of course, my child is in the principal's office for shoving another student in his class after a morning of bad behavior. A child who must use a walker to get around. The principal and teacher are on the same page with me and Ed and said he wanted to call the sheriff...