Suzanne Calling

Remember how I said my cold just sounded worse than it really felt? That was Saturday. Monday morning, I got a slightly tight chest, a headache and the croupy cough. Uh oh, time to keep an eye on things, because those are the early warning signs for that dreaded bane of my existence. Yesterday morning, I woke up and the chest was tighter still, with the addition of nasal mucous that could be used to put up wallpaper. Lovely neon color, too. This time, I got the bonus symptom of an overactive conjunctiva (this is a new one for me). I spent most of the day feeling blah, and once we left the house to run errands, I picked up the phone and called the doctor. If a scalding hot shower doesn't loosen things up and make me feel better, then medical intervention is neccessary. Apparently, the nurse practitioner had a bunch of people with the same ailment this morning. Mine wasn't as advanced as theirs, though. However, because of my history, I went to ZPack and codeine cough sy...

As I sit here watching a movie for what may be the thousandth time, memories come back to the FIRST time I saw the movie... I was sitting in my fifth grade classroom (Mrs. Pressman, not her team teacher, Mrs. Kerner) when the intercom buzzes. "Please send Suzie (yep, I was Suzie back then) down to the office, her dad is her to pick her up for her dentist appointment." I'd been "brace faced" the month before, but I was confused. I didn't have an appointment that I could recall, it wasn't for another week-after school. Down to the main office (Mr. Goldstein) and I find my dad AND Kathi there. So she's got a dentist appointment, too? We get out dad's car, his gray 1968 Skylark and head north on Merrick Avenue, away from the dentist and orthodontist's office. "Dad? The dentist is in the other direction." "I know" was his reply, with a smile. This was back when dad had a normal speakng voice. Unfortunately, I don'...

I finally figured out how to describe the pain of the ulcers when they're not encased in an Unna boot or kept moist. Have you ever had a tooth extracted and experienced 'dry socket'? That pain that doesn't go away, even after you've taken a vicodin or two (and contemplate a third?) Well, that's what it feels like when I allow the ulcers to dry and scab over. It's not pleasant. Let's just say that I can't find the tube of neosporin plus and I'm experiencing this now. Both vicodins should have kicked in, however, the pain shows no indication that meds have been taken. This is on top of the stabbing pains in my ankle all day. Love the RSD, folks. At least the cold I have sounds far worse than it feels. The store manager at our other location across town called today to do a stock check. He said "did we hire another Suzanne?" , as he did not believe it was me on the phone. I had to say a few things to prove it WAS really me he was ...

So, younger son is here next to me, regaling me with a list of his favorite things. They are: He loves: Seafood Crab Cakes Mezzaluna Shrimp Crab Dip Squid Pizza Calzones Ice Cream Strawberry Heaven (his special cake) That's it. goodnight! Yep, the mind of a seven year old is all about food. Is it a wonder that this child wants to be a chef?

We are no longer part of the Cub Scout pack we participated in this year. I decided to leave, as it appeared others were unhappy with me. Last night's meeting and cold shoulder from many clinched it. I went to say my goodbye to the Committee Chair (who is moving), but she asked me to stick around for ten minutes. She told me that we were going to have a brief leader's meeting. They had called the commissioner (our former cubmaster) to speak to the group. Apparently, because they act like Jerry Springer panelists, they thought I would cause a scene. To whit: they stayed in a group at one side of the parking lot to watch the events unfold. Friggin juvenile behavior, and it really bothers me. Am I that unapproachable? Do you realize how STUPID you look to have somebody come in and mediate, when you haven't spoken to the person you have an issue with? The commissioner suggested a couple of packs who need my organiziational skills-and he readily admitted that this pack ...

Right now, I am livid and disgusted with cub scouting, specifically the rednecks in the pack that we were in. That's right, WERE in. Last night, we had our last pack meeting of the year. I had a headache and Ed was late arriving home from Lakeland because he was getting Jane from the hospital. So we were about 5 minutes late. At the meeting, people were kind of aloof, but hey, the people involved are not the most inclusive types. We were not holding the meeting in our normal location, so we dismissed early and the boys were running around outside. I'd made two cakes for the occasion and of course, the one older son couldn't consume is the one he was given. Even after it's been said all year that he cannot have dyes. I go stand in line outside the church kitchen with him and the woman who is handing out the cake slices says rudely "He already got cake", pointing to son.. I answer back "yeah, he's allergic to dye and you gave him the red cake and...

We had a meeting at the elementary school today. It was an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting to review older son's progress and our plans for his imminent move to Middle School. In his seven years in elementary school, he's spent the most time in his current elementary school (2 years), and 1.5 years with his current teacher. To contrast, younger son's entire school career has been in this one school. Saying that he's made progress would be like saying the Grand Canyon is a hole in the ground. Progess is such a small word for so much change. He has a very long way to go, but he's definitely improved, baby step after baby step. His tests indicate so much of what we see: he's a bright and articulate boy. His classroom performance mirrors home, in that he exerts as little effort as he can possibly get away with! Today's meeting was a closure of sorts. We rehashed how much he's achieved with his current teacher. We also stressed what he w...

Last year, I picked up two bottles of wine from the local wine megastore. They were of a varietal Ed and I had not tried from a Long Island Vintner, Pindar. We are HUGE fans of their blush wines, so anything Pindar showing up in a store this far south was cause for celebrating and purchasing. Heck, the price this megastore charged wasn't that far off from what we would have paid at any liquor store on LI. It was the proverbial needle in a haystack find. They've got 500 acres of vineyards, large by LI standards, but miniscule by other vintners size. That first bottle was judged to be 'okay' last May. We both thought it to be too dry for our liking. At that time, we still were relatively new to drinking red wines and we thought we were led astray by the moniker 'Sweet Scarlett'. I think we both had about half a glass and the rest made its way into one of Ed's primo pot roasts (the man is the master of pot roast.) I will say it made for an excellent a...

Jane is STILL in the hospital. It goes without saying that she's cranky, because she feels that they're not listening to her. Unfortunately, when doctors are not familiar with you and are taking you on as a new patient, they tend to follow treatment protocols to the letter. A good example is my chronic bronchitis. My first family doctor was used to my annual trek to his office mid autumn. I sounded like I was about to cough up a lung. We went through various antibiotics and cough medicines for a few years until we reached an effective combination. Once that occurred, I only had to call him with the news that the bronchitis had returned and he then would make the call to the local pharmacy to prescribe my codeine based cough medicine and antibiotic du jour. Once I ventured out on my own, I found a great family practice doctor, but I had to start from scratch. The first bout of bronchitis with this new doctor found me getting prescription strength Robitussin, even though...

So, after Sunday's unexpected gift, I was strangely Zen all day at work Monday. Spilled coffee on myself and didn't flip out at the loss of some precious Indigo Indulgence with Almond. Redid some markdowns and had a sign holder fall over and smash me right on the bridge of my nose. Hard. Being that it's some flimsy metal, I wasn't too concerned. I just wanted to make sure my nose wasn't bleeding. It's got a lovely indentation, though. You can actually fit the blasted sign holder in that indentation, but I won't let you! Anyway, I thought all was well. Yesterday morning, I woke up to find dried blood caked in one nostril. Not a lot, but enough to give me pause. Ed inspected and said the nose is broken. Whaaaaa? I didn't hear any crack or other impending sign of doom coming from the nose. It's not like I can do anything about it anyway, a broken nose is like a broken toe-tape it and ignore it. However, since then, I've had to blow my n...

"Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be And when we find ourselves in the place just right Twill be in the valley of love and delight"** This year's Mother's day flew low under the radar. Heck, I haven't even had time to properly celebrate Ed's birthday. The boys were all too proud to present their gifts: Handmade cards from school, a handmade heart pin (very cool) and a gift bag containing a candle, a fancy soap and some hershey kisses. I even got a coupon book good for chores. It should be interesting to see if I can collect on washing dishes and folding laundry. I was happy with those gifts, as they'd come from the heart. Ed later surprised me with a sweet card and some dark chocolate truffles. The best gift of all, though, was on the car ride from the hospital to get the kids some dinner. I got five minutes in the presence of my older son, without the fog that hides the beautful chil...

There's so much swimming in my head, begging to be put to blog, but I won't unleash the rantings at this time. Suffice to say Donna and Joyce have been so wonderful and let me vent my ire-several times to each. Ladies, once again, thank you for being there. The week was our typical chock a block busy one, with several monkey wrenches added in, because, hey, Ed and I don't have enough stress already. Some of it is already a blur... Monday : I was off, Ed was in training. I got some well needed sleep and caught up on some things that I needed to do. Tuesday : We were awakened at o dark thirty to be informed that Jane was on the way to the hospital. Oh shit, no one to watch the kids while Ed's in a training meeting. The boys get home at 2:15, Ed at 3. I get off work at 5:30, get home and off we go to Scouts. Sorry, there are so few things we enjoy as a family, we are going to scouts-don't like it, bite me. Wednesday : I'm off, Ed spends his last day wor...

No, not me. In my 40 years on this planet, I have had four overnight hospital stays, consisting of: my birth, the deliveries of each of my children, and the DVT that earned me a 9 day stay when older son was 7 weeks old. While one stay every ten years is not what I'd consider good, it isn't that bad, since three related to births. As you all know, I've had some chronic issues. My hatred of being confined to a bed is so great that I don't let issues get out of control. Any health issue that requires a specialist has one. Hell, I even have a cardiologist because I needed a sign off for surgery last year. I don't fool around with my health-there are three people depending on me. If there IS a problem I'm dealing with, the first thing I do is get on that phone, make an appointment and get my ass in to be seen by a doctor. No ifs, ands, or buts. My sister in law is in the hospital. Again. This time, she got a boil. According to Wikipedia, "Boils a...

Gotta love the internet. If not for its invention, we wouldn't google previous classmates and find them on Zoominfo. We wouldn't go from Zoominfo to Indeed, which would have a listing for Ed's former employer in NY/Chicago and find that they have a facility in Tampa/St. Pete. Thank you, Marci, for popping into my head today-I wanted to see how things were in South Florida for you. On the other hand, I did find her Myspace page, though-she's as ascerbic as ever. I think it's a pretty neat thing, that I've got friends spread out across the US and if it wasn't for the bandwidth, we would still be unknown to each other. I was all set to head up to Indiana to stay with one and meet with a few others, until the meeting was relocated to WDW for late July. Yesterday, I had a phone conversation with another internet friend who's moved over to the realm of "IRL" friend. We IM constantly about her issues with her teenage son. She's a good perso...

I'm pleased. The wounds are getting smaller (.5" and 1.5" around and flat). Dr. J looked at the leg Wednesday and a nurse who'd never wrapped an Unna Boot did the honors this week. Dr. J's comment when she came in to do it and said she'd never done one was "Suzanne can probably do it herself, she's done a few". LOL! So, the boot is wrapped slightly differently, but it's not tight. I haven't been itchy, either. All in all, a good situation. I've got stuff to wrap another, which means a dip in the pool will be in the future. Also, it's pretty comfortable, so I attempted sleeping in the bed, rather than the couch-and I made it through the night. Yay. As far as the sleep woes in general, I picked up a bottle of melatonin. This is supposed to be a good natural way of getting to sleep. Next time I'm up later than I want to be (probably tonight), I will give it a try. Tonight's entertainment is going to son's cooki...

that I am still trying to get to sleep. The leg is getting better, but my sleep is still out of whack from the RSD flare of Wednesday night. The removal of that top layer helped tremendously. I later found out that this layer really isn't neccessary, so I will keep that in mind when I put on dressings myself. Sunday afternoon found us in Lakeland and at the inlaw's. The pool was just too inviting to pass up and I removed the two layers of the boot. Yet again, the wounds were noticeably smaller than they were on Wednesday. A bonus of not being bound by that top layer is that I didn't feel the need to scratch my skin down to the bone. Then, the freedom from the Unna Boot meant one thing: SWIMMING!!!! 74 degree salt water, what could be better? We spent about an hour and a half in the pool, younger son perfected his cannonball skills and the water worked its magic. It'd be nice if the pool fairy would plop one of these things in my backyard, because it just feels s...