Co-Workers

I haven't exactly been silent on the fact that co-workers can either make or break a work experience.  Well since last October we have been short a co-worker or two, making my work life unbelievably stressful.  This week we interviewed someoneone who was a great case for not judging a book by its cover.  Let's just say she wasn't dressed quite the way that I would have for a job interview.  But after spending an hour or so with her...and eventually an entire day...I was pleasantly surprised.  Impressed, even.  Maybe she will be the answer to some serious prayers.  

On the other hand, Kevin's co-workers are not my favorite.  In fact, I intend to rant about them right now so go ahead and navigate away from my blog if you don't want to hear it...err, read it.  Kevin works for a car dealership.  I'm sure you know this profession doesn't exactly have the best reputation.  But we are very, very grateful to God for providing this opportunity and Kevin never having been out a day of work after getting laid off!!!  However, his co-workers put a bit of a damper on our Friday lunches together.  After a couple of weeks of him working there, I realized I could pick him up behind the building and avoid being attacked by polo-shirt-wearing, golf-cart-driving, car salesmen sharks.  Well today they got me.  I drive around back and there are three golf carts and five salesmen  (and one inappropriately dressed woman) blocking my way!  As a matter of fact, they continued to stand in the way of my car, and one even held up their hand to stop me.  I rolled down my window, and then they began to ask if I needed something.  No I did not need anything...they flagged me down, not the other way around!  I informed them that my husband worked there and I was simply picking him up for lunch.  Then they needed know who I was married to before they could give me directions...which I didn't need.  Did I mention that they were blowing their lovely cigarette smoke in my face during this exchange?  Unbelievable!

So kudos to my husband for getting up and going to work every morning.  And once he gets there not punching anyone in the face.  And thank you God for giving me co-workers that I enjoy...well, most of them.

Big News

We got the pathology results back from the doctor today...and it was great news!  Every single lymph node that they removed from my mom's arm tested negative for cancer!  Every one!  I distinctly remember, after the surgery, her Doctor telling us that he didn't like what he had seen in regard to her lymph nodes.  So you can imagine all of our elation at this awesome news!  He called her in person to share the good report!  

She will still have to go through chemo, as I believe they base that on the size of the tumor.  But we are just thrilled about the fact that they found it in stage one and it hasn't spread!  I couldn't wait to share the good report with you guys!  Praise God for hearing and answering the prayers of his children!

Potty Talk...

Since I recently shared my tale of cleaning the pee puddle in the lobby at work, I thought I'd share this one as well.   Today a mom was waiting on the patient's bathroom with her little girl.  Unfortunately, it was occupied, as was our staff restroom.  She informed me that her daughter was either going to pee on herself or my floor.  I'm sorry, but what do you expect me to do in this situation?  Would you like a cup?  Because I'm certainly not about to produce a toilet out of thin air.  Luckily, a bathroom became available shortly after that.  Good for me, because I had absolutely no response to her oh-so-classy threat.

Tonight after work I ventured to the gas station for yet another bag of ice.  Now that I think about it, I have probably spent more money on bags of ice than it would cost to replace the last few items that we are trying to save.  But I digress.  Since the gas station is only 2 miles from our house, I thought it would be a nice treat to bring the dogs along for a ride.  Well I forgot that they are only used to getting in the car for the groomer, the vet, and long road trips...all of which make them extremely nervous.  So when I left the car to get the bag of ice, sweet little Dakota left me a giant, smelly present in the backseat.  Don't worry, I didn't take a picture this time.  

Back to Reality

So today was my last day at home with my mom.  She was more tired than she has been, but she said she had heard that for some reason the 3rd day out of surgery was always the day it hit you.  Other than that, she is still doing great.  Still no pain.  I wish I had a pic, you wouldn't believe how great she looks.  Hopefully we will get the pathology report back tomorrow.  But her surgeon was quick to say that he does not rush the labs.  Better to have accurate reports than quick ones, right?

I was excited to get home and see my husband and my puppies for the first time in four days.  Needless to say, they were all really excited and wagging their tails when they saw me.  Yes, even Kevin.  Kidding.  I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight, however the prospect of returning to work tomorrow isn't exactly thrilling...particularly the waking up at 6am part.  

I will update again once we get the path reports back.  Thanks again for the support and prayers!

Day 3

So my parets graciously let me sleep in again this morning.  When I finally crawled out of bed I found that they...yes both of them...had just returned from breakfast at Cracker Barrel.   Apparently she was feeling just fine.  And that seemed to be the trend throughout the day.   Mom said she found herself wide awake around 2am and she thougth it was the pain meds keeping her awake.  We had been encouraging her to take them regularly to pre-empt any pain.  So when it got to be a reasonable time, she called the doctor for some advice.  He asked if she was in any pain, and when she told him no, he told her to stop taking the pain meds.  Apparently there are a blessed few people who undergo this procedure who simply don't experience any pain.  So she hasn't taken a single pain pill in about 24 hours, and yet is not in any pain.  Praise God!  

Personally, when I found out about the cancer, I had no fears about her long-term health.  I was most concerned for her state of mind and the pain that she would endure.  I have since had the same confirmed by several people.  Apparently that's how we had all been praying...that she would be comfortable and experience little to no pain.  And isn't it amazing how God answers the prayers of His people?

Around 2:00 we left the house to run a couple errands and grab some lunch.  We were probably gone for around 2 hours, but she seemed perfectly fine.  She is still a little weak and her energy fades rather quickly, but all of that is to be expected.  

I decided it would be best to stay with her for one more day.  I know she enjoys having me around, and as long as I'm here I know she won't over-exert herself and try to do too much.  I am trying to tell myeslf not to feel guilty for missing another day of work.  I know I would feel much more guilty if I was working when my mom needed me here.  

To be honest, although it has been a stressful weekend, I feel really great.  I know that my mom is going to be okay, and I'm much more at peace than I was before.  And I really think I needed the time away from work.  I have been incredibly stressed out lately, and this has almost been like a mini vacation.   I do miss my husband and my dogs terribly though, so I'm looking forward to going back to Loganville relaxed and refreshed.   

Day Two and Counting

After 14 hours in the hospital yesterday, I had high hopes for a much better day today.  I was not disappointed.  I was utterly exhausted, so after sleeping almost ten hours, I finally made it to the hospital around 11:00.  A little selfish I know, but to be honest, I could have easily slept another five hours.  When I got there Mom was sitting up in her bed, chatting it up with the Fitts' who had come to visit.  She looked great.  Apparently, shortly after we left last night, the anesthesia and subsequent nausea finally wore off, and she went on an all night eating spree of saltine crackers and cookies.  She said she even made dad get up at 6am to go get her a biscuit and some coffee.  This was great news to those of us who watched her complain about being hungry all day yesterday, yet be unable to eat.

Before I got there, the nurse had told them that she would be discharged by lunch, so we were pretty much sitting around waiting for everything to get wrapped up.  Well we waited...and waited...and then waited some more.  I will admit that, although we were very fond of her evening and overnight nurses, the day nurse and tech today left a great deal to be desired.  After a long time sitting around, the nurse finally came in with the discharge papers...followed by a cafeteria worker with the 4th tray of inedible jell-o, apple juice, beef broth, and italian ice.  Needless to say, we politely told them where they could put that tray...right back in the cafeteria!  

After the nurse went over all the discharge instructions, then we got to wait around for a wheelchair to take her to the lobby.  We lost track of time at that point.  But when that finally arrived, we realized that the wonderful nurse hadn't changed her dressings, and neither one of us knew how to do it properly.  So we tracked her down only to have her inform us that the doctor hadn't informed her to do so.  We insisted that maybe it would be a good idea for someone who would be going home with her to know how to change her dressings.  So we got to wait around again for her to find the time to do that.  (Side note for those with strong stomachs:  The nurse was very impressed with the incision site once we got the dressings off.  She said that usually the bandages have quite a bit of blood on them, but her bandage and incision were both completely clean!)  After that we got to wait around some more for someone to push the wheelchair.  After the 3rd time reminding the nurses' station that we were still waiting on a wheelchair pusher, I wasn't quite as polite as I started out.  But apparently I got my point across  because finally, around 2:10 or so, we got to leave!  

Of course by that point, she was starving, because she was supposed to have left before lunch, and when lunchtime had rolled around, they had never changed her instructions so we received the ridiculous tray as described above.  So McDonalds it was.  Let's just say she had her appetite back. 

She seemed great through the rest of the afternoon and evening.  She wasn't in any pain.  In fact she felt so good that I was constantly having to remind her to be careful not to use her left arm so much.  Dad and I were threatening to tape it down before she caused some damage.  Overall it was a great day.  It was so comforting to see her alert and back to her usual self.  

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support.  It is such a great comfort to see her surrounded by not just our family but a community of family and friends who truly love and support us through all of this.  God is continually pouring out his blessings of favor, peace and joy upon our family.  We could not have asked for more.  

The Longest Day of my Life

I knew today would be long.  I knew it would be difficult.  I had hardly slept in two days, and was hardly on top of my mental game.  But I made it through.  Here's a rundown of the day's events.  

Mom, Dad and I got to the hospital bright and early at 6:45am.  Terri was already there waiting for us, and Pastor Tommy arrived shortly after.  They sent us to the waiting room and Alicia was there to take mom back and help prep her for surgery.  It was great to see a familiar, smiling face!  They let us go back in pairs to wait with her, as we had a couple of hours before the surgery was to begin.  While Dad and Pastor Tommy were back there, the surgeon, Dr. Majors, came in right as they were about to pray.  He asked to stay there for the prayer (awesome!) and Pastor Tommy said that in all of his years visiting people in the hospital, that was the first time a doctor had requested to be included in the prayer.  What a great start to the day!

They finally wheeled her into surgery around 9:00.  After two very anxious hours in the waiting room, Dr. Majors came out and went over the details of her surgery.  She did well.  They performed the masectomy and removed some suspicous lymph nodes, and he expects about 30% of them to be cancerous.  But we will have to wait for the pathology report on Tuesday or Wednesday to know all the details, what stage she is in, and where to go from here.  For right now, we think chemo is going to be the next step.  

After an hour in recovery, they put her in a room in the outpatient surgery unit.  She was still pretty out of it.  She was trying to wake up to see all of her visitors, but she just couldn't keep her eyes open.  She couldn't even stay awake long enough to tell the severity of her pain to recieve pain meds.  After everyone left and it was just me and Dad there with her, it hit me pretty hard.  She just looked so small and weak.  

The doctor had told us that she could go home today, but he recommended that she spend the night.  Unfortunately, the nurses understood the orders to be her leaving today.  Well it became pretty apparent that she would definitely be spending the night.  So, two very trying "roomates" later, we finally got her in another room by herself to spend the night.  It was a pretty rough evening.  She was starving, but she couldn't hold anything down.  At one point she decided she really needed a donut and coffee so, against the nurse's advice, we gave her some...only to see it again a few minutes later.  

We finally got all her nausea meds, pain meds and IV regulated, and got to spend a few comfortable hours with her.  She obviously wasn't feeling 100%, but it was the best she had looked  or felt all day.  We all left and Dad is spending the night with her tonight, hopefully both of them getting some much needed rest. 

I owe a great deal of thanks to everyone who called, commented, and came to visit.  It's so important to both her and I to know that she is greatly loved, thought of, and covered in prayers.  I especially want to thank Terri (mom #3) and Jeanine for everything...particularly just being there.  I wouldn't have made it through this 14-hour day without you!  

Sorry this has been so long.  I'll keep posting as she improves and comes home tomorrow.  

The Calm Before the Storm

Here is my last recap on the 'fridge situation until we get it fixed.  From what we know so far, it is still under warranty.  So the new compressor has been ordered.  There's a small chance that it will come in this Friday, but more than likely it will come in sometime next week.  Which means that either one of us will have to take another afternoon off, or we will go without a fridge until next Friday.  I finally had to give up on salvaging the frozen foods.  There was no hope left for them.  I am still trying with the cheese, milk, cookie dough, etc.  Although we'll see how that goes when I'm away for four days.  I can imagine Kevin will get tired of trips to the gas station to buy ice pretty quickly.  By the way, thanks to my amazing in-laws for a very generous donation to replace all of our lost goods!  You guys rock my socks off!

Tonight I drove home to Columbus.  I left around 7:30 and as I was heading West on I-20 I got to see a gorgeous sunset.  My favorite part of the drive home is on 285 when I'm driving past the airport.  I love to watch the planes fly so close overhead.  You can ask Kevin, I completely turn into a little kid.  Saw a great landing tonight.  

So now to explain the thought proccess behind the blog title.  This will probably be my last lighthearted post for awhile.  If you don't know already, my mom has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  I found out on Sunday, and the reason for my trip home was to be here for her surgery (we leave for the hospital in 5 hours and counting!).  I'm sure you can imagine I'm feeling all kinds of crazy emotions.  However, I'm not afraid.   I have been a Christian long enough to know that God is in control.  My faith has been tried and tested.  I know that there is no reason for worry or fear.  I am still processing everything, however, and more than anything I'm just concerned for her and how she will handle everything she is about to go through.  I think it will really hit me when we get to the hospital tomorrow.  That's probably why I'm still up writing this at 1:25am even thought my head is literally spinning and I can barely see what I'm typing.  So I will probably be using my blog over the next few days/weeks as an update (and some personal therapy).  Thanks in advance for your prayers.  Love you guys!  

P.S. - Mom #2, thanks for the CD, it is exactly what I needed.  I love it!

The Saga of the Broken 'Fridge...Part 2

So last night I gave a little snippet about our fridge having died.  At first we thought it was just the freezer.  So I went out and grabbed bags of ice and threw everything we could still save (sadly, the ice cream was a goner) into the cooler.  A few hours later I realized that the fridge side was broken too because everything in it was covered in condensation and the labels on the marinades were getting all soggy!  So same routine...salvage what we could, sadly say goodbye to all the money we wasted on fresh fruits and veggies, and go on with our night.  

I woke up this morning half an hour early so that I had time to grab another bag of ice to replenish our supply and hope that the food lasted throughout the day.  Despite all of Kevin's attempts, we weren't able to get anything accomplished today.  We do know our options...$600 compressor, new fridge, refurbished fridge, or pray that it's still under warranty.  After much digging through user manuals and closing papers, I finally found the warranty info.  Our warranty expires exactly two weeks from today!  So hopefully we can get this beast taken care of tomorrow and, fingers crossed, not have to pay hundreds of dollars!

I really, really did not want to cook in a mess of a kitchen like we have right now.  But Kevin insisted it was smart to use up some of the food while we could.  So I decided to make a broccoli cheese casserole.  Great idea, right?  I used a bag of broccoli, chicken, milk, and cheese!  And aside from nearly ripping off a fingernail digging through the large cooler for the bag of chicken, I was pretty proud of myself (other than a slight fear of food poisoning).  And it was delicious! 

Now...

WHAT TO DO WITH THE LEFTOVERS?!?

April Showers...

So you know the saying "April showers bring May flowers?"  Well it's been backwards for Kevin and I so far this year.  April was amazing.  While it's only May 4th, and it's already pouring down on us.  

Fridge died tonight.  Don't know how much of the food is salvageable.  Decided to make the most of a bad situation.  Egged our own backyard.  They were going to go bad anyway.  Great for morale.