Mexico

I talked with Steve about going with Heather and her family to Mexico. First I explained the situation she was in. He said we should pray about it and place it in the Lord's hands and protection. So, then I asked him if he thought the Lord would protect me, too, if I went with them so Heather would not be coming back alone with the kids. He said we'd need the Lord's guidance.

To the Lord we went in prayer. It was a wonderful time just talking with Him and releasing it all in His hands. Then I received a call from Heather that they'd all need passports and it would take 60 days to get them. Which put a stop to everything.

Today Heather told me that Pato is not going down for four weeks. I'm not sure if he's waiting for the results of the second appointment his dad is going to or not. When we prayed we also placed Pato's dad in the Lord's hands. I felt peace after that. Time will tell. Halfmoon

Do I Dare Ask?

I want to go to Mexico with Heather and her family. Steve will kill me if I ask. He'll probably ask me if I've lost my mind, maybe I have. That way she wouldn't be traveling back to Iowa from the Mexico border by herself (and the kids). There is no way she can do that alone.



Is it such a bad idea? I don't know. It would be great to meet Pato's family and protect Heather from his domineering mother. The last time she was down there she was pregnant with Katiana and Jordan was only around three. People said things about Jordan being overweight which really upset Heather. I'd like to tell them a thing or two. Noone is going to hurt him again if I have anything to say about it.



Steve's in the shower and I'm here trying to get up the nerve to tell him what I'm thinking. Oh brother, I think I just heard him getting out. Well here goes nothing. I'm not going to say anything to Heather about it and get her hopes up as it will probably not pan out. Halfmoon

A Trip to Ohio

Heather's family was supposed to leave tonight to head to Ohio to see Pato's sisters and some of his family. They decided to wait until tomorrow morning because the winds are so bad right now it blew a train off its tracks in Ohio. His sister, Daniella, called and begged them to wait until tomorrow to see how the weather is.

It is freezing here in Iowa but at least the temp is about sixteen degrees. Yesterday it was down to six degrees and with the windchill it felt like -20. We had a glorius day Monday, it actually got up to 50 degrees here. Then the next day brought snow again and terrible wind.

Heather just called me. Pato's sister, Judy, (in Mexico) called him. They had just taken his dad to the doctor and was told he has about two months left to live. Not good. So Pato will probably go to Mexico instead. They really don't have the money to go there. Heather said she cannot take Jordan out of school for that long and she won't let the girls go without her. What a deal, huh? I was tempted to tell her I'd keep Jordan out here and take him to school, but man what a commitment that would be. I don't have the money for gas to do that and I'm really not in that great of health either.

Well, time will tell. Halfmoon

Alabama Bound

Wow, I have tried multiple times/days to book a week of our timeshare down in the Alabama area with no results. My brother-in-law, Randy, will be crowned the Grand Potentate of the Shriners or Masons the end of March and we are invited! We are going to a ball! I am so excited. I'll wear my gold dress that I wore to Abby's wedding so I won't even have to shop! Steve will need a suit. The night before the ball there is a dinner that we'll go to also. I'll need to figure out what to wear to that, I guess. Sue (my sister) and Walt will be going too.

I am really looking forward to this. I've never been to a Sno-Ball or Prom in high school, so this will be the closest thing for me. Jackie (my sister who is married to Randy) is determined to walk Randy down the aisle for the crowning. She has had major health problems and now gets around with a walker. I am so proud of her. When she has trouble and sets her mind to it, she attains her goal.

Back to the timeshare, I looked online again today and behold, they actually had a week available in Alpine, Alabama starting the 29th of March. There won't be swimming cause the pool doesn't open until Memorial Day but there's a whirlpool tub in the unit so I'll be happy. We probably won't spend a lot of time there anyway as we'll be going to see our Alabama family each day. It will probably be an hour or more drive each day, but at least we will have our own space and a place to get away to.

I can't wait! Halfmoon

A Little Hope

I called Emily again and was surprised when she answered. She told me she was waiting for workers comp to answer her questions before she returned my call. I explained the frustration I feel when I see Dr. Simon. He never asks how the pain affects me daily and nightly, he only asks where the most severe pain is and deals with that. He also went off about fibro myalgia and the letter he received from the workers comp lawyers. I told Emily I have never complained about fibro myalgia to him. Yes, I have it and have had it since my car accident, however if I go to warm water therapy (arthritis classes) it keeps it at bay.

Emily suggested we get a second opinion from another pain control physician of which I whole-heartedly agreed. She also said she would approve a referral to an orthopaedic surgeon to see if there is a way to correct the low back, hooray!

Finally she said she would check with workers comp to see if she could keep me on employment. I'm not sure what that would mean but I hope it would mean not cutting my pay and then I could keep having insurance. Pretty exciting if it happens! Halfmoon

Getting Frustrated

I sent an email to the Human Resources office in Cedar Rapids today. Up till now I have left at least four messages (with live people) and one email for the local HR, Emily Porter, to call me with answers to the questions I have with no response.

I need to know how long I am covered on dental because I have two teeth that need crowns. I had to wait until I was with Delta Dental one year before having them done. That will be up February 3. My last check will be cut February 16. Will I have time to get the work approved and done????? Halfmoon

The Doctor's Appointment

I met Abby at her doctor's office for the visit to confirm her pregnancy. She had shared with me she first realized she might be expecting when she craved a can of generic mixed vegetables that Justin likes but she doesn't. After she ate the whole can, she began to wonder. She checked her calendar and sure enough, she was 5 days overdue for her dot.

The doctor came in and said "You're test confirms that you are pregnant!" Abby said "Great because I've already told everyone that I am" It was so fun to share this time with my youngest child. I now see glimpses of my life and what my mother must have felt.

After leaving the office I asked Abby if she wanted to go for a celebration lunch. She looked at me and said, "Broccoli and cauliflower pizza sounds good." We both laughed at that. I followed her to Pleasant Hill as that was the closest Breadeaux Pizza around. Unfortunatly it didn't open till 4:00 pm. So we again hit the road and headed to Adel after calling and confirming they were open.

Heather called me while I was following Abby to get on the Interstate. About a block away from the entrance she took a left turn. I told Heather "I wonder what she's doing, she just turned off before the entrance." It only took about five seconds before I said "Oh for crying out loud! Now I know why we are here!" We had turned into the parking lot of a Mexican store that sells corn on a stick covered with mayonaise and cheese. What a riot! I guess she had another craving! Halfmoon

Wonderful News

Abby called tonight at 6:30 pm saying she and Justin were coming out because she missed us. Was I surprised when after we gathered around the dining room table she told us we were going to be grandparents again.

Justin had a glow on his face and I could see how happy he was. I became tearful and said I just wish Mike (Justin's dad) could have been alive to know this. Justin told me that his dad was the first to know. Then we all became excited and talked about the coming event.

Abby showed me the picture she had on her phone that showed the two dipsticks with plus signs. I really laughed at that. Justin said she had wanted to bring the dipsticks out to show us and he suggested they not do that since there had been pee on them. We got to laughing and it was really a fun time.

Abby had received a call from Heather while they were driving to our house. She asked Abby if she wanted to take three great forms of birth control with her for a little while. I bet it was hard for her not to tell Heather it was too late over the phone!

The kids didn't stay long because Abby wanted to stop by Steve's, Josh's, and then Heathers to tell them in person their wonderful news. This will make eight grandchildren for Steve and I. What a day! Halfmoon

Cut in Pay

I received a letter from the worker's comp insurance carrier that my pay will be cut by approximately $150 a week starting the middle of February. This really bites big time. It is hard enough living on my pay without receiving Saturday/Sunday higher rate which I haven't received since being injured. The only thing I can think of to cut now would be smoking (which I know isn't good for me anyway), but would rather quit because I want to quit. I've been afraid to quit before now because I cannot afford to gain any weight with my back in the condition that it is in.

Time will only tell how I will survive. Plus I will no longer have medical and dental benefits once that takes effect. There goes my benefit of getting 3 months of prescriptions for the price of 2 months copay. And this had better not mess up my getting my crowns taken care of. I have been waiting for 2/3/08 to roll around to be eligible to get those fixed.

Life is a drag sometimes! Halfmoon

Stress on Top of Stress

What a day I had yesterday! After waiting an extra month to get a nerve block, I was finally on my way to get it. Steve was with me because I cannot drive home after getting it. I asked him to call Saturn to check on the status of getting my 2007 Vue back. We had taken it in for the seventh time for the Check Engine light coming on. Saturn had decided my problem was living on a gravel road and dust gets in the gas cap. They've replaced it twice, changed cracked hoses,replaced a black box, and more and still the light comes on. This time they cleaned the undercarriage, dropped the gas tank and cleaned around it. When they went to put the tank back they noticed it is thinner on one side where it connects, than the other side. So this time I get a new gas tank.

Back to Steve calling them. I became really frustrated that this was the reason all along probably, according to Saturn. So I will be driving the loaner for a day or so more which hurts my back to sit in and to get in and out of the car is a killer. On to the nerve block. Dr. Simon said this will be my fourth block since April (I fell in the parking lot at work and have been off on Worker's Comp ever since). Four is too many to have in one year. Also, my pulse is too high to get a block. He also said that I've never had a block on the low right back so he couldn't do it. He said this as he's flipping through my chart noticing my first block was on the right side. At this point the nurse comes in the room as he needs to go take a physician's call.

Talk about stress. I've already taken meds to get this block and now he isn't going to let me get it? When he came back in another nurse walked in. He told her to go ahead and take me across the hall and give me the IV with a sedative and two other drugs to see if they can get my heartrate slower. Mercifully, the rate went down and he came in and did the block. Once it was over Steve took me home and the rest of the evening went uneventfully, thank goodness.

I had four or five herniated disks in my back and a bulging disk in my neck before falling in February. I received those in a car accident back in 2000. A car going the same direction as me came into my lane. I went off the road to avoid it and it still hit me. The driver had fallen asleep at the wheel with his cruise control on. I had nerve blocks for two or three years and then as long as I went to arthritis classes in warm water, I kept it in control. When I fell in February of this year, I received another bulging disk in the lower back and have been in severe pain ever since. I cannot sit, stand or walk for very long and trying to go to sleep is impossible. When I do finally get to sleep, I only sleep for two to three hours and then wake up again in severe pain.

When I complain that life isn't fair I am reminded that there are only two kinds of fair: bus fare and county fair. My back is starting to throb now so I'd best end this here.