Living In Grace

Grace

I invite you to read the story of grace and redemption in Lisa's family.

TGIT (cause I’m not waitin’ for Friday)

Ok. Weird.

For those of you that came over and were requested to enter a password to read this?

I dunno.

Somehow it was marked "Private".

I dunno.

Thanks to those of you that emailed and said "What the Heck?" LOL

So, here it is. The big, secret post.

Disappointment will be waiting at the end. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, three hours in the ER  and lots of wonderful prescriptions later, I'm not so itchy.

Let me just say, that Prednisone and Pepcid ROCK MY WORLD!

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Here is a recipe I won't be posting on Favorite Ingredient Friday:

Basic OompaLoompa Itchy Twitchy Shake

1 humanoide type person (no AI allowed, must be 100% human)

1200 ml Clindimicin a day

1000 ml Vancomicin a day

1000ml Gentomicin a day

Combine first three ingredients, stir well and repeat for 10 days.

By day 7, the human form should be covered in hives and dancing the itchy itchy dance.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Duh! moment came when the ER doctor says "I think you may be sensitive to high levels of the 'micin' family of drugs".

Your mama must be proud, son. Oh, yes. That was $500,00 in student loans is paying off now.

But, that's ok. I caught up on several episodes of Design on a Dime and Iron Chef while I sat there. So, it's all good. Thank you Blue Cross.

I can't say the vending machines faired well. The kids get all excited when mommy has to go to the ER. They clean out their change and hop up on all manner of sugar and slop while they're in the waiting room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news, I thought this was interesting. It's a whole new take on 'what women will do to be beautiful'.

Thursday , August 30, 2007

By Catherine Donaldson-Evans

 

Mrs. Tennessee was bitten by a rattlesnake on the way to rehearsals for the Mrs. America pageant — and was treated on the scene by one of her competitors for the crown, registered nurse Mrs. Idaho, according to The Tennessean newspaper.

Christina Ryan, 28, was leaving a breakfast Sunday at the Loews Ventana Canyon Hotel in Tucson, Ariz., when the wily serpent — coiled at the bottom of some concrete steps — struck, biting her on the foot.

Luckily, Mrs. Idaho — registered nurse Lauralyn Salinas, 37 — was with her and was able to extract the snake’s fang from Ryan’s skin, The Tennessean reported.

“I guess he bit me and let go,” Ryan told the paper. “I ran up the stairs and became totally hysterical … It hurt worse than childbirth.”

Paramedics were on the scene in less than five minutes, according to The Tennessean.

Ryan, an event planner with an 18-month-old daughter, spent the night in the intensive care unit at Tuscon Medical Center, where she received about 10 vials of anti-venom medication and was watched closely, the newspaper reported.

She was recovering back at the hotel Monday.

"I'll just go back and do as much as I can and as often as I can with the contestants. I just have a swollen foot and anti-venom in me,” Ryan said.

The beauty queen apparently didn’t see the rattler because it was coiled at the foot of the stairs and blended in with the concrete.

The whole ordeal threw a wrench into preparations for the Mrs. America show.

"Rehearsal was postponed due to Mrs. Tennessee getting struck by a rattlesnake," wrote Salinas, Mrs. Idaho, on her blog on Sunday. "It was right by the entrance to our rehearsal. She is going to be fine, but was taken to the hospital just to be sure. Very Scary! Rehearsal will be a different location today. Our thoughts are with her for a quick recovery."

As for whether the snake was planted there in a “Miss Congeniality” sort of plot to rig the upcoming pageant — which unlike Miss America is for married women — the executive director of the Mrs. Tennessee America Pageant said she didn’t think that was the case.

"I would certainly hope not," Delayna Bridges told the newspaper, laughing. "Mrs. Arizona won Mrs. America last year, so, hopefully, they are feeling pretty happy right now and not feeling the need to sabotage our girl."

The pageant airs from Tuscon at 8 p.m. Sept. 21 and is co-hosted by TV and Broadway star Alan Thicke and by fired "Apprentice" contestant Omarosa Stallworth.

Think Mrs. Idaho might reconsider her talent portion for this year's competition?

I can see it now.

"And now, MRS IDAHO! Give her a hand"

(applause)

"As you can see, I'm holding a live rattlesnake. Now, I just need a volunteer from the audience."

"anyone? ....... anyone?......."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And in a segue to our own snake news, we saw something that was identical to a 4 foot rattlesnake on our front porch as we ran out to go to the ER.

Only thing is, it had no rattle-thingie. And it's tail was intact, not like someone had hacked off the tip.

So, I don't know what is was.

Anyone has any ideas?

Cause, I ain't going out at night until we've identified that monster.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hives (updated again :)) Rated: PG (for potentially gross)

Updated: 11pm. The OompaLoompas have thrown down the gauntlet. They're kicking b*tt and takin' names. I'm getting incredibly sore and starting to bruise everywhere the rash is. So, we're off to another fun-filled night in the ER. Hip, hip and flippin' hooray.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First of all, thanks to all of you who chimed in with great ideas! And, for those of you who emailed link after link of great remedies.

At the moment, I'm covered from my hairline to my knees, front and back with red welts. It's actually quite attractive. If you're into the whole red, non-blistering blister thing. I look like I went to Congo and was tied to a fire ant hill by the local pygmies population. It doesn't pay to tick off the OompaLoompas. Take my word for it.

After talking to the doctor, the nurse, the pharmacist, the butcher, baker and candlestick maker, we've decided to agree it's not an allergic reaction to any new meds. I've been on them too long (since last week) to just be getting a reaction now. It amuses me that they all still think of me as someone who does things like "normal" people.

But, I digress.

That moves us to foods. The only thing I've eaten different or new was Ore-Ida Frozen hash-browns (yea, another wonderful night of Mary's yummy yummy breakfast casserole) and Rotel tomatoes/green chili stuff. The weird thing is I've eaten both before without issue, so who the heck knows what this is.

I've downed enough Benadryl to knock out an elephant slept most of the day (although John said I itched in my sleep like crazy), took a c.o.l.d shower (they say heat aggravates the little red gremlins), tried to blow dry my hair without directing the heat at my skin (yeah, did I mention my hair is down to the middle of my back) and am currently bathed in Caladryl.

They say to avoid shellfish, tomatoes, citrus and strawberries which contain something that, again, aggravates those gremlins. And they told me that right after I downed my large glass of tomato juice that I'm required to drink every day for potassium. Timing is everything, you know!

If we're still at the same levels tomorrow, I get to go in for something called a scratch test. I think they scratch you with something and test for various reactions. I really didn't ask. Frankly, I really didn't want to know.

Well, we're due to have some wonderful thunderstorms tonight, so I'm thinking I'll go outside and play with an umbrella.

You know what they say-

Lightning doesn't strike four times in the same place'

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Need some help internets :)

The meds I'm on for various and sundry infections have all gotten together and declared war. In the form of hives. Everywhere.

Anyone have any sure fire cures for the itch? Cause I'm telling you, I this close to pulling my skin off. With a butter knife.

The only thing I can't do is soak in anything because of the risk of (more) contamination to the catheter.

So, advise away! I'm listening!!

Beauty. Arizona Style.

 

 

 

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice, and be glad in it.

 

 

I have hope that they will be ok —

This post was orinally published in Jone 2006, shortly after I began dialysis. It was written by Kati, who was 12 at the time,  for her final English paper. Enjoy. I'll be back from the couch next week, I hope!

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What have I learned this year? Let me think about that. Academically, I have learned a lot. However, I have learned even more about my surroundings and the people who inhabit them.

Assignments should be re-read before you turn them in, and asking a question does not make you second-rate. I’ve learned that history is not at all boring, but math is. I am exceptionally creative, and have enjoyed exploring different media in art. I’ve taken pleasure in the camaraderie of Study Hall, and the ongoing challenge of Mr. Jackson’s brain-busting riddles

Socially, I’ve learned there are several types of animals in middle school. There are the predatory carnivores that tear into their prey at any chance they get. They look for any opportunity to increases their existence by attempting to crush those they feel are inferior or weak.

Then there are the omnivores, those who are decent and kind and will restrain themselves from eating you alive, but are still not friendly towards you or that sort of thing.

Finally, there are the herbivores, which are friendly towards you; they actually seek you out and enjoy your company.

From my mother, I have learned that you can tell a lot about a child’s upbringing by their attitude towards others, especially other children. Also, people who take more pride in their appearance or status, but not in their studies, have been raised to understand that looks will get you everywhere. I have developed somewhat of sympathy for these people, because without a proper education, most will not go as far as they could. Although Bill Gates did not complete his college education, and is the richest man alive today, he has demonstrated that continuing to learn and take risks is the key to success.

My paternal grandfather, a highly successful physician, taught me (by example) that you should not be a horrible person and wait until the end to gain acceptance and forgiveness from those closest to you. You end up alone, with nothing to make you happy, even if you have all the money in the world. Live your life with no reason to feel regret.

My maternal grandfather’s legacy was that God makes miracles. At 23, he attempted suicide, but the gun failed to go off. At that moment, he decided to get his life together, and became a man of the Lord – with the mentality that, if that didn’t work out, he could always try it again. He never did, and ended up living a long and happy life. He was a man of mercy and grace, whose life was an example I hope to emulate.

From my father, I’ve learned that people are like cats. If you treat them well, you have made a loyal friend for life.

Lastly, I have discovered something about myself this year. I am too blunt for my own good, and that trait can make me either extremely annoying or a really good friend. The ability to tell someone that there are being stupid, I feel, is quite irritating, but at times, can be very necessary.

Even though I’ve learned such an enormous amount this year, there are alot of things that I wish I could’ve mastered as well. I wish I could have learned how to take better care of myself, and how to control my feelings.

I want to be more responsible, and restrain myself from doing things I know I will later regret.I wish that I had learned I have no control over the bad things that happen to the people that I love, such as them getting sick or dying.

I want to learn how to accept help from others; I want to learn to grieve. I suppose one cannot alter their personality or nature unless they feel a large amount of motivation to do so. Even then, maybe it’s best that some people don’t change too much, for if they did, they wouldn’t be themselves anymore, but become someone else another person, possibly losing their better traits.

In conclusion, I feel that one should continue learning, and live what they’ve learned. Keep that in mind, and you might become a contented person one day.

Somewhere Out There Beneath the Pale Moonlight

Are galaxies and other worlds waiting to be discovered

Basking in His Holiness

Alleluia
Alleluia
For the Lord God Almighty reigns

Alleluia
Alleluia
For the Lord God Almighty reigns

Alleluia
Holy
Holy are You Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb

You are holy
Holy are you Lord God Almighty
Worthy is the Lamb
Worthy is the Lamb

Amen

Why picturebooks are for children. Not cooks.

We love us some Mexican food around here. And, believe it or not, we live in probably the only town in Arizona that has no Mexican restaurants- unless you count Taco Bell or Del Taco.

In case you're in the same boat as we are, I'm going to share one of my absolute favorite recipes.

Please make sure you read the entire post- you just may pick up on some invaluable tips :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kelli's Amazingly Easy Peasy Chili Relleno Pie

 

1-16 oz. can Whole Green Chilies - drained really really well 1- 7 oz can diced green chilies 16 oz Jack/Cheddar shredded (I prefer Kraft) 8 eggs 1- 13oz can Evaporated Skim Milk

 

1. Spray 9x13 pan with Pam and preheat oven to 3502.

2. Take the drained (really, really well - but don't pat them dry) whole chilies and split them open.
Lay them in rows so the whole pan bottom is covered.

3. Take 1/2 the cheese and sprinkle it over the chilies.
Then layer the diced chilies, and finish with
the rest of the cheese on top of that, reserving one handful.

4. Beat the eggs together, and stir in the Evaporated Milk.

5. Pour this over the pan to cover. Top with remaining handful of cheese.

6. Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes - or a fork inserted comes out clean.

7. Heat up some tortillas, add some sour cream and YUMMY!!

A note- throw whats left in the fridge, and reheat in the microwave for 1 minute.
YUMMY breakfast burrito leftovers!!!!

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Now, for some tips on making this a fabuloso dish!

1. Don't be intimidated by the WalMart employee who is standing in front of the International Foods waiting to get back to work while you pick out your canned green chilies. Take. Your. Time.
2. When preparing this dish. trust your gut instincts. If those green chilies look smaller than normal, something just might be amiss.
3. Don't just pull out a second large can and double the recipe.
4. Always have a back up plan for dinner in place.
5. Educate yourself about what various chilies look. Why? Because most cans of chilies will have pictures on them, making things more easily identifiable.

Jalapenos? ......

Are definitely smaller than green chilies

Yes, they are.

(Note: I'm not sayin' I made Double Jalapeno Rellenos. On purpose. Seriously. It. Was. An. Accident. No matter what my sonwhoI'vebeentryingtoeathotfood says. It. Was. An. Accident.)

That's my story.

I'm stickin' to it.

Second verse, same as the first … hopefully this time a little less worse …

Well.

This has been quite a week. I do believe that from here on, I won't announce to the world I'm taking time off to rest. I mean, it's like yelling to the heavens ... "HEY! Here I am! Got some lightning you don't know what to do with?!"

And God says "hehe".

Y'all know that Monday night we spent our quota of time at the Emergency Room. The result was a raging case of cellulitis, a prescription was for bed rest, feet up for a week. Oh, and antibiotics. Yeah! more pills :)

We clear the recliner, grab the remote and start in with the TV watching. Thank goodness for back to back to back to back episodes of various Law and Order franchise shows. Basically, at any given time 24/7 one of four networks is playing a Law and Order show. WooHoo! Armchair crime solving. A personal favorite pastime. With a little bit of SpongeBob and FairtlyOddParents thrown in for good measure, it's stacking up to be a fairly non-productive week.

Tuesday and Wednesday drag slowly on and on passes, and we've also worn out all three new selections from our NetFlix account. (Mary, have I told you just how much I love you?!)

Now, before I go on, let's get a little boring, but needed background. Being on home peritoneal dialysis basically means that I have a 2 foot tube in my belly. About 8 inches of that sticks out next to my belly button. Attractive, I know. But wait! It's better! Attached to that tube is a connector and then another foot or so of tubing. It all hangs about to my knees. Sexy, sexy. Now, at night ... I connect to another tube about 20 feet long that ties me to a machine. Whew.

Fast forward to 7am Thursday morning.

I roll over in bed, and hear a pop. A loud pop. And, the bed is wet. For the first time is 15 months, the external adapter thing had popped off and the whole thing in still attached to the machine. All I have left is the foot coming out o'me.

At that moment, the Keystone Cops sets in. I jump up out of bed, screaming for John (whose all of 2 feet away from me) to grab a clamp. I'm squeezing the end shut with my fingers and John's not waking up. So, I scream and scream and he finally wakes up. In the meantime, I'm running through my head what I'm supposed to do when this happens. The first thing in my head is "stop, drop and roll."

Yeah, I'm a barrel of information at 7 in the morning. Seriously.

John stumbles around the living room and finds the clamps. We clean up the pool of yuck all over the bed and carpet, and stumble off to call the nurse. We end running all over town getting the supplies we need from the other dialysis center up, then go to the ER where they are supposed to treat me for repair and contamination.

Key word: Supposed.

Yeah- an hour, three nurses, an ER admin and several phone calls later- they won't treat me. I'm told to go to Phoenix. While all this is happening, I'm freaked out because I"m contaminated and the last thing on earth I want is another case of peritonitis. In my head, I've contracted it, died from it and my family is retaining attorneys. Basically, I'm taking down names and ready to kick some medical hiney. They say every case of peritonitis cuts your changes of survival.
John comes back to pick me up, and we head to Phoenix. I slept most of the way, due to the extreme nausea the antibiotics is causing me. I love that man. A whole lot.

Bottom line, I got repaired and a sample taken for peritonitis testing. They treated me as if I had it, just in case. Then comes the allergic reaction to the meds :)

I mean, come on. It's me. Did you expect anything less?

Rapid heartbeat, itching all over, flushed and sweating. It was awesome! I mean- seriously, better to get it all out in one week right?

It did finally calm down, right about when she started talking about calling 911 and sending me in a $5000.00 ambulance ride to the hospital.

Which was literally right across the street.

Shock and awe is a great way to relieve allergic reactions.

Truly.

After everyone was cool with us driving home, we finished the last leg of our 15 hour adventure into heck and back. I love that man. A whole lot.

Now, here's the icing on the cake! The morale of the story! The end all be all! The round peg in the square hole!

I have peritonitis!

Yup! Nurse called and I got it. Like a bad penny, it just won't go away and leave me alone.

So. We're back to more heavy meds, more bed rest, planning for the pain to hit anytime now. (It takes 24-48 hours for it to hit, from what she says).

Yep.

So.

I'm thinking.

I'll say it loud, I'll say it proud.

NEXT WEEK I'M CLIMBING MT. EVEREST. AND SWIMMING THE NILE. AND CONQUERING THE AMAZON. AND GETTING ELECTROLYSIS.

There.

That should ensure me a worry free week.

Second verse, same as the first … hopefully this time a little less worse …

Well.

This has been quite a week. I do believe that from here on, I won't announce to the world I'm taking time off to rest. I mean, it's like yelling to the heavens ... "HEY! Here I am! Got some lightning you don't know what to do with?!"

And God says "hehe".

Y'all know that Monday night we spent our quota of time at the Emergency Room. The result was a raging case of cellulitis, a prescription was for bed rest, feet up for a week. Oh, and antibiotics. Yeah! more pills :)

We clear the recliner, grab the remote and start in with the TV watching. Thank goodness for back to back to back to back episodes of various Law and Order franchise shows. Basically, at any given time 24/7 one of four networks is playing a Law and Order show. WooHoo! Armchair crime solving. A personal favorite pastime. With a little bit of SpongeBob and FairtlyOddParents thrown in for good measure, it's stacking up to be a fairly non-productive week.

Tuesday and Wednesday drag slowly on and on passes, and we've also worn out all three new selections from our NetFlix account. (Mary, have I told you just how much I love you?!)

Now, before I go on, let's get a little boring, but needed background. Being on home peritoneal dialysis basically means that I have a 2 foot tube in my belly. About 8 inches of that sticks out next to my belly button. Attractive, I know. But wait! It's better! Attached to that tube is a connector and then another foot or so of tubing. It all hangs about to my knees. Sexy, sexy. Now, at night ... I connect to another tube about 20 feet long that ties me to a machine. Whew.

Fast forward to 7am Thursday morning.

I roll over in bed, and hear a pop. A loud pop. And, the bed is wet. For the first time is 15 months, the external adapter thing had popped off and the whole thing in still attached to the machine. All I have left is the foot coming out o'me.

At that moment, the Keystone Cops sets in. I jump up out of bed, screaming for John (whose all of 2 feet away from me) to grab a clamp. I'm squeezing the end shut with my fingers and John's not waking up. So, I scream and scream and he finally wakes up. In the meantime, I'm running through my head what I'm supposed to do when this happens. The first thing in my head is "stop, drop and roll."

Yeah, I'm a barrel of information at 7 in the morning. Seriously.

John stumbles around the living room and finds the clamps. We clean up the pool of yuck all over the bed and carpet, and stumble off to call the nurse. We end running all over town getting the supplies we need from the other dialysis center up, then go to the ER where they are supposed to treat me for repair and contamination.

Key word: Supposed.

Yeah- an hour, three nurses, an ER admin and several phone calls later- they won't treat me. I'm told to go to Phoenix. While all this is happening, I'm freaked out because I"m contaminated and the last thing on earth I want is another case of peritonitis. In my head, I've contracted it, died from it and my family is retaining attorneys. Basically, I'm taking down names and ready to kick some medical hiney. They say every case of peritonitis cuts your changes of survival.
John comes back to pick me up, and we head to Phoenix. I slept most of the way, due to the extreme nausea the antibiotics is causing me. I love that man. A whole lot.

Bottom line, I got repaired and a sample taken for peritonitis testing. They treated me as if I had it, just in case. Then comes the allergic reaction to the meds :)

I mean, come on. It's me. Did you expect anything less?

Rapid heartbeat, itching all over, flushed and sweating. It was awesome! I mean- seriously, better to get it all out in one week right?

It did finally calm down, right about when she started talking about calling 911 and sending me in a $5000.00 ambulance ride to the hospital.

Which was literally right across the street.

Shock and awe is a great way to relieve allergic reactions.

Truly.

After everyone was cool with us driving home, we finished the last leg of our 15 hour adventure into heck and back. I love that man. A whole lot.

Now, here's the icing on the cake! The morale of the story! The end all be all! The round peg in the square hole!

I have peritonitis!

Yup! Nurse called and I got it. Like a bad penny, it just won't go away and leave me alone.

So. We're back to more heavy meds, more bed rest, planning for the pain to hit anytime now. (It takes 24-48 hours for it to hit, from what she says).

Yep.

So.

I'm thinking.

I'll say it loud, I'll say it proud.

NEXT WEEK I'M CLIMBING MT. EVEREST. AND SWIMMING THE NILE. AND CONQUERING THE AMAZON. AND GETTING ELECTROLYSIS.

There.

That should ensure me a worry free week.