Movin on...painfully

Good morning. Happy Day after Valentine's Day....I am not a big fan or into VD for a number of reasons. Since cards have risen in price to $5.00 a piece, I make my own. I think that is much nicer and more personal. Yesterday, I bought a glue stick, construction paper, and flair pen and made my own. Usually, when I give dad a card, he opens it, reads it, and basically throws it out (although I know that he appreciates the gesture).  Let's just say he's not a romantic guy.

I also put a kabbosh on gifts (although I give them). Yesterday, I gave dad dental floss (which he needed), the big Lefty got Tums (since his stomach is in an uproar with school), and Tink got organic cough syrup since she has been coughing non stop for two days. Hey, I give the gifts that matters.
Did I get something? Yep, even though I wanted nothing but a verbal 'I love you', I got a box of wine and flowers. Both are nice but I have given up drinking. 


What? BPM, say it ain't so! OK, here is how it went down  or actually, how I went down....

Fade to black....

In October, our tennis team was preparing for the nationals. Yes, I said the nationals! Our little team that never did, actually could. I made a birthday wish last February in front of the girls and wished for a trip to the nationals. Who would have thought that birthday wishes could come true. Thanks to Ice for remembering my wish and reminding me with a video she took as I blew out the candles before the restaurant burned down.

Anyway, we were heading to nationals in Orlando...that's right...Mickey Mouse, sun, convertibles, gators, and snakes...plus a long weekend with a spectacular bunch of women.

Back to practice. So, I am practicing with Lil T against Yogi and Doc. Freakin' Doc hits a high ball, which I went after, then cross court. My size 11 shoes (more about those later) turned and I went down on my left wrist. Not wanting to show intense pain, I got up, lost the point, and secretly knew that it was broken. Did I stop playing? Uh, have you been reading this blog? Naturally, I kept going secretly hoping someone had to run to an appointment. 

Afterwards, I drove home and went to an Urgent Care center for an X ray. The radiologist read the x ray...no break. Just a sprain....I was told to wear a splint for a few days.

Did I stop drinking then?

Nope.

Anyway, the following week, we went to Orlando. I wore my splint except to play. I lost my two matches. Oh, the pain.....not in my wrist...in my head. I was mortified that I could not pull out at least one win. Shucks!

Did I stop drinking then?

Nope.

On to the holidays where I had the family over for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. I went back and forth to the south carrying my luggage. I cleaned out the house, carried groceries, and basically continued to lead my life. All the while, the wrist never healed. I had to stop planks and push ups during classes. But that was it.

Did I stop drinking then?

Nope.

After a few months, I still could not put my sports watch on my left wrist since it was swollen. I knew that something was clearly wrong. So, to Dr G I sheepishly went and he ordered a MRI. It took several days for insurance to approve it, but once they did, I did not get it.

Why? Well, my wrist sort of felt better. So, why incur the cost?

Did I stop drinking then?

Nope.

The holidays were coming to a close and dad and I made the decision to down size. yes, we are going to move. More about that later. As I was cleaning out closets, the wrist started to scream. So I decided to get the stupid MRI done.

Did I stop drinking then?

Nope.

Dr G called when I was in the south with the diagnosis of non displaced scaphoid fracture. Got to see a hand and wrist surgeon.

crud....double crud...triple crud!

Did I stop drinking then?

Nope.

I met a friend of Dr G's who wanted to schedule surgery for two weeks out. Now, I am in a hurry after ignoring the pain for so long, so I said to him "do it today." He laughed and added me to his schedule the following day.

Did I stop drinking then?

Nope.

fast forward to surgery....I know am a proud owner of a pin and bone graft in my left wrist. I am out of commission with a cast until at least the end of March. No tennis. No lifting. No bending the hand or wrist.

Did I stop drinking then?

Yep.

As I went through the surgery, I was on opiods. Yes! Opioids. The doc gave me ten pills. I used 7 and got rid of the rest. I did not drink while taking pain medication and once I was off the meds, I did not want liquor. It must have been a weird anesthesia reaction...or something like that....

So, I have not totally written wine off, but I have given up my 5 pm glass of wine to relax every night with the dogs. Rather, I now have hot water and lemon, which I love more than alcohol. Again...weird? uh, yes....

Now that I am on the wagon except when I go out for dinner or with the girls, I have a cleared head, mind, and have lost a few pounds. I never drank that much anyway, I just joked about it.

Why do I bring up this sobriety? Well, last night, dad gave me a box of wine for VD. Lefty gave me a box of wine for my birthday last week. I might have to send them memos that I no longer partake at home and would prefer a lemon tree instead.

Oh, about the size 11s.....as I aged (yikes), my feet have changed and started to hurt with exercise. The doc told me to have them measured by an expert and buy shoes that they recommended. And I did. And he recommended that a woman who comfortably wears a size 9 shoe purchase a size 11, which I did. I looked like I was wearing clown shoes and slippers when I played. I honestly believe that my shoes were too big which is why I fell and not because freakin' Doc had an amazing cross court shot....just sayin'

And so, I am going to end this diatribe about VD and share what BP Grandpop says: give me the flowers now and not at my funeral or VD day...a wise man......

Peace!

Movin on....Piece by piece

Greetings from the south. Yes, we are still working on the renovation project. And, no, it is not going well. I actually should explain this.....



Fade to black....

To give you a bit of history, three years ago, we planned on breaking through a wall and extending the kitchen since I feel it is the heart and soul of the home. Check.


The the architect came in. His father has drawn up the plans for the house when it was built years ago. He was nice. He was friendly. He was sneaky too (in a good and bad way).


"Hey BP mom, would you like a bigger sitting area for the family to eat?"
Answer: Sure.


"Hey BP mom, looks like you would like to create a quiet room, so let's add a fireplace and close this room off."
Answer: Wonderful.

"Hey BP mom....want to add a loft with a spiral staircase for added guests?"
Answer: why not?

"Hey BP mom, let's move the master bedroom, add a balcony and french doors? Another bathroom?
Answer: yep.

"Another bedroom with a bathroom?"
Answer: absolutely.....


Then it happened...a water pipe burst and destroyed the first floor throwing all plans up in the air. Now we had to gut the first floor and begin from scratch. Everything on the first floor was destroyed. It was sad because there was so much history. yet, it was an opportunity to build in a way that would be conducive to gatherings and the modern lifestyle. So we slowly began the process with permits, plans, edits, lots of trips south with no where to stay, mold removal and remediation, bids for the builders, and so on and so on.....A few hurricanes hit, work stoppages, permit issues, tile problems (this will be an entire post).....


Now we are in year three. What has been done? Well, it is still unlivable despite a permit of occupancy. There is no room that can be used including the kitchen. The floors are not done. The painting had been started and not completed. The roof has a hole in it as does the master bedroom. The garage has visible mold and the builder is over budget by .....I won't give a figure per se, but if I was looking under the sofa for extra change to pay him, I would have to break into every house in the US for their sofa change and then take out a loan or five.


What if I go to the penny slots? I could try to win the difference at the casino...come on, my luck has got to change....or not...

In fact, I got no so great news yesterday to add to my mold issue. 

It seems I broke my wrist in October. yes, I got an Xray and it read 'no break.' No, it did not fully heal, so I spoke to Dr G about a month ago who ordered a MRI. Well, Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went. I was working and taking care of Pop. Had to sell the childhood house (sniff), so I ignored the pain...yes, I continued to work out but could not do planks or weights since it still hurt.

I finally acquiesced and got the MRI last week. Yep, non displaced scaphoid fracture. Yikes!
 OK, headed to hand and wrist doc on Monday when I return. This makes life even more interesting as I agreed to play tennis biweekly on a team that begins in March. Oh yeah, and Biggest Loser begins on Monday! I already told my weight loss partner about my woes and tried to release her from her commitment to be my buddy. But she is a loyal trooper and wants to stick it out with me. Oh boy, more pressure.


And so, I continue to thank the good Lord for His blessings and will handle one thing at a time. In the meantime, writing about this seems to be helpful....sorry to bore you.

OK, off to confront the builder about the expenses. As I would say to BP Grandmom, "This is another reason why I drink."



Peace

Movin on....one year later

Hiya!

Shout out to the Big lefty...it has been one year since the diagnosis. Looking back.....

Fade to black.....

The big guy could not breathe or swallow. Naturally, we thought it was allergies or a combination of issues not related to anything major. But when the ENT suggested that he had ALS, we lit the flares and candles, had the MRI, denied anything life threatening and went on with our lives.


Then we met the neurologist who diagnosed him in ten seconds.....MG he said.....I went pale. Then I thanked God that it was not MS or ALS or a brain tumor. We can do this.

I always use the word "we" because when anyone's child or loved one is ill, it is all about the process of healing and recuperation. No one does this alone. And so, after a weekend in a very large prestigious institution, the battle to regain strength and a quality of life began.

There were doctors' appointments by the dozens, physical and OT, speech therapy, allergists, neurologist, steroids, high blood pressure,  mental breakdowns on my part, and a sense that we can move forward. yes, we can.

Now, a year later, the big guy is at the gym and lifting one hundred pound weights. He is physically fit and mentally strong. He is finishing his masters degree this summer and will begin law school. 

What a difference a year has made.

Have I recovered?

The answer is probably no. The gang at work look at me with pity and compassion. I hate that. I only told my closest friend there and she blabbed to everyone. So, I deal with that when I go in. I am thankful for my home office.

Second, I have no great burning desire to do anything professionally. Yes, I could write, do research, try new things....but I don't care. I only count the days to retirement which is far....far...far....far. away.

I think that I have less patience and more patience, if that makes sense. I have less patience for stupidity and nastiness.

I have more patience and compassion for those who need it.

I have been taught a valuable lesson through it all and think that I may be (I just think it) a better person for it. No one knows, especially me. But I know that I am different. A mother cannot not (hope that makes sense) be affected by her child having a life threatening illness. Will he die from this? No. But his life is forever altered and so is mine.

How do we handle it.

Well, we adjust. That's it. We adapt. We work together and make sure there is plenty of love and support. And we pray....really pray...big time prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude that we are still together in one piece and with help, we will get through it.

Ok, so that is the big story. When life hands you lemons, slice them and add them to a cranberry vodka.....just sayin.....the citrus makes it a healthier drink.

On to newer news. Today is our Tink's birthday. Everyone knows as she has informed people for the last 6 months that her birthday is today. Excited, she got out of bed 5 hours earlier than usual. She's a late sleeper who works an evening shift. Anyway, she is the love of my life. The candles on my cake (and you know I like cake), the whipped cream in my frap. She's all that and more. How lucky am I that this sweet woman is in my life?

Are things perfect? hmmmm......nope. She tries my last nerve on a daily basis and gives me grief.

However, I would not change anything as she is my little girl now and forever.

Dad is actually taking the afternoon off and the Big lefty is taking the night off from pitching lessons. It will be a family night celebrating our Tink.

The best part is that I am not cooking.....bought the cake...and will take her clothes shopping as her gift.

Gang, life is good. It's not easy, but it is good. BPM suggests to keep it real and keep it positive. No one promised us an easy ride. It's all about perspective and how we approach life's problems. I am better with some problems than others but I am managing.

I am thankful for my family, friends, and yes...even the girls at work who look at me with a poor BPM face. For all of you, I feel and am blessed.

Lastly, enjoy each moment, 'cause there is a last time for everything as Brad Paisley sings....

Gotta run...have a tennis match today. Hopefully my feet, knees and eyes can handle it. It's 40 degrees and I am not looking forward to playing in the wind and cold. Guess what? I am so grateful that I can still play and better yet...that someone asked me to play.


Peace!