There & Back Again

Second Post of the Day

(Full marks if you caught the double entendre on the post's title.)

I made it to the hospital safely this morning and although the roads were dicey and slowed me down, I was on time for my appointment despite the hazardous drive.

The snow was coming down hard but it was so pretty out, I had to take a picture before I left.

West Lafayette sits atop a very big moraine with the Wabash River flowing along the base of that moraine. Lafayette, where the hospital is located, is on the other side of the river.

That means you have to go down a very big hill and then over a long bridge to get to Lafayette. And the flip is, you have to go over that bridge and then up a long, steep hill to get back to West Lafayette.

Not fun on days like today when there is fresh snow and ice. But I made it there and back again, although I passed a three car crash in Lafayette and a car that had plowed into a pole (and was obviously totaled) just outside my own neighborhood.

I was mistaken about this morning's procedure. It was not a Caudal ESI, it was a Bilateral Sacroiliac Joint Injection and more involved than the last one. There were two doses of numbing and then longer doses of medication into each side of the pelvis.

The two sacroiliac joints are the red lines in the diagram and the place where the pelvis connects with the sacrum and spine.

It was uncomfortable but over soon. In recovery I felt shaky for the first couple of minutes, and then suddenly everything went back to feeling normal. I was home by 9:00.

Now I hang out at home and wait and see for the first couple of hours. My doctor said to expect it to hurt more for a while after the numbing meds wear off and the body adjusts to the medication in the joints. That could take a few days.

So, I plan to grab some lunch, maybe read for a while, and then snooze for an hour or so with Pepper and Tammo under a fluffy warm blanket.

More on the show will come tomorrow. Stay 'tooned! 

An Unwelcome Surprise

Note: this was posted yesterday then removed as the family member I wrote about asked that it not be mentioned for a while. 

There may be another post later today if I can get it finished.

Our Thanksgiving gathering was wonderful, there was lots of laughter and fun mixed with turkey and pie, family games played, and more.

At midnight as I was preparing for bed, I got a text - a local family member had become very ill, was in the hospital, and is now awaiting emergency surgery.

I'm going to head to the hospital, so today's post is one that I had just begun working on and had intended to add to before posting it in a week or so. Sorry for it's incompleteness but it can't be helped this morning.

Some new haversacks that I finished a couple of days ago.

A Hamilton sized Traditional in Chalk Horses. Ever watched Disney's Mary Poppins?

That fabric has always reminded me of the chalk drawing adventure Mary Poppins, Bert, Jane, and Michael on!

Classic/Traditional Foal size.

I always take a photo to show customers what will fit inside (and I have always checked to be sure that it does indeed fit.)

Another Classic/Traditional Foal pouch.

The fabric is Crazy Colored Flamingos.

Finally, a Stablemate pouch in Hunting Scene. I haven't got any photos with a Stablemate yet.

There you be! This is not the post I intended to share today. Hopefully tomorrow things will have settled down.

Stay 'tooned.

Not a Stroke

Late yesterday afternoon the left side of my face went numb, the Lidocaine-induced numbness that you get when having dental work done. As it began to ebb away, my left hand followed suit with the same absolute numbness. And then I had a crushing headache come on.

I called my doctor and was told to get to the emergency room right away. 

Seven hours later, and after another episode of facial and hand numbness, an EKG, a CT scan, an MRI, blood tests, a teleconference with a neurologist, and more, I was cleared to go home. No evidence of a stroke or a TIA was seen and so the diagnosis was a complex migraine.

I was given IV meds for the headache and got home around midnight.

This is all I've got in me today, but I'll be back tomorrow, so stay 'tooned.

Christmas Card of the Day

Update on a Mention in the Blog

 A few days ago, I wrote that April would be busy, and I was right. But I didn't write about one of the biggest things that was also going on this month. It actually began way back in February and was mentioned briefly in this blog post about the major snowstorm that we had had.

My brother Steve had become terribly ill during that storm and an ambulance had to be sent out to get him as neither he nor his wife could get into town on those roads.

My brother Steve with Teacher Daughter Lisa last Thanksgiving.

Well, he has continued to be terribly ill and was having excruciating bone pain. Doctors were unable to find the cause. Finally, a new doctor ordered an MRI two weeks ago and that showed that he had a massive tumor wrapped around his spinal cord and then several vertebra going down his neck and back.

Steve was rushed right away into emergency surgery with the neurosurgeon first going in through the front of his neck (a four hour surgery) and then through the back of his neck (a five hour surgery) to remove what turned out to be a massive abscess. (Not cancer! Hooray!) Oddly enough, bloodwork never indicated that he had an infection.

The abscess had eaten away a good deal of bone (hence the bone pain) and so Steve had to have a lot of mesh and metal put into his spine to replace all the bone that had been destroyed. 

He's home now, but is very weak. My sister-in-love, Cindy, is ill herself and needs help caring for him. She, too, was in the hospital while he was and will have some surgery next month in Indianapolis. 

Steve needs daily infusions of antibiotics at the hospital for the next eight weeks but he cannot drive yet so my sisters and nephew Eric are taking turns with me to get him there every day. It's actually been nice to sit down with him while there and just chat - I've learned some things about him that I didn't know.

And, I am VERY grateful that he is feeling better and that, despite the rough road he is on in his recovery, he is healing. 

Don't forget to email me at horsiemama8@gmail.com if you want to win the BreyerFest pony pad! Entries close at 11:59 PM Wednesday, April 13.

Photo of my daughter-in-love Vanessa setting up a shot for the video.

The Rain is Pouring

It's said that when it rains, it pours, and right now we need some umbrellas around here!

I was driving Craig's car and headed to Indianapolis when I had a tire blow out.

Luckily I was still in town and not on the interstate, but I had to have his car towed. His car will be in the shop for a couple of days; meanwhile we are sharing my car and coordinating our schedules.

Teacher Daughter Lisa had a medical issue necessitating a ride in the ambulance to the ER. I got one of those calls that terrify parents telling me she was ill and to get to the hospital. Luckily she is okay and I took her home after four hours in the ER. She's been resting comfortably and will be able to return to work tomorrow. (That's Molly doing her circus dog imitation which always makes Lisa smile.)

I have been sent to physical therapy to address some long term joint issues and a new one - I have torn my rotator cuff.  Ever had dry needling? I'm having that therapy and am sore, but it's working. I'm going twice a week for the next six weeks.

Craig has come down with the flu and is really sick. He's an easy patient, but I am concerned about him.

Finally, I got some personal medical news I did not want - last Saturday I found a large swelling under the incision from my pancreatic surgery. After watching it a few days, I had it checked and was told I have an incisional hernia. It looks like I will be having surgery again in the near future. I am NOT excited about that.

I'll try to blog regularly, but things are a little hectic right now and I may miss a day or two. Please bear with me. 

And pass me that umbrella!

In the Hospital

I am ill with diverticulitis, one of the health issues that caused my early retirement. (And today is the first day back for students - I can only imagine trying to have found a sub for today had I not retired!) I've been sick since Sunday morning and was admitted to the hospital late yesterday afternoon.

At least someone tried to beautifully present the clear liquid diet that I am on! (Those are popsicles on that covered plate. I needed the giggle they gave me.)

I am hoping to go home tomorrow, but it may be a few days before I am up to blogging again. Count on it, though - I will be back!

Childhood Favorite Made in Japans

My brother has been in the hospital for the past few days and so my time after school has been spent there instead of at the barn or doing model horse related things. So, today I am posting some pictures of the MIJs I pulled out when I cleaned the hobby closet.

My very first pieces in my "play collection" (1963 to when I found out about Ellen Hitchin's club, IMPHSA in 1970) were Japan chinas. They were played with and very, very loved. Here are a few of my favorites.

Black Diamond, a Lefton Saddlebred. He was in pieces and I had him professionally restored about ten years ago. One of my favorites.

 Bobol, a gift in sixth grade from my friends Bobbie Sue and Carol (his name is a combination of theirs.) Unknown make.

 Counterpoint, a Little Bit sized Lefton and named for a horse in a childhood favorite book, Scarlet Royal.

Mollasus, a traditional sized Rossini piece. She has a special place in my heart and for years was the "mother" of my woodgrain running foal, Needles. (One of my first Breyers and a gift from my dad when I got braces.)

Old Maude, my sister's drafter and her favorite china, a Brinns/Inarco piece. This is actually a duplicate I found and bought, but I do have the original Old Maude, too!

When I stopped by to see my brother last night, he was no longer in critical condition, had been moved out of the ICU and into a regular room, and had had the ventilator and other tubes removed. I think it will be just a few more days and then he will be moved to a care facility for a while and our lives will return to a more normal routine.

Which means I will have time for Abby visits and hobby puttering. Stay tuned!

Thanks, Lisa!

When I was in the hospital earlier this month, my daughter, Lisa, knew I would be missing my daily horse fix. So, she went out to check on Abby for me when I could not.

And, she sent me a little "online" horse therapy to help in my healing:

A photo of Abby!

She was photobombed by Diablo, Sultanna, and Snickerdoodle, but that's okay by me. The more horses, the merrier!

Rough Summer

It has been a rough summer. My mother-in-love went into hospice and passed away from pancreatic cancer on June 26, and our kids (there are six of them plus spouses and children) came home Memorial Day weekend for final visits as well as the 4th of July weekend for the funeral. A houseful of family is fun and cheers me up, but it also throws me off my routine and things do not get done.

My mother was hospitalized for a week with pneumonia and has been unable to return to her assisted living apartment, instead going into the skilled nursing wing at University Place. She has needed me for emotional support and so I have been going to visit her daily for an hour or more.

Lisa has been ill all summer, having had nine doctors' visits. At the last one, she was told she may need surgery on her ear. Then, last night she became ill again, passed out in the bathroom, and hit her head as she fell, leaving a large goose egg on her forehead. Poor girl!

Finally,  I am having a spinal fusion this week.  I have two collapsed discs which has allowed the vertebrae to press on the nerve running down the front of my right leg. That's caused the leg to be numb and very weak, and I have lost much of its strength and function. It has gotten weaker and weaker at an alarming rate, and I do not want to end up in a wheel chair.

I hope to be more regular again in my blogging post-op, but I won't be able to drive out to visit Abby for a few weeks. I am going to miss her so much!

So, if you are wondering why I am not writing, now you have the explanation.

The Summer of '16 has been the worst summer I have ever experienced.