Storms and Other Things

I forgot to update the status on our little baby robin that I was taking care of. Poor little Eggy passed away the day before I went in the hospital. I had her three weeks, and she seemed to be doing quite well, then she started to refuse to eat and drink except for a very small amount. On May 31st, I woke up early in the morning to feed her and she was dead on the bottom of the cage. *sigh* Poor little girl.

Since moving to central Indiana this past April, we have had the daylights scared out of us by some vicious storms on a regular basis. We had some terrific storms in Tennessee as well, but these storms here are by far the worst and most consistent I have ever seen in my entire life! Lightning is wild and crazy, and with the land area being very flat, you can see it coming from miles away. Across the road from us is a large farm area, and when the storms are rolling in, it looks like a scene from the movie "Twister".

Two nights ago we had storms come through with 60 MPH winds, sideways rain and violent lightning. The next morning, my daughter finds a baby bird at the base of one of our 150 foot cottonwood trees (we have several). The mother was still hanging around, so I told my daughter to leave the baby bird alone. I try not to interfere with nature too much, if the mom's there, she will continue to feed the baby.

Yesterday, my daughter check on this little birdie, and it's laying on its side, completely featherless and barely making a chirp. My daughter looks at me with this pitiful look and says "Please, Mom..." with begging in her eyes. How could I say no?

She scooped up the little one and ran it to me. Poor little thing was cold, shivering and very weak. I didn't think it would make it another hour, to be honest. So I jump into my rescue mode and start making the concoction of bird gruel to try to get this baby back on track. Wrapping that baby up in a light washcloth, I held it in my hands to warm it while I force-fed it a few little bites of food. When I figure out how to post photos on this thing here, I'll post one of this baby and maybe someone can help me identify what kind of bird it is. It's a BIG baby, with a real wide beak that makes it look like its smiling....the mouth actually bigger than the baby's whole head!

We haven't named this baby bird yet...as I am still holding out to see whether or not it survives, but today it is strong, and opening its mouth to be fed with vigor! I'm very happy it's doing better.

My follow-up visit at the doctor revealed that I had a DVT while I was sick, and that was part of my breathing problem. I had not heard this from any of the hospital personnel, but my primary care physician filled me in. A DVT is short for deep vein thrombosis ie: blood clot that can travel through your body to your brain (which would cause a stroke) , to your heart (causing a heart attack), or to your lungs ( causing a pulmonary embolus). Let's just say that this new information was quite sobering, to say the least.

I'm recovering quicker than what the doctor expected, which was surprising to hear, because it's not been quick enough for me. I'm used to bouncing back faster than this, but he promised me that I'm doing 'fabulous'.

So there you have it for today, kids! With Lots of Love, Granni XOXOX

Mother Nature and Other Things

Leave it to my dear friend, 4030lisa to put things in a way to not only make me smile, but think as well. (see comments on last Blog Post)

You are absolutely correct about Mother Nature and her little (or not so little) life lessons. That old broad has got more tricks than I do, and seeing as I am a master of avoidant behavior.... (the Queen-Head-In-The-Sand) I have been a bit ticked off at her keeping me on such a short leash.

I wanted a cigarette so bad, I thought about telling old Mother Nature to blow it out her ass! This thought was amusing to me as I visualized myself lighting up one of my Misty 120's Menthols and blowing that smoke right in her face! Take THAT you old bird! hee hee

Then, of course my imaginings took on a life of their own and before I knew it, Mother Nature was staring me down through narrowed eyes and saying, "Ahem, you little termite... I could blow YOU out of my ass and call it a day!" Followed by some under breath comments about my basic ingratitude, and being childish and a brat. Somehow, picturing myself being blown out of Mother Nature's ass carries no appeal for me whatsoever, and you know I'd come out looking bad in the whole deal.

Today I go for my post-hospital check up to see if I will continue on course, or if I need a bit more tweaking... (maybe an oil change?)

To sum it up, I have always resented life's little intrusions on what I felt was my right to live my life as I chose to. I never appreciated reality tapping me on the shoulder when I was dancing my heart out in the clouds somewhere...(and I was always dancing in the clouds somwhere)!

I guess this snarky old bag has met her match. I need to face reality and accept my role in my own health or I am doomed to repeat this same mistake over and over until it literally kills me. Who the hell wants that??? Time for me to suck it up and quit my bitching, at least on this subject.

I do want to PUBLICLY THANK my dear friend, @jinnandtonics from Twitter, who sent me a gorgeous basket of flowers in the hospital (and they're still quite lovely today) and signed the card from all of you..... "The Gang" Melissa, Jill, Nick, Teri, Lisa, FizzyDuck, SantaDearest and "the rest". I'd get on the SS Minnow anyday with you all for a three hour tour even if we ended up as castaways! How you guys managed to find me, I will never know...but it sure meant alot to me at the time, and will always bring me to tears to think of the day I got flowers from my twitter friends! That was unbelievably awesome!

Hugs and Lots of Granni Kisses!!! XOXOXOXOX

Untitled Progress Report

I promised to keep you all posted on my progress, and since my word is pretty much all I'm good for any more, I'm here to fill you all in. I've tried several times to sit down here and do this since I got out of the hospital, but everything I wrote sounded like an old person complaining about bunions or lumbego.

I still have not smoked.....which is amazing! I'm thrilled, though I cannot boast of having a strong will....if my breathing was back to normal, I would've been smoking again already. So it's not a case of steel fortitude, it's simply a case of I CANNOT ! Nevertheless, I'm pleased....and being pleased with one's self is truly a wonderful thing these days.

My few days home have been funny...The house looks different, the grandkids look different. I look different. I'm covered pretty much from head to toe with black and purple bruises from shots, IV's and being manhandled.

The Pulmonary Physician that treated me in the hospital did a good job, lucky for me. Because he resembled Paul Williams in that iconic leprechaun sort of way and looked at me sheepishly about my smoking habit, all the while trying to hide the trach-port in his own throat. Doctor and patient, each aware of the other's weakness, and floating in the same boat. I don't know if he was ever fully aware of the irony, but I sure was.

This same doctor sent me home with a laundry list of medications, many of them new...and this was funny in itself. I have been diabetic for maybe 4 or 5 years, but never needed insulin. Now with huge mega-doses of corticosteroids, I find I now supposedly need insulin. That would be fine, but I have no way to test my glucose, and the doc wrote me a script for the needles, but not the insulin to go with it....LOLOLOL!! So here I have a box of 100 syringes...but nothing to put in them. This is one of the funny things that happen to me in my life that people sometimes swear I just make up as I go along! (honest! I don't!)

Doc also sent me home with a new blood pressure pill that needed "prior authorization". He instructed me to to let his office know if the pharmacy wouldn't fill it, which I promptly did. His staff tells me they can't fix this issue, because the doctor handles my lungs, not my heart...so I was out of luck....and I'm dumbfounded with the phone in my hand and my jaw hanging open...okaaaay...... and I now know I got discharged before I was ready because Medicare decided it was time for me to go. I am truly lucky to be alive.

Life on high doses of steroids really stinks...cause I want to eat everything in sight...but the wonderful thing about it is, everything you eat tastes fantastic!! Too bad I didn't discover the secret to oral fixation while I was still married....maybe the divorce would not have been necessary!

So, there you have it, my irreverent view on things in general. Life is quite literally what you make it, or should I say that life takes on its true meaning by how we respond to it, rather than what we try to fool others into believing about us...which is a silly waste of time.

As a dear friend of mine blogged recently...don't waste your time in envy or jealousy over what you wish you had. I don't need big boobs, lucious lips or even an active sex life anymore. I'm comfortable being me, and I'm embracing myself with both hands without apology. Gimme a jelly donut and a soft chair and I'll be happy as a clam.

Life is good, kids. And those little sucky moments along the way are just little reminders to pay attention...that you're getting too comfortable, that you're not appreciating the bigger picture. Come on now, you wouldn't think twice about your butt unless you had an occasional hemorroid to remind you that sitting can be a pleasure or a curse depending on what your current situation may be.

I miss you all very much, but I'm trying to be good and take care of myself...(besides I've been watching the Trueblood Marathons at night....). I know you all are still not quite sure how to take me yet, but it's just me...

Love and Hugs to you ALL!!! XXXXX

Home Again Home Again Jiggedy Jig

I have been released from the hopsital this evening and so I am now at home scared out of my wits! I'm supposed to take care of myself now, give myself insulin and not walk too much. I have an oxygen tank that I either completely drained, or shut off...I don't really know for sure. BUt All this is rather hysterical for me because when I comes down to it, if it's associated with me, some how, some way....it's gonna be screwed up. LOLOL!

I'M ALIVE, and that's the good news and when I get myself on an even keel, I'll fill you wonderful people in on the power of Twitter Friendship, give you all big wet hugs and kisses and tell you all how much you mean to me!!

It's a miracle that I still exist, and a testament to my tweet-pals relationship with the ALmighty, I'm sure. My doctor said he had no other reason to explain that I did not die. I HAVE NOT SMOKED! (YAY!) BUt when I arrived by ambulance a week ago, I was in full respiratory failure.

I'm okay, just trying to get over that the offensive smell in my house is actually ME......(PEE-UU) and my daughter will help me get washed up and slathered in deodorant (or at least take pity on me and put a stick-up on my forehead).

You all are precious, wonderful people! And I will update you on everything as soon as I can!

*HUGS AND KISSES* ANNIE XOXOXOXOX