A great big slap in the face reminder

Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out. - John Wooden

I have wanted to blog about this for awhile.....well since it happened actually, but I really needed some time to think it through and get over it myself.

Anyhow, it happened on Tuesday.  I had spent the day Monday with a headache and sore throat so was looking forward to a day of relaxing, going to the gym and getting caught up on things around the house.  Well it was not meant to be.  Tuesday I woke up and thus began my day of getting the kids ready for school.  Except my daughter complains of a sore tongue and carries on as she usually does when she has been up to late and doesn't want to go to school.  So thinking nothing of it I told her to brush her teeth and use mouth wash then get ready for school!  So now I'm irritated.  Can she not just get up and get ready like she knows she has to do EVERY DAY????  Sigh.....obviously not.  Within the next few minutes or so after brushing and rinsing she was crying and having trouble talking.  So I told her she could stay home and I would call the Doctor's office.   The nurse was busy so the receptionist said she would have her call me back.  This took about half hour, during this time it got to the point she couldn't swallow, the drool was just running down her face.  To make things worse her nose was running too.  Just as I was deciding I should take her to the ER, the nurse called back and told me to take her NOW.  So I got her dressed and off we went.

She was triaged & registered immediately, then brought right into a bed.  Right away they got her ready to start an IV.  It took 2 tries in each arm before they could get it, her veins kept rolling.  Finally the IV was in and flushed, then they injected epinephrine.  The doctor came in to see her and ordered more medications.  He proceeded to let me know that it was Anaphylaxis.  He wasn't sure at that point if it was caused by an allergy or a tongue infection.  It would depend on how it reacted to the medication.  If the swelling went down quickly then it would be most likely an allergy.  The curious part to it all, was that it was only the tongue affected, not the throat or mouth.

To make a long story short, my poor girl was terrified and so was I.  We spent the day there while the medication did it's job and they monitored her to ensure she wasn't going to have a bad reaction to it.  They eventually sent us home with a prescription for 2 epi-pens. The next morning was a trip to our Nurse Practitioner to make sure everything was OK and also setup a referral for an allergist.  So for now, we wait, make sure she has her epi-pen with her at all times and pray.

The experience reminded me just how precious she is and how easily I could lose her.  While I know I can't focus on the negative, I will let it remind me that she is precious and growing so quickly but still needs us.  I love her dearly and hope that we will get the allergy tests done soon and the results back quickly.  I would rather know what to avoid then be worried every second that something could cause it to happen again.

Well that was my week.  I missed going to the gym all week, today is Good Friday so they are closed.  But my daughter is OK and thankfully we now have the epi-pen and knowledge of what to look for.

I hope you don't have a scare to remind you just how special someone is to you.

Working, Working oh and Working

Be the Best YOU that you can be, everyone else is taken - Unknown

I worked 8 hours of overtime today and work Friday, Saturday and Sunday all 12 hour shifts.  I honestly, truly debated whether working today was a good idea after my oh so recent depression scare.  I decided that if I don't push my limits I won't be able to find out just what they are.  I also need to know if it was the extra work or just a combo of lack of sleep and dreary weather.  So here's hoping.......since in another month or so I will be working 4 day shifts one week and 3 night shifts the next and then repeating.  I am really looking forward to the new schedule, so I am praying that my body will adapt.

I can hardly believe spring is here!  My daffodils have all bloomed, so my tulips won't be far behind.  I am loving the warmer weather.  This and fall are my favorite times of year.  It is still cool enough out to enjoy the sun without broiling and warm enough that a light coat or sweater is all you need if anything at all.  In another couple of months I will be tempted to sell my soul for central air conditioning!!  LOL  We have never owned a house with central air in the 10 years we have been married and every summer for about 2 months I swear over and over that we will get central air, this is the last year I will suffer like this again etc etc etc, but there always seems to be something else more important than air conditioning  :p  I do promise that my next house will either have central air already installed, OR it will be installed immediately upon closing!!

Work is going well, at least well enough that I don't mind working an extra shift this week :D  Actually for the most part I do love my job.  As with everyone else there are days that I need to remind myself of that, but mostly I do love my job.  The company I work for pays me very well, I have full benefits (mostly company paid) and a pension.  I have complaints, but it is mostly about co-workers.  Surprisingly Management is good to me, I have no complaints about how they have treated me.  I know a lot of people who have a lot of complaints about management (both where I work and other places) and many people who don't get paid as well as I do and work much harder. 

Well I have to get up early tomorrow and go to the gym before work, so I had better get to bed.

Have a great weekend!

Sadness, Strength and Hope

Be where you are, otherwise you will miss your life - Buddha

I am feeling better today.  It always scares me when I feel sad for no reason, and even scarier when it lasts for a few days.  Wednesday night I worked and towards the end of the night had developed a wicked headache.  It took a couple hours before I could get off the floor to take some advil, but once I did it didn't take long to start working thankfully!!!  By the time I got home Thursday morning I was pretty dragged out.  I decided in my infinite wisdom, to not take any chances of not sleeping.  I took an Aleve and a full sleeping pill then went straight to bed.  I had a wonderful sleep.  I slept from 9am until 5:15!!  I still didn't want to get up, but for some reason the company I work for thinks I should show up since they pay me???  How silly is that LOL!

Thursday night went much better. I felt rested, the line ran well and to top things off I was able to get a lot done.  Now I did have an issue with one of our temp agency associates but I dealt with that.

Today I slept a couple hours.....yep about 2.....maybe 2.5, then I got up and had a shower and got ready to go to the gym.  Today was a weigh and measure day.......it hasn't been a fun day for me lately.  I have hit a plateau and so the scale isn't moving and I am getting frustrated.  Today was better news than I expected though, I gained 2 pounds BUT lost almost 0.5% body fat!!  So that tells me that I am retaining water but still burning fat.  I have decided to give myself a week of NO diet at all, then I will start the phase 1, 2, 3 cycle again once my metabolism is fired up again.  With the sun out again and the warmer weather here I hope to get out more often. 

On another note, my sister in law sent me an email today.  She is a remarkable woman.  I envy her in so many ways, am so proud of her and love her to bits.  My dear SIL decided to try the Curves challenge once she saw not only what it is doing for me, but how much I am enjoying it.  She started with a month of strength training, then added the eating plan and now has decided to quit smoking!!  She is quickly approaching the 72hour mark.  While it hasn't been easy she is doing well and I am proud of her for tackling yet another huge life change in such a short time.  I don't need to cross my fingers because she doesn't need luck, she is a strong woman and I know that when she puts her mind to something, nothing can stop her :)  Love ya Girl!!


I am relieved that my mood has lifted.  While I am not singing and dancing in the streets, I am also not on the verge of tears (well ok crying)  on and off.  I am hoping that with good night sleep tonight and some sun tomorrow (hopefully a good walk with the dog) I will be back where I want to be.   I am positive now that I missed (ignored??) some signs from my body telling me I was pushing it, so it pushed back and slugged me over the head with a sign.  No more pushing it for me, at least for awhile.....anyone who knows me, knows I like to push my limits.  So tonight a dose of sleeping pill and a snuggle up to my hubby.   Tomorrow, get some yard work done, some sun, a visit with a good friend and some laughs!!  I had my sad day, now is time to be happy again.

Cheers!

Bad Day.....

Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but rising up every time we do fail. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Today was a bad day.  Still is I guess since I haven't gone to bed yet.  I woke up sad, went through the day sad, and am now exhausted and still sad.  I don't really know for sure why, but I have some suspicions.  The one most likely being I have worked a lot of overtime lately.  The weather is always a possibility and the PMS aspect too lol. 

This last couple weeks have been busy.  I have had to take over as LSL again as my LSL is off in definitely with a sore shoulder, which means I am the lead on my line, need to come in early to organize team for the day and need to answer for our results for the shift.  I also drove school bus Thursday afternoon, worked Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the plant, then again Monday afternoon with the school bus and today 6 hours at the plant.  Tomorrow and Thursday I work night shifts at the plant.  This weekend I won't be doing anything 'work-like' at all.  No cleaning the house, nothing like that at all!  Saturday evening I am going to a candle party at a friend's.  I am really looking forward to it!! Otherwise I am planning on doing absolutely nothing. 

The other frustration, or possible reason for my sad feelings, would be my weight.  While I haven't gained at all, I haven't lost either.  I know that I should focus on all that I have achieved but sometimes it is hard not to focus on how far I have left to go.  I have decided to focus on getting myself into a Mon, Wed, Friday regime at the gym and not let myself talk me out of going just because it is a work day.  I am going before work, which is tough, but I hope that it will pay off.  The other thing I have done is stopped 'dieting'.  I am going to give my body a break (which is suggested by Phase 3, but they have it more structured).  I want to give my mind a break too, by not worrying about what I am or not eating.  I will keep an eye on my weight so that I don't gain a bunch that I have to worry about losing later.  I think in a few weeks, I will start doing phase 3 strict for a few days and then back to phase 1 for 2 days then back to 3 etc.  Hopefully I can instill the workout routine and not let it slide over the summer. 


I tried to choose to be happy today.  I honestly did.  I even thought that maybe being at work would help.  Boy was I wrong!  Actually it wasn't so bad, at least the first few hours.  Towards the end of the day the department manager asked me some questions, that hit a sore spot for me.  Honestly I thought I was over it, and for the most part I think I am, but today being a rough mood day and then that particular conversation.....I don't know.......

So where do I go from here?  I guess my first step is to get some sleep.  I am going to relax and read for a few hours since I am working tomorrow night I can't go to bed early.  But tomorrow I will make sure I go to bed earlier so that I get a little extra sleep before the gym and work. 

Keep your fingers crossed for me, pray if you believe and send happy thoughts.  I am sure tomorrow will be better