Mood:
happyNow Playing: Day 779-The Final Road To Survival
It felt absolutely GREAT to finally catch up on some solid sleep! I am also glad the holiday Dranotini weekend is over. Now its time to bounce back from treatment and allow my body a few days of freedom before the next one begins.
With it being a holiday weekend and no mail delivered yesterday the mailman made up for it today. Included in a huge stack of mail was another huge stack of papers for my upcoming surgeries. I am still dealing with the first round. This is almost like signing your life away and I am not even in the surgery room yet! Hahahaha! It might be a good thing I still have a little over a week to fill the rest of the paperwork out and mail it back to my new surgeons office. Thankfully there are no other doctor appointments scheduled for the remainder of this month so it looks like I will be catching a bit of a much needed break!
Its been a very, very pleasant day and I feel good vibes ahead for next month. Today was a turning point and one step in the right direction. I asked last week, "Where is the help?" Guess what? It finally called, emailed and showed up today. Maybe breaking down some of my privacy walls is helpful in order for others to understand what I need as far as help. I am not the type of person to ask for help but with a team of 2 its almost impossible to handle our full plate. This afternoon a huge portion of that plate got lifted. It started early this morning in the form of emails then continued through out the afternoon with phone calls and visits to the house. The amount of support given by not just friends within the city but strangers whom I have yet to meet but care enough about us and my overall health and happiness stepped forward one by one. We no longer have to be concerned about anything other than getting my body ready for the upcoming surgeries.
Thank YOU!
There will be a few weeks ahead of us filled with changes but all positive. Its slowing starting to feel like a huge weight and burden is being released off our shoulders. Not that all this amazing help and support from everyone wasn't enough I also got treated from a very talented local hair stylist to a evening spoiling my poor locks. Thank you so much Jennifer! You are amazing and it was so nice to share an evening of conversation filled with smiles, tears and laughter. My hair also thanks you too! Jennifer will now be handling the final transition of going from hair here gone tomorrow but as a step by step process this way she said I don't go into hairless shock, hahahaha! I can't forget Frances aka Sis for all the support you and Roland have given me through this rough bump in the road. Gym Moms and their families who continue to cheer me on from the side line thank you for offering your help. Pam and Mike-Eric said thank you for sending over the home made dinners after hours of working outdoors helping with the house repairs. Big Joe and family for offering their assistance how ever it may be needed. HCSD employees and others who have remained anonymous thank you, thank you and thank you! Its through trying times in life that you realize strength is indeed in numbers. I am very humbled and we can't thank you enough! -XOXOXOXOXO
d'oh
Well at least the generic Drano aka Hell-In-A-Jug is staying down far easier than the name brand ever did! I also don't have to worry about gagging on the extra salt chlorine taste with the generic brand. Not that it isn't there but it just doesn't taste as strong and it also seems to stay down without coming back up through my nose. UGGGG! 
Me and my friend-Caregiver and the fur gang had a very nice, low key and relaxing Memorial Day. My friend has been serving in the Army for almost 15 years. He not only helps to protect America but also took on the roll to help me. He recently gave up a rank promotion so he could remain in the states to help me medically and continue providing assistance around the house. When people like him give up important things in life not because they were told but because he wanted to shows the utmost support and act of selflessness. If only the world had more people who cared without being asked then maybe it would be a better place. He will not be re-enlisting next year even though he is only five years away from retirement. Why you may ask? Because he said, "Who would take care of you?" 
A team of 3 is now down to a team of 2 as my surgery day comes a bit closer. We are looking into nurse home care options and a few amazing GP friends of mine are also looking into their schedules to see if they might be able to help. My dear friend Kevin who lives here said he would be more than willing to step up to the plate and help too! For now I am going to become like the Bears and hibernate in order to get myself back on track. Stress up here must go back down there. I only have one me and I only go around once in this lifetime. I can't lose anymore precious time for hope in others but instead must now believe in myself.
bright
The heat is upon us again today! I can't wait for some cooler temperatures instead of it feeling like August outside. My head issues-Seizures/migraine/tremors are sure not enjoying the extreme temperatures either. At least the dark sheet that plays as a make shift curtain blocking the sun from the back of the house into the living room so far has been working! It now stays super dark so I am not awakened by sunlight or migraines/tremors. Now it takes around 15 minutes to set everything up blocking the windows from any sunlight before going to sleep. Its a routine but after awhile you get used to it. 
This could make for one HUGE basement FLOOD if either its not finished within the next 24 hours or if someone gets doesn't get plywood and plastic large enough to cover the entire area. To make matters worse the workers left huge mounds of dirt through out the yard. This of course was after there was hours spent the past week cleaning up weeds along the fence line which was a waste of time. My friend-Caregiver spent most of the day working outdoors just catching up on the last bit of landscaping and cutting the grass. He now has a Memorial Day filled with dirt removal from one end of the yard to another.
WHOA! I "attempted" to clean the cars out later this afternoon which was going fairly well until the heat got the best of me. I am lucky for Gatorade and Pedialyte. Last thing I need is another trip to the hospital so it looks like the great outdoors will officially be off limits for this gal when the temperature exceeds over 83 degrees.
quizzical
What started off this very interesting day was seeing a 12 year old girl outside my back bedroom window doing hard manual labor which consisted of shoveling solid dirt to dig a 2X2x12 foot hole. OK. My question is once again what is wrong with people? What happened to society? Are we that in dire need to save a buck by having a 12 year old girl help her poor Dad out in 94 degree temperatures???? WOW! My last question to this sickening scene is where are the individuals who make child labor laws to protect the children? No. We did not hire this help. Someone else did.
Now for the end of my adventurous day called, "Do you really know someone?" This goes for those whom you might have known for years but do you really know them? I have found out some very shocking information regarding those who been very misleading about themselves. I "thought" I knew them but clearly I do not. Once again I question the behavior of people around this city. My faith in mankind is slowly dwindling..."The problem isn't the problems. Its the people who are creating the problems." Needless to say this house circus needs to not have anymore side shows. The air needs to be finally cleared. No PUN intended!
Today was the last day enjoying a trip to the local park. The heat is getting to be just way too much for this gal. My Gastroparesis also dislikes heat along with the connected seizures/migraines.
Back to the park...
Since my holiday weekend will consist of me, a few glasses, red Hawaiian punch and a large jug of liquid Dynamite (Drano) my friend suggested we go out and do something. I couldn't agree more and lately with surgery on my mind and the house mold repair problems still lingering I flippin need a break! CHEERS TO THAT!! What seemed like a great idea didn't last but a few hours. Same with driving. Once we walked outside and started driving my head games began. I took all my medication but even after arriving at our destination it didn't get any better. The air indoors was musky, stuffy and humid. I was bummed because we rarely get a chance anymore to go out and have some fun. My good days are few and far between. We had an early night but the fur kids didn't seem to mind. After a disappointing evening and trip it was nice to see happy tails greeting us when we got home. This is going to be a very, very long weekend with no relief so far between medical/house issues in sight. 
happy
Where has the time gone? It feels like just yesterday when I bought Littleblue's first little pink dress. Now the only part of her that fits into the dress is her front paw. Hahahaha! Maybe "HUGEBLUE" would had been a better name!
Since this has been Littleblue's week she has been treated to plenty of walks at the local park, new chewies and lots of new toys and treats. Oreo hasn't complained one bit since Littleblue has been nice enough to share. Even her birthday shirt from last year barely fits. She has grown up to be one beautiful "BIG GIRL!" 
I wish my Gastroparesis would allow for more outdoor time but the sunlight and heat continue to easily get the best of me. We are suppose to have work started on the house repairs this weekend but we will have to wait and see. Thank goodness for no rain in the forecast but I sure won't be enjoying this crazy heat!
My dear friend John finally made his first trip out west to look for a new home since getting his new job with the government. He will be living in Napa, California and I couldn't be happier for him! We have been friends for almost nine years and had a bet for the past eight to see who would be the first to move out west. He always wanted to live in California and me-Nevada. Looks like one down and one left-Me. Hee,hee,hee,hee... So not fair the amazing photos he shared with me today. SOOOO NICE! John is hoping to finalize his move by the end of next month and if anyone deserves true happiness its him. CHEERS to John in finding his dream home!
HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY MY LITTLEBLUE XOXOXOXO
chillin'
Happiness to me is new emery boards and clothes that ACTUALLY fit! Its also finding a way to better darken my sleeping quarters so the spring/summer sunlight doesn't get the best of my head.
The spring and summer sunlight also got to me around this time last year and usually makes my seizures worse. Arm tremors drove me nuts today so if I need to make the front part of the house darker then welcome to my new bat cave. BOO! Talking about literally sleeping with the VAMPIRES...My friend-Caregiver said this evening, "Wow! this is going to make the room so dark that I might have a hard time now waking up." Hahahaha! The things you must do being sick. Crazy isn't it?
Who is that masked/sunglass woman anyways? Hahahaha! My joints and muscles are still sore and recovering from the last round of seizures so walking is a win-win for this gal. Hopefully I can catch a longer break and get back into some sort of routine but with Gastroparesis you don't live for tomorrow. You live for today.
celebratory
As a Idiopathic Gastroparesis patient I have found through the years that when there is bad news ten times as much good news soon follows! What has been pouring into my mailbox, email and cell phone has been an amazing amount of support from those who have decided to step forward helping to raise Gastroparesis Awareness. This blog that I started over two years ago has not only been a way for me to express myself but also a means to help others understand the many ups and downs living a life with Gastroparesis. 
You can write it out, map it out and even plan it out but sometimes life doesn't always go as planned. 
With any bad day there is always a silver lining! My doctor called later this afternoon with my lab work for my kidneys. Luckily I won't have to see another new specialist to add to the current list of 18 and instead I will just have to follow up additional testing with my Nephrologist. My friend also upon getting the mail brought in a package filled with amazing news in the fight for Gastroparesis Awareness. Indeed the Gastroparesis Awareness Campaign Team and GP family should be very proud! 
I have quickly come to realize that when people alter their outer appearance it also alters their soul.