Saturday, September 30, 2017

More rainy days.

Hello friends,boy just more rainy days and I,well we all just need a break!
Sunday night of last week I had taken Daniel to his hockey game at 8:30 so we didn't get home until close to 10:30 we were both pooped out.
Michael started yelling for me as he heard a crash in the bathroom.
 I managed to wedge open the door and discovered Ariel on the floor having a massive Grand Mal (GTC) Seizure.
 I turned her to her side and protected her head. The guys and I managed to get her in her bed and put her on oxygen and just watched her.
The next day she was a bit sore and had bitten her tongue up a bit,but seemed to be okay.
 On Tuesday I was at an appointment with Michael for more Neuropsych testing.
In case anyone didn't know Michael was diagnosed with a form of dimentia 2013 and we had been seeing more mental decline in him and so every few years we do another assessment to see where he is at.
While I was sitting there waiting for him I got a message from my son in South Korea telling me that Ariels G/J had fallen out.I was telling him "Oh I know she had it replaced". He said  "No mom it's out now."
I'm like "WHAT?!!!!!!!"
 No way, I was in denial, not again.
So after messaging Ariel she told me it had fallen out again and was afraid to tell me.
I really don't know why.It's not her fault if the balloon deflates.
We kinda of think that the seizure was so severe that it caused that to happen.
So after numerous phone calls they informed me that they would have to wait until Thursday to place her tube.
We ended up back at Overlake Hospital.They were super full and since Ariel was a squeeze in we didn't get to be at the wonderful place we normally are with the pretty rooms and wonderful nurses.
We were at a very old part of the hospital that seriously needs a major renovation and a good coat of paint.

Anyway I was just happy that they were going to get it done.
I didn't really care for the nurse at first.She was kind of snappy and not real friendly.
Once she was made aware of Ariel's mental status talk about a 180 she became super sweet and super chatty.
Sad it took her learning that to change her attitude.

This isn't the first time we've seen this.There's a doctor in the E.R. who is really not a very nice person.
I've heard many complaints about him, except when it comes to Ariel he absolutely adores her.
One Easter we were there and he made them go find her an Easter basket.
He will do absolutely anything for her.He's also super friendly with me as well.
They actually got an I.V. in her pretty easily.
Ariel was very nervous.Once we got downstairs all the doctors and nurses were so kind and wonderful.
I was wondering around downstairs totally scatter brained.
Seriously I left my book in the lobby couldn't remember where it was and then I get to the room to wait for Ariel and kept thinking I was missing something.I realized I had left the bag of Ariel's belongings downstairs somewhere.So I went down there looking for her clothes.
Thankfully no one had snatched her stuff.
Then I get upstairs and I was thinking where's her blanket so downstairs again looking for it then I realized duh, she had it with her.
I seriously needed a nap and some good strong coffee.
 When she came back to me she was completely out of it.Apparently she had freaked out and they had to give her a bunch of Versed.She slept for another hour or so.By the two hour mark she was ready to go home.She's home now a bit sore still,but doing okay.
 We have a lot of rainy days in our household with our complex family medical issues,but we just make the most of it.
What good would it do to sit and mope and whine about our situation I prefer this:
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Thursday, September 21, 2017

Who's ready for fall? Some of my fall favorites.


I love fall it is my most favorite time of the year.
I love the beauty of it and anticipation of things to come, like getting excited for the upcoming holidays.
Some of my favorite fall things are:

                                              Hot apple cider
 
Quick tip if you like the Caramel apple spiced cider,but don't want to pay the $4-5 dollars for one at Starbuck's just buy a jug of cider at the grocery store and either put it in a pot to make several servings with a few cinnamon sticks or in a mug with a dash of cinnamon heat and stir.Top with whipping cream and some caramel ice cream topping.
This is one of Ariel's favorites. 

Chai tea & pumpkin spice lattes 
Apple streusel and pumpkin cream cheese muffins.
          Roasting marshmallows & bonfires
 
Pumpkin patches and corn mazes.
 
Baking apple pies.
Sitting by the fire with a hot drink reading a good book or watching an old movie.

              Pumpkin carving at the zoo.
 Watching specials that we watch every year like It's a great pumpkin Charlie Brown.
                       Hay rides
                           Fairs
                     Pumpkin pie
                       Craft fairs
  
 Popcorn balls

                        Caramel apples
                     
Plays.
We've seen so many amazing plays at The Village Theatre in Issaquah.Not only are the actors amazing,but so are the sets and costumes and I love the little town it's located at.
Some of the plays we've seen include:
Les Miserables,My fair lady,Mary Poppins,Singing in the rain,Around the world in Eighty Days,Snapshot,Sealed with a kiss and Into the woods.
      Last but not least Hockey season starts!!!!!!!
 Ariel and Keegan Kolesar now playing for The Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL.
                 Ariel and Ryan Gropp
                  Ariel and Elijah Brown.
We are looking forward to a lot of wonderful fall days.What are some of your fall favorites?


Tuesday, September 19, 2017

When it rains it pours! Just when I thought surgery was done with.

         Hello friends,I am just totally drained. 
As you know Ariel had surgery last Thursday at U.W. to replace the battery for her Vagus Nerve Stimulator.
That was a pretty traumatic experience and while many of the nurses were great, I was not happy with some of the doctors.
Anyway she was finally recovering at home,I actually took my boy Michael out to a play in Issaquah.
 Ariel's daddy stayed home and watched her.
Dumb me had bought the tickets completely forgetting about her surgery,because the plan was to take Ariel to see the play.
I promised her I will take her to see it when she's feeling better.I believe it goes for a few more months.
 
The sets and costumes were just amazing,not to mention the singing.
 
      I would love to see Fiddler on the roof here.
 
The little town where the theatre is at is so cute and charming.So much nicer than dealing with the Seattle mess.
We had a good time walking around town getting latte's and eating Mexican food.It was a fun day with my boy.
The next day was pretty busy with church and Daniel's hockey game.I was pretty worn out by the end of the night and kept thinking this week I'm doing a whole bunch of nothing and will thoroughly love every minute of it.

 
 I think I jinxed myself not that I really believe in such things,because not five minutes later Ariel told me her tummy was hurting she lifted up her shirt and out came her G/J tube.
I just couldn't believe it 
I had just gotten ready for bed.Knowing the G/J or any tube hole can close up fairly quickly I rushed her to the E.R.
That was a whole other traumatic experience for her.
There were no beds available so on the hallway bed they proceeded to jam a tube in her.
Ariel was so upset blood was squirting out and it just hurt.
You would think they would at least numb the area or something.
Anyway they got one in and the next morning I called her G.I. and they set her up for emergency surgery at Overlake Hospital.
The staff at Overlake are so wonderful I just love them.
They are super kind and compassionate and take in all of Ariel's complex issues.
They told me she will have anesthesia and will not change out her tube without her being totally asleep.
It was so nice having people that listen.The nurses and doctors were so kind and compassionate.They were like whatever she needs need we will do.
Thankfully they got an I.V. in the first try.
The doctor told me it would take ten minutes to put the tube in.
So I waited and waited and waited.I was getting a bit concerned when an hour and forty five minutes passed.The nurse came in and told me she was in recovery.
After an hour in recovery she came back to the room.
She was hurting pretty bad. They very quickly gave her something for pain.Quite a difference from the last hospital we were at.After an hour we finally got to go home.
She's resting now.
Hopefully there will be no more issues and we actually can get a break.
I do know that if she has any issues with her tube again we will just go to Overlake.