Category Archives: Health

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: October 1, 2018

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For Today… October 1, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark and pouring rain. I’d love it if it (and screaming people) weren’t triggering a migraine.

I am thinking… about an email I have to write to my boss and department head about a tutoring student. Oyyyy..

I am thankful… to have gotten to finally meet my 3 month old nephew Braden this weekend. There would be pics of him and me getting behbeh cuddles on here, but his parents are wanting to keep pics of him off social media. (I’m a good sister and auntie so I’m complying.) He is too cute for words and was very smiley for me. 🙂

One of my favorite things… black kitties with jet engine motors.

I am wearing… jammies. Clothes today were a long-sleeved blue shirt and jeans capris.

I am creating… typing certificates.

I am listening to… the rain beating against the window.

I am hoping… my boss and department chair have my back regarding that tutoring student.

I am learning… typing skills.

In my kitchen… heated up some frozen pizza.

Post Script… I need this shirt.

Shared Quote… Someone asked men and women what they do to avoid sexual assault. The men’s response was on the left. The women’s responses were on the right.

How the different sexes avoid sexual assault

A moment from my day… With the Kavanaugh debacle going in DC, I thought this was a good editorial.

An editorial that is fitting for today.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.

7 Quick Takes: Insert A Witty Title Here Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Nostalgia. How many of you had a Caboodles cosmetic case when you were little? Apparently, they’re selling vintage ones now. I’d get one, but I never wear make-up!

— 2 —

NaNo update. I’m in the world-building part of NaNoWriMo prep. It’s harder this year because I don’t have anyone I want to kill… too badly. (There are always some people who have died multiple times or who have been used as examples multiple times.) I’m having to use various name generators to come up with people and to give them characteristics of people I know.

And as always, I’m willing to kill you off creatively for a charity donation. This year’s charity: Heifer International. Leave a comment or email me if you’re interested.

— 3 —

Something new. I got an email from my new boss in the tutoring program at school and it included her pronouns in her email signature. This is the first time I have seen that and I thought it was interesting. (I’m a cis female so not having to think about that is privilege on my part, I guess.)

— 4 —

Duuuuuude… I kind of want this.

— 5 —

Because RBG. I need a dissent collar like nobody’s business.

— 6 —

Good news. Per Kelly, FULTON IS HOME! Details here.

— 7 —

One more NaNo thing. If you have a kid who loves to write, consider checking out the Young Writers Project. I would have loved to have something like it as a kid, and I joyfully contribute to fund it every time I do NaNo. (This is my 8th time.)

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Jen Is Dead Tired Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Prayer request. Fulton, the son of our hostess-with-the-mostest Kelly, had spinal fusion surgery on Tuesday. He’s doing better but he’s still not a happy little panda. (Spines get stabby when you correct them.) Could y’all please keep him and his parents in your prayers?

Thanks!

— 2 —

Another prayer request. Daniel has some granulation tissue around the stoma where his g-tube is. It started bleeding today. Could you please pray it’s nothing serious? (I’m waiting for a call back from Seattle Children’s that I might not get until Monday.)

— 3 —

Too funny. A reading from Rachel Held Evans:

When it comes to processing these troubling stories [referring to the passages in the Book of Joshua about conquest and killing women and children], there are generally three types of people: (1) those who accept without question that God ordered the military campaigns in Canaan and has likely supported others throughout history, (2) those who are so troubled by the notion of God condoning ethnic cleansing that it strains their faith or compels them to abandon it, (3) those who can name all of the Kardashian sisters and are probably happier for it.

It was a lovely passage I read while on the way back from Audiology today.

— 4 —

Bumper stickers. I have a Dump Trump bumper sticker on my car. (It and my other bumper stickers are currently covered with duct-tape because we have the lone Trump supporter in our family coming over for dinner tonight — we love him even if he is a snowflake.) Shortly after I got it, a neighbor came up to my mom to ask if it was mine. Mom replied that it was and was inwardly cringing that I might have offended the neighbors.

It turns out that he was asking because he wanted one and hadn’t been able to find where to get one. He’s Internet-phobic so I ordered him one off of NorthernSun.Com the next time I made an order. He loved it and his wife asked if they could pay me for it. I told them “no” because I love them and it was cheap. Their next question: “Can we make a donation to the Democratic Party in your honor?”

My response: “Absolutely!” 😀

— 5 —

Music take #1. It’s Holy Cross Day so…

— 6 —

Music take #2. For all those who are being forced to watch the Baby Shark videos, this is the CORRECT way to do it:

— 7 —

Music take #3. Need a palate cleanser after that last take? Here you go:

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: This Week’s Accomplishments Edition

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7 Quick Takes

It’s been a bit crazy this week with the holiday on Monday, so I thought I’d make myself feel better by listing what I got accomplished.

— 1 —

Got Daniel’s school supplies. Due to the teachers’ strike and a few other things, we got Daniel’s school supply list a few days late. That was rectified with a trip to Fred Meyer on Tuesday.

— 2 —

Got some doctor’s appointments scheduled. It’s a neverending process here.

— 3 —

Found an internship. I’ll be proofreading a textbook for my favorite instructor. She’s on sabbatical this quarter and it’s my last one, so I had been bummed not to be taking a class from her. I’m glad I get to work with her!

— 4 —

Washed a ton of puke laundry. Daniel has an issue with puking if he’s had his tube feed while lying down, kind of like him refluxing it. It means that I have to make him sit up… when he REALLY doesn’t want to do that because he’s falling asleep. Let’s just say that I’ve been dealing with some foul behavior as a result.

— 5 —

Wrote instructions for Daniel’s g-tube for school. The school nurse had kittens when he found out that D has a g-tube because the nurse is only there 1-2 days per week. Cue me having to write a page of background on WHY he has it, what I expect from them (try to get him to eat something by mouth and call me if the tube comes out), as well as an explanation of WHY I don’t want the school nurse putting anything in the stoma if the tube comes out. Fun times.

— 6 —

Did my vial challenge. If you get allergy shots, they have to do a “vial challenge” anytime they mix a new vial to make sure it isn’t going to send you into anaphylaxis. This means no allergy meds, antihistamines, or meds that act like antihistamines (like my migraine preventative) for a specified period beforehand. (For me, it’s 3-4 days depending on the medication.) Thank goodness it wasn’t during peak allergy season for me!

— 7 —

Cuddled a mischievous black kitten. My mini panther has been wanting to nap during the day and sleep on my chest at night. Anything for you, Minion.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Live PD Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Live PD. I have an addiction to cop shows and some friends turned me on to Live PD. My parents roll their eyes at it, but it keeps me entertained.

— 2 —

Answering G-tube questions. Reader mbmom11 left me the following feedback:

I’d be interested. I can’t imagine how it works to get a non-cooperative kiddo to sit still for a feed. And if the kiddo feels better after having been on feeds for a few days. Thank you for sharing your experience!

This is an easy answer: Daniel doesn’t mind feeds and he doesn’t have to sit still for more than one minute while I get him hooked up. The feeding pump and bolus fit in a small backpack so as long as he’s careful about the tube staying connected, he can do quite a bit while the feed is going on. Usually, we are on my bed and he is playing with his tablet.

I’ll get an entry showing the step-by-step process done one of these days.

— 3 —

Check-up. We had a bunch of check-ups and a feeding therapy appointment in Seattle on Tuesday and Wednesday. The good news is that Daniel gained more than they were hoping for, so they’ve cut the number of feedings per day from 3 to 2. This makes my life SOOOOOO much easier.

— 4 —

Minion update. My little black monster is getting bigger and being my snuggle buddy at night as well as when he’s not in berserker mode. I keep some empty reusable shopping bags in my room for him to attack and sleep in. Occasionally, he’ll be asleep in one with just his long black tail sticking out.

My mom keeps commenting that his tail is 3 inches too long and his ears are too big. I keep reminding her that he uses his tail for balance when he jumps from the table to the counter.

— 5 —

Health System Portals. My local health system has an Internet portal that can be used to email doctors, send in prescription refill requests, etc. It’s a wonderful thing because I can actually have conversations with my health providers over it and it means that there is a record of communication.

When we were at Seattle Children’s this past week, they mentioned that they had one and I just about jumped for joy. It is going to be so helpful to not have to play message tag with providers there, and I think this will be useful for autism and g-tube stuff this fall.

— 6 —

Language-learning websites. I just want to highly recommend Duolingo again if you want to learn a language. I’m loving the site for my Spanish studies this summer, I’m using to review my French, and I’m even dusting off my Hebrew! (Pretty sure this is going to work better than my Hebrew class in seminary did!) I can’t wait for their Arabic course to hatch!

— 7 —

Tetelestai. A prayer for these days…

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant, John McCain. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

7 Quick Takes: Feeding Tube Edition

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Fun with science. This morning, I was hurriedly prepping Daniel’s morning feed and forgot to take the plastic tip off the tubing while I was priming it. The pressure from the feeding pump shot it across the kitchen at my dad. Thankfully, he was amused.

— 2 —

My “helper”. Minion likes to supervise the prep process… sitting next to the parts while I’m prepping them. Did I mention that I do the prep on the kitchen table and that we have a “no kittens on the table” policy? Yep… totally enforced. A step in my prep that gets repeated frequently is “remove the kitten from the work area” and the kitten is thankfully small enough that I can lift him with one hand. (Currently, the little monster is at my feet.)

— 3 —

Lenten meal idea. This looks pretty amazing.

— 4 —

Black Cat Appreciation Day. Black Cat Appreciation Day is today. Minion is, unfortunately, feeling unappreciated because he’s in my room for “reflection time” because he was beating up Jethro. Sorry Little Panther, we don’t want another vet bill for an abscess on Jethro. Not to mention, he’d have to wear an Elizabethan collar and we would laugh at him.

— 5 —

To my Catholic readers. I know some of you are really struggling, especially since some of you know the priests that have been named. I’m keeping you in my prayers.

— 6 —

Done. I just submitted my last assignment for my summer class. Given that I currently have 100% in the class, I’m happy as long as I get a 50% or higher on the assignment so that I end up with a flat A. (The college doesn’t do A-plusses.) I mean, having a solid 100% in the class would be an ego booster, but I’m happy as long as I keep my 3.99 GPA.

— 7 —

Another blog. I’m putting a blog together for G-tube things. Would anyone like to see what a feeding entails? Let me know.

For more Quick Takes, visit Kelly at This Ain’t The Lyceum.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 14, 2018

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For Today… August 14, 2018

Simple Woman's Daybook

Looking out my window… dark. It’s late and I’m fighting insomnia.

I am thinking… about Daniel’s g-tube, the situation going on with my church, and the fact that I’m hungry.

I am thankful… for so many things:

  • Daniel’s g-tube surgery going well
  • The amount of support I got at Seattle Children’s as a parent
  • That my kiddo wasn’t the sickest one in the unit
  • Being home in my own bed with clean sheets and clean jammies
  • Daniel’s tube feedings going well today/yesterday
  • My silly black monster who is berserking around my room and bouncing off the walls

One of my favorite things… the softness of Minion’s fur.

I am wearing… jammies.

I am creating… a blog to talk about g-tube adventures

I am listening to… parts of Fauré’s Requiem that I sang 15 years ago with St. Paul’s choir.

I am hoping… all of the kiddo’s feeds go well tomorrow.

I am learning… how to ensure the kiddo gets his full feed every time.

In my kitchen… I did a baked potato tonight that was lovely.

In the school room… Daniel goes back to school the Wednesday after Labor Day.

Post Script… something on depression, worship, and liturgy from a former colleague of Jon’s.

Shared Quote… “I’m no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God.” — No Longer Slaves from Bethel Music.

A moment from my day… this offering from the late Rich Mullins.

Hosted by The Simple Woman.