Strange things....

WHo know that a SAHM like me can motive another to actually get out of the state for some girls only fun time!

DH has been away once again, but before he left, my SIL said 'SO, why do you get to go away all the time, when is it E's turn?" DH replied: "Whenever she wants." My heart skipped a beat, but I dared not get excited.

SO I did what I do best: Started to plan a fantasy vacation. But to where? NEW YORK CITY! I lived here in a former life, and really want to get back to it. But the more I thought about it and my #2 choice, CHicago, other than taking in a show, I had no idea what else (Low cost) I could do and safety fears ran rampant through my mind. How could I pick a good hotel in a safe neighborhood? THen the numbers started to climb. Airfare. OK, not horrible, but then how will I get to my hotel? Shuttle? Taxi? Rental car? How will I get around the city? Hmm prices get higher still.

I abandoned that plan and started to daydream again. Hey, if I get away without the kids, I want to go somewhere warm!! ANd my favorite, warm, safe, clean, free transportation place is DISNEY WORLD!!! I didn't think it was possible, but ran some numbers for different travel dates with 2-4 to a room. Wow. IT is REALLY reasonable! I talk to DH who was in Miami at this point and tell him my findings. His response? "DO it up, Baby!" What? Really? I let myself get really excited. I shoot off about 11 or so e-mails to women that I know that I can tolerate for long periods of time. ONe is pretty interested. SHe is planning a WDW trip in the fall. So is another! OOOH! This may really happen! The next 5 are all no's. I call one another friend since she won't get the e-mail for a couple days (SHe works very part time) and she is really interested and promises to get back to me the next day.

Wednesday I see a couple more women on my Mom's morning off and they are all no as well. I get an e-mail from one of the first that was interested and she is now a no. SO is the 2nd. I am still hopeful. The crushing blow comes from the friend I called. While her DH is all for her getting away, she doesn't feel right about going to WDW before she takes her kids, but would consider a cruise or something possibly in the fall when the prices go down.

I fight back tears and tell her thanks for letting me day dream a bit, but fall cruises are cheap for a reason: Hurricane season.

I feel defeated, but need a pick me up, so I decide to research a few cruises to satisfy my curiosity since there is no way I can afford one. I am once again hopeful. I find some "Last minute deals" and a short 3 night cruise is actually not too ad at all! I call my friend, S back asking if she would consider a short Mother's day Cruise. I hold my breath. YES! SHe would, but would have to discuss it with her DH. OK I continue to search different departure dates, places and ports of call. I match them with potential airfares and jot down a few prices.

My DH calls to check in once again and I inform him that my "last hope" has said no to WDW, but may consider a cruise. HIs response? "I was gonna suggest that!"

I get a call back yesterday the guys are on the phone with each other and YES, the trip is a go! WOOHOO!!!

I finish putting the kids to bed, then call my AAA agent to see if they can do better than what I found. I give her all the details I have and she makes a few calls while I am on hold. She not only finds an outside cabin with an unobstructed view, it is cheaper than the one I found online! I take a chance and have her hold it, then we look at airfares together, finding that she is coming up with the same prices I am.

I call my DH and he asks why I didn't book it already. I call S and she is ready to give me her CC# as well. So now here I sit, waiting for 9AM EST to come up. That is when J will be at her desk. I am excited! I will soon be a cruiser!!!

Visual reference

I love this one site and I while I was looking at pix, I found the perfect one to describe "Death Flu with Ruptured Ear Drum". Enjoy.


see more crazy cat pics

The Death Flu

I've often wondered why in this day and age people are still dying of the Flu. Well, maybe OFTEN is an overstatement, but I know the thought has crossed my little pea brain now and then.

I came too close to first hand knowledge.

I set off to church a couple weeks back, totally unsuspecting of the crud that was about to invade my body. I knew I was getting sick, but hey, I'm a Mom. How bad could it be?

By the time I sat in my favorite section at church my entire body ached. Hmm. I must have slept wrong or something. Or there's a front coming in. Or I am Suddenly, without warning, old. Then I could barely stand during Praise and Worship. Hmm I must need more sleep or something. We had a guest paster and I tried my best to listen attentively, even taking notes, but about 10 minutes into his sermon, I realize I have NO IDEA what he is talking about! Wait, I took notes! Hmm No help there. There is no Mahoney 33:13 anywhere in the Bible. The rest is incomprehensible scribbles.

I made it through the rest of the service, not remembering any of it, then onto family worship which I wish would just be over already. I LOVE Family worship, but not today. I gathered the kids and head home, stopping for DH's coffee along the way, nothing for me, thanks.

We make it home and I crawl into bed with DH. I sleep for 2 1/2 hours, and feel like I need more sleep, but we are getting ready to go to dinner with my ILs to celebrate a couple Birthdays. DH offers to take the kids and go without me, but I want to eat out!

I am dizzy and tired and not at all hungry, but I do manage to eat a bit of salad, a breadstick and 2 stuffed mushrooms. I do not eat any of my dinner, but bring it home for later. I"m sure I will feel much better in the morning.

On to my MIL's house and I eat the tiniest piece of cake and about a tablespoon of ice cream, then fall asleep in the chair. In the middle of the living room. WIth about 15 other people in the house around me. DH wakes me and we head home. I jammie up and crawl into bed. I sweat and freeze all night.

Monday comes and I can barely get the 3 kids out the door to their various schools. I have to drive the boy, but come home and promptly fall asleep until nearly 1. I figure I must just need some fresh air and head out to clear a bit of ice from the driveway and storm drain in front of our house. DH is happy to see me up and about and I go get the boy.

I come home and sleep once again until DH wakes me to say he has to head back out to work again. I warm some leftovers in the microwave, but that is almost too much for me to handle. THe kids get fed, jammied and we are all in bed by 7:15. DH calls at 8:30 to say he is on his way home. I do not remember. I sweat and freeze all night once again. I also do not remember a phone conversation with my sister.

Tuesday DH wakes me as he leaves for work, and I know I am down for the count. I drag myself out of bed, get the girls fed, dressed and out the door. My little sister arrives with OJ and muffins and helps M get on the bus, which is running very late today. THen my Little sis makes me some tea and toast, and plays with the boy for a bit. I eat almost one full slice of toast and most of my tea as well as a bit of Oj. SHe leaves around 11 AM, so I only have to deal with the boy for an hour before he needs lunch. I manage a PB&J for him along with 1/2 a banana and then I pull him into me bed with me.

I sleep for nearly 3 Hours. DH came home in that time and took care of the boy when he got up from his nap, and even made me get back in bed wehn my alarm went off to get the girls off the bus. I sleep for almost 2 more hours when DH tells me he HAS to take a service call, but will be back ASAP. I reheat my dinner from SUnday for the kids, jammie them up and we all go to bed by 7. I do call my friend and cancel our plans for Wednesday. Between the impending snow storm and how I am feeling, I do not wish to share my germs. I also make alternate plans for Thursday with my MOPS group.

Wednesday I wake up, feeling a bit better. I manage to eat a muffin that my sis had brought as well as some apple sauce and a banana. I do a bit of laundry and reboot the DW. Then the cough starts. By dinner time I am feeling bad once again, but I do manage to drive the kids to church and home again. We get home, I get everyone jammied up and we are all in bed within 20 minutes of coming home.

I cough/sweat/ freeze all night and by Thursday morning I feel the worse that I have all week. I cancel my Thursday plans and make ride arrangements for the one volunteer I usually drive to MOPS. I call my doc and make an appointment and get one for later that morning.

I drag my smelly butt to the shower and dress and feed the boy. I marvel that I got the girls out the door on time as well. I get to teh doc and only have a short wait. After my exam, it is determined that I have both the flu and bronchitis. I leave with an inhaler and a cough suppressant with codine and instructions to keep taking my Advil codl and sinus and advil as I have been.

I get the boy drive through and come home to sleep. The boy falls asleep on the way home, so I put his lunch in the fridge. DH gets home, takes care of the boy and lets me sleep. I update him when I wake to get more meds in me. He makes pancakes for dinner and I manage to eat 2 silver dollar sized ones.

Friday I wake up with extreme pain in my left ear oh and now I am vomiting. I call my ILS (in laws) to come get the boy. I LOVE my ILs. I try to take my AM meds, but they all come up. I try again with different meds an hour later, and they come up too. I call my doc and they say wait and see since my ears were clear the day before. I try meds one last time, but they come up, too. I switch to ginger ale. THat comes up as well. I stick with tiny sips of water every hour on the hour. That seems to stay down.

DH takes the girls out to play in the newly fallen snow while he snow blows. I sleep more and then wake with a strange sound/ feeling/ pain coming out of my left ear. I hear pop POP pop pop pop crackle WOOOOOSSSHHH and then extreme pain followed by a wetness coming form my ear. Yup. my eardrum ruptured. The pain is excruciating, my cough is still pretty bad, bringing up chunks every time i cough, I am still feverish, now I have a tissue stuck in my ear and nothing wants to stay down. Yes, I am beauty in a blanket!

DH comes in, I inform him what is going on, and he leaves to get the boy and a pizza, none for me, thanks.

I sleep a very restless sleep that night, having to wake every hour or so to change the tissue in my ear. Saturday I am still only managing sips of water, and the pain is getting worse. By 10 AM DH announces he is taking me to immediate treatment and then goes to shower. I do manage to get a gift out of the basement gift closet and wrap it since M has a birthday party to go to. We drop the kids off at my ILs and drive there. Father In Law has agreed to take M to her bowling party. I love my ILs. I sleep the entire way.

We get there and there is no line whatsoever, so we are quickly brought through admissions to triage. I fall sleep waiting for the doc to look me over, but DH said we were only in there about 5 minutes. SHe starts the exam and when I try to take a deep breath, I cough up chunks again. SHe asks to see the tissue I coughed into and we both see red blood. GREAT!!! SHe says I will benefit form IV fluids and meds, but first we need a chest X-ray. I get that done first, then get moved to a bigger room. I fall asleep while she places the IV and draws blood.

I mostly sleep the next hour or so while the fluids and pain meds go in along with anti nausea meds. I feel MUCH better by the time the last of the fluids go in. I leave there with prescriptions for antibiotic and anti dizzy pills. My chest x-ray showed no pneumonia. Wow. At least there is SOME good news! the blood was form my sinuses. I have a raging infection and my sinuses are packed with blood. ew.

I feel well enough to eat a bit, but have no sense of taste or smell, so settle for a fruit and yogurt parfait form Mickey D's. DH also gets me a fruit and walnut salad for later.

I actually stay awake the ride home, but need a nap by the time we get there. DH drops me off, then goes to get the kids and pick up my meds.

Saturday night is a bit rough since DH needs to nap to go to his overnight job and I need to deal with the kids, but we get through it.

Sunday I choose to skip church. My church does have a live web cast, though so I watch that online. I am able to eat tiny amounts, and feel better over all, but still get very tired easily. and Dizzy. Very very dizzy. My "Antivert" pills make me tired. Actually the first 2 times I take them they knock me out cold. I try my best to get the house back into shape, but I am in tears by the time it came to bringing up laundry baskets. I call for help. I have a good friend that cleans houses, so I call her praying that she is available. SHe is! ANd will come all day Monday to clean.

DH takes the kids grocery shopping and I get a nap in. He makes me dinner. It looks lovely, but I can't smell or taste any of it. I do manage to eat salad, a perogi and a bit of grilled steak. We jammie up and watch a bit of TV as a family before heading to bed.

Monday, same drill, get 2 kids off to school and I drop the boy at his school as well then head home. I shower and wait for BJ to get here and make a list of what I want done. I call my doc for a follow up appointment and get in almost right away. BJ gets here, we chat a bit and she gets to work as I head out to the doc.

Doc can see that my ear is starting to heal, but isn't healed yet, so she will see me next week. ack. I head home, stopping for burgers and yogurt. BJ and I eat lunch when I get back, and I am able to take a short nap before i need to go get the boy.

It is nice to have BJ here and together we tackle 4 loads of laundry. The girls are excited to see her as well.

She leaves just before dinner and refuses to charge me. I give her a tip and plenty of thanks for her help!

We order take out once again, and I go to bed early.

Since then I am getting better every day. Today (day 12) I actually feel more like myself than I have in a a LONG time, but my ear is still draining. I have laundry going, I was able to reboot the DW this morning and I am about to tackle making dinner.

So yes, death flu attempted to visit here, but I managed to make it go away. I pray that NO ONE has to deal with this! I "only" lost a week and a half of my life. ANd now DH says he isn't feeling well..........