Hey, all ~
Things have been normal at my end of the zoo (read: crazy). Now that I have all the information, I can share some of the stress that we've -- I've -- been going through for about a month now.
I noticed an odd thing at the beginning of February, on the back of my right knee. It felt like a scab, looked like a black pinhead. I thought it might be a baby tick, but in February? In Maryland, where it reached 4 degrees below zero just a couple of weeks before?
Nope, it was a mole. Knowing that we were moving, I decided to keep an eye on it and promptly forgot about it. That whole moving halfway across the country and not having a clue what was waiting, in house for us, job for either Z or me, or therapy-form for A. I know, excuses, excuses.
SO imagine my surprise when I noticed a little something at the beginning of May on the back of my right knee that had exploded in growth. And was like a poster for the ABCD's of melanoma, down to the black irregular color and borders. Since I tend to have "freak" as my primary reaction for serious issues, I promptly called a local dermatologist and set and appointment, and relaxed somewhat because I'd at least done something about it, as much as I could.
Then I have the appointment, the doc takes one look and gets a serious expression, and takes out the whole thing, right then and there. I mean, I have a huge chunk missing out of my right leg, directly over the tendon on my inner knee, and then had to drive home. She then tells me that the biopsy should take one to two weeks, and I need to keep the hole and the area around it moist so that when the results come back it will be easier to remove more tissue if they need to.
Needless to say, she wasn't spouting the rainbows and unicorns that I was looking for.
So I stewed over it for a day or two, cried a little bit, then had a remarkable peace about the whole thing as I waited for the results. God is good that way -- I realized that there wasn't a thing I could do about it, and He's in control, so I just -- didn't worry. Weird, right? Even my husband thought that was odd for me. Such a basic concept, yet how hard is it to truly let go of -- whatever the situation is? For me, the answer is generally "extremely". I try to puzzle out things that I can do to make things better, which is not always the best response and at times actually makes it worse. But I feel better for having tried, at least.
Results: not cancer, but not normal either. It still needed to come out. And I also learned that the doc could have sworn that it was of the "not friendly" variety, and she had planned to remove a further 1 to 2 cm chunk around the perimeter of the initial hole, and the same amount deeper than the existing chunk, and discuss further treatments if necessary. Thank goodness the biopsy came back the way it did, or I'd be facing skin grafts for the "extended excavation site". A pound of flesh, indeed. For a stupid black funny looking mole.
Moral of the story: get your butts in to see your doctor if you find something that looks funny, maybe your holey moley will be much smaller (and less painful) than mine. This stuff ain't something to mess around with, melanoma is one of the deadliest skin cancers because it has a tendency to metastasize (spread) to other areas of the body.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Remember
Happy Memorial Day weekend!
We're leaving to visit my brother in Abilene after church tomorrow, and won't be back until late Monday, so I'll see you all in blogland next week.
Here's hoping your weather, choice of grilled entree (marinated portobello mushrooms and zucchini, anyone?), and family time is good on Monday!
Please take just a brief moment on this Memorial Day to remember those who have served in the military; some have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms that we enjoy today, including the ability to peaceably express our opinions.
Thank You.
We're leaving to visit my brother in Abilene after church tomorrow, and won't be back until late Monday, so I'll see you all in blogland next week.
Here's hoping your weather, choice of grilled entree (marinated portobello mushrooms and zucchini, anyone?), and family time is good on Monday!
Please take just a brief moment on this Memorial Day to remember those who have served in the military; some have paid the ultimate price for our freedoms that we enjoy today, including the ability to peaceably express our opinions.
Thank You.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Toilet Bowl, part 17,689 B
A has been consistently using the toilet when he gets up in the morning, and has while he's been at school for the last three days. And there was great rejoicing in the land. There are still accidents, but progress is progress.
At the other end of the spectrum, Miss K finally decided that keeping her pants dry was a worthy cause -- I bribed her with a sticker chart, and once she filled it up by keeping her pants dry and only doing her business in the toilet, then she got to wear brand new Tinkerbell and Ariel underpants.
The downside to that little trick was once she'd accomplished filling the chart and getting to wear the big girl panties, she went back to going whereever she felt like it, whenever she felt like it.
So, at least now we know she CAN do it, now it's just a matter of willpower.
The playoffs continue.
Oy.
At the other end of the spectrum, Miss K finally decided that keeping her pants dry was a worthy cause -- I bribed her with a sticker chart, and once she filled it up by keeping her pants dry and only doing her business in the toilet, then she got to wear brand new Tinkerbell and Ariel underpants.
The downside to that little trick was once she'd accomplished filling the chart and getting to wear the big girl panties, she went back to going whereever she felt like it, whenever she felt like it.
So, at least now we know she CAN do it, now it's just a matter of willpower.
The playoffs continue.
Oy.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Kid Stuff
The kiddos are doing great! They're getting adjusted, albeit s-l-o-w-l-y in some ways. I can't decide if photos of Maryland friends are helping or hindering, but oh well they're staying out on display. A fantabulous graphic designer friend (yes, Shell, that would be YOU) made us an "ABC" book for our family out of pictures from all the times we'd spent at their home over the last 5 years. And the kids fight over it almost daily. K carries it from room to room, and we never know exactly where it's going to wind up. I found it in my bathroom cabinet last week...
A is loving school, in spite of the early hour he has to get on the racebus (6:25ish a.m.). We still have the same bus driver but she has been driving a much larger bus this week, so I'm afraid she is failing the NASCAR qualifiers this go-round. You have to slow down too much to go around corners with the extra long school buses you know. Still, I have a feeling I'll go back to calling it Mario Andretti's school bus once she gets hers fixed.
A has been doing great at his writing skills! He has to practice writing his name and all the letters in the alphabet every day at school, first by tracing over the letters and then trying it "solo", so to speak, and we're getting fairly legible results. Yay! His new teacher and school OT can tell he really hates the pencil/pen work though, because it uses those darned fine motor skills he has so much trouble with. A's hand strength, while improving, is still not quite up to where it needs to be just yet. His school OT has given him a squeezy "koosh ball"-looking thing that changes color from purple to pink if you squeeze it really hard; A has to change the color to pink using only one hand for 10 repititions, and then do the same thing with the other hand. If he uses both hands at the same time, we start over. A really hates that ball.
He reads pretty well now; his favorite books are Dr. Seuss books, especially Green Eggs and Ham, but he'll read anything. He reads the back of DVD cases, posters at the grocery store, and the bulletin at church too. A usually reads out loud, so it's also helping with his verbal skills at the same time.
Other improvements have been attempts to color in the lines of a printed picture, cutting pictures out with scissors and glueing them onto another sheet of paper -- by himself, and making whatever the craft of the day is. Some days he still needs hand-over-hand with the scissors or pencils, but he's doing more things independently now. He has even started cutting along curvy lines with a very obviously deliberate swerve to his cutouts.
A brings home a huge stack of artwork and worksheets every Friday in his backpack so we (his parents) can see what he's doing and what he still needs to work on. He actually seems somewhat interested in our reactions to his work, once we can flag him down to try to talk to him about it. He doesn't seek out approval generally, we have to try to get his attention to show him we're looking at his work. But when we say something or ask about one of his papers and show it to him, he gets this little proud smirk like, "Yeah, I did that." Endearing, and A looks a lot like his daddy when he does this.
The only downside to A getting used to his school routine is that he'll still get up around 6 a.m., even on the weekends. I pray to sleep in until at least 7:00. (I should just shoot for the stars and ask for 8). Have I mentioned that I'm not a morning person?
Miss K is a little bundle of sunshine herself most mornings. She's up between 6:30 and 7 a.m. and comes running into our room yelling, "Daddy! Mommy! The sun goes up!!!" This is very exciting to her that the sun comes up each morning, so we hear about it. Every day. At bedtime, we get a dejected, "Oh...the sun goes down." K hates to go to sleep. She's even weaned herself off of a daily nap, much to mommy's chagrin.
K loves dress-up, dancing, and reading books. In fact, the little booger can already read some words and is working on her writing skills. She can get most of the alphabet written down all by herself, although we have noticed that she makes her "C" and "D" backwards. Something to watch. K also loves to draw and likes to create circles, triangles, and squares. She has recently discovered the joys of sidewalk chalk and has had a blast decorating the back patio.
Another favorite thing to do is help mommy and daddy cook. The process takes twice as long when she "helps", but she absolutely loves it. I never know what she's going to choose to wear when we're cooking. Sometimes it's a ballet skirt; sometimes it's nothing but her underwear and frog rain boots. As the muse strikes, I suppose. We made "monkey bread" for breakfast today, which she thought was hilarious -- she kept looking for the monkeys and wanted to open the oven to see if they were in there yet.
K is loving having Daddy home during the day, because he gets to play with her during what would normally be "water cooler breaks". She also gets exclusive mommy and daddy time throughout the day, so her world is all good right now.
A is loving school, in spite of the early hour he has to get on the racebus (6:25ish a.m.). We still have the same bus driver but she has been driving a much larger bus this week, so I'm afraid she is failing the NASCAR qualifiers this go-round. You have to slow down too much to go around corners with the extra long school buses you know. Still, I have a feeling I'll go back to calling it Mario Andretti's school bus once she gets hers fixed.
A has been doing great at his writing skills! He has to practice writing his name and all the letters in the alphabet every day at school, first by tracing over the letters and then trying it "solo", so to speak, and we're getting fairly legible results. Yay! His new teacher and school OT can tell he really hates the pencil/pen work though, because it uses those darned fine motor skills he has so much trouble with. A's hand strength, while improving, is still not quite up to where it needs to be just yet. His school OT has given him a squeezy "koosh ball"-looking thing that changes color from purple to pink if you squeeze it really hard; A has to change the color to pink using only one hand for 10 repititions, and then do the same thing with the other hand. If he uses both hands at the same time, we start over. A really hates that ball.
He reads pretty well now; his favorite books are Dr. Seuss books, especially Green Eggs and Ham, but he'll read anything. He reads the back of DVD cases, posters at the grocery store, and the bulletin at church too. A usually reads out loud, so it's also helping with his verbal skills at the same time.
Other improvements have been attempts to color in the lines of a printed picture, cutting pictures out with scissors and glueing them onto another sheet of paper -- by himself, and making whatever the craft of the day is. Some days he still needs hand-over-hand with the scissors or pencils, but he's doing more things independently now. He has even started cutting along curvy lines with a very obviously deliberate swerve to his cutouts.
A brings home a huge stack of artwork and worksheets every Friday in his backpack so we (his parents) can see what he's doing and what he still needs to work on. He actually seems somewhat interested in our reactions to his work, once we can flag him down to try to talk to him about it. He doesn't seek out approval generally, we have to try to get his attention to show him we're looking at his work. But when we say something or ask about one of his papers and show it to him, he gets this little proud smirk like, "Yeah, I did that." Endearing, and A looks a lot like his daddy when he does this.
The only downside to A getting used to his school routine is that he'll still get up around 6 a.m., even on the weekends. I pray to sleep in until at least 7:00. (I should just shoot for the stars and ask for 8). Have I mentioned that I'm not a morning person?
Miss K is a little bundle of sunshine herself most mornings. She's up between 6:30 and 7 a.m. and comes running into our room yelling, "Daddy! Mommy! The sun goes up!!!" This is very exciting to her that the sun comes up each morning, so we hear about it. Every day. At bedtime, we get a dejected, "Oh...the sun goes down." K hates to go to sleep. She's even weaned herself off of a daily nap, much to mommy's chagrin.
K loves dress-up, dancing, and reading books. In fact, the little booger can already read some words and is working on her writing skills. She can get most of the alphabet written down all by herself, although we have noticed that she makes her "C" and "D" backwards. Something to watch. K also loves to draw and likes to create circles, triangles, and squares. She has recently discovered the joys of sidewalk chalk and has had a blast decorating the back patio.
Another favorite thing to do is help mommy and daddy cook. The process takes twice as long when she "helps", but she absolutely loves it. I never know what she's going to choose to wear when we're cooking. Sometimes it's a ballet skirt; sometimes it's nothing but her underwear and frog rain boots. As the muse strikes, I suppose. We made "monkey bread" for breakfast today, which she thought was hilarious -- she kept looking for the monkeys and wanted to open the oven to see if they were in there yet.
K is loving having Daddy home during the day, because he gets to play with her during what would normally be "water cooler breaks". She also gets exclusive mommy and daddy time throughout the day, so her world is all good right now.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Three Weeks (and Counting)
Greetings, all....I have not fallen off the planet or been ravaged by wild Texas pigs or anything.
Stuff has just been cuh-RAY-zee at my end of the zoo.
For starters, the lovely reaction I had to the sulfa drug took a full six days to get out of my system -- and for the duration I had a rash, hives, and itched like mad. It was like getting the chicken pox all over again, an experience I never thought I'd repeat. (I got them on my sixth birthday, at my grandparents' house. In south Florida at the end of June. And had to ride in the back seat of a naugahyde-upholstered station wagon with no air conditioning for 3 hours back to my house. Oh, the joy. And the itching.)
Sooo -- the stuff the doctor put me on was some pretty high-powered steroids and a strong antihistamine. This combination eventually took care of the problem, but basically had me "under the influence" for the duration. I tried driving to church on Sunday through a residential area....bad idea; someone else drove home because it looked like I was drunk. What a marvelous impression to give our new church. Oh, yes, and my face was still bright red up until about Tuesday of this past week.
(For those of you who are familiar with the Chicago Benadryl incident, this go-round was not quite so loopy or giggly...but I couldn't walk a straight line and spent most of week sleeping. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Chicago Benadryl incident, well, that may have to be elaborated on. Later. Maybe.)
The kids did fine. A had school during the weekdays, so I'd get up at 6, slam into a few walls and somehow get him out to the bus before stumbling back into the house and diving onto the sofa. When Miss K got up, PBS stations were my best friends -- I was in the living room with her, but pretty much in a stupor. (Incidentally, Sesame Street is really interesting when you're on mind-altering drugs. I may have created some new characters and dialogue, but I'm not sure).
Z actually works from home, so he could leave the door open to where he was working and keep an ear out for any "uh-oh"s emanating from the living room (mine or K's). What a fantastic blessing that he was home that week; he does have to travel here and there, from L.A. to D.C., and points in between.
Until he developed the stomach bug on Friday. Then things got interesting.
Then I got it on Tuesday morning, and things got even more interesting. I could not take my last dose of the meds, and you're not supposed to just quit taking them, you have to gradually come off of them. So of course my blood pressure shot up. Yee haw.
Here's a leetle tip: if there is any chance at all that you may develop a stomach virus, do not cook a very spicy marinara sauce and penne the night before.
SO after all that got out of our systems -- we've been fine! We had the sister of a dear friend move down here last week, and we watched her 21-month old daughter on Saturday while she got settled into her new house. K was very excited, because she played with this little girl in Maryland. K heaved a big sigh and said, "Daddy! We're home!" after J arrived at our house.
This has been an ongoing struggle with K -- she keeps asking us when we're going home (to Maryland), and we keep explaining that we live in Texas now. Things seem to be sinking in now that most of the house is unpacked and we have had the same routine now for three weeks.
Z has actually been here in Texas for three weeks now, wow! It's nice settling into a steady routine. I keep forgetting that I have been here a month longer than he has, and that he still doesn't know where some things are in town, though.
Kid updates soon -- although I will leave you with this little tidbit. Z bought some peach sherbet for dessert at the store, as a special treat because it's been up in the 90's pretty steadily for a couple of weeks now. As he was dishing it out, he asked K if she was ready for some sherbet. She said no, and had a doubtful expression on her face. This, coming from a girl who likes anything spelled "frozen dessert". It took her a minute to try it, after she saw mom and dad and her brother enjoying their bowls of sherbet.
We couldn't figure out her reticence until after she took a bite. Her eyes got really big, and she smiled, and said, "OH! This is so yummy! I like squirrel butt!"
I guess I'd be hesitant about trying something called "squirrel butt" too....
Stuff has just been cuh-RAY-zee at my end of the zoo.
For starters, the lovely reaction I had to the sulfa drug took a full six days to get out of my system -- and for the duration I had a rash, hives, and itched like mad. It was like getting the chicken pox all over again, an experience I never thought I'd repeat. (I got them on my sixth birthday, at my grandparents' house. In south Florida at the end of June. And had to ride in the back seat of a naugahyde-upholstered station wagon with no air conditioning for 3 hours back to my house. Oh, the joy. And the itching.)
Sooo -- the stuff the doctor put me on was some pretty high-powered steroids and a strong antihistamine. This combination eventually took care of the problem, but basically had me "under the influence" for the duration. I tried driving to church on Sunday through a residential area....bad idea; someone else drove home because it looked like I was drunk. What a marvelous impression to give our new church. Oh, yes, and my face was still bright red up until about Tuesday of this past week.
(For those of you who are familiar with the Chicago Benadryl incident, this go-round was not quite so loopy or giggly...but I couldn't walk a straight line and spent most of week sleeping. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Chicago Benadryl incident, well, that may have to be elaborated on. Later. Maybe.)
The kids did fine. A had school during the weekdays, so I'd get up at 6, slam into a few walls and somehow get him out to the bus before stumbling back into the house and diving onto the sofa. When Miss K got up, PBS stations were my best friends -- I was in the living room with her, but pretty much in a stupor. (Incidentally, Sesame Street is really interesting when you're on mind-altering drugs. I may have created some new characters and dialogue, but I'm not sure).
Z actually works from home, so he could leave the door open to where he was working and keep an ear out for any "uh-oh"s emanating from the living room (mine or K's). What a fantastic blessing that he was home that week; he does have to travel here and there, from L.A. to D.C., and points in between.
Until he developed the stomach bug on Friday. Then things got interesting.
Then I got it on Tuesday morning, and things got even more interesting. I could not take my last dose of the meds, and you're not supposed to just quit taking them, you have to gradually come off of them. So of course my blood pressure shot up. Yee haw.
Here's a leetle tip: if there is any chance at all that you may develop a stomach virus, do not cook a very spicy marinara sauce and penne the night before.
SO after all that got out of our systems -- we've been fine! We had the sister of a dear friend move down here last week, and we watched her 21-month old daughter on Saturday while she got settled into her new house. K was very excited, because she played with this little girl in Maryland. K heaved a big sigh and said, "Daddy! We're home!" after J arrived at our house.
This has been an ongoing struggle with K -- she keeps asking us when we're going home (to Maryland), and we keep explaining that we live in Texas now. Things seem to be sinking in now that most of the house is unpacked and we have had the same routine now for three weeks.
Z has actually been here in Texas for three weeks now, wow! It's nice settling into a steady routine. I keep forgetting that I have been here a month longer than he has, and that he still doesn't know where some things are in town, though.
Kid updates soon -- although I will leave you with this little tidbit. Z bought some peach sherbet for dessert at the store, as a special treat because it's been up in the 90's pretty steadily for a couple of weeks now. As he was dishing it out, he asked K if she was ready for some sherbet. She said no, and had a doubtful expression on her face. This, coming from a girl who likes anything spelled "frozen dessert". It took her a minute to try it, after she saw mom and dad and her brother enjoying their bowls of sherbet.
We couldn't figure out her reticence until after she took a bite. Her eyes got really big, and she smiled, and said, "OH! This is so yummy! I like squirrel butt!"
I guess I'd be hesitant about trying something called "squirrel butt" too....
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