HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY JAMES (Better late then never)

"JAMES TURNED 7 ON THURSDAY"

This are the gifts from Amber and Dylan

This is from us

This too....

100 dollars in $1 dollar bills.

He love cash!

Birthday cupcake

Dinner at Benihana's

On Saturday they left for Legoland

James with his cousins

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As you can see, I was not there. I hated missing this celebration for his 7th Birthday. I had gotten on some new medication and on Wednesday I was extremely nauseous. I went to Urgent Care on Thursday, got a shot and medication. The nausea didn't leave until Saturday. It was very hard for me to miss this party. 

GRANDMA LOVES YOU JAMES ❤

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #581

Thank you Joyce.

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1. What's one task you'd like a little Christmas elf to sneak in and take care of tonight? 

He is welcome to do our tree and put out other decorations in the house. More on that later in this post. 

We actually did Elf on the Shelf with James on Thursday and Friday night last week. Also there house is decorated beautifully. 

2. What's your biggest challenge during the holidays? 

I love decorating. It takes time but it is my favorite thing. I guess maybe getting out the Christmas cards and packages to be mailed out of town. I have a large priority box and 5 priority padded envelopes to be taken to the post office on Thursday. Cards were mailed on Monday. 

3. Are you a cookie baker this time of year? If your year had to be summed up in the shape of a cookie cutter what shape would it be? 

I used to be and I did plan on making a few things this year but currently I can't. I hope to make some Muddy Buddies and we will do the Bohemian Hoska. 

I can't think of a cookie cutter but I do love a snowman. Maybe that is me this year! Can't move or do anything. 

4. Santa likes milk with his cookies. Do you like milk? What kind of milk is on tap in your house? (whole, 2%, skim, almond, oat, etc). What's the last thing you made that called for milk? 

I do like milk but normally don't drink it. The last time I did I seemed to have issues with itching. I have some small milks in the fridge for James if he comes over. I've used almond milk but haven't had any in awhile. 

Mark made some bread that needed milk in it. 

5. Share one favorite line from a Christmas carol or holiday tune? 

Several are going through my head right now but I can't seem to pick one out. 

Actually one just came into my head. "The little Lord Jesus Asleep on the hay"

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I know you must be tired of Debby Downer but things are not good at this time. You may have seen some of this on Facebook. 

I was called about my ankle with the woman telling me they didn't find anything, Then when we got home from Adam and Gabby's we had a phone call from the doctor at urgent care. I have something called  Avascular Necrosis. It can come from too many steroids.  

"Early on, there may be no symptoms, but as the disease progresses, you may experience pain, especially when putting weight on the affected joint. Other symptoms include limited range of motion, limping."

Apparently this may have been something that was happening with my ankle a few years ago and I've been getting the steroid shots in. 

This happened after my last shot and how I ended up at Urgent Care. I trusted my rheumatologist. So I need to see an orthopedic surgeon. It is my right ankle. I have an ankle brace that is helping but the ankle hurts and they want me to keep it elevated. 

Well that sucks for this time of year!!!

To make matters worse, because of the ankle, I ended up falling on Adam's brick stairs to his porch on Thursday when we went to watch James. I have an ugly tear below my left knee, so both legs are in pain at this time. 

The sore is healing okay, however, we are not sure if we should have gone to urgent care about this but we didn't. My skin tears easily because of the drugs I take and the steroids over the years with my lung infections. There is no way that it could have been stitched. It is way smaller and still needs to scab up a little more. 

So my depression is deep and I find myself crying all the time. Yet, I keep telling myself  to be thankful, things could be worse. However, Christmas at our house is a bust when it comes to decorating. We will put the tree up but I doubt I will get ornaments on it. 

Adam and Gabby understand. They will be coming over the weekend before Christmas for dinner and for James and I to do his Gingerbread house. 

WEDNESDAY HDEPODGE #580

Thank you Joyce.

To join in click HERE

1. What's the best $5 gift to give someone? 

I'm drawing a blank but maybe a Starbuck gift card. 

2. What's your favorite way to relax/unwind during the busy holiday season? 

Most likely watching a Christmas movie or the Hallmark Christmas movies along with a glass of wine.

3. How do you feel about gingerbread? Love it or no thanks? Are gingerbread houses a part of your holiday tradition? If you said yes, how does that look? Do you like ginger flavor in other kinds of dishes? 

I like gingerbread but rarely have it. Yes, since James was old enough, him and I decorate a ready made gingerbread house each year. I would say no to using ginger flavor. 

December 2021

December 2022

December 2023

2024

4. December 5th is National Blue Jeans Day...will you be celebrating? Do you have a favorite brand? A favorite pair? Do you have a hard time parting with a favorite pair of jeans? Blue jeans-joggers-leggings-yoga pants...which one do you wear most often? 

If I'm going out of the house I would probably be wearing blue jeans. I actually wear a stretch pull on leggings jean. I buy them from Women Within. I can't say I ever had a favorite but I just can't wear a regular jean anymore. 

5. As we head into this holiday season what's your biggest priority or goal for the end of the year? 

I have a lot of goals to reach and at this time they are not happening. I'm in a very sad place. If you saw on Facebook I have a lung infection. I'm on my second dose of medications. I usually get one after Christmas because of all the work I do decorating. This is throwing me way off because I get winded quickly. 

I also have something wrong with my ankle. My right ankle gets a steroid shot a few times a year for a pain that I get. After the shot, within three days it is gone. That didn't happen with the shot I got 3 weeks ago. I have something I have never experienced before, extreme pain on the side and up the tendon at the back of the ankle. As I type this I am going to go to urgent care today. I can walk with an ankle brace on but I'm in constant pain. 

I tried working on decorations and I accomplished some but I just can't stand for a long time. I really doubt that my tree will go up this year and you can only begin to imagine how sad I am. Christmas is my thing! 

I still have cards to get out and gifts which need to be mailed which I know I should be able to accomplish but the house is not going to be decorated much at all. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Our one section of Bird of Paradise is going crazy this year. 

FYI: We will be watching James and the dogs over at Adam and Gabby's Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I will most likely not be reading many blog posts. Thank you for understanding. I actually plan on working on my Christmas cards while James is at school on Friday. 

My Chromebook, which I love, it out of date and I cannot get into Feedly anymore where I read the blogs. I can still read them on my big Toshiba computer but I don't travel with that one. Hopefully I will be getting a new Chromebook soon. 

SOME UPDATES

When Life Knocks You Down, 

Try To Fall On Your Back, Because If You Can Look Up, 

You Can Get Up!

Erik Thomas

I do apologize for not being around to comment as much as I can. I know that you guys understand and all you want is for me to be happy and feel well. Thank you. ((Hugs))❤

This journey I have been on has not been fun. I ended up going to the ER on September 28th at 3 am in the morning. I woke up feeling off, not well and my BP was 177 and I felt a slight pain on my left side. I never have heart pain. Mark drove me so he was there with me. Six house later they sent me home saying it was extreme anxiety. Follow up with my primary doctor in a few days. 

I didn't make it to bowling that day or the following Wednesday which was October 5th. Planned on it but felt horrible in the morning. I did however have my follow up with my doctor that afternoon because I planned it that way because it's in the same area as bowling. Mark drove me because I just couldn't do it. 

So we are changing two of my medications. I'm getting off the Zoloft and we are changing my statin because statin's, in older woman, can cause shoulder, arm and neck pain. Of course anxiety could cause that too. I finally made it back to bowling last Wednesday and I ran some errands. 

Then I wake up Thursday morning down and out. Not feeling well at all. Then come Friday morning I have the start of a lung infection. So I start on my steroids and antibiotics. Felt way better on Saturday. Did several things around the house that I needed to do besides wrapping all the birthday gifts for James' 4th Birthday on Sunday. 

I am typing this on Sunday and not feeling any better. I am going to see James today and I know I will feel good when I'm there because he makes me so happy. 

Now the issue is this, will I start to feel better to go to bowling on Wednesday and leave for Montana on Thursday??? Of course I need to pack too which is always a pain in the butt. 

So I won't be around much and all I am asking for are your prayers for healing my body. You do not need to comment, just pray. Thank you.

Love, 

Debby

LABOR DAY +

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Just a thought I wanted to share. As of Friday I started feeling better. Like I said in my other post about the fact that my lungs had been good for the last 5 months I realized something about myself and something that I must focus on now. I regret the wasted time that could have been used for doing something productive in the house. 

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE #447

Thank you Joyce.

To play along click HERE

1. What do you wish you'd done more of last year? Less of? 

Here is what I dislike about last year or even many years before. I haven't accomplished things in years and I got even worse during the pandemic. I hate the time I have wasted. 

I wish I did less TV. For some reason the Hallmark movies got me through these times but that's pretty sad, isn't it? I'm still struggling to let go of the movies each day. 

2. What's the tallest building you've ever been in? Do you have a fear of heights? 

I don't seem to have a fear of heights in buildings. Now standing outside on a mountain top near the edge I would feel a fear of heights. I guess it would be the Empire State Building New York. Next would be John Hancock building in Chicago. 

3. Do you have a word for word for this year? Elaborate if you'd like to elaborate. 

Persevere and you can read about it HERE. 

4. January 11 is National Milk Day...are you a milk drinker? What kind? Your favorite recipe that calls for milk (cereal doesn't count)? 

I don't mind milk but I don't drink it often at all. I do use Almond milk with oatmeal or Cheerios. I have a recipe that I make that calls for milk. Easy Provolone Chicken. Of course my Bohemian Hoska that I make each year has milk in it too. I usually keep a few of these in the cabinet. 

5. What excites you most about the future? What do you miss about the past? 

Watching James grow up excites me. Here he is showing off his new jacket from Aunt Amber and Uncle Dylan. 

I miss so much from the past, especially family members and I have to say the America I grew up in. 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

I did share this on Facebook so some of you have seen this. I started with a lung infections on New Year's Eve. It happens every year because I wear myself down being busy each day and then it happens. Stress doesn't help. I will try to make this short. 

Started on my 5 day plan of steroids and antibiotics. Yes I am allowed to have them on hand because the soon you start the better. After the 5 days I wasn't really feeling much better. Two days after that I had a pre-scheduled appointment so I waited to see my pulmonary doctor. Sadly the woman that I see, who I love, had traded places with her father in law. 

As it turned out he was awesome too! We decided to go with another 5 days of steroids and 10 days of antibiotics. The reason for my original appointment was to try a new drug which was a combination of two of the drugs I have been taking for years. 

We were waiting until January for the price to go down because I go into the donut hole each year! So we went ahead with that plan which now I realize that we probably should have waited until my lung infection was gone. 

Three days in on the new inhaler and I just kept feeling worse. I had two doctor's appointments on Monday and my BP was up into the 170's. Now I am not a person who looks up side effects on medications unless I'm feeling strange on something new. Very first side effect listed is High Blood Pressure. 

Something else that happened to me the first morning after I started the new medication was that I woke up at 5 am feeling parched. I had to drink several glasses of water and had to put Refresh Tears eye drops in my eyes 3 times. I only use that a handful of times during the years. Yep, another side effect which I would have never thought of. 

So I made the choice on Monday to go back to my old medications and maybe try again at a later date. By Tuesday morning I was feeling so much better and I think I'm just going to stay with the original medications for now. The delivery systems are way different and it works for me. These two particular medications are in a capsule inhaled powder form. The new ones are combined in an aerosol form and just didn't work for me. 

So hopefully by this weekend I can get Christmas packed up.

Looking forward to seeing James on Friday night too! I never feel bad when I'm around him. 

UNDER THE WEATHER

Sorry I haven't been around. It always happens after Christmas, I run myself down and something settles in my lungs. I am sure it is not Covid-19. I have had this two other times since March. It has to do with my COPD.

I woke up on New Year's Eve with a tight chest. I have no other symptoms. I've been on this road a hundred times over the last 40 years. I started on steroids Friday morning and I'm progressing pretty well. I haven't even had to do breathing treatments. 

I think I've watched every Christmas movie I own which has actually been a nice treat. 

The steroids keep me up at night so last night I was up at 3 am and hoped to put up a post with pictures from Christmas and New Year's Day with James but my fingers just were not in the mood to type. Hopefully I will get those pictures up soon.

I also haven't been reading posts but I'll get caught up eventually. We did have a wonderful New Year's Day with Adam, Gabby and James. 

Like other years in the past, I haven't been able to take down Christmas but that's okay because I still like looking at the decorations. Here are the gifts I received....

Hope everyone is doing well and let's pray 2021 is good to us. 

OUT OF ORDER

I had plans for Sunday and Monday. I was going to finish working on cleaning the grout in the house and work on getting some posts written. I've been working pretty hard on keeping up with reading blog posts. 

To tell you the truth I was feeling super motivated to start cleaning out drawers, cabinets and closets when I finished the grout in all of our tile throughout the house. Then Sunday things just went downhill. 

I just haven't felt well the last two days. I'm not sure what it is because it is out of the ordinary. I'm having aches and pains all over my body but especially in my shoulders. If I bend over I feel a little nauseous. I actually ended up taking a pain pill that I had from my knee surgery last year. 

I haven't figured out what it is yet but it sounds like it could be a reaction to the Tdap shot I had last Tuesday. I looked up the side effects and it seems possible. I'm hoping tomorrow is a better day! 

WEDNESDAY HODGEPODGE LATE EDITION

Volume 339

Thank you Joyce :)

Click here to join in the fun!

1. Speaking of endings....at your wit's end, at loose ends, a dead end, burn the candle at both ends, all's well that end's well, or no end in sight...which 'end' phrase might best be applied to your life lately? Explain.

I'm just saying no end in sight for now. You can read more in my random but January hasn't been my month so far this year except for the awesome birthday party in Houston. 

2. What was a must have accessory when you were growing up? Did you own one? If so tell us what you remember about it.

Accessory, I'm not sure but when I was in High School we dressed up and I liked when my purse matched my shoes. My parents kept us well dressed. 

3. Something that made you smile yesterday?

So I'm writing this on Saturday and I smiled because I got to come home from the hospital.

4. January 30th is National Croissant Day. Do you like croissants? Sweet or savory? We're having chicken salad for lunch...would you rather have yours served on a croissant, a wrap, a bagel, bread, or a roll of some sort?

I do like croissants. Oh my, I like the regular buttery ones and I love when I can get one with cream cheese inside. I would love my sandwich on a croissant but I don't eat that way anymore. I will have it plain or on some Dave's Whole Grain Bread. 

5. Sum up your January in fifteen words or less.

Went by too fast, I've been too sick but extremely fun times with the family. 

6.  Insert your own random thought here.

So here it is. If you didn't read THIS post, I was admitted into the hospital on Tuesday this week and thought I would just be in for a day.  I have double pneumonia. I could still be in there right now but they are trusting me with my home care. 

My levels off of oxygen are borderline. Normally I'm at 95 on room air with my COPD. That is a safe level. Right now I am finally up to 90 without the use of oxygen. However when I get up to do anything it will drop to 86. 

Since I've dealt with lung issues for over 45 years now they felt comfortable letting me go. I have several weeks of recovery ahead of me. Let's say I was a 10 and having difficulty breathing. I'm only an 8 now. The lungs are not responding very fast but that is normal and they should start getting better soon. If not I go back. 

I was released at 5 pm on Friday. I wanted to come home, wanted to be home for Super Bowl. Mark is traveling on Monday so it would have been difficult for me to get home, etc.  They felt very confident in me handling this at home. I'm familiar with all the medications and I have a nebulizer. 

In the last 45 years I have had at least 50 lung infections and pneumonia 23 years ago. It took a week before my lungs responded that time. I feel I can do this and I like being home. 

Here's something that is very interesting.... 

Mark, his brother Jimmy, Jimmy's wife Caprice, Mark's sister Michele and her partner Pam all came home sick from Houston. Also Mark's mom is sick and just got meds this week.  

Most are bad colds and one is a sinus infection. Girls all went to the doctor and got medication,  the boys didn't. The girls are still not themselves yet, Mark's still coughing and I of course got the worst of it because of my diseased lungs. Other than Mark's mother we all flew to Houston. Mark's brother and family who live in Houston did not get sick at all. 

Interrupted Hodgepodge

I will get to this weeks Wednesday Hodgepodge soon.....

I ended up going to the ER on Saturday because I just couldn't breathe. After 7 hours they sent me home with some antibiotics to help clear my lungs.

As the days moved forward I continued to feel worse so I went back yesterday for more help. Another long exhausting day.

So they kept me overnight. They could see some pneumonia and are pushing some steroids and antibiotics through my IV.

My oxygen level was down so as soon as it is back to a normal number on room air I'll be going home. That should be later today and then I'll get to work on my Hodgepodge!

See you soon.....