Day of Dedication

Yesterday Teri and Josh dedicated Maddie to the Lord. We went to worship with them to share in the dedication. It was a wonderful service. I got really tickled at Hannah. We were waiting for the service to start and she began asking questions about why we were there instead of "our church". I explained to her that Aunt T and Uncle Josh were dedicating Maddie to God. She said, "Have I been dedicated?" I told her no that her mom wanted her to be when she was a baby but never could get Buddy to agree to participate and she felt he should be a part of it. I told her what it meant to be dedicated and why people did. She said."I don't want to be dedicated." I told her she didn't have to be today.

When it was time for the baby dedication, the preacher began reading in Samuel about Hannah's dedication of Samuel. All our Hannah heard was "Hannah" and "dedication" she became very upset and started crying, "I don't want to be, I don't want to be." It took Mike and me a little while to calm her down and explain that the preacher wasn't talking about her. It was funny but kind of sad when you think about it.

We came back to the house after services and spent the afternoon enjoying each other and playing with Maddie. Her little personality is beginning to shine and it is so cute. Every time Mike came around she wanted to go to him but when he took her she would scream bloody murder until I got her again. We found out later that she had been to the doctor on Friday and gotten 5 injections. The doctor wore glasses and had a mustache. Even tho Maddie knew her Pawpaw's voice she confused him with the doctor. She would give him a kiss but he couldn't hold her. She has learned to clap her hands and gets so tickled at herself. She was so cute to watch and enjoy. She has most definitely been a bright spot in our lives, as have the other two grandchildren.

Update

Tara called me yesterday and said Buddy's lawyer had asked for an emergency meeting with her lawyer and the judge. She requested a continuance of the trial (she has cancer). Our lawyer said "NO". He told them that Hannah needed to be placed back with Tara where she belonged all along. DHR is scheduled to have a meeting Monday with the judge for their scheduled review. So far, the evaluations have gone in favor of Tara. Lyle, our lawyer, thinks that Judge Hill will grant Tara the right to have Hannah one week and Buddy to have her the next if Delilah will move back in with Buddy (that is his older daughter who is currently living with her boyfriend). Judge Hill doesn't want Hannah with her any longer, but he hasn't had the chance to hear Tara's side of the story and he doesn't feel ready to end this thing and just give her back to Ta. As early as Monday, we may have Hannah every other week. I was hoping to have her on my weeks off but don't guess that will happen. The judge did ask Lyle if I had a problem with Buddy (he remembered the problem Buddy brought up before). Lyle told him no, that Buddy had a problem with me (imagine)!. The truth is I have a big problem with that person (I won't even call him a man because he is acting like a spoiled child). We will see how that goes.

My sternum was doing much better until we had to wrestle a 15 year old the other night. She came in after taking some pills and we were trying to put a tube down to suction the pills out and give charcoal (standard treatment). She beat the crap out of 6 adults. In the melee' she kneed me in the chest. I have been pretty sore since. Will be ok. I noticed a huge knot on my back that night when getting ready for bed. It concerned me because it had not been there before and there have been many cases of cancer in our family. I went to the doctor yesterday and he is not concerned about it. Thinks it is just a cyst that became aggravated by the struggles the night before. It is located at the scapula (shoulder blade) and the attempts to hold the girl down caused it to become inflamed. It is much smaller today and there is no pain or tenderness (as should be with cancer). Will keep a watch on it though. By the way the child broke out of 4 point restraints also(that means her hands and feet were tied with restraints to the bed, and she literally broke them). Still don't know what she was on. And I thought police work was dangerous!!

I haven't mentioned Haley much lately. She is Hannah's older sister (9 years old). She has always been a rather quite child (except around me). She doesn't have much to say about all of this but we know it is bothering her. She is generally an A student (with maybe a B here or there occasionally). She has been making "C"s lately and even one or two "F"'s. That has us concerned. We have tried to get her to talk to us but she is keeping it in. She has become at times very difficult to handle. I thought at first it was her age, but I don't think so now. She always talks to me but she won't even open up to me about all this. I am really concerned about her. I know she will be ok eventually but I wish there was something I could do now besides pray. How I wish this was over. I know God is still working and everything that has happened is in our favor but I personally am getting very tired ( I guess that could be just my age!!!).

What the ER nurse really thinks

A fellow nurse gave me this list. When I read it I thought, "Who has been inside my head at work." I got a chuckle out of it. I don't know the origin but whoever came up with this must be a Registered Nurse with some experience in the emergency room. Read these and you will have an insight into my mind when I am on duty in the ER (at times).

1. Don't tell me you have abdominal pain as you eat Doritos's in my triage room.

2. If you come in to the ER by ambulance, the first thing that I will ask you is how you are getting home. No, we don't have people on staff to drive you home, and don't tell me you don't want to "bother" one of your family members at this hour. You had no problem bothering 911 for the back pain you've had for 3 months.

3. You don't get to pick your own IV site. This will irritate me and I will probably miss your IV on purpose and start your IV in the place I wanted to initially to prove a point.

4. "Butterfly" is not an IV size, this word signals me to put in a larger bore needle.

5. Nausea is not a reason to come to the ER. If you are not in severe pain, are not vomiting or pooping your pants in front of me, you go back to the waiting room.

6. How can you have the worst migraine of our life, but be able to yell at me about the wait after you just put down a magazine you were reading.

7. Don't ever say things like, "I usually get 4 milligrams of Dilaudid." Requesting your med and dosage will prompt me to squirt out half of the medication before I inject, and then lie about the dose.

8. If you are allergic to Tylenol, Toradol, and Motrin, I have already assumed that you are a drug seeker.

9. If you came to the ER having a family doctor appointment that same day, I will make sure that you are still in the department well past the time of your original appointment.

10. The louder you whine, the bigger size IV needle you get.

ll. Foley catheters cure pseudo-seizures. They also cure intoxicated people.

12. RN is not synonymous with waiter/waitress.

13. Don't fuss about missing breakfast when I'm on the ninth hour of my shift and haven't peed yet.

14. Broken toes are not an emergency. We'll make you feel stupid by putting a piece of tape there and kicking you out.

15. I am currently inventing a trap door system in triage to be triggered when you say the word "toothache."

16. If you list Haldol, Geodon, Xanax, Trazadone, and Ativan as allergies, don't tell me you have no psych history.

17. Although you've been in the ER four times this week, we cannot list the ER doctor as your family physician.

18. Don't tell me you have no money for medicine while you have a carton of cigarettes in your purse (next to your cell phone) and each of your seven children are playing their own PSP's.

19. Don't come in the RE by ambulance complaining of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea for 4 days and the first thing out of your mouth is that you are hungry and "Could I have a sandwich?"

These are just a few things that go through our minds as we deal with puny complaints. What really ticks me off is when we really have something serious come in - like a code, respiratory distress, etc (you know like a LIFE THREATENING incidence) and some drug seeker gets bent out of shape because they have to WAIT while we attempt to SAVE A LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! Then they demand to see the supervisor to report you because you haven't been attentive to them.

I just keep telling myself that, "I LOVE MY JOB, I LOVE MY JOB."

Birthdays

Yesterday I celebrated my 57th birthday. Sometimes I can't believe I am that old and other times I feel as if I am twice that. I told Mike I wish I had just a day or two with no pain of any kind. That day will come in eternity.

A little history about me. I found out on my 16th birthday that I was born on my great grandmother's birthday (Grandmama Mitchell's mother). Ironically Grandmama died on my 27th birthday, almost to the minute I was born. Mama didn't even know I was born on her grandmother's birthday until my 16th when I got a card from Grandmama.

Mama always made the day special for me. She sent cards with a little history in them (her remembrances of her children's lives). She always made it a point to call (and keep calling until she actually talked to us on our birthdays). For the last two years I sure have missed those two special things on my birthday. There has been another special event that happens on my birthday and that is a call from my middle brother.

Many years ago, Greg started calling me and singing "Happy Birthday" to me in the Bill Murray way. I have expected this call every year. No matter what kind of birthday I have had, it wasn't complete until I got my call from Greg. One year he had the whole family (Jan, Jess and Josh) all singing to me. It was great.

So, today, I am sitting around (determined not to do anything - which I didn't) sort of feeling low when I got my call. This time to the tune of a funeral dirge. It was absolutely great. You can't imagine what it has been like to be the only sister of this wonderful guy. He has always had a talent to irritate the fool out of me, tease me to the point of frustration but love me always, and make me laugh in spite of , or because of myself. Mom once said that wild horses couldn't drag a secret out of me (or Greg) that we had told the other. So thanks brother for making my birthday another great day.

Hannah Marie Moss

I thought you would like to see the little darling the fight is over. This is our little Hannah (Pudding to her Pawpaw). We have until the 27th and we are trying to keep our cool. The weekends are becoming a challenge. Hannah is pushing the limits. She has no rules where she stays during the week and her father has never set rules (just yelled and cussed at her and Haley). We know this will change when we finally get her.

On a happy note: Mike used to take the girls on the tractor with him into the pastures. Haley has bush hogged almost as much pasture as Mike. Nan has had that pleasure, alto she has ridden on the tractor some with Pawpaw. A few years ago a little boy was on the tractor with his dad bush hogging. The tractor hit a stump, the child was thrown from the tractor and his legs were cut off (the child did survive). This is the reason Mike doesn't take the girls into the pastures on the tractor any more.

Last weekend Mike was going to work on the pastures, Hannah asked to go. Mike told her the story above and she said, "My legs were cut off, but they grew back.) Mike asked her when did that happen, she said, "5 days ago, but I'm ok".

This week end he bought her a fishing rod and took her down to the lake to fish Sunday afternoon. He had gone to the store and bought worms, which she called "gummy worms" but "they were real". She wanted to pet them. She told Haley to pet them and Haley responded as any girl would, Oh NO!" Hannah told her, "Haley, they don't have mouths, they won't bite you!". I'm surprised she didn't want to keep them as pets.

She is so quick witted and cute and most of the time a sheer joy to be around. I can hardly wait to have her every day (until her mom finds a new place for them to live).

Labor Day

I just read Greg's blog and didn't know the origin of Labor until today. Not that that has any bearing on my blog, just found it interesting.

I got curious last night at work about the holidays I have worked this year. As you know, I work 7 days on and 7 days off (technically half a year). Looking at my calender, I realized that I have worked every holiday thus far this year and will be working Thanksgiving and Christmas. The upside to this is, if nothing changes (and there are always changes at a hospital), starting next year things will swing our way. We will work the 4th of July only next year. The hospital is talking about going on 12 hour shifts in the ER. Since one of the largest hospital conglomerates now owns St. Clair, I'm sure there will be many changes in the future. I just hope the changes don't change the fact that those of us who have worked the last 7 years of holidays will have our chance to be off.


Update on the accident. I have continued to have pain in my chest. I saw one of the hospital radiologist in the hall the other night at work. I told him what had happened and that I was having more problems than I should be having with just bruising my chest. I asked him to take a look at my xrays. He graciously did and called me (I was working in the ER) and told me that my sternum was most definitely fractured. I knew it had been because the symptoms just were coinciding with the ER docs diagnosis. He said he would dictate an addendum stating that in a review of the xrays that a fracture was noted. He said the ER doc needed to write an addendum to my ER visit. I asked her to do this and I think she is having a problem with it. It confirms my opinion that she doesn't know how to read xrays unless it is something very obvious (scary huh?). Doctors are not infallible, but should be better than this at reading xrays. I will be going to my family doctor just to have a second opinion on record for the insurance purposes.

A friend at worship told me yesterday that we must be doing something right for Satan to be attacking us like this. As Mom used to say, "I wish God didn't think I could handle so much" (speaking of the scripture that God will not give us more than we can bear). I feel the same way. My body feels as if I have aged 15 years in the last couple of months. I hope to take a long vacation (at least 7 days) when this is all over. By vacation, I mean, no grandchildren and maybe no husband (he can't be still and just rest). Sounds great doesn't it?