Counting down the days

While attempting to function after the third stomach bug in three months, I found myself trying to count the days until my Sexy Beast will be home...two more months. Two more months. Two more months.

I know that doesn't sound like a lot to most people, and in all honesty it isn't. I'm thankful that my husband is at a school and not being shot at in a combat zone. I'm thankful he has a good job that has afforded him the opportunity to go from a GED to a Masters degree in eleven years. I'm thankful he is alive, even when we can't seem to agree on things.

To say this past year has been trying, is a vast understatement.

The boys and I moved to be closer to family, which just happened to be our next duty station, while the hubby went to school. He then broke his arm on his last day at work, landing him in the OR and then months of healing before he could once again pass his push ups, THEN wait for another class date to open up. I started a great job but found a very substandard nanny, then found a great one who ended up quitting the day before she was supposed to start, then had a fill in that didn't work out, THEN found another great one that has been fantastic. I said goodbye to my father, but was able to improve my relationship with his wonderful wife & family.

I recently found a blog, through a link on facebook, that really makes me smile. So, here is one of my Kairos moments I'm holding onto with a death grip

While Eric was home we were able to have a short date night. For the first time I ordered ribs, with the intention of sharing with the boys when I got home.

Cooper quickly stripped the meat off & proceeded to suck every morsel off.

Carter, on the other hand, didn't fancy getting his hands dirty & cried until I cut the meat off and handed him his fork.

So, although I was up most of last night with another stomach bug, I'm grateful that I had the nanny come for half the day so I could rest...because as luck would have it, looks like Cooper got it too. Also a HUGE thanks to my fellow Army Wife, Lora, who came to my house after I ruined our shopping trip in Raleigh, by getting sick, followed me back to my house and got the boys dinner & put them down...all so I could puke in peace. I honestly wouldn't have survived this last year without such thoughtful family and friends.

A guest post by Taylor Darden

I received an email from Taylor last month asking if she could write a guest post on my blog. I was skeptical at first, and was honestly expecting some kind of spam (which is what I usually get), but she demonstrated a true compassion for spreading awareness about issues facing our American Soldiers!

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Supporting Our Soldiers After Service
by Taylor Darden

Many military families remember the days when their spouses return home as being some of the best memories. Most of these families will continue on being happy afterwards, but for some families, helping their spouses adjust with illness and sickness can be an extremely tough situation. The difficulty involves the fact that a number of these health problems happen to be more mental than physical issues.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the most common types of health problems for soldiers in post-duty times. It’s also an extremely hard problem to diagnose. Even with high awareness of the disorder’s prevalence in soldiers, it can be difficult to diagnose because many soldiers are often embarrassed or ashamed to admit that they may have PTSD. It’s important for families to take notice of any odd behavior like depression, apathy, and mood swings that may be common with PTSD. For the many soldiers who suffer from PTSD, a solid support system and cognitive therapy are two of the biggest helpers in their coping process.

Along with PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is often regarded as being highly tied to military service. This is usually a result of a physical harm or trauma on the frontline, which ends up causing some long term issues. One of the reasons TBI has been called the signature wound of the War on Terror is because the violent vibrations caused by roadside bombs can hit soldiers with such force that the shockwave alone can cause a TBI by rattling their head about in their helmet. Any type of blurred vision, dizziness or balance issues, as well as trouble with memory and erratic mood swings after service can be recognizable symptoms and key in diagnosing a case of TBI. As with most health issues, the earlier those symptoms are recognized, the better the chances are of preventing any type of further damage to the brain.

Another major issue for older and younger veterans is mesothelioma. This is a health risk associated with exposure to asbestos, a commonly used material throughout the past 100 years (oftentimes on bases and shipyards). Although it’s not being used anymore, the health problems related to asbestos don’t develop right away, making an early diagnose crucial in helping these patients. Mesothelioma life expectancy is usually only a year on average, making early awareness and realization even more important than with most health problems. Often times these patients may require the help of care givers (often family members or spouses). Currently, mesothelioma is treated with combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, although to little avail. If it is caught early enough however, mesothelioma tumors can be surgically removed leading to a much higher rate of survival, making it important for veterans to take note of extremely subtle symptoms like a difficulty breathing and heaviness in the chest.

It’s very unfortunate that that some of these military families are forced to undergo even more stress and difficulty in their lives. In the end, increased knowledge, awareness, and overall support from family and friends will only help to provide our soldiers the best situation possible.

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Warning: This post is NOT for the faint of heart

Meet William Wallace. I acquire him 2 years ago after a short visit to Disney World...which I'm guessing is a result from having too much fun.

Why did I name it William Wallace?? Because Molly said I should name it, and it is the most stubborn wort I've ever known!

I cut the head off many times, because it worked in the movies, but it grew back. I figured I must be dealing with a mutant so I tried freezing it off...4 times. But alas, it came back. The problem is the location. It's above my heel, on my Achilles tendon. Which makes for a painful experience whenever I wear sneakers or anything with a strap on the back.

Last Christmas, while visiting my brother in NC, he froze it off with liquid nitro. He said not to pop the horrible blister that would form...and I didn't. I waited, and waited, and waited...and the little booger quadrupled in size!

It was time for an all out war!

So, I got a dermatology consult and the chick decided she wanted to freeze it off herself, and see what happens. She spent the next 5-7 minutes freezing/thawing until I was numb to my heel. I was told to pop the blister, to start putting compound w on it in a week, and to follow up in two weeks. She said that if it was still there I would start putting a chemo cream, aldara, on it which should definitely do the trick.

So, here is W.W. about 2 hrs after the freezing

And here is W.W. after "popping" it, by cutting off the outside layer of dead skin...
And here is W.W. on the 3 day mark
(having all my left-overs in my nursing student skills kit has really come in handy!)

Sorry to gross you out, but it is the Halloween season, and I don't know any good ghost stories :o)

I know what everyone is thinking...I'm in desperate need of a pedicure! :o)
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I want to thank everyone that kept my family in their prayers after my last post. The tumor did turn out to be malignant, but after the removal my Dad's personality is starting to emerge. He was discharge just 5 days after surgery to go home, and was progressing well enough to do outpatient radiation and therapy. It's going to be a long process, but I know his wife is by his side and taking excellent care of him.

Going MIA

Last week I got a phone call from my older brother telling me that my Dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and was in pretty bad shape. He said it all came on very suddenly. This hit me like a ton of bricks...but also my radar went up.

Alzheimer's is a progressive disease and it doesn't just show up suddenly.

I called me Dad, and after a few minutes of him not being able to keep his train of thought longer than 3 seconds, I hung up and cried.

I then got the number of his wife, who is an LPN, and did some more digging. She told me that he totalled his truck a month ago and after the accident he didn't remember the accident or the other car. He refused to go to the hospital, and the only visible issue was a burn from the airbag.

Over the next two weeks he went downhill fast. They went to the Dr. and she asked him some questions, mainly focusing about his memory loss, and from his answers she diagnosed him with Alzheimer's....without doing a head CT, which can be definitive in the diagnosis.

It bugged me that a CT was never done, and I kept thinking that he probably had a stroke, which is why he had the accident to begin with.

Well, yesterday his wife called and said he was having difficulty walking and she got very scared and took him to the ER. They did a head CT and MRI, and found a golf ball size tumor in his frontal lobe. Due to the size of the tumor, his brain has shifted and there was a large amount of swelling.

After 24hrs in the ICU on steroids and anti-convulsants, he is doing much better and can recognize/remember people again. They have decided to operate Wednesday morning, which is his only real chance.

I have a friend coming into town on Tuesday, so I won't be alone, but please pardon my recent absence, and for a few more days. And please keep my Dad in your prayers.

*comments off*

The "DIE" in diet

To say I was in a bad mood last week, would be a vast understatement. I snapped at Eric, I had no patience, and everything seemed to frustrate me. It was the first week of my diet.

Eric and I decided to do the Biggest Loser Club online again, because we both had great results when we did it a few years back. It took me 10 months, but I was able to lose the last 55 lbs (as you can tell, I don't lose weight quickly at all).

I was hungry all the time, and all I could think about was chocolate, ice cream, cookies, and all the other wonderfully fattening treats that I couldn't have. Being hungry is right up there with being nauseous...it just sucks!

I don't mind the food at all, it's the portions (or lack thereof) that can be discouraging. Our fridge now looks like this (about 90% fresh fruits & veges)

All that being said, I feel better now that the first week is over. I'm using a lot of seasonings I've never used before (b/c when your snack is a cucumber you have to spice it up somehow), and I feel better.

Now, I just need the weather to cool off a bit so I can start walking again with the boys. (when it's over 90 degrees, I refuse to subject the boys to it for an extended length of time, no matter how fat my butt is!)

Knock on wood!

I don't want to jinx anything....but the boys went 8 1/2 hrs between feedings last night! My sanity is beginning to be restored, hallelujah!
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Last week Carter took a trip to the ER since they had no available appointments on base, and he had blood in his stool. The docs think it's an allergy to the milk-based formula...which was weird to me that it would present after 7 weeks of use. So, now both boys are on Nutramigen (the expensive stuff), but they are sleeping better which is worth it.

I had a wonderful Mother's Day! The best gift came as we sat down for church and Sister Grey came over to say hi...and Cooper smiled! This is huge because this is the first time he has smiled while being awake. Carter is super smiley all the time, but up until almost 8 weeks all Cooper did while he was awake was cry (which has improved dramatically this week).

Cooper

Carter

The boys are now at the 50% at 2 months, and Carter is catching up to Cooper fast!

Carter is 11lbs 7oz, and Cooper is 12lbs 3oz
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We have been taking family walks around the newly paved park by my house when Eric gets off work. He will normally run a mile or two with Koa, to get some of his energy out b/c he LOVES to run, and then they will catch up with me walking while I finish. Yesterday was no different except Eric was especially sweaty so he decided to walk home instead of getting my cloth seats dirty (we live about 1/3 mile away from the park). When I got home Koa reluctantly got out of the car and about 5 feet from the front door he collapsed and started seizing. I grabbed him ran inside, screamed for Desiree to get the boys out of the car (Thanks Dez!), grabbed his Valium syringe and administered it (in the tooter), picked him back up and got in the car and headed to the vet.

He had a temperature over 105, and a "high" temp for a dog is 101-103, and by the time they got him to the back he was starting to have another seizure. They gave him cold IV fluids, and laid him on ice packs. They know me really well at this vet because of when Tyler died, so they let me come to the back after about 5 minutes and Koa already looked better and held still once I picked him up. I just cried b/c I felt like such a moron. It was 4pm and the temp was only 83 degrees, which he has ran in numerous times before. We offered him water at the water fountain every lap, but he only drank once...and he was pulling the entire time. They sent us home with is IV access so I could give him the Valium faster if he had another seizure, but all was quiet and we took it out this morning.

So, I'm retarded and gave my dog heat stroke. But, they did say I was smart to bring him in right away b/c he would have died otherwise.

So, lesson learned.

Getting back in the saddle sure is a pain in the butt!

After a very short 7 weeks, I headed back to work on Sunday. Even though I am scheduled in Pediatrics, there weren't enough kids for 2 nurses so I was out on the Medical-Surgical floor. They were nice enough to take into consideration that I hadn't worked in almost 6 months, so I only had 4 patients...but that was more than enough. I was working with a great bunch of people that took the time to answer my silly questions and give me a hand whenever I needed it. My legs were shot by the end of the day and I definitely prefer night shift more than days, but I survived.

I came home exhausted after 12+ hrs on the floor, and as soon as I walked in the door Eric says, "don't hate me, but the boys slept all day." I just groaned because I knew they would be up all night...and they were.

The next day wasn't too bad and work called at about noon to see if I could possibly work in Peds that night because the nurse scheduled had called in sick (the unit had been closed, but if someone was admitted I would have to work). I called Eric and he agreed that I could work and I went about my day.

At about 2pm I started having bad stomach pains, which by 4pm turning into puking. I called work and apologized, but there was no way I could work. I had to run and wake Desiree up to watch the boys until Eric got home because whatever I had caught, I didn't want the boys to get sick.

I HATE getting sick, especially puking!! Things quieted down by about 5am but I couldn't sleep because my entire body hurt. My back was the worst, I couldn't get into a comfortable position and finally when I was no longer nauseated I took some Tylenol...but it didn't seem to help much. I started feeling better at about 5pm, so I came out of quarantine and got to see my boys.

It is amazing how much I missed holding them. Normally I'm frustrated because they both want to be held at the same time, but not holding them for 24 hrs just about drove me crazy!

So far there are no signs of anyone else in the house getting sick, so keep your fingers crossed. One of my friends said her kids were sick this weekend, and a friend that was working at the hospital on Sunday with me, in a different unit, was puking too...so there is definitely something going around!

Let's just pray that I won't catch anything else on my next shift!

On your mark...

Dr. just called and said my 24 hr urine collection is positive for preeclampsia, so we are headed to the hospital for an overnight observation, and the boys should be here by tomorrow. Think good thoughts!!

Laying low

I went in for my appointment today, and when they took my vitals and my systolic BP was over 140 and I had gained 30lbs in the past 2 & 1/2 weeks (I swear my eating habits haven't changed!!!). So, I went in to see the Dr. and he took one look at my massive cankles and sent me to the lab on my way up to L&D for an evaluation.

My labs weren't terribly out of the ordinary, but I have pitting edema (the kind of swelling that stays indented) up to my knees, my hands and stomach are also retaining fluid, and one of the spot checks in my UA was slightly positive, so I was sent home to collect a 24 hr urine sample and to be on STRICT bed rest. My BP did lower slightly into the 120s-130s while up in L&D, so I'm allowed out of bed to collect my urine and shower while at home.

The good thing is that I will be going in Sunday afternoon for them to check me out and see if I'm ready to be induced. With all the extra fluid I'm retaining, my Dr. doesn't want to wait too much longer. So, hopefully the boys will make their debut sometime Sunday or Monday. Until then I'll be chillin in my room with Koa at my side.

It's been a long week

I've been having contractions off and on for about the past two weeks, but lately they are the worst between 2-3am til about 8am. This has translated into me not really sleeping at all. I can't seem to get comfortable, and getting in and out of bed every 45 minutes to pee is starting to grate on my nerves.

But, I had an appointment with the Perinatalogist at Sacred Heart, and Little Man is now weighing in at 5lbs 2oz, and Hoss is 5lbs 6oz. That's a lot of babies!!! They were both practice breathing during the ultrasound, and were hopping off the NST monitor with every contraction...and I was having them up to 6 minutes apart. But, not consistent enough. So I was sent on my merry way and told to go back to the hospital when the "pain was so bad you can't take it." Because I'm over 34 weeks, they won't try to stop labor.

So, I headed home for another sleepless night, and day, then another night, and day.

Bright and early Friday morning, with about 2 hrs total of sleep, I headed to Eglin AFB Hospital for my OB appt. The doc gave me some Ambien to try, at the lowest dose, because he was worried about how fatigued I was getting. I also talked with him about doing the Group B Strep test early since I could really go at anytime, so which he said, "you read my mind!" He also promised me that if I make it to 36 weeks, he will schedule an induction for 38 weeks. With how big the boys are now, it will really be my only chance to have a regular delivery.

Then I headed off for my NST, and the nurse couldn't find the heart beats, so another OB came in and did an ultrasound and found that the boys are laying transverse now (sideways)...even though they were head down on Tuesday. I barely have enough room to breath, yet they are flipping around on me! Silly boys!

I'm trying to hang in for another couple of weeks. Sorry if I've been absent from my normal tasty stalks, but the longer I sit at the computer, the bigger my feet and legs swell.

So, keep your fingers crossed that the boys will do one final flip back to being head down, and I can start sleeping and return back to my utterly charming & witty self ;o)

I'm all, I'm all, I'm alright....

The JoDee Messina song "I'm alright" started playing on the radio Saturday afternoon after a very long and tiresome week...but it helped give me perspective.

Monday afternoon Eric called me to tell me that the car had died, and he was on one of the dirt roads and needed to be picked up. Thankfully, there is a reason we pay little extra for towing on our insurance and didn't have to pay anything out of pocket to get it towed to the house. Tuesday Eric went into work & requested a week off to try to get the car squared away. So the next few days were spend trouble shooting possible issues until he and his buddies were at a loss.

Friday afternoon we rented a trailer and towed the car to Fort Walton Beach, because there are very few reputable mechanics in our town, and we took it to Firestone who has been nothing but great to us for the past 4 years. Saturday morning they called and said we needed a new engine, and I almost cried. Our poor 2000 Corolla was dead, and a new engine would cost more than the car was worth.

So we headed down to Quality Imports, which is where we bought our truck from 4 years ago, and were able to find a decent used car that gets the same gas mileage, and has more room.

I am so grateful that the car died when Eric was going 35mph instead of a mile down the road when he would have been on a major highway traveling about 70mph. I'm grateful for the friends that helped us trouble shoot and kept our spirits up. I'm grateful that we were able to get a loan to buy a used car with a decent interest rate, and that we paid off the truck in November so we only have one car payment. AND, when I went to Firestone to pay for the diagnostic, which normally costs over $100, they didn't charge me anything. We've taken the car there for 4 years and just last year had to replace the shocks & struts totaling almost $1500. I've never had an issue with them & they always find some kind of discount to give me. Thank you Freddy!!!

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On a different note, I went to the Perinatalogist yesterday and there is good news and not so great news. Both babies are head down!!! There are no major issues with either baby, but Baby A's fluid is a little lower than they would like and he's a little behind on growth @ 3lbs 3oz. On the other hand, Baby B is probably going to be a huge weighing in at 3lbs 14oz. So, he told me that I need to increase my bedrest to decrease the stress on Baby A, and he wants to see me back in 3 weeks.

So, according to Eric this means that when I go to Walmart I'm supposed to use the motorized scooter. I understand his thought process, but I hate getting stared at, and every woman that sees me will probably think I'm a wuss!

So, scooter or no scooter?

Yes, I already know I look tired

Some days I feel as though I should save the world a little trouble and start every conversation with, "I know I look tired/sleepy/in need of rest/like general poo." And, to everyone that feels the need to tell me this (every time you see me) it is getting harder and harder not to reply with "thank you Captain Obvious!"

As most of you know, I work nights. More specifically, my shifts start at 6pm (although I'm expected to be ready to receive report at 5:45pm) and end at 6am (which on a lucky day means I clock out before 6:45am). So, when you see me out running errands in the middle of the day, take a minute to think about how you would look functioning on 2-3 hrs of sleep. I have come to accept the dark circles under my eyes because I chose to work nights, and I understand it must be hard to look at me, but suck it up! I have never been one to wear make-up because I always considered the extra time it would take, which would cut into my much needed sleep...and I still don't plan to wear it.

I start my 'modified bedrest' next Tuesday, which means no more work. So, people of the world, please hold out for one more week. Hopefully once I am back on a normal daytime schedule, I'll stop being such a horrible sight!

P.S. I think most of the comments must be out of spite due to my rocking baby bump & ginorm rack. Being jealous makes my heart hurt!

Taking the little bit of Bad with all the Good!

There have been some great ups & downs during this pregnancy. The first six weeks were fairly uneventful until the insane nausea & vomiting set in at the end of six weeks. By the time I made it to my first appointment at 11 weeks, I had lost 10 lbs and was getting seriously dehydrated. Thankfully, the nurse midwife understood my need to continue to work and prescribed me Zofran and increased the dosage of my heartburn medication, Nexium.

These changes have made some HUGE improvements over the past 3 weeks and I'm starting to feel like a normal person again. I hated having to run out of a patient's room because I needed to find a bathroom or trash can. And, I tried just about everything I could think of, and that was suggested...but why they call it "morning" sickness is a cruel joke...it is all-day sickness!

But I feel like a normal person now, as long as I take the Zofran the second I start to feel nauseated :o)

I also wanted to give a shout out to my home girl Vanessa, and my amazing SIL Michelle.

I ran out of Zofran on Tuesday, and by Wednesday was too sick to pick up my prescription on base, so Vanessa went to get my medication for me!! And, when I called her last week she was at the mall in Pensacola, so I asked her to check out the uniform store to see if they had any maternity scrubs, but all they had were ones to order out of a catalog. So, she took it upon herself to check out Motherhood while she was there & bought me some cute shorts, & her son picked out a T-shirt that says "Mom in training." It was so incredibly thoughtful because she knows how busy my schedule is!! Thanks V!!!

And Michelle, understood my maternity clothes dilemma & went ahead and ordered me a pair of jeans from Old Navy...which I got in the mail today!! Her due date is 6 days before mine, and she has been such a trooper taking all my phone calls (she really doesn't like to talk on the phone). Although my family all live in distant states, they still make their love ever present!

So, even though my face has broken out worse than most teenagers, I have to look at it as my body is producing enough hormones to keep the twins healthy...it's all about finding the silver lining :o)

What ever happened to common decency??

I honestly don't think all the extra hormones have affected my general mood, but there are a few things that have just been driving me crazy lately!

Leaving a shopping cart in the middle of the parking lot. For instance, shopping at the commissary is always an ordeal because it's always busy. It is normal to drive up and down the aisles a few times before finally finding an vacant spot. So, you can imagine my frustration when I finally find a spot (about 7 aisles away from the entrance) and just as I'm pulling in, the moron in the spot on the other side leaves her cart in my space!!! Seriously...the cart return was only 5 spots away! But, I guess she was extremely pressed for time since she hurriedly got in her car, lit a cigarette, and sat there until we walked away. (I may, or may not have given her the stink eye the entire time).

People that don't wash their hands. Seeing as I work in the health care field, I find this absolutely disgusting. I can't help but get frustrated when I am in a public restroom and I see employees & customers fail to wash their hands after using the facilities. Do we really wonder why the swine flu is spreading so rapidly??? Also, with all the abscesses I see on the "down there" area, I will hover if there isn't a seat cover available. I have also been known to use a paper towel to open the door to leave & if there isn't a trash can near the door, I'll hold it til I find one.

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On a different note, does anyone know where I can get some decent maternity clothes?? I am in desperate need of some jeans & skirts. I know I'm only rounding the 14th week, but the twins didn't get that memo, and my belly is growing ever so quickly!! I have found a few shirts (non-maternity) that will work for awhile...but I don't want to have to dress frumpy :o( and I don't want to have to resort to wearing scrubs in public ;o)

Please, please, please, read the label!!!

Before I started in the health care field I wasn't the most responsible person when it came to being an active part of my care. I never questioned the medication or treatments that the physician ordered and felt that I was just stuck with whatever was given to me. I know I can't be the only one out there that rarely checked the labels of the medication I was prescribed, or read the additional information provided by the pharmacy. Today, I really want to change that.

We had a young child admitted to my unit for a drug overdose due to the pharmacy (not the doctor or the hospital) giving this child the wrong medication. The physician ordered Orapred (generic name: prednisolone) which is an anti-inflammatory, and the pharmacy gave this family Risperidone which is an antipsychotic/mood stabilizer that is used ONLY in adults because of the risk for extrapyramidal side effects, some of which may be permanent.

The label did read "risperidone," but how often do we really check to make sure the generic name is the same as the brand name the physician said, or wrote down. So, PLEASE double check your, and your children's, medications before taking them. One website that I have used in the past is http://www.drugs.com which has a wealth of information to include side effects & what the drug is used to treat. Or, feel free to email me & ask!!

So, please read ALL your labels!

Reviews

"Spare Change" by Audrey Mace was sent to me by Brittany who has been one of my favorite stalks for quite some time now. She held a Valentine's Day book giveaway & I even though I wasn't the original winner, I was happy to accept this book as the runner-up!

It originally caught my eye because I thought it was about nursing...but I was wrong. It was more about all the different relationships we cultivate as we interact, and what I have always considered to be the instinctive desire to help those around you.

It's a short novel @ 201 pages, but it never seemed to be rushed or drag. It was the perfect companion for my flights to Seattle and I enjoyed laughing out loud and smiling throughout.

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I also have a seemingly unlikely product to review, Secret's Clinical Strength deodorant. It seems like for the past few years I haven't been able to stick with one deodorant because it seems after the first stick, it doesn't work as well. This is one area that one should NEVER go cheap on! Although I don't have the yellow pit stains as some of my fellow nursing students did, I am always worried that I smell.

When I was shopping with V a few weeks ago I saw this product and we both thought we would give it a shot, and I couldn't be happier. Although it is not quite a solid, I don't have that wet feeling that you normally get and the smell is great (we opted for the 'light and fresh scent' over the powder fresh. The active ingredient in most deodorant is aluminum zirconium which most have anywhere from 14-17%, and this product is 20%.

So, if you're in the market for a new deodorant give it a shot!

I can't do it Captain, I haven't got the time

I'm going to call my time spent being vegetarian a success, considering I set out with the plan to stay meat-free as long as I could stay healthy. The staying healthy part ended during my time in Seattle. I was doing pretty good until Mother's Day and I kept getting really dizzy & feeling all around weird, and I knew that I wasn't getting enough protein. It's one thing to be at home & have your meals planned and have access to your protein powder & zone bars, but I hadn't had any of that in over 5 days...and wasn't even eating every meal.

I gave in and ordered some shrimp, since they have more protein than chicken, and started feeling better within an hour. Then Eric's brother wanted to have us over the next night for burgers and the last thing I wanted to do was have his family accommodate my special preferences with everything else that was going on.

Then, during my trip to Missouri I just said the heck with it. I had some great pulled pork & slow-cooked brisket that was to die for!

Oh meat, how I missed you :o)

I think 5 months was a pretty good run, and I probably saved at least one animal...don'tcha think?

Coming up for air

Life has been quite the challenge lately!! It started in the middle of last week when I had to prepare for my Thursday clinical day on Wednesday, all the while packing b/c I was leaving with some friends for our Board of Nursing Trip on Friday in Tallahassee. So, after my 10hr day in the PCU I headed home, took a shower, and by 7pm we were headed off. It was pretty uneventful but I have to say that some of those nurses should be glad I wasn't on the board, b/c there was one case in particular that I would have revoked their license without hesitation. All in all it was a good trip.

We came back Friday night and I was exhausted. I wasn't feeling too good and had been battling a recurrent headache the entire time, so I hit the sack and woke up a few hours later and realized I hadn't taken my shoes off...I was that tired. Then I had a horrible pain in my neck & my back and realized I had been sleeping on the wrong pillow. Since injuring my neck 2 years ago, I have to sleep with a specific pillow or I am in quite a bit of pain. Well, the pain hasn't let up since then and I ended up being on pain killers & muscle relaxers until today. I feel horrible b/c I woke up not knowing what day it was and had a text from one of the girls in my Sunday School class asking who the teacher was supposed to be...by that time it was the afternoon, and I had been sleeping for almost 24 hrs straight. The pain has eased ever so slightly, but I am still in constant pain.

I also had my second exam yesterday, and since I barely passed my first one, I spent every moment I wasn't asleep, studying...and I did a little better this time. I just have to keep telling myself that C's get degrees ;o)

So, I haven't had much time to catch up on my blog reading...but I shouldn't be as busy this week. This time I have over 250 to catch up on, so please be patient with me b/c I really do love reading what you incredibly witty people have to say!!

Are you sure that's not meat?

I have been searching for some great meat alternatives, and have found one I love!! Everyone raves about Boca Burgers...but they got nothing on Morning Star Farms! So far there is no comparison, Morning Star wins hands down.

The only problem is the commissary is the only place that carries it, locally (even if the base is a 24 mile drive). I love all of their burgers, and Eric and I were both completely amazed at how much the mini corn dogs & sausage links tasted like the real thing. In fact, we finally got Eric some turkey burgers b/c he was eating all of my vege burgers! I wasn't too thrilled with the spinach artichoke bites b/c they were really bland, but everything else is great!

So, no matter if you are a vege or meat-lover, I would definitely recommend giving these a try. Hide the package from your family, and I swear they will never be able to tell the difference!

I almost threw in the towel

Things have been going a hundred miles an hour lately with the start up of my last semester of Nursing School, Eric's change in positions @ work, and new lifestyle (I know I'm super hot, but I'm talking about becoming vegetarian...sorry ladies!)

My stress level has hit a new high, but I thought I was handling things pretty well. Then, when I got my visit from Aunt Flo, she was insanely out of control...like nothing I have ever experienced before (flow wise)! So, I'm thinking I might be a tad anemic so I'm scheduling an appt with the doc for some blood draws, b/c you can't be too careful. School hasn't been too difficult, but we'll see what tune I'm singing after my first exam. I have been in a funk the past few days and it all seem to hit the fan yesterday.

Being the woman that I am, I let some completely stupid set me off, and poor Eric was the only one around to take the heat. We talked...I cried...and he gave me the motivation I needed, like always. I wanted to give up b/c it was too hard and put it off til after school, but he reminded me that this was do-able, and he wants to help me anyway he can. (sorry ladies, he is soooo taken!)

I was completely ready to give up on the vege thing b/c of stress & some quite hurtful remarks I have received from various people. But, being the that rock he is, he gave me strength and told me to "drive on!" (it's an Army thing). We went to the commissary Saturday and both truly stuck with our diet plans. We normally sneak some kind of crap into the cart, but we held strong and got what we needed. We found some awesome buys and new things to try (tofu is WAY cheaper at the commissary, and they have the kind that doesn't have to be refrigerated!!)

I have also found the Subway of Mexican food, Moe's! They have a million different vegetarian options, and it's in the area near where I go to school and have many of my clinical rotations. The Vege-Delite from Subway was starting to get old ;o)