Blogging hasn't been on the top of my priority list for a little while. A lot of things that are usually at the top kind of dropped off as well. It's funny how when something goes wrong you find it so much easier to let a lot of things go! You just do the basics. I call it Survival Mode. --Not that I usually over-schedule myself, or really feel like I accomplish all that much in a usual day... I like to think that's a good thing. Sometimes I think we try to do too much. I have to share this quote I just love:
"Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home.
Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world's goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying.
These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord's kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power." ~Julie B. Beck, "Mothers Who Know"
Not that I'm an all knowing mother or always make the most of my time with Lily, but at least I'm not allowing too many extra distractions into our life. Though some definitely make us a happier family :)
Life is getting back to normal again, and it's kind of a funny story so I thought I'd record it here.
Mike went into the emergency room in extreme pain because of a kidney stone. He was there most of the day because they told him it was too big to pass on it's own. When the urologist finally showed up 'to give us options' he said Mike could pass it and sent him home with some pain medicine and an order to drink water. Well, if you know anything about kidney stones the pain is comparable to labor -- and that's what it looked like! Mike was laboring that baby out, and we didn't think it was going to come out on it's own. The pain medicine they originally gave him made him feel even worse. He could hardly eat, and because of the medicine what he did eat wasn't coming back out again - if you know what I'm talking about.. It was difficult for him to down the water because he felt so full. He was in a lot of pain, he was lightheaded and dizzy. He couldn't work in that condition, and we didn't know how long it was going to last, how we would afford treatment, or how long we could afford or Mike could bear not treating it! After a week an x-ray did not show much progress. The urologist told him a story about a guy who lived with a stone for 15 years, and didn't want to see him back again for a month, and Mike felt like it was stuck. On top of that add the stress about money. I was feeling pretty sick about that too. Mike felt a lot better after he stopped taking the narcotics and was bearing the pain with Tylenol and ibuprofen. We were waiting it out, trying every home remedy we could come up with (that didn't make Mike gag), and contemplating a trip to Mexico (maybe they could treat him for a more reasonable price).
Enter bees. Mike discovered a bee in the bathroom, killed it, and came out to find about ten more buzzing around our living room, and about ten more in the kitchen. What the heck!? Where were they coming from!? And in my stressed out state I couldn't help thinking: "Why me? What next? Are we being plagued for goodness sake!?" Lily was just waking up from a nap so I rushed her outside, as Mike leaped around the house in his robe, adrenalin pumping, fighting off bees with an old fly swatter. Bees were coming in through our fireplace, hundreds were swarming around the chimney outside! Mike and I blocked off their entry with a garbage bag and duct tape, and the situation was under control. Mike thought after all that exertion he actually felt better. And the next time he peed -- out came a pretty large stone! So far the bees haven't been back... and I'm thinking maybe, instead of a plague, they were a blessing in disguise. If they do come back at least we know a good bee guy :)
Whether his battle with the bees shook it out or one of the other things we tried finally worked - we are so grateful!!! It's such a relief not to have to pay crazy amounts of money to get it out! (On top of the crazy amount of money they are charging just for the diagnosis!) Mike is out of pain and will hopefully never get another stone again! He's certainly got the motivation not to... and the next time we have some out-of-the-blue emergency we plan to be prepared and have insurance!
"Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home.
Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world's goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying.
These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord's kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power." ~Julie B. Beck, "Mothers Who Know"
Not that I'm an all knowing mother or always make the most of my time with Lily, but at least I'm not allowing too many extra distractions into our life. Though some definitely make us a happier family :)
Life is getting back to normal again, and it's kind of a funny story so I thought I'd record it here.
Mike went into the emergency room in extreme pain because of a kidney stone. He was there most of the day because they told him it was too big to pass on it's own. When the urologist finally showed up 'to give us options' he said Mike could pass it and sent him home with some pain medicine and an order to drink water. Well, if you know anything about kidney stones the pain is comparable to labor -- and that's what it looked like! Mike was laboring that baby out, and we didn't think it was going to come out on it's own. The pain medicine they originally gave him made him feel even worse. He could hardly eat, and because of the medicine what he did eat wasn't coming back out again - if you know what I'm talking about.. It was difficult for him to down the water because he felt so full. He was in a lot of pain, he was lightheaded and dizzy. He couldn't work in that condition, and we didn't know how long it was going to last, how we would afford treatment, or how long we could afford or Mike could bear not treating it! After a week an x-ray did not show much progress. The urologist told him a story about a guy who lived with a stone for 15 years, and didn't want to see him back again for a month, and Mike felt like it was stuck. On top of that add the stress about money. I was feeling pretty sick about that too. Mike felt a lot better after he stopped taking the narcotics and was bearing the pain with Tylenol and ibuprofen. We were waiting it out, trying every home remedy we could come up with (that didn't make Mike gag), and contemplating a trip to Mexico (maybe they could treat him for a more reasonable price).
Enter bees. Mike discovered a bee in the bathroom, killed it, and came out to find about ten more buzzing around our living room, and about ten more in the kitchen. What the heck!? Where were they coming from!? And in my stressed out state I couldn't help thinking: "Why me? What next? Are we being plagued for goodness sake!?" Lily was just waking up from a nap so I rushed her outside, as Mike leaped around the house in his robe, adrenalin pumping, fighting off bees with an old fly swatter. Bees were coming in through our fireplace, hundreds were swarming around the chimney outside! Mike and I blocked off their entry with a garbage bag and duct tape, and the situation was under control. Mike thought after all that exertion he actually felt better. And the next time he peed -- out came a pretty large stone! So far the bees haven't been back... and I'm thinking maybe, instead of a plague, they were a blessing in disguise. If they do come back at least we know a good bee guy :)
Whether his battle with the bees shook it out or one of the other things we tried finally worked - we are so grateful!!! It's such a relief not to have to pay crazy amounts of money to get it out! (On top of the crazy amount of money they are charging just for the diagnosis!) Mike is out of pain and will hopefully never get another stone again! He's certainly got the motivation not to... and the next time we have some out-of-the-blue emergency we plan to be prepared and have insurance!
1 comment:
Oh, I can really feel Mike's pain!! I think, quite frankly, I would have lost my mind trying to wait it out that long. No wonder you were so stressed. (And that's some seriously inconsiderate doctor who would just dismiss it with "some guy lived with a stone for 15 years" so come back in a month, a month of agonizing pain and not being able to work is not a big deal, sure....)
I am glad the bees were a blessing in disguise!!
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