Dead iPod!

Poop!

My iPod totally cleared itself out and has died.And, it was a refurbished one, and no longer under warrantly.Oops.Yesterday was the first day I felt like listening to music in the car, so I happily set up the iPod, and---

--nothing!Nothing on the screen! Everything gone! Nada! Bada-bing, bada-boom, DEAD. D.R.T. Dead Right There. Rats!

So anyway, Loose can't even re-load anything onto it.It is dead, it will not respond to anything at all.Oh, well. But now he's thinking of getting himself an 80G iPod, andmaybe giving me his old one.He asked if that would be a problem, he's not forcing me to take his old one.I said, "Dude,I'd be tickled to death to have yours,all I want is music in the car and it seems God does not want me to have music in the car.I don't want anything pretty or marvelous, I just want something that operates!" So that's probably what he will do.Typical guy--he's gotta have the new, shiny electronic, and I certainly do not mind having his two-year old iPod, that's a blessing in disguise right there.

Ebay Morons,Part II.

Well, the guy wrote back a slightly more intelligent response,"I'm sorry, it has already shipped." Crap.So much for an on-time birthday gift.

Ebay Morons.

Why do some ebay sellers have to be such asses?

Granted, I got out of ebay selling because I can't stand dealing with people, mainly rude people.Or people who cannot communicate in Engish when it's their native language.

I bought an item on ebay I want sent to a friend.When I made an instant payment with PayPal,in the "Notes to Seller" area I wrote a clear, detailed,"can you ship this to so-and-so,would that be too much trouble?"
Never heard back,and never got any kind of indication my payment was received, either.So through ebay, I contacted the guy:"Hi, did you get my message I left you about sending this to a friend as a gift? I left the correct address."

My response, two days later,is nothing but,"no i did not"

GAH! Okay, does that mean, "No, I did not, but I would be happy to do so"? Does it mean "No, tough shit, I sent it already?" God! I can't stand people who communicate in a business arena like ebay in this manner.So now I have to reply to him again,tell him WHERE I wrote the message, and see what his pokey ass comes up with next.Idiot.

Finally normal?

I think at last my dizziness is gone.Haven't done that much today so it's bit hard to tell. I really want to drive somewhere today.My husband keeps saying to stay close to home and relax, but I want out of here!

Dance, baby, dance!

I dreamed last night that George Harrison and I were practicing for a tapdancing routine together.WTF?

..and he was really good, too! Again, WTF???

For lil' ol' me?

Okay, this is weeird!

One online pal of mine directs me to a darling little video using my favorite Christmas song, "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas".
Then, another one actually dedicated her online comic,Kimono's Townhouse, to me by utilizing one of my favorite George-written Beatles songs, "Savoy Truffle",in the cartoon.I mean, I'm stupidly giddy here.No one's gonna get the reference,and I feel like she sacrificed having a really funny cartoon to do something for me.(weeps)
Oh, well.I'm going to enjoy this one little day in the sun.Two shots in one day!Thank you,online friends!

Big Adventure--Wally World Style

Whew.Had a big adventure out to WalMart.I was hoping to look at some jogging pants or something, but got sidetracked looking for canisters and an aquarium filter and totally left without looking at pants.I cannot button my jeans, as my stomach is weirdly bloated right now,and it hurts to do so.So I had to wear a giant t-shirt and not button my jeans,but the shirt covered everything.
I feel pretty good. A tiny bit dizzy, but nothing like before.Hopefully the drugs are working their way out of my system at last.

The Day of Nothing.

I have been forbidden to do anything today.I have been ordered by the husband to stay horizontal.Do not get up, do not do laundry,do not do animal caretakings without help.

I meant to post some interesting things today,but between waves of nausea I really cannot put together anything entertaining to read.Bluh.

Today came PAIN and NAUSEA.

I was feeling pretty good so I did all my cat chores by myself this morning.

I knew we needed to go to the mall to go to Target today, as we go every weekend for a few grocery-type items,so I was actually looking forward to going and getting out of the house.

Loose took me to PetSmart and actually went in with me(he usually waits outside) so he could lug the cat food bag and case of canned cat food into the buggy.

Then we went into Toys R Us.I have been in the house so long,only going from home to Mother's and the hospital all week, I just wanted to go anywhere,just to be going somewhere.I started hurting.Took some of my pain meds I had brought with me.

Then I insisted on going in World Market and looking around.

Then I waited in the car while he went into Best Buy,as I was starting to get a little nauseous.

Then we got to Target, and---


Whoa.


I could barely walk.But I refused to sit in the car, as it's 75 today.So,thank god, our Target has the little scooter-type carts and I got to use one.Yay!

But wave after wave of dizziness and nausea kept hitting me and by the end of our trip I could barely drive the thing.

Loose said,"You took your medicine on an empty stomach,You've got to eat something." and he took me to Wendy's and got me some fries and a frosty.Oh, god,I felt tons better after that.Then he said, "We are going home NOW.I can't believe I let you do so much today."

But we got home at 6, and I was completely trashed.Sick, dizzy, exhausted.I went to bed.

Next thing I know it's 9:30 PM.Loose was shaking me, telling me my mom wanted to know if I was coming over.
Now, I had brought enough cat litter from the stash at my mom's(it's a seven-foot tall mountain of bags of litter) to last me several days, but I couldn't remember if I had enough to do the litter boxes over here tonight.So,even if my mom offered to take care of the cats at her house tonight(she pays me to come over and do it),I might have had to go anyway to pick up some more litter.
Loose helped me downstairs to check to see if we had litter.We did, so he called my mom,said we were staying put, and bless him, he did all the cat stuff over here for me while I lay on the floor in the basement.Well, actually I was lying on a 8 x 6 rug the kitties have.The cats were all over me, it was so funny.They knew something was really wrong, mommy doesn't lay on the floor like that.
I couldn't even stand.Loose brought me back upstairs, pretty much nearly carrying me, and put me back in the bed.We brought my cat Bahalia up with us, so she's tending to me, LOL.Loose is in the living room, watching Law & Order and I can only hear it.Wah! But I feel fairly well if I just stay here.He brought me my laptop so here I am, flat on my back.

Two Days later..

Well,I woke up with some pretty serious pain this morning, and had to summon the husband to get me my medicine.He had gotten up an hour before and was in the living room.Thing is, I had put away the thing he had gotten for me to use--this funny little screaming girl figure---and I had to settle for knocking on my nightstand really hard.

The Procedure.Sponsored by Sprite!

Illustration from Conceptus, Inc.

Well, this is the "Essure" procedure I had done.Essentially these teeny stainless steel coils are inserted into the fallopian tubes, scar tissue grows into and around them, and the tubes become blocked.No cutting, no slicing and dicing.In three months you're fixed.You have to go back for a checkup x-ray to make sure you're blocked, though.

For the curious, especially those thinking of having it done, I offer a blow-by-blow(and rather humorous) version of how it goes.


Husband Loosetoon and I arrived at the hospital about 7 in the morning.After a short wait, I was taken back to a little hall with many rooms on either side.In one of those rooms I was installed in a very big, comfy chair that doubles as a gurney.The room had sliding glass doors and big curtain that went over the doors.Vital signs were taken,the the nurse left with instructions for me to take off everything I was wearing and put it all in the sad little "patient belongings" bag.
I must admit, my ensemble I wore that morning was hilarious, I looked like a bum.I had on an oversize t-shirt, pink pajama pants and my crocs shoes.PLUS,I was instructed not to wear contact lenses or anything,which I kinda knew about from experience.Also, no deodorant, no lotion, hair styling gel, no nothing.Once I took off all my clothes and put my hospital nightie on, it was just me, nekkid and blind, like a baby rat.I had to put on these little hospital-footie-things with treads on the bottom, too.
Once I was situated in the big chair again in my nightie-thingy,the same nurse (or maybe anther one,I was so blind I couldn't tell)came in to do the dreaded IV NEEDLE.
Now, I know nobody likes needles,certainly.But I get really freaked out over them.Fortunately, I got numbed first via a TINY needle and then the bigass IV needle would go in once that was numb.So, once the IV "port" was installed, I was good to go.That was the main part that scared me.
Then the nurse brought Loose back, as he wanted to be with me until the last minute, and I was glad of that.As he sat in a chair and talked to me, an IV bag(my "breakfast") was hooked up to my port, and Loose's instructions were to let me know when the fluid was down to a certain point, and I was to press the call button for the nurse.
We sat and talked,as my nutrient fluid went into my port,and then when it reached that line,I pushed the button, called the nurse.She came in and hooked up what she said was my "goofy juice" to my port, but didn't turn off the IV bag.
Well, the "goofy juice" made the room start swirling, but then the effect went away and was replaced with "I have to pee, NOW." I was literally about to wet myself,which made Loose a little mad,as he would have told them to turn off my IV bag,but then he thought he would get the "Yes,I'm the doctor, I'll handle this" sort of attitude from the people working on me.They sort of tried to blame him for it, but once he explained, one of the other nurses--a guy---seemed to understand and said he'd speak to the nurse that let it keep running.So I had that whole IV bag worth of fluid in my body and I was about to explode.So yet another nurse, who didn't speak very good English, rolled me in my giant chair to the bathroom.How embarrassing, having to be helped out of the chair and placed on the toity to pee.Especially when you're twice the size of the person helping you.
The "goofy juice" did work to a degree, as I couldn't stand up.
Pee crisis over, I was wheeled back into the little room,and my doctor(the one who looks like the psychiatrist on Law & Order, SVU)came in to meet with us.Somewhere in there the anesthesiologist came in as well, and I said to please do whatever it took to keep me from puking in the car on the way home--that always happens to my mom,but my mom gets sick over everything.I have learned I have a lot stronger constitution than my mother.
Then the moment came.They came to take me away!Loose kissed me goodbye, and I was wheeled out and down some corridors to the SURGICAL SUITE.And let me tell you, this shit can really weird you out,seeing all the equipment and people dressed funny and all the weird lights and warning signs on the wall and the odd smells, oh, god,my heart sped up then.
Me and my chair were wheeled into the operating room,and I was helped out of the chair and onto the table.I instantly knew this was a "special" kind of operating table when I was told to put my behind into a special little divot before lying down.I begged, "Oh, please put me out before you put my legs in the air, this is so embarrassing," and they all laughed--there must have been ten people in the room.
Dr.Kim had asked me if I liked Jimmy Buffet, as he played Jimmy Buffet wile he worked.I said,"Oh, no--no problem.I like Jimmy Buffet!Play some Beatles, though, and I'll love you forever!" They all laughed again.
Then, each of my arms was strapped down, I saw something being hooked to my port, and--

BAM.I was out.

The next thing I remember was being in the big chair again, in a recovery room similar to my little preparation room.And Loose was there, hovering.:)But everything after that is a jumble, so I am re-telling it via what little I can remember and Loose's explanation of what went on.

Loose said my eyes were all screwed up.I have a lazy eye,so with my contacts out my eyes can and will go in two different directions.He says I gave him permission to take a photo,so, we have photos of me waking up.Oh,dear god, they are pitiful,LOL!!!!
Since both my mom and dad had wanted to be notified when my surgery was over, he had called both of them.The funny part is that apparently I asked Loose six or seven times if he had called my mom and my dad.I of course remember none of this.
I do remember a straw being poked in my mouth and yummy, wonderful Sprite was there for me to sip.My throat felt like it was in shreds, but that was because I'd had a breathing tube stuffed down it, of course.
I was told repeatedly to "wake up, wake up",because I wasn't coming around quickly enough.To tell you the truth, I remembered being in that chair and since I sleep in the car a lot when Loose is driving, it just felt like naptime in the car.I didn't wanna wake up!
Loose kept making me drink, which I was happy to do, and I could hear some babbling in the background.I think it was Dr.Kim giving some post-op instructions to my husband.Then we had to get me dressed.I don't remember this at all, but we got me into my undies and since I had to have a pad because I was bleeding,I insisted on putting it in myself.How I did that and didn't put it in adhesive-side-up,I have no idea.Then came the pajama pants, and Loose said I tried to get my bra on by myself and couldn't get it hooked.So he helped with that and got my shirt on me, and put my shoes on my feet.Then somehow I was transferred to a wheelchair.
Then we had to take me to pee again.Apparently this is one of the main signs of "You can leave the hospital now",is your ability to pee afterward.Now,my husband and I have never seen each other in these sort of "bodily function" moments.Never seen each other on the toity.And now my husband volunteered to take me to the bathroom, bless him.He got me out of the chair, held me up and got me half-undressed again,and put me on the toilet.I vaguely remember this.Again,so embarrassing.Then he got me buttoned up and tidied up and took me back into the hallway, where a nurse or orderly of some sort took over while Loose got the car.
I do not recall getting in the car, or the trip home.And we even stopped to get gas, and went by the grocery store to get my prescription and some bland food in case I got nauseated.
Well,I do remember him asking what sort of food to get, and I answered with grits and chicken and rice soup.When he returned with my prescription and a few groceries, he also had a bottle of Sprite for me--wondrous, cool, refreshing Sprite.
We got home, and I remember him telling me to stay put, that he would help me out of the car.He did, but I don't remember going in the house or making my way to our room.I took off my t-shirt and bra and put on my pajama top and got n the bed.I think Loose sat on the bed and talked to me a bit,but I don't recall it very well.Then, I just conked out, he said, and I didn't wake up until 4:30.
At 5, our pals (online names)Anabella and Madog were coming to help take care of the cats.By now I could speak coherently, so when they got here, they all sat on the bed and talked to me for a while.Then,we got me up, and while Anabella and Madog did the dirty work,I directed what to do,Loose held me up, and it went very smoothly.
Then we put me back to bed, and Anabella stayed with me while Loose and MD went to get supper for everyone.They returned with food from KFC, including lots of side items for me and Anabella--we don't each much meat.And,I even felt well enough for us all to sit in the den and watch TV and eat.We watched our DVD of vintage Muppet commercials and laughed until I hurt.
Once I was finished with supper,I sat with them, bundled upon the couch, for about an hour,but then I started to get really really tired and I wanted my own bed.And a teddy bear.I told everyone to talk and socialize as long as they wanted. I took Jervais, one of my Merrythought(synthetic plush) teddies back to my room with me, got in bed,and that's all I remember until Loose came to bed around midnight.I think I got up and got on my laptop at some point,around 5 AM.

This morning,Loose relayed to me all the wacky stuff that I couldn't remember,and I have been up and around and feeling pretty decent.I feel like I have very bad menstrual cramps, but that's about it.My pain meds do the trick.

This was so easy it's unbelievable.

EDIT: Dr.Kim called to check on me,and was very pleased with my progress.He then told me that he almost had had to do what he and I called "Plan B".If he wasn't able to get the coils in, he would go on and do a tubal ligation.I had given full written permission for this.He said Plan A--the Essure procedure--was almost foiled because aparently my tubes are placed very far back and he had a very hard time getting the coils in.Yeow.I am so glad he kept trying.

I will go back in a few weeks for a checkup, and in 3 months I'll have an xray to see if the tubes are blocked.

So anyway, if anyone is thinking of having this done,do not be afraid, it is a piece of cake.

I'm Alive!

Got through the surgery.I'll describe in detail later.I've been asleep for most of the day.But I feel just fine,just a little soreness inside, and I'm just kinda dizzy.

Don't Feed Me After Midnight.

HAHA! I have Gremlin instructions!
"No matter how much they beg,no matter how much they cry,NEVER feed them after midnight".
Anyway, that's to keep me from puking during or after surgery, y'know.So "E-Day" is tomorrow, and boy,I'm nervous.But,I'm sure everything will be fine.

I have to be there at freakin' SEVEN IN THE MORNING. Ugh.

Pre-Ops.

Good Lord.

Had an 11:00 appointment at the doctor's office to go over the procedure.I've always had a female gynecologist, but the one who will be performing the surgery is a little Chinese fellow, who I have to admit I like quite a lot.It's just going to be very odd,as no other guy, doctor or date or otherwise, has ever..uh...been in on the business end besides Steve.This is very weird for me.

Then I had a noon appointment at the hospital to get everything in order--consent forms,pre-op instruction,blood tests,and paperwork,paperwork,paperwork.But, to be fair, I didn't have to sit and wait for anything, everything was running fast and smoothly. Met with my nurse,and the aneshesiologist,etc.Everyone is so friendly and efficient.I think the bizarre thing is,when I had surgery once or twice as a kid,of course my parents filled out all the forms and took me here and there and told me what to do and not do and put me in this room and I just did what the doctors said and it was all fine and dandy.This is the first time I've had to do all this consenting and scheduling and everything all by myself.Jesus.Two hours worth of getting labelled, registered,stamped, drilled and UPC-coded,LOL.

E-Day is tomorrow,I'll go into surgery at 9.Yikes!

Counting down.

I leave for my pre-op appointment in a few minutes.I have no idea what this is going to involve.

No Trampling.

Well, I made it.I fed two horses and two sheep, locked them away, and walked and fed four dogs---two of which will fight if they get too close to each other, so I had to do two at a time.
Now I stink.

Tomorrow I have the pre-op appointment for my Essure procedure on Friday.I didn't link to the official Essure site because it's idiotic--just because I'm having the procedure doesn't make me an "Essure Woman" any more than taking The Pill makes me..I don't know, a "Diethylstilbestrol Woman".
Don't try to group me under labels,dammit.I am an individual!

Anyway, pre-op tomorrow, then the surgery is Friday at 9.
Yikes.

Squashed under hoofs.

My stepdad is out of town, so he asked if I would feed the horses over at his house.He/we have two rescued horses.One is a Thoroughbred who was headed for the meat market,another is a former show horse who has cataracts and was given up because his owner didn't want to spend the money to get his eyes fixed.We also have two (very large)sheep who are also rescues--they were a finished 4-H project and were also headed for slaughter.So I will be feeding this motley crew tonight, and although I have plenty of experience with large animals, I haven't fed this bunch on my own before.I hope the horses don't squash me,that always seems to happen to me, I get mushed against a stable wall or almost trampled.Wish me luck.

The "Flintstones Vitamin" birth control pill?

I'm somewhat rolling my eyes over the new "chewable birth control pill".

I first saw a commercial for it last night on TV.It showed a woman in, I guess her late 20's, running the frantic daily-life gamut that apparently every woman runs during the day, brushing her teeth, going to work, getting in a round of kickboxing,etc..but she just DOESN'T HAVE THE TIME TO TAKE HER BIRTH CONTROL PILL,OMG.So the new chewable one cuts the five-second time it takes to swallow a pill IN HALF,allowing this woman SO MUCH MORE TIME.
What's funny about that argument is that you are still supposed to drink something after you chew up the pill to wash away the residue to your stomach.Oh, dear god, that's ten more seconds, wasted.

Or does she simply forget to take her pills? And the chewies are easier to remember? Do they taste like Flintstones vitamins?(yes, I admit to downing a whole bottle of those as a kid because they tasted so freakin' good)

In an article I looked up online:"Why a chewable pill? Birth control pills don't work if you don't take them", notes Laurent Delli-Bovi, MD, medical director for Boston's Chestnut Hill Family Planning Facility.

Agreed.Okay, I can go with that.

"Research has shown that compliance still impacts oral contraceptive failure rates, and anything we can do to make it easier for our patients to maintain a daily regimen is a notable advancement."

(I might also add that the pill still has a failure rate, last I read it was 2 out of 100)

I still cannot believe my fellow women still need this kind of coddling.Here it is,one of the great miracles of modern medicine, the pill that gives us freedom over our own fertility, and women can't remember to take it.
I think if your life is SO hectic,and you're such a bad manager of your time that you cannot take time out to swallow a pill with a glass of water,how the heck do you manage time for a sexual partner?
And, if you are so immature that you cannot remember to take a simple pill, but its being a chewie pill will make you remember,do you really need to be making the beast-with-two-backs?

*sigh* I am thankful that we women here in the US have this kind of reproductive freedom and that more and more choices are being offered to us to make things easier.At the same time, it simply seems to me that the more irresponsible you are about keeping yourself from getting pregnant,the less you should emphasize sex in your life.Can you find something else to do?

*sigh* No more Peanut.

Dr.Frost had anesthetized my cat Peanut,to try to do some exploratory surgery in her mouth,and found a huge cancerous bone mass in her jaw.She has been at the vet for over a week, and couldn't eat, and this is why.I just wish they'd been able to look sooner, but her mouth was too sore.He called me and informed me that even if he could do any surgery, she wouldn't have much quality of life after that, it would involve removing so much tissue and bone.I said absolutly not, and he was glad I agreed.So, I have had Peanut put down.
Poor little Peanut.I'd like to say, with as many times as I've had to do this, I'd get used to it, but you never really "get used to it".

Gonna strangle my birds..(first post!)

My birds are driving me insane.I would almost rather hear them screaming than making the noise they are making now.See, several times a year, when they are feeling amorous toward each other, they sit at the bottom of the cage with their heads together and make these noises that sound exactly like fingernails down a chalkboard.It's loud, and its constant,like once every 5--10 seconds.Then, the next day, I find a cold egg at the bottom of the cage, which I quickly toss.Years ago I saved them, and I would blow out the contents by poking a hole at either end of the egg, so I have a little bowl actually filled with wee parrot eggs.
I toss the egg because A) the last things I need are baby parrots to look after, and B) my birds are two different species,(not "breeds"), which would result in a hybrid,and I don't believe in hybridizing parrots.But they are such closely related species it's easy for them to think they are mated pair,and oh, how they love to do the things a mated pair does.(rolls eyes)