Long, Busy Weekend

In July we will have had our house for 8 years (how can it really be that long already?)  For all that time we have been working pretty much non-stop on remodeling and updating.  There is not one room in the house that hasn't had a face lift of some sort.  So, we had lot of left over pieces and parts of construction materials laying around and taking up precious space.  I ordered a dumpster to be delivered to the house on Friday and today it is full!  We had already taking anything reusable to Restore so everything left just needed to go.

We totally reorganized both sheds.  Yes, we have two sheds in our yard, but no garage.  Shed west, as we like to call it, is now a work room and tool storage (see picture above.)  Shed east is purely storage now and holds the lawnmower and snow blower.  As you might know, I love me some organizing so this part of the work was actually a little fun for me.  I loved fitting the various totes of storage items into shed east like I was playing a very large game of tetris.  Thankfully, we are lucky enough to have the means to store Ian's old clothing to pass along and to store totes of materials for drywall projects and painting projects to come in the future.

Hopefully, we can keep up with the organization now that we have hooks and shelves galore in shed west for storing everything.  I think that Chris is pretty excited to have the shed clean enough that he can actually go inside and use it like a little work room.   I'm excited to start the summer with a clean slate!

Erythema Nodosum

As I referenced in my last post, I have been dealing with some issues with my legs since mid-May.  I haven't really felt like blogging about it when I was feeling the worst but now that I am getting back to normal I guess I should tell the story.  Then if you see me with my temporary handicap parking permit you will know why.

It started with some pain in my knees and progressed to pain in my feet within a week.  Another week went by and my legs broke out in red, hard lumps all over my knees down to my feet.  When I finally was referred to a specialist I had more than 15 clusters of nodules on my legs and my legs and feet were so swollen I could barely cram my feet into flip flops and I could hardly walk.

It was pretty much the most terrifying time I have ever had in my life.  For weeks I didn't know what was wrong with my legs and it hurt so badly.  But finally I got into see the specialist, who tested for everything under the sun and diagnosed me with Erythema Nodosum, which is an inflammatory disorder.  Thankfully a strong dose of Prednisone brought down the swelling within days and now a month later, besides a little aching and calf cramps I am feeling a million times better.  I still can't walk long distances or work out for more than a few minutes at a time but I am feeling so much more like myself again.

My doctor says that now we need to maintain keeping the swelling and inflammation down, then we can work on trying to figure out what is causing this issue.  It isn't anything major, as I have already been through tons of tests that ruled out the major illnesses and infections that can cause EN.  Still I would like to try and figure out what the trigger was so I can find a way to make sure this doesn't happen again and so I can stop this side affect filled medication.

Here are a couple pictures from my legs at their worst. Now my legs look normal save for a few bruise like remnants of the worst of those nodules and a little puffiness just below my ankle.

EN is rare, so leave it to me to get it!  Just my luck.

Holy Hives Batman

Yesterday I had quite the little adventure and ended in a trip to the ER.  First I would like to say that I am perfectly fine, so no need to worry.  I just wanted to type out the whole situation, so if you don't care there is no need to read further 

At work we got a fruit basket from the market down the hall.  Since our office is so close they always treat us during the holidays because our employees bring in a lot of business.  One of my coworkers suggested we open it up so people could grab fruit on the way through.  So I cut off the cellophane type wrapping and threw it out.

Minutes later my hands started itching, like itching bad enough that I couldn't sit still it was so uncomfortable.  So I washed my hands and put on some lotion.  Still they itched more and then turned a lovely, festive shade of red.  It was pretty clear at this point it was an allergic reaction so I went straight to the one office I knew would have some Benedryl...they are prepared for just about anything.  Of course there was one Benedryl left in their can of emergency medications so down the hatch it went and I went off to wash my hands again.  As I stood with my hands in the cool water I noticed that my arms were also getting all blotchy.  So I decided to go home sick from work...not really sure what I would do when I got home but I knew that I shouldn't be at work anymore.

One my way out the door I called my husband to tell him that I was going home sick and that he needed to pick up Ian from day care.  I got in my car and started to drive home.  I didn't get off of the campus where I work and all that redness burst into hives and big welts, and I could tell that it was on my back and legs too from they way that they felt.  So I pulled over and called my husband again to tell him I was going to the ER.  Before I got to the ER my tongue was feeling numb or maybe swollen...not really sure but it was making it hard to talk clearly.

Thankfully the ER was FAST.  I am talking really, really fast!  It was more like what you see in the movies and not the usual sitting around waiting ER you get in real life.  I told the receptionist what I was there for and she sent me to get checked in.  They took my name, put a bracelet on my arm, and sent me right back to triage...I didn't even sit down!  I was really impressed since any other time I have been to this ER you spent more time waiting than anything else.  After the triage nurse took down what was going on she got me to a cubical and three nurses descended upon me hooking up an IV, oxygen, and heart monitoring equipment.  That was the point that it got real.  A nurse sliding oxygen under my nose made me realized how not good this situation really was.  The doctor same in and got the story one more time before having one of the nurses inject medications into the IV port followed by several syringes of saline.  The hives started to go away before she finished pushing the saline.

I got to go home shortly after that after a whole hour in the ER.  Chris came to the ER right after I called him but he had to go and pick up Ian from day care.  When I was released I had to have a driver, but I couldn't reach Chris so I called a friend who was awesome and came to pick me up.

What a day it was.  After thinking over everything I came into contact with it had to be that fruit basket wrapping that gave me the reaction.  Something they put on the fruit to keep in fresh maybe.  I have never had an allergic reaction before.  It was super scary how fast it go worse.  I just kept thinking about all those people with peanut allergies that have to live in fear of this happening because peanut products are everywhere.  I knew it was awful but now that I know what it feels like I feel so terrible for them.  Not fun at all.

That is my adventure.  Today I am feeling fine, if only a little itchy.  The steroids they gave me are helping to open up my sinuses I think because I have been sneezing like crazy all morning.  So I guess one good thing will come from my trip to the ER...maybe no more congestion for a few days.  You have to look on the bright side right?

Finally I have to give it to my husband for being pretty much the most awesome guy ever.  He told me this morning that before I went to sleep he inspected my arms and legs for hives by flashlight, just to be sure so he could sleep.  What a guy!

That Bites

Tuesday morning I woke up with swollen and painful gums in one area of my mouth.  At first I thought that I must have chipped off a part of my tooth grinding my teeth in my sleep, because when I ran my tongue over the area I felt entirely too much gum and not enough tooth.  When I examined my teeth in the mirror using the tiny mirror in a blush compact to see into my mouth, I saw that my gums were swollen up around the edge of one tooth.  This came out, seemingly out of nowhere with no real pain before hand.  Surprise!

So, of course, the first thing I did was call the dentist and beg them to fit me in to get it checked out.  The dentist office was very accommodating and got me in right away.  (I love them!)  So I rushed off to my appointment and was examined, x-rayed, poked and prodded.

Quick back story: when I first starting seeing this dentist (which was in 2002, as they reminded me of today) my dentist picked on me and giggled (a very manly, but Chinese, giggle) over the fact that I have two baby teeth left in my mouth.  He has been endlessly amused by this all these years.  No adult teeth ever came through in those positions so they never fell out.  Simple story, but apparently in dentist it is a comedy.  I actually have a filling in one of them already in our attempt to reserve them so I don't have to get a bridge or implants, or have a gap because I can't afford a bridge or implants. So yeah, I am the freak with the baby teeth.

So back to my gums, my dentist comes in and explains to me in his broken English that there is an infection around the baby tooth.  My body is trying to expel my youth the baby tooth that does not belong!

So we are going to try a course of antibiotics to see if we can push out the infection and have things go back to good for a while.  Thankfully my dentist isn't into doing dental work that isn't necessary so he is all on board with trying to save my little tooth, probably so he can giggle about it some more.  (Again, I love my dentist, even with the making fun of my baby teeth!)

Sadly, if the antibiotics don't take care of the problem the next step is to remove the baby tooth (and I will have to change my name to Mindy Sue and learn to play and banjo.)

So that is where I am: please send good thoughts to my youth baby tooth.  My body might not want it, but I do!

Short Update

I know I have been missing in action for a bit, but work has been super busy recently with the fall semester starting.  All my free time (which isn't much these days) has been spent recharging for the next day and working on preparing for the launch of my Etsy shop (coming soon!)

So not to leave you hanging for too long I thought I would post some pictures.  Hopefully I will be back with regular posts in about a week when the rush at work is winding down and I can have two minutes to myself to breathe again.

The first pictures are from a pug play group picnic we took the dogs to this weekend.  The group meets monthly so the pugs can play together and owners can visit.  This month was the groups annual picnic, and out first time attending the picnic.  Ian had so much fun talking to everyone.  It was the first time I have ever seen him try to engage strangers in a real conversation.  He talked to everyone!





Cowboy Ian watching Rango.  You can't watch a cowboy movie without a cowboy hat!


Play date with Isabelle; she has the coolest musical toys!

Week in Review

We had a lovely week off camping in spite of the chilly weather and occasional rain thunderstorms.  There were some adventures, a few memorable moments, and great family and friends. 

My wonderful in-laws were so kind to let us borrow their camper trailer for the week and we went to Harbor Beach, Michigan.  It was so beautiful out by Lake Huron, even on the not so nice days the lake view was amazing.  We had my in-laws visit with us often and during the bad weather we hightailed it to their house to get out of the nasty weather.  Also, my parents came to stay for two days as well.  It was so great having family around to visit with, and it made it more relaxing for me because there were a lot of extra eyes for watch Ian and sometimes the dogs too!

Also, this trip helped to check something off my life list.  It was Ian's first camping experience and he did great! Even when the chill or the rain kept us inside the small trailer he was content to play or watch a video.  Ian loved to go play at the swing set on the beach, and go for walks in the woods (where he liked to peep into the empty rustic cabins.)  My favorite part of this trip was watching Ian enjoy all these new things like seeing a lake and sandy beach, walking the pier, and flying a kite.

So here are some of the pictures from our adventures, but you can find more pictures on Flickr, should you choose to snoop further. ;)























Rained out on our last evening on the site.  We packed up and spent the last night of our vacation at Chris' parents.  Everyone had freezing feet after walking through the ankle deep water to pack up the car with our things from the camper.  Even though the weather was awful it was actually a little fun to pack up and be creative with getting everything and everyone to the car.  I learned that I can carry two dogs at the same time when I have to, and that even when things don't go the way you want them to it doesn't mean it can't be a fun time.

Kane on the Loose

Our neighbors have a dog; he is a young German Shepherd mix they call Kane.  For the most part he is harmless, rarely barks, sometimes sneaks into your backyard to play and poop.  The only concern I have about Kane is his aggressive friendliness.  The broken fence on his side of the yard makes it too tempting to hope over into our yard so I can't really blame him for that. Maybe his owner but not Kane.
 


(photo from last spring of Kane visiting while we drew with sidewalk chalk outside.)

It isn't uncommon for Kane to be outside and come bounding over to say hi when we arrive home.  Usually it is just lots of wiggling and poking with his snout, but he is a big boy and just his size alone could knock you over if he decides to brush the back of your knee in his circles of joy.  He has knocked Ian over before coming to say hi so I'm always cautious and get Kane to go home when Ian is around, but when I'm alone I don't mind Kane's little visits.

Thursday evening I ran out to get a few groceries and a treat for work on Friday because it is one of my student's last day.  I piled the few bags in the back of the van at the foot of Ian's car seat.  When I got home I noticed Kane in the front yard with one of our neighbor's friends.  I got out of the car as usual and opened the sliding door to get my stuff.  At this moment, I noticed Kane bounding across our yard at full speed, coming to say hello.  I turned to face him and braced myself in case he jumped on me when he arrived.  Instead, he jumped right past me and into the back of my van.  He wiggled his way into the back behind the seats, like he thought he was going to get to go on a car ride. 

I was totally in shock at first.  I really didn't expect that at all!  After checking to make sure he didn't smash my food I opened the back hatch for him to get out while the neighbor's friend came running calling out Kane's name.  Whoever the guy was he looked completely mortified.  Kane didn't do any damage and eventually hopped back out of the van the same way he came in and went bounding home with the guy.  He was quickly ushered into the house. 

At least no real harm is done when Kane is on the loose. 

It is going to be a blast the next time Mason is in the van and catches a whiff of Kane having been in the vehicle.  He's little smooshed nose will be all out of joint. 





(For the record I feel really lucky to have a friendly dog living next door.  He might stop by for unexpected visits but it could be a lot worse if he was mean.)