More of my Wellness.

Last posting of my illness, I was on the mend.  The diagnosis a bit of a mix of things. That was on a Saturday, the following Monday was even more.

I woke up and readied for my shower and looked down at many many bruises and tiny red spots all over my body.  Frustrated does not even describe what I felt. 

 I called the MD office, I could not do a walk in in the AM because they had a staff meeting, so come at 2pm and they would fit me in.  They did, at 4:30-  Dr. Sponsel was not pleased with what was happening, with my body. The possibilities ranged from virus infecting blood to leukemia and even possibly other cancerous things.... He ordered blood work and a full body scan, to have results before Thanksgiving.  

Dr Sponsel is a Christian, who professes his faith with absolutely no qualms, very refreshing and mentoring to me.  He said he knew we were to have faith in these matters, yet he also believed God wanted us to have comfort and peace, and that having answers to things would bring this, even if it was 'bad news'.  

Well some answers did come on Wednesday, before TG.  I had no blood platelets and spleen enlarged (must go 'with' platelet issue because scan did not come in for another week)

AND I had MRV/Epstein Barr virus-Which is MONO, a herpes virus.   The latter concerned me so much for the grandchildren, I had the nurse immediately call the MD back, before any more explanation of my diagnosis, so as to know if I had endangered them.  The call back was relieving, the infection needs to be of the slobbery kiss transfer, or more (thus the 'kissing disease') And if they were going to get it they would have already had it from me AND I was no longer infectious.  WHEW.

The next news was on my platelets, and bleeding from missing them.  I was not to bump into things, brush my teeth too hard, nor play with the grandkids in a way that would result in bumbs or  bruises, or I would start bleeding and they would take my spleen out. MMmh. "Could I fix this by drugs or eating broccoli or something ?" 

"Nope."  

"Ok, how long do I walk around like a china doll?"

"At least 4 weeks, it takes platelets some time to replenish from nothingness, IF they do."

"IF?"

Probably will, since probably removed by virus(and found later RX given also)but some do not replenish properly if caused by other things. You will need to come into office every week to get platelets counted to make sure they are going up, for a few weeks,starting Monday."

So there I was, monophied, bruised, but NOT diabetic,nor leukemic. Blessed.

Monday, I went in to give blood.  I commented that I assumed the body scan was 'good'. They checked and found it had not come in at all as they had planned, so it had been overlooked. Whoops.  They then seemed to be a bit concerned again, maybe for chicken counting before all eggs in. They were going to call as soon as records found and reported to MD.  Tuesday, they called... MIRACLE to be documented. My platelets were completely normal, no issues at all, I would not need to come in again for any more rechecks. 4 weeks had turned to 4 days.    The scan had also been found and studied, completely clear (except morning BM still present to photographed, but we all know that I am 'FULL of IT).

Since this I have also found that my Mono,was a 'relapse', like all herpes virus can do.  I had mono previously in life and the stress of all of the illness/dehydration and ? triggered it to raise it's ugly head.  Dr. Sponsel and we are not thinking Mono was the primary cause, he still thinks it was toxins in the body that sent me over the edge-- The tannins and fermented of the Wurstfest, cement poisoning when cement ate through my skin and into blood stream, pituitary tumor messing with adrenals all the time, celiac(autoimmune disease) =dehydration and total body collapse-- And God can heal anything anytime, even before we know what we need healing from.. 

I was very sick, I was very aware of this and so very distressed at the thought of not being around for my family, my grandchildren births, graduations, marriages. So aware of missing my blessings, should I be called home now.  I was on my knees. I asked God for my healing and he gave it to me.  No diagnosis needed, only my God's healing hand.   

It always takes something like this to bring things into a new,better light. To show what we take advantage of. The 'things' being our blessings.  I am blessed, I am always blessed, and rarely do I actually look at and treasure up my blessings as I should.  There are still many many things I wish I 'do'. I know I should, because God has given me these things, yet I 'do' not enough with them.  

*My Grandchildren-- more time, more goings on, -go ahead and splurge.. 

*My Boys- more time, more 'talks', tell them more about me-- who else will?

*My Talents- use them, try them, - failure is not using them

*My Family- God gave them all to me, bio and adopted and legal they are all 'real' to me  and , I need to grasp those gifts.

SteveMikeLinda(s) YvonneAnneTeriJulieBeckyCheyanneTomTommyPaulWendiNealGingerDeanAshley

JoeyPattyFranMaryLeMonicaGeneJennyDianeCandiceJamieCodyNeal(s)TravisNathan

KarenTanahVioletGarySuzyFranBlaineJames(s)MaryLouAshtonBobbyColleen

JustinMegMelissa(s)JoeyDeuceM'lissaChrisTheresaLeeEvanTyBrianTrentDavidJoeEmory

RustyJuneChadErinChelseaZachGabDallas(s)AndrewLeslieKennethBryanDanielRachelEJ RebeccaJeffScottStephanieBrittanyMaryChristineKatyMKenzie

*My Husband- a perfect fit, my protector and friend. I need to know that and rejoice.

*My Friends- more than I know,more than I deserve.

The framing has been completed. The trusses should go up tomorrow, and then the decking. Yes, that is a cat on top of the wall, and 3 dogs in the house.(Hobo is the dark brown new 'find'.

The delay from illness and lack of follow through and change of roof supplier has taken it's toll.

We will not have a house by Christmas. But that was probably really NOT going to really happen, anyway. WE will have a roof though, we will be dried in. Hopefully we will get a loan for Christmas. (Pray for such!)

The crew that are doing the frame work are again a God send. They are local too, the out of towner we thought would be the 'better deal' was 3x more than this crew. These guys are great, they helped me fix some walls that changed up because I just found 2 of my showers 'moved' thus a few adjustments had to be made-- But they really helped a great deal made sure everything centered etc. Like they actually care! The second day they were putting up walls, it was COLD even had some snow flurries.

Wall Pour Video

The building continues

The house and the blog progress suffered during my illness.

Prior to, we did pour the porches, order windows, and get our cement grinder in and begin grinding.

THE FLOOR: The grinder/polisher was a pretty big purchase , but it will be worth it in the long run-- To hire it out would be about $18,000. Our machine was $7000 and we intend to sell it (we thought to hire me out, but after only 1/2 of one out of 8 grinds in, I will NOT do this professionally)

The first grind is to 'roughen and smooth' both. Heavy metal grinding wheels grind off the top layer of concete to expose aggregate. It worked well on the area of the house that

was poured first during our 'rainy' pour. That was about 1/4 of the house. The rest of the slab, our guys were able to 'burn' the surface, a good thing with the iffy pour we had, a bad thing when grinding. So I have to use water grind to get that 'burn' off' . Making the grinding a bit slower. After I get through this, the rest should go 2x as fast.

THE PORCHES: They look great!! Our cement guys came and poured the porches and the drive in a couple of days. Actually showed up a day early, because they had finished up another job, we were not ready. But they helped me clean up around house while we waited for dirt-- They are great!

WINDOWS: We ordered them about 4 weeks ago- pretty good price. They came in last week. We wanted to wait and put them in after roof-- But....(explain later). So they put them in Monday.-- They look great!! we have windows, no doors and no roof- 1/3 dried in?

ROOF: Steel trusses with Young NOT happening. They low balled us on the estimate, turns out this is their 'way'. Our $18000 trusses turned into $28000. We got the cal

l just after leaving the Neurologist in Round Rock. -- We have been searching since. Getting bids, probably should have done this before. It looks like a Littlefield wood truss company will be our roof.-40 something trusses around $8000 delivered. A crew that used to do Betenbough Homes (old childhood next door neighbor) may put them up. Still praying for the 'right' people for this. Hope it is not us.-- IF this is our set up, then we should have a roof by early Dec.

DOORS: Do you know how much money doors cost? Right now 1 exterior doors will cost more than our air conditioner/heat pump.-- Keith is thinking of building them himself-- does anyone have a table saw/planer/joiner? cheep?

All is well-now- with my soul...

I have not posted in weeks, because I have been sick for weeks, then still recovering for weeks. 

What was wrong?? No real diagnosis as of yet. 

What were the symptoms? They were immense, in more than one way.  

Began with a headache, dull and in the temples.  This was the Sunday after we had experienced the Wurstfest for the first time.  So I deduced that dark beer (with wheat which is a no-no) and lots of polka dancing and amazing homemade sauerkraut and being packed like German sardines in the something-named-German- building, was the culprit and popped two Aleve and proceeded to church and such with the family.

Well it became much worse from there.  The headache never left, my neck was killing me, all my joints were screaming at me.  Monday once home, I just curled up on my couch and had chicken broth and old movies and children's Motrin. Tuesday, all pain a bit more intense- definitely not the flu, no other 'sick' feeling.  Called M.D's, I have two I can try to get into.  Nope-- two weeks away appointments. I thought 'well maybe?this will go away'.  It did not.

With a 'secret' mobile # we finally did get into one of the MD's (turns out wrong one)

He 'guessed' maybe flu-- I was sure not, but he said if not , then we would try again.  I truly can not figure out why I can not convey how very sick I am. 

I will condense the rest if I can:

Wed: RX given makes me ill (er) neck, eyes, temples HURT.

Thurs: pain med called in-- this makes me ILL (ER) pain more intense also.

Fri: Keith takes me to Odessa ER( he wanted to take me to Dallas, but I could not go that far)

I have intense pain, photophobia, neck pain, vomiting, my blood vessels have collapsed, my blood pressure is low. - I tell them I usually have great veins, and I have been throwing up and eating and drinking little, I suggest my being dehydrated...  I pee very little in a cup and I get cat scan, a 'concoction of pain meds via IV and a bag of fluids.  I do truly begin to feel some better.  The diagnosis, maybe a histamine headache.   I am pretty good the rest of the day, pain subsided, and I can eat and drink.

Sat: early AM-- It is back.  no nausea this time.  Pain intense-- Keith takes me back to Odessa.

New MD-- Get his concoction which contains morphine and no fluids.  The veins are not there still.  The meds, cover the pain but I can tell still there, not feel too well.  I tell him I really do not feel that much result except 'muffled' pain.  Sent home, with diagnosis - some kind of headache. DUH.  This treatment lasted about 3 hours.

Sunday: Keith has talked to 2 people during week that suggest Scott and White.  He finds they have a 'branch' in Round Rock--We are on the road to Round Rock by 8AM- I try to eat a Popsicle in Sterling City-- it was good till San Angelo. -- We arrive in Round Rock about noon-Now my blood pressure is the highest it has ever been in my life. They hook me up to IV after much problem with finding veins. Give a 'concoction' again, then fluids, once the fluids start flowing I feel much better.  I explain to nurses and MD all the vein issues and how much better I feel with fluids, I think I have dehydration. Not listening.  I am talking to Lee about it on the mobile, Keith is hearing this too, so he goes out and suggests to MD that I may need another bag of fluids, since mine is almost out.  She asks if I have peed yet, nope-- So she says- Great deduction- and adds a bag- 1/2 way through second bag I am great!! Starving too.--We get out I get a pizza around the corner( wheat, but food!) I shop at Ikea and go to Jamie's(niece that lives very near) I bend over to pet Sadie(dog) and BAM, lightening bolts of pain shoot to head and ears roar-- CRAP-- it is back, I almost cry.  But then 4 min later it goes away-- Not cured obviously, but I just wont bend my head quick... The rest of evening perfect.

Mon: Appt with Neurologist with S.W. clinic-- follow up suggested by S.W. ER.-- He is DWEEB.

he suggests cluster migraine, or something like-- Pituitary tumor not an issue, it is small (but it is there so...?)He has a concoction it is the 'best' (NOT) --2 weeks of Prednisone-upper- (steroid)(start with 8 a day, work down to 1) Valium-downer- and compazine - to 'keep it all in'.

Prognosis: Christy=Zombie.--- I asked him what this was for, he said "Your headache" . I told him it was gone yesterday- so I asked "do I have a headache?" He said I did.-- I did not take his concoction.

Later Monday I went about 30 minutes w/o a drink and the headache began again.  So I started drinking drinking drinking-- The head ache went away.

I am learning the tricks-- hydrate constantly, keep proteins high.  (I know, looks diabetic)

The Friday following I did get into my Dr. finally-- he was most distressed that we had not gotten to him sooner-- told us to be insistent and barge into office--- Good to know-too late.

--After the long description of above: He had some theories: Definite dehydration-severe. Why still a problem, will figure out.  Toxicity from something: maybe the cement I have been working with, Cement Poisoning. Maybe a accumulation of much, cement poisening, some herbals I was taking reacting with the smoked/salted/fermented German food I ate, and my pituitary tumor reacting to being 'used' too much. 

My first blood work did have a high blood sugar, as well as a low prolactin.  The blood sugar again diabetes suggesting BUT, also pituitary as well as the prolactin.  My second, 'starved' blood take, brought on no symptoms, and we are all expecting normal blood sugar now.  MD is still in the mind of a toxic reaction to ...   ?

So now? I seem better-- but since not knowing the cause of the problem-- I am being cautious.  Somewhat.  I must get back to work, with cement grinding.  I now wear a mask, gloves and my rubber boots. I hydrate. I eat 3meals with protein. I pray.

Speaking of prayers, my prayers changed a great deal during this ordeal.  From get me over this, to heal me, to just take me, NOW. In the midst of all though was my total thankfulness and awe over my dear sweet caring husband.   I know most of the time Keith acts as if he has little concern of anyone or anything.  He allows you to 'come along' as long as you do it right.   This is NOT always, Keith saw to all my needs, left his work, got a hotel room for my comfort, held my head, rubbed my back, made me drink, listened to me wail-- thought too I might die.  And did not want it. 

As always, God gives us opportunity in midst of a trial. Mine was to see my husbands love.

We poured the walls!! What a relief! I have posted a few more pictures to Photo bucket and it really should be on just under this post... Suppose to know what I am doing- I finally got it to work- it is posted on November 22-- So this is out of order-- Like everything with a build.

The wall pouring was so very intense! We had gone the Friday before our pour on Monday, to Dave and Pams home to help them pour. Keith had met them in Lubbock at the class Poly sTeel gave as a how to. Keith and Dave really hit it off and have been calling back and forth and following each others progress, and promised to trade off 'help'. Pam and Dave 'got to' pour first.

There were some issues in their pour. The slump was too thick then too soupy, the pumper was not 'pumping' as efficiently as they expected. The pump hose was an inch wider than the wall. So thy had to walk around and holding a couple of board together to funnel the cement into the house walls. We left with lots of ideas of what we were not going to have happen. Most of it did not. But other did.

First pour of slump was perfect! Second x around was a bit soupy and started urping out of the window holes. The window holes are meant to use when you need to pump the cement under windows in case the cement does not flow under them. That was not a problem!

So as the soup pumped through the windows, plopping on the ground and my floor, I crammed my hands in the holes and screamed up to the guys, who could hear nothing. 'MOVE'. Seriously all they needed to do is figure out this by the second window urping, and scan the window areas and save my hands from later rotting off from cement contact.

Then comes the 3rd x around , we waited a bit so the soup would harden up some. We were thinking ahead. NOT. We thought after the window fiasco, that was our biggest problem. NOT.

Half way around, in an area in between two windows, Keith and Lee are pumping and pumping and pumping the supposed last two feet of cement-- NOT. Keith realized at the last moment, or past the last moment, the 8 ft of cement that was suppose to be there was NOT, it had pumped under and out the windows on the other pour. So they pumped almost 8 ft into the walls- a BIG NO NO. Just as he figured it out he yelled MOVE. They started to then ' CRACK" BLOWOUT. But God is gracious, it was on the outside of the wall!! I ran out and tried to hold the hole closed as the other guys found the emergency peices of patch wood that we had set up for maybe blowouts. We survived it, the house survived it, Dave and Rex patched the hole. We used the amazingly long screws the guy from Garden City gave us, just in case.

So now here we are walls, no more wondering if the braces will hold our styrofoam walls together till we pour. We have walls! Ordered our windows. Our roof/trusses are being built and designed. Our floor grinder made it in!-- The day is coming, we will have a house!

The PROUDest Grandma!

She is here!  Our precious little doll, Erin Faith-- She was born October 1.

Now one, thus far, to be a 'shoe in' to pass some of Nana's opals to! (Moms Bday is 10/11)

                     Mom would be so proud! She was so very proud of Tanah and Cheyanne.

  Mom loved to show the girls off when they visited her.  I found at least 4 notations of a visit from Cheyanne to Manor Park.--- It was just about a year ago, for the October birthday celebrations at Manor Park.  All the honorees were to be presented with cake and their families came to enjoy the celebration with musical entertainment.  Ashton and Cheyanne and Keith and Evan and I were there to help celebrate the evening. At the last minute, the entertainment canceled, so the entertainment was presented by the resident pianist(one of the residents who had taught piano at the college prior to moving to Manor Park who plays very well.) 

Cheyanne was about 17 months and toddling well, and of course absolutely gorgeous with the big baby blues and blond curls.  When the piano began to play Cheyanne wanted out of the stroller, so we obliged.  Chey then proceeded to 'work' the room.  Went to all the tables and smiled and cooed, then went to the piano player and smiled and cooed, then eyed  the stage and smiled and ran and climbed upon it. Then she smiled and wooed! 

All of Mom's notations were of how everyone told her 'her great granddaughter was gorgeous, so precious, and much better than any entertainment that could have come in.'  In each note she agreed and said "how very proud she was of her greats, grands, and loved all of her family dearly." I know Mom just as thrilled with Ty and Erin.  My phone would be ringing constantly until they came to visit and then more to find out when they would come back.  

I too am proud,  more than I think anyone can imagine. Even more than Mom could know.   Proud that I am blessed with these grandchildren, with my children, now adults and their wives, my 'daughters'.  Proud that God gifted me with these wonderful gifts.  They are affirmation of me, of my being.  To see that these families, these children are direct descen-dants, products of my existence, gives me amazing purpose.  God meant me to be, I am no 'mistake'.  All I have to do is look into the eyes of, Lee, Brian, Evan, Tanah, Cheyanne, Ty and Erin and see a little of me, and KNOW they are His, He has a plan and we are all part of it,and He makes no mistakes..