This is one of my favorite poems.
Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.
Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus, this is rest.
Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus' bosom naught but calm is found.
Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away?
In Jesus' keeping we are safe, and they.
Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and he is on the throne.
Peace, perfect peace, death shadowing us and ours?
Jesus has vanquished death and all its powers.
It is enough: earth's struggles soon shall cease,
and Jesus call us to heaven's perfect peace.
________________________________________
Edward Henry Bickersteth, 1875
Monday, July 2, 2007
Sunday, July 1, 2007
25 years is a long time.
Last Friday night my Dad got his 25 year coin for sobriety. The only reason I know this is because my Mom told me. I didn’t know they were going to have a ceremony and that his 25th anniversary of sobriety was last Friday. In fact I thought it’d already past.
I don’t know if you remember, but on Father’s Day I posted this. I also sent it to my Dad. Well, I only found out about this anniversary celebration a few days before it happened and I was not able to attend. I would have loved to, but I just couldn’t get away long enough for the 6 hour drive there and the 6 hour drive back. I wish I could have made it work, but what with B and his broken jaw and A and her allergy, and D being obsessed with finishing the deck I was afraid if I left they would not get fed. Not to mention my van gets 10 miles a gallon, on a good day.
Anyway, my mom told me that she got up and read the letter I wrote to my Dad during the ceremony. How cool is that? Now I am kind of glad I did not make it because what if they had wanted ME to get up in front of all those people (and there were A LOT of people there) and read the letter. I don’t speak in front of people. It is my goal to get all the way to my death bed without having to get up in front of a group larger than my family and speak.
I do think it was kind of cool for all those people to hear what I wrote though. I know there were people there who had only been sober for 1 day or 1 week or 1 month, and their lives were falling apart, and they had lost everything including their families, and maybe what I said to my dad gave them some hope that God really can restore their lives if they let Him.
I think if I had known that my mom was going to read my letter in front of all those people I would have said more about that. The only reason my Dad has been able to be sober for 25 years is because of the Lord. The only reason the relationships with his children have been restored to him is because of God’s grace.
Every good and perfect gift is from above. That is what I would have said to that guy sitting in the back who was at his first AA meeting and he was only there because his wife left him and took his kids with her and he has no other hope. I wish I could have told that guy that God is his only hope. If he looks to Him, maybe in 25 years he too can be up on that stage getting his 25 year coin and reading a letter from his daughter congratulating him.
I don’t know if you remember, but on Father’s Day I posted this. I also sent it to my Dad. Well, I only found out about this anniversary celebration a few days before it happened and I was not able to attend. I would have loved to, but I just couldn’t get away long enough for the 6 hour drive there and the 6 hour drive back. I wish I could have made it work, but what with B and his broken jaw and A and her allergy, and D being obsessed with finishing the deck I was afraid if I left they would not get fed. Not to mention my van gets 10 miles a gallon, on a good day.
Anyway, my mom told me that she got up and read the letter I wrote to my Dad during the ceremony. How cool is that? Now I am kind of glad I did not make it because what if they had wanted ME to get up in front of all those people (and there were A LOT of people there) and read the letter. I don’t speak in front of people. It is my goal to get all the way to my death bed without having to get up in front of a group larger than my family and speak.
I do think it was kind of cool for all those people to hear what I wrote though. I know there were people there who had only been sober for 1 day or 1 week or 1 month, and their lives were falling apart, and they had lost everything including their families, and maybe what I said to my dad gave them some hope that God really can restore their lives if they let Him.
I think if I had known that my mom was going to read my letter in front of all those people I would have said more about that. The only reason my Dad has been able to be sober for 25 years is because of the Lord. The only reason the relationships with his children have been restored to him is because of God’s grace.
Every good and perfect gift is from above. That is what I would have said to that guy sitting in the back who was at his first AA meeting and he was only there because his wife left him and took his kids with her and he has no other hope. I wish I could have told that guy that God is his only hope. If he looks to Him, maybe in 25 years he too can be up on that stage getting his 25 year coin and reading a letter from his daughter congratulating him.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Running Away is Good for the Soul.
I have a confession to make. Sometimes I run away. I usually tell people before I do, and I drive not run, so I guess technically it is not running away, it is avoiding my family. There is the ugly truth, do you still love me?
Today I am avoiding my family by sitting at the library. I thought this would be a nice getaway to unwind and write and you know, have a complete thought. But I was wrong; it has just really made me worry about the state of our nation. I am sitting between the adult romance and mystery stacks, and the young adult section. OH. MY. GOODNESS! First of all the Romance section…like my grandma used to say, Well, I have never! We never knew what she had never done, she never completed her sentence, but she always said it when she saw something that defied explanation. And the covers of these books they have just sitting out for everyone to see defy explanation.
And the Mystery paperbacks are not much better. If you want to be a psycho killer you don’t really have to be very creative, you can just go to your local library’s mystery section and get all the inspiration you need.
Now let’s talk about the young adult fiction. Right in front of my eyes, there is a book called Vegan, Virgin Valentine, and another above it called The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things. Well, I never! What on earth passes for youth fiction these days? I don’t even know what to say to that.
I do have this nice panoramic view of a little lake\pond to my right and I think I’ll just try to concentrate on God’s beauty and not think about The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things.
Looking out this nice window would encourage someone to perhaps go and walk the pretty little path that goes around the lake\pond, but I’ve lived here a long time and I’ll not be fooled. I know it is 357 degrees with %157 humidity, and it has been raining so much that the mosquitoes are large and numerous enough to carry off small animals and children.
In fact this is the reason I ran away from home. At home my husband (D) has wrangled and cajoled and downright threatened our offspring into helping him finish the deck we are building behind our house, and by we I mean D and the children still young enough to fall for the ‘come help me, I’ll be fun’ ploy.
This deck has been in the works for months. Truly, we have had week after week of nice cool or even cold weather that would have been perfect for working outside in TX, but he waits until June to decide he simply cannot stand the incomplete deck any longer. I know how this works and if I am at home, he’ll find a way to rope me in.
People, it is just too darn hot to be working outside! I can happily live with an incomplete deck until October when it is cool enough to go outside again.
So here I sit, hiding at the library. And people, I don’t feel one little bit of guilt! I’m old enough to know that ‘come help me, it’ll be fun’ is just a downright lie and sometimes you have to just let your offspring learn the hard way.
Today I am avoiding my family by sitting at the library. I thought this would be a nice getaway to unwind and write and you know, have a complete thought. But I was wrong; it has just really made me worry about the state of our nation. I am sitting between the adult romance and mystery stacks, and the young adult section. OH. MY. GOODNESS! First of all the Romance section…like my grandma used to say, Well, I have never! We never knew what she had never done, she never completed her sentence, but she always said it when she saw something that defied explanation. And the covers of these books they have just sitting out for everyone to see defy explanation.
And the Mystery paperbacks are not much better. If you want to be a psycho killer you don’t really have to be very creative, you can just go to your local library’s mystery section and get all the inspiration you need.
Now let’s talk about the young adult fiction. Right in front of my eyes, there is a book called Vegan, Virgin Valentine, and another above it called The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things. Well, I never! What on earth passes for youth fiction these days? I don’t even know what to say to that.
I do have this nice panoramic view of a little lake\pond to my right and I think I’ll just try to concentrate on God’s beauty and not think about The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things.
Looking out this nice window would encourage someone to perhaps go and walk the pretty little path that goes around the lake\pond, but I’ve lived here a long time and I’ll not be fooled. I know it is 357 degrees with %157 humidity, and it has been raining so much that the mosquitoes are large and numerous enough to carry off small animals and children.
In fact this is the reason I ran away from home. At home my husband (D) has wrangled and cajoled and downright threatened our offspring into helping him finish the deck we are building behind our house, and by we I mean D and the children still young enough to fall for the ‘come help me, I’ll be fun’ ploy.
This deck has been in the works for months. Truly, we have had week after week of nice cool or even cold weather that would have been perfect for working outside in TX, but he waits until June to decide he simply cannot stand the incomplete deck any longer. I know how this works and if I am at home, he’ll find a way to rope me in.
People, it is just too darn hot to be working outside! I can happily live with an incomplete deck until October when it is cool enough to go outside again.
So here I sit, hiding at the library. And people, I don’t feel one little bit of guilt! I’m old enough to know that ‘come help me, it’ll be fun’ is just a downright lie and sometimes you have to just let your offspring learn the hard way.
Friday, June 29, 2007
SPICE GIRLS ANNOUNCE REUNION FOR 11-DATE WORLD TOUR
All I can tell you is that I am so relived. Really, I have been waiting for this since they broke up and my world fell apart.
I hope you know me well enough by now to know that the above sentence is dripping with sarcasm. This morning I woke up early to take my son to see Dr Frankenstein, I mean the guy who wired his mouth shut, and I wanted to see if I needed my umbrella. Well, The Spice Girls were all over the news. ON EVERY CHANNEL.
If I remember correctly, America still has a war going on, on at least two fronts, gas is so high it cost me $75 every time I fill up my van, a car bomb was found and defused in London this morning, I’m pretty sure we’re about to elect a new President soon and it cost me $4 for a gallon of milk yesterday. But the smiling faces of the Spice Girls (and a lot of their skin) was staring back at me ON EVERY CHANNEL. And I’m not talking about a little blurb; I’m talking a several minute segment complete with interviews and commentaries.
At least the major news channels have their priorities straight. My day is complete now that I know The Spice Girls are back.
So, can I tell ya what I want? What I really, really want? I WANT REAL NEWS!
Here is what I read on the Fox news article about our favorite girls.
You could now call them the Spice Mums. Beckham said the tour will be designed to accommodate the band members' seven children. Bunton is pregnant with her first child.
"Our priority is going to be our families. We want to have fun," said Beckham, who has three sons with her husband, soccer star David Beckham. "That's one of the many reasons for this, for our children to see what we used to do."
If you had a “Spice Girl” past, would you really want to show it to you kids? Hummmm? I think I’d be denying it to my grave, but that’s just me.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
I’ve had a mind altering experience. At least I think I have, I can’t quite remember.
My friend S and I were escaping our children, I mean, having a nice lunch out today. We were at one of my favorite places to get a good soup and salad; Olive Garden.
I’m quite fond of Olive Garden although it is not our first choice for a nice lunch out. Our first choice is a little hole-in-the-wall place that was here just long enough for us to establish a routine. It was a nice quiet place with mediocre food, good coffee, nice waitresses and a so-so atmosphere. The thing that kept us coming back was the fact that you could sit there all afternoon and they would never make you feel like you were taking up space they needed; they’d just keep bringing the coffee and smile. They also had regulars. You know the type; older people so set in their ways that they go to the same restaurant and order the same thing every time, so much so that the waitress does not really even take their order, she just says “The Usual?” to which we’d, I mean, the old regulars would reply “Yep.” and that was that.
Sadly this nice little hole-in-the-wall closed about a year ago and S and I have not been able to find a replacement, so we just wander aimlessly from restaurant to restaurant, lost and confused. We have to tell the waitresses our orders every time, and they don’t ever ask us how we are and how are our kids. It is really hard.
So back to today; we were having soup and salad at Olive Garden, having a good old time having complete sentences, and not wiping up any spilled juice, when we began to notice a tension in the air. If it had not been raining for the last 10 days I’m sure the air would have crackled.
Apparently the people at the booth across from us were not at all happy with our waitress. It is a long story I won’t bore you with (I’m nice like that) but suffice it to say, the poor waitress was about to cry. She was new and a bit slow, and she did have to be asked twice to refill my diet Coke, but because she was so sweet and apologetic, that oversight was forgivable. Apparently whatever egregious error she had committed was not a forgivable to the ladies in the booth next to us.
They bawled her out, and then complained vigorously about her to the manager. I really felt so bad for the girl, she was trying hard. Really these ladies were so rude to this poor thing that they had her scared spitless! After the ladies harangued the manager, Ester-the-waitress went meekly over to their booth to apologize, and stood ramrod straight awaiting the tongue-lashing she knew she was about to receive. I was cringing for her.
It was at this time that S and I decided we should take our leave. Because really, a girl can only take so much tension while escaping from her children, um I mean, having a nice lunch out.
On our way out we spotted some other friends and chatted with them for a few minutes, then we went to our cars and we chatted some more in the parking lot. (I just love listening to someone who does not start every sentence with “Mom can I?”)
I then hopped in my car to head back home. I started my car and put it in reverse as I watched my friend drive away. It was at this precise moment I realized we had not paid our bill. Just like that, the thought slammed through my brain. NO, surely this could not be right, we had paid. Of course we had paid. Hadn’t we? I sat in my car for a good 2 or 3 minutes trying to conjure up the memory of paying the bill. I could not retrieve it from my brain.
After I tried calling S several times with no luck, I figured I’d better go in and face the music. I had two possibilities: either I’d paid and I was about to go in and make a complete fool of myself, or I had walked out without paying, thus already making a complete fool of myself. Neither option was appealing.
I walked back into the restaurant and asked the hostess if she could get Ester for me. Ester came from the back of the restaurant looking pale and miserable. One look told me that, yes I had indeed walked out of a restaurant pretty-as-you-please, without paying the bill. She was very gracious and accepted my apology for walking out without paying and took my money and thanked me for coming back to pay. While I was there I figured I might as well go all out, and I asked the hostess if I could speak to the manager. When the manager came out I told him how I felt that poor Ester got a bum rap from those ladies and she had been a great waitress for us and I thought those other ladies had been quite rude to poor Ester. I conveniently left out the part where my friend and I left the premises without paying.
Oh my goodness gracious people, I need a keeper!
I’m quite fond of Olive Garden although it is not our first choice for a nice lunch out. Our first choice is a little hole-in-the-wall place that was here just long enough for us to establish a routine. It was a nice quiet place with mediocre food, good coffee, nice waitresses and a so-so atmosphere. The thing that kept us coming back was the fact that you could sit there all afternoon and they would never make you feel like you were taking up space they needed; they’d just keep bringing the coffee and smile. They also had regulars. You know the type; older people so set in their ways that they go to the same restaurant and order the same thing every time, so much so that the waitress does not really even take their order, she just says “The Usual?” to which we’d, I mean, the old regulars would reply “Yep.” and that was that.
Sadly this nice little hole-in-the-wall closed about a year ago and S and I have not been able to find a replacement, so we just wander aimlessly from restaurant to restaurant, lost and confused. We have to tell the waitresses our orders every time, and they don’t ever ask us how we are and how are our kids. It is really hard.
So back to today; we were having soup and salad at Olive Garden, having a good old time having complete sentences, and not wiping up any spilled juice, when we began to notice a tension in the air. If it had not been raining for the last 10 days I’m sure the air would have crackled.
Apparently the people at the booth across from us were not at all happy with our waitress. It is a long story I won’t bore you with (I’m nice like that) but suffice it to say, the poor waitress was about to cry. She was new and a bit slow, and she did have to be asked twice to refill my diet Coke, but because she was so sweet and apologetic, that oversight was forgivable. Apparently whatever egregious error she had committed was not a forgivable to the ladies in the booth next to us.
They bawled her out, and then complained vigorously about her to the manager. I really felt so bad for the girl, she was trying hard. Really these ladies were so rude to this poor thing that they had her scared spitless! After the ladies harangued the manager, Ester-the-waitress went meekly over to their booth to apologize, and stood ramrod straight awaiting the tongue-lashing she knew she was about to receive. I was cringing for her.
It was at this time that S and I decided we should take our leave. Because really, a girl can only take so much tension while escaping from her children, um I mean, having a nice lunch out.
On our way out we spotted some other friends and chatted with them for a few minutes, then we went to our cars and we chatted some more in the parking lot. (I just love listening to someone who does not start every sentence with “Mom can I?”)
I then hopped in my car to head back home. I started my car and put it in reverse as I watched my friend drive away. It was at this precise moment I realized we had not paid our bill. Just like that, the thought slammed through my brain. NO, surely this could not be right, we had paid. Of course we had paid. Hadn’t we? I sat in my car for a good 2 or 3 minutes trying to conjure up the memory of paying the bill. I could not retrieve it from my brain.
After I tried calling S several times with no luck, I figured I’d better go in and face the music. I had two possibilities: either I’d paid and I was about to go in and make a complete fool of myself, or I had walked out without paying, thus already making a complete fool of myself. Neither option was appealing.
I walked back into the restaurant and asked the hostess if she could get Ester for me. Ester came from the back of the restaurant looking pale and miserable. One look told me that, yes I had indeed walked out of a restaurant pretty-as-you-please, without paying the bill. She was very gracious and accepted my apology for walking out without paying and took my money and thanked me for coming back to pay. While I was there I figured I might as well go all out, and I asked the hostess if I could speak to the manager. When the manager came out I told him how I felt that poor Ester got a bum rap from those ladies and she had been a great waitress for us and I thought those other ladies had been quite rude to poor Ester. I conveniently left out the part where my friend and I left the premises without paying.
Oh my goodness gracious people, I need a keeper!
Casting Crowns Praise You In The Storm
A went to her last day of Scottish Rite for the summer today. I couldn’t be happier. It poured all the way there, and all the way home. I left 20 min early and got there 5 min late. What a day, and it’s only 11am.
It just keeps raining, and raining, and raining.
B is doing okay. He is getting used to the fact that must drink everything for the next month. We, have not told him he can’t go to camp yet, although I don’t think he’ll be surprised.
It is just too risky. I feel like it would be irresponsible parenting to let him go, but I hate that he can’t.
He goes to get his mouth tightened down even more tomorrow, poor guy.
Things have been a little stressful around here for the last month. I am trying to find humor in it and trust God in all things, but it’s getting a little hard.
It is not lost on me what my scripture is today…Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
2 Corinthians 1 : 3-4 |
I am trying to remember to praise Him no matter my (or my children’s) circumstances.
I heard this song by Casting Crowns today. It always reminds me that God is there even when I can’t feel it.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
The Boy Is Wired!
****For those of you coming here from the FIAR boards or the Sonlight boards, you've already read this so thank you for coming, but I hate repeating myself, even in print. You've been warned, it is the same post, because, frankly I'm just too worn out to say anything else. Wow! I guess I am speechless. That's rare. :o)****
So here is the scoop.
I take back every nasty thought I had about Dr Hopkins and his staff. They were very nice and we spent at least 3 hours there today, and only about 20 min of that time were we waiting. I can see why he is perpetually behind if he spends this much time per patient.
He gave us some options as to how to best facilitate healing for B’s jaw. Surgery was one option, but the Dr felt that if B could stand it, wiring the jaw shut was the best way to go. So that is what we did.
It was really quite painful for B, and he is still in a lot of pain. He said it hurts as much or worse now as it did when he initially broke it. He will be wired shut for 4 to 6 weeks and will most likely still be wired shut during our trip to Colorado. Soccer is completely out, and camp is questionable.
By the way, when they say wired SHUT they are not kidding. Do me a favor, put your teeth together, as tight as you can, now breathe normally, eat, talk and yawn. Okay, now do that for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Yep! That is it. I think there may be just enough space to stick one of those skinny coffee straws in between his teeth.
I really thought they’d leave him some room in between his teeth to be able to shove in some applesauce or pudding or something.
He is basically going to have to be on a completely liquid diet for the next month. Poor guy.
We have to go back in on Friday am to get the wires tightened. It was too painful to fully set the bone today. They got it close, and the Dr said he’d let the bone “rest” and then he’d tighten in the rest of the way on Friday.
Thanks for praying and please keep it up. It is going to be a long 4 to 6 weeks for B.
Betweem A's anaphylactic allergy and B's liquid diet, I'm going to have to just give up and become a short order cook!
So here is the scoop.
I take back every nasty thought I had about Dr Hopkins and his staff. They were very nice and we spent at least 3 hours there today, and only about 20 min of that time were we waiting. I can see why he is perpetually behind if he spends this much time per patient.
He gave us some options as to how to best facilitate healing for B’s jaw. Surgery was one option, but the Dr felt that if B could stand it, wiring the jaw shut was the best way to go. So that is what we did.
It was really quite painful for B, and he is still in a lot of pain. He said it hurts as much or worse now as it did when he initially broke it. He will be wired shut for 4 to 6 weeks and will most likely still be wired shut during our trip to Colorado. Soccer is completely out, and camp is questionable.
By the way, when they say wired SHUT they are not kidding. Do me a favor, put your teeth together, as tight as you can, now breathe normally, eat, talk and yawn. Okay, now do that for the next 4 to 6 weeks. Yep! That is it. I think there may be just enough space to stick one of those skinny coffee straws in between his teeth.
I really thought they’d leave him some room in between his teeth to be able to shove in some applesauce or pudding or something.
He is basically going to have to be on a completely liquid diet for the next month. Poor guy.
We have to go back in on Friday am to get the wires tightened. It was too painful to fully set the bone today. They got it close, and the Dr said he’d let the bone “rest” and then he’d tighten in the rest of the way on Friday.
Thanks for praying and please keep it up. It is going to be a long 4 to 6 weeks for B.
Betweem A's anaphylactic allergy and B's liquid diet, I'm going to have to just give up and become a short order cook!
Monday, June 25, 2007
Who in the world are the Dearly's?
Time for a funny story. Because, really, every now and then you just need to laugh. They say laughter is the best medicine and I need some meds right now!
When my older sister was a teen she was often at sleepovers. You know, back then we just slept over at people’s houses willy-nilly, with no thought to child predators and safety. Well, at one friends house she overheard the father say he was going to spend the weekend at the Dearly’s.
The next weekend she was over at another friends house for a sleepover (see, willy-nilly!) and overheard that father saying that he had just returned from the Dearly’s.
She heard over the next few months, several people visiting the Dearly’s and wondered who in the world these people were, and how did everyone know them, and how had she never heard of them?
The final straw came when our very own uncle said he was going to the Dearly’s with some friends. She’d had it! Who were these people? So she asked my uncle.
After fits of laughter from everyone in the room, my uncle so kindly explained that the Dearly’s was not a family that people were visiting…it was a place. THE DEAR LEASE!!!
Heheheheheheheeh. We have yet to let her live that down, and now it’s out there in blogland for everyone to enjoy.
When my older sister was a teen she was often at sleepovers. You know, back then we just slept over at people’s houses willy-nilly, with no thought to child predators and safety. Well, at one friends house she overheard the father say he was going to spend the weekend at the Dearly’s.
The next weekend she was over at another friends house for a sleepover (see, willy-nilly!) and overheard that father saying that he had just returned from the Dearly’s.
She heard over the next few months, several people visiting the Dearly’s and wondered who in the world these people were, and how did everyone know them, and how had she never heard of them?
The final straw came when our very own uncle said he was going to the Dearly’s with some friends. She’d had it! Who were these people? So she asked my uncle.
After fits of laughter from everyone in the room, my uncle so kindly explained that the Dearly’s was not a family that people were visiting…it was a place. THE DEAR LEASE!!!
Heheheheheheheeh. We have yet to let her live that down, and now it’s out there in blogland for everyone to enjoy.
Broken Jaw Update...
Actually, it's not much of an update. On Friday night they were ready to send us to Parkland via ambulance. Today no one seems to be in much of a hurry to do anything.
I called the only Dr in the universe that does jaws, promptly at 8am, and was told they don't even have their computers up yet and to please call back at 9am. I wanted to tell them all they had to do was hit the little red button on the tower, but I held my sarcasm in check.
When I called back at 9 I was told that the DR could not see him until Tuesday. I explained that the Dr had said we needed to be seen today, because, you know, the broken jaw, and everything. They were not impressed. He is in surgery and must have forgotten that he had a surgery when he told us, at midnight, without the benefit if his schedule in front of him, to come in on Monday.
So I pulled out the big guns and made them talk to D (My husband, heretofore known as D). No luck. Even deep voiced, formidable sounding D could not procure an appointment for us today.
So, what was an emergency worthy of an ambulance ride on Friday, is not even registering on the squeeze-us-in radar today.
I’ll let you know on Tuesday afternoon, how it went. If they are generous enough to see us.
I called the only Dr in the universe that does jaws, promptly at 8am, and was told they don't even have their computers up yet and to please call back at 9am. I wanted to tell them all they had to do was hit the little red button on the tower, but I held my sarcasm in check.
When I called back at 9 I was told that the DR could not see him until Tuesday. I explained that the Dr had said we needed to be seen today, because, you know, the broken jaw, and everything. They were not impressed. He is in surgery and must have forgotten that he had a surgery when he told us, at midnight, without the benefit if his schedule in front of him, to come in on Monday.
So I pulled out the big guns and made them talk to D (My husband, heretofore known as D). No luck. Even deep voiced, formidable sounding D could not procure an appointment for us today.
So, what was an emergency worthy of an ambulance ride on Friday, is not even registering on the squeeze-us-in radar today.
I’ll let you know on Tuesday afternoon, how it went. If they are generous enough to see us.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
The WHOLE story...
Here is the story, in it’s entirety that I typed up to send out to family so they’d know what is going on and how to pray. The idea was that I would only have to tell the story once, but as soon as everyone read the email, they immediately called and I had to tell it again anyway. :o)
We go see the Oral Surgeon who specializes in jaws on Monday. It is our prayer that he can just set it, and wire it and be done. We are praying that surgery is NOT required, but we’ll know more on Monday.
So here is the story if you want to read it…
It has been a fun filled few days here at our house. Sometimes it feels like someone has hit the fast forward button and you find yourself sitting at an ER on a Friday at midnight, about to be transferred to an even bigger ER via ambulance, to get your teenager’s jaw wired shut. When did this happen? How’d I get here? I was just minding my own business, doing laundry and then zoom, here we are.
B had a motorcycle accident on Thursday afternoon. I won’t bore you with all the motocross jargon like high siding and head shake and whoop te doos. In layman’s terms, he crashed. The handlebar came up and caught him in the jaw under his helmet. He was in some pain and by the time they got home that evening he was a bit swollen, but not too bad.
The next morning he woke up and was quite swollen. Shockingly so. He was thinking maybe he had knocked one of his permanent teeth loose. I thought I’d better call his orthodontist and see if there was anything we needed to do to make sure that tooth stayed in place. Well all people who work on teeth and jaws do not work on Friday apparently. I spent the better part of the day trying to locate his ortho. When I finally did, he said to meet him at his office, he’d open up for us and have it X-rayed. He was afraid, with all that swelling, of a broken jaw. I was not worried about that. Surely he’d be in much more pain if his jaw was broken.
The ortho X-rayed him and while we were waiting for the X-ray to come out, he examined him. He said B was a classic case of a broken jaw and was certain that is what the X-ray would show. His midline was off (Yeah, I did not know what that meant either).
When the X-ray came out the ortho became more concerned. The jaw was indeed broken, but he was more concerned about something else. Apparently there is an artery that runs under the jaw and he was afraid he had nicked or broken that artery open and that all that swelling could be blood build up. YUCK! He was also concerned about some other things that showed up on his X-ray higher up in the jaw joint/skull area.
He said his X-ray did not show enough and told us we needed to go to our local ER and they would probably do a CAT scan to check for a bleed and or a brain injury. YIKES! I came in here thinking he may have knocked a permanent tooth loose!
So off we go to the ER at 7pm on a Friday night. OH JOY! Amazingly they got him in pretty fast and got him scanned. In case you were wondering, the boy does have a brain in his head, I saw it myself.
Now the waiting began, we had to wait for the radiologist to read it, then for him to relay the findings to the DR. Once this was done they decided to give B some SUPER-antibiotics because the scan showed some air pockets in his jaw near the break. This means that he did probably knock that tooth enough to let air down there. That is dangerous because that is where the infection will set in and cause all kinds of problems. However the swelling was not blood, the artery was intact, and they could find no other swelling or brain injury. It was just a broken jaw, and a lot of soft tissue swelling. (Just, don’t you love that!? Who says just a broken jaw?)
As he was getting his IV antibiotics the Dr came in and gave us the bad news. He needs to have his jaw weird shut and they only have one specialist who “does” jaws and he is not on call tonight and he cannot be located. We have to be transferred, via ambulance ($$$$$$) to PARKLAND AT MINDNIGHT ON A FRIDAY!!!! (For those of you not from around here, Parkland is the major trauma center right smack in the middle of Downtown Dallas, very far away from our house, and at that time of night was probably full of gun shot wounds and stabbing victims.) Needless to say this was NOT happy news. While my husband argued with the ER docks about the need for an ambulance transport (thank you all frivolous lawsuits that make these kinds of policies happen) B and I mentally prepared ourselves for Parkland at Midnight. (Parkland at Midnight, that should be a TV show)
As we were getting ready to go, and had made all the arrangements for someone to go to our house and keep G, E, and A because we knew it would be an all nighter, the Dr came in with some GOOD news finally.
Our little ER’s specialist had called in and after being apprised of the situation, said we could go home and did not need to go to Parkland. He said as long as B adheres to a strict liquid only diet this weekend, he can see him in his office on Mon morning. At that point he’ll decide if surgery is required before he gets it wired shut, for at least 4 weeks!
So there you have it. B is not in a lot of pain surprisingly, but he is quite unhappy at this turn of events. He might have to miss church camp which is in 2 weeks, and he will miss out on a lot of food, and I’m telling you right now, that boy lives for nothing if not to eat. And he’s skinny!
I’m hoping the next 4 weeks will fly by in fast forward like the last 2 days did.
We go see the Oral Surgeon who specializes in jaws on Monday. It is our prayer that he can just set it, and wire it and be done. We are praying that surgery is NOT required, but we’ll know more on Monday.
So here is the story if you want to read it…
It has been a fun filled few days here at our house. Sometimes it feels like someone has hit the fast forward button and you find yourself sitting at an ER on a Friday at midnight, about to be transferred to an even bigger ER via ambulance, to get your teenager’s jaw wired shut. When did this happen? How’d I get here? I was just minding my own business, doing laundry and then zoom, here we are.
B had a motorcycle accident on Thursday afternoon. I won’t bore you with all the motocross jargon like high siding and head shake and whoop te doos. In layman’s terms, he crashed. The handlebar came up and caught him in the jaw under his helmet. He was in some pain and by the time they got home that evening he was a bit swollen, but not too bad.
The next morning he woke up and was quite swollen. Shockingly so. He was thinking maybe he had knocked one of his permanent teeth loose. I thought I’d better call his orthodontist and see if there was anything we needed to do to make sure that tooth stayed in place. Well all people who work on teeth and jaws do not work on Friday apparently. I spent the better part of the day trying to locate his ortho. When I finally did, he said to meet him at his office, he’d open up for us and have it X-rayed. He was afraid, with all that swelling, of a broken jaw. I was not worried about that. Surely he’d be in much more pain if his jaw was broken.
The ortho X-rayed him and while we were waiting for the X-ray to come out, he examined him. He said B was a classic case of a broken jaw and was certain that is what the X-ray would show. His midline was off (Yeah, I did not know what that meant either).
When the X-ray came out the ortho became more concerned. The jaw was indeed broken, but he was more concerned about something else. Apparently there is an artery that runs under the jaw and he was afraid he had nicked or broken that artery open and that all that swelling could be blood build up. YUCK! He was also concerned about some other things that showed up on his X-ray higher up in the jaw joint/skull area.
He said his X-ray did not show enough and told us we needed to go to our local ER and they would probably do a CAT scan to check for a bleed and or a brain injury. YIKES! I came in here thinking he may have knocked a permanent tooth loose!
So off we go to the ER at 7pm on a Friday night. OH JOY! Amazingly they got him in pretty fast and got him scanned. In case you were wondering, the boy does have a brain in his head, I saw it myself.
Now the waiting began, we had to wait for the radiologist to read it, then for him to relay the findings to the DR. Once this was done they decided to give B some SUPER-antibiotics because the scan showed some air pockets in his jaw near the break. This means that he did probably knock that tooth enough to let air down there. That is dangerous because that is where the infection will set in and cause all kinds of problems. However the swelling was not blood, the artery was intact, and they could find no other swelling or brain injury. It was just a broken jaw, and a lot of soft tissue swelling. (Just, don’t you love that!? Who says just a broken jaw?)
As he was getting his IV antibiotics the Dr came in and gave us the bad news. He needs to have his jaw weird shut and they only have one specialist who “does” jaws and he is not on call tonight and he cannot be located. We have to be transferred, via ambulance ($$$$$$) to PARKLAND AT MINDNIGHT ON A FRIDAY!!!! (For those of you not from around here, Parkland is the major trauma center right smack in the middle of Downtown Dallas, very far away from our house, and at that time of night was probably full of gun shot wounds and stabbing victims.) Needless to say this was NOT happy news. While my husband argued with the ER docks about the need for an ambulance transport (thank you all frivolous lawsuits that make these kinds of policies happen) B and I mentally prepared ourselves for Parkland at Midnight. (Parkland at Midnight, that should be a TV show)
As we were getting ready to go, and had made all the arrangements for someone to go to our house and keep G, E, and A because we knew it would be an all nighter, the Dr came in with some GOOD news finally.
Our little ER’s specialist had called in and after being apprised of the situation, said we could go home and did not need to go to Parkland. He said as long as B adheres to a strict liquid only diet this weekend, he can see him in his office on Mon morning. At that point he’ll decide if surgery is required before he gets it wired shut, for at least 4 weeks!
So there you have it. B is not in a lot of pain surprisingly, but he is quite unhappy at this turn of events. He might have to miss church camp which is in 2 weeks, and he will miss out on a lot of food, and I’m telling you right now, that boy lives for nothing if not to eat. And he’s skinny!
I’m hoping the next 4 weeks will fly by in fast forward like the last 2 days did.
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