If Medical Issues Were College Professors

A few days ago I was thinking about how we just can't seem to get rid of the Reactive Airway Disease. For some reason my brain started comparing medical issues to college professors. This is the conversation I came up with. Yes I know, I'm a little strange. ENJOY!


Me: Well Hello Professor Reactive Airway Disease. RAD how are you doing?
RAD: Hello LR. I'm doing well. Glad to finally be here.
Me: Did you have a good winter holiday???
RAD: I did. It was nice to kick back and enjoy some family time.
Me: That's great.  Winter was pretty calm around here. Had to handle a few problems from the GI Department. Professor Gastroparesis decided to shut down the department without telling us. Caused some communication problems that set us back a few days. And of course Dr. Hizentra. For a Professor that only works one day a week she sure can cause a lot of problems. Two weeks ago she even had a breakdown. It's hard to lay the blame on her.  As I'm sure you remember that getting the Immune Department to do anything is nearly impossible; and she can only get in the lab once a week. I'm sure it's stressful. But honestly there wasn't much out of the ordinary around here.
RAD: Well I'm glad to hear your break was normal. But I'm ready to start the new semester. I have big things planed.
Me: You're ready to get back to work you say? Well... um... the Medical Board wants to close down your lab.
RAD: Why?
Me: Well with Professor Laryngomalacia gone we figured you'd want to move on to. He was your mentor. And a real force for disruption. From the very beginning he just kind of barged in and set up his lab. The Medical Board just figured we could close down the Disruption Lab and let the Respiratory Department run its self. After 4 years the Respiratory Department has a learned plenty about handling disruption and difficulty.
RAD: I think I have a lot to teach them without Dr. Laryngomalacia. He focused a lot on the upper airway. I want them to learn disruptions in the lower airway. Maybe even work more with the sinuses.
Me: We were hoping to let the athletics lab expand. And Lower Airway Disruption Lab will really slow down their work.
RAD: It's true that Athletics Labs and Disruptions Labs rarely get along. And Dr. Laryngomalacia was very hard for to work with. Especially for the Athletic Lab. Even the GI Department has issues with him. But I think, no, I know I can do better.
Me: I'm sure you can. Many places have dual Disruption/Athletic labs. But we aren't sure that we want to go that direction.
RAD: Well. I have a 5 year contract and I'm on track for tenure.
ME: That's true. We were thinking maybe you could take a paid sabbatical for the next year. Till your contract is out. The Medical Board is thinking that allergies maybe coming, and you could work in their lab. If we can get the Immune Department up and running properly I'm sure we will still need a consulting Airway Disruption Lab. It wouldn't be full time but it would be steady work.
RAD: You know as well as I do that Disruption Labs are getting harder and harder to find. Especially ones as active as this one. This Lab has slowed down some but there is still daily work to be done here. It is fantastic for training and research. In short I deny your offer. I will stay. I've made up my mind. I had all winter to think about it. I'm ready to take over the lab on my own.
Me: You know this will upset President Squeaker and the Medical Board. They had plans to spend more time with the other departments and working out their problems.
RAD: I know but I love it here. I think there is so much I can teach and do. I know I am probably your least favorite Professor but I am very good at what I do. And I want to keep doing it.
Me: Well. Okay. Then can ask a personal favor?
RAD: Sure you can ask.
Me: Please work with the athletic department.  President Squeaker was really looking forward to a full and active summer. And well, since she doesn't really understand your department I'm the one that gets yelled at. I know that the yelling can expedite your research it is hard on the rest of us. So please try to work with them.
RAD: I'll try. Promise.... now let me tell you about my plans for the up coming semesters.
ME: Ya know what. I think at this point I'd rather it be a surprise.
RAD: Okay. Fine by me. But it's going to be a great summer. I'll see you later.

Best and Worst

     Sometimes just catches up to you. No matter how hard you try to be happy and see the good in the world. Every once and a while you just get hit with sorrow.
 

   Last Thursday was a girls night out. I love these. Usually we just meet up at a Laura's house, hang out in the basement, talk and eat food. And it not just chit-chat. We talk about our lives, tell hilarious stories, talk about our opinions, overall really get to know each other better. Seriously something we need to do more often than the every 7 months we are averaging right now.
     The night started out fantastic. We had a Usborne book party first, and books, hello, so much fun. After a couple hours of pouring over books we just switched into talking. It's what we are there to do. Large groups, small groups, back to one group it just flows as gentle river. And man do we laugh. I just can't explain how uplifting it is to hang out with these awesome woman. It is the best night I'd had in a long time. I was thinking about leaving because it was the time I told Trey I'd be home. I didn't want too, I was having so much fun. Then it hits...
     I get a text. From my best friend Spammers. Yes I call her Spammers. She has had to take her son to the hospital. With is severe allergies trips to the ER aren't uncommon but this wasn't the ER. This was being admitted. This was going to require blood work, a CT scan and maybe an MRI in the morning. My heart just sank. I shut down. He'd been having some health issues lately and it's just heart breaking for me to not be there for Spammers. But Colorado is just too far away....
     I get another text. This one is from Trey. Squeaker is having a hard time falling asleep. She is asking for mommy. Trey says they are fine but it makes me feel like a crummy mom. I'm not there when my baby wants be. Even though I know I need the night away, it still hurts. Now I'm really emotionally distraught. I don't want to leave because the idea of driving seems like too much. But I know I need to get home soon, mostly because morning comes way too fast. So I manage it sit up in the giant arm chair I'm lounging in. Laura has the best furniture.
     Others are starting to make like they are leaving, which in girl world means we will probably standing up talking in front of the door for another 30-45 minutes before we actually leave. Since everyone else is kind of moving I start to move a little more too. Amber notices I'm all of a sudden very down and asks me what's wrong. I tell her about the texts I got and for some reason I just start crying. Not like big ole sobs, but I'm weeping, I have tears coming out. It's making me feel really uncomfortable. I am not a big fan of crying. I don't care how I look, or what I sound like, I just don't like feeling out of control of my own  emotions when I cry.
   

So here I am telling my sad story, crying and just feeling miserable during what was 10 minutes ago the best night I had months. It went from best to worst that fast. Before I know it, it's going back to best again. Amber hops up from her sit and gives me a giant bear hug. Just wraps her arms around me and I feel loved. I feel safe. I feel that it's okay to hurt. Amber tell me it's all okay. That sometimes life is just hard.
      I pull myself together and stand up. Seriously I have to get home soon. I talk for a few more minutes with some others and just get back to being happy. Then I get a text from Trey than Squeaker is out and he asked me to be home before 2am, it's only 11 at this point. I start to feel better. After then end of a really funny story I see a few others leaving so I leave with them. As we round the corner of the house and head down the driveway Stacy comes up the driveway asking who's gold van is on the hill. I say mine and Stacy tells me that her sister Brooke is touching my van with hers.
     I just burst out laughing. I get on the road and sure enough there is Brooke standing on the brake in her van our bumpers touching every so slightly. In fairness Laura lives on a very steep hill. Brooke had just not given herself enough "roll space" for when she would change gears. And in Brooke's defense she had flown in from Denver that morning, and she is pregnant. Tired is an understatement in her case today.  I'm just laughing like crazy at this point. And I ask Stacy "Why are we letting the tired pregnant woman drive?" Both Stacy and Brooke start laughing. No one was hurt, the cars are fine and seriously it was the perfect ending to my up and down night. I get in my car and drive home.     
     It was up it was down, it was everywhere in between. It wasn't my best girls night out but it sure was a memorable one. 

Pure Crazy

I have to say I'm pretty impressed that it's been less than 30 days since my last post. It has just been so very crazy around here. I kept meaning to sit down and post things. Then I would get distracted with life or doing things. Like sewing a new dress for Squeaker. That's right I made that dress!! I'm proud of it. It has appliques, trim, hand beading, binding, an invisible zipper and it is fully lined! Yes dear friends I move truly moved into the world of being a seamstress. I can't design or pattern very well, but I sure can cut read and alter a pattern if needed. Oh happy day!

Squeaker has been pretty healthy. Sleep has started to go back to normal, when we can stay on schedule. The last couple weeks between doctors and travel we have missed a lot of naps. And it has been rough for all of us. Squeaker has been a pretty good trooper about it all but it is rough. This last Monday the tubing broke on Squeaker's infusion. By the time I got the pump stopped almost 2/3rds of her dose was gone. I talked with the pharmacy and they talked to the doctor. We decided since Squeaker has been healthy that we will forgo and extra infusion and just wait until next week. This morning Squeaker woke up sick-ish. Groggy, didn't want to get up for over an hour. She was pretty happy during the day but a stuffy nose and easy meltdowns but we survived. Squeaker will probably get sicker as the week goes on. If she gets too bad we may have to move infusion for this week to Sunday.

Trey is more stable but in his head he is still very dizzy. He has been wearing glasses that help block

certain types of light and hats to minimize the light that gets into his eyes. It seems to be helping a lot keeping the brain in check. Trey still walks with a cane, but relies on it less. We were up in Indiana for Spring Break and had a chance to try some acupuncture. It seemed to help too. It will be a while before we can go back. Yes there are acupuncture clinics where we live but they are more expensive. While we were visiting family we found out that not only did the short term disability get denied but Trey lost his job. We are working on a plan to stay here and have Trey finish is MBA. There just need to be a few ducks that line up for that plan to work. We know if our plan is right the Lord will help guide us.

Today was a wonderful southern spring day. We cleaned up some brush in the back yard and I mowed the lawn. Hopefully in the next week we can clean up the garden patch and get a garden planted. I swear the best way to treat stress, anxiety, and depression is service for others and gardening.