tiggerprr’s scratching post

I had a sleep study done a few weeks ago. I can’t remember if I said anything about it before, and frankly, I am too lazy to go back and check if I did. LOL I, of course, slept like a baby, except the 200 times they woke me up because I removed one of the bajillion wires they had hooked up to me.

It turns out, that I awaken 41 times an hour during the few REM sleep cycles I actually make it to. I have sleep apnea…just like my hubby who gasps and snores through the night. I always thought it was just him snoring that was keeping me up. I was wrong…it is his snoring that keeps me up once MY sleep apnea awakens me one time too many.

So tonight…I get to go to another sleep study, so they can fit me with a horrid CPAP machine. Hubby already tried one of these and gave it the boot because he couldn’t sleep with it on. Or so he says. }:-)> My doctor says that perhaps my machine will help to drown him out. LOL Seriously though, nothing says romance like your spouse with a HAZMAT mask on her face connected to a machine that makes her sound like Darth Vader. Nope, nope, nope. Or since I am channeling Darth, perhaps that should be “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!”

I sure hope I can get used to it if it will help me sleep. On a side note, the doctor put me back on Ambien CR which completely hoses my short term memory. It’s fun though, just so long as I don’t drive or as my Dr. says, “wake up in the middle of the night and make myself a snack without remembering it”. That hasn’t happened yet. At least, not that I can remember. hehe

Now that I have your attention…

Ashlyn had her wisdom teeth extracted today, all of them. Here’s a nice picture of her in recovery just before she used her cell phone to communicate the above statement to me…

She was quite amusing to me, since she kept explaining how good she felt (through a mouth filled with gauze) and wrote that she felt like Angelina Jolie (I assume her lips were feeling plump - either that or she had delusions that she was going to go home to Brad Pitt. hehe). She even spelled out a few lyrics from James Brown’s “I Feel Good” in between moments of complete stupor. Yes, I saved those post-it note ramblings for posterity too.

She’s now on the couch, sleeping the drugs off and icing her jaws. Being 17, and a (if I do say so myself) not hideous looking kid, she was pretty concerned about how fat her cheeks looked. I think she looks pretty good for having four wisdom teeth removed and I have to say I’m quite proud of how she went into this day. I asked her if she was scared on the way in to the oral surgeon’s office and she replied that she wasn’t, that she’d be asleep and that it would stop her other teeth from hurting when she eats (as they had been lately). She held my hand as they put her under, and then wanted a hug when they brought me back to their recovery area.

Despite the discomfort I know this is causing her, I’d say she took it like a trooper.

Ashlyn’s surgery on Thursday was uneventful, despite being a couple hours behind schedule. We’re hoping that she’ll be able to regain full range of motion in her knee after this. However, it means 5 days a week of physical therapy for the next several weeks. It also means that Ken and I get to push her to exercise her knee when she’s not in therapy, no matter how much she resists, cries or gets angry with us. Good times at Casa tiggerprr. NOT.

It’s interesting to me, the dynamic of loving someone so much that you are willing to yell, coax and cajole them into doing something that’s painful to them, for their greater good. Such is the foundation of parenthood I suppose.

I’m still hating my job. Just waiting for that moment that I can give them my notice and move to greener pastures it will only be the 3rd time I’ve ever quit a job to go to a different one. It has never ceased to amaze me that companies whose primary function is to provide other companies with human resource “expertise” never fail to treat their own employees like dirt. Yet, I stay in the industry… go figure. Codependant anyone? LOL

I’ve been watching “So You Think You Can Dance” this season, I love this show, and I don’t know why! Perhaps it’s the sadist in me that enjoys turning to look at my hubby to make sure he’s watching, when I know he’d rather have badgers nibbling at some tender spot on his body than to be watching this show voluntarily. Noooo, I’m not that mean… much. I couldn’t believe they tossed that poor girl this week (can’t remember her name!), I thought her and Pasha (notice I DO remember HIS name) looked smoking hot together and danced well. ::sigh:: My guess is they were afraid she’d keel over dead in the middle of a routine. The world will never know. I do think that Pasha will be hosed now for a partner, hope that doesn’t cost him in the big picture.

Evan Almighty, go see it. It was better than Bruce Almighty, IMO. Those of you who’ve read my blog for a while know that I do not cry at many movies. I did get misty at one point when all the animals were there waiting to get on the ark. I get misty at the beginning of “The Lion King” when all the animals are heading to Pride Rock to see Simba for the first time. What on earth is it about the majesty of all animalkind congregating that thaws my icy heart so? It’s so embarassing but yeah, animals get me all choked up.

So, that’s what’s been going on in my 100 Acre Woods. How are all of you?

I’m feeling quite like Eeyore lately rather than bouncy tiggerprr. I suppose it would be better if I could manage to find the time to blog more regularly, just to get stuff out there rather than just keeping it in my head and weighing on my heart. So much is going on, I’m afraid that the roller coaster I’ve described in the few posts I have made over the past couple of months continues, and doesn’t seem to be reducing speed at all.

To summarize:

1) Ashlyn is having a 2nd knee surgery on June 28th. It seems that her kneecap is adhering to the rest of her knee making bending her knee difficult. After that, she’ll be having physical therapy five times a week for God know’s how long. Don’t even get me started on slow paying insurance companies and ginormous co-pays. :/

2) I’m frankly amazed that work hasn’t fired me because I’m having to take some much time off with this. However, I’d almost welcome it since work sucks so much! They finally hired me, but I’m finding that hasn’t made me feel any better. I’m honestly just hanging on until I can get Ashlyn better and then I’m going to take a long hard look at the situation.

3) My stepkids have finally arrived, so we’re all adjusting to having 5 of us around and having some family fun.

4) Myrtle Beach tourist season. Bleh. (Though it’s not the hellish hell that people who lived here for a while have described. At least, not to me.)

5) My own back, while troublesome, isn’t really a candidate for any type of intervention. I am seeing the spinal surgeon on Monday to have him look at my neck MRI but the ortho guy I saw initially thinks I’m too young for them to go back in and muck around again. I’m not sure what he thinks I should be doing with a right thumb that locks up involuntarily when I use it for any real length of time. Oh well.

6) I’m down to my very last Ambien CR. That’s very dissapointing. Since I can’t sleep worth a poo worse than normal lately. Yes, I’m hoarding it.

So, so whiny right? LOL

There’s some stuff that I want to be doing… like planting flowers and whatnot in the yard. I don’t even know where to begin with that though. I kill cactus. It’s a talent. I also need to read the last 2 Harry Potter books before the 7th one comes out. I have about 7 other books I also need to read. I should really start taking them everywhere with me, I usually have an hour or so to kill when I am waiting on Ashlyn to get done with her therapy.

So much to do, so little time. Even though I may not always comment, I am lurking around when I have a small window of time to peek in on all of your lives. Don’t forget me..I promise I’ll be back in full force someday soon.

It’s been a long while since I did a meaty post here. Not for lack of things to say, just simply a lack of time/energy to say them. It’s been pointed out to me that people have many plates they try to balance, but that the sheer quantity of my plates outnumbers most people. So, THAT’S why I’m feeling like this, eh? So buckle your seatbelts, this may be a long and bumpy ride, err post.

(more…)

Well, I’ve not blogged about it yet…but…Ashlyn did in fact obliterate her ACL. She is going to have to have reconstructive knee surgery where they will take a graft off her patellar (kneecap) tendon and bone and use that to reconstruct her ACL.

We scheduled the surgery, and it’s happening on April 13th. Yes, that’s Friday the 13th. I am a little apprehensive to schedule it for that day but otherwise, she’ll have to wait until the 19th. The reason for the delay is that she’ll have to have good range of motion in the knee prior to surgery otherwise her knee would be as stiff as it is today. She can barely bend it and can’t straighten it out at all. Wish her luck and a speedy recovery and hope that I can resist the urge to stuff a rabbit and all four of his feet in her hospital nightgown as she’s going into surgery. I wonder if they will sedate Moms too?

I feel particularly bad and guilty. I made her go out for track this year, because her grades seem to be better when she’s involved in activities. So if I hadn’t made her go out for the team, this wouldn’t have happened.

She is done for the track season, and will be done with any athletics for approx. 6 months after the surgery. Fortunately, golf can be resumed a little earlier than that so she’ll still be able to be on the golf team.

I wish I could take the injury on and have the surgery for her. I hate this. And before she comments on this post and tells you…yes, I cried in the Dr.’s office when we got the news. Not a crazy undignified sobbing/wailing…just tears down my face and heavy guilt in my heart.