Rough patch
Thursday, October 15th, 2009 12:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Home sick from the day-job yesterday (insert "can we just get over this?" rant here).
Yesterday, we also received news that Steve's stepfather, who is 84 and rather frail after a stroke and various other medical adventures, was in the hospital with bacterial pneumonia, disorientation, and dehydration. Apparently, the disorientation went away quickly once he was hydrated, but the pneumonia isn't so easy. Still, there's no fever, so the hospital was going to release him today. The younger brother was to drive up from North Carolina last evening to pitch in, and help take the load off Steve's mom and the kids-on-the-spot.
On the plus side, I found that Luken has gray eyes and (formerly) sandy hair, and that we have apparently never described Cheever McFarland at all, except to say that he's a big guy. Our powers of narration are Nothing Short of Awesome. Ayuh.
Today holds the promise of delight in the later hours, when I'm to present myself to the Traveling MRI Unit in order to have my rotator cuff scanned. Have I mentioned that I'm claustrophobic? Very claustrophobic? And that of course with the whole neck-bone connected to the shoulder-bone thing going on, my head will have to be inside the tube? For twenty minutes, while it makes noises like a bowling alley? And, yanno, inside the tube? The doctor has kindly ordered me up a Valium. This had better, she said darkly, work.
The weather is clear and the trees are brilliant. Maybe I'll go out for a walk.
Yesterday, we also received news that Steve's stepfather, who is 84 and rather frail after a stroke and various other medical adventures, was in the hospital with bacterial pneumonia, disorientation, and dehydration. Apparently, the disorientation went away quickly once he was hydrated, but the pneumonia isn't so easy. Still, there's no fever, so the hospital was going to release him today. The younger brother was to drive up from North Carolina last evening to pitch in, and help take the load off Steve's mom and the kids-on-the-spot.
On the plus side, I found that Luken has gray eyes and (formerly) sandy hair, and that we have apparently never described Cheever McFarland at all, except to say that he's a big guy. Our powers of narration are Nothing Short of Awesome. Ayuh.
Today holds the promise of delight in the later hours, when I'm to present myself to the Traveling MRI Unit in order to have my rotator cuff scanned. Have I mentioned that I'm claustrophobic? Very claustrophobic? And that of course with the whole neck-bone connected to the shoulder-bone thing going on, my head will have to be inside the tube? For twenty minutes, while it makes noises like a bowling alley? And, yanno, inside the tube? The doctor has kindly ordered me up a Valium. This had better, she said darkly, work.
The weather is clear and the trees are brilliant. Maybe I'll go out for a walk.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 05:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 05:43 pm (UTC)"Lie on your back and put your head in a five gallon bucket. Now, have someone drum, very fast on it for twenty minutes."
However, even doing that won't really prepare you adequately. The room is cold. Wear your socks and if they will let you, your arm socks too. Being warm takes a lot of the stress out of it.
Good luck...........prayers for you!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 05:46 pm (UTC)Just remember not to bring anything ferromagnetic.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 06:04 pm (UTC)You might find out if you can bring your own CD or audio book, etc.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 07:22 pm (UTC)Write it all up while it is fresh in your mind, you can fit it to the book when the time comes.
Yes, I am making light of stressful situation.
No, it is not done with malice. But maybe if you think how your character would deal with it – it will be easier for you.
Or better yet, think nasty thoughts about me.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 07:25 pm (UTC)It put me in a very happy place when I was getting my MRI (and they had to do my abdomen, so I was ALL the way inside the tube, with just knees-down sticking out). I'm not at all claustrophobic, and until I reframed it, I still thought the tube was Too Darn Small.
Then I decided it was cold and kinda dim so I should just go to sleep. Freaked the nurse out totally when I came out of the MRI, completely still and unresponsive. :-)
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 07:36 pm (UTC)Good luck. Hope it goes well. Hope the vallium works very well indeed.
Valium ...
Date: 2009-10-15 08:17 pm (UTC)Some years ago i had to have my four! impacted! wisdom teeth out all at the same time and the dentist was unwilling to simply put me out. So. The day before the great event, they had me arrive at the office to fill out a bit of paperwork in exchange for a tiny little paper packet containing a single pill and a simple note to partake of it at least fifteen minutes prior to being worked on. I, of course, forgot to take it until about five minutes prior. Thus the whole time when they were doing what dentists do, I fretted and obsessed about not having followed the directions precisely.
I still think back to that and shudder. I mean, dental procedures are hardly pleasant but I do not like that my brain went kitschy-wompus without having other symptoms.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 08:43 pm (UTC)Lorna
Cheever
Date: 2009-10-15 08:55 pm (UTC)Re: Cheever
Date: 2009-10-15 11:12 pm (UTC)Re: Cheever
Date: 2009-10-16 08:12 am (UTC)(I would have sworn that Cheever had been described as well, he's just so 'present'.)
Re: Cheever
Date: 2009-10-16 04:12 am (UTC)I have no justification for this image. It's just what came to mind when he first appeared in the books.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 10:54 pm (UTC)MRI Stuff
Date: 2009-10-15 10:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-15 10:57 pm (UTC)In an MRI tube.
mri
Date: 2009-10-15 11:06 pm (UTC)open mri
Date: 2009-10-15 11:12 pm (UTC)Check it out...you'll never regret it.
no subject
Date: 2009-10-16 11:13 am (UTC)Tricia