Scattered Sundays

I am pleased to announce that I am feeling about 50 billion percent better. I think statistically that is possible. Right? Let’s say yes.

But then, of course, that improvement couldn’t stand. So naturally, our basement flooded this week.

To take a few steps back, Tuesday, October 25th, I woke up feeling terrible. Like so, so bad. I had been improving all weekend and on Monday, and then BAM, Tuesday felt like a giant setback.

I was so nauseous and dizzy, and I was the conductor of the hot mess express. I had to go get my blood drawn and Troy basically had to help me walk back to the lab because the spins were so bad.

My doctor had the labs rushed because we were all thinking that my iron and H&H had plummeted again and I was in a world of hurt. Shockingly, my levels had improved. There was no easily identifiable reason for why I felt like a hot bag of poo.

From the time I woke up after my first surgery, food had turned on me. I didn’t lose my sense of taste, but all food tasted horrid and felt like sludge or cardboard in my mouth. I lost 5 pounds in about 3-4 days and that was sad.

Eating would be a 45-minute process because it was a freaking chore just to chew things up enough to swallow them. Oh food, you little brat. I thought after pregnancy, we were good again. We’re buds. I love you so much, why did you have to do me dirty.

My doctor had me spend the rest of Tuesday in bed, drinking tons of water with electrolytes, and eating like it was my job. I felt much better by the end of the day, and absolutely great on Wednesday. So who knows what that was all about?

I had spent most of Thursday (Oct 27th) taking it easy and reading again (yay!) and spent a long day on my Kindle. Jack had soccer practice that evening, and right before he and Troy headed out, I got a super sharp pain in my left wrist.

I didn’t say anything because I had truly been on my Kindle all day and assumed I had been holding it like a ding dong and stressed out my arm. Nerd injuries. But then, as the evening wore on, it kept getting worse.

I finally texted Troy at practice telling him about it and sent him a photo. The inside of my left wrist was green and bruised, swelling up, and it hurt a bunch whenever I moved it. Thankfully, if it was immobile, there was zero pain.

Troy and Jack rushed home and when Troy saw it in-person he yelled some choice words. He asked if I knew what it was and as he was saying “blood clot”, I said “reading injury”. Our brains are very very different.

My inlaws came over to take me to the ER and Troy stayed home with the boys. We rolled up to that ER and it was pretty packed, and everyone seemed very sick. My heart went out to them.

I told the registration person I had a suspected blood clot after post-op complications and blood clots, and I barely even sat down to start reading (Kindle in the right hand this time. I’m not a complete idiot), when triage rushed me back.

I barely had the blood pressure cuff off before a doctor came right out, grabbed me, and hooked me up to an ultrasound machine. I was diagnosed with a superficial thrombophlebitis, which is a fancy way of saying I had a blood clot but not the kind that was going to cause me a lot of issues.

The doctor told me to take baby aspirin and to keep heat on the wrist. My friends, I was in and out of that ER in about 20 minutes. I felt like a turd leap-frogging over all those other people, but I’m really thankful that I was seen quickly. I used my microwave rice packs a lot over the next 36 hours, and by Saturday morning, all the pain was gone.

The whole surgery time period was a bit confusing (general anesthesia twice in 20 hours will do that), and I have been “Memonto(ing)” the last two weeks with loads of recovered memories.

And a few days after the blood clot, I remembered that a new nurse tried to start an IV in the blood clot area before my first surgery but couldn’t get it past a certain part of my vein. Despite pushing a few times. Gross. My best guess is that it caused some trauma that just didn’t show up for a week or so.

A friend of mine told me she was so sorry I was having all these complications. And yeah, it’s annoying, but I told her that better it happens to me, someone who is overall very healthy, has definitely met her health insurance deductible for 2022 (oh my, yes), and has a great support system at home, than someone without insurance who doesn’t have the squad that I have.

I started back to work this week and I’m so glad I did. I was sooooo bored. So.Bored. But, to be safe, I spent this week easing back into the swing of things. I’ll be adding work time week by week until I feel 100%.

After some trial and error, the best routine seems to be 30 minutes at my computer, 10-15 minutes being up and moving (small/light chores, mini laps in the house, cooking, etc.), and then 15-20 minutes laying down on my bed watching a little TV. Laying down takes pressure off the nether regions and gives me a bit of a break.

As of Tuesday of this past week, I haven’t needed a nap. As someone who basically hasn’t napped since she was 12 months old, napping daily was definitely a new experience for me. After being on the other side of it, I can confirm my statement that I’m not a napper. Needed it to recover, but it will never be something I could do unless I was super sick.

With me feeling so much better, Troy was cleared to go back to work this week. Around noon on his first day back, I walked down the stairs and thought “that’s weird. The carpet is a different color”. My friends, the washer had thrown a hose and had spewed water over the basement for 40 minutes.

I couldn’t stop laughing, because, of course, this would happen when I have physical restrictions and Troy was at work. Of course!

My father-in-law came over, and my sis headed over with some industrial rental fans when she was done with work. We used two wet/dry shop vacs to suck up all the water in the carpet (or so we thought), dried out the laundry room, and tackled the water that got into my dad’s place.

My father-in-law and my sister (bless them!!) moved all the shelving, toys, and couch out of the basement. At that point, the carpet which had been sucked dry started to ooze water again. I had figured the carpet was a total loss, but dang.

I looked at them and said “this is dumb, let’s just rip up the carpet”. My father-in-law cut the carpet into small strips so that I could roll them and take them out without lifting more than 10 pounds.

The carpet pad was SOAKED. Like dripping water everywhere. And this was after two hours of using the shop vac on the carpet. Goodness.

I had called ServPro a little earlier, and the man I spoke with was so helpful and knowledgeable. He told me to rent an industrial dehumidifier for the weekend and said that all the other mitigating factors he would recommend had already been done. By us, the little team that could.

Here is a fun fact that I encourage you to tuck away into your knowledge banks. He explained that under most conditions, water that comes from a clean source won’t start to mold in walls for 17-20 days. Who knew?! Do I wish I had learned that fact on Jeopardy instead of because of a flooded basement? Yes.

So now we’re on the journey of “what’s next”. Thanks to the five industrial fans and two industrial dehumidifiers, the basement is nice and dry. We wait for insurance and will figure out what the next steps are.

Our laundry room/basement bathroom has always been pure 80s trash with a terrible layout and crap storage. There is a teeny tiny corner shower that nobody can use because the dryer makes it almost impossible to open the shower door all the way.

We’ve been using that shower for storage for years. Depending on what insurance says, we may consider removing the shower and turning that area into a storage cabinet. Who knows. <—will be saying that a lot over the next few months.

Carpet is replaceable. Nobody was hurt, and nothing sentimental was damaged. And even though I didn’t need another reminder, the fact that my family is awesome was definitely reinforced.

What I’m reading this week

I knew I was feeling better when I started reading again. It was a lot of podcasts and binging Community there for a while.

1. I finished The Midcoast and I liked it but didn’t love it. The ending felt like it was unfinished and missing a few important details.
2. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow. A big sweeping life story that covers a friendship from ages 11-late 30s. The two main characters are video game developers, but you don’t need to care about video games (I don’t) to enjoy this.
3. Killers of a Certain Age was the super fast and engaging book that I didn’t know I needed. Basically, if the Golden Girls were assassins, you’d have this book. A fun and speedy read.
4. The Postmistress of Paris. I always find myself back in WWII fiction that is set in Europe. This one takes place in France, which I realize you’re not remotely shocked at based on the title.
5. (in-progress) All Good People Here. I’m not too far into it, but so far it’s been a good read.

READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

On Sustainable Cooks This Week (and Playing Catch Up from the Last Two weeks)

Sage Sausage Stuffing – Make the best Sage Sausage Stuffing ever with this class dressing recipe! Loaded with aromatic herbs and minced sausage, this dish will become a family favorite for holidays and cozy meals. {Pin this recipe}

Stuffing Biscuits – These super fluffy Stuffing Biscuits are a delicious addition to any meal! This easy one-bowl buttermilk biscuit recipe beats boxed mix every time. {Pin this recipe}

Turkey Bacon Sandwich – This easy recipe for a pesto Turkey Bacon Sandwich is a delicious and simple way to use up leftover turkey. This recipe creates a completely new and exciting dish with turkey and pesto that the whole family will love. {Pin this recipe}

Fried Cabbage With Bacon – A speedy 10-minute side dish, Fried Cabbage With Bacon is a delicious and fast recipe that everyone will love! This bacon-fried cabbage is sure to become a family favorite. {Pin this recipe}