Casey, and Our "Tick-Tock Morning", Friday.

Rodney and I.
Casey took the picture- (What's NOT to be smiling at, for us two)?

Good Morning Everyone.
Yesterday, and with 5 separate alarms to wake us...
 Oh OK, maybe just the first few thoughts.

I wake.
Stretch.
Time for only one smile, and a peek at the clock reminds me that we are leaving bright and early.
Stretch again-
Put glasses on.
Look at clock again. OMG!!! I have overslept by an hour!  WHAT?
Good god help me.

(Know that I had set two separate alarms)!!!
    They will be going off at those same points every afternoon; repeatedly, until we get home to shut them off. hehehe (AM/PM settings are bass~ackwards on that clock, - I had obviously forgotten that little fact).
AM? PM? What's the Diff?

Casey had also set two alarms on her phone. Knowing she has a tendency to hit snooze, she set her phone near her pillow before falling to sleep.
At least, those alarms went off. (Unbeknownst to her, the while she slept, that darn alarm clock/phone had fallen under the waterbed mattress).

Greg's alarm went off, he had shut it off a few times...
(Asleep, but in the back of his mind he knew that Casey had told him she would wake him).

Sooooooo... My morning consisted of the following-
Jump out of bed!
Hit the floor moving. (Bewilder dog by doing so).
Holler up the stairs...
Finish drying that last load of clothes.
Pack. (In a furious fashion).
Feed/water dog.
Let the poor thing outside.
(Promptly forget about her)
Be still for a minute, just to listen.
I hear no noise...
Holler up the stairs again.
Scramble to dress.
Run brush through hair.
Hurry to look non-frightening to small children and their parents.
Forget about putting on makeup- (Heck, it's pitch dark, and who cares anyway)?
Wildly throw bare essentials in car. (This includes sick child and confused dog).
Ask Greg to please lock up.
Pull out of driveway- Redefine the phrase "Bat out of hell"...
Tell Casey to start talking, (or I might go right back to sleep).
Chug some Pepsi.
Know that dark, fast, and rainy is no way to drive through life, or Wisconsin. And pray to the powers that be that there will be no kamikaze venison hanging out on highway.

Pit stop for us all about ½way here-

Top off gas tank.
Grab some more caffeine.
Shove sweet roll down my throat.
3 empty bladders later, (and a poo for the pup), we hit the road again.
Keep redefining the above "Bat out of hell" definition... we pass trucks we had already passed 75 miles earlier, and a little over an hour ago-

Pass cow on road.
  Wait.. What?  Check rearview mirrors.
Realize that Casey has mouth hanging open too- (An odd reflection of my own).

Yes, that was a cow. 
(Remind me to alter that prayer to include the kamikaze beef also).
But there she was- little brown jersey- just watching the traffic go past with those beautiful big brown eyes of hers...

KC calls hitchhiking cow in to 911.
(I thoroughly enjoy eavesdropping on the conversation that ensued).

Tick Tock...
Casey's appointment is for 10.

Keep on trucking, not even interested in watching the clock. It is passing minutes as we are passing other vehicles.

After all this, we arrive here at 9:06 anyway. hehehe
An extra hour early! (WOOT Baby, WOOHOO)!
There is time enough leftover to find a room and unpack a little!
Got a room, with the bare minimum of rooms available due to NFL game in town this weekend; but a room for us anyway.

Punk was so happy to see Trent at the front desk! (She is assured a room for an extra night)- Not us though. hehehe
We changed from travel clothes to something a bit more human. (Keeping in mind that poorly folded, and even wrinkled, is better- somehow).  And to remember not to wear purple in this town.

Finally to be here -
- and on our way to see Dr. S. for 10.
Leave Casey off in front of clinic.
Find parking ramp.
Find stall.
Hightail it back down to tunnel to clinic. 
Whew...

I borrowed a ride on the patient/visitor golf cart/transport- Nice to see Mr. George again - Such a nice man, (AND he even remembered me)!   hehehe


Caseys doctor visit?
I will borrow words I had left within yesterdays blog comments.

Dr. S. has ordered many tests-
We will have to return for a few of those, (to include an appointment for the hematological aspect of this all).

They drew about 12 vials of blood-
Casey is ordered OFF the lovenox for now. (He believes that most blood clots will resolve).
For follow up to go back to the hospital in town, or to her GP. Will keep an eye on it.

But he does want to investigate WHERE this is coming from? More accurately put, where her iron is going to.

He also said that she probably will not need the infusions-
A few Rx things to change, and to try those suggested measures first.
She is also to take Protonix every day.
Again, your thoughts and positive well wishes and prayers keep us going."

She write down everything! Her questions for, and replies from, all of her visits.
Too bad she doesn't blog about it all. (Hint hint Casey)!



The scale shows that between Thursday and Friday she has gained 13 pounds.
Granted her weights were taken at 2 different hospitals- (but 13 pounds)? Even if you allow a difference of 5 pounds- she has still gained 8 pounds.
That is still one heck of a difference!




One can see that she has begun retaining water, fluids, something...

Compare that one to her injection photo from Thursday. 
At the least, you can see that this same tummy was not swollen one bit Thursday.


There is no fluff anywhere on this child of mine. Just lots of skin and bone! hehehe




Casey, showing her Lovenox injection bruising.


Here she is, once again to be reminded of the hitchhiking cow.


(Ok- maybe it was something she couldn't understand ie: what the nurse just said).
hehehe


The very top photo here is of myself and my brother-in-law, Rodney- He is my sister Barbara's husband.
He came to the hotel to visit, and we had the very nicest chat! Nice to be able to be reminded to laugh at this whole ordeal too! 
We were so happy to see him- I haven't, in too many years. They recently lived in Alabama, now have moved to Florida.



Casey with her Uncle Rod!

Stealing from his own intellect, he had many great ideas for Casey!
First is to remind us that not everything that happens to her will be because of all the GI issues she has had.
After checking her a bit, he suggested that there is a possibility of a kidney infection. That if she keeps getting those- or has had the bloody kidney infection in the past, to get this angle checked out. (This would also account for her fever)!
Add to that the fact that no one recalls when she last even had a urinalysis.

Secondly he offered, her pain, given the location, might also be suggestive of an ovarian cyst, to make an appointment with an OB/GYN. (Due to a bad experience last month, she already had one set up)!

Sometimes it takes a little reminding that Casey might not be an abnormal young lady. And here we are always thinking that things are happening one way- and then forgetting the definition of comorbidity.
Such practical advice. (Thank you Rodney)!

Back to yesterdays doctor visit, we have not yet heard how any of her blood tests have turned out. Some will take a while to get the results from, but some had to have come back yesterday also. Will know more today, maybe.

Trent did find us a room for tonight also, we won't be needing it until we return for those tests and stuff.
I will close for now. Getting more punchy by the minute here.
I need to lie down a bit more, and maybe even sleep! I had taken Punk out earlier, and she has been snoozing ever since.
Now, it's my turn.   hehehe

Have a 'wunnaful' weekend!
My love to all!

XOXO
Me