thankful thursday but it's more like whiny wednesday, the sequel

My internet is slow and it’s driving me nuts. It was this way yesterday. Hard to get anything done. Especially if you’re already a.d.d. and have trouble keeping focus. By the time the screen updates, I’ve forgotten what I was doing there.

The dr. finally called with the CT scan results. They determined that the granulomas in my lungs were caused by unresolved disease in the past, probably during childhood. I don’t remember being sick much as a child. I can remember one bad spell in ninth grade and maybe a few cases of strep throat but I don’t remember much upper respiratory sickness. Not like my kids had, anyways. My kids were always at the doctor! There was always a bottle of that pink bubble gum amoxicillin goop in my fridge. We had the breathing machine and the inhalers and all that stuff… forever…

From what they told me today, typically they will leave granulomas alone, just monitor them periodically, until they cause trouble. Considering the unresolved bronchialstupidity (my name for my illness) that I’ve dealt with since June… my granulomas are considered a problem. They are referring me to a pulmonologist. Honestly, I suspect it will be a matter of me missing half a day of work to have a pulmonologist say, “it’s no big deal” and wonder what I’m doing wasting his time keeping him from seeing the people whose lungs are so bad that they’re on oxygen and stuff. I am jumping through the medical hoops where this is concerned.

Since the doctor I’ve been seeing throughout this process is on vacation, I’m sorta letting it ride for now, sucking on my cough drops and biding my time. If the pulmonologist visit is not going to be for several weeks and I am still coughing next week, I’ll go in and see the doctor that I’ve already seen. I just don’t want to start from square one again. It does kinda aggravate me to have a doctor tell me on last Wednesday that if I’m still having symptoms this week that I need to come back and see her… knowing that she was going to be on vacation… I’m just frustrated. I want microwave / drive thru service on everything. I’ve done my part by going to the doctor and spending my money (and once again, thank God for health insurance) and taking my medicine and so I should feel better. End of story. I don’t have time for this.

This week, however, has flown by. We’re having Cousin Devin spend the night on Friday night for what Austin is calling their “end of summer blow out”. He has asked for Pringles and root beer and has actually helped clean house to get ready for it. As I’ve mentioned previously, Devin is the LOUDEST child I know… and Devin and Austin together are louder than a rock concert. I’m working Saturday. This time I mean it. I really need to get some extra hours in, even if I’m just saving up comp time for later. So I’ll probably have a Saturday evening meltdown… Honestly, it’s really Austin’s turn to spend the night at Devin’s – I’ve taken the last two times – and we haven’t had him over in awhile because I was hoping they would offer. They haven’t. Even though they have a much bigger house and have four adults living there to supervise them. And stuff for them to actually do. And room for them to shoot bb guns. But that’s how it works sometimes. Austin really wants to see Devin so I’ll suck it up and deal with the noise for one night.

We’re finally getting a neighbor in the other side of our duplex – a 79 year old woman. I hope she moves in after Friday night. Otherwise… I hope she’s hard of hearing. Her daughter and son-in-law stopped to talk to Austin last night. I’m not real neighborly – not that I’m a bad neighbor, I’m just sorta unsociable. I’m not the kind of girl that goes visiting the neighbors. I did when my kids were young and when I didn’t work. Now I pretty much just want to go home and not have to talk to people at the end of the day. I don’t want to have the obligatory neighborly interaction. Now… having said that… it could do me some good to come out of my unsociable shell.

The new Walmart in town opened up yesterday. I haven’t been by there yet (not being a fan of Walmart OR crowds) but at least when I do need something from Walmart, it won’t mean a drive to Cornelia or to Gainesville. Austin and Tasha went. He bought her some Pringles. She helped him pick out some jeans. Remember three years ago when Austin was tee-tiny and wore a boys’ size 12? He now wears a 36 waist. He’s a big boy. Big ole country boy. Big ole country boy whose dad has slacked on child support again. I guess since he’s only seen Austin twice in the past year he doesn’t realize how much it costs to feed and clothe him. Although, admittedly, he eats more at Tasha’s than at home. Tasha’s family had some food donated

This morning I was loading the washer and discovered that he had used bleach to clean his bathroom and left the rag covered in bleach on top of his BEST outfit. I can hardly keep him in clothes based on his quickly increasing size… when you factor in the clothes he ruins by stupidity… this rag soaked through his shirt and his best khaki shorts that I had JUST bought before camp. I can’t keep up with him. Ryan and Cody were pretty much the same size and both were pretty particular about their clothes. Austin just doesn’t care. Never has. I need to make a good thrift store run for him.

School starts on August 7th! This summer really flew by… I guess partly because I’ve been feeling bad for the last month. Angie and the girls (and Jessie) are going to New Orleans on Sunday to see Eli’s family. Eli, you may remember, is Sarabeth’s future husband and the precious kid who used to make me say, “Go Noles” as a password whenever I’d try to pick Jamie up from class. They moved to NOLA at the end of May. They just had a new baby – their sixth – a girl – now they have three boys and three girls. Eli got really sick last weekend and had a seizure. They found a tumor in his brain. It seems to be benign but they’re doing more testing. He’s 5. At any rate… they’ll get back on Wednesday and then Sarabeth starts first grade on Friday. Austin will be in tenth grade. It goes by so fast.

Oh well. Time for me to focus on my cold calling that I’m doing and HATING today. I’m not a good telemarketer. Hope you have a great day. *Hugs*