Swine Flu

Where have I been you ask? About a month ago my husband came home from work feeling fatigued and generally crappy. He'd had a stuffy/runny nose the day before but nothing worth paying attention to. When he came home from work I made him take his temperature and it was 102 degrees. I immediately sent him to the spare bedroom and mandated that he stay there until further notice. In the morning he went to the doctor and had a flu swab done...the results were Flu virus "A" strain. That means it's a 99% probability of being H1N1. When he returned home I banished him to the spare room and called my mom. She told me to pack up and bring the baby to her house.
Wren and I were refugees at her house for nearly a week. It was very difficult for us. There I was, a new mother with a six week old baby away from home. My mom and her husband were very generous to open their home and keep me fed but it still wasn't the same as being home with my husband. I felt like a single parent. My mom tried to help me with Wren but it's been 27 years since she changed my brothers diapers and listened to him cry. And her husband doesn't have kids of his own so I'm sure it was quite an eye opener to have a crying baby in the house.
Poor Boo had to nurse himself back to health alone at home. He said it didn't feel any different than the regular flu. He began taking Tamiflu on the second day of his symptoms and his fever broke in a day. He also missed a milestone in Wren's life; she rolled over for the first time at my moms. I tried to make him feel better saying he would've been at work anyway.
We were so scared that Wren would get it. I felt like all I did was call the pediatrician. Coincidentally she developed a cough while we were at my moms which completely freaked me out because she'd never coughed before. So instead of messing around I took her to the childrens hospital emergency room where they swabbed her for the flu. Her test came back negative but they said the test for "A" strain is very sensitive so she could have a false negative. They prescribed Tamiflu for her. Boo and I decided to wait and see if she developed any other symptoms before giving her the medicine. I took her temperature every other diaper change.
As the week went on and neither she or I developed a fever or other symptoms I became more confident. Did I mention I did a LOT of praying? I prayed. And prayed. And had other folks praying that Wren wouldn't get sick. God protected us because we are one month post-flu and we're both fine. She still has that little cough and her doctor said it's most likely sinus drainage so I shoot saline in her nose about twice a day.
Anywho, that is what I've been dealing with. If I didn't have such a young baby, I wouldn't be worried about this flu. I feel like the media has really scared people about it. I hope you all stay well!

Random Thoughts

Wow. I just want to tell you a few unrelated things.
I was supposed to get a needle stuck in my neck this week to biopsy a couple of suspicious thyroid nodules. Just got a call from the doc saying they were nixing the biopsy because the radiologist who looked at my ultrasound photos thinks we should just re-ultrasound in 6 months to see if the nodules change size. There were no calcification's on the nodules, which means my nodules are leaning to the benign category. Hooray! I was not looking forward to being stabbed in the neck! Maybe some of you have had a thyroid issue? Any tips?

Also, I am so excited! I just signed up for a "Photoshop Basics" class! It's an eight week class for, get this, $139! 6:30-9pm every Tuesday. I went to Half-Price Books and bought all the Photoshop books/bibles I could get my hands on. It's going to be awesome!

My mare is having her final cisplatin injection this week and she gets to come home! Yay! My farrier graciously offered to haul her home on his way to a cutting show. It's really a big pain in the rear that we don't own a pick-up or horse trailer. It seems like she goes to Purdue for treatment once a year, at least. I hate wrangling rides and inconveniencing other people.

That's about it for today. Prepare yourselves for State Fair photos..next time.

Flossy

When you grow up in a small town, typically, you have the same dentist and doctor that you started going to the first time you ever went to a dentist or doctor. I don't know how old I was when I first went to the dentist, maybe four years old? I don't know the rules about kids and getting to the dentist yet. So maybe I was four. Anyway, Dr. Huppert has been my dentist for some years now. Even when I went away to college three hours from home I had the same dentist. You know why? This is crazy, but Dr. Huppert actually had an office in my hometown AND the city my college was in. I think that is bizarre coincidence, but true nonetheless. It had something to do with the fact that his mother lived down there. Anyway...
I've grown up, gotten married and moved far enough away from my hometown that it doesn't make any kind of sense for me to continue going to his office. So yesterday I went with my husband (Boo) to his dentist. It was almost surreal. When the same guy has been humming songs and asking you open-ended questions while his hands are in your mouth since you were four-ish it's strange to meet the new guy. It was a strange dental tryst. But I think this is going to be a permanent change. The new guy is sweeping me off my feet; he's already scheduled a time to replace my old fillings with new white ones! He mentioned to Boo that Dr. Huppert should have replaced them long before now because they're breaking down. He's even talking about sending me off to get braces! His hygenists are so friendly! His wife is so nice! I thought everyone might break out into a musical number while we were there. I wouldn't have been surprised if a little animated bird had landed on my shoulder as I walked out of the office.
So long Dr. Huppert, you've been a nice dentist but things change. I'm gonna like it here!

Rambling

There is snow on the ground here in Indiana, about four inches of it. It's heavy, wet snow; the kind of snow you make snowballs with. It's the kind of snow that hangs heavy and piles high on each branch of our evergreen trees. I filled the birdfeeder yesterday and they found it today. The first customer was a bright red Cardinal. The next time I looked there was the Cardinal and his wife along with two Blue Jays. My favorites! We also hung a squirrel feeder on the other side of the yard, but the local squirrel population hasn't discovered it yet.

My doctor's office called today. She said my cholesterol is "okay" (which didn't sound convincing) but my "Good cholesterol is a little low and some excercise should bring it up."
Hmmm. Well, there it is. Evidence that I am thirtysomething now. So, the excercise begins. Or at least consistent, frequent exercise begins.