Tuesday, August 26

Tuesday, August 26
Today is filled with more pain so I call in to Doc. Lambert's to ask what can be done and to inquire about the possibility of more pain meds. They can get me into see the doc in early September but the doc is out until next week....Pain meds are out of the question from her. I'm so very unhappy about that 'cause I really feel as though I've pulled something in me belly. I may need to go in to see Dr. Bala to ask for some pain meds tomorrow. I find it hard to even type today, so I take one of my few precious remaining Hydrocodone 500 pills to alleviate the constant cramping. It's just so exhausting to deal with constant pain! =(
Jeff finds a used cell phone on Ebay to replace mine, which is held together with electrical tape and has been for the last several months. Awesome! Alex, our son, has picked today to become unhappy and antagonistic, though. He is homesick, misses Houston, and doesn't want to take the math assessment test today. This he lets us know about in no uncertain terms! Jeff and I go out to Yama Sushi to chow down, leaving Alex behind to take his math compass test at ACC, calm down and fend for himself for dinner. Before Yama, we go to the mall so that I could try on thumb rings. I'll explain more about that later....
After Yama (Yumma!), we hit Best Buy to look at car stereo/CD player/MP3 players/Bluetooth capable receiver thingies for Jeff's SUV as a late B-Day present and find a Sony that does everything but change a baby's diaper and walk the dog! That's the one but we'll have to wait until Friday to get it 'cause the 12% coupon won't take effect until then. So, it's off to TJ Maxx to look at thumb rings. Nope, they don't have 'em. Hmmm....what else can we do to put off going home? The Hydrocodone is working and I'm feeling better now than I have for a long time, so I want to take advantage of it. Ah, HA! We need to get some Kefir from Randall's!
HELPFUL TIP: Kefir is a dairy/yogurt product that will introduce 11 different "good" bacterium into your system. I get the feeling that mine needs this so I will be slugging down pomegranate flavored sludge for the next several days in the attempt to regulate my system. The consistency is hard for me to get used to but it worked the last time I was hospitalized so I'll give it another go. Might help you, too, if your system gets out of whack. This commercial break is now over....we return you to your regularly scheduled program....
After getting the Kefir, Jeff says that he needs to hit Academy, so off we go to putter around there for a bit.
Finally, we go home. Alex is quietly filling out applications online and has already gone back up to the mall with filled out applications to turn them in. He tells us that he has an interview at two different places and is being very polite. He didn't do well on the test because he didn't have much time to study but he might have another chance to exempt himself from taking the pre-college algebra class. We'll see. No apologies for his poor behavior earlier, yet, but I am very happy to see that he's doing the right thing now and is looking at his life in a different light. It might take some time but I'm sure he will say he's sorry. He has such a good heart and is a really good kid, but is having some growing pains. Don't we all....
For the record, he has choices. He can go back to Houston and get a full time job, find a place to live, find roomies and support himself fully for a year, after which we will be happy to re-explore the college idea. Or, he can stay here in Austin with us, live by our rules, get a part time job, go to college, be fed, clothed, boarded and have quality healthcare while bettering his chances for a good career and life. Hmmmm....tough call, right? =)
I love my kiddo and know that he is suffering....It is hard to leave the only city that you can remember growing up in. However, I know that, with his amazing personality, it won't take any time at all for him to find a new group of friends to hang out with. (He can meet 'em at college and at work, don'tcha know?) He is going to Houston tomorrow for a doctor's appointment and will stay the night to see friends so that might help with the homesickness. However, he will have to figure out a way to make some money for gas for the return trip, 'cause we won't pay for the extras and he has chosen not to ride in with his Dad to go to the doc. appt. Tough Love is so tough but it is essential right now.
Anyway, the tornadic activity is over and Jeff and Alex settle down in front of the TV. I settle down to my computer to search for 14K gold, 4mm, comfort fit gold thumb rings/bands. I want a heavy band as it will be something that I will wear for the rest of my life. This ring will be my early birthday present, so that I can justify the price, and will be a reminder of what I've been through. It will be my constant reminder that I am in God's hands, always. I find one that is only a bit more expensive than the least expensive one, but this one has free engraving! I'm in, all in and it looks beautiful! I buy it and ask that they engrave this inside the band:
In God's Hands
I think it's perfect and I become so overwhelmed after ordering it that I begin to cry. Whew! My emotions are pretty raw this week! This ring is going to put out powerful vibes to whomever inherits it when I'm gone, kinda like a MUCH nicer version of the ring in "The Lord of the Rings."
Early to bed tonight because both Jeff AND Alex are going into Houston tomorrow, but in separate cars. Jeff is going to pick up the pop-up Taj Mahal and attend some work meetings there at the home campus. My back has been hurting so badly that I take a Soma to work with the Hydrocodone and, for the first time in days, I feel normal with very little pain. However, the Soma makes me woozy and I'm out pretty quickly after the lights go out. Night, night....