Valerie and Al, Richard and Kim
Sunday May 24th 2009, 4:02 pm
Filed under: Crohn's flare,Family,Friends,Life

I’ve gone from a calm yeah, yeah, whatever–hey, no blood through the stoma, which they were glad to hear, so how bad can it be, to wanting to type a screaming NO NO NO NO NO!!! to semi-calm again.  Yes, we did go to Urgent Care, the deciding factor being that there’s no question they would have access to my electronic medical records there; the peer pressure via the blog was very helpful in getting me out the door, and thank you.

I did not know there was such a thing as drinkable lidocaine with maalox. I told the doctor I preferred chocolate.  He chuckled.  He came back awhile later and asked if it helped; it did. I got the impression he almost hoped it didn’t, that he wanted to be wrong.  Looks like upper GI inflammation.  That area would be your stomach, and…  What do they treat your Crohn’s with?

…oh.

He allowed as how he could do a full workup with a CT scan, but it could wait till tomorrow with the GI doctors taking over. Oh, right, sorry, Tuesday.

We got home.  The phone rang. My friends Valerie and Al: his mother was visiting, they wanted to go to Santa Cruz but she wasn’t up to the walk, would it be possible to borrow my wheelchair?

Hey, not only a wheelchair.  When they got here, I apologized for the ratty-looking air cushion that we hadn’t replaced because of the unspeakable price tag, so please, no keys in the pockets, it’s punctureable.  But the chair alone would make her sore after a half hour or so, and with the cushion she’d feel wonderful however long they took and wherever they might go.

I took a risk and let my cushion I can’t afford to replace go to make an elderly woman I’d never met before today more comfortable in her day, and it totally made mine.

Of all the times she might have visited, of all the days they might have decided to drive over the hill to the beach at Santa Cruz, I needed it to be today, which they could never have known.  And so they did.  I can just hear the wheels going bumpitybumpitybumpity down the boardwalk from here.

(p.s. Today is my son Richard and his wife Kim’s first anniversary, and I can’t tell you how grateful and honored I feel to have Kim in the family. Happy anniversary!)


23 Comments so far
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I was gone for two days and had no idea. I am sorry. It stinks that doctors can take a holiday when the pain and discomfort and the anxiety clearly doesn’t.
I hear what you are saying on the wheelchair loan.

Congratulations to Kim and Richard.

Comment by karin 05.24.09 @ 4:13 pm

1. Drinkable lidocaine? Really??
2. Can’t believe it’s been a year already – happy anniversary Richard and Kim!
3. Crohn’s. Crum.

Comment by Lene 05.24.09 @ 4:59 pm

drinkable lidocaine – well it has to be a good thing when you need it —

Crohn’s – crap…. but maybe he is wrong and it is just something that I had once that I have forgotten the name of (I’m like that you know – if it sucks forget the name) where I was doubled over in pain and when shopping I would be literally doubled over the shopping cart – no idea how I shopped let along manuvered the cart with my head in the little seat … going to keep my fingers crossed that he is wrong and it is just that “thing”….

Comment by rho 05.24.09 @ 5:06 pm

He was careful not to say Crohn’s outright. He was clearly hoping it wasn’t.

Comment by AlisonH 05.24.09 @ 5:08 pm

As usual, you are getting your kicks from being so kind to someone else. I am grateful the drinkable lidocaine helped. Does it make you feel all jittery and jumpy? I never could understand how a person could become addicted to any of the “caine” drugs–they make me feel anxious and like my heart is going 90mph.

Comment by sherry in idaho 05.24.09 @ 6:20 pm

*hugs*

Comment by (formerly) no-blog-rachel 05.24.09 @ 6:47 pm

You clearly get your “kicks” from helping others. Personally, I thoroughly dislike wheelchairs — most uncomfortable for me. I was fortunate the last time I was in rehab that they let me use my lightweight scooter.

“Lidocaine” reminds me of the song from Music Man, Lyda Rose. But if it works …

And thank you, young lady,for paying attention to the figurative knitting jabs that helped get you to Urgent Care.

Maybe a bit of humor will help heal those “jabs”:

There was a young lady named Perkins,
Who just simply doted on gherkins.
In spite of advice,
She ate so much spice,
That she pickled her internal workins’.

***
  The computer swallowed grandma.
  Yes, honestly its true.
  She pressed ‘control’ and ‘enter’
  And disappeared from view.
 
  It devoured her completely,
  The thought just makes me squirm.
  She must have caught a virus
  Or been eaten by a worm.
 
  I’ve searched through the recycle bin
  And files of every kind;
  I’ve even used the internet,
  But nothing did I find.
 
  In desperation, I asked Jeeves
  My searches to refine.
  The reply from him was negative,
  Not a thing was found ‘online’.
 
  So, if inside your ‘Inbox,’
  My Grandma you should see,
  Please ‘Copy’, ‘Scan’ and ‘Paste’ her
  And send her back to me!

Comment by Don Meyer 05.24.09 @ 7:54 pm

I am so glad you went in and got some relief. I’m sending positive thoughts that the inflammation is easily treated. Best wishes to you, your family, and the cushion! Take care.

Comment by DebbieR 05.24.09 @ 8:03 pm

Hope you are feeling better. . .as always, yay! for your generous spirit in all things.

Comment by Pam 05.24.09 @ 8:20 pm

I am very glad you went in. I’ll be praying for a miracle for you:) Congrats to your son & daughter-in-law. Marriage is such a blessing. Hugs.

Comment by TripletMom 05.24.09 @ 9:13 pm

I am glad you decided to go. Is it not nice, when the day is so hard, the G-D gives us a smile. In your case an opportunity to help a stranger. Congrats to your kids. Hope all would be better by Tuesday.

Comment by Henya 05.24.09 @ 11:07 pm

I’ve been figuratively holding my breath. And it could be all kinds of things that upset the stomach and NOT Crohn’s, too, so let’s keep thinking about that instead. Means you’d have to give up, I dunno, hot sauce on your barbeque? What DO you quiet California types eat to make your food interesting? Was your hot fudge too hot?

Comment by Margo Lynn 05.25.09 @ 3:35 am

“wheels going bumpitybumpitybumpity down the boardwalk”–much like your own emotions, eh? Hope the “semi-calm” starts to inch towards “totally calm” soon.

Comment by LynnM 05.25.09 @ 4:11 am

I have decided that the Urgent Care doc was, as you say, being cautious to make sure you didn’t blow this off and not see Dr R the minute you could. I eagerly await Dr R returning and proving me right, and telling you it was all a bit of undercooked potato, if you don’t mind a crappy Dickens reference. Love you, lady; take care of yourself. And congratulations to Richard and Kim!

Comment by Kristine 05.25.09 @ 4:29 am

Happy Anniversary Richard and Kim. It seems like only yesterday when our dear Alison was posting wedding pics.

Comment by Barbara-Kay 05.25.09 @ 4:36 am

I’m relieved it wasn’t a prolapse (picture a hose {aka your intestine} turning inside out on itself). If it had been you wouldn’t be blogging no matter how much lidocaine you had. My husband has had two and they are no fun whatsoever. Please do make sure you get in to your own doc on Tuesday – start with “I was in Urgent Care and they said I must see Dr. R Tuesday.”

I’m seeing a happy elderly woman accompanying her family down a sunny boardwalk in a wheelchair, later having an iced tea while using an umbrella as a parasol.

Comment by Leslie 05.25.09 @ 6:18 am

JUst out of curiosity where is your belly hurting? The drinkable lidocaine and maalox is known in the military and elswhere as a GI Cocktail and believe me it does work wonders on a sore upset belly 🙂

Comment by Danielle from SW MO 05.25.09 @ 6:19 am

Can Tuesday please hurry and get here, please. Hope you are feeling better today. I can’t believe the price of that cushion. Goodness!!!

Comment by Joansie 05.25.09 @ 8:33 am

Agh. So sorry to hear you’re hurting. Sending healing thoughts for a swift recovery.

Comment by RobinH 05.25.09 @ 10:50 am

You are in my heart, please give Mr. Turtle a squeeze, and know I’m hugging you back.

Comment by Diana Troldahl 05.25.09 @ 11:26 am

Oh, NO! I hope the doctor’s hints don’t turn out to reflect reality. Meanwhile, it sounds like imagining all of the wonderful places your wheelchair is visiting is a small distraction…

Comment by Jocelyn 05.25.09 @ 1:59 pm

who knew? drinkable lidocaine? I hope it made you feel better.

Comment by marti 05.25.09 @ 8:06 pm

Happy first anniversary! And many more…

I am behind on blogs, so I must read on…

Comment by Channon 05.26.09 @ 6:11 am



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