Update on Surgery and My Crazy Past Week

Hey everyone! Thought I would take a few minutes to post before I head to bed in a few. At times, I really can't believe how dumb I can be... lol. I just realized that the posts that I did of my reviews before surgery did not post like they were supposed to- they are still sitting there, waiting for me to hit the publish post button I guess. I actually was trying to automate my posts so something would come up every day, even if I didn't WRITE every day-but I dunno what happened!

So I will get to those within the next day or so, and find out what the heck I did, and read them over to make sure they are fine before hitting the publish button. Which is probably a good thing because my teen son was checking out my blog and knowing him, he might have gone into a post and changed a few things around to play a funny little joke on mom. That could make my posts VERY interesting!

I'm healing nicely from surgery-hard to believe it has been a week already. I will know in 3 mos or so if the surgery worked for me, and if Aunt Flo will never return or if she will pay a brief visit instead. If I never see her again that will be just fine with me! I still am not lifting much and bending over is still pretty tender so I try to avoid it. Also, I am still super tired-when the nurse called for the follow up I told her I was really feeling my age since this surgery kicked me in the butt because I was feeling so darn tired. I guess the Vicodin don't help either ;) but I have been trying to stay away from those things.

Monday was another busy day with work and mom having her dental surgery. She had a huge cyst removed and went into full blown panic mode when her face started swelling and she couldn't breathe. The cyst had spread into her sinuses and the oral surgeon did send it to pathology, he said it looked benign and that is what we are hoping for. Hubby took her to her surgery and on the way back he called me to tell me that she was bleeding quite a bit. Apparently, one of the instructions was NOT to blow your nose. And the first thing mom did when she got out in the car was blow her nose! Monday afternoon ended up being spent in the ER while they checked it out, and gave her this tampon looking thingy that they stuck up her nose to plug it and it had meds to help form a clot. Oh yeah, and the anxiety pills-can't forget those happy pills. Poor mom has never taken those and ended up completely fruit loops. The next day she called me at work and got me pretty alarmed because she was driving to BK for a burger. And she didn't even know the time of day! Stubborn as she is, she went for the damn burger but I told her to get her butt home and picked her up for the rest of the errands we had to do later that evening. And no, she is no longer taking those happy pills. Today she was definitely more herself, in spite of looking like someone punched her in the face. She has a shiner and her mouth and cheek areas are all black and blue.

Well off to bed now! Just wanted to let you all know I am fine and will be sending out giveaway prizes soon now that I am out and about and will be posting a few more giveaways over the weekend so please watch for them! Have a great rest of the week!

Avon Reusable Bags winner!

sorry for the delay, but with surgery last Weds. and being out of town with no internet access life wasn't easy these past few days!


Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

72

Timestamp: 2009-09-28 22:43:35 UTC

that means the lucky winner is brownhairgirl7! I have emailed you for your info. Please respond in 72 hours so I can send you your prize!

Extending Cystex Giveaway-Until September 29th

Well, I only got one comment and it was advertising related so I am assuming no one wanted the Cystex... C'mon people, enter to win it! If you don't suffer from UTI's maybe you know someone who does. And they will THANK YOU for it if you provide them with much needed relief :)

So I am going to extend it until the 29th at 11:59 pm EST US only please. Let's get a couple of entries outta this while I am recouping from surgery, ok...

Red's Eats-The Best Lobster Roll in Maine...

Last weekend hubby and I took a nice early Fall drive to the coast. Now of course, the main purpose was to check out a truck he saw in Uncle Henry's but I had another thing on my mind.

I wanted seafood, fresh from the ocean and yummy as well. I had heard about Red's Eats from several tourists and also from my co-workers, who happened to visit it when they were down at our new office. This place is KNOWN for its lobster rolls, which have heaping portions of lobster and are served with butter or mayo...or both if you want. Of course it is only open May-September, so we knew we'd better head there quickly if we wanted to try it out. Hubby actually had been by there several times during the day and early evening and wondered what the long line and traffic jammed up through downtown Wiscasset was-not knowing it was because of Red's!

On a good day, you might have to wait 45 minutes to an hour in line. Now that was WAY more than I was willing to wait, but we went on a drizzly day and I still ended up waiting about a half hour. Jose ordered the lobster roll, there are NO photos because by the time I opened my purse to get the camera he had already devoured half of it and it wasn't pretty. He was worse than a kid with the mayo smeared all over his face as he enjoyed his lobster roll, which was heaping over with big chunks of lobster meat. He was a little disappointed because the roll was small hotdog sized and stuff kept falling out, and it wasn't toasted but served cold-but other than those drawbacks he proclaimed it was the best lobster roll he had ever eaten.

Deja had chicken nuggets and loved them, but then of course she would anyways :) I ordered the clam cakes, thinking they were the RI style ones, nice and puffy and fresh. These were flat, like a hamburger and not very tasty to tell the truth. Kind of like processed seafood that anyone could buy at the store and deep fry. Next time, I am ordering the fresh whole clams in batter and enjoying them. The homemade cole slaw was yummy though, and the onion rings, fries and fried zucchini were pretty good too.

If you are ever heading along the Maine coastal Route 1 and passing by Wiscasset, save room for a lobster roll. They are a little pricey, like $16-17 or so but the yummy taste and the generous portion you get are worth it. Our meal was just a little over $40 not including drinks (which we already had purchased separately elsewhere)but I definitely recommend Red's if you love lobster!

Countdown to Surgery Giveaway #2 Avon Organic Cottom Chemise Size LARGE AND Water Bottle too!

Please note: I only have a size Large for the giveaway

I have been lucky to win a few things made of organic cotton for my grandson and I just can't get over how soft it is! So when I saw that Avon had a Liiv Botanicals Chemise made of organic cotton I just KNEW I had to get one for my readers! Unfortunately, I was only able to get the size LARGE at the time, so I am hoping that some of you will enter to win this very comfy looking chemise. (I am hoping it is super soft too, I haven't taken it out of the package to check but it looks pretty nice in the photo above)Plus, you will get a water bottle to go with it as well! Now THAT is drinking water in style.

When I am recovering from my surgery, I will most likely be in sweats and a long tee shirt, definitely not something so pretty as this. But one of you can win it just by leaving me a comment below-

Giveaway starts today and ends September 29th at 11:59 PM EST. Winner chosen by Random.org and has 72 hours to reply to my email or another winner will be chosen. Be sure to leave a way to contact you in your comment or via your blog. I will ship to US and CANADA, so this giveaway is open to residents of those countries only.

For your first mandatory entry, just leave me a comment. It really can be anything at all, I will have fun reading them as I am recovering.

Other optional entries:

Be a blog follower +1 entry
Be a Twitter follower and tweet about the giveaway (leave a link in comment) +1 entry
Add my button to your sidebar & let me know for +3 entries
Blog about this giveaway & leave a link to your post +5 entries

Good luck!

Countdown To Surgery Giveaway #1 Avon Set of 3 bags

Because I am feeling extremely guilty about being away from my blog a bit, I am having a few giveaways! First up is this 3 piece bag set from Avon-perfect for light shopping and while I wouldn't say they are HUGE, they are useful if you are getting a few things.

Giveaway starts today and ends September 25th at 11:59 pm EST. Open to ALL-so yes, I will ship internationally if needed.

For your first mandatory comment tell me, paper, plastic or reusable-or a combination of the three, what do you use in your home... (sorry no question mark, keyboard not working properly due to the cat and orange soda pop! lol)

Optional extra entries as follows:

Be a blog follower +1 entry (current followers count too!)
Be a Twitter follower and tweet about the giveaway (leave a link in comment) +1 entry
Add my button to your sidebar & let me know for +3 entries
Blog about this giveaway & leave a link to your post +5 entries

Winner will be chosen by Random.org and will have 72 hours to get back to me before another winner is chosen. Good luck!

Softlips PURE Giveaway Winner!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

11

Timestamp: 2009-09-18 01:23:15 UTC

and the prize goes to: Bridgette (joeandbridge) I am sending you an email and will need to hear from you within the next 72 hours. Congrats and thanks for entering!

ReliOn Temple Touch Thermometer Winner!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

51

Timestamp: 2009-09-18 01:08:10 UTC

Congrats go to Carolpie! You are the winner! Sending you an email and hope to hear back within 72 hours or I will need to select another winner. I just know you are going to love it, it's so darn easy to use!

Sorry for my absence! Upcoming Surgery...

I feel so darn guilty for not posting more, but I have been super busy with work (my poor co-worker has been out sick since Monday!) and hubby has been driving me nuts buying Toyota trucks and getting them ready to ship over to family members in Central America. (Which explains why my front yard looks like a junkyard tribute to Toyota, lol)

Besides that, I am having surgery soon- (providing I don't get sick with a cold or something, it is going around and knowing my luck, I will get sick and have to postpone things a bit) soon as in like, next Wednesday the 23rd. So I am shopping, cleaning etc... the usual stuff that moms do when they know their family can't survive without them for a few days. It's only an outpatient procedure, and has to do with my "happy period" post awhile back but I am hoping that it takes care of things once and for all. I was amazed when the doctor wanted to operate ASAP, he asked me to do the surgery yesterday, but with a family and kids and a co-worker out sick and insurance forms to deal with, well, it just wasn't possible!

So I am posting my giveaway winners in the next post, shipping the stuff out as fast as I can and trying to get a couple of neat reviews done. And then I will rest...for a few days anyways. Thanks for understanding :) I will still be around but not as much for the next week or so while I get ready and then recuperate.

Friday Night at the Clinton Fair

After work we headed to the Clinton Fair so I could enjoy my Bloomin' Onion that I had talked so much about all week at work-there are NO photos of said onion because as soon as I got it to the table hubby and I devoured it within minutes!

We headed over to the pig scramble, and when Deja found out she could get a pig she really wanted to enter. Entries had already been submitted, which was a good thing-because I have NO idea what I would have done if I had won a pig. I have an idea that hubby does though...and the plans would have involved eating lots of bacon several months later.

I took a couple pics of the midway, my son and girlfriend got some fries from Stan's Fries, which are pretty good. Unfortunately, he coated them with vinegar and didn't tell me... and I ate a couple before realizing that there was more than just ketchup on those fries! Since it is the beginning of Autumn here, and the nights are cool and leaves are beginning to change colors-I ordered my dessert accordingly-the warm apple crisp with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream and a mountain of whipped cream. And I did NOT share! Hubby got a bit queasy from a couple of the rides, so he got an ice cold freshly squeezed lemonade to settle his stomach, which seemed to do the trick! Deja also won a small stuffed animal and we did see one fight starting as we were leaving-between former exes and their new significant others. I doubt the Sheriff's office patrolling the fairgrounds let it get too far. The final touch of the night was as we were leaving...it was getting cooler and time for our little grandson to go to bed. We stopped for about 10-15 minutes to watch the fireworks light up the night sky. The fair runs for a couple more days and then it's over until next year... and I will be there, waiting patiently in line for my Bloomin' Onion!

Cystex Review and Giveaway

When using a public restroom, I usually:(poll)

Sometimes there are things we just don't want to talk about. As women, we all deal with our share of aches and pains, but a bladder infection is not a fun thing to have. When my daughter was about a year old and couldn't talk very well, we discovered she had a urinary tract infection...it was no laughing matter. Apparently someone who had been caring for her didn't wipe her the right way-causing bacteria to end up in the wrong place. The poor kid would scream and double over in pain, we ended up taking her to the hospital and sure enough, a UTI. After an IV for dehydration and a catheter and hours of sitting in the hospital overnight with hubby watching her and feeling extremely guilty-I decided to find out more about UTI's.

Amazingly, they are pretty common infections. According to Elizabeth Kavaler, MD “UTIs are considered the second most common infection in the body.” and are the cause of about 8.3 million doctor visits each year. After you have had a few of these infections, you seem to know when one is coming-I have a coworker who knows when she is getting one of these infections and always calls the doctor as soon as she can. Unfortunately, we can't always get in to see the doctor when we'd like. We could be on vacation, it could be a holiday weekend, your doctor could be booked with no openings etc...

That is where Cystex comes in. Cystex® is the only over-the-counter urinary pain reliever available with a dual-action formula that not only eases the pain and burning caused by a UTI, but also contains an antibacterial to help stop the progression of bacterial growth. So, for those times when you can't get to the doctor immediately, but are pretty darn sure you have a UTI-Cystex can help you relieve the pain and discomfort until you CAN see the doctor.

The makers of Cystex and Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler, a board certified urologist have come up with a series of videos to help you learn more about UTI's and they have been a big help in explaining to me the facts and myths concerning urinary tract infections. Perhaps some of this information will prove valuable and informative to you. I know after watching the videos myself that it was interesting and helped me to understand UTI's and the issues we women have at times MUCH better!

Today, I am able to offer one of my readers “A Seat on the Aisle, Please! The Essential Guide to Urinary Tract Problems in Women,” by Elizabeth Kavaler, M.D. (Copernicus Books, 2006) and a box of Cystex: Urinary Pain Relief tablets - a total value of $45.00.

Giveaway starts today and ends September 29th at 11:59 PM EST. US address only, please. For your first MANDATORY entry, tell me something that you learned by either watching the videos or visiting the Cystex website. Be sure to leave an email or way to contact you via your blog in your post!

Optional entries include:

Be a blog follower +1 entry
Be a Twitter follower and tweet about the giveaway (leave a link in comment) +1 entry
Add my button to your sidebar & let me know for +3 entries
Blog about this giveaway & leave a link to your post +5 entries
and for a final entry tell me what you did over Labor Day weekend +1 (I'm nosy!)
Winner chosen by Random.org and will have 72 hours to respond to my email before another winner is chosen. Good luck!

Certain Dri Winner!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

15

Timestamp: 2009-09-08 22:54:51 UTC

Congrats go to.... Storm, The Psychotic Housewife! (love the name by the way :)
Am emailing you in a few minutes, please get back to me within 72 hours or I will have to choose another winner...(and I don't wanna do that!) Congrats!

Remembering...

I lost my dad this past Valentine's Day to lung cancer... and my grandmother at the ripe old age of 91 to Kidney failure... on April 8th. It's been a hard year, and even though the cemetery is within walking distance, I have no desire to go there. The memories are too fresh...too vivid.

My mother makes the trip almost daily. She seems to find peace there. Me, I only get depressed. I took the weekend off from blogging and contemplated whether I was ready to visit the cemetery. To me, the best memories remain in my head and to see their tombstones makes it too...final.

My mom recently went to a dental appointment and now she has to see a specialist for some sort of cyst she has in her mouth-apparently she's had it for a long time. But now she needs surgery to get it out. She has never smoked, but has been around second hand smoke a lot. It is probably nothing, but I was alarmed when the dentist called her back into his office last Monday for a consult and referral to the specialist. Today mom and I went shopping, I am trying to do as much as I can with her because I know she also has no one except for me and my kids. I'm an only child, I have half siblings, but now that my father passed away we don't see each other much. My mom is depressed, and I think she secretly wants to move on and be with my dad-she's been so fixated on everything, cleaning her house out, getting papers in order...I dunno but it's been as depressing as hell for me as well.

She seems so fragile now, she needs a knee replacement but refuses to get it done and can barely walk on some days-yet lives on the second floor. She complains of aches and pains and yet seems at peace with it. I'm more like my dad: I 'd be freaking out. I just don't know what to think at times. But I do know that each moment spent together is precious, and to make the time of what we have. Don't take it for granted, because you just never know when that time will be up. So this weekend I have been remembering...those who have passed on this past year and trying to get the courage to finally accept it and move on. No one said it would be easy-but as each day goes by realization sets in and little by little I'm making progress. Wish me luck :)

Not so happy period...

Aunt Flo has paid me plenty of visits over the years but none so horrible as the past two days. She and I have had problems from way back, even before I had my own kids so it should be no surprise that once I had kids things continued to get worse.

She has made me sick...and my anemia is only getting worse. I am pale, weak and so very tired. I hate to move, knowing that any sudden movement will bring on a dizzy spell, a very bad cramp, or severe nausea. Not to mention that I would be sure to ruin a towel or clothing in the process.

I called the doctor today, and accepted the inevitable. My Nova Sure surgery is definitely in the cards as soon as possible. I see him for a consult on the 14th-I didn't want to have surgery during work but during my layoff things weren't as bad since the Depo shot I had was still wearing off. And that didn't help either, with my first Depo shot I bled for 3 straight months, had 3 off, and then started again, light but getting heavier each month until now where Aunt Flo has definitely begun to control my life again. So surgery it is, but I am told that this is a quick procedure and I should be well enough to work the next day or so. It's either that or take a couple days off every month, which I don't want to do.

I have to chuckle when I see the Have a Happy Period slogan from Always... I mean, it had to have been written by a man. Who has never HAD a period. Or raging hormones. Or ruined a perfectly good pair of pants because the stains just don't come out. Believe me, when my daughter gets to be that age she already knows there is nothing "happy" about it from watching what I go through every month. She is already dreading it. My teen son walked into the bathroom before I got a chance to clean up one month... he promptly told me it looked like a murder scene in there and that I had traumatized him for life. Now he makes sure I've had time to clean things up before he rushes in to the bathroom.

Now I am heading back to bed to lie down...on top of the several towels I have ready just in case. But first, it's time for another iron pill, sigh...