Sunday, March 30, 2008

Life on an Expedition

In Disney World's Animal Kingdom there is a ride called Expedition Everest. It's a roller coaster like I've never been on; that being said, I haven't been on all that many! You go really, really fast to a dead end and then back up just as fast! I think I rode it 6 times.



Life these days is just like that roller coaster. I'm going full steam ahead when I'll see a dead end, screech on the brakes and back up, turn around and start again. Yesterday was one of those days....I did get the grass mowed! woo hoo....really the dogs are so glad, they hate long grass! I came in, got a shower, put my pajamas on and decided not to do my hair and wait until this morning. Big mistake.....DO NOT LET YOUR HAIR AIR DRY ON SATURDAY NITE WHEN YOU HAVE A SICK FATHER IN LAW AND A MOTHER WHO IS PRONE TO FALLS!



Just as Russell walked in the door and started to eat supper, the phone rang...these days that is not a good thing. My mother in law was about to call 911 because my father in law was having an excruciating headache. (a sign of another stroke). I asked her if she had given him the medication that the doctor had prescribed. Well, she had given him two sugar pills extra strength tylenol and a small dose xanax. Turns out she thought she hadn't filled the prescription.



Any one who has spent any time in the hospital or the ER knows that doctors write prescriptions , hand them out and walk away. One doctor had given him a narcotic that we knew made him feel bad so it wasn't filled. Another doctor gave him another narcotic that was not supposed to make him feel bad and I, at least I thought I had, dropped it off at the drug store.



So here we are, Saturday nite in small town, America.... calling pharmacies. One was open all nite. The in laws house and this pharmacy are on total different sides of town and we are smack dab in the middle.



I had been having some chest pain, really mild which I'm sure is anxiety, so Russell wouldn't let me go by myself. We picked up the prescription, drove to the pharmacy, on Saturday nite, with a prescription for a narcotic. We were trying to explain the situation to the pharmacist, also telling her about the tylenol and xanax...as she's thinking.....drug addicts. Now we were trying to act really like reputable people. The young lady at the desk looks at the prescription and says, this is ******* (the wrong narcotic)......we say Oh no! We meant to get ****! Meanwhile, MIL calls to say she has found the right prescription! We took the first one because we were by this time frightened of the pharmacist. MIL calls again and says to ask if it's o.k. for him to take ****** AND another xanax and an ambien. THEY ARE CALLING THE POLICE!



She just looks at us and says, no more xanax tonight with a very knowing look on her face. As we walked out the door, I said "honey, you know what she's thinking don't you???"



Papa gets a pill and feels much better. Whew, another trip to the ER avoided.



We go home, get settled in bed....go FAST asleep. At 4:45 a.m. yes, I said A.M. the phone rings. The nurse from the retirement center my mother lives in was calling to tell me my mama had slipped out of her chair at 5:30 p.m. (yes I said P.M.) and she was calling to let me know. No explanation for not calling when it happened. I'm guessing she was bored, her shift was almost over and she decided to make prank phone calls! Mama wasn't hurt , just letting me know.



Instead of going to Sunday School this morning, I was at the retirement center with my brother. Most people who know me would say I am a peacemaker....hate,hate,hate any kind of conflict. Well this morning a very weary me just entered a complaint and said tell the head nurse I'll be here tomorrow to talk to her. I probably didn't have my nice voice on!



Later that day, after church, one of my sisters called and said did you tell brother Happy Birthday!? I FORGOT!



So Happy Birthday, big brother.....man are you old!

Sometimes when all this is going on, I get really blue...and I'm thankful that God "remembers that we are dust!" Psalm 103:14

7 comments:

Tonja said...

Oh, my dear! It's been a tough one hasn't it? I can just imagine you at the pharmacy :). But, glad FIL is better. Sometimes all the meds and drs. and hospitals and clinics and sickness just gets overwhelming! I'm sorry you are having to deal with all that now. I think it all just goes along with the age our parents are and us, too. I would definately complain about that call...that is ridiculous. If they thought it was important enough to call you...they should have called you when it happened. That's not right.
Hope you,,,and all your loved ones have a much better week.

Needled Mom said...

Oh dear....what a read. Perhaps it will make you feel better to know that you are not alone. Many of us are in that "sandwich generation" and dealing with similar situations. One wonders how life can ever be normal again when you are dealing with all of that. Keep your faith and know that He is walking with you.

windycorner said...

What a day! What would we do without God's grace? Thanks for visiting windycorner. Tonja and I have visited back and forth for a while so any friend of Tonja's is a friend of mine. I just bought the grits casserole ingredients yesterday to make for my sons who are coming home next week. It's so yummy, I know you'll love it.
Holley

Becky said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

Oy, what a day you had! Glad your mom is okay.

My husband gets really bad sinus infections once or twice a year. The first couple of years of our marriage, it always ended up being a late night trip (by me) to a drugstore to find the stuff he needed for relief. So one time, several years later, I thought I'd just buy three packages of it to stock up and have it on hand for the next time. Only to have the lady tell me, "I'm sorry, we're only allowed to sell one package at a time." Now I get this strange, guilt complex every time I go to buy the stuff, fearful they'll think I'm a druggie, lol.

Hope things go much better for you this week!

Dawn said...

My goodness, when it rains it pours!! I hope things settle down soon - bless your heart!

My MIL lives with her daughter, and my poor SIL spends most of her time taking her to the doctor these days! She wants to go for everything, and wants them to prescribe medicine to make her old age "stuff" go away. It's so hard for them.

Leslie: said...

You must be exhausted, poor you, from all the stress and being awakened at 4:45 a.m. Just breathe!

By the way, I asked my pastor that question about who was the first Christian and he automatically said "Jesus." But when I said "Yes, but isn't a Christian a "follower" of Jesus? So He couldn't be." Then he agreed and I said I thought it was probably John the Baptist. Well, that's what I think because even Jesus' parents didn't really believe what was happening for a long time.

He Knows My Name said...

nancy, i'm glad that day is over for you! i find each time i put off something, shower, laundry, defrosting meat, i get caught. ya think i would learn. glad you got a chuckle at the bulletins. hugs. ~janel