When Maggie was a few years younger, and could not stand to have her curly hair brushed, we finally had to cut it short. It was cute, and I thought it looked "little girly." But occasionally, she was referred to as "little boy." She did not like that!
The other day, my oldest daughter posted about a customer mistaking her for a guy. Seems odd enough to me, even if she is at that in-between stage of growing her hair out.
I think part of the problem is that there are SO many people now who prefer the unisex look. Many girls want to look masculine. Some guys want to look feminine. I remember at a funeral, when a "boy" went into the ladies' room at church, and several of us were taken aback. Then we finally decided that it probably was a girl, after all. When my mom and dad were in the hospital (many months apart) each one had the same nurse for a while. None of us could figure out definitively if this was a guy or a girl. Finally, I got a peek at the name tag: Kristen. Okay, that's a girl. Good thing the name wasn't "Chris" or "Pat."
So I was pleased to be recognized as a girl yesterday. I had been pumping gas and had gone into the station to pay. Some good natured joshing about the weather got a conversation going among the customers and owner. When we were headed out the door, Howie (the 70+ yr old stranger who was one of the flirters) said, "Hey, I'm hanging out with her" and indicated me. He knew I was a girl. It was cold. My hair was up under a hat. No make-up. No jewelry. No purse. I don't have much of a figure anyway, but any feminine curves were completely hidden by my big ol' ugly man's work-coat that's warm and heavy. There were no tell-tale signs of femininity anywhere. But he knew I was a girl. And that made me feel so good! :-)
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Random Thoughts
I hate car shopping.
When the doctor said Maggie had a hematoma, I was thinking that word meant "bruise." But there was no black-n-blue. Ah, a little patience, and the swelling goes down; now the black-n-blue is happy to make its appearance.
I really hate car shopping.
Maggie's fingernails and toenails were quite blue for a while today. I called the clinic and asked if we were allowed to bring her in to use the pulse-ox without having an appt, without needing to see the doctor, without paying. Four hours later we heard from the doctor, "Yes, that's okay. Just let us know so we'll be ready with a room available." But by then her fingernails were pink again.
I detest car shopping.
Actually, I don't like any shopping.
But car shopping is reeeally bad.
It is immensely helpful to have nearby loved ones cook a meal for you when you're fresh home from the hospital (especially when you have to spend chunks of the day car shopping too!).
After being gone for over 6 hours (grrrr... car shopping) I decided to treat myself with a McDonald's coupon that allowed me to buy two Big-N-Tasties for the price of one. While I was waiting for the guys to make my burgers, I was looking at their literature rack: nutrition, exercise, Ronald McDonald House Charities, etc. I picked up the brochure on RMH, and there I was, standing in a McDonalds, waiting for my burgers, and my eyes started tearing up. One tiny little week ago, to the minute, Gary and I were cleaning up the kitchen in the RMH, having plundered the freezer in our RMH kitchen of mixed veggies and hamburger. While Matt and Rachel and Nathan and Katie stayed in ICU with Mags, Gary and I took a break to grab some food and cook dinner. And there it was, for the taking: the pots, the dishes, the spatulas, the FOOD, the sink, the milk, the buns, the ketchup, the butter. What a blessing to have not only the beds and shower, but also the kitchen (a stocked kitchen), provided for family during the time of the hospital stay.
Maggie's rash is improved. Still there. The doctor thought it would be gone by this morning. Well, hey, at least we're headed in the right direction. Another day or two and it might actually be gone.
And tomorrow I ought to do more car shopping. I wonder how long Gary can stay here and play nurse for Maggie? Or... I wonder how long poor little ancient worn-out Zippy can keep running for the boys if we don't replace her NOW? I do hate car shopping.
When the doctor said Maggie had a hematoma, I was thinking that word meant "bruise." But there was no black-n-blue. Ah, a little patience, and the swelling goes down; now the black-n-blue is happy to make its appearance.
I really hate car shopping.
Maggie's fingernails and toenails were quite blue for a while today. I called the clinic and asked if we were allowed to bring her in to use the pulse-ox without having an appt, without needing to see the doctor, without paying. Four hours later we heard from the doctor, "Yes, that's okay. Just let us know so we'll be ready with a room available." But by then her fingernails were pink again.
I detest car shopping.
Actually, I don't like any shopping.
But car shopping is reeeally bad.
It is immensely helpful to have nearby loved ones cook a meal for you when you're fresh home from the hospital (especially when you have to spend chunks of the day car shopping too!).
After being gone for over 6 hours (grrrr... car shopping) I decided to treat myself with a McDonald's coupon that allowed me to buy two Big-N-Tasties for the price of one. While I was waiting for the guys to make my burgers, I was looking at their literature rack: nutrition, exercise, Ronald McDonald House Charities, etc. I picked up the brochure on RMH, and there I was, standing in a McDonalds, waiting for my burgers, and my eyes started tearing up. One tiny little week ago, to the minute, Gary and I were cleaning up the kitchen in the RMH, having plundered the freezer in our RMH kitchen of mixed veggies and hamburger. While Matt and Rachel and Nathan and Katie stayed in ICU with Mags, Gary and I took a break to grab some food and cook dinner. And there it was, for the taking: the pots, the dishes, the spatulas, the FOOD, the sink, the milk, the buns, the ketchup, the butter. What a blessing to have not only the beds and shower, but also the kitchen (a stocked kitchen), provided for family during the time of the hospital stay.
Maggie's rash is improved. Still there. The doctor thought it would be gone by this morning. Well, hey, at least we're headed in the right direction. Another day or two and it might actually be gone.
And tomorrow I ought to do more car shopping. I wonder how long Gary can stay here and play nurse for Maggie? Or... I wonder how long poor little ancient worn-out Zippy can keep running for the boys if we don't replace her NOW? I do hate car shopping.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Hospital Update - 10
We saw our family doctor this afternoon.
Lungs -- The bad part of Maggie's left lung is still not too good. She was given strict instructions to continue using the spirometer for breathing exercise -- either at every commercial break on tv, or every hour if she's reading or watching taped videos.
Swelling -- She has a hemotoma at the site of the incision for the bypass machine. Doctor says that, for adult catheterizations, they will usually put a sandbag on the incision site for three hours following the procedure, to keep the swelling down. There's nothing to be done for this. Time will resolve it. Maggie could use cool compresses, but the doctor says that the chill on that part of the body may be less welcome than is the swelling.
Rash -- Doctor says it's benign. She showed me that, if you press down on the skin or if you gently stretch and pull at the skin, the spots go away. They come right back when you quit pressing. But she said that a rash that goes away like that is benign. So it's not pox.
Doctor tested for strep. The rash fit, but nothing else did. The strep test was negative. We reviewed possibilities for allergic reactions to something external, and that just doesn't pan out. So we're left with the conclusion that it must be an allergic reaction to the prophylactic antibiotics given before and after surgery. I think she got ampicillin and oxycillin. We have a call in to cardiology to confirm which meds she got, and to put them on a No-No List for Maggie henceforth. After discussing this, I recalled that Maggie didn't get any -cillins with her last open-heart. She'd had some tummy reactions to penicillin previously, and developed a nasty nasty diaper rash. So last time we told them not to use -cillins. We figured it would be too hard to treat the diaper rash alongside the recovery from surgery. She did have -cillin with her palate surgery, but it was one dose instead of a couple days of IV's. But now, we're just going to have to keep her away from it for good and forever. For now, we will just be treating the rash with Benadryl until it goes away. No biggie. Doctor said it shouldn't take long, since we're not continuing to put the offending drug into Maggie's system.
Sternum incision and chest-tube sites are healing fabulously.
Lungs -- The bad part of Maggie's left lung is still not too good. She was given strict instructions to continue using the spirometer for breathing exercise -- either at every commercial break on tv, or every hour if she's reading or watching taped videos.
Swelling -- She has a hemotoma at the site of the incision for the bypass machine. Doctor says that, for adult catheterizations, they will usually put a sandbag on the incision site for three hours following the procedure, to keep the swelling down. There's nothing to be done for this. Time will resolve it. Maggie could use cool compresses, but the doctor says that the chill on that part of the body may be less welcome than is the swelling.
Rash -- Doctor says it's benign. She showed me that, if you press down on the skin or if you gently stretch and pull at the skin, the spots go away. They come right back when you quit pressing. But she said that a rash that goes away like that is benign. So it's not pox.
Doctor tested for strep. The rash fit, but nothing else did. The strep test was negative. We reviewed possibilities for allergic reactions to something external, and that just doesn't pan out. So we're left with the conclusion that it must be an allergic reaction to the prophylactic antibiotics given before and after surgery. I think she got ampicillin and oxycillin. We have a call in to cardiology to confirm which meds she got, and to put them on a No-No List for Maggie henceforth. After discussing this, I recalled that Maggie didn't get any -cillins with her last open-heart. She'd had some tummy reactions to penicillin previously, and developed a nasty nasty diaper rash. So last time we told them not to use -cillins. We figured it would be too hard to treat the diaper rash alongside the recovery from surgery. She did have -cillin with her palate surgery, but it was one dose instead of a couple days of IV's. But now, we're just going to have to keep her away from it for good and forever. For now, we will just be treating the rash with Benadryl until it goes away. No biggie. Doctor said it shouldn't take long, since we're not continuing to put the offending drug into Maggie's system.
Sternum incision and chest-tube sites are healing fabulously.
Matthew 25:33
Okay, so this is not properly seasonal. I was jogging this morning, listening to a tape of Mass from Trinity 26 at my father-confessor's church. And the Gospel reading brought this thought to mind, regardless of its lack of Adventishness.
Point 1. A few days after "Passion" came out, we were discussing the movie at a play-day at the Kochs. Aaron pointed out one thing that bothered him: the two malefactors were placed on the wrong side of Jesus. The believer should've been on His right, and the unbeliever on His left.
Point 2. There's one camp-song that I always loved, and which I still love. "I am covered over by the precious blood of Jesus that He gives to me. I am covered over by the precious blood of Jesus, and He lives in me. Oh, what a joy it is to know my heavenly Father loves me so He gives to me my Jesus! When He looks at me He sees not what I used to be but He sees Jesus."
Point 3. Jesus "sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."
Point 4. Jesus divides the sheep from the goats. The sheep are on His right, and the goats are on His left.
Coalescing it all like a mathematician who mentally sketches out diagrams of word-problems: Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. We are at the right hand of Jesus. So when the Father looks toward us, Jesus is "in the way," blocking His view, so to speak. If I am not at Jesus' right hand, when the Father looks toward me, He sees me "on my own," standing on my own merits or my own righteousness. But as the Bible has the diagram lined up, Jesus intervenes in the sight-line, so when the Father looks at me, He see not what I used to be, but He sees Jesus.
Point 1. A few days after "Passion" came out, we were discussing the movie at a play-day at the Kochs. Aaron pointed out one thing that bothered him: the two malefactors were placed on the wrong side of Jesus. The believer should've been on His right, and the unbeliever on His left.
Point 2. There's one camp-song that I always loved, and which I still love. "I am covered over by the precious blood of Jesus that He gives to me. I am covered over by the precious blood of Jesus, and He lives in me. Oh, what a joy it is to know my heavenly Father loves me so He gives to me my Jesus! When He looks at me He sees not what I used to be but He sees Jesus."
Point 3. Jesus "sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty."
Point 4. Jesus divides the sheep from the goats. The sheep are on His right, and the goats are on His left.
Coalescing it all like a mathematician who mentally sketches out diagrams of word-problems: Jesus is at the right hand of the Father. We are at the right hand of Jesus. So when the Father looks toward us, Jesus is "in the way," blocking His view, so to speak. If I am not at Jesus' right hand, when the Father looks toward me, He sees me "on my own," standing on my own merits or my own righteousness. But as the Bible has the diagram lined up, Jesus intervenes in the sight-line, so when the Father looks at me, He see not what I used to be, but He sees Jesus.
Hospital Update - 9
Edema is better; rash is worse.
There is still swelling around the incision for the bypass machine, but I would no longer call it "bad" (or "shockingly horrific" which was Saturday night's tag). It's not good, but it's headed in the right direction.
But that rash.... When I called the doctor to see if we could get in today instead of tomorrow, the nurse finagled a way for us to get in. That's unusual for this doctor's office.
There is still swelling around the incision for the bypass machine, but I would no longer call it "bad" (or "shockingly horrific" which was Saturday night's tag). It's not good, but it's headed in the right direction.
But that rash.... When I called the doctor to see if we could get in today instead of tomorrow, the nurse finagled a way for us to get in. That's unusual for this doctor's office.
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Hospital Update - 8
The edema is better; the rash is worse.
Maggie's temperature has been easily controled. She needs one or two doses of tylenol or advil per day to whack down fevers that pop up about every 10-12 hours.
I was ready to take her in because of the swelling and puffiness around the incision for the bypass machine. But it just doesn't look infected. It's not hot, not red, not painful. Just very very puffy. We tried taping garlic on her from 5:00-10:00 yesterday evening. I don't know if it had any effect, but the swelling is significantly less than yesterday.
When I was painting on the betadine stripes today [by the way, the chest-tube incisions look much better than yesterday when we removed the bandages] I noticed spots. Lots of spots. Kinda like chicken-pox spots. By noon, they were gobs worse. They're spreading across her body in a chicken-poxy pattern. But she doesn't have the other signs of chicken pox, like high fever or runny nose or any of those things. I wondered if the rash might be something to do with tape and bandages or something else she was in contact with, but it doesn't seem to work out "geographically" on her body. We know of no contact with anyone with chicken-pox. They don't itch, either, but it sounds like they're not supposed to itch until they erupt. Well, if it IS chicken-pox, it is a darn good thing we got her out of the hospital when we did, just on the cusp of her becoming contagious.
Her tummy wasn't doing so well today. That problem started about 48 hours after the last dose of Zofran. Since she didn't feel so hot, she didn't eat in the morning. But by noon, she was throwing up bile. I think it's hunger, and we don't want to start a cycle of being nauseous because of hunger and then exacerbating the problem by not eating. So I opened up Erin's jar of homemade applesauce and made Maggie eat a bite, even though she objected because of nausea. She had tiny little bites every few minutes for the next hour, and is now feeling much much better. Now she's about a 1/3 of the way done with the quart. Her tummy is all spiffy again!
We have an appt with the family doctor on Tuesday morning.
Gary and I are exhausted. Just totally wiped out and in need of naps. We haven't been short of sleep, but boy, do we need naps. My brain is on vacation too. Can't figure out how to do more than one thing at a time. And sometimes it's hard to keep up with ONE thing. (We may be eating carry-out food a lot this week.) Maggie's not the only one needing to veg in front of the boob tube. Now, if only I could get a chance to pick the video instead of her choosing...
Maggie's temperature has been easily controled. She needs one or two doses of tylenol or advil per day to whack down fevers that pop up about every 10-12 hours.
I was ready to take her in because of the swelling and puffiness around the incision for the bypass machine. But it just doesn't look infected. It's not hot, not red, not painful. Just very very puffy. We tried taping garlic on her from 5:00-10:00 yesterday evening. I don't know if it had any effect, but the swelling is significantly less than yesterday.
When I was painting on the betadine stripes today [by the way, the chest-tube incisions look much better than yesterday when we removed the bandages] I noticed spots. Lots of spots. Kinda like chicken-pox spots. By noon, they were gobs worse. They're spreading across her body in a chicken-poxy pattern. But she doesn't have the other signs of chicken pox, like high fever or runny nose or any of those things. I wondered if the rash might be something to do with tape and bandages or something else she was in contact with, but it doesn't seem to work out "geographically" on her body. We know of no contact with anyone with chicken-pox. They don't itch, either, but it sounds like they're not supposed to itch until they erupt. Well, if it IS chicken-pox, it is a darn good thing we got her out of the hospital when we did, just on the cusp of her becoming contagious.
Her tummy wasn't doing so well today. That problem started about 48 hours after the last dose of Zofran. Since she didn't feel so hot, she didn't eat in the morning. But by noon, she was throwing up bile. I think it's hunger, and we don't want to start a cycle of being nauseous because of hunger and then exacerbating the problem by not eating. So I opened up Erin's jar of homemade applesauce and made Maggie eat a bite, even though she objected because of nausea. She had tiny little bites every few minutes for the next hour, and is now feeling much much better. Now she's about a 1/3 of the way done with the quart. Her tummy is all spiffy again!
We have an appt with the family doctor on Tuesday morning.
Gary and I are exhausted. Just totally wiped out and in need of naps. We haven't been short of sleep, but boy, do we need naps. My brain is on vacation too. Can't figure out how to do more than one thing at a time. And sometimes it's hard to keep up with ONE thing. (We may be eating carry-out food a lot this week.) Maggie's not the only one needing to veg in front of the boob tube. Now, if only I could get a chance to pick the video instead of her choosing...
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Hospital Update - 7
So far, the fever has been easily manageable. One dose of tylenol or motrin seems to prevent fever for a good 12 hours or more.
We gave Maggie her first shower since pre-surgery. There's been so much sticky stuff on her (surgical tape, the stick-ums for the electrical leads, etc) and, when it comes off, lint and blood and betadine and stuff stick to it. We got her scrubbed up as best we can. We removed the bandages from where the chest-tubes were inserted (she says woozily).
We also taped garlic to the area around the incision for the bypass, hoping that will help. Maggie doesn't like the smell and she says it stings, but it's done wonders for us in the past.
We gave Maggie her first shower since pre-surgery. There's been so much sticky stuff on her (surgical tape, the stick-ums for the electrical leads, etc) and, when it comes off, lint and blood and betadine and stuff stick to it. We got her scrubbed up as best we can. We removed the bandages from where the chest-tubes were inserted (she says woozily).
We also taped garlic to the area around the incision for the bypass, hoping that will help. Maggie doesn't like the smell and she says it stings, but it's done wonders for us in the past.
Hospital Update - 6
Maggie's fever has been down since midnight; we haven't even given her meds for it since early evening yesterday. I got up three times during the night to check on her. Once, though, was courtesy of the cat. She wanted to go out, and she jumped up on the bed and stuck her cold nose right onto my nose. She does that sometimes, and it's no big deal. (She absolutely hates to meow or make noise.) But last night when she did it, I about jumped out of my skin: I couldn't figure out why there were furry creatures in ICU and why one was right smack in my face! "Oh, wait. We're not in ICU anymore. Oh, it's just the cat. We're home now."
Cardiology said we had to check in with our family doctor this week. When I called this morning to make the appt, the receptionist told me that Dr C was only in the office Monday and Tuesday, and that she was booked solid both those days. She told Gary two weeks ago that she definitely wanted to see Maggie post-surgery. So the receptionist is seeing what she can do to squeeze us in. We usually make "urgent" appts a week or more in advance, and then cancel if we've improved. But I didn't know when we'd be getting out of the hospital, to know when to schedule a follow-up.
They gave us Lasix tablets. Maggie is supposed to take a half pill each day. They said I'd have to cut them. No problem, I thought. Then I saw how tiny they are. Hmmm. I sharpened my sharpest knife, and proceeded to split itsy-bitsy pills into itsier-bitsier pieces this morning. I'll give her the "big halves" sooner and the "smaller halves" later. And I think we'll have to go heavy on the bananas and oj and chocolate while we're on the "bigger halves." The biggest danger with Lasix is potassium depletion.
One boy got re-addicted to the computer while we were gone. I'll give it another day or so (for my chance to catch up on laundry and bills and cleaning) before I cruelly and heartlessly rip the brain-numbing computer games away from him again.
Cardiology said we had to check in with our family doctor this week. When I called this morning to make the appt, the receptionist told me that Dr C was only in the office Monday and Tuesday, and that she was booked solid both those days. She told Gary two weeks ago that she definitely wanted to see Maggie post-surgery. So the receptionist is seeing what she can do to squeeze us in. We usually make "urgent" appts a week or more in advance, and then cancel if we've improved. But I didn't know when we'd be getting out of the hospital, to know when to schedule a follow-up.
They gave us Lasix tablets. Maggie is supposed to take a half pill each day. They said I'd have to cut them. No problem, I thought. Then I saw how tiny they are. Hmmm. I sharpened my sharpest knife, and proceeded to split itsy-bitsy pills into itsier-bitsier pieces this morning. I'll give her the "big halves" sooner and the "smaller halves" later. And I think we'll have to go heavy on the bananas and oj and chocolate while we're on the "bigger halves." The biggest danger with Lasix is potassium depletion.
One boy got re-addicted to the computer while we were gone. I'll give it another day or so (for my chance to catch up on laundry and bills and cleaning) before I cruelly and heartlessly rip the brain-numbing computer games away from him again.
Take the Lead
One night shortly before surgery, we watched Take the Lead, a movie about Pierre Dulaine who teaches ballroom dance in the New York City public schools. It was a really good movie, much in the same vein as Finding Forrester or Renaissance Man.
(Warning to those offended by oodles of foul language: the movie is about at-risk kids in a violent neighborhood, and how this man's involvement in teaching them influenced their lives. So the movie may be offensive to some. It's not for little kids.)
Watching movies like this always leaves me pondering the place of culture and the arts in the schools. On the one hand, I think music and the other arts are critical to humanity, and how we think of ourselves, and how we treat each other. These beautiful things should be taught. And yet, when school attendance is mandated by the government and funded by the taxpayers instead of being entirely the responsibility of the parents, there needs to be a realization that we can't do "whatever is best" for "the sake of the children" because then there will be no limits whatsoever on extravagances. Furthermore, there is such diversity of opinion within our society on what constitutes "art" that it doesn't seem good for those battles to be fought out in the schools, influencing the minds of the children. And yet, the benefit that comes from beautiful words and beautiful music and beautiful dance and beautiful paintings is so immense that it would be tragic if children are not exposed to those things.
In spite of being "po' white folk," our family has also been labeled "artsy-fartsy." And thus I never quite know which "side" I'm on when I watch movies like this.
(Warning to those offended by oodles of foul language: the movie is about at-risk kids in a violent neighborhood, and how this man's involvement in teaching them influenced their lives. So the movie may be offensive to some. It's not for little kids.)
Watching movies like this always leaves me pondering the place of culture and the arts in the schools. On the one hand, I think music and the other arts are critical to humanity, and how we think of ourselves, and how we treat each other. These beautiful things should be taught. And yet, when school attendance is mandated by the government and funded by the taxpayers instead of being entirely the responsibility of the parents, there needs to be a realization that we can't do "whatever is best" for "the sake of the children" because then there will be no limits whatsoever on extravagances. Furthermore, there is such diversity of opinion within our society on what constitutes "art" that it doesn't seem good for those battles to be fought out in the schools, influencing the minds of the children. And yet, the benefit that comes from beautiful words and beautiful music and beautiful dance and beautiful paintings is so immense that it would be tragic if children are not exposed to those things.
In spite of being "po' white folk," our family has also been labeled "artsy-fartsy." And thus I never quite know which "side" I'm on when I watch movies like this.
Friday, December 01, 2006
Hospital Update - 5
Should I keep calling these "hospital updates" if we're home now???
The roads coming home weren't very nice. In most places, one lane of the interstate was clear. But when you've got a long row of cars traveling at 45 mph, and then along comes an impatient dude doing 70 in a 4-wheeler, it gets a little nerve-wracking. Oftentimes, the other lane of the interstate was such a mess that it would've necessitated driving about 20-30 mph, and it sure ain't good to slow down that quickly on that kind of road to get out of the other guy's way. But we got home nevertheless. Well, almost home. Not quite.
Gary had called the fellow who does the plowing for church, to let him know our need to be able to get into the driveway. Oftentimes, church is left as the last thing on his list, and it gets to be quite a hardship when people here have to come and go from work. You just can't shovel 200' of a very wide driveway that's deeply drifted, when all you have are shovels and no plow. Even a snowblower would take a really long time. Well, when we got home, nothing was plowed. We couldn't turn into the drive at all. Everything the county plows had thrown off to the side of the road, was still sitting there in our entry-way. There was nothing to do but plunge the car into the pile of snow, just so as to get it off the road. Then we made a lot of trips, unloading the contents of the car and backseat and hauling it all up to the house through the drifts. Maggie had to be carried in -- and not piggy-back because that would be bad for the stitches. Not a happy or easy homecoming.
She began running her fever again, a little more than an hour after arriving home. We have to keep it under 101.5 or we may have to go back to the hospital. So far, we're staying under 101 with the help of tylenol and ibuprofen. (This is hard for me, because I tend to think fever is the body's way of fighting infection. However, fever also speeds up the pulse, and she seriously does not need increased pulse rate right now.)
She also has some serious puffiness where she was hooked up to the heart-lung machine. I hope continued rest and her prescription diuretic will help get that under control.
We'll just keep watching and resting. Hopefully we (that would mostly be me) can let other things slide around here while we make nursing the patient top-priority. Lots of tv this week. I got videos from the library that are educational, but I'll bet we end up watching more Hogan's Heroes than Shakespeare and Dickens. Oh well... the main thing is the fever and the puffiness. That's more important than history and literature right now.
The roads coming home weren't very nice. In most places, one lane of the interstate was clear. But when you've got a long row of cars traveling at 45 mph, and then along comes an impatient dude doing 70 in a 4-wheeler, it gets a little nerve-wracking. Oftentimes, the other lane of the interstate was such a mess that it would've necessitated driving about 20-30 mph, and it sure ain't good to slow down that quickly on that kind of road to get out of the other guy's way. But we got home nevertheless. Well, almost home. Not quite.
Gary had called the fellow who does the plowing for church, to let him know our need to be able to get into the driveway. Oftentimes, church is left as the last thing on his list, and it gets to be quite a hardship when people here have to come and go from work. You just can't shovel 200' of a very wide driveway that's deeply drifted, when all you have are shovels and no plow. Even a snowblower would take a really long time. Well, when we got home, nothing was plowed. We couldn't turn into the drive at all. Everything the county plows had thrown off to the side of the road, was still sitting there in our entry-way. There was nothing to do but plunge the car into the pile of snow, just so as to get it off the road. Then we made a lot of trips, unloading the contents of the car and backseat and hauling it all up to the house through the drifts. Maggie had to be carried in -- and not piggy-back because that would be bad for the stitches. Not a happy or easy homecoming.
She began running her fever again, a little more than an hour after arriving home. We have to keep it under 101.5 or we may have to go back to the hospital. So far, we're staying under 101 with the help of tylenol and ibuprofen. (This is hard for me, because I tend to think fever is the body's way of fighting infection. However, fever also speeds up the pulse, and she seriously does not need increased pulse rate right now.)
She also has some serious puffiness where she was hooked up to the heart-lung machine. I hope continued rest and her prescription diuretic will help get that under control.
We'll just keep watching and resting. Hopefully we (that would mostly be me) can let other things slide around here while we make nursing the patient top-priority. Lots of tv this week. I got videos from the library that are educational, but I'll bet we end up watching more Hogan's Heroes than Shakespeare and Dickens. Oh well... the main thing is the fever and the puffiness. That's more important than history and literature right now.
Hospital Update - 4
We decided that it would be wise to go check out of Ronald McDonald House. Maggie's doing well. We've given about a dozen doctors the pitch on why we should go home today. None has had any real objection. So I figured I'd start packing up and do the housecleaning at RMH. If we ended up staying another night or two, the hospital has the cafeteria, and the parent showers, and there's always the possibility of imposing upon the Mays and the Kochs and Matt.
On my way past the nurses' station, we got the okay to leave any time after 3:00. Woo hooo! We're going to be going home only 70 hours after this kid left the operating room. Unbelievable! If I had dared to wish for the very best recuperation I could've imagined, it would've been worse than what God has actually blessed us with this week.
And now, to go load up the car and drive over to fetch a girl.
On my way past the nurses' station, we got the okay to leave any time after 3:00. Woo hooo! We're going to be going home only 70 hours after this kid left the operating room. Unbelievable! If I had dared to wish for the very best recuperation I could've imagined, it would've been worse than what God has actually blessed us with this week.
And now, to go load up the car and drive over to fetch a girl.
Hospital Update - 3
Oh, darn it. Now Maggie's got a fever. I figured they'd let her go, even with the one part of the left lung not being A-OK, because there's really nothing here they can do for it that can't be done better at home. But a fever ... that could indicate infection inside. So we may be here for a while after all. Still waiting to hear...
Hospital Update - 2
Sooooo, the last one wasn't the last one after. Dr Samyn came in after the echo. Given Maggie's mobility (she wheeled her own wheelchair back from the downstairs Family Resource Room, and walked herself to the staff kitchen on fourth floor to nab a pop), they're thinking that she could probably go home. However, there's a little problem with the lower part of the left lung; they want to get a good look at the chest xray before making a final determination. And if they do decide to send her home today, it won't be until later in the afternoon, when the snowplows have had a chance to do their duty on the roads.
Hospital Update - 1
We had a good and restful night. Maggie and I are on our way back from cardiology to the room. We're out tooling around the hospital with the wheelchair because it's a hefty walk all the way down to cardiology. The echocardiogram didn't show the homograft and how the valve is working. The technicians and doctors would get glimpses, but no good looks at it. They said it's not uncommon for that to happen post-surgery, due to scarring and fluid build-up. But they got a good look at the valve on Tuesday after surgery, and it sounds great through the stethoscope -- no leakage.
Maggie's eating, drinking, and doing all the things she needs to do. Pretty mobile too. Feeling good. Seems like we should be going home posthaste. We'll see what the doctor on the floor says when we get back up there. Can't get our hands on a DVD-player or VCR, so I think Maggie would rather be home with her own tv and Hogan's Heroes. Only problem is the snow. I'm not sure that it would be wise to leave to go home now. Maybe in a few hours the roads will be more clear. Right now, this hospital is dead and quiet -- SO many people have not come in to work, and a bunch of people have canceled appts because of the weather.
Maggie's getting impatient with waiting, so I'll close and get her back upstairs. Hopefully, this will be the last one of these. :-)
Maggie's eating, drinking, and doing all the things she needs to do. Pretty mobile too. Feeling good. Seems like we should be going home posthaste. We'll see what the doctor on the floor says when we get back up there. Can't get our hands on a DVD-player or VCR, so I think Maggie would rather be home with her own tv and Hogan's Heroes. Only problem is the snow. I'm not sure that it would be wise to leave to go home now. Maybe in a few hours the roads will be more clear. Right now, this hospital is dead and quiet -- SO many people have not come in to work, and a bunch of people have canceled appts because of the weather.
Maggie's getting impatient with waiting, so I'll close and get her back upstairs. Hopefully, this will be the last one of these. :-)
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Hospital Update - 16
Besides just being more comfortable, Maggie is also breathing much better with the chest tubes removed.
Yesterday and today she seems hypernasal again, that is, the sound of her voice is like it was before her palate surgery. I ought to remember to ask about that during rounds tomorrow. Maybe it's nothing, or maybe they'd have her ENT stop by.
Gary asked during this morning's rounds what needs to be accomplished before Maggie is allowed to go home. They said they need to take an echo and x-rays and EKG twenty-four or more hours after the chest tubes are removed. So we're scheduled for an echo tomorrow morning at 10. But in light of the dire predictions of the weather forecasters, if she were to get sprung, we might not be able to drive home anyhow because of deep deep snow. (I need to remember to get my tennies out of the trunk so I'm not walking back over to RMH on Friday in my sandals ... through 10" of snow. LOL.)
I really don't think we'll be going home tomorrow, though. Maggie's tummy has not been doing well. She hasn't thrown up since she began drinking and eating yesterday. But things just haven't been settling well. She eats a little, and then starts feeling nauseous. That lasts 1-2 hours, and then she's fine again. She's hungry and wants to eat, but when she does, it makes her feel cruddy. So she's been avoiding food. The nurse and doctor decided to put her on Zofran which will settle her tummy and allow her to start getting some more calories into herself, and enough liquid to not dehydrate. At this point, she simply couldn't go home because, without the IV, she couldn't keep herself hydrated due to the nausea. So hopefully the meds will have an effect by middle of the day tomorrow. The doctor on rounds tonight said she expected we'd be going home "this weekend."
Yesterday and today she seems hypernasal again, that is, the sound of her voice is like it was before her palate surgery. I ought to remember to ask about that during rounds tomorrow. Maybe it's nothing, or maybe they'd have her ENT stop by.
Gary asked during this morning's rounds what needs to be accomplished before Maggie is allowed to go home. They said they need to take an echo and x-rays and EKG twenty-four or more hours after the chest tubes are removed. So we're scheduled for an echo tomorrow morning at 10. But in light of the dire predictions of the weather forecasters, if she were to get sprung, we might not be able to drive home anyhow because of deep deep snow. (I need to remember to get my tennies out of the trunk so I'm not walking back over to RMH on Friday in my sandals ... through 10" of snow. LOL.)
I really don't think we'll be going home tomorrow, though. Maggie's tummy has not been doing well. She hasn't thrown up since she began drinking and eating yesterday. But things just haven't been settling well. She eats a little, and then starts feeling nauseous. That lasts 1-2 hours, and then she's fine again. She's hungry and wants to eat, but when she does, it makes her feel cruddy. So she's been avoiding food. The nurse and doctor decided to put her on Zofran which will settle her tummy and allow her to start getting some more calories into herself, and enough liquid to not dehydrate. At this point, she simply couldn't go home because, without the IV, she couldn't keep herself hydrated due to the nausea. So hopefully the meds will have an effect by middle of the day tomorrow. The doctor on rounds tonight said she expected we'd be going home "this weekend."
Hospital Update - 15
Couldn't find a computer available at the hosptial, church, or RMH prior to Bible class. So here's the late-morning scoop.
Last night, Maggie was having some pain (visible in the face, although she didn't want to admit it), and we offered her a second dose of tylenol for the day. She didn't want it. She doesn't like the "taste" of the pill. She preferred to deal with the pain, rather than take tylenol. Oy! So we asked the nurse if there was anything that could be put into her IV line. Maggie got a half dose of morphine, and in 10 minutes was feeling much more comfortable, and her face was much more relaxed.
Nurse was pleased that Maggie slep so well during the night. Even with being woken at 4 for blood-draws, 5 for x-ray, again at 6 for another blood-draw (oops on the first try at 4:00), she was still getting good solid rest for several hours at a time.
Chest tubes have been pulled. Mag couldn't eat this morning because pulling the tubes required some sedation. She wasn't even feeling like eating jello last night at bedtime, so the lack of food probably hasn't been too bad for her.
Moved out of ICU to room 463.
Gary heard on the news yesterday that there was a schoolbus/semi accident on Tuesday morning, and that all the kids were taken to Children's and treated there. That may just possibly explain the delay in surgery -- a lot of medical personnel probably had to be diverted to ER to deal with 60 kids who needed attention. And the timetable would fit with when we were phoned to postpone surgery.
Last night, Maggie was having some pain (visible in the face, although she didn't want to admit it), and we offered her a second dose of tylenol for the day. She didn't want it. She doesn't like the "taste" of the pill. She preferred to deal with the pain, rather than take tylenol. Oy! So we asked the nurse if there was anything that could be put into her IV line. Maggie got a half dose of morphine, and in 10 minutes was feeling much more comfortable, and her face was much more relaxed.
Nurse was pleased that Maggie slep so well during the night. Even with being woken at 4 for blood-draws, 5 for x-ray, again at 6 for another blood-draw (oops on the first try at 4:00), she was still getting good solid rest for several hours at a time.
Chest tubes have been pulled. Mag couldn't eat this morning because pulling the tubes required some sedation. She wasn't even feeling like eating jello last night at bedtime, so the lack of food probably hasn't been too bad for her.
Moved out of ICU to room 463.
Gary heard on the news yesterday that there was a schoolbus/semi accident on Tuesday morning, and that all the kids were taken to Children's and treated there. That may just possibly explain the delay in surgery -- a lot of medical personnel probably had to be diverted to ER to deal with 60 kids who needed attention. And the timetable would fit with when we were phoned to postpone surgery.
All This Dust
For some reason, when we were hanging out at the hospital Monday for pre-op, I couldn't help but ponder why this whole world exists. All these people here with kids who are hurting. All the kids with cancer. All the kids on dialysis. All the kids here for surgeries because of birth defects. Or because of illness. Or because of violence. And ALL the people who take care of them -- their parents and nurses and doctors and cleaning folks and secretaries.
And you lie in bed at night and hear the sirens on the ambulances, bringing in more damaged bodies. We hardly ever hear sirens at home -- one of the sheltered benefits of living in the boonies. And you talk to some of the other parents whose kids were medi-flighted here.
"And God created man out of the dust of the ground, and man became a living being." All this dust. All this dust arranged into arms and legs and mouths and livers and kidneys. And I just kept thinking -- why? It's all so transitory. Why would God set it up like this? When you start thinking of it objectively, like as if you could be an outside observer from another planet or even another reality, you start to think that this whole world is kinda weird. People just living, eating, talking to each other, growing up, having more babies to do the same thing all over again; houses being built, technology being developed, entertainment consuming our attention, other people just struggling to survive starvation. And for some dumb bizarre philosophical reason, these thoughts would resurface now and then in the busyness of answering questions for doctors and fluffing pillows, or in the waiting-times as I noticed all the parents just sitting in the surgery waiting-room, waiting for the latest report from the surgeons' assistants.
And then last night, as Pastor read Sunday's OT (end of Isaiah 65) at Mass, I think I got part of the answer. I knew before that Pastor's answer is that "God created for love's sake." But with last night's OT, it made me think about God's creating us to have joy. That it's connected with "love's sake" (as Pastor always says), and that we are made in the image of the triune God. Not that God made us to have joy just because of frivolity and happy-happiness. No, the joy of being in Him. The joy of giving and receiving love, not only receiving God's love forever, but also giving and receiving love amongst ourselves eternally. If God was complete before He created, if God needed nothing, then even before He made the world, everything was full of joy and love and the communion within the Trinity. And that love moved out to make us, so that we could be brought into it too. God will rejoice over His people. And they will rejoice in Him. And that's why all this dust is walking around the hospital, why the generations continue, why the dust is walking around a gazillion grocery stores and schools and factories today -- because that dust is favored of God, given the breath of life by Him, so that we may receive all that He has to give.
And this is all obvious stuff. And I'm being weird (having been woken and kicked out of the room for early-morning x-rays again). But sometimes a person gets a chance to wonder at the marvels of it all --
"For behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth;
and the former things shall not be remembered
nor come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
and her people a joy."
And now, I suppose I will go back to a girl who's been woken, and we'll watch some more Hogan's Heroes or something.
And you lie in bed at night and hear the sirens on the ambulances, bringing in more damaged bodies. We hardly ever hear sirens at home -- one of the sheltered benefits of living in the boonies. And you talk to some of the other parents whose kids were medi-flighted here.
"And God created man out of the dust of the ground, and man became a living being." All this dust. All this dust arranged into arms and legs and mouths and livers and kidneys. And I just kept thinking -- why? It's all so transitory. Why would God set it up like this? When you start thinking of it objectively, like as if you could be an outside observer from another planet or even another reality, you start to think that this whole world is kinda weird. People just living, eating, talking to each other, growing up, having more babies to do the same thing all over again; houses being built, technology being developed, entertainment consuming our attention, other people just struggling to survive starvation. And for some dumb bizarre philosophical reason, these thoughts would resurface now and then in the busyness of answering questions for doctors and fluffing pillows, or in the waiting-times as I noticed all the parents just sitting in the surgery waiting-room, waiting for the latest report from the surgeons' assistants.
And then last night, as Pastor read Sunday's OT (end of Isaiah 65) at Mass, I think I got part of the answer. I knew before that Pastor's answer is that "God created for love's sake." But with last night's OT, it made me think about God's creating us to have joy. That it's connected with "love's sake" (as Pastor always says), and that we are made in the image of the triune God. Not that God made us to have joy just because of frivolity and happy-happiness. No, the joy of being in Him. The joy of giving and receiving love, not only receiving God's love forever, but also giving and receiving love amongst ourselves eternally. If God was complete before He created, if God needed nothing, then even before He made the world, everything was full of joy and love and the communion within the Trinity. And that love moved out to make us, so that we could be brought into it too. God will rejoice over His people. And they will rejoice in Him. And that's why all this dust is walking around the hospital, why the generations continue, why the dust is walking around a gazillion grocery stores and schools and factories today -- because that dust is favored of God, given the breath of life by Him, so that we may receive all that He has to give.
And this is all obvious stuff. And I'm being weird (having been woken and kicked out of the room for early-morning x-rays again). But sometimes a person gets a chance to wonder at the marvels of it all --
"For behold, I create a new heavens and a new earth;
and the former things shall not be remembered
nor come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
for behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing,
and her people a joy."
And now, I suppose I will go back to a girl who's been woken, and we'll watch some more Hogan's Heroes or something.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Hospital Update - 14
We're still in ICU. When our cardiologist came by at 2:30, he asked the nurses if there were something about Maggie keeping us there, or if it's an issue with space. That's it: there's just not a room for her to move into. One of the nurses mentioned to me about 5ish that somebody was going to be clearing out of a room, so it would be open for Maggie "later." I guess it was just getting too late in the day to move her. So I anticipate a move tomorrow.
She's been for two walks, tooling around ICU. She's gone potty several times. The blood draining from her chest tubes is significantly decreased and much lighter colored; she is quite anxious to be rid of those.
Maggie has been deciphering the monitor. She watches her heart rate and her oxygen saturation. They're quite stable and boring. The thing that really gets her attention is when another bed in the unit alarms; then the stats show up on all the monitors to make sure the nurses know who needs attention and how desperately. So she sees when someone's pulse goes over 150, or goes down too low. She asks biology and anatomy questions about how this all works. She hasn't been working her lungs and taking deep breaths like she should: it hurts too much. But now that she's figured out that the squiggly yellow line measures her breath, we tried playing with the line -- take a deep breath or hold your breath or take three fast breaths. She wasn't too willing to do it because of the pain. But a few interesting quirks on the line did a tad bit to draw her interest. I'm hoping that it may provide encouragement to continue bigger breaths. But it is true that it hurts. And her chest tubes may have to be in for a while longer than she'd prefer; there was enough bleeding at the end of surgery that they just had to leave her splayed open there for a while before sewing her up.
Which reminds me, what Pr Petersen said about the violence. It is an overwhelming amount of violence that happens in that OR. And yet, how necessary for her continued health. It hurts to think of it, and yet there is no option. Kinda makes ya think of Hannah's song and Luther's comment on it: to bring to life, first God puts to death.
Rachel, Andrew, and Paul came to stay with Maggie for the evening. Gary had to teach confirmation class. I was hoping to go to Mass, but she had missed me very much when she was left alone for half an hour while I ran over to RMH and got the laundry out of the dryer. So I told her I'd stay with her for the evening, and she took me up on the offer. But when Rachel and the boys arrived, and then Matt arrived, she thought it would be just fine if I left for a while. LOL -- I know where I rate.... (No, actually, sitting on the bed with my arm around her does do a lot to make her feel better.) A present was sent up from the gift shop earlier, and a friend stopped by with a present this evening. Ooooh, this child is getting treated like royalty. :-)
On my way to Mass, I was pondering how well this hospital stay is going. It's really quite mind-boggling. How can it possibly be this easy??? And I just kept thinking of what Pastor says: "How shall He not then, along with Him, freely give us all things?" He's quoted that to me so many times, and so many times I've fussed and crabbed at him about not understanding it. And yet, tonight, driving to church, that was the one verse that I couldn't stop meditating upon. Yes, we have Jesus. Yes, we have the forgiveness of sins. Yes, we have life and salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit and so much more. But looking at this hospital stay, we have this overflowing overwhelming abundant nearly-unbelievable temporal blessing too. As if forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation weren't enough for Him to pour out, He gives even more! And why? Just because He loves to give freely. Just because of His compassion and love and mercy. Because of the cross and the forgiveness won there. Because He is good to those who don't deserve any goodness whatsoever. Just because He wants to lavish these things upon us.
Oh, Thou spring of boundless blessing!
How could e'er my feeble mind
of the depths the bottom find,
though my efforts were unceasing!
All things else have but their day --
God's great love abides for aye!
She's been for two walks, tooling around ICU. She's gone potty several times. The blood draining from her chest tubes is significantly decreased and much lighter colored; she is quite anxious to be rid of those.
Maggie has been deciphering the monitor. She watches her heart rate and her oxygen saturation. They're quite stable and boring. The thing that really gets her attention is when another bed in the unit alarms; then the stats show up on all the monitors to make sure the nurses know who needs attention and how desperately. So she sees when someone's pulse goes over 150, or goes down too low. She asks biology and anatomy questions about how this all works. She hasn't been working her lungs and taking deep breaths like she should: it hurts too much. But now that she's figured out that the squiggly yellow line measures her breath, we tried playing with the line -- take a deep breath or hold your breath or take three fast breaths. She wasn't too willing to do it because of the pain. But a few interesting quirks on the line did a tad bit to draw her interest. I'm hoping that it may provide encouragement to continue bigger breaths. But it is true that it hurts. And her chest tubes may have to be in for a while longer than she'd prefer; there was enough bleeding at the end of surgery that they just had to leave her splayed open there for a while before sewing her up.
Which reminds me, what Pr Petersen said about the violence. It is an overwhelming amount of violence that happens in that OR. And yet, how necessary for her continued health. It hurts to think of it, and yet there is no option. Kinda makes ya think of Hannah's song and Luther's comment on it: to bring to life, first God puts to death.
Rachel, Andrew, and Paul came to stay with Maggie for the evening. Gary had to teach confirmation class. I was hoping to go to Mass, but she had missed me very much when she was left alone for half an hour while I ran over to RMH and got the laundry out of the dryer. So I told her I'd stay with her for the evening, and she took me up on the offer. But when Rachel and the boys arrived, and then Matt arrived, she thought it would be just fine if I left for a while. LOL -- I know where I rate.... (No, actually, sitting on the bed with my arm around her does do a lot to make her feel better.) A present was sent up from the gift shop earlier, and a friend stopped by with a present this evening. Ooooh, this child is getting treated like royalty. :-)
On my way to Mass, I was pondering how well this hospital stay is going. It's really quite mind-boggling. How can it possibly be this easy??? And I just kept thinking of what Pastor says: "How shall He not then, along with Him, freely give us all things?" He's quoted that to me so many times, and so many times I've fussed and crabbed at him about not understanding it. And yet, tonight, driving to church, that was the one verse that I couldn't stop meditating upon. Yes, we have Jesus. Yes, we have the forgiveness of sins. Yes, we have life and salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit and so much more. But looking at this hospital stay, we have this overflowing overwhelming abundant nearly-unbelievable temporal blessing too. As if forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation weren't enough for Him to pour out, He gives even more! And why? Just because He loves to give freely. Just because of His compassion and love and mercy. Because of the cross and the forgiveness won there. Because He is good to those who don't deserve any goodness whatsoever. Just because He wants to lavish these things upon us.
Oh, Thou spring of boundless blessing!
How could e'er my feeble mind
of the depths the bottom find,
though my efforts were unceasing!
All things else have but their day --
God's great love abides for aye!
Is It Selfish to Fight for Homeschooling Freedoms? (Part 5)
Flipping through my "Day by Day We Magnify Thee" Monday night, I found a scribbled-out quote from a novel I read on vacation a few years back (the only time I ever get to read grown-up for-fun books). This is from Gillian Bradshaw's Render Unto Caesar (p. 432) which is set shortly before the fall of Rome. Discussing the evils of their society, and the troubles, and how to respond, and what to support when both sides of the political structure are corrupt, one character responds to the other:
"The empire isn't going to fall, so our only option is to support those parts of it that make it something we can endure."
Now, the "empire isn't going to fall" was not really inaccurate; the discussion was about whether it would fall imminently. I have often thought that this quote fits quite well for a Christian's place in American society. Especially one of my political persuasion.
What do we do in society and in the political arena now? We know our meager efforts are not going to dismantle the entrenched politics. We may make differences. We try to do our best. But so much is unchangeable. So we support those parts of the system that make the society endurable in the midst of too much raw evil as well as too much power-grabbing.
To me, homeschool freedoms support the things that make this society work. It supports families. It supports the honor of parents to be the authority over their children. Homeschooling freedoms is one wee demonstration that governmental authority flows from the authority of the father, and not vice versa. Homeschooling freedoms allow for options and alternatives, instead of insisting on all power and decision-making being caught up under one mindset.
Some may say that homeschooling freedoms might allow for people to be free FROM education instead of free to choose WHICH education. Although I really don't see it (and I know a whole lot of homeschoolers and unschoolers), I suppose it IS possible. But I believe that it is a small risk. I also believe that the State's regulation and monitoring of homeschoolers brings much greater risk to society as we "support those parts of it that make it something we can endure" than does the acknowledgement that parents can and should make those decisions for their children.
I'm sure I could go on and on, but the washer is nearly done, and I want to get back to the hospital and see how my gal is doing.
"The empire isn't going to fall, so our only option is to support those parts of it that make it something we can endure."
Now, the "empire isn't going to fall" was not really inaccurate; the discussion was about whether it would fall imminently. I have often thought that this quote fits quite well for a Christian's place in American society. Especially one of my political persuasion.
What do we do in society and in the political arena now? We know our meager efforts are not going to dismantle the entrenched politics. We may make differences. We try to do our best. But so much is unchangeable. So we support those parts of the system that make the society endurable in the midst of too much raw evil as well as too much power-grabbing.
To me, homeschool freedoms support the things that make this society work. It supports families. It supports the honor of parents to be the authority over their children. Homeschooling freedoms is one wee demonstration that governmental authority flows from the authority of the father, and not vice versa. Homeschooling freedoms allow for options and alternatives, instead of insisting on all power and decision-making being caught up under one mindset.
Some may say that homeschooling freedoms might allow for people to be free FROM education instead of free to choose WHICH education. Although I really don't see it (and I know a whole lot of homeschoolers and unschoolers), I suppose it IS possible. But I believe that it is a small risk. I also believe that the State's regulation and monitoring of homeschoolers brings much greater risk to society as we "support those parts of it that make it something we can endure" than does the acknowledgement that parents can and should make those decisions for their children.
I'm sure I could go on and on, but the washer is nearly done, and I want to get back to the hospital and see how my gal is doing.
Hospital Update - 13
Bad planning on my part. I should've thrown the load of clothes into the wash FIRST, and then hit the blog. But noooo, I am a blog-addict and did that first. Now I have 20 minutes to kill before I can change the load over to the dryer. Pastor called and said he'd be coming to visit between 1 and 1:30, so I kinda want to be done with the housewifey stuff at RMH and be back to Maggie's room to receive.
Man, these super-fancy washers at the RMH take a lot longer to run through a load than does my Kenmore at home.
If we're out of ICU soon, the phone number I posted last night will no longer be valid for us. But if you have the cell-phone number, that should work. I assume cell phones are allowed out on the floor, since they're allowed in the hallways and the waiting rooms, just not in ICU.
Man, these super-fancy washers at the RMH take a lot longer to run through a load than does my Kenmore at home.
If we're out of ICU soon, the phone number I posted last night will no longer be valid for us. But if you have the cell-phone number, that should work. I assume cell phones are allowed out on the floor, since they're allowed in the hallways and the waiting rooms, just not in ICU.
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