I am DISTRAUGHT!

Did any of you watch American Idol tonight? I just finished watching it and I am upset beyond words. They did a tremendous job with Idol gives back! I pretty much cried the whole time. These are the things I think about, especially at night, and many nights I just cry thinking about what is going on in this world and how I just want to help. Of course I went to the website www.americanidol.com and made a small donation but it just doesn't even touch upon what I really want to do.

If you haven't done so, please consider making a contribution to the "Idol Gives Back" campaign. Any amount will help!

Love and light,

Wendy

update and info

Wow I feel good. Still a bit tired, but good! Yesterday I took my daughter, her friend, and the puppy to the BEACH! It was such a gorgeous day! Friday, my first day home I took the kids and puppy to my Sister Lisa's. My Nephew got a trampoline for his Birthday and I couldn't wait to try it out. It was so fun that now I want one.

Today Casey had softball practice. (I think I may already have a bit of a tan). Her coach said that she will be the starting pitcher. I didn't even knew she had it in her!

Tonight Justin was packing a lunch and asked if her could give Molly (the puppy) some grapes. I never heard of anything that said they were bad for dogs so we gave her some. After the fact I decided to look it up on Google and guess what? Grapes and Raisins can be lethal to dogs in large quantity. So please beware! I included the link for this. http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/grapeandraisin.htm
We didn't give her much but we will watch for some signs just the same.

Love and Light,

Wendy

I'm Home

Well it's good to be home and what a beautiful day to boot! Besides a pounding headache, I feel good.

I thought since one of my goals is to educate I should post some information regarding Cellulitis. Since ANYONE can get it you should become aware of it's symptoms. Since I have Lymphedema, contracting Cellulitis in the same location is just a million times more dangerous and I am super susceptible to Cellulitis because of the Lymphedema.

I got this info from www.wisegeek.com I just found this site and it's very informative. Here is just a little of what I found on this topic.

"Cellulitis is a bacterial skin infection characterized by redness, swelling, and a feeling of heat or tenderness around the affected area. It is a condition that needs prompt medical attention. Failure to treat cellulitis can result in more serious and sometimes life-threatening infections of the blood, lymph nodes, heart and skin cells.
Cellulitis most commonly occurs when a cut in the skin is not cleaned properly. The cut can be minor, such as a scrape, or major, like a surgical incision. Bacteria, often found on normal skin cells, can then invade the lower layers of the skin and infect the subcutaneous (lowest) layer of the skin. Common bacteria that cause disease are streptococcus (strep) and staphylococcus (staphSince cellulitis spreads quickly and can lead to more serious infections, it is important to see a doctor if you suspect you have contracted it. Along with the symptoms listed above, cellulitis may also cause fever, chills and swollen glands. One may also observe red streaks around the affected area. A doctor can properly diagnose the condition and prescribe oral antibiotics like Keflex (cephalexin), usually taken for 10-14 days. The doctor will most likely want to recheck the area to be sure the symptoms are resolving.
Untreated, cellulitis can cause multiple and very serious complications. Strep cells released into the bloodstream can result in cardiac impairment, as they grow tissue in the heart muscle, a condition known as bacterial endocarditis. Infections of the lymph nodes may need to be drained. Most seriously, gangrene and flesh-eating bacteria can develop, necessitating amputation and sometimes leading to death. At the very least, untreated cellulitis will probably result in a hospital stay and intravenous antibiotics to waylay more serious infections."

How serious this was is just hitting me. I could of had my arm amputated or even worse, died! I think I'll process this later. Right now I am going to take this kids and the dog to the park and enjoy this day.

Love and light,

Wendy

Feeling better

Tonight I am feeling so much better! I thought they may send me home today but honestly I felt awful. I was still running a fever today and my white counts were still too high according to Beth who came to see me tonight. So I guess as long as I don't spike a fever overnight and if my counts are good, I'll go home tomorrow. Beth mentioned that she'd like to prescribe another Physical Therapy. I did it in the fall of 2005 and it's not fun. I'd have to go to Lahey every day for 5 weeks. As I leave each day they wrap you like a mummy from my fingers to my shoulder and since I am a lefty to begin with, it's very difficult to do anything! It will be a challenge trying to work my part time job but I'll do it somehow.

OK I wore myself out typing so I'll end with the usual....Love and light,

Wendy

Thanks for posting Rich!

Yes it's true, I am in the hospital. There is a family room on my floor and there are 2 computers to use. Honestly I can't type much longer because one hand has the IV and it kills and the other is red and swollen and hurts.

i'll try and post tomorrow when the iv nurse re-positions the darn thing.

love and light~

Wendy

In the Hospital

A note from Wendy's brother Rich:
Wendy just called to tell me that she has landed in the hospital last night/early this morning. She is at the Brigham & Women's where they are treating her for (what they believe to be) a cellulitis strep infection. She may be in the hospital for the next few days depending on the effectiveness of the treatment.

Stop Complaining

So it's after 3 AM and I am awake because I am on pain meds and am unable to fall into a deep sleep yet I keep having weird dreams. I believe these are called lucid dreams.

So why am I on meds? Well I have to preface the story with another story so you'll understand the title to my post.

Saturday night Malden Youth Hockey had a 10k raffle funraiser at the Moose Lodge in Malden and no, I did not win anything. I am not a big drinker but put me in a crowd with music and they go down easily. So of course I paid the price into a bucket next to my bed the rest of the evening until I passed out. And my point would be? lol Well I don't own any comfortable shoes that look nice so I wore my pretty black boots with a heel much too high. I bought them for my (OUCH) 25th reunion and had a good opportunity to wear them again. By the end of the night I had to take them off and go home barefoot and all day today my feet throbbed.
I made it through the day until 9:30 tonight Justin got out of bed to say he had a headache. I went to the cabinet to get the Tylenol and a huge full bottle of Zest body wash fell directly on my baby toe. My children hear me as I usually swear like a taxi driver when I stub a toe and then I'm over it. But not this time. The pain didn't go away and yes, I cried like the baby I am (NOT). Thank goodness I kept my meds from my last surgery for an emergency so I took some. I ended up at the ER all drowsy and loopy and I did break the little toe and now I am wearing a god awful UGLY boot thing.

I complained about my feet from my shoes and look what happened?

I tied that one in pretty good don't you think?

The ironic thing is that I was waking up early starting today to hit the gym before work. I vowed to start this routine Monday and now I can't even drive. Go figure!

Love and light,

~W~