Developments

Well, my weight loss was due to the onset of Type 2 Diabetes. I am still losing the weight, but at a snails pace now.

The first weekend in October I went down to visit Sherry, to see her new place since they moved.

For the past seven weeks prior I had to really watch what I ate, or I would get severe abdominal pain. No greasy fatty foods, nothing spicy. I didn't know why, but I didn't want to end up down and out in the bed with pain, so I avoided the foods, and the situation.

Sherry and I went to a really cool restaurant on a lake nearby her house for lunch that Friday. I had one or two bites of chili cheese fries and half a hamburger. Bad move. A couple of hours later I started to feel the pain coming on, knowing what was going to happen by that night. I guess I should have gone on home then, but I ignored it, hoping it wouldnt get any worse, but it always does.

By ten o'clock that night I was feeling pretty bad. Everyone went to bed soon after and I was up and down all night. The night seemed to last forever with very little sleep. As morning came closer I began to pack up my things. I knew I had to get home, beyond that, I didnt know what I was going to do, but I knew the way this goes. Once I get the pain, it lasts for two days and then the third day I am weak but recovering. Sherry heard me up and sat with me until it was almost daylight. I don't drive well in the dark, and it was foggy that morning too.

I took off for home, having about two and a half hours ahead of me. I have also been very thirsty for the past seven weeks, so I stopped at a store and got a huge cup of ice and water. I probably shouldnt have driven, but I had to get home, that was all I could think about.

As I drove I talked to myself, soothing myself, moaning from the pain, crying, mumbling. Yes, it was that bad. I called out 'Mama' and 'God' many many times over. Everyone knows that calling for your mother is soothing, and God, well, that speaks for itself.

I made it home in record time, with little traffic to deal with and got settled down for the day, still in pain, and working on sleeping as an escape, especially since I had had no sleep the night before.

Skip to Saturday night. At about 10:30 that night, I couldn't take it anymore. We headed for the ER and being located where I am, the hospital was not overcrowded with sick people, gunshot wounds and overdoses. There were only two people ahead of me. After checking in I guess I had to wait only about twenty minutes before I was escorted to a room, where I had to wait just a short time and I was given an IV, they took blood, then hooked me up with pain meds. Blessed pain killers, yes, I felt the pain melt away and I began to relax and of course Ian was right there by my side the whole time. He was so tired, he had already put in a full days work, and now he was going to be up half the night with me at the hospital. After I got the pain meds in me, I relaxed and told him to go on home and get some sleep, that I would be fine. I got some good sleep myself. The pain meds only last about three hours, then I had to ask for more as my pain was creeping back in.

An ultrasound had been ordered to find out what the problem was. That morning the doctor came in and asked me if I knew I had Type 2 Diabetes, and I said no, but not totally surprised because of the rapid weight loss and the excessive thirst. I was given insulin in my IV, and that helped with the whole thirst thing. I had an ultrasound and cysts were found in my liver. When I eat bad foods, it aggravates the cysts, thus the pain.

I was released after requesting a last minute pain med in my IV before leaving and the IV coming out. I wanted to make it to the pharmacy and get the prescription filled for the pain before it came back. Ian filled my prescription for Norco and off we went home. I had only to take three pills before the pain was gone on its on. I still keep the extras close by for fear of another bout of abdominal pain.

A catscan was scheduled as out patient last week. I went in and got the blue dye shot into my veins (if you have never had it done, it is weird feeling. The IV site got a bit hot for about thirty seconds, that was uncomfortable. Then you feel like someone has thrown warm water on your insides...thats the only way I can describe it. Then that goes away. I also had to drink some unpleasant stuff, it was not too bad really, just the fact of what it was, the barium sulfate I think it is. I tried to imagine it as some kind of vanilla smoothy, but my imagination failed me.

Now I have to sign a release, which I didnt know, wasnt told, so my regular doctor can get the results. The results have been in, but I wasnt hearing anything back from the doctor that ordered it, so I called to ask what was going on and found this out. So, a release form was faxed to me and I will fill it out, and it will be faxed to the doctors office, and then the doctors office will fax it back to the hospital showing I gave permission for my doctor to have the information. Lot of paperwork being shuffled about if you ask me, but I guess thats just policy.

I am doing okay, it took a few days to really get my strength back, but I am puttering about as always around here, trying to get the house clean, and taking care of the animals. My first few days I was so tired and slow. My family had to step up and help me. Ian fed the animals every day. Shelby took care of all the babies on the porch and did the laundry. As I was getting my strength back, I was getting Shelby to help me cook supper and do dishes.

No one person can or should have to do it all. This is what I had always been scared of. That my family would not be able to do the things that needed doing in order to keep things orderly. I had four chickens die, I had a problem in the sultan pen and they were dying off quickly. I was too sick to do anything, and as quick as they were going down, I dont think I could have saved them anyway.

I think I am having another episode around in the yard like I did when the ground stayed so wet before and I had to dust the ground with lime. Over the summer, it stayed wet, hot and humid. Fall is here, and it is still wet on the ground. It is always wet. This is not good as chickens like to peck at the ground and drink out of small puddles. There is no way to stop them, but you know the bacteria is breeding, and the lime has to be put down to kill it off. That pen was wet too. On top of those, I had two others die in the yard.

Since I have been back on my feet and out there tending things as they should be tended I haven't had anymore problems. There is so much rain, I will be having to lime again and again.

I have an appointment to see about the diabetes. I have been told by the doctor from the ER that it is not so severe that I will need insulin shots. He told me with the right diet and maybe one or two medications I should be able to control it.

I still haven't gotten my truck back. It has been almost two months. This is a long story, but to make it short, we have ended up getting the state insurance office involved to rain down on the head of the insurance adjuster that we have been dealing with that won't cooperate with us to get it fixed properly.

Friday is the Ga Natl Fair, and we will be going to enjoy that. What I will be eating there I have no idea. It won't be calzones or pizza. No gyros or polish sausage. I think I can have the grilled chicken and the roasted corn. I will have to be careful not to eat anything fatty or greasy, which is the very essence of fair food...sigh. The food is not worth the pain I go through though, so I will stay away from grease and fat.

I can't remember if I have said it here, but we have a second llama. I hope to tell more about them in future blog entries. I just thought I should come and kind of update what has been going on.

Ian and I, well, mostly Ian, is digging post holes for posts, to make a run in for the llamas this winter. We went to Lowes and got all the supplies for building one. I imagine the pigs will end up using it this winter as well, can't really blame them, I would use a run in shelter over a hoop house anyday on a cold windy day. There will be plenty of room in there if they do.

With all the rain, I imagine I will be blogging more soon. It is going to be getting cold here soon too. We have a weather prediction for some chilly nights here next week, into the upper thirties. Time to cover the pens and get the little chickens in for the winter so they don't freeze.

Always something that needs doing. With that said, I need to clean out the babies shavings and put fresh shavings in.