Crazy times but it's worth it

I know it's crazy but I'm going to finish the Massage Therapy certification. I love being a Medical Assistant and the prn schedule is working out well but with the hiring freeze at the hospital it's almost impossible to get a set office that I like being in. I don't hate any of the offices but I do prefer certain ones over others. I think staying prn while I finish school is definitely my best option right now. School is back in session for the kids and I resume classes in Sept. Wish me luck! Here's goes my sanity, lol!

New job, no summer school

Well I finally got on at our local hospital. OK, I work PRN for the Medical Assistant float pool thru the main family practice office but who cares. It's crazy hard to get any of those positions and now I have my foot in the door. I was told it can easily turn into a full time position with one of the local practices that use the floats. That's actually how there were 2 openings, those 2 floats were hired on full time at some of the offices. I like the sound of that but the flexibility of floating sounds wonderful to me.
Unfortunately there are no benefits (PTO, insurance, etc) since I'm considered PRN but I can also decided when I work with no repercussions for saying "no, I don't want to work that day". With my life & kids....that's a HUGE bonus! Plus it allows me to get back into the workforce but still be there for the kids. Win-win I say. :)
I have decided not to take any classes this summer. I really like being a Medical Assistant, which I already have an associates degree for. The whole college scene is just not where I want to be. I will still have to go back in January for 1 last class for my Spanish certification but I'm still debating whether or not to continue with the Massage certificate. All this time in college (3 quarters) and I've only taken 3 classes that count for it, all the others were Spanish. I just don't want to spend another $16,000 & 12 months for a degree I will barely if ever use. I can't justify it.
Actually though I'm not in summer school, there is a rather big possibility that my DD will be. For Language Arts of all things. That is usually one of her best classes. *sigh* Well she's just going to have to learn to get the things done when they're supposed to be even if it isn't when she wants to do them. Welcome to growing up sweetie!

My life needs to change...

We all are, shall we say, strongly encouraged to make changes in our lives at times. Sometimes they are because we want something better sometimes God says "You need change" and narrows our options so we must make them. He always allows us to decide but there are times when he narrows the options so we will do something. This is one of those times for me.
I've known for a while that I cannot survive, much less thrive, as I am living now. I'm not happy with much of anything right now. Discontent is never a happy place to be; but at times it's what we need to see that we must make a change. I have decided to go back to work. My husband has been laid off for over 2 years now and has no desire to do anything but what he used to do for work. Not necessarily a bad thing but there are no jobs in that field right now. He has decided that he's just going to be here. There is much more to this of course, but the basic idea is that he's doing dishes and not much else. I feel that you should support your husband in times of hardship but I also feel that turning down a job in his field (the only one offered in 2 yrs) because you want $27/hr and it's only $15 is wrong. His pride is again more important than the family needs are. Unfortunately I've seen that a lot over the years. I am continuing to pray for guidance for us and our family (lots of other issues here too).
I feel that going back to work and putting college on the back burner is what I need to do right now. I applied for a job listed with our local hospital last Sunday afternoon. I got an interview call on Monday. The interesting part is that the call wasn't for the job I sent a resume for. It's for what I have a degree in and honestly enjoy doing. I believe that's God at work. This job wasn't, and still isn't, listed. It has the flexibility I need with a special needs child at home. I've wanted a job like this since Boo was about 3 and I started thinking about returning to work. I can use my Spanish in this position if needed too so the schooling I've done so far is not a waste. I think education is never a waste but when it comes with the price tag I'm going to be paying the knowledge should be used as often as possible. I believe God opened this door for me. I'm believing that he's got a plan and purpose for me in this position. I've done the interview and am waiting to hear from them. I am believing that this is my position. Of course there are times when the negative thoughts slip in but I push them back with the thought that I didn't know this position existed, it found me. I should know by mid-week if all goes well. Pray for me please. I really need this job. We can't exist on what we bring in right now. We're falling behind and there are things that need taken care of that have been put off for many months.
Finances seem to be the biggest problem in many troubled marriages. Ours is no different. This won't fix everything~I know that. I just hope it will ease some of the burden so we can focus on the other issues we need to address.
Happy thoughts. Today is Monday. The start of a new week full of promise and potential. :)

Goin' for another 90 days!

I just got the OK to be "boot free" another 90 days!  We'll do another x-ray & follow-up appointment in July then again in Dec or Jan. Officially it's still a taler dome fracture (still broken) but healing nicely and it's one of those breaks that takes forever to heal. Still it IS healing and I am boot free just in time for summer! YAY!!!

Bye Bye Boot!

I'm so excited to say that over the next 7-10 days I will be transitioning OUT OF THE AIRCAST BOOT!!!! I don't know how people stand those things for very long. Granted they are much more comfortable than a traditional plaster cast but they are so bulky and heavy. Anyway my talus bone is healing nicely so Dr. H. is getting a bit more aggressive and wants me out of it as much as I can to build strength and flexibility. I go back in 3 weeks for another evaluation and to be sure it's still doing well. I am allowed to walk and wear both shoes but no heels, running, jumping or strenuous activity. Truthfully, it's so weak I wouldn't dream of trying those things anyway. I do have to figure out what shoes I'm going to wear for Easter Sunday now...I'm not sure where my flat dress shoes are. I guess I may end up in tennis shoes but I'm wearing pants anyway this year so it will be fine. I'm so glad this is almost done!
Have an amazing Easter weekend everyone!

It's healing!

After new x-rays this morning I found out that this foot is healing! I can take off the boot 3 times a day for range of motion. Here's the best part....I don't have to leave it on at night to sleep!!!! *clapping & doing a little happy dance*

I still need to  have a CAT scan done next week to verify that the hollow spot is filling in but then I will begin the slow process of walking without the boot. I have to build the time with it off but that's OK! They want me to be out of it by summer. Personally I'm shooting for mid-May but I'm just glad it's coming off and the foot is healing. :)

Just thought I'd let you all know. :D

Wednesday night Spanish class

WOW!!! I knew this would be my hardest class but OH MY!!! There is absolutely NO English spoken in class. Ummm I'm already behind since I didn't get to take the 2nd grammar class so I don't know all the basics yet. Thankfully Christine Stone is a very patient & wonderful instructor. She wants us to use our dictionary to work out our questions in Spanish and she'll correct us as needed. This way we really learn the language and how to speak it. We also focus on proper pronunciation so I will be able to understand (somewhat anyway) and speak to my patients/clients who are Hispanic.
When class started last night I got so anxious that I didn't know if I wanted to pass out or throw up, lol. I can't imagine how much I'm going to have to catch up on if I end up having surgery on this stupid foot injury. We only meet 1 night a week for 4 hours and our grade is based on participation. You MUST try to speak to get any points and they are 35% of your grade. It will all be worth it in the end though so I will pass both the Tuesday night & Wednesday night classes with decent grades. (Yes I have another 4hr Spanish class too.) I will be taking the "missing" grammar class over the summer and then I will have a certificate in Occupational Medical Spanish. I don't know if I'll go back into Medical Assisting but it will be nice to have it anyway. Besides, you never know, I may get Spanish speaking massage clientele. :)

Sewing is a challenge....

Sewing is a challenge but I can do some. I'm even figuring out how to get the serging nice on things I'm working on. I can't sit and sew for several hours but I can do it for about an hour at a time. Sewing with your left foot/non-dominant foot is definitely not easy but it's sure nice to be able to work a bit.

I forgot to take picture of the things I made for Keia but they came out pretty nice and I am pretty happy to hear that the idea of cloth isn't foreign to them. Her fiance was even looking at diaper services to try after the baby comes. I say...go for it! Even doing it part-time with a service is cheaper and healthier than full time in sposies.

The new quarter starts on Monday. (We're all on spring break this week.) I'm taking 3 classes this term, all at night. I'm going to miss my day class friends but only driving to Indy 3 evenings a week will be so nice. It will also give me a better chance to study, spend time with Nikolas and sew as I feel up to it. I know there is more homework in night classes but I think it will all balance out over the quarter. Besides this will be easier if I do end up having surgery on this stupid foot injury. (It's more painful than it should be & it's lookin' like I'm going to.)

Time to take a well deserved nap. :)  Have a great weekend everyone!

This just might work...

Yesterday I decided to use the computerized machine to sew for a friend. It's super slow going but I can do it since I don't need to use my foot. I can barely reach the ironing board so I need to get more creative to use the iron but at least I can start to do a bit of sewing for us & my shop.

I've got finals this week. Review in Kinesiology tomorrow morning, Spanish in the afternoon. The Spanish final is on Tuesday and Kines is on Thurs. They allow 3 hours for each. After that.....SPRING BREAK!!!! YAY!!! I really need a break too, lol! I think I need to rearrange 1 of my classes for next quarter though. If they do end up doing surgery I don't know if I can keep up with all 3 classes. Still debating that though. These classes aren't too bad and I should be able to prearrange any work so there isn't much to make up. I don't know. I'll think about it some more before I decide anything.

Breakfast is ready. My wonderful hubby is doing everything now so I can stay off this foot. He has not had a meltdown yet so I guess that's a good sign, lol. Taking full time care of Boo & me & the house & most of what Gracie needs is a 2 person job but he's doing it with no complaints. :)

Happy Sunday everyone! Enjoy what's left of the weekend.

MRI results

They could definitely have been better. It seems that I have a crush injury to the talus bone of my foot. To put that in simpler terms...I squashed the bone in the inner part of my foot that my leg bones rest on. It's apparently more complicated than I thought. The biggest fear is bone death since that bone has a poor blood supply. If that happens then it's definite surgery. I'm to be completely non-weight bearing...no standing, no sewing with that foot no weight of any kind on the foot for another 4 weeks. In mid-April we'll x-ray it again. If the bone or tissues are dying we'll be able to see it, if not then we'll re-evaluate how things are going. I may still end up having surgery but it will be less likely if there is no bone death.

I'm going to try some sewing with my computerized machine to see if I can do it. I have my final exams this week and then off for spring break. The new quarter starts April 4 and I have 3 night classes. They are only 1 night each so I'm hoping that I can do this. I really don't want to get any farther behind in this program. *sigh*

Have a relaxing weekend everyone.

MRI for my stupid foot

Well Wednesday is now MRI day. The doctor isn't very happy with the way this foot is healing so he wants to MRI it before giving an OK for physical therapy. If the MRI is good then we start PT; if not then we look at surgery.

Well I've got entirely too much to do to have surgery so I've made up my mind that it's going to look beautiful and we'll start PT soon. I'm cutting things to sew for the shop and for my family. I'm also doing lots of studying since finals are coming up. YAY for Spring Break!! LOL!

I'll get answers on Thursday afternoon so I guess I'll just have to keep the crutches handy and wait...patience is not my strong point either. ;)

Stupid sore foot....

OK, it IS my fault that it's sore and bruised. I admit that. I'll even admit I knew that I have to pay close attention when I take both dogs for a walk (but I did need to shut the front door).  However, I had no idea a foot could hurt like this for this long!

I saw the orthopedist today. We're going to have to do the MRI. This silly foot should be so much better than it is. I'm back to no weight bearing at all and still on pain meds. I've got classes and finals for the next 2 weeks so I just can't stay off it. I'm making as many modifications as I can but I'm the mom of a child with very unique needs. He can't do for himself so I have to do it. My wonderful husband is caring for our son most of the time but sometimes the little guy just needs his mommy...and I just need to hold him while I still can. (He's growing like a weed!)

I also turned in the paperwork for financial aid with the hospital. We were supposed to have an answer by today for the follow-up with the ortho. They decided to file all the paperwork away and not process it because I have insurance. Well the biggest problem there is that we DON'T have insurance and haven't for a few years now. I also reminded them of that when I took the paperwork in to the billing office.  *sigh*  Well they did get back to the doctor's office with my fee for the MRI. I have to pay a portion upfront then they'll decide how much, if any, to write off and set up payment arrangements for the rest.

I really must thank our Lord for this not being worse than it is and even more for my wonderful parents who are loaning me a credit card to put the co-pays on so the interest is lower than the company the hospital uses. God blessed me with a wonderful family who is taking really good care of me and my special kids.

Sorry this is all over the place. I needed to get it out and I'm sitting here all loopy from the Norco I'm taking. This stuff is worse than the Tea Cups at Disney World!

Almost broken foot...

Well last weekend I decided to take a walk with both dogs before I started some Spring Cleaning. The coon dog unexpectedly got "locked" on something and bolted. Neither me nor the other dog were expecting it or prepared. I ended up with a possible broken foot and some seriously sore muscles.

We ended up at the Priority Care. They ignored all injuries except the purple swollen foot-they did x-ray it. The x-rays were inconclusive since there is a chipped bone in my ankle and we couldn't position my foot well due to pain & swelling. We're pretty sure the chip is old from when I broke it 14 years ago. We're going with the diagnosis...severe sprain/strain now. The upside is that I ended up with a lovely air cast walking boot instead of a traditional cast.
I still have numbness in my thumb and forearm that hasn't been addressed so I'm going to see the chiropractor this week to be realign my spine and "un-tweek" what I jarred out of place when I fell.

Needless to say there has been no college, no sewing, and no spring cleaning going on here and there won't be for a while. The orthopedist says anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months for healing. *sigh* I'm already so bored.

Computer games for the challenged...

I've been looking into computer games for Boo. There is an OK selection out there, which is nice. I'm so tired of the TV babysitter. I got Daddy to adapt a mouse to use one of Boo's switches and downloaded a trial version of one of the games I'm considering.

I think he likes them! We need to get an adapter for the mouse that now works with his switch so he's trying to use a standard mouse. It's a bit challenging but he's only got to click it on either side so he's doing pretty well. Looks like I'll be ordering that game and maybe a few others. Thankfully they're reasonably priced between $30-$60. It's a lot of money but most of them have several different games on each disc.

Too much to do, too little time yet again

Being a full-time student, full-time mom of unique children and a full-time wife is wearing me out. Gracie now has the Flu (thankfully she's doing well otherwise) and Nikolas is brewing something but we don't know what.
I took 4 classes (16 credit hrs) this quarter. I think that it wasn't a good choice for me. I am quickly losing my momentum and just want to finish the Occupational Spanish certification and go back to being a Medical Assistant. I do like Massage Therapy but I'm just not into the college thing. I don't know where my longing to do this went. I feel like 2 of my classes are a bust...I'm not learning anything in either one. To be fair, I have missed some classes but even when I am there I don't feel like I'm learning anything. I'm not the only one so if I can just stick it out this quarter and wait for Shannon to come back maybe it will get better.
Massage Therapy will be so much more flexible for me but after spending so much time in doctor's offices lately I really miss working there. My biggest issue is finding part time. That's almost impossible. I'm not sure what I'm going to do but something will have to give. I can't continue to stretch myself like this. It's not fair to any of us and Jim gets the least amount of attention mainly because he's a grown-up and can deal with it (whether he wants to or not-I did for ages while he built a company-it's my turn now).

"For A Cure" 3 very important words-that need to be shared

Generally I don't get into all the messes of other's lives. I have enough drama here. However, this has come to my attention and it really saddens and bothers me. Apparently "for a cure" is not for use by any one but The Komen Foundation.  ??? I understand the "pink" thing but they are suing an Atlanta Mito group who used the phrase. Ummm Mito is marked by a GREEN ribbon with the word "MITO" on or under it. We aren't taking ANY funds from The Komen Foundation.

Charity Brawl:Nonprofits aren't so generous when a name's at stake

I honestly want a cure for breast cancer! I have friends and family members who have or have had this horrible disease. That said, there are a LOT of diseases that need a cure. There are many non-profits looking "for a cure" for their chosen disease. I am VERY DESPERATELY looking "for a cure" for Mitochondrial Disease. It is slowly, painfully KILLING MY SON!! It will continue to devastate the lives of families who watch their young child wither away and are unable to even provide comfort. There are no treatments for Mito. There is no cure for Mito.

Breast cancer has had so much publicity that there are now treatments and even cures for some forms. Share the wealth please. Most people don't even know Mito exists much less what it is. I personally think that Susan Komen would be very saddened by this waste of funds for lawsuits over the use of 3 very important words used in the life of many with other life threatening or life altering diseases. :(