Outside Temp: 47 F (another beautiful day... I'm loving this weather.)
What I cooked today:
Nothing... wasn't home enough to cook, but I did get some dishes done, so that helps.
Update:
I got to sleep in this morning. Okay, I still got up at 6:45, got the kids up and ready for school. But at 7:30, I was back in bed, snoring away.
Sometime around 10:30, I woke back up, with enough time to get back to the school and get Ryan at 11. Our school had an 'early out' at 1, for teacher training, so I had to run back to the school at noon for my class. At 1pm, I grabbed all 3 kids and raced back home. I loaded up my entire family, and we headed into town.
Allen, Connor and Katie all needed some immunizations (they were all missing one or two), and of course, we needed to get the flu shots. Oh, and let's get Ryan's labs while we're there.
When we got to the pediatric floor, to get Ryan's labs drawn, the floor had about 8 nursing students. We got to have them come into our 'treatment room', to watch Ryan get his labs drawn off his line, and talk about his condition and history. It's always fun for us to be able to explain his situation, and especially discuss problems we've had, or prepare nursing students for things that might go wrong. The students were great, and they had some really good questions. I hope they learned something today!
After that, we ran the other 3 kids over to clinic. We set up their 'primary' doctor a few months ago, but we hadn't had a reason to bring them into get a baseline visit. We used the excuse of the immunizations to bring them in, have them meet their doctor, and get that baseline info.
The clinic was great, and we really like our doctor. She had us scheduled back to back, in fact, she just scheduled an hour for our family, rather than the 'suggested' 30 minutes per patient. This worked out great for us, since we could all go into the room together, we all got weighed at the same time, we all got blood pressures at the same time, the nurse pulled up all our immunizations at the same time and we could just run through it quickly and easily. This worked out fabulous for us! And she even threw in a flu shot for Ryan, even though he wasn't officially scheduled.
After clinic, we brought the kids over to Macaroni Grill for an early dinner. Then, we did some shopping, and ended our trek into town with a trip to Baskin Robbins (it was buy one sundae, and get 2nd free... we ended up with 4 sundaes out of the deal!). Allen managed to get his all his homework done in the car, and Katie and Connor only had a little bit to complete once we got home.
The only bad side was that Ryan picked up a new movie, but didn't have the time to watch it, since it was bedtime once we got home. Oh well, he can watch it tomorrow!
Showing posts with label Clinic Visit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clinic Visit. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
June 21, 2012
Outside Temp: Not sure.. it was warm and humid in Seattle, probably in the 70's.
What I cooked today:
Nothing, again. I can't wait to get home tomorrow and cook something. I did enjoy dinner at Johnny Rockets though!
Update:
Ryan had a great clinic visit! The docs in Seattle think he looks great and we have a plan for our next visit in September. We met with the GI docs, Nutrition, Transplant and Hematology. Ryan has some issues with clotting and it's good to have a chance to talk with Hematology.
In our wisdom, we forgot the IPad, so Ryan had to entertain himself for the 5 hours of clinic, which was challenging. Really challenging. By 5:15, as we were finishing up with Hematology, he entertained himself by making a ball out of gloves, and using the stirrups to catapult it across the room. Lovely.
After clinic, we had a great dinner at Johnny Rockets and then stopped at the Microsoft store. Patrick really wanted to see the new Surface (the Microsoft table), but they didn't have one (very disappointed).
This morning, and then again when we got back to the hotel, I spent hours working on this project that we have for a client out of state. Amazingly, I was able to accomplish what I needed to get done, even though we're in Seattle and not home. I love being able to work anywhere!
I finally got the pictures upload from yesterday. Aren't these beautiful?
What I cooked today:
Nothing, again. I can't wait to get home tomorrow and cook something. I did enjoy dinner at Johnny Rockets though!
Update:
Ryan had a great clinic visit! The docs in Seattle think he looks great and we have a plan for our next visit in September. We met with the GI docs, Nutrition, Transplant and Hematology. Ryan has some issues with clotting and it's good to have a chance to talk with Hematology.
In our wisdom, we forgot the IPad, so Ryan had to entertain himself for the 5 hours of clinic, which was challenging. Really challenging. By 5:15, as we were finishing up with Hematology, he entertained himself by making a ball out of gloves, and using the stirrups to catapult it across the room. Lovely.
After clinic, we had a great dinner at Johnny Rockets and then stopped at the Microsoft store. Patrick really wanted to see the new Surface (the Microsoft table), but they didn't have one (very disappointed).
This morning, and then again when we got back to the hotel, I spent hours working on this project that we have for a client out of state. Amazingly, I was able to accomplish what I needed to get done, even though we're in Seattle and not home. I love being able to work anywhere!
I finally got the pictures upload from yesterday. Aren't these beautiful?
Friday, June 8, 2012
June 8, 2012
Outside Temp: 49 F (it was in the high 70's in Great Falls today, but overcast and showers in Raynesford and Geyser. I love the weather here!)
What I cooked today:
Tater Tots: I know, I know, but we left the kids to their own devices for dinner, while we headed out to the party. They still wanted more food once we got back. So, I baked up some tater tots. After all, everyone LOVES tater tots!
Update:
Ryan had clinic in Great Falls today.
They are drawing his labs from his arm, rather than his line. It's safer, since we're not accessing the line, but it's harder on him, since they actually have to poke him. In this case, we had quarterly labs, which includes a ton of tests; copper, selenium, etc. It turned out that they needed 11 tubes of blood. Oh my, 11 tubes is a lot!
They poked him on the right side first, and once they got the needle in, he calmed down. They were able to get 7 tubes off that site before the line blew. They then stuck him on the left side, and got the other 4 tubes. He's really funny about it, because the anticipation is terrifying. He flinches like crazy and really doesn't want to sit still. But, as soon as the needle is in, he stops and can watch. Even if they have to move around the needle to get good access.
After labs, we went to clinic. He was 57.6 lbs and 47 1/2 inches. That's amazing for him! He only gained .6 lbs in the last 2 months, but since we've decreased his TPN, that's actually good. Amazingly, he gained about 1 1/2 inches! That is amazing! His doctor was really happy with his height gain. It might mean that his intestines are working better. We are going to decrease the time on his TPN from 12 hours to 10, which will be totally awesome once he starts school. And we're going to work on Pediasure, to give him some extra nutrition. All in all, an awesome clinic visit.
After clinic (and some grocery shopping), we went into Geyser for a Customer Appreciation Party at the Geyser Mercantile. So much fun to spend time with the community! I really like the Merc, not only because the guys are so helpful and friendly, but they also have really great prices. And I don't have to go all the way into Great Falls for things! So, tonight, they fed us some awesome meats; sausages, hamburgers, jerky and bacon. Add to that some beans and watermelon. And, of course, some cookies. How can you go wrong? And an added bonus was chatting with people! Since school is out, I don't get to see everyone as much. This was a great way to keep in touch!
What I cooked today:
Tater Tots: I know, I know, but we left the kids to their own devices for dinner, while we headed out to the party. They still wanted more food once we got back. So, I baked up some tater tots. After all, everyone LOVES tater tots!
Update:
Ryan had clinic in Great Falls today.
They are drawing his labs from his arm, rather than his line. It's safer, since we're not accessing the line, but it's harder on him, since they actually have to poke him. In this case, we had quarterly labs, which includes a ton of tests; copper, selenium, etc. It turned out that they needed 11 tubes of blood. Oh my, 11 tubes is a lot!
They poked him on the right side first, and once they got the needle in, he calmed down. They were able to get 7 tubes off that site before the line blew. They then stuck him on the left side, and got the other 4 tubes. He's really funny about it, because the anticipation is terrifying. He flinches like crazy and really doesn't want to sit still. But, as soon as the needle is in, he stops and can watch. Even if they have to move around the needle to get good access.
After labs, we went to clinic. He was 57.6 lbs and 47 1/2 inches. That's amazing for him! He only gained .6 lbs in the last 2 months, but since we've decreased his TPN, that's actually good. Amazingly, he gained about 1 1/2 inches! That is amazing! His doctor was really happy with his height gain. It might mean that his intestines are working better. We are going to decrease the time on his TPN from 12 hours to 10, which will be totally awesome once he starts school. And we're going to work on Pediasure, to give him some extra nutrition. All in all, an awesome clinic visit.
After clinic (and some grocery shopping), we went into Geyser for a Customer Appreciation Party at the Geyser Mercantile. So much fun to spend time with the community! I really like the Merc, not only because the guys are so helpful and friendly, but they also have really great prices. And I don't have to go all the way into Great Falls for things! So, tonight, they fed us some awesome meats; sausages, hamburgers, jerky and bacon. Add to that some beans and watermelon. And, of course, some cookies. How can you go wrong? And an added bonus was chatting with people! Since school is out, I don't get to see everyone as much. This was a great way to keep in touch!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
November 8, 2011
Outside Temp: 30 F
What I cooked today:
Beef Stew: I've made it plenty of times, so it's kind of second nature. But this time, I figured I'd be a little frugal and only use one little 8 oz. steak instead of my usual 2 lbs of beef. While I got no complaints, each person ended up with only about 2-3 little pieces of beef in their beef stew. I guess I should rename it 'potato and carrot stew, with a little bit of beef'. Oh well, it was cheaper this way!
Honey Wheat bread: I thought I'd try a new recipe in my bread maker. Next time, I'll make sure the recipe calls for a bread maker, instead of a loaf pan. I halved the recipe, and it was STILL too big. I came home from school to find the bread had spilled out of the bread maker loaf pan, and the top was still 'sticky'. Once I got it extracted from the bread maker, and I cut the top off, it tasted fine. It was very, very soft; almost too soft to cut. I probably won't use that recipe again. Next time, I'll pick a 'bread maker' honey wheat recipe!
Update:
We got a few little flurries of snow today during the day. It was kind of neat to be in class with Ryan and see snow flying horizontal across the windows. The teacher probably thought I was nuts, but I got so excited I had to jump up and run to the windows to watch. She laughed and said I'll get used to it by the end of the winter.
When I went outside with Ryan to play, the snow had stopped, but the wind was still there, biting my nose and ears. I'm beginning to understand the concept of 'long underwear'. I was wearing jeans, and it just blew straight through them, like they weren't even there. I figure if I layer better, it probably won't bug me as much. Of course, I don't think Ryan even noticed. He was running and playing and having a blast! Of course, he had a big winter jacket on, and I had a hoodie. I think I need to invest in a jacket, and ear muffs, and good gloves, and a few other things. Either that, or hide out inside while he's outside playing. :)
The boys had practice tonight, and for the next few nights. The next game is on Friday, so they have a few days to practice. And Patrick thought he would help me out, by washing the boys game jerseys last night after I'd gone to bed. The school colors are Red and White. And he washed them in hot water. Needless to say, I went to do the laundry this morning and pulled out the jerseys that were a little pink. They weren't bad and COULD have been much worse. But I still had to chastise him. You NEVER wash red clothes in hot water. He responded, 'I didn't even look at the water temp (or the load size)... I just turned the knob to start and turned it on.'. Oh lovely. At least he put soap in it...
Also, we are NOT going to be going to LA next week... We're having some issues getting the financials arranged (getting our insurance up here to talk to their billing system down there). That's probably for the best, since we have a storm coming in this weekend, that's supposed to last from Saturday through Monday. Which would have meant Patrick and Ryan, flying out in a little Cessna, in the middle of a snow storm. Of course, it's only going to get worse as the winter comes on, so maybe we can schedule it next time around the weather. Or wait until spring. :)
What I cooked today:
Beef Stew: I've made it plenty of times, so it's kind of second nature. But this time, I figured I'd be a little frugal and only use one little 8 oz. steak instead of my usual 2 lbs of beef. While I got no complaints, each person ended up with only about 2-3 little pieces of beef in their beef stew. I guess I should rename it 'potato and carrot stew, with a little bit of beef'. Oh well, it was cheaper this way!
Honey Wheat bread: I thought I'd try a new recipe in my bread maker. Next time, I'll make sure the recipe calls for a bread maker, instead of a loaf pan. I halved the recipe, and it was STILL too big. I came home from school to find the bread had spilled out of the bread maker loaf pan, and the top was still 'sticky'. Once I got it extracted from the bread maker, and I cut the top off, it tasted fine. It was very, very soft; almost too soft to cut. I probably won't use that recipe again. Next time, I'll pick a 'bread maker' honey wheat recipe!
Update:
We got a few little flurries of snow today during the day. It was kind of neat to be in class with Ryan and see snow flying horizontal across the windows. The teacher probably thought I was nuts, but I got so excited I had to jump up and run to the windows to watch. She laughed and said I'll get used to it by the end of the winter.
When I went outside with Ryan to play, the snow had stopped, but the wind was still there, biting my nose and ears. I'm beginning to understand the concept of 'long underwear'. I was wearing jeans, and it just blew straight through them, like they weren't even there. I figure if I layer better, it probably won't bug me as much. Of course, I don't think Ryan even noticed. He was running and playing and having a blast! Of course, he had a big winter jacket on, and I had a hoodie. I think I need to invest in a jacket, and ear muffs, and good gloves, and a few other things. Either that, or hide out inside while he's outside playing. :)
The boys had practice tonight, and for the next few nights. The next game is on Friday, so they have a few days to practice. And Patrick thought he would help me out, by washing the boys game jerseys last night after I'd gone to bed. The school colors are Red and White. And he washed them in hot water. Needless to say, I went to do the laundry this morning and pulled out the jerseys that were a little pink. They weren't bad and COULD have been much worse. But I still had to chastise him. You NEVER wash red clothes in hot water. He responded, 'I didn't even look at the water temp (or the load size)... I just turned the knob to start and turned it on.'. Oh lovely. At least he put soap in it...
Also, we are NOT going to be going to LA next week... We're having some issues getting the financials arranged (getting our insurance up here to talk to their billing system down there). That's probably for the best, since we have a storm coming in this weekend, that's supposed to last from Saturday through Monday. Which would have meant Patrick and Ryan, flying out in a little Cessna, in the middle of a snow storm. Of course, it's only going to get worse as the winter comes on, so maybe we can schedule it next time around the weather. Or wait until spring. :)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
November 2, 2011
Outside Temp: 45 F (it's downright summer here!)
What I cooked today:
Impossible Taco Pie: Katie asked for this one last night, so I figured, no problem. Then, as I'm browning the meat, Allen comes in and groans, "oh, mom, can't we just have tacos, without the 'pie' part? I hate taco pie". Oh well, you can't please everyone. He gets to pick what we have tomorrow night. Pork Chops with pasta... He really wanted Alfredo, but I figured he needed some protein in there somewhere...
Update:
We brought Ryan into Great Falls for his clinic visit. He got labs first, which includes a poke from a needle. The lab can't draw off his line, so he has to try to sit still while he get his labs drawn. We did it two weeks ago, and it was pretty tough. This time, he was much better! We had him sitting on my lab, with Patrick holding his feet and a nurse holding his arm while another nurse drew the labs. As soon as she got the needle in place, we were able to (almost) let him go and he sat very still. So proud!
For clinic, he gained about a half a pound and his labs were great! Apparently, we're doing okay up here! Since we'll have clinic in LA on the 14th, we won't be seeing our team here for a whole month. Ryan's been eating better and he really likes playing outside, which I NEVER let him do in California... it was too darn hot.
We're in the process of scheduling his Angel Flight trip down to CA on the 13th of November. He has a clinic visit with the UCLA team on the 14th and a procedure scheduled for the 15th.
For those of you who do not know, Angel Flight is an amazing charity organization where pilots and owners of private planes donate the plane, the fuel and their time to fly children with medical conditions to clinic appointments and procedures. They were so nice when we called them up to see what they needed to schedule a flight. They even asked which airport we'd rather be picked up at! (The municipal airport in Stanford is a little closer, and probably easier to get into and out of, but we gave them the option of Great Falls as well). It will probably be about 3 flights, in about 10-12 hours, so they will stop every 3-4 hours to switch planes or refuel and go to the bathroom, etc. Patrick will be taking him this time, so I won't be there to say hi to anyone, which is kind of a bummer. But, it will give him time to talk to his 'work' contacts, which is a good thing. :)
The kids have parent/teacher conferences tomorrow, so I'm hoping they are doing okay. It's a little hard for me, not being an active part of what they are learning. But I'm confident that they have most of the basics (reading, writing and math), and they're enjoying the social part.
Then the boys have a basketball game in Winifred, which is about 2 hours away (one way) on Friday. I haven't decided if we're all going, or just me or no one. Ugh, 2 hours? But then again, what else am I doing with my day, and I think my boys appreciate my being there... Any suggestions? I'm half tempted to jump on the bus with the boys, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be appreciated by anyone. :)
We also got another offer on the house today... yea! The first guy countered our offer with an insulting $5K increase, which is about 20K less than the offer today. The Realtors said that there were about 4 people looking at the place today, so they warned them that there was already offers on the table. We'll see, but I'm hoping to be done with the place before the end of the year!
What I cooked today:
Impossible Taco Pie: Katie asked for this one last night, so I figured, no problem. Then, as I'm browning the meat, Allen comes in and groans, "oh, mom, can't we just have tacos, without the 'pie' part? I hate taco pie". Oh well, you can't please everyone. He gets to pick what we have tomorrow night. Pork Chops with pasta... He really wanted Alfredo, but I figured he needed some protein in there somewhere...
Update:
We brought Ryan into Great Falls for his clinic visit. He got labs first, which includes a poke from a needle. The lab can't draw off his line, so he has to try to sit still while he get his labs drawn. We did it two weeks ago, and it was pretty tough. This time, he was much better! We had him sitting on my lab, with Patrick holding his feet and a nurse holding his arm while another nurse drew the labs. As soon as she got the needle in place, we were able to (almost) let him go and he sat very still. So proud!
For clinic, he gained about a half a pound and his labs were great! Apparently, we're doing okay up here! Since we'll have clinic in LA on the 14th, we won't be seeing our team here for a whole month. Ryan's been eating better and he really likes playing outside, which I NEVER let him do in California... it was too darn hot.
We're in the process of scheduling his Angel Flight trip down to CA on the 13th of November. He has a clinic visit with the UCLA team on the 14th and a procedure scheduled for the 15th.
For those of you who do not know, Angel Flight is an amazing charity organization where pilots and owners of private planes donate the plane, the fuel and their time to fly children with medical conditions to clinic appointments and procedures. They were so nice when we called them up to see what they needed to schedule a flight. They even asked which airport we'd rather be picked up at! (The municipal airport in Stanford is a little closer, and probably easier to get into and out of, but we gave them the option of Great Falls as well). It will probably be about 3 flights, in about 10-12 hours, so they will stop every 3-4 hours to switch planes or refuel and go to the bathroom, etc. Patrick will be taking him this time, so I won't be there to say hi to anyone, which is kind of a bummer. But, it will give him time to talk to his 'work' contacts, which is a good thing. :)
The kids have parent/teacher conferences tomorrow, so I'm hoping they are doing okay. It's a little hard for me, not being an active part of what they are learning. But I'm confident that they have most of the basics (reading, writing and math), and they're enjoying the social part.
Then the boys have a basketball game in Winifred, which is about 2 hours away (one way) on Friday. I haven't decided if we're all going, or just me or no one. Ugh, 2 hours? But then again, what else am I doing with my day, and I think my boys appreciate my being there... Any suggestions? I'm half tempted to jump on the bus with the boys, but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be appreciated by anyone. :)
We also got another offer on the house today... yea! The first guy countered our offer with an insulting $5K increase, which is about 20K less than the offer today. The Realtors said that there were about 4 people looking at the place today, so they warned them that there was already offers on the table. We'll see, but I'm hoping to be done with the place before the end of the year!
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