Blech! (⊙﹏⊙✿)

Hi friends! I hope you are well. I am still not. sigh. I mean, at least I am NOT laying around sloth-like still. My stomach was "feeling bad" so I started taking the over-the-counter acid reducer my doctor told me to take when it acts up. After a week, and sudden majorly increased pain, I called and he told me to double it and take extra strength Gaviscon at the maximum dose as well. After 4 days with no improvement I was seen by him. He gave me Nexium samples. I have been on those at the high dose of twice daily and the maximum dose of Gaviscon  for 4 days also now. I had an abdominal ultrasound done yesterday morning. This ruled out problems with any of my other organs. So my doctor believes I have one or two significant ulcers. These medications should heal my stomach  up, it is just taking a long time because of the severity? I am still a burnin' here folks.  Let me tell ya, a bland diet is not much fun at all. =(

Say! I have good great news!! The Neurontin I told you I was approved for, to take care of my chronic SI joint pain, is working!!!!!!! WaaaaaaaHooooooo! It is keeping my pain levels at a 2 or 3 all the time people. Isn't that great?! I think so. I could be angry that so many different insurance companies we had over the years refused to cover Neurontin for me. They insisted I use the generic, even though not one of the four generics I tried  brought the pain down.  Well, I won't lie. I was quite angry about that. But I do NOT want to be bitter. Soooo, I am grateful that I may be on brand name Neurontin NOW,again after 9 years.

On Wednesday night we went to Marquette University's New Student Convocation. What an experience. The keynote address was given by Chitra Divakaruni. She is the author of One Amazing Thing, the book I read along with Jacob and all of the incoming freshman this year. There are exactly 2013 freshmen this year, the year of 2013. Strange huh? They had 23,000 applications!! We are very proud of Jacob.Well, it is really happening folks. Our oldest has begun college now.Twenty-five additional nursing students were added because Milwaukee's VA Hospital has paid for the additional teachers and classrooms required to increase from 100 to 125 students. The VA prefers Marquette trained nursing staff. There are now 6 young men and 119 young ladies. Oh boy!! ;)

I did hear from our dear friend Carol over a week ago, that she received my gift right before she fell ill. Like a dummy, I forgot to take a picture of the beaded angel needle threader I made her. I made her in blue, Carol's favorite color. It was my first time making a needle threader. I also sent Carol this:

Yes, that is right. I actually gave her some of my Chocolate Swirl irises. These are the ones that smell of chocolate.♥ Carol commented on my blog over a year ago that she wished she had some. =) Now she does! And her DH even planted them while sweet Carol was ill .

I did NOT take a picture of the counting pins and two patterns I sent off to Vicki either. But she has received them and likes them. =) Here, I borrowed her picture of my gift.


And I also sent gifts to Angela P, which she has received and likes too! And you guessed it!!! I did not take a picture of pattern and counting pins either. But here is a picture Angela took and said I could show here.

I sent all three of these ladies gifts because they guessed the correct color of fuchsia for my purse.

Emerson and Madeleine have begun classes again as of Thursday. Jacob's first classes begin Monday. He has been to orientation things every day since Wednesday now.

I did not stitch one time while I was ill for the first week. Too weak and exhausted and nauseous.I am currently stitching up another freebie. I did get a lot of reading done. I finished The Last Runaway. That was good, but I felt very badly about the handful of swear words. I then read Evidence Unseen by Darlene Deibler Rose. THIS was an excellent, true story. She was a POW in WWII. She and her pastor husband were missionaries in New Guinea when WWII broke out.

That is it for today. I continue to take my "little purple pills" and hope to be all better very soon. Just wanted you to know I am still alive. ;)

Stitching and praying,
Vickie

Cross Stitcher In Residence Winner

Hi friends! The winner of the Giveaway is Mary Jane! Mary Jane will you please email me your address? Also, Carol, Vicki, and Angela P won something too. All three of these ladies guessed fuchsia and they were specifically right. ;) 

Carol, Vicki and Angela, I have mailed you out your prizes. I am a tiny bit concerned as I have not heard back from a single one of you three.Edit: I have now heard back from all three ladies. I have given everyone something different.

Gotta say,it is not a good morning for me. I have had a terrible time with gastritis again. I haven't thrown up this time around. Only because I learned the hard way in the spring when I had this terrible two times. I had never, ever thrown up that way in my life. Ever. Didn't know you could keep throwing up for over a day from gastritis. And nothing but bile. I have had one banana and a handful of crackers in two days. I called the doctor late Wednesday. Unfortunately, I forgot my doctor is off on Wednesday. I called 3 times yesterday, but he likes to take care of calls himself sometimes which is very nice, but that means waiting til after 5:00 when he is done seeing patients. I am so weak. This is the first time I have been on the computer since Wed. early afternoon. He doubled the over-the-counter acid reducer I take when my stomach gets bad. He also added in Galvascon, a heavy duty stomach coater that I can take up to 4 times daily. I felt a very minor difference before bed last night and this morning barely. I am going back to bed. That is where I have been for 36 hours mainly. It is best to just try to sleep it off. It does not work of course, but I would rather be out than awake to this awful pain.My doctor insists that if I am not better by Monday, I need to come in for blood work.

The reason my gastritis even flared up this time is because of stress. Jacob has been putting off everything. A few things the University required were even late in being sent in. Brian insists it is time we back off and let him grow up, even if it means failure. I do know this, and I realize this sounds silly to some of you. It is just so very,very hard to train myself to let go. I like control and I like things done my way. Well, he will soon be 19 and he is in college now. I will with God's help not only back off, but try not to freak out on the inside. Only with God's help can I do this.

Also, this week I have been weaning off my prescription for my SI joint pain that I have been on for years. At the same time I have been slooowly building up the Neurontin, the one I was on 9 years ago. This kept my pain at a 2 level. I hope it works that way again of course. Can't tell yet, as I am taking it twice daily and need to take it three times daily starting tomorrow. So one more day of bad pain, I hope. But this is the medication I battled it out with insurance for. It took over a week, but they approved of it. Praise God! Our different insurances over the years all denied me. We once again provided proof that I tried 4 different generic manufacturers of Neurontin and none of them provided good pain relief. I never used to believe there was a difference in generic and brand name. Friends, pain does not lie!!

This is the freebie I was stitching over a week ago. I am pretty sure I do not like it anymore. =(

At least definitely not for what I had planned. What do you think of it? The colors seem weird together. It is the leaves mainly, I don't think fit. Why are leaves growing off a grey, swirly thing. So I have one UFO now friends. =)

I started another freebie a week ago. But have not touched a needle in days. 

This is what Mabel looked like last week, right after I clipped her face, neck, tummy and feet. Then I bathed her and blow dried. Do you see the color fade from grey to silver down her legs. =)

This is how she looks now, all clipped and beautiful.

Going back to bed now friends. I am usually very, very good at commenting on all your blogs. It won't be that way for a little bit. I am sure you understand. Thank you for coming by. I am thankful for you all, old and new friends!!

Resting and praying,

Vickie