CT scan - part deux

For those of you who have put up with my blog for months now.....and I love you all for it.....you'll know that I went for a head CT scan way back in February. This was after my car accident. Then I had a bought of severe stomach pain this summer. My doctor wanted me to go for a stomach CT scan. She assured me that it is very important and the risk of cancer that these machines are associated with is only theoretical and worth the risk.....well unless I actually develop cancer that is.....but she feels that there is enough benefit to figuring out what is going on. Again I made the mistake of looking to Google for answers. I have to stop doing that.
I found out that the most likely causes of my stomach pain could be:

1) Cancer....maybe this cancer and the cancer I would develop from getting the CT scan can fight each other in a no holds barred grudge match. I imagine that both would be in little cancer shaped unitards. Okay. I know that's highly implausible but it could happen!!

2) A twisted intestine. That sounds like a ball of fun doesn't it?

3) A hernia that has pinched my intestine. Great....two problems in one. Go big or go home people!!

So off I went for my second CT scan in 6 months. The first one as you may recall from my post which chronicled my health care adventure was in a hospital. The second one was in a facility that once was a hospital but is now a diagnostic centre. Apparently the difference is that one will cure you of cancer and the other causes it.....or so I assume given all the radioactive signs in a diagnostic centre. At the clinic they hand you 3 jugs of liquid that contains contrast dye. The liquid looks like water and has a slightly weak sugary flavour to it but don't be fooled. The second you take a gulp of this luke warm drink you'll realize that it's thicker than water and has what the nurse described as a viscous texture to it. For those of you who are having trouble imagining this try thinking about having to drink warm, sweet flavoured mucous. I know.....you're thinking what I was thinking. "Sign me up!!"

And try to remember that there are 3 of these jugs to get down. One every 15 minutes. I think the assumption is that you'll chug the first down, wait 15 minutes, and then repeat. Well after getting done the first round of deliciousness I looked up at the clock and had exactly 2 minutes before round 2. Luckily I had someone else next to me drinking the same vile scum. His gagging and my gagging was super fun entertainment for the rest of the waiting room. The lady across from me was doing everything she could to push her gags back down. She wasn't drinking along with us but I could tell from the pale green color of her skin that she was really jealous that her doctor just sent her for an MRI and not a stomach CT like us.

My sexy garb that really is "one size fits all"

After my 45 minutes of fun times the nurse came and got me. Oh boy now we get to change into a robe that shows my bum. Who knew how great this would be? Of course by that point I probably would have walked through the waiting room naked just to skip the process. I get hooked up to the IV before the test began. I would guess that most people only need one attempt to get the needle in. It took 2 nurses and 3 jabs to get it in. "Is it somebody's first day?" Ouch. On a side note the bruises were spectacular and I had a rainbow of beautiful reds, purples, browns, and greens to enjoy for the next 12 days. It was like having mood arms that change color. Awesome.

After the blood letting ceremony

So just before the nurses step behind the glass they explain that when the dye goes into my arm I will feel it move through my system and within seconds it will probably feel like I peed my pants. Could this get any better? Woo hoo!! So the machine starts and I hear a flurry of humming and gears whizzing around. The table moves me in and out of the scanner. I keep waiting to wet myself but nothing happens. Then the test abruptly stops. The first nurse returns and explains that the IV with the dye broke open and all the dye has spilled onto the floor. This was a radioactive dye that has to be special ordered and each order has to be approved by the government. Dye that I had to wait 5 weeks for. And now it's on the floor. It takes about 10 minutes to reset the machine so I get hooked up again. Now I have waves of guilt because I'm stealing the pee your pants dye from somebody else's special order. That's right. Two times the fun and radiation exposure for me today. And someone else is missing out on wetting themselves. To that person I send my sincere apologies.

Once everything is ready to go again I hear the now familiar hum and like a super lame ride at a shopping centre carnival I'm off into the machine again. I feel that wonderful, warm sensation. Wow! What a day and it's only 9:45 am. With that they release me back into the wild where I will glow in the dark for the next few days. All I have now is my sweet memories of a day well spent.

Four eyes and a brace face....what could be cooler?

Several weeks ago the kids went for their (almost) annual eye exam. I say almost because we kind of forgot and ended up being closer to a year and a half but we got our butts in there. Yeah us!!

The first tests for Camryn came back and indicated that she needed to have a special kind of vision test which required eye drops that diminish her ability to see up close for 24 hours. Awesome. Just what I love is eye drops and eye balls. Yuck. You may enjoy reading my previous post Bacon: A Cautionary Tale to discover just how much fun you can have at the eye doctor.

As you can see from the photo above Camryn has gotten glasses. She was really hoping for them so it was good news for her. I was just glad that they were on sale. Unfortunately she is also getting a retainer in a few months. Of course she is thrilled about that too. I can't say I really understand her enthusiasm. Camryn was even hoping for head gear with her dental work. Yes, you read that right. Where did I go wrong? Sigh.

Freaky Suduko

It's been a few years since I discovered Andrew's amazing talent for words. He was almost nine and a half when the psychologist had tested him as part of his psycho-educational assessment. At the time Drew was scoring above a 28 year old age equivalent in some select language abilities. Specifically the abilities to recognize and define words. With some excitement the psychologist talked about how Andrew had hit the ceiling of the test and what a remarkable skill that was.

Since he was a toddler I knew he had an interest in what words meant. Long before he was even out of diapers he wanted me to define every new word he heard. And the coolest part was that he would not only be able to then use the word correctly but he could also define it back to you.

So now that his sister Camryn has reached 9 and a half I think I've accidentally discovered her unique talent. I should start by saying that during her recent assessments for Autism the psychologist also tested Camryn's school abilities. She has never struggled the way Andrew did academically but I didn't want to miss anything since Drew has 3 learning disabilities and I'm pretty sure I have one myself. So just to be sure I wasn't missing anything I asked that Camryn get checked too. During the test Camryn was able to complete block designs that are usually meant for 16 year olds. They we quite complex and although she took her time she was able to do them with relative ease. So whatever spacial skill that is seemed to be her talent. Yeah Cam!!

Fast forward a couple months and I think we've discovered her real party trick. Suduko!! Let me explain. Our whole family likes Suduko puzzles. Several months ago Camryn got started on a Suduko puzzle in one of my mom's puzzle books but she must have been interrupted. It sat unfinished for months. It wasn't until last weekend that any of us saw this attempt of Camryn's. She had completed one line top to bottom of the puzzle with no other numbers filled in anywhere else in the puzzle except the ones that the puzzle makers give you to get you started. Once it was found my mom completed the puzzle using Camryn's numbers just to see if she was right. Low and behold she was. We asked her about it and she said she just started at one end of the line and filled each subsequent space in with the correct number. All the while not making any notes of possible number options and never being taught how to play.

All the talk about the subject today seemed to reawaken this interest and so Camryn started on a new puzzle tonight. Again she tackled it in the same fashion by starting at the top left square, following the left most edge, the bottom most edge and then the outer right hand edge. No notes, and to my knowledge never being taught any strategies for solving these. In chatting with both my parents and Drew all of us solve these by tackling the puzzle as a whole entity, using a variety of strategies to narrow down possible numbers for each box until we are done. I have no idea how Camryn is doing this and as of yet she seems unable to fully explain her very fascinating take on Suduko. More power to you and your amazing brain my darling!! You blow me away.

Spraying for kids

Alright. I know this blog is going to tick off some people. Here we go....

There is a new trend out there where business owners are banning all children from their establishments. While I'm the first one on the band wagon to have a kid free night and get refreshed and rejuvenated so that I can come home and be a better Mom.....if that is even possible. Colleen pat's herself on the back. It's usually not other peoples children who bother me and that I need a break from. I love my kids but it's also nice to have some time away too.

In watching the interviews with the supporters of this ban I started to notice a trend. Without fail the people who supported it said things like "I'm tired of parents who won't take their crying kid out of the movie". Okay so let me get this straight. You are actually tired of jerk face parents then and not the kids themselves. Then ban a-holes who don't care about anyone else's right to enjoy something. I'm with yah on that one sista.

The other argument was that they wanted to be able to go out for something like a "girls night" and not have to be surrounded by children. Hello? You already had child free options. They are called lounges, bars, pubs, and night clubs......or even.....wait for it.....your own house. Voila.

Let's face it people. If you chose to be childless yourself good on you. Far better to not have kids of your own if you aren't prepared to take care of them. I love you all the more for that. However society is about interacting with other people. If you chose to live in a city, town, or even the smallest hamlet chance are good that you will encounter the offspring of other people. It's called life. If you don't like it then guess what? There is a nice cabin in the woods you can live in so that you never have to see anyone.

It's not kids that are the problem. If those kids wanted to be poopy pants and snot-nosed they wouldn't be crying. The real problem is the self centred people who don't care about anyone but themselves. Who think they are the only ones who might enjoy a night out. And that goes for both the parents who refuse to step outside for a minute when their kids are crying in a movie as well as the childless faction that wants to ban all children from everywhere but McDonalds. I don't like either of you quite frankly. You are too spoiled for my taste.

Besides it's all those poopy pants, snotty nosed, crying kids who will be wiping your butt one day when you are too old to do it yourself. Chew on that for a bit.

Apple bytes....

In addition to Autism Andrew also has three learning disabilities. One of those has to do with writing. More specifically his physical ability to write. Everything from the way he holds his pencil, to his ability to form letters, and even how long his muscles work before they become so fatigued he can't do it anymore. Of course we are still trying to sort out why this is. In the early spring we had our first visit with the neurologist and while we have ruled out Becker's Muscular Dystrophy as the cause there are about 4 bazillion other things still on the table. Okay well maybe not that many but it feels like it.

In the meantime we had to figure something else out because he's just entering Junior High and his need to take notes has just become more important. So we got him a laptop. The school uses Apple products and so he got a Mac. Now Mac's are way more expensive than PC's. I could have gone with the cheaper option but thought the Mac would be a better long term choice for him.

Imagine my sticker shock when I went back into the store after purchase to see what their options were for laptop cases. For the record Drew got their very smallest computer the 11 inch Macbook Air. I picked out a plastic cover and expected to pay for quality but imagine my surprise when I went to the till and found out that this clear plastic molded cover without even the Apple name or logo anywhere on it....including in the fine print.....was $59.95. Yes, that's right plastic that might cost one dollar to make and let's say two dollars to ship is priced at almost $60. And for those of you who think that maybe it has some sort of special ability to absorb shocks and bumps....well....think again. I mean it probably does it as well as any clear plastic laptop cover might but for that price shouldn't it at least do something amazing? Yah, I thought so too.

Can you see the cover?....no I can't see the cover?....

Oh look, there it is. You can see the little dots in the corners. Wow, what a feature!!

So how sorry do you feel for the shareholders of Apple after the stock took a dip when Steve Jobs announced he was stepping down the other week? They can use their 2000% mark up to buy themselves an ice cream to feel better. Poor things.