On to the next test

All findings on the Endoscopy were considered normal, so tomorrow we are on to the CTscan of my abdomen and pelvis. Tonight I have to drink a whole bottle of gluck and then two more in the morning. Yum! We'll see what results this test brings.
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Upper GI Endoscopy

This morning I went to have my Upper GI Endoscopy done. I checked in and then waited in the waiting room for quite a while. I hadn't eaten anything since the night before, and after a while I was feeling really hungry and my head was starting to hurt.

They called me back and did all the pre-check stuff and then the nurse came in to put the IV in. He tried on my right wrist, and although he initially got in, when he tried to advance the needle it "popped" the vein. I am not sure what that means exactly, because I know it didn't literally pop. Anyway, he gave me a shot of Lidecane (sp?) in the top of my left hand and then put the IV in there. Ouch!! Then they wheeled me out of the pre-op and to the Endoscopy Suite. (I laughed when I saw that they referred to it as a Suite.)

I had a sticky note that I had put on my packet to remind them to make two sets of photos. (Kevin joked that I was going to put these photos in our Christmas card, as with the cost of the copay for the procedure, we were doing this in lieu of a summer vacation.) When the nurse was putting my IV in I joked that I should stick it on my forehead, but instead, I stuck it on the front of my gown. When the procedure nurse saw it, she laughed and said she would have stuck it on her forehead. I laughed and told her that I almost had. (When I came out of the procedure I noticed my sticky note was gone.)

In the "Suite", they hooked me up to a heart monitor, a pulse monitor, oxygen (in the nose) and a bp cuff on my right forearm. They had me roll over onto my left side and they put a block pillow behind me. The procedure nurse said that after they gave me the anesthesia they would put in the mouth block. They said that I would start to feel lightheaded and dizzy, which was normal. They put the block in my mouth and I tried to say something to the nurse and then my whole head started spinning and I said, "Oh yeah! There is the dizzy." And . . .it's pretty much black after that.

I do remember gagging really badly (must have been when it was going in), and at one point I opened my eyes and I could see the screen. I saw pink with red and yellow splotches on it (it looked like a Tutti-Frutti Jelly-Belly), and I could tell it was my stomach with blood on it. The next thing I remember was being in recovery and the procedure nurse was turning me over to the recovery nurse. I lay there for awhile, going in and out, watching the bp reads as they flashed on the monitor.

Eventually the nurse came over when he seemed to sense I was "back" and he asked if I wanted something to drink. I said, "YES!" He asked, "What would you like?" I looked at him for a second and came within a moment's hesitation of being a smart alec and saying, "Scotch, straight up." Instead I asked what they had and selected some apple juice. That tasted really good! They called Kevin to come back to the hospital, and when he got there he, the nurse, gave me my copies of the photos they had taken (one had my pink stomach lining with red and yellow splotches on it), told me that I had mild gastritis (inflammation of the stomach lining), that they found two tiny pollops (which they biopsied), and that they saw thickened folds in my stomach lining (which they also biopsied). He said they would let me know the results of the biopsies in a few days. He said I shouldn't eat fatty or spicy foods and I couldn't drive or cook on a stove or use a sewing machine for the next 12-24 hours.

They released me and Kevin and I went to Wendy's to get lunch and boneless BBQ chicken wings and french fries never tasted so good! I felt a lot better (more normal) after I had some food in my stomach. We drove home and I slept for about an hour until Camille brought Rebecca and Katrina home after school. I sure appreciate the friends who took care of the girls today, and Kevin for taking such good care of me.
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First Day of School 2009-2010

This morning started a new school year. The girls were ready and anxious to get started. Their parents, not so much. : )

Amanda is starting 7th grade at Kerman Middle School this year. We know she will do very well, but it is still a little unnerving having our first child enter the world of Junior High. A few weeks ago we went to register her for school and she got her schedule, notebooks and gym clothes. She has all honors classes and percussion. She got to see several friends that she had not seen all summer and she has several classes with many of the students from her GATE class last year. We waved this morning as she and two other girls left to walk to school together. Yesterday was the fifth anniversary that we have been in our home. Five years ago these girls were starting second grade. It is amazing how fast time has flown by. I know that when we were kids you could walk miles to school and it was "okay", but the world isn't the same anymore and so we rely on our many talks about being safe and staying together, prayers for their safety, and resisting the urge to tail them in the car. They would be sooooooo embarrassed!! : )

We drove Rebecca to Sun Empire and the start of 4th grade. She has Mrs. Gaynor this year and we are very happy about that! Amanda had Mrs. Gaynor, so we know what an excellent teacher she is!! The traffic at Sun Empire was insane as usual, so we parked at the canal and walked to the school and across campus. Rebecca is excited to start this new year. She remembers all the things that Amanda did in 4th grade and she is looking forward to doing them this year. Rebecca (and Amanda both) received Advanced scores on their STAR tests last year, so I know that she is going to continue to excel this year in school! Mrs. Gaynor is going to be a great teacher to keep her focused and growing!

And then we drove home with Katrina. One more year at home and then she will be a part of the fray! : ) We are happy to have her home for another year! She is going to blow Kindergarten away. Last night she said, "Listen to this, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0." Wow!

Mariposa

Today we took the last Saturday before school started and made an adventure of it. Kevin has been to Mariposa, CA a few times on motorcycle rides, but we had never been there as a family. So, we packed some snacks and hit the road.

We drove up 41 through Coarsegold and Oakhurst and then on to Mariposa. We stopped a few miles south at the Mariposa Fairgrounds in a place referred to as Mormon Bar. There is a plaque there explaining why it is called Mormon Bar. We had a picnic lunch and then we went to the California State Mining and Mineral Museum. This is a very cool little museum. There were really great displays about all the different types of minerals found in California, a replica mine tunnel, a fantastic 100 year old model of a Stamp Mill, a few 3D maps of mines, and lots of displays about what minerals are used for in our daily lives, and then there was the gold room with some very cool gem and gold displays. This, sadly, is a museum that is slated for closure due to the state budget cuts, but hopefully, due to it's unique nature and requirements that the state will decide that it is more cost effective to keep it open.

We then drove into the town of Mariposa. We were going to start on the east side of town and work west to see all the sites, but the old church that is on the hill as you drive into town was very busy with a funeral for a firefighter. There were fire trucks all over the place and a lot of cars. So, we went past the old Jail and then on to the Courthouse. The Mariposa Courthouse, built in 1854, is the oldest continuously running courthouse west of the Mississippi River. It is a beautiful old building. We were happy to see that they were offering tours, so we were lead around the building by a docent who told us a lot of the history of the building and the county. While we were in the courtroom, the girls got to sit up on the stand. We also got to see the law library. The building was added on to in the 1930's with Roosevelt's WAP program.

From there we drove to the Mariposa Museum and History Center. This is an amazing little museum. We were not allowed to take photographs inside the museum, so we only can describe how great this place is! The docent told us that this museum was rated as the 3rd best in the nation (for it's size) by the Smithsonian, and we can believe it. There is SO much here! There were displays on Mariposa County history, California history, the gold rush, the Miwuk indians, the loggers, the ranchers, the churches, the surveyors, the settlers, schools, stores, etc. There were an amazing amount of artifacts, and someone had painstakingly hand lettered all the signs that were everywhere in the museum, as well as many murals and paintings depicting the history in the area. It was incredible! Outside the museum there were a lot of mining artifacts. It is a very well put together place!!

We went across the street to The Happy Burger restaurant for an early dinner. The girls were relieved to get something to eat (because you know we had been starving them all day!) and we were relieved to not have to hear how hungry they were anymore. (Sometimes the whining makes us wonder if it is worth it, but in the end it is always good to spend the day together as a family.)

Afterwards we did a little geocaching and looked at some of the souvenir shops, and then we headed for home. This is a beautiful area. No smog, just clear open sky and mountains. It was a lovely day.