Swallowed the Frog.

About a week ago, Dr. Abby's nurse called our house again about the sleep apnea study that Dave had a couple weeks ago. A week after they called and told us that Dave was an insomniac, but otherwise just fine, they've taken it back. I spent ten minutes arguing with them on the phone when they tried to convince me that Dave had severe sleep apnea and needed to get a breathing machine right away. I didn't understand how they could have said one thing one week, and the exact opposite thing the next week. Someone didn't have their story right somewhere.

The nurse got pretty irritable with me when I wouldn't just take her word for it. She said she didn't know who called me before, or where they got their information from, but that it was wrong. I remained quite stubborn about the entire thing. We compromised somewhere in the middle. She scheduled me an appointment with the expensive specialist who read Dave's chart. She snottily told me that I could take up my argument with him, lol. Dave's appointment is the seventeenth of December.

I'm nervous about meeting with the pulmonolgist because I don't WANT Dave to have sleep apnea. I was so relieved when they called and told me that he didn't have it. It's like the rug has been pulled out from me now that they've called back and changed their tune. Having a breathing machine for the rest of Dave's life is a big deal, not to mention, a hassle, and we're going to be certain he has it before we sign up for decades of such. I'm not going to let the pulminologist bully me either though. If I don't like what he has to say, Dave will get another sleep study done, and a second opinion.

People keep telling me that I would know if Dave had sleep apnea, and that it would be obvious. I'm not experienced enough with it to know whether or not that's true, and even if it were, I'm sure there are exceptions to every case. I don't want to not treat it and regret it later, but I also don't want Dave to have to put up with breathing machines and night guards forever if he doesn't really need them. I want to be sure.

Dave's speech appliance is being made this month. Dr. Lalonde is back from his conference and in all honesty, probably should have had it finished already, but this is just the way things work. He's become like an old friend talking to me on the phone every few days with updates, and cursing me for being too far away to come in and be his assistant again, lol. He's made our appointment for December fourth to get Dave fitted. It really could go either way, but we're hoping for the best. It'll either help, minimally, or Dave will need to get crowns on half his teeth and try again. It seems like an awful lot of work for something that will only make talking less of an effort Dave, but that's important to me, so we trudge on with it.

Elaine hasn't been happy to wait so long. Speech therapy has been on hold the last couple weeks while we wait for Dr. Lalonde. Insurance has only given us five more visits with her, so we're trying to choose them wisely, and to help Dave adjust to the apparatus when it's finished. Elaine will just have to learn how to be as patient as I've come to be. Waiting is part of the game.

We had a little house guest for a couple days here. An ancient little man literally hopped into my arms in the front yard. He found his champion in me. I dubbed him Petie when "Hey little dog," became too much work to say.

Well, I thought he looked like a Petie anyway, lol.

He had tags, with a phone number, so I started calling them right away. It went straight to voice-mail every time though, so I knew something wasn't right. The next morning Mom and Dave and I went to the address on the tag, and found a deserted building. We knocked door to door to see if anyone knew the family that had been there before, and lucked into finding a friend of the man who owned the house. We went to his house to learn that Petie's family had moved three days before, and gave us the new address. We went to the new house, and finally found his home. I told them how hard they were to find, but I think they were too busy kissing on their baby to hear. They were relieved to have him back, and I don't blame them. He was one of the sweetest dogs ever. Naturally, after spending two days with him, I was instantly attached, lol. It turns out that his name was Mac, but I'll always call him Petie.

My permanent crowns were finally finished last week. I am beyond relieved to be done with the entire thing. I laughed when I said I'm never coming back again. My new dentist wasn't amused though, and didn't miss a beat when he mentioned the other five, tiny fillings that the first dentist of Doom never got around to since he messed me up so badly. I cringed internally. Minor fillings was just the thing to get me in my mess in the first place, and I didn't want any part of it. My first three are being done on the seventeenth of November, and I'm not very pleased about it.

The entire family went down to the polls to vote on election day. I always feel a sense of accomplishment after doing my American duty, even though, as it turns out, my vote didn't matter. I'm okay with that. I was momentarily worried for our future when the big announcement was revealed, but.. I have an open mind enough to be hopeful with the world as we wait to see what happens next.

Last Sunday at church, Pastor Keith talked about our lives being likened to a rock. When you drop a rock into a pond, the ripples continue onward and outward until it touches every side of that pond. No matter how small the rock may be, or how big the pond.. it's impact is great. He gave many illustrations about how one life touches the lives of many, and how we'll touch the life of ten thousand people before we die. Every choice we make in our lives, for the good or it's alternative, creates a ripple. He encouraged us all to make good ripples in life, and I wanted to pass that encouragement on to you.

The last few days have been pretty hard on me. Sometime Monday I started feeling a little tickle in my throat, and knew for sure a cold was coming. By nightfall I was beside myself with misery and just couldn't believe how bad I felt. By Tuesday afternoon, I was sitting in my doctor's office, which I never do if I can help it, but I just couldn't help it. Every swallow was a thousand deaths, and brought tears to my eyes. I found myself sitting there holding my own saliva in my mouth because it honestly hurt TOO badly to swallow unless I risked drowning instead. They took cultures and sent them to the lab. They came back viral, and untreatable and they sent me home to suffer. I bought cough-drops, and orange juice, NyQuil, Motrin, and numbing throat lozenges and settled in for some unhappy days ahead. The next morning the doctor called back, and said the extended incubated cultures came back. They were wrong, I had a nasty case of strep throat. They called in a prescription for penicillin, and I had never been so happy to be diagnosed with something in my life. I was desperate for some tougher help than Motrin, and didn't waste any time getting to the pharmacy. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday passed in a blurr of sleep, and pain, but tonight I'm finally beginning to feel a little better. I honestly can't remember any sore throat ever hurting SO bad, but if I never get Strep Throat again, it will be too soon.

I want to continue apologizing for the updates being so few and far between lately. It seems to take quite a lot of time to compile enough noteworthy events to put together something interesting, and even with the more interesting things.. I fear I'll bore everyone to tears. I still very much appreciate the love and support from everyone reading on through the mundane day to day though. Thank You, and until next time.. Much Love, Many Hugs, and Good Night to You All.