Take Another Sudafed

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/07/22/drugged.children.parenting/index.html?hpt=Sbin

The article on CNN is about parents using benadryl and other medications to sedate their kids FOR THEIR OWN CONVENIENCE. It's being called child abuse - as it should. Seriously? They feel overwhelmed so they medicate their kids for no reason??? One person says it's better than a parent getting upset and slamming doors and "losing it"... really? The grown up sedates the child so that the GROWN UP doesn't ACT like a child??!!

Really, I try not to be judgemental, and I try to respect that everyone parents differently. But giving your child medication so YOU don't have to deal with them isn't parenting.

When we were kids, we'd psych ourselves up to be sick in the morning so we could stay home. My friend's mom stayed at home, so my mom would naturally send me over there. She'd give us cold medicine to knock us out, and every time we woke up, she'd tell us to take another Sudafed and go back to bed. We laugh about it now. We didn't know any better back then. But as a mom, I sure as hell know better now.

Lessons Learned

School's the golden rule. - Dad
You never want a job where you have to ask, "You want fries with that?" - Uncle Sol
Love is all you need. - John Lennon
The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother. - Grandma
Clever people, them Japanese. - The Chief
I love you more than pie. - Isaiah
Life isn't fair. - Mom
It depends what the meaning of the word "is" is. - Bubba
Having sex isn't a mistake. A mistake is when you walk in on someone else in the bathroom. - Angela
Yes we can. - Obama

What are the best lessons you've learned?

But the View is Great

Blogging from the hospital, in what I'm now going to call Mom's Bi-weekly Abuse Sessions. Five or six hours in a confined space with my mother, she's sure this is her chance to irritate me to her heart's content, because what kind of asshole would walk out while they're mom's having chemo??
It's still early, but we started with, "Oh, Mexicans eat lamb? I didn't know that." So I said, yes, of course, and in case you weren't aware, Mexicans eat everything you eat, dummy. "Oh, just hotter though." It would almost be funny is she wasn't so willfully dense.
But we're here, chemo number 3 out of 12. But who's counting?

This weekend we're taking the kids to Oregon, IL (my new favorite vacation place) to Oregon Trail Days. We're going to stay in a tipi, go canoeing and watch all kinds of cowboy gun slinging and Native American dancing. I'm told it's where the Blackhawk indians lived, and the whole weekend is a big fundraiser. We're excited :) Okay, I'M excited.

Dammit, I have to go find a place to plug in my laptop before it dies. Maybe I could unplug that lady's oxygen over there....

Mrs Incredible

You know that Pixar movie, The Incredibles?

Today I feel like Helen, also known as Elastigirl. The Chief is still in the hospital, I'm heading over there after work. My mom's chemo is Friday, and of course I'm not going to make her go alone (no matter how mean she gets) Isaiah called from day camp asking me to pick him up early because he has an earache.

Feels like I'm being pulled in too many directions.

The Chief

This is The Chief, otherwise known as my grandfather. He was in the Navy during WWII and the Korean war, hence the nickname. He has 4 biological children, but raised and loves my grandmother's other son just like the rest of his children. He worked in sheet metal and HVAC when he retired from the military.
Today, he was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. His blood pressure suddenly plummeted. He's feeling fine now. But he looks so small in that hospital bed. They're running tests, and so far, everything is fine.

I've written about The Chief before, because he's one of my favorite people. He's truly and kind and gentle soul. He loves his family, he loves his country, and he loves his cat. He makes (bad) jokes, and he laughs a lot. In fact, he was making (bad) jokes at the hospital, too :)

Each time I visit my grandparents, I say I'm going to sit with him and review his extensive picture collection, put names to the faces, and scan them all. As I rushed over to the hospital I thought, "I should have spent more time with him when I had the chance!"

Now's the chance. And I'm not going to waste it.

A Very Punny Blog

Hair today, gone tomorrow.

Last night I shaved my mom’s hair off. Well, what was left of it anyway. I tried to keep the top and front just a little longer, kind of like Jamie Lee Curtis since she’s been hawking Activia. When I was done and my mom looked in the mirror, naturally, she started to cry.
Since I’ve been relentlessly positive with her since this started, I took a different tactic last night. I hugged her and told her it’s ok to be sad. It’s ok to be angry. It’s ok to cry.
In the end, only a few tears were shed. We pulled out the wig, worked on styling it, fitting it. She has two turban looking head wraps, we took turns trying them on and laughing.
When we were done, we toasted with valium, since mom can’t drink. And as she hands it to me, she says, “I bet the last time you took one of those was right after your dad died.” Ouch. That’s true. My grandmother’s answer to severe emotional pain is medication, so she came over with a bottle of valium. I took one. The next day, the rest were gone. 3 guesses who took those.
She seems ok today. Maybe her long dormant coping mechanisms have kicked in. In fact, she just called me to see if I wanted to go out to lunch, since she had a dentist appointment near my work. I know she’s not looking forward to more chemo but I’m glad she’s come to accept that it’s necessary.

But it doesn’t make it suck any less.

Cancer Sucks

But you knew that already, didn't you?

Mom's having a rough day. Last Friday's chemo and following 2 days weren't bad, she said she was feeling much better. Last night she even made herself dinner, for the first time in weeks. We were talking and laughing, and for a little while at least, cancer was out of sight, out of mind.

But today she's dealing with what she thinks is a toothache, but the oncologist believes it's jaw pain from the lymphoma dying off in response to the chemo. On top of that, she's got some sore on her arm, for which the doctor prescribed antibiotics. He says she's more likely to experience sores or infections from minor things because she her immune system is compromised. AND her hair is falling out. I offered to take her to get a short, short haircut, but now she's embarassed. So tonight I'm going to do my best to give her a pixie cut, and hey, if I screw up, she already has a wig.