Before I forget, please set your Tivo's to record Montel Williams on March 25th. The show is on real-life medical mysteries. One of the stories is suppose to be about a young lady with pulmonary hypertension. It was previously shown on the Discovery Health channel (that I don't have) and then was replayed on TLC. I recorded it (it aired at 1:00 a.m.) and watched it later. It was absolutely fabulous! If you want to get a better idea of what this disease is all about, I would highly recommend watching the show.
I'm thinking of going "computer-free" for a couple of days. I've been a little more tired than "normal" lately and have been a bit grouchy about being ill. So, I'm thinking of taking a little break and focus on my family this weekend and what Easter is really about. I need to take some time and get out of my own mind and focus on what Jesus Christ did for us and how grateful I am just to be alive.
That being said, I would like to wish everyone a very happy Easter. Remember, there are no calories in chocolate during a holiday.
Thanks for reading.
annette
Stopping by to say hello...
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Friday night Rod and I went to a fish fry with some friends. Nothing's better than a plate full of fried food and a table full of friends!
Saturday morning I went over to church for one of our "prayer shawl" groups. One of the girls in the group finished a prayer shawl for a phriend named Kristi. After we all worked for a couple of hours, we all touched the finished prayer shawl for Kristi then prayed for Kristi and her family. It was very, very moving.
Then, Saturday night Rod and I went to a movie with our friends Jim and Karen. We saw the movie "In Bruges." It was a fabulous movie! It was funny, creepy and very entertaining. I give it 8 puppy paws up! After the movie we went out for a delicious dinner and then headed home.
This morning Rod and I went to breakfast with my phriend Kristi (the person that the prayer shawl was made for). Kristi, her husband and her youngest daughter were on their way from their home in Grand Island to St. Louis where Kristi is going to be evaluated for a double lung and heart transplant. I was so glad that we were able to meet up and that I was able to give her prayer shawl to her.
I've spent the rest of the day laying around and napping. I did not sleep well at all last night (lots of nightmares) and am really dragging my butt today.
Well, that's about it! Thanks for reading.
Annette
Saturday morning I went over to church for one of our "prayer shawl" groups. One of the girls in the group finished a prayer shawl for a phriend named Kristi. After we all worked for a couple of hours, we all touched the finished prayer shawl for Kristi then prayed for Kristi and her family. It was very, very moving.
Then, Saturday night Rod and I went to a movie with our friends Jim and Karen. We saw the movie "In Bruges." It was a fabulous movie! It was funny, creepy and very entertaining. I give it 8 puppy paws up! After the movie we went out for a delicious dinner and then headed home.
This morning Rod and I went to breakfast with my phriend Kristi (the person that the prayer shawl was made for). Kristi, her husband and her youngest daughter were on their way from their home in Grand Island to St. Louis where Kristi is going to be evaluated for a double lung and heart transplant. I was so glad that we were able to meet up and that I was able to give her prayer shawl to her.
I've spent the rest of the day laying around and napping. I did not sleep well at all last night (lots of nightmares) and am really dragging my butt today.
Well, that's about it! Thanks for reading.
Annette
Just checking in....
Friday, March 14, 2008
I drove to Ashland yesterday to have lunch with my sister. She just returned from a visit to Taiwan where her oldest daughter is teaching English for a year before she starts graduate school this fall. It was great getting to see her again, especially since she brought presents!!
On Wednesday I had an appointment with my PH specialist. I am part of an extended study for one of my PH drugs, so I go in every 3 months for a checkup, paperwork and a 6 minute walk. The 6 minute walk is a pretty standard and easy way to assess how a PH person is doing. You just simply walk up and down the hall for 6 minutes (if you can make it that long) while you are hooked up to a machine that checks your pulse and oxygen levels. The tech keeps track of how many feet the PH person is able to walk and records the pulse and oxygen levels. I did very well, walking about 1,375 feet and I didn't desat at all. "Desat" is where your oxygen levels go below 90%. I've been on oxygen 24/7 for about 2 years. Wednesday was the first time in a long time that I didn't get down into the low 90's while walking and using my oxygen! So, it was a very good appointment. Afterwards, Rod and I had lunch together in the hospital. We also had a pleasant surprise when Nick showed up to say hello!
So, that's about it for the excitement from my "neck of the woods!"
Thanks for reading!
Annette
On Wednesday I had an appointment with my PH specialist. I am part of an extended study for one of my PH drugs, so I go in every 3 months for a checkup, paperwork and a 6 minute walk. The 6 minute walk is a pretty standard and easy way to assess how a PH person is doing. You just simply walk up and down the hall for 6 minutes (if you can make it that long) while you are hooked up to a machine that checks your pulse and oxygen levels. The tech keeps track of how many feet the PH person is able to walk and records the pulse and oxygen levels. I did very well, walking about 1,375 feet and I didn't desat at all. "Desat" is where your oxygen levels go below 90%. I've been on oxygen 24/7 for about 2 years. Wednesday was the first time in a long time that I didn't get down into the low 90's while walking and using my oxygen! So, it was a very good appointment. Afterwards, Rod and I had lunch together in the hospital. We also had a pleasant surprise when Nick showed up to say hello!
So, that's about it for the excitement from my "neck of the woods!"
Thanks for reading!
Annette
Had a Fabulous Weekend!!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Rod and I flew to Chicago on Friday and spent the weekend with Chris! It was wonderful! He picked us up at the airport and we went to our favorite Italian "fast-food" place for dinner called "Pompei." If you are ever in Chicago, I'd suggest you check it out!
http://www.pompeipizza.com
After dinner we went home to meet the newest member of the Markin family, Deeoji! (D-O-G...get it?) Anyway, of course I forgot my camera so I can't show you how adorable he is! He is a little 8 week American Bulldog. After the first five minutes, we really felt that Chris should have named him "Shark." That dog is crazy! He is a ball of energy with razor sharp baby teeth! He'd latch on to your pants leg and not let go! One time I was standing in Chris' kitchen, mixing my Flolan and wearing my comfortable pj's. That decision of clothing was my mistake! He spotted those loose and comfy looking legs and latched on! I'm literally yelling and shaking my leg in the air trying to get him off! Being on coumadin, I was not really in the mood to do a "blood-letting" experiment. He'd already chomped Rod's face, through his beard no less, and had drawn some nice blood!!
Anyway, after lots of laughing and chasing, Deeoji finally went to sleep while Rod, Chris and I watched a movie. (Actually, I watched the first 15 minutes...I slept through the rest.....:))
Saturday morning, my wonderful son cooked us a delicious breakfast of omelettes, bacon and toast! (Are you single 20-something girls reading this closely???) Then, you're not going to believe this...WE WENT BOWLING!! Yes, Rod, Chris and I went bowling! I even bowled, THREE GAMES! Of course, I really, really sucked and I won't even try to make up a score. We'll just say that Chris got really good at making zeros! I basically threw the ball with a side-armed granny style that netted me lots of gutter balls. But, I did it and I had fun! I'd like to say that Rod and Chris didn't do very well either, but that would only be partly true. Chris really knows how to throw a mean bowling ball! (Sorry, Rod:( )
Saturday night we treated 6 of Chris' close friends to dinner at a great steak place called, Gibsons.
http://www.gibsonssteakhouse.com
I would also recommend that place for a really, really delicious steak! Anyway, Chris has lived in Chicago for almost 4 years now. He has made some great friends but, we didn't know them like we knew his friends when he lived in Omaha. It was great to put faces with names. He has made some very wonderful (and hungry!!:) friends!
Sunday morning came an hour faster than we realized. So we skipped breakfast, had a donut and a diet pop in the car on the way to the movies where we caught the noon showing of "Semi-Pro" and had some popcorn for lunch. It was a very, very stupid movie that had some great laugh lines, lots of embarrassing comments (I was glad that Rod was sitting by Chris instead of me!)and really not worth the price of admission. But, it did have that pretty "Abby" nurse/doctor from the tv show "ER."
From the movies we raced back to Chris' place grabbed our bags, let Deeoji bite us a few more times and then headed to the airport. It was such a fabulous weekend!
To make the weekend perfect, Nick came by after we got home and settled and he ate take-out Chinese Sunday dinner with us. God has certainly blessed us with two wonderful young men! (And, thankfully two puppies who do NOT resemble a shark!!)
Thanks for reading.
Annette
http://www.pompeipizza.com
After dinner we went home to meet the newest member of the Markin family, Deeoji! (D-O-G...get it?) Anyway, of course I forgot my camera so I can't show you how adorable he is! He is a little 8 week American Bulldog. After the first five minutes, we really felt that Chris should have named him "Shark." That dog is crazy! He is a ball of energy with razor sharp baby teeth! He'd latch on to your pants leg and not let go! One time I was standing in Chris' kitchen, mixing my Flolan and wearing my comfortable pj's. That decision of clothing was my mistake! He spotted those loose and comfy looking legs and latched on! I'm literally yelling and shaking my leg in the air trying to get him off! Being on coumadin, I was not really in the mood to do a "blood-letting" experiment. He'd already chomped Rod's face, through his beard no less, and had drawn some nice blood!!
Anyway, after lots of laughing and chasing, Deeoji finally went to sleep while Rod, Chris and I watched a movie. (Actually, I watched the first 15 minutes...I slept through the rest.....:))
Saturday morning, my wonderful son cooked us a delicious breakfast of omelettes, bacon and toast! (Are you single 20-something girls reading this closely???) Then, you're not going to believe this...WE WENT BOWLING!! Yes, Rod, Chris and I went bowling! I even bowled, THREE GAMES! Of course, I really, really sucked and I won't even try to make up a score. We'll just say that Chris got really good at making zeros! I basically threw the ball with a side-armed granny style that netted me lots of gutter balls. But, I did it and I had fun! I'd like to say that Rod and Chris didn't do very well either, but that would only be partly true. Chris really knows how to throw a mean bowling ball! (Sorry, Rod:( )
Saturday night we treated 6 of Chris' close friends to dinner at a great steak place called, Gibsons.
http://www.gibsonssteakhouse.com
I would also recommend that place for a really, really delicious steak! Anyway, Chris has lived in Chicago for almost 4 years now. He has made some great friends but, we didn't know them like we knew his friends when he lived in Omaha. It was great to put faces with names. He has made some very wonderful (and hungry!!:) friends!
Sunday morning came an hour faster than we realized. So we skipped breakfast, had a donut and a diet pop in the car on the way to the movies where we caught the noon showing of "Semi-Pro" and had some popcorn for lunch. It was a very, very stupid movie that had some great laugh lines, lots of embarrassing comments (I was glad that Rod was sitting by Chris instead of me!)and really not worth the price of admission. But, it did have that pretty "Abby" nurse/doctor from the tv show "ER."
From the movies we raced back to Chris' place grabbed our bags, let Deeoji bite us a few more times and then headed to the airport. It was such a fabulous weekend!
To make the weekend perfect, Nick came by after we got home and settled and he ate take-out Chinese Sunday dinner with us. God has certainly blessed us with two wonderful young men! (And, thankfully two puppies who do NOT resemble a shark!!)
Thanks for reading.
Annette
In the "PHriendly World"
Thursday, March 6, 2008
It seems like there is so much going on with some of my phriends...
I have a phriend from Texas named Sheila. I would appreciate some prayers for her while she is hospitalized and looking for some answers.
I have another phriend from Grand Island, Nebraska named Kristi. She has been having a really rough time since November and has had to be hospitalized several times. She just found out yesterday that she has an appointment in two weeks with the transplant team in St. Louis! This is a very encouraging step for her and she will most likely need both a heart and lung transplant. I would also appreciate some prayers for h er as she prepares for this trip and the information she will be getting from the transplant team.
I also have another phriend from Omaha named Cindy. Now, this phriend called last night with some fabulous news!! She had an echo done this week and her lung pressures have been greatly reduced! It may be from the addition of a new medication to her regimine, the addition of a suppliment or even her being able to do a little bit of walking every day. Whatever the reason, the results are great! So, I would appreciate that we remember to praise God for his help with making Cindy's pressures to decrease.
That's about it for this little update. I'm seriously grumpy today and I have no idea why. But, I'm going out to lunch with a friend, so maybe I'll feel better!
Thanks for reading.
Annette
I have a phriend from Texas named Sheila. I would appreciate some prayers for her while she is hospitalized and looking for some answers.
I have another phriend from Grand Island, Nebraska named Kristi. She has been having a really rough time since November and has had to be hospitalized several times. She just found out yesterday that she has an appointment in two weeks with the transplant team in St. Louis! This is a very encouraging step for her and she will most likely need both a heart and lung transplant. I would also appreciate some prayers for h er as she prepares for this trip and the information she will be getting from the transplant team.
I also have another phriend from Omaha named Cindy. Now, this phriend called last night with some fabulous news!! She had an echo done this week and her lung pressures have been greatly reduced! It may be from the addition of a new medication to her regimine, the addition of a suppliment or even her being able to do a little bit of walking every day. Whatever the reason, the results are great! So, I would appreciate that we remember to praise God for his help with making Cindy's pressures to decrease.
That's about it for this little update. I'm seriously grumpy today and I have no idea why. But, I'm going out to lunch with a friend, so maybe I'll feel better!
Thanks for reading.
Annette
I'm feeling better! Yahoo!!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
We had an absolutely beautiful day here yesterday! The temps were in the mid 60's, the sun was shining and there was very little wind. I ran some errands with Rod, sat in the sunroom and finished a book. I also did an errand on my own, taking the plastics, cans and newspapers to the recycling place! I was so proud of myself that I stopped and bought myself a little congratulatory Starbuck's caramel frappacino light! (only 3 Weight Watcher's points...of course since I haven't walked into the Weight Watchers building in over 3 weeks and, according to the scale, I'm definitely not counting points, it probably doesn't matter and so I might have well had the whipped cream!) Then, last night Rod and I went to see the movie "Vantage Point." I would HIGHLY recommend that movie! I would give it 8 out of 8 puppy paws up!!
Speaking of "puppy paws...."
On Friday, I noticed that Asa and Haver kept stopping at this one particular magazine basket we have by the couch. I don't have a very good view of it when I'm perched at my own favorite couch potato spot, but I wasn't very worried about what they were up to. It's not that great of a basket and they wouldn't stay too long there. But, I decided to check it out when I got up to get something to drink. I noticed there was something brown on the top of one of the magazines. When I pulled out that magazine, I noticed more brown stuff around the inside of the basket and a bunch of it smashed in several of the magazines. At first I thought it was just some fuzz from one of their new toys. Then, I made the mistake of looking closer. Then, I made the mistake of smelling it. "Someone" managed to smuggle in a ball of horse poop and evidently stashed it away for later. Later came, later went and so did the magazines!
Thanks for reading.
Annette
Haver...notice all of the "mud" on his belly and feet.
Asa is relaxing on my "lap."
Speaking of "puppy paws...."
On Friday, I noticed that Asa and Haver kept stopping at this one particular magazine basket we have by the couch. I don't have a very good view of it when I'm perched at my own favorite couch potato spot, but I wasn't very worried about what they were up to. It's not that great of a basket and they wouldn't stay too long there. But, I decided to check it out when I got up to get something to drink. I noticed there was something brown on the top of one of the magazines. When I pulled out that magazine, I noticed more brown stuff around the inside of the basket and a bunch of it smashed in several of the magazines. At first I thought it was just some fuzz from one of their new toys. Then, I made the mistake of looking closer. Then, I made the mistake of smelling it. "Someone" managed to smuggle in a ball of horse poop and evidently stashed it away for later. Later came, later went and so did the magazines!
Thanks for reading.
Annette
Haver...notice all of the "mud" on his belly and feet.
Asa is relaxing on my "lap."
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