A stupid thing....

After what has been a rather crazy week, today I topped it off by doing a rather stupid thing.

Sitting at my computer today, I felt a sneeze coming on. Not one of the mild little squeaky kinds of sneezes, but the "my nose has been tickling for a while, oh my god here it comes" kind of sneezes.

I stood up from the desk, turned towards the kitchen, placed my left arm across my face and nose to sneeze in to (the perfectly lady-like thing to do when sneezing) and the next thing I knew I was on the floor in the kitchen.

If you have seen our condo, you know the kitchen is a stones throw from our office area so actually I didn't fall all that far. I had sneezed so hard that my I pulled my back out. In addition, one of my two testicles (the one I have been having trouble with these past weeks) felt like it ended up in my throat.

As I lay on the kitchen floor on the cold hardwood floor in my t-shirt and boxers I noticed blood on the floor in front of me. If the pulling of the back and groin wasn't bad enough, I also managed to whack my head on the granite counter top corner. Right at the hairline, right smack dab in the middle of my forehead.

Mason immediately dropped his toy and came running, knowing something wasn't quite right. He has been beside me the whole day and even cut his walk short so I could get back to the condo and off my feet. What a friend.

So, a great day for a hat. Tomorrow I will go to work and explain the big 'ole bloody bump on my forehead and life will go on.

Have a great week! Undie Monday tomorrow at Idle Eyes....don't forget...

Weekend Update

The good news? I don't have testicular cancer, hernias or anything out of the ordinary going on with the "boys". The bad news, I really don't know too much more than I knew before I went in to the urologist today. Most likely I have a clogged epidydmis, the tubes that lead and carry sperm into the testicles. While I am relieved by the news, I guess I am still puzzled by the peanut sized lump in my right testicle and the frequent pain that extends from my groin into my lower left back. He didn't seemed concerned and said that "it most likely it will just heal itself" and "if it gets larger or more painful, see your doctor". Um, thanks, I'll make my co-pay on the way out. I guess I am still puzzled. After an exam by my primary doctor, 2 Ultrasounds and today's exam which included the lovely prostate exam and laying partially naked on an exam table as his nurse came in and out of the exam room while others were outside the door, yes I am still puzzled. I guess time will tell. Maybe I shouldn't be such an alarmist.

A couple of busy weeks ahead. We filed our taxes today. It is always great to get it done early and nice to know we dont owe Uncle Sam and he instead will be sending some money our way. I am flying this weekend Portland-Denver-Portland-Denver-Portland, not all in one day. One turn around Saturday and ditto on Sunday. Sunday I fly with hubby which is always fun. I am off to Seattle for meetings on Monday and lover boy leaves for Newark on Tuesday, a trip he picked up from our Seattle base. I hope the storm clears by then!

Next Saturday, Sister-in-law arrives for Valentines weekend. After visiting Portland for a few days, we will drive to Boise with her and pooch in tow for a week with the in-laws. Hubby's birthday is right around the corner!

Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers. You all mean the world to me.

Have a great weekend!

A day we will never forget....

Today is a day we will never forget in our lives. I hope you have a moment to check out my husbands account of the events 10 years ago

Thursday? No thanks, I just had some water.....

One of my favorite "old age" jokes. "Isn't it windy today, honey. Wednesday?, it's Thursday. Thirsty? No I just had some water, but thanks anyway".

I've needed some humor this week. It's been one of those weeks. Mom is stable and continues to receive great care by a team of dedicated home health people on a nearly daily basis. I am not sure what we could ever do without this team of truly wonderful, compassionate and loving people. It is buying us a little time as we continue the process of moving mom to an assisted living or foster care home in the very near future. I can hear her kicking a screaming now. But the time has come. Her recovery is slow, if at all, and I think she is becoming more and more aware that her time living independently is coming to an end. He safety is at stake and for each and every moment she is alone at home, we worry.

After two trips for an ultrasound, I am thankful I do not have what my doctor thought was a hernia. We were also relieved that a sizable lump on my right testicle is not testicular cancer. I will be visiting the urologist to continue to investigate the lump which is sizable and growing in size. While the pain is mostly tolerable, there are times of the day when it is almost severe and prohibits me from working out, taking stairs and walking with ease.

I have been on ibuprofen and taking long warm baths which seem to help. I must constantly shift the way I sit or stand to remain comfortable. My doctor recommended switching to wearing briefs and that actually made the pain worse. We look forward to seeing what the urologist finds.

Tomorrow I venture back to work. I picked up a trip with a friend out of Los Angeles. It happens to be his birthday tomorrow and we will no doubt have great fun. Over the next four days I will fly from Portland to Los Angeles to Portland to Anchorage to Seattle to Los Angeles to Portland. The high in Anchorage has been well below zero for weeks. Oh, what to pack? It will be nice to be back to work.

Update

Thanks to everyone for your support this week. It's been a wild ride. The good news? No Inguinal Hernias as originally thought. And, no testicular cancer. What a relief!

After a second Testicular Ultrasound today, it does appear that there is indeed some swelling on the right side and the cause could be due to swelling of the epididymal. Reports indicate that most of the time the swelling causes no pain and goes away after time. Since I do have pain, which at times is serious enough for me to avoid physical activity and the size of the lump has been increasing, I have chosen to follow up with a Urologist as surgery may be necessary.

I can't tell you all how much I appreciate the love and support. It has been overwhelming. Especially after this past week with my moms deteriorating health condition, and now my own health issues. Thank you! I also want to thank my always loving, always supportive and unselfish partner for putting up with me during this part of our journey together. I often wonder if I would be able to get through this if I didn't have him in my life. I love you!

More to come. If I do have to have surgery, I will be sure to let you all know my favorite ice cream flavors and my hot hubby nurse will coordinate visiting hours.

Undie Monday

Hey, don't miss Undie Monday over at Idles Eyes

It's not too late to send in those pics...it is still Monday after all!

Ah nuts!

As if this last week wasn't enough with visits to the hospital and caring for my mom, I have been finally been forced to deal with some additional unpleasantries.

Over a year ago, my wonderful doctor noticed an Inguinal hernia on my left side. No worries. Let's keep an eye on it. Everything has been fine up until 2 weeks ago or so when I noticed some pain in the groin area. Finally, this week it was bad enough to make a return to the doctor. I was starting to have some trouble walking and it was really evident when descending the stairs when taking Mason for his regular walks. We rarely take the elevator the 3 floors up and down.

I now have an Inguinal hernia on both sides and an area on my right testicle which is "questionable". Off for a Ultrasound on Monday.

I'm not worried, although the thought of Testicular Cancer scares me just a little bit. It is one of the fastest growing types of cancers in men and is often unrecognized and goes untreated until very late. Whatever it is, we will deal with it, do what we need to do and move on. There's so many great things coming our way this year!

More information early next week.

Honey is off to San Diego again and I am gearing up for the arrival of my brother and his honey for a whirlwind visit to Portland this weekend to see mom.

Have a great weekend!