WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON

Hello, friends!  Did you think I deserted you?  Well, I guess I did.  But what a week I have had.  This month has not started off well.  Let me catch you up.

On Saturday after all the Halloween goings on I was sitting watching TV when I began to get major pain in my lower chest, upper abdomen area.  The pain was so bad that it went straight through my body to my back.  I started crying.  Joe didn't know what to do to help me.  We thought I might have been eating the wrong thing and had really bad gas.  So I took some Gas-X and started feeling a bit better.  I went to bed, laid on my stomach and was able to sleep a bit.  But Sunday morning I was still having the pain.

Joe didn't go to church on Sunday so I went to pick up Debbie and Rusty by myself.  But I was having trouble driving because the pain was so bad.  So I left them at church with the bulletins I had done the night before and headed for the Emergency Room.

There was only one other person in the waiting room so I was taken rather quickly.  To top things off, they asked for my driver's license for ID and I found that I didn't have it.  I still haven't found it.  I have no idea where I lost it.  I'm thinking in the house somewhere because I didn't have my wallet out anytime when I was out of the house and my open purse had fallen over in the living room and lots of things spilled out.  (I have since applied for a new license and it should be here any day.  I have a paper I printed out in case I would get stopped while driving.)

I am having a lot of trouble walking these days so I had my cane with me.  They called for a wheelchair and took me back to the ER room.  Almost immediately there were four people in the room giving me a robe, taking my vitals and getting me settled in a bed.  I have never had such good treatment.  They kept me there for about 3 hours until my vital signs stabilized.  It didn't appear to be my heart, but they think it was my hiatal hernia.  I had just been to my GI doctor on Friday so they were going to send this report to him.  I was also given some medication in an IV and had to drink this nasty liquid that had numbing in it to settle my throat and esophagus.  It certainly did the job.  I couldn't feel my tongue or throat for several hours.

Monday I was feeling a lot better and was able to take my friend, Kathy, to get a COVID-19 test.  She had surgery on Thursday and had to be tested first.  (It came back negative.  Yay!)  It was interesting driving around Center City and figuring out where this testing site was.

Tuesday I was feeling well enough to teach Bible Study.  We finished up Titus chapter 2.  I am going to try my best to finish chapter 3 in two weeks instead of three so we can take a break for the holidays.  Not being able to meet for most of this year has sure changed my plans of how much we could get done.  I was sure we'd be through Titus and Hebrews by this time.  One of the ladies wasn't feeling well, so I drove her home even though I didn't feel all that well myself.  I took Debbie with me for company and we stopped at McDonald's on the way home and got lunch.

In the afternoon Joe and I went to vote.  He had been watching the computer app he had and when he saw a lot of people saying our polling place was pretty empty and it was five minutes in and out, he said it was the right time for us to go.  And he was right.  Only two people ahead of us.  I didn't even have time to get in line.

Joe's sticker from the voting place.

Boathouse Row along the Schuylkill River here in Philly was lit up in red, white and blue lights for Election Day.  I grabbed these pictures off of TV to show you how pretty it was.

Wednesday morning I was back in the hospital for a Stress Test.  I really didn't want to take this test, but when I woke up that morning I told myself to just get it over with and then I wouldn't have it hanging over my head anymore.  I woke up at 2 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep, so I used the time to do a load of dishes, clean up a bit, and get myself ready to go.  I got there 30 minutes early and used that time to sign myself in and find the room I was to be in.

I was somewhat apprehensive about this test, but I had the best tech ever taking care of me.  His name was Galen.  We started talking about our families, food we liked, school, vacations.  I really liked him.  He is engaged and was going to get married this past May but COVID put an end to that.  They are seeing what next year brings.  The CPN administering the test was Ruth.  She was super.  She is married, has two little kids who woke her up early that morning, and a wonderful husband who put them back to bed for her.  I was telling her about having a colonoscopy on the day after my birthday and she said that had happened to her husband two years ago.  Poor guy spent his birthday in the bathroom.  But they celebrated a week later.

At one point I had an hour wait until the next part.  They told me it would be good if I had some caffeine.  Since I almost never drink it, I had just brought water.  So I went to the new Starbucks in the hospital and got a cup of tea.  I really don't like Starbucks, but I was freezing and it sure felt good to drink something warm.

The test took 4 1/2 hours and I went home and took a nap.  Joe called out for dinner so I didn't have to cook.

Thursday and Friday have been free days where I have been trying to catch up on wash and housework.  The two things that never go away.

And that brings you up to today.  I have to run errands today and bake.  We are having a lunch at church tomorrow.  We expect about 10 people to be there.  Joe was asked to make his famous penne pasta and I have to take him to Target to get the sauce he needs.  That's the only place around here to get it.  Our Target is still closed from the rioting and looting that went on, so I have a 20 minute drive to get him to the next closest one.  We have never been to that one, so it will be interesting to see it.  We also have to go food shopping.  I am going to do another shop from home order so I don't have to walk around the store.

And with that I will leave you with a couple of cute pictures of my little boy, Jack.  He's a character for sure.  But Joe and I still love him.

Hope you have a great day.  And I hope to be around sooner rather than later.

Kathy