Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7



Tuesday, December 11, 2012

"We have so much time, and so little to do! Strike that, reverse it."


Do you know that line?

I mean intimately, like you are living it?

Yes, me too.

My oldest child reminded me the other day how close we are to Christmas. I think I have been living on the day after Thanksgiving for exactly 18 days. I am just a little behind, in more ways than one. I thought I had decided not to make any gifts for Christmas. And then I counted them:

cloth dolly

patchwork pillow

patchwork stocking

three pairs beaded earrings

beaded necklace

a pair of flannel pajamas

None made.

not to mention all those felt Jesse Tree ornaments (I am officially behind one day now)

To make Advent more penitential than it was already turning out to be, I spent the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in the ER. On Thursday I noticed the calf of my right leg was sore. I thought I had slept oddly. On Friday morning I got out of bed and it was really sore, but Faith and I were headed downtown with her dance studio to see the Nutcracker, so I tucked all worries in the back of my mind (not really) and soldiered on. By the time we returned home from downtown it was pink, and warm. Because of my history of blood clots I was afraid I might have a clot. And because I couldn't feel the knot in my leg (I could with clots in superficial veins) I was afraid I had a DVT. By bedtime it was noticeably warmer and pinker. When I woke up on Saturday I felt fuzzy in the head. I thought I had a fever, but my temp was normal. We were supposed to go to Mass at 10 in the morning, but I was afraid I would have to go to the ER instead. We decided Doug would take the kids to Mass and I would go to the ER for an ultrasound of my leg. At the last minute I decided to go to Mass with them. I just didn't want to miss that Feast Day Mass!

When we got home I went to the ER and spent the remainder of daylight there. Good news is...it was not a DVT (and I was really glad I didn't miss Mass because I wasn't going to die after all), to the surprise of the doc, the nurse and the ultrasound tech (and she looked really hard). The doc said it's likely cellulitis and sent me on my way with antibiotics. The nurse said I was lucky I thought it was a DVT because I came in before the cellulitis likely had spread to my blood. If that had happened I would have been admitted and been on IV antibiotics. Right now my leg is still swollen and sore, but less warm. I am hopeful that it will clear up soon and I'll be back to normal. Unfortunately, I have no idea why I developed cellulitis. I have no open wounds, bug bites, not even a hangnail. I have an appointment with my doctor on Friday to talk about that.

In the meantime, Faith and I are taking it easy this week, putting ornaments on the tree, getting out some decorations, unschooling. Yesterday, she practiced Christmas carols on the piano, we watched a dance documentary (First Position -- if you have a dancer, I highly recommend it), and read Our Lady of Guadalupe books. I sewed one Jesse Tree ornament and started the cloth dolly for Doug's niece. With my leg elevated.

Tomorrow I'll get back to posting about Our Blessed Mother.

Happy Second Week of Advent.



at 10:11 AM Labels: , ,

14 comments:

  1. Jamie JoDecember 11, 2012 at 10:40 AM

    God must want you to sloooooow down Barbara. So glad it was not more serious and that you caught it in time. Please let us know what you find out. Praying you heal quickly. God bless you...we'll have to check out that dance show...it's a "watch instantly" on Netflix.

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  2. AnonymousDecember 11, 2012 at 10:47 AM

    Oh My! So happy you went to the ER (and didn't have to miss Mass.) You can make and give those gifts during the 12 days of Christmas! My list is 6 miles long also and last week I had the bright idea to make an appointment to have 2 moles removed from my body on Monday 12/10...so now I have the pain of "pulling stitches" in my back and neck. Brilliant! Secondborn takes his last final this morning and Prince Charming is on vacation for the remainder of the year...George is bouncing around making disasters everywhere....no, it's not chaotic here at all! :) Plus, I decided I *needed* a Christmas dress...so there is a nice pattern and fabric on my craft table...justa waiting on those elves to whip that up!

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  3. BarbaraDecember 11, 2012 at 12:59 PM

    Jamie, You may be correct about God's message. I'm not a very good listener. ;-)

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  4. BarbaraDecember 11, 2012 at 1:00 PM

    Cheryl,
    I need to crack the whip on those elves. Oh, if only! I'm sorry about your stitches. I'm praying the biopsies are negative. My mom just had a basal cell carcinoma removed from her leg yesterday.

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  5. SaraDecember 11, 2012 at 1:34 PM

    I'm so glad you're alright! I thought you were quiet. ;-) Having to keep your leg up ought to give you a *leg up* on your projects!

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  6. Barb SzyszkiewiczDecember 11, 2012 at 1:55 PM

    Count on plenty of prayers from here! Please do keep on resting--I know how hard that is....

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  7. BethDecember 11, 2012 at 3:36 PM

    I hope you are feeling better and able to savor where you are. Kudos for taking the time to get yourself checked out so nothing too bad happened. Hang in there

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  8. Jennifer Gregory MillerDecember 12, 2012 at 1:49 PM

    Oh, praying, Barbara! My dad is going through cellulitis, also, although he had it on his head. It's hard to shake...I think he needs to go on another round of antibiotics. As long as he doesn't need to be hospitalized again, I'll be relieved.

    I know what you mean about not having time to do the things that calm me down and give a sense of peace and accomplishment. I had a friend lose her 11 day old baby, and helping her and making things for her and the funeral tomorrow....well, lots of things taking a back seat. Perhaps Batman and Robin capes can be Epiphany gifts?

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  9. BarbaraDecember 12, 2012 at 5:29 PM

    Sara,
    Yes, getting the projects done I can do with my leg up, which excludes the sewing machine! >:-/

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  10. BarbaraDecember 12, 2012 at 5:29 PM

    Barb, It IS hard, and I'm FAILING!

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  11. BarbaraDecember 12, 2012 at 5:30 PM

    Jennifer,
    I am fairly sure Batman and Robin were Wise Men!

    PS I am grateful at least my cellulitis is as far from my brain as it can get!

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  12. BarbaraDecember 12, 2012 at 5:31 PM

    Thanks, Beth. I am not sure I would have gone had I known it was not a DVT, but, yes, at least it got taken care of!

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  13. Jennifer Gregory MillerDecember 12, 2012 at 5:45 PM

    Holy change of identity, Batman!

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  14. KellyDecember 17, 2012 at 12:04 AM

    I'm so horribly behind on all my blog reading. I'm so sorry you had that DVT scare, but I'm glad you went in before the cellulitis got any worse. I had a similar scare after having Little Man where I went into the ER. I think it turned out to be a surface vein thing. Even though I have fallen behind on my blog reading of late, I have not stopped the prayers for you and your friend, Gina. You both continue to be in my thoughts and I often wish I could find the time to sit and chat on the phone with you. That one time was so nice. :) I do agree with Jamie and think God might be telling you to slow down. As much as you can you should put your feet up. Even if you're crafting while you "relax". ;)

    btw, I saw that First Position documentary on Netflix and queued it up to watch later. I'm glad to hear it was good.

    Wishing you a very blessed Gaudete Sunday, Barbara.

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I appreciate your comments -- sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself!

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