Just Laurel

amanda 4.2 (2nd blog today)

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A few more T’s as it is the featured letter of the day …

“T” is for …

TAH DAH !!!

Amanda has no veins.  I mean – she HAS veins but they are really hard to find and stick and get any blood from.  So, they put a P.I.C.C. line in her arm – surgically implanted IV – so they could have an IV going AND draw blood.  Well it is infusing fluids but would not let people draw blood – it just wouldn’t work.  So they sent a blood draw person, and another one and another one …. they all poked her and got NO blood.  They finally decided to put in a SECOND P.I.C.C. line …. I even signed the papers … sigh.  But then this guy nurse came in and took a look, and took the time, and finessed, and GOT IT WORKING!  So no need for the 2nd P.I.C.C. line.

TAH DAH!

Amanda2

The other “T” for the day starts the next exclamation:

TAKE IT OFF!

Since getting to the ER on Saturday Amanda has had to wear this mask that was forcing oxygenated breaths (almost like being intubated – ya know – the tube down the throat – which we have thus far avoided) almost 24/7 – taking it off only for quick sips of water or a face wash.  Here’s what she’s pretty much looked like for the past 3 days:Amanda1

 

She was awake enough this evening and alert enough that I asked, could she TAKE IT OFF for a bit?  Amanda had a quiet and lovely hour of bliss – sitting up and breathing with just a little help from an oxygen cannula at her nose – and got to sip lots of water and brush her teeth.  Yes, her face is red and swollen and the hair needs a shampoo and blow dry – but she managed a smile for the camera!  (The thingy on her head is her oxygen probe – her hands are too cold so that it works better on her forehead.)Amanda3

TAKE IT OFF BABY!

So …

Lung function is improving.

But she is weak and limp as a wet dish rag as the staph infection is battled.  No – it is not MRSA (for you medical people) and the next big step is the TEST (sticking with the “T” theme here) to see if it is in her spinal fluid and shunt.  That TEST did not get done TODAY … so we wait for TOMORROW.

That girl sure has a lot of fight in her.

just Laurel

 

 

 

 

defects and decorations

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Yellow_ribbonTell me more (about SB) Mondays.

 

 

 

How far back can we find cases of spina bifida?  Is it a relatively newer birth defect?  I thought I’d do some investigating.

I was stunned!

Didja know ….

… that in the tomb of King Tut, there was discovered a wooden box with 2 small mummified fetuses?  Some historians believe that young King tutchildren5Tut had no children – but he was certainly old enough to sire children and indeed had a wife.  But the fact is there WERE two fetuses discovered and whether they were Tut’s children or not is beside the point.  The point is … they were there and radiography strongly suggested that one of the children “had a condition known as Sprengel’s deformity, with congenitally high right scapula, spina bifida and scoliosis.” Read more:  http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/tutchildren.htm#ixzz32p467ZkE

A little more google searching gave me some more limited information.  The actual first recorded case of spina bifida was in Arabia in the year 1085 AD.  The name was given to the condition by a Dutchman named Nicolaas Tulgius in the year 1637.  And the final fact I could scrounge up was that a fetus found in 1881 showed that spina bifida occurs in the first month of pregnancy.  (uh … they ‘found’ it?  Too many unanswered questions here!)

So there you have it – a bit of spina bifida trivia.

I feel it more important to share with you some trivia Fox News had today – to recognize it being Memorial Day.

Didja know …

The first Memorial Day was celebrated in 1868 – after the Civil War ended.  It was created as a special day where the graves of those who gave memorial-daytheir lives for their country would be recognized by placing flowers on their graves.  It was the day you were supposed to decorate the graves – hence its original name of Decoration Day.

Now here’s the stunner.

The Fox News correspondent gave us 3 numbers to pick from that was the amount of lives given for our freedom.  They ranged from 300,000 to 1.3 million.  And the answer is …

1.3 million.

So many lives given.  For us.

Please remember those who gave their lives so that we may live freely in the great United States of America.  Count your blessings folks.

Just Laurel

just amazing HERBS

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I took a walk around the yard after I got home from work today.  We have 3 herbs growing along the back of the house:  Garlic chives, Basil, and Mint.  They are gorgeous and green and at their peak!  The basil is over 3 feet tall!  I wanted to take a picture of them – with the cold nights, we shall have a frost before you know it and all 3 of these plants will wither and be gone.

Did you know that Basil was first mentioned in English writing in the mid-seventeenth century and in American literature about 100 years later.  Basil is considered sacred in the Hindu cultures, believed by many to be a favorite of their gods. In some cultures basil is a sign of love and devotion between young couples.

Although “basil” is not mentioned specifically in the bible, did you know that “herb” is mentioned 6 times?  And “spice” is found 36 times!  (NIV)

Mint plants originated in the mediterranean region, with 30 varieties known.  Ancient Hebrews used to scatter mint over the synagogue floor for its scent.

Did you know that “mint” is actually mentioned twice in the bible? 

Garlic chives have been used as culinary herbs for thousands of years and were probably used first by the Chinese and ancient Greeks.There is no mention of garlic chives in the bible – but I had to include them and I think it is a very pretty plant now that it has flowered! 

From adding flavor to food, sweet smells to a room, as well as their medicinal qualities, well, I think herbs are just amazing!

just Laurel

(Little bits of life, nature, and who-knows-what will sometimes pique my interest and I have to know more!   And on days like today when there was no insightful story to expand upon, I kept it brief with the mini-lesson on herbs.  Look for more little splashes of interest on my un-inspiring days as I explore something different and title it “just amazing _______”.)

just amazing ACORNS

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   We have 2 giant oak trees in our front yard.  I have nick-named them the ‘squirrel condos’.  You get the idea.  I couldn’t help but notice that it is a good year for acorns.

The picture to the left is an actual photo I just took of our driveway.

Did you know that an oak tree can live 200 years or more?

For every 10,000 acorns, only one will become an oak tree.

A mature oak tree can draw up to 50 or more gallons of water a day.

Although ‘acorn’ is not mentioned in the bible (NIV), the word ‘oak’ is mentioned twenty-three times.

I think that’s just Amazing!

just Laurel

(Little bits of life, nature, and who-knows-what will sometimes pique my interest and I have to know more!  Like my acorns.  And on days like today when there was no insightful story to expand upon, I kept it brief with the mini-lesson on acorns.  Look for more little splashes of interest on my un-inspiring days as I explore something different and title it “just amazing _______”.)