It's been a rough couple of days

On top of it being 900 degrees outside (have I mentioned lately that I'm driving around without air conditioning?), I have been dealing with some aches and pains. It started Saturday, stabbing pains on my left side right where the rib cage meets the sagging boobs (my apologies to any males reading this). The pain goes away while I'm sleeping but returns late morning.

Being the ever resourceful person I am, I went on the internet and have self-diagnosed the pain. I think it's  Costochondritis isn't it wonderful that I have such good medical knowledge? I didn't even have to pay a co-pay, have numerous expensive tests run, or even leave the comfort of my own home to get the low-down.

Of course, I really have no idea what the actual problem is but at the moment am working with my self-diagnosis by self- medicating. The first thing I did was throw out the underwire bra which in addition to aggravating the pain is what I personally think started all this nonsense to begin with. I'm also alternating Tylenol and ibuprofen, and applying ice which is helping to cool my body down in this gosh-awful heat.  I told my husband if it hasn't gone away after a week I'll think about seeing a real professional.

In case you didn't know it, I hate going to the doctor. Actually hate isn't a strong enough word. Try loathe, despise, abhor, ..... add them all together and you get a fraction of what I feel. Consequently I'd rather do just about anything to avoid going into a doctor's office. Evidence of this is the fact that I've only seen one medical expert in the last five years or so and that was only because there was a growth the size of Mt Rushmore emerging from my palm. The fact that it took an additional visit to a specialist to remove said-growth, two injections, a scalpel, lot's of cutting, scraping, and squirting blood, only reinforces my aversion to seeking help from a professional. Doctor = pain = Sherri running for the hills. 

Yes, I know this fear is irrational but then I never claimed to be a rational person to begin with, now did I? 

One would think this would be enough for any one person to bear right now, but then I'm not just any person. I like to heap the pain and suffering on, just call me Job. This morning I woke up early, as in too early for ME to get up and start my day, so I decided to lay in bed reading the internet on my phone. Ordinarily this would not be such a big deal but I think my body was saying "hey stupid, since you're already suffering some pain, let's add something else to the mix and see just what kind of stamina you've really got!" 

I'm a side sleeper. Not by choice but because I've figured out that sleeping on my back or stomach causes two problems - one, nightmares (yes, I know that's weird but every time I sleep on either my back or stomach I end up having horrible, terrible, no-good nightmares), and two, my back is prone to going out if I lay on it too long. This morning was too long, and now I have major pains in my lower back. I look like Tim Conway's old man  shuffling across the floor when walking and it took twice as long getting dress this morning because I couldn't bend over to pull up my pants! 

So here I sit, hunched over the computer, sporting an ice pack, and whining about all my aches and pains. I think a lot of it has to do with life and the luck of the draw but a tiny part of it also might have to do with my emotional state. You see, yesterday was a bittersweet day for me, one that reminded me that life is rushing by, I'm not getting any younger and those around me are growing up.

Yesterday my baby, yes, MY BABY   , reached a milestone. It was his 20th birthday! 

and suddenly I am no longer the mother of a teenager, but the mother of two GROWN sons. Where did all the time go? It seems like just yesterday we were welcoming number two into the family. The husband and I were all excited. We had already mastered parenthood and were looking forward to being the Cleaver family of the 20/21st century.

Some would say "as luck would have it", me .... I'm thinking it was totally God saying let's throw this family a curve ball and see how they handle it, whichever you choose to believe, suddenly we were having an "aha" moment. We were thinking number two would be laid back and easy going like his brother. Imagine our surprise when, from day one, this little buggar was the total opposite. Our first clue should have come when he attempted his great escape the day before his planned extraction. Of course I got the last laugh by keeping him in place for over twelve grueling hours before proceeding as planned. The whole birth experience proved to be a pre-cursor to the years to come. This child was full of energy, the epitome of stubbornness and determination, and lived in world defined in black and white ... so totally opposite of his dad and his brother, and so very much like his mother!

It's been a roller coaster of a ride these last twenty years but I must say it's a ride I wouldn't give up for anything. I'm so proud of my little man that has grown into a big man. He's not only a wonderful son but he's also a wonderful person, one that any mother would be proud to call her own.

I'll leave you now to look at few photos of my handsome boy growing up, and me .... I'm going back to icing my back and researching the internet. Do you think it's too late for me to go back to school and become one of those dreadful medical doctors?

 
 
 

  
  Isn't he cute, don't you just want to squeeze him and take him home?