Wash Wednesday: Strep Throat

This weekend was a busy one. We did our shopping, made cupcakes, went to a family reunion...on top of the weekend chores of laundry, cleaning etc. Sunday night, after all of the dust settled I noticed "the tickle". You know, that unmistakable tickle in the back of your throat. The one that strikes fear in your heart. The one that makes you think, I'm in for a long week.

And I was right. Monday morning I woke up with a fever, achey, chills, stiff neck and swollen glands. I didn't have the usual rash on my chest that went with strep throat but I was pretty sure it was strep. I had to cancel my appearance at a meeting as I didn't want to get anyone else sick. I convinced my husband to get off of work early and my mother in law to take the older two boys so my husband could take me to the Doctor.

The doc walked in, took a look in my throat and said, "Yep. Fever, swollen glands, do you want me to swab you or just treat it." I nodded and said, "Just treat the strep doc. No need to test." He added that it was "going around" and wrote a script for a Z-Pack.

Day three on the meds, I'm starting to feel a little better. My mother in law has been great, taking the two big boys for the last two days so I can rest. However, my husband has had to work which leaves me with a teething, crabby and restless infant.

I wish moms could get sick days. But we can't.

Now I'm in the process of trying to clean EVERYTHING I've touched over the last few days. The Clorox Wipes are getting a work out, that's for sure. Doorknobs, phones, computers, remotes....everything is getting cleaned. My house smells like lemon Clorox. But that's okay. I wouldn't wish strep on my worst enemy.

The thing I hate the most about being sick? Not being able to remember what it feels like to feel "normal". I'm hoping that comes in the next few days. I just hope I've quarantined myself enough that no one else gets it.

Wash Wednesday: Ridding of Hazardous Waste!

I still cringe to this day when I think of my dad, dumping the leftover paint (from rinsing paintbrushes and tools) or used car oil on our country, gravel road, mixing it in the rock. Surely, there was a better option to dispose of the water-downed substance. Perhaps no other options existed then but they do today.

Thankfully, our cities today offer so many opportunities to care for the environment, including recycle. Most cities provide recycle bins to each household as an incentive to recycle standard products like plastics, glass, and paper. In turn, cities can make money off of collecting people's garbage. Cities even allow for yard waste pick-up as a means to recreate mulch for later purchase. Overall, cities have a number of environmentally safe methods and means to recycle these days.

Judah and I were reminded once again of the importance of recycling when we saw the public works vehicles and trucks at our nearby Farmers Market last week. I would not consider myself an environmentalist but rather a concerned citizen when it comes to my own garbage. So while Judah sat in the garbage truck, I found out when the next city-wide clean up days were.

Still do you ever wonder what to do with leftover paints and cleaners? There are some things in your household that do not belong in the trash, regular recycling, or even on the curb for scheduled clean-up days. So what do you do with these hazardous materials throughout your home and garage when you are done with them (or want to be done with them).

Check with your local waste management authority. Most communities provide a hazardous waste, scheduled drop-off for similar items mentioned below. So think twice before you throw these items in your trash. Instead, check with your community on how to properly dispose of such materials.

Home and Garden: Aerosol cans, Batteries (household), Brush killer, Concrete cleaners & etches Fertilizers, Fluorescent light bulbs/ballast, Fungicide, Furniture polish, Insect spray Mercury thermostats/thermometers, Metal polish (solvent-based), Mothballs, Pesticides, Pool chemicals, Rat, mouse and gopher poison, Rust removers, Spot remover, Wallpaper remover, Weed killer

Garage and Workshop: Aerosol cleaners, Antifreeze, Auto polish, Auto starter fluid, Brake fluid, Car wax, Carburetor cleaner, Caulk, Contact cement, Driveway sealer, Epoxy, Gasoline, Glues, Kerosene, Lighter fluid, Motor Oil, Oil filters (used), Paint remover, Paint thinner, Paint (oil-based and lead-based), Petroleum-based adhesives, Roofing tar,
Shellac, Stain, Varnish, Windshield washer solution

Kitchen and Bathroom: Polish remover, Toilet bowl cleaner, Ammonia-based cleaners, Cleaners (solvent-based) Drain cleaners, Floor care products, Oven cleaner

Our own community is doing their particular drop off date for hazardous materials on June 25. For a complete listing of Iowa communities teaming up with Metro Waste Authority, check out the "Clean-up Crew."

To learn more about how to dispose of medicine, read "Cleaning Out the Medicine Cabinet" as well as learn more about Iowa's Takeaway program.

Make Monday: Make Time For Yourself--Or End Up In The Hospital

Hey friends! It's been awhile since I posted! One thing I've learned over these last few weeks is that I need to make time for myself.

I had been experiencing pain for some time, but being the "tough mama" that I am, I ignored it until it was just too much to handle. And that's when I admitted I needed to go to the clinic. But I waited until it worked for my husband and my kids' schedule.

I had right flank pain, which made me think kidney stones. But it was worse than kidney stones. I've had them before. I managed to pass one, while pregnant (which meant I didn't take anything for the pain because I didn't want to harm the baby) at work (because I couldn't afford to take time off because I needed to save all of my PTO for the birth). Yes, while pregnant I passed a stone medication free at work. I know I may sound like your typical mother martyr, and I'm not trying to do that by any means, but I want to give you a point of reference on how bad pain has to be for me to inconvenience my husband/children.

The Doctor did a pregnancy test as well as a test for stones. Both were negative. So she gave me some Vicodin for the pain and sent me on my merry way. A week and a half later, I found myself in the ER. I had started my cycle and it was a lot heavier than normal. And A LOT more painful than normal. Again, for me to inconvenience anyone with my pain--it must be a big deal. So I called Mercy Nurse and they told me to go into the ER ASAP. I waited for my husband to return with the preschooler and finished up some work. I had him take me into the ER. They pumped me FULL of pain meds and the Doctor was amazed I was still awake and talking...and still in pain.

After 2 ultrasounds, 1 x-ray and 1 CAT Scan they found a large cyst on my right ovary. They kept me overnight for pain management. We scheduled surgery for Friday to remove the entire right ovary. Tuesday through Friday was a blur of pain, medication and prayer. I was so nervous about the surgery I even visited our Church and Father gave me the Anointing of the Sick. I was kind of freaking out.

My mom came down on Thursday night and we went in on Friday morning at 6AM. I remember trying to talk in the surgery room about the barn, my work and all of the things I do at home. I was trying to fight the overwhelming relaxing feeling coming over me because I HAD to tell the Doctors and Nurses about what I was involved in and HAD to spread the word. I'm a busy mom...I can't sleep! I know when I woke up, I was talking about the barn and CAPE PAC as well.

And I'm pushing myself too much. I know. The day after the surgery I went to our garage sale and had to have people tell me to sit down and not to lift things.

So between work, my volunteer items, taking care of the boys, trying to buy a house and getting our finances in order, taking care of the home...I spread myself a little thin. Now I'm not saying that the cyst is a result of all I do...but if I took time to listen to my body, maybe I would have heard what my body was trying to say and been able to schedule something, rather than having it all on an emergency status.

I'm not one to take time for myself. Even if it is Doctor ordered. But I have to learn from this. If you don't listen to your body and take time for yourself, you will end up in the ER. And that isn't convenient for anyone.

But I'm glad to be back. And I'm so thankful for Emma taking care of Mommy's Recess last week while I was in the hospital/under the influence of LOTS of pain medications.

Mommy does need a recess. Or she will end up in the nurse's office.

Wash Wednesday: Cleaning out the Medicine Cabinet!

The other day I had to run errands. Among them, I had to pick up a prescription at the pharmacy. Knowing this ahead of time, I decided to bag up all the old, remaining prescription bottles out of my cupboard to finally satisfy my knowledge of the truth of the proper way to dispose of them.

So bundled up with coats, hats, and my purse crammed of half-used prescriptions (from three surgeries and endless amount of colds over the last year), Judah and I went into the local grocery store right for the pharmacy. Needless to say, I felt like the world's worst druggie! Of course, this just had to be the day it was busy with a line of people and so we waited. Judah waved to the old gentleman (way to score us points Judah). Finally, our turn came. I sat Judah on the counter holding him and gave my name to pick-up the new prescription. Looking around, I then leaned forward and slowly took out the bag of bottles. With a low voice, I asked the clerk about returning used prescriptions.

It was not long before I got my answer. And I think everyone else did too. Once, I did though, I was glad to finally quench my interest in the prescription disposal debate, at least for now. The pharmacist came over, looked at each individual bottle (since I had a bagful), and took a few with her. With a smile, she gave me back the rest giving me the long-awaited answer.

While she took general prescriptions like nausea medicine, she did give me back liquids over 4 ounces and controlled substances like pain killers. Most pharmacies will take back some of your prescriptions but not all. Check with your community though as most communities will have a prescription drop-off a couple of times a year. It just happened that our community was having such an event that weekend.

At least I left the grocery store with only a few bottles left. I did learn though that if, IF, you have to throw prescriptions away, DO NOT flush them down the toilet. The pharmacist recommended instead of mixing the remaining prescriptions in cat litter or sand before throwing away. The answer I always wondered about.

I feel relieved that I know how to properly dispose of prescriptions. With all our medical problems this year, it seemed like we had a stock pile. This is not something I want with a curious toddler running around even if I do have them locked away.

Remember to keep the cabinet locked unless you are cleaning it out. Properly dispose of medicines whether taking it to your pharmacy or a designated community drop-off. Here is my next question: did you know that you are not supposed to store your prescriptions in a bathroom cabinet because the steam build-up from showers or baths can create an environment too warm to store the medicines?