Monday, June 16, 2008

Defective

I think I'm defective. You know. Broken. Something is not working properly. I have had three migraines in one week. What is up with that? I mean, I've had migraines before but this is crazy. I've had, maybe, 9 or 10 migraines in my life and they are just about always right when I get pregnant. I've only have 1 or 2 migraines other than that and I know they were from running too hard with not enough food. This time? I have no idea what is going on. And, no, I'm not pregnant.

Plus, I was ill on Friday and Saturday with some weird virus or something. I was running to the bathroom every half hour (I'll spare you the details) for almost a whole 24 hour period. My stomach and back hurt so bad I didn't know what was happening. Thank goodness that part of it is over with now. I think I am almost back to normal on that end of it. Eww. That sounded really gross.

I have an appointment with my chiropractor this morning to get an adjustment and see if there is something off track. If that doesn't work I'll go to my doctor. Let's just hope that one of those works because I can't function on migraines all the time. It is painful. And coming as frequently as these have been makes me feel all kinds of messed up.

These nasty headaches really messed up our weekend too. I had a migraine early on Saturday and then very early Sunday morning. Way to start the day out. "Happy Father's Day, Todd! You married a lemon!" Luckily, the one on Sunday wasn't too bad and I was still able to get out to church and to visit our dads.
It was very surreal going to the nursing home to visit my dad for Father's Day. It is so strange to think of that as his home now. After living in the same house for the past 40 years it must be even stranger for him.

Dad wasn't in his room when we arrived so I figured he was already in the lounge area waiting for lunch. Sure enough there he was sitting at the table surrounded by other residents. The staff had given all the fathers corsages to wear and dad had his pinned to the blue sweater I had bought him for his birthday a few years back.

Dad had his back to us when we walked in the room but I could tell he knew it was me from my voice when I saw him smile. I turned his chair around so he had a better view. Even though he doesn't make much eye contact anymore, he always looks just past us or at the floor, he was beaming. The medicine may make it difficult to focus and may make him sleepy but it can't take away his enthusiasm for his family. Dad was so happy to see us. And I think he was even happier that everyone else in the room got to see his grandsons. He laughed as the boys tore open his presents and cards for him and he tried to join in the fun as much as he could. The boys did a great job. They were so sweet. Giving hugs and telling grandpa that they love him. It was a very nice visit.

The best part was that I brought him communion from mass and was able to give it to him. I had told dad that we had just come from church and asked him if he would like to receive communion. His eyes got real big and he said, "Oh yeah!" He tried to remember what to say and do, but of course he needed some help. I was so proud to be the one to give my dad communion on Father's Day. It is my dad's life and love, and I was so happy because I knew he was happy.

We left when his lunch came and told him mom would be by in a little while. We exchanged hugs and kisses and "I love you"s and left. I stood in the doorway out of view and watched him for a little while. A nurse went over and put her arm around him and her head close to his head. Dad was smiling and smiling.
It warmed me from the inside out. And despite the migraine earlier, it was a good day.

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

ahha...alls well that ends well..:-)... i am glad to hear that u had a nice time with ur dad.... my parents are going thru a divorece..and i long to have that warm musy feeling..:-)

anyway's nice post maa'm...enjoyed reading it...

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

Happy Father's day to your hubby and your dad.

Hope the Chiropractor can help! They really can do wonderful things.

Homegrown Tribe said...

Sounds like a wonderful visit... so glad it went well.

bummer about being sick and migraines. OY! I had horrible headaches and migraines for a long time. My chiropractor finally helped me figure it out... a lot of it was food allergies. Soy is my biggest one. I feel tons better now. :) Might be worth a shot.

brittany

lime said...

oh man, you have my complete and utter sympathy regarding the migraines. there's just nothing like them. good you're headed to thew chiro. i wonder also if you have some sort of virus going on that made you susceptible. i had something last month and man i had migraines for a week.

i am so glad the visit with your dad went well, that you were able to get thru the headache and visit and that he was so responsive in a positive way and it was a happy time for him.

dawn klinge said...

It sounds like a great visit with your Father yesterday. I'm so sorry about not feeling well...I hope you get that resolved soon.

Jeni said...

This was such a poignant post -brought tears thinking of how this disease affects your Dad, you and your family now and reminds me too of what it did to my beloved grandfather too. And when I think of him, it always brings memories of so many of the things he did when I was little -before his mind went on vacation, so-to-speak -and the wonderful, soft-spoken, ever so gentle man he was. And to remember him, for those good things, is a blessing to have every day but especially on Father's Day.
Peace.

just jamie said...

So sorry to hear about the migraines. It's weird because I've been getting a LOT of headaches lately too, not migraines though. (Maybe it's all the blogging we do?) :)

I'm so glad to hear that your Dad has such a special moment with your family. Sweet of you to think to bring him Communion.

Molly's Mom said...

So glad you had such a good visit with your dad. And the headaches? I just read something recently that said some people are more sensitive to them during high pollen/other allergen seasons. Do you have other allergies?

Beck said...

I get migraines when there are certain weather systems - try keeping a migraine diary and see if there's a pattern, something in your enviroment that you're reacting to.

Tonya said...

I don't think you are defective. Glad you had a good visit with your dad!

Mary Beth said...

I've only gotten migraines during a tremendously stressful 2 month period at a previous job and put them down to the hell I was going through there. Once the decision was made that I would not be returning, the headaches went away. Trying to hold everything together for your mother and your family has to take it's toll on your body and the headaches may be coming from that? I hope it gets better.

I had tears in my eyes reading about your visit. I'm so, so glad he recognized you yesterday and that you were able to brighten his Father's Day.

Kellan said...

I'm sorry about the migraines, Kathryn, but that sounds like a very nice day with your dad - I'm so glad. He's so sweet.

Take care and have a good Monday - Kellan

Stephanie said...

Are you SURE you are not expecting?? ;) And I doubt your husband married a "lemon". Hopefully you figure out what is causing those migraines and get to feeling better soon!

Cyndi said...

I'm glad the visit with your dad went well. I know that must be hard.

I hope you are feeling tip top again soon. Migranes are the worst.

Life in the Crazy Lane said...

Are you SURE you're not pregnant? My friend got pregnant while she was nursing, on the pill, and using a condom .....

Scrappy said...

I am so glad you had a great day with your dad, and that your boys had a good experience too.
I'm sorry to hear about your migraines. My sister has at least one each week and it is so hard to function. I hope yours go away soon.

Anglophile Football Fanatic said...

Oh, how wonderful that you had a great time with your dad. And, how thoughtful to bring him communion. I finally got to go after my many delays in hitting the confessional, so I know he appreciated it.

Hilary said...

My migraines accelerated like crazy when I stopped breastfeeding my kidlets.. even though they were weened verrrrry slooooooowly. When it was over.. the migraines began. I hope yours clear up real soon. They're no fun.

Unknown said...

Oh Kathryn, I am so sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling well. It's so hard to do the daily stuff when you are not feeling good. I know.

But... I am glad to hear that you had a nice time with your Father yesterday. Sounds like he had a great day too and how wonderful of you to bring him communion!

Unknown said...

I'm so happy that you had a great visit with your dad!!

I'm wondering if something buggy is going around....I get migraines a lot, but I have been on topomax (a daily preventative) since October and went from 12-15 a month down to an average of 3 a month. I have already had 5 this month. Friday I ended the day with a pounding one (go figure after that day) and last night, was one of the worst that I have had since I don't know when. It is still lingering today, but I am able to function....

Hopefully you are done with yours and feel better soon!!

david mcmahon said...

Hope it doesn't happen again.

Loved your post with the picture of your Dad and you and your wedding.

Mom24 said...

I was thinking of you yesterday. I'm glad it turned out to be a good day. So sorry about your migraines. That must be horrible. I hope you figure out an answer soon, or that they just stop--that's the main part.

Sorry too about the virus. I had something similar last week--no fun.

Hope you have a good week, and feel lots better.

High Heeled Mama said...

So sorry you haven't been feeling well...although it's not like you haven't been under a lot of stress.

At least it sounds like your visit with your dad made it all worthwhile.

Feel better.

María said...

I'm glad it was a good day.
Have you tried Topomax? It prevents them, but doesn't treat them...

Bren said...

Sorry about the headaches but I'm so glad that you had a wonderful visit with your dad. I'm also glad to hear that he seems happier there.

Anonymous said...

Hope the migraines go away, but I am so glad that you and the boys were able to enjoy such a nice visit with your dad. Very sweet.

Brittany said...

Hope you're feeling better soon!! I get migraines, pretty frequently, so I feel the pain (literally). Get well!

Fire Hunt said...

I get migraines to, not fun! I holp they go away:)

Fire Hunt said...

I get migraines to, not fun! I holp they go away:)

Laski said...

You . . . a lemon? Are you kidding? Do you read your own blog!?!?

I'm so sorry you've been feeling ick. Weird weather? Sketchy food? Kinky neck? I hope things clear up and you start feeling better soon.

So happy to hear you had a "good day" with your father and the boys had a chance to visit with grandpa . . . lovely.

Take care, YOU!

Anonymous said...

I was thinking about you yesterday. I'm glad you got to spend some time with your Dad. It sounds like he is in a good place (literally and figuratively).

You are such an awesome example of a Godly daughter, wife and mother.

suchsimplepleasures said...

i hope you stop getting headaches...those suck!!
glad your day turned out nicely, though!!
xoxo

Anonymous said...

Awww sounds like you had a lovely fathers day. My family used to own a retirement home, I was the activities director, and the thing my residents loved most (besides me of course..lol) was when family came to visit. It was a sort of braging rights;o)

Sorry to hear about the migranes, I've only ever had three but that was enough for me. Hope they get better soon.

Take Care
Kirst

Anonymous said...

I am very glad you were able to have a good father's day visit with your dad.

Hope you get to the bottom of the migranes soon.

EatPlayLove said...

I hope you are feeling better. Any chance you picked up something from the salmonella outbreak? Sounds like you had a bad case and that can affect your whole body, possibly bringing up migraines.

Thanks for sharing your visit with your father.

Laski said...

This caught my eye and I thought of you . . .
http://www.yahoo.com/s/901325

Kristen said...

Awwww, I am so glad you were able to spend a great time with your dad. And I am even more exicted that the boys got to see him and give him hugs and kisses. I bet it warmed his heart too!

Hope you start feeling significantly better. Praying for healing for your head. :)

Putting the FUN in DysFUNctional said...

I love happy stories about your dad. =) This one was wonderful!
And enough of that defective stuff! I hope your migraines stop immediately!

Anonymous said...

You need a good neck massage and possibly a head massage. You need to be de-stressed. Even if you feel okay, stress can creep up on you rather discreetly and it you when you least expect it. You have a lot to contend with concerning your lovely dad and it's not surprising you're suffering migraines. Fresh air, lots of water and rest are Crystal's orders!!! It could also be a hormonal inbalance.

Take care, CJ xx

RiverPoet said...

This is a lovely post, Kathryn. I'm so glad you got to be with your father and offer communion to him on Father's Day. How special is that?

About the headaches, I know something about those. I have a Chiari I malformation at the base of my brain. Something triggered it to become symptomatic a couple of years ago and now I have headaches almost daily. The one thing I can tell you about marriage (been doing this for over 25 yrs now) is that you adjust. Whatever happens to one of you happens to both, and you adjust. Love gets you through.

Peace - D

amanda said...

sorry to hear about the head trauma :( i had one once and seriously it was just the worst!!

but glad to hear you had such a nice visit with your dad :)

Lisa said...

First off - you are so not a lemon! You are a gem, my dear! Todd knows that, and you need to believe that!!!

I'm glad you had a nice day with your dad. I'm sure that was very special sharing communion with him...

Cynthia said...

I know nothing about migraines, but they sound awful:( I hope you find something that makes you feel better:)
I am glad you had a good Father's Day, you are in a tough spot, but it sounds like things went well.

Kelly said...

I hope those migraines leave you alone soon. And double yuck on the virus. You need a great feeling day! I'm glad you had such a special time with your dad. I'm sure it was hard seeing him there but the smiles and happiness on his face was worth a million I'm sure!

Laura said...

So glad you had a nice visit with your dad. I was thinking of you and hoping that you would all have a good day.

What is yoru weather like? Here, we have haivng huge barametric changes and I am getting lots of migraines...good luck, hope they lessen. I feel for you. Hang in there and take care of yourself.

imbeingheldhostage said...

Bless him, what a treasure days like these must be. Thanks for letting us in to share it with you.

Tiffany said...

You are so amazing in how you have been so transparent about your father - What an amazing tribute to him and to the way that he has raised you! The road you are walking with him being ill, is so very difficult - Hang in there.

Hang in there with the migraines as well - They are the worst!

painted maypole said...

wait a second... if you are getting migraines aren't we supposed to ask if you are preggers? ;)

what a father's day gift to all of you...

the dragonfly said...

I called myself defective for a long time...but I felt defective because I couldn't get pregnant. ...but now I have a beautiful baby boy!!

Sorry about the migraines. I get 3-6 A WEEK, so I know how wretched they can be. Hope you don't get another any time soon!

Sounds like, despite everything, you had a good day with your dad. :)

Words To Live By

Be grateful for each new day.
A new day that you have never lived before.
Twenty-four new, fresh, unexplored hours to use usefully and profitably.
We can squander, neglect, or use them.
Life will be richer or poorer by the way we use today.
Finish every day and be done with it.
You have done what you could;
some blunders and absurdities crept in;
forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day.
You shall begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be
encumbered with your old nonsense.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson