Where have you been, Bonnie? One week later

To say the past week was intense, stressful, sick, busy, exhausting is not really descriptive enough. I have not written because I lacked the energy and the emotional stamina to relive each day. I made it through the last week from your prayers and the grace of the power of God. Yes, there were times I really thought I had reached the end of my mind that someone else would have to take over. God lifted me up when I was at the lowest of spirit. Joe needed me and I had nothing left in my body at the end of each day. Let me see how much I can remember.

Since I had another rough night with the sore throat on Sunday night (10/17), I had surfed the web trying to find a clinic that would open early since Rick Dangar (Joe's brother-in-law) and I intended to leave for Houston at 9AM. I found the Take Care Clinic located in Walgreens on Five Forks Trickum in Lawrenceville that opened at 8AM. I wanted to get there early so I could be the first patient to be seen. I told Rick I was heading to the Clinic and to take his time getting ready. All the bags and incidentals were packed and ready to be put into the car. He could bring them to the garage so when I got back we could get up and go.

Thankfully my game plan was good in being the first patient and the nurse practitioner did the exam and swabs. Shockingly it was not strep. With the horrible sore throat that made my ears hurt  was not strep so it was just a stupid miserable cold. I was dreading the future aspects after having a sore throat that the congestion and cough would soon follow. Unfortunately I was correct. The nurse prescribed a antihistamine and to take benedryl mixed with Mylanta and gargle and swallow. It would coat the throat way down. I was willing to try anything since nothing worked thus far. On my way home I decided to gas up at Kroger just as Joe called me about how to handle paying for the hotel room for him and his brother, Drew. He distracted me from the thousand things running through my mind and I could not believe that he needed me to figure out what to do.

Upon gassing up I headed to the house where Rick had neatly gathered all the stuff to be packed into the car. I took the meds then made sure all the light timers and radios were set as well as unplug the TV, take the garbage to the street, ice the drinks, lock all the doors. By the time I did all that Rick had packed the car expertly! We were ready to head to Ms. Kim's Bagels and More Shop to have bagels and cream cheese. It was at that time I realized my iPhone was missing. Perhaps I left it at the house with my last minute running around. Perhaps I left it on the Kroger gas pump when Joe called and distracted me. Since we were across the street from Kroger, we stopped there first, checked the pump (no), asked the gas pump gal (no), gas pump gal called inside the store (no). Of course we called my phone several times and we heard NOTHING! Of course, it must be at home. So we headed back to the house, where all the doors were locked. I had given my keys to Joe's sister and our neighbor who was at work! The garage door was opened by the electronic door opener but the door to the house was locked and we had no key. By the blessings of God, Rick wiggled the door knob like crazy and somehow it opened. We were IN! I ran all around downstairs and ran upstairs looking in all the normal places. Rick calls my phone. I call my phone from upstairs.

Rick received a call from a man inside Kroger who was having coffee at the Starbucks concession. He told Rick that he had my phone but it was looked badly damaged. He found it on the ground at the Kroger gas pump and it had been run over. Probably by me! Surely by me! I must have put the phone on top of the car and drove off. So back to Kroger we go. Rick dropped me off at the front door and I walked in and the poor man handed me my smashed iPhone. The screen looked like a smashed windshield where someone had thrown a brick at it and it had a zillion cracks. By the time he handed to me, I was crying and he said he was so sorry. My phone was my lifeline to Joe and to everyone. I bawled and I bawled my eyes out. I told Rick that we had to head home where I could get the Apple iPhone Care policy so I could get a new free replacement phone. I found the policy and called Apple was we drove to AT&T store at Northlake where I had purchased the phone. As Rick drove, I spoke to Apple after being disconnected twice. The third time was NOT the charm since Apple said the policy did not cover accidental damage and that I would have to pay $199 for a new phone. I was misled by the AT&T salesperson when I bought the phone. The Apple gal advised me to head to the AT&T store and confront them. Well, that did not work since they told me that I would have to go to the APPLE store either at LENOX or Perimeter.

I was grateful to see that there were not many cars parked at Lenox Mall and that I should be able to get a new phone quickly. The APPLE Store is on the second floor of the very large Lenox Mall. Every other store was empty begging for people. Well, they were all at the APPLE Store. It was jammed packed with people. Oh no! An Apple agent with an iPad comes up to me and asked me what I wanted and if I had an appointment. I just about died right then and there. I told him that I was desperate and that I had to have a phone since I on my my way to Houston to be with my very sick husband...yada, yada, yada. He said he had an appointment open for Noon only 10 minutes away. I waited and waited and waited. At 12:15 PM I asked the iPad guy where was my name on the queue and he said it was no way to tell that and  I would be seen in the order as I was logged in and to the appropriate person. I waited and waited and waited and paced the floor back and forth and in circles. I asked again since a person who came after me was already seen and gone. My name in the queue somehow got mistakingly marked as "seen". More tears. Good grief. The iPad guy got his manager who went into the back office and got someone to take care of me finally at 12:45PM. She says to me that since I had waited so long in error that they would sell me the phone at a discounted price of $199 rather than the normal price of $499. Lesson learned: DO NOT BUY ANY APPLE CARE POLICY, it is worthless and only to their benefit. At 1PM, I had a new phone and somehow the gal was able to log in all my contacts, another blessing! All my applications were lost but at least I had a phone. As I was ready to head to the escalator, there was poor Rick who had just came up to see if I needed to be rescued. So finally at 1:15pm we were finally on Interstate 85 South heading to Biloxi only 4 hours and 15 minutes late.

I was physically and emotionally exhausted after being sick all night and the turmoil of the smashed iPhone. Rick drove the whole way to Biloxi to the La Quinta Inn which was clean and comfortable with nice personnel. We ate dinner at the nearby Applebee's and had the sweetest waitress. I had soup and a appetizer of plain chicken nuggets since my stomach had been churning and aching all the way to Biloxi. I attributed it to the high stress of the day. We hit the comfortable beds at 11PM. About 1 AM I woke up to a bomb blast uncontrollably coming out of my rear end. What a freaking mess and stinky. I was so worried about waking about Rick. I headed to back to bed and did not make it again. Another bomb blast and another! My stomach hurt worse! I decide to take my pillow and put the towels on the bathroom floor and try to sleep there. Good idea! Alas, that did not work either with several more bomb blasts. The bath room looked like a war zone. Somehow I had to get some meds FAST. About 4:00 AM, I suppose there was nothing left inside me so I got dressed and drove over to the convenience store across the way to get some IMODIUM super strength to stop the bomb blast medicine. God was with me since somehow I made it over there without bombing my car or the convenience store. I immediately down 2 pills. I made it back to the room when I was gifted another bomb but this time the toilet stopped up! OH NO! This can not be happening. I took another pill and headed to the front desk for a plunger. I pushed up and down and up and down and the dang thing would not get unstopped. I was weak and dehydrated and needed liquids quick. Reluctantly I woke up Rick and embarrassingly told him my dilemma. He got it undone. Praise God and somehow Rick did not puke from the smell and the war zone. He headed back to bed and I laid on the floor till I was sure the bombs had stopped. I was back in the bed about 6:30AM and slept till 9AM. Rick already had breakfast and I took a wonderful long shower. I guess we got back on the road at 10AM or thereabouts. MAX was a perfect dog in the back seat of the car as well as in the room.

Thank goodness Rick drove from Biloxi to Houston (7 hours) through bayou country with long bridges over the bayou. My stomach was still churning and a mess. I was able to get some sleep. I was also successful in getting CAREMARK to let Joe get the Neupogin injections and let me do them rather than having to go to the hospital everyday. It took about 2 hours to get that solved but I was so happy with that success.

Our first stop in Houston was to check into the Homestead Studio Suites at the Galleria area. I was not able to see the rooms the week before and went by the photos. The room was too square with 1 chair, king sized bed, and a kitchenette along one wall. I knew that this room would not work for 32 days that we needed to get a better room. But there were no other rooms available till the next day. They showed us a smoking room but it seemed more like a small apartment with a couch, separate kitchen, vanity area separate from the toilet and tub. I agreed to take the non smoking room for the next day but it meant moving stuff twice but it had to be done. We unpacked the car and headed over to the Marriott Courtyards at the Medical Center which were large and so very nice but they do not take dogs. Joe was at MDACC getting his shots and PICC lines flushed. He had forgotten to do that earlier in the day till I reminded him. We waited in the large lobby for Joe to show up and I started the hacking cough and the nasty congested nose The manager was so alarmed at my hacking he delivered me a bottle of cold water. This cough was uncontrollable with spasms where I could not breath. Joe walked in from the shuttle and he is bleeding on his arm from hitting the van's door that needed cleaning up. Josephine, Drew's wife, comes gets us to come to the room where we rested and talked some then loaded the car. All five of us loaded into my Lexus and head to dinner to Pappasito's where the iPhone map application showed the restaurant to be across the way from our hotel. Up and down we went and heck, where was the dang restaurant? I could not believe that I could miss it. I got Joe to call directory assistance and I proceeded to talk to the restaurant to find out where they were. It did not make any sense at all. I asked if this was Pappasito's and no it was not. The directory assistance person connected us to Pappadeaux!!! Good Grief!! I got on my iphone as I pulled off to the side of the road and talked to the real Pappasito's. Well, they said my map application on my phone was wrong and that they were located about another 15 minutes away. I got the directions and found the dang place which was no where near where the map stated. BEWARE! We all had upscale Tex-Mex food which is way different that the Atlanta Mexican fare but everyone seemed to enjoy their food. Joe ordered a glass of wine and I said Joe, you are not allowed to have alcohol. He forgot. I also had to remind him that he could not have any fresh fruit or fresh veggies. God, I felt like a mother and I did not like that at all. After dinner I wanted to unpack the car with Joe's stuff and leave Joe and Rick at the hotel to get settled in but Drew requested that I take them to their hotel first which I did. Finally back at the hotel about 11PM we were wiped out and now we had to empty the car. We did. We all headed to bed as quick as possible since Rick and I had to get up at 6AM  to pick up Drew and Josephine and head to the airport which was about an hour away.  I dropped all three at the curb as they headed to check in. I headed back to the hotel and crashed back into bed about 9AM blowing my nose and hacking worse than ever. I desperately needed rest but there was no time to do that since we had to get change rooms and buy things needed for our be temporary home.

I will continue the pass week events possibly tomorrow. I certainly had enough reliving the two days of events.

Ciao.