12.28.2011

In the Blink of an Eye.

Yesterday I was looking like this:

Feeling great, about to head to the gym to get my run on and showing Blake how cute his Christmas present was on me.

Then at about 4am this morning, I was looking like this:

Waiting for my results in the ER because I had horribly unbearable pelvic and back pain at 1 o'clock this morning. 

Let me set the scene. 

I wake up with terrible cramping in my let pelvic region and the lower left side of my back (which was very unusual). I crawl out of bed completely doubled over in pain, pop a few ibuprofen, and lay in the shower for about 20 minutes with no relief. I eventually make it back to my bed and have to call my roommate on the phone because of the pain. Its about 1:30 at this point and she comes into my room with a heating pad and some bread. I feel totally nauseous and cannot get the pain to subside at all. I finally call a good family friend who is a nurse and tell her my symptoms. We ruled out appendicitis because it was the wrong side but the possibilities included kidney stones and an ovarian cyst rupture. She gave me the go ahead to take some Vicodin to ease the pain but about 5 seconds after I swallowed it I had to crawl to the garbage can and started vomiting. So badly in fact that it eventually turned to blood and at that point I told Grammy to get dressed because I had to go to the hospital. 

After a little bit of a delay waiting for our neighbor to come with us in case anything happened that Grammy couldn't handle, we finally made it to the ER with no waiting time. The nurse took my vitals while I writhed in pain and I was set up in my own little area. I rated my pain a 9 out of 10 and the whole time I was thinking about an old Brian Regan sketch about being put on morphine. 

Pretty funny now but I was in no condition to positively recollect. I was struggling until the nurse left and I was waiting for the doctor. 

By that point I had changed my previous praying that the pain would go away to accepting the fact that God would not give me anything I couldn't handle and almost instantly the pain subsided. It was pretty miraculous.

Then the nurse came back with the medication and the doctor decided to perform a pelvic examination because of my symptoms and was leaning toward the ovarian cyst rupture as the cause. He also wanted to get an ultrasound. Now all of this is happening at 4am and I have never experienced any of this. Every time I went to the ER in the past it was because of some lame gymnastics injury, nothing totally critical.

So I get wheeled to another room where I am informed that I have to get a catheter inserted for the ultrasound because your bladder needs to be full but not with water incase you have to get surgery... just another bonus to the night. And let me tell you, not a pleasant experience. Then I get the ultrasound which doesn't just stop with over the stomach view. That would be too easy. 

So after I am completely vulnerable and been rung out to dry I go back to wait for the results. It seems as though I did have a cyst rupture and I am prescribed pain medication and told to schedule an appointment with the OB/GYN so they can figure everything out this week. 

I am finally able to be discharged at 8 o'clock only to be surprised with a $250 co-pay... I can't think of a better way to end 2011, can you? I am very grateful and blessed that is was nothing more serious and everything looks healthy and normal on the inside. Needless to say, I did not go to work today, the insurance world just had to do with out. 

My good friend Amy came over to console me with blueberry pancakes. She is a tech at the same hospital but in the ICU unit. I texted her hoping she was working and could come see me but she came to my house instead :)

I am feeling much better but pretty weak, I'll keep my faithful readers posted... haha get it?

Boom. Posted.  

12.27.2011

Transitions.

Recently, as in last night, I have decided that 2012 will be the year Lauren becomes a woman.

I know, I know, how could I become even more classy and sophisticated than I already am, right? Well I think there are a few areas I could improve on.

The first is wardrobe. I hate to say it but I think it is time for my Soffe shorts and wife beaters to bite the dust. Although they provided me with a wonderful look freshmen year of college... I think it is finally time to retire my old favorite ensemble.

The second is budgeting. Within the last few months I have decided that I need to develop some sort of a budget to keep me on the good savings end for the future. Also I want to be well and establish when I move on to my next chapter in life.

Which brings me to number three. My boyfriend Blake moved to Indianapolis a few weeks ago for a new and exciting job. I am very proud and happy for him but this leads to even further distance for our relationship and now the decision on my part for possibly moving out there.

Number four on the countdown to womanhood is health and fitness. I do not believe in diets but portion control and exercise... and I don't like either. Being an ex-gymnast and fairly hyperactive I have not had any problems with weight (obviously my nutrition sucks with the 'no vegetable' ordeal) but now I need to make sure I keep a healthy metabolism. Back to the gym I go.

Five would consist of not being so lazy all the time. I need to cook dinners and make cards and organize underneath my bed and clean the house... wait scratch that last one... and complete projects. There are so many things I skip over because it is easier to flop down on the couch and watch Big Bang Theory reruns. (Which, by the way, is the most hilarious of shows)

So I guess these are my New Year's Resolutions. Type to grow up and grow out... of town! I think I can do it.

Boom. Posted.

12.26.2011

Tis the Season.

My parents recently visited for the Thanksgiving holiday and after the festivities died down it was time to bust out the Christmas decor. Needless to say we waste little time and since its usually just the roommate and me, I did not put up a fight in their wanting to help.

Christmas is always a special time of year but not for things like traditions, the house I grew up in, or waking up to a snowy yard. Actually I don't have any of those things. But the random traditions my family thinks we are starting. Like the Christmas we spent all day watching "A Christmas Story" and decided it would be way better to go to a Chinese restaurant in Sketchville, Utah then to slave around making some sort of real meal. Turned out to be a little to sketchy so we went to the next best thing... the 24 hour Mexican joint, Betos. Delicioso et Feliz Navidad.

Or the Christmas my family moved from South Carolina to Arizona and we were not only unwrapping gifts... but our whole house. And my dad went crazy and bought himself a dozen Apple Products... and a Bowflex bench. Then the light in the pool went out and Dad and Nelly joined the Polar Bear Club to fix it. Also Coco wore this:

But going even further back, there was the year Santa brought Nelly and me two adorable hamsters. But somehow Santa didn't realize Mistletoe and Spot were of different genders and later that spring Santa surprised us with another gift... 10 hamster babies. It was awesome.

Oh and one time we were driving from South Carolina to Texas and were only two hours out when our old Winstar Van broke down and we waited for hours to ride back with "Bucky" the Tow Truck Driver. Then we had to shove everything in our old Ford Contour and then make the trek back out there. Not as much leg room.

The best Christmas as a kid was in Virginia when two sets of grandparents bought us the new Nintendo64 and we got a big trampoline for the backyard. Not to mention the acquiring of the Princes Diana Beanie Baby Bear, which was the best on the market at the time. We had it all back then.

The plan this year is for my dad's parents to fly in so it will be the three grandparents and their first and favorite grandchild. So I was hoping this was going to be a great Christmas.

Well my grandparents, Oma & PopPop, showed up Tuesday afternoon so I met them and the roommate for lunch and then they toured around my office for a bit before I had to get back to work. But before their arrival my uncle had wished me a "Very 'Gerry' Christmas". "Gerry?" I replied. And he explained "Geriatric." Oh the foreshadowing was uncanny.

We had a great time during their visit but it was a littler rough Skypeing my family in Alaska and cousin in New Jersey and who is talking of who and 'what did he say' and 'I can't see anything' and... it was rough. Then we ended up having Christmas on the 24th because my grandparents fly standby since my grandfather used to work for the airlines and he was worried there were not going to make it home for their many doctor's appointements. So he scheduled them to leave at 7:30am on Christmas morning. Yay.

After they left and we got home and I went back to bed at 6am, it was like total turn around. I turned into pathetic Lauren without her family and was bawling my eyes out uncontrollably watching my parents and brother open their presents in Alaska. Pitiful.

I did nothing all day but watch T.V. I skyped a little with Blake and we exchanged our presents. Then I mustered up enough gusto to go to the gym to try out my new Nike+ thingy and then I stayed up until midnight watching The Hangover II. Merry Christmas to Me.

Okay, enough with the pity party. Today was much better. The roommate and I ran a few errands before going to see Breaking Dawn this evening. Two of the errands included going to two different Einstein's Bagels to get 39 free bagels. That's right, FO FREE! One of my friends has them cater for her work all the time and she gave them to me. Clearly she knows me and my love for Einstein's so well.

The movie was the best they've made. I like this book the best so I am now anxious for part II. It took me this long to see the one today because I really do not like to two major actors. Oh well.



I hope you and yours and a very Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukah or a happy time realizing you didn't have a Gerry Christmas :) Just kidding roomie!

Boom. Posted.

12.12.2011

The Ups & the Downs.

Last month the long, everlasting reign of my LG Lotus phone, otherwise known as 'the scrone', ended. It was a great Homecoming evening when, and without warning, the scrone fell through a 3 story staircase and did not survive to tell the tale.

I am still in the process of getting my old contacts back (those were lost in the great fall of 2011 as well). But its not so bad because my new iPHONE 4S has pulled my contacts from my Mac through the iCloud. Holy Moly it is so nice. Although, having the iPhone is almost equivalent to babysitting, I am in constant fear of dropping, losing, scratching or breaking it. But the paranoia is completely worth it. New phone pretty much equals new life. 



This new life has brought about many things. I am constantly connected with everything and everyone. It gets obnoxious at times but I understand the joy in posting to Facebook that I am thoroughly enjoying a single serve apple pie and ice cream. I feel as though people need to know that, they want to know that. It is important to know that Lauren is alone and is providing herself with an individual apple pie. 

Another great feature is Siri. Siri is a little device that is essentially the idea of calling up AskJeeves for whatever you want. Sometimes I be like "Yo Siri, what's the forecast, dawg" and she be all "I'm really sorry about this Lauren, but I cannot help you right now" and I be like "Siri, you trippin'"

No seriously, she can be helpful when she is connected to the network. Don't believe any of those stories you hear about her telling jokes and stuff... at least she won't for me. She could care less what I have to say to her.

She doesn't love me.







I have also been enjoying the many variety of apps on my new phone. Words with Friends is my most consistent one. I finally figured out that I need to try and use the double word and other point boosting columns, sheesh. Although this game is pretty ridiculous because I make up a word and it earns me 30 points but this won't fly:



Pull-ease.

Another thing that has happening recently, and very much unfortunately: 

I backed into something and dented my poor little Tribby. Nothing makes you more sick to your stomach then damaging your car. Ugh. Luckily my parents came in for the Thanksgiving holiday and my dad and I had some bonding time over replacing the taillight and removing the bumper. All is well now. 




There you go, update has been completely loaded.

Boom. Posted.