Beam Me Home, Scotty!

To pull at an old thread, yesterday, when Kass was feeling better, she was finally ready to hear me read aloud the blogs I've been writing. We were laughing and discussing the things that had happened these past 5 days. Surprised to hear some of the stories that she didn't remember, several times she'd say, "Mom! You DIDN'T write that!". When it came to the part about the four dimples, already giggling, she said, "Mom, look!", and flashed me all four! Goof! Kevin and Kimber had already left for the Mystery Party, so it was fun for Kass and I to visit and laugh. Later, her friend Michaela came for a visit. There are very few times I can recall that I could describe Kass as "giddy with happiness", but last night was one of them. True friendship was the best medicine she'd had all week!

Some people describe life as a windy road with twists and turns. Tho' I understand the analogy, that's not how I feel AT ALL! If you stay on the same road, then it's all the same journey. I feel like I had an out-of-this-universe experience. As I'm sitting here trying to gather my thoughts, I'm going to stick with an analogy of life as "Beam Me Up, Scotty" in Star Trek. One moment you're on the holodeck of the Starship Enterprise, and a few twinkling bling moments later, you've been transported to a different reality. Five days ago, I was lounging in this same position of my holodeck, checking emails and Facebook. So much has happened, yet here I am again - doing the same old thing as if nothing has changed. What in the world happened during all that twinkling bling?

Kass woke up this morning with a 6 pain level, which slowly worked it's way down to a 4/3+. The doctor released us this morning, which translates: the paperwork wasn't done until 1pm. While they were working on the discharge, Kimber and I ran across the street to the McHouse to clean. Although they only charge $10 a day, they ask that you clean the bathroom, dust, vacuum, take out the trash, and wash the linens when you leave. As much as I thought it would be nice for our family to someday help out others by making a dinner for people who have hospitalized children, I've now reconsidered; if you want to serve a family at the Ronald McDonald House, offer to clean their room. When you finally get to go home, you just want to leave!

When we left the hospital, Kass wanted to see this "McHouse" we've been talking about all week. We all drove back together, and Kim was able to show her all the knick-knack displays, curios, and the library. Then they both checked out the candy / snack corner and selected some goodies.

Temple was 46 degrees when we left; by the time we reached Williamson County, it was 34 and snowing! No accumulation, but it was still fun! There might be a tiny bit more tonight, so we are hoping and praying!

How quickly life returned to normal. As soon as we got home, I ran to the pharmacy, blockbuster, and the market while Kevin worked on unpacking bags. By the time I got dinner on the table, Kimber was relaxing in front of the TV, Kass was checking Facebook at the breakfast table, and Kevin was reclining his cracked ribs by the fireplace and checking his eyelids for leaks. Life picked up where we left off; Kimber is pacing around looking for something/anything to do, Kass is loitering in the kitchen looking for something/anything to eat (even though I just got back from the market, there's still nothing "good"), and Kevin is checking and answering email. The dishwasher hums in the background, and the pets are competing for attention. Though no one is talking, I hear the mundane normalcy of my family.

Me? I don't really know what just happened. I remember the beginning, the middle, and the end. But I just can't seem to put them all together to make sense. Like the transporter, you can see that the people on the holodeck start in one place and end up in another, but what happened during the twinkle bling part?...

So, what was wrong with Kass? What happened? We don't really now for sure right now. They're generalizing it as "Chronic Pain". She may have injured her nerves during The Hug Incident. It may be a side affect of brain surgery - that she will suffer from chronic headaches. It may be a weird thing that we'll never know.

For now, she definitely still has a headache. It never went a way completely. We will be following up with different specialists to try to make life more manageable for her on a day to day basis. Hopefully, we will find some answers. The medication that she currently takes will make her tired. We anticipate that she will be able to continue to handle a reasonable amount of school work, but we may have to lessen her load.

Knowing how spent us old folks are, and tired of being tied down to a bed and an IV, Kass is up and down off the couch every 10 minutes - as if nothing had ever happened. On her way to bed, she just bent over and gave me a kiss good-night. It's freaky how quickly things change! 24 hours ago, the roles were reversed, I was kissing her, and I controlled the remote.

I'm not sure if this is the end of the episode or the series, but either way, we thank you for all your prayers and concern. Live long and prosper!