Kenmore Strikes Again

Kim — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:36:13 +0000

Kenmore should have to eat this piece of crap dryer of mine! I got up this morning to a big fat “F70″ error code on the front panel and a load of sopping wet clothes. I restarted the dryer only to get “F70″ again about 2 minutes later. I can’t find what this particular code means, but I do know it’s a service code. It just had the new heating element put in on April 22nd. NOT EVEN TWO MONTHS AGO!!

If you’re brave enough to purchase this washer/dryer set, make sure you get the biggest warranty available because you’re going to need it!

The Kenmore Elite Dryer I Speak Of

I think I’ll call Kenmore and see what they have to say about it.

Hives Are Sinister

Kim — Mon, 04 May 2009 03:24:58 +0000

I have been suffering pretty much non stop for a week and a half. Luckily I’m able to sleep through about half the night without much trouble. This afternoon I was about to lose my mind - itching all over and unable to get comfortable no matter what. I called the pharmacy to ask about the atarax and the palps and the pharmacist couldn’t tell me I’d be safe taking it. I broke down and called my doc at home. This isn’t something I ever do. I figure I have my days to myself and the last thing I want is some dingaling pestering me. I was desperate. I contemplated going to the hospital and begging someone to put me on telemetry and pump me full of antihistamines. What do you do if you have rhythm disturbances and chronic hives? It’s just evil.

Anyway, doc told me to go ahead with the atarax. He doesn’t seem to think that’s the source of the PVC’s. I was happy that he wasn’t too upset with my calling his home. Matter of fact, he sounded quite relaxed and unaffected by my call so that was a plus. I’ve never called my doctor at home. Ever. I hung up with him around 4:59 and by 5:00 I had taken an atarax. My skin feels like silk now and I’m elated. Relief finally after 12 days. I can’t believe I forgot to ask him if it was OK while I was at my last visit. Lesson learned - the hard way.

What’s With The Palps, Man?!

Kim — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:48:46 +0000

Last week I woke up in the night with my heart pounding out of my chest. I laid there thinking “eventually this is going to stop”.. and it did. It took quite a while, longer than I felt was normal but I went on back to sleep and didn’t think any more of it. The next day I’m walking around the house, cleaning up and I feel my heart skip. I pause for a second and then go about my business. A few minutes later, another skip. Hummm. So I go about my day and occasionally I get these skips - I try to ignore them for the most part but there were times when I’d have 2 or 3 in a row. Ok, THAT scared me. Everyone has PVC’s (skipped beats) and most people don’t feel them. Some people do and compare them to “butterflies” or something similar. I was born with sinus arrhythmia. This is a benign condition and doesn’t hurt anything. Basically my lung capacity is quite large and when I breathe in, my heart feels that the expansion in my chest is an obstacle and in turn it speeds up to push the blood through, when I exhale, the expansion is deflated and my heart says “oh cool, take a break” so it stops for a second or two and then beats normally again - until I inhale and then the cycle starts all over. I never feel this stuff, unless I have my fingers on my wrist or neck. These PVC’s I can feel. When my heart is bounding at 120 - 130 beats a minute, I can feel that too. I don’t like it. I thought at first it was the atarax because it can play around with the cardiovascular system, so, I stopped taking it. The itch is horrid but sudden death is worse, you know? I saw my doc about it yesterday and he sent me to radiology for a holter monitor. I was assured the tape they used to hold the electrodes on my body was “hypo allergenic” but apparently my skin doesn’t care. I itched ALL NIGHT LONG. My chest was driving me crazy and I had hives under the tape and it was just maddening. I had to wear the monitor for a full 24 hours and I swear I did it for my kids. There’s no way I could have left that tape on for 24 hours if it wasn’t for them.

Anyway, I’ll find out the results of the holter on Wednesday.

Dermographism

Kim — Sat, 02 May 2009 00:27:22 +0000

I saw the dermatologist on Wednesday for the itchies I’ve had. I swear I thought he could give me a cure or an answer to why or how. Dermographism. In literal terms it means “skin writing”. There’s no known reason and the causes are questionable. I think it can be different for everyone that has it and I believe that number is 2% to 6% of the population. Not the answer I was looking for. It can go away with time or I could have it forever. There’s different meds to treat it with like Claritin or Benadryl and an assortment of prescriptions. I can also use steroidal creams like Cortizone.

I’d rather not have to do any of that.. I just hate meds. All kinds. How did this dermographism catch me?

This was done with an empty ballpoint pen. I just wrote the word “how” as if I were writing on paper. Not abrasively or hard enough to scratch myself. Within 2 minutes the hives were itching so bad I could have screamed. The writing disappears within a couple of hours. So, now I have to try extremely hard not to scratch any part of my body with anything like my fingernails or back scratchers or any other common items used for that purpose. Everywhere I scratch becomes covered in hives. Horrible this stuff is. Just torture.

Togetherness

Kim — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:25:12 +0000

I caught my kids in a rare moment yesterday. I had to stop in the middle of cooking to snap the picture, but believe me, this is rare. All three of them, together, NOT ARGUING but playing together peacefully. Josh had made a video with his phone of the three of them playing around in the hallway and they were glued to the phone watching and giggling at each other on the video. Definitely a keeper for the scrapbook!

Sing Along - NOW!

Kim — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:20:26 +0000

For quite some time, Beth is always enthralled with anyone or any character on TV that’s singing. Her favorite movies of course are no exception - only with those, I have to sing along too. She will come and get me, where ever I am, no matter what I’m doing - I have to stop and go with her. She drags me to the TV, pushes me over to my chair and I have to sit and sing with her. It’s so cute.

Here she is singing along to “Food, Glorious Food” (or whatever the name of the tune) from Ice Age: The Meltdown. Now if only she’d eat all that food, glorious food instead of crackers, glorious crackers.

Ever Have One of Those Days

Kim — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:33:59 +0000

.. where everything goes RIGHT? Yeah, me either! Til today. Today I was able to save us over $800 a year on our auto insurance (HOLY CRAP and thank you Nationwide!) ..I was able to get our pool filter repaired for FREE and my dryer’s heating element came in AND it was replaced. All today! Fab day. I give it a 15 out of 10. Cautiously of course.

John Madden Retires From Broadcasting?!

Kim — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:14:33 +0000

What? How? Why? Is he ill? No, just wants to spend more time with his family. At 73 years old, I guess he’s entitled to do that. When you have five grandchildren that always want to know where grampa is, I guess it’s time to hang up the mic. But wow, what a legacy. Matt and I are wondering now what Sunday night football is going to be like without that big voice analyzing play after play. Chris Collinsworth is OK but you can’t replace Paul Harvey either - I mean can you imagine listening to Rush Limbaugh telling The Rest of the Story? No. It’s just not the same and you can never fill those shoes - or that voice. Football, to us at least, won’t be quite the same without that big voice.

Be well John and thanks for all the years!

The Morphing Monkey Blanket

Kim — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:24:06 +0000

Still Itching

Kim — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 04:44:35 +0000

I went to see the doc yet again for this random itchy drive you out of your skull rash. He admits to believing it was contact dermatitis in the beginning and now throws his hands up. It’s not mites (thank GOD) or the contact dermatitis. He’s baffled since I can take an atarax and be fine for a few days and then it come back full blown yet again. The duration of which the atarax is working is becoming shorter. The first time I took it, I was relieved for a week or more, then with the second dose, I had relief for several days and my last relief lasted 4 days. I took an atarax yesterday so we’ll see how long this one lasts. I’ve been referred to a dermatologist whom I see on the 29th. Here’s hoping for some answers - and a cure!