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Well I am finally well enough to be back and hopefully corresponding on the board. Let me start by saying vacation was not what I wanted it to be but you live and learn. 10 people plus Frank and I and 4 being children was not our cup of tea. Also, the fact that I did not hire a maid was a real minus - I got to be it. It will not be repeated again in the future and after a year of planning and great expectations, it was a huge disappointment. Great to see the grandchildren but not really enough time with them. They are used to their British family and not us but it was a learning experience.
Now to the reall kicker from vacation. The last week of vacation I really was quite sick but thought it just a bad cold. Returned to work last Tuesday and could not go a day. Visited doctor and had full-blown penumonia. I am at about 80% right now but getting better each day. I honestly have to say that I have not been as sick as this in years.
Aside from this lovely travelogue I am glad to be back and we are still dealing with some issues with Frank's son in England but hopefully they will sort out on their own and with the proper treatment. It has been a roller coaster for the last 7 weeks and in the meantime I have dropped 17 pounds due to stress coming from all sides.
Next year is Frank and I alone on vacation. Now that is worth looking forward to.
Glad to be home with my potty family - you are the best.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
Sorry to hear that your vacation didn't go very well, especially the part about having pneumonia, and losing 17 pounds.
I hope that you can get back to 100%, soon.
Love,
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
What a disappointment. I guess it's a case of live and learn, and it sounds as if you will refuse to repeat this experience. Good for you! And I agree - it's time to put YOU first. You have "been there, done that" taking care of everyone else. I hope the next vacation (for 2 only) is fun, relaxing, and full of new bird sightings.
And what a bummer with the pneumonia. My first thought is......how is the MC? Did you get mucho D from the antibiotics? Glad you are 80% better, but please rest and take good care of yourself until you are 100%. Seventeen pounds! You are a teeny lady to begin with - you must be almost invisible. Do get better ASAP. Here is a big hug for you ((((((((((Maggie)))))))))).
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Oh Maggie,
How I wish it had gone better for you!!! A vacation for just the two of you is probably what you need right now . Sometimes family can really drain you.
Please take real good care of yourself and let us know how you are........
Love, Shirley
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber"
-- Winston Churchill
I'm so sorry to read that your vacation was draining and now you've got pneumonia. I hope you can take it easy and fully recuperate, including getting back your lost 17 lbs. What a month you've had!
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
What a bummer................ glad you're on the mend.
You were missed while away.
Hopefully next year will be nothing but RELAXATION and doing things YOU want to do!
Love and gentle hugs,
Mars
"Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful." -- Buddha
Polly - I handled the MC pretty well through this and now feel that I am at about 85% and getting better each day. I swore I would do whatever it took not to be hospitalized. Well it took a 6-5-4-3-2-1- regime of Prednisone and a double whammy of a Z-pack antibiotics and I think the combination of the 2 together - especially the pred - kept the MC at bay. Today is first day without the prednisone. Hopefully never to have to take it again.
Cannot wait for just a vacation by ourselves. Thanksgiving at the Outer Banks is for 8 days with our very best friends who are always welcome to come on any holiday.
Thanks again everyone.
Love, Maggie
Maggie Scarpone
___________________
Resident Birder - I live to bird and enjoy life!
When I read your vacation "story" I felt so bad for you (good for you that you managed to stay out of the hospital!!). However, it also brought a smile of recognition to my face, as I had a similar experience a year ago. I grew up in Norway in a large family and am the only one who settled abroad (35 years in NYC, and now 4 in Colorado). Therefore, I have made frequent trips "back home" over the years. As much as I love my family, the trips have been so stressful - everyone always tries to pull me to their side of the latest family feud :).
Since my parents passing in 1988 and 1990, I have not visited as frequently as I used to, and have told everyone to come and visit me here in the states if they want to see me. Anyhow, last year I got an email from my niece pleading with me to come and "cheer them up", because my sister (her mom) was feeling depressed and was not very well. I reluctantly made the trip, and got very sick with the flu while there. My travel back home was pure torture due to my stuffy head. When I finally landed at DIA in sunny Colorado, I was ready to kiss the ground:).
Anyhow, I'm happy for you that you're back home and recovering!!!
Warm regards,
Kari
"My mouth waters whenever I pass a bakery shop and sniff the aroma of fresh bread, but I am also grateful simply to be alive and sniffing." Dr. Bernstein
I am glad to be back and we are still dealing with some issues with Frank's son in England but hopefully they will sort out on their own and with the proper treatment. It has been a roller coaster for the last 7 weeks and in the meantime I have dropped 17 pounds due to stress coming from all sides.
