Shiver me timbers...

Kept meaning to blog about the events of last week, but time and motivation got the best of me. Previously, because of a lot more coughing and shortness of breath, I went to clinic. My petri dish grew out MRSA and Pseudo.  Color me unhappy since I just finished a hospitalization and clean-out in June.  So after battling a few days with my insurance company, they finally allowed me to get a  two week supply of Zyvox (oral med used to treat MRSA--super expensive) instead of a full month.  I was anxious to start feeling better because my family was coming to visit and I wanted to be up for the fun.  I got three days of Zyvox under my belt before they arrived on Monday.

I had been feeling kind of nauseous off and on for a few days before but by Monday it was mostly on.  We all trekked over to the Chinese Super Buffet (score originality points for that name) for dinner to celebrate my son's 25th birthday. (Happy Birthday Josh)   Surely with lots of buffet choices, I thought I could find something that sounded good to eat.  No luck.  Tuesday morning I had to admit that all symptoms pointed to a partial bowel block.  I guess with the heat, more mucus going through the system, and the final straw of the antibiotic, my system shut down.  It was time for drastic measures--I put in a call to Gentle Waters.

So while my family was seeing the Clydesdales and eating pretzels and drinking rootbeer on the Anheuser-Busch Tour, yours truly was lying on a cold table experiencing a high colonic!  What fun.  It was a moving experience to say the least but it did the job.  The whole process wiped me out that day and the next so that was kind of a bummer.  (Are you catching all these puns...I'm cracking myself up while typing...see, another one!)

Getting ready to go on a pirate adventure.

On Thursday I felt up to going to the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver to see the Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah, From Slave Ship to Pirate Ship exhibition.  Funded by National Geographic, it is a travelling exhibit which teaches about the true life of pirates through more than 200 artifacts from the wreck of the Whydah--the first fully authenticated pirate ship ever to be discovered in U.S. waters.  It was amazing what had survived after being under water for more than 300 years.  The sediment created a type of cement which basically encased and preserved a wide variety of ammunition, guns, dishes, shackles, trinkets, medical equipment, and lots of other things you would expect to see on a large ship. They even recovered an entire treasure chest of silver "pieces of eight."  I was a bit sad to learn that a lot of pirate lore is simply not true.  Pirates didn't make people walk the plank.  If they didn't want you around, they just threw you overboard.  Pirates also didn't bury their treasure so there is no such thing as a pirate's map showing where the loot was stashed.  It was an interesting experience.

Dad with his new bff.

Two scurvy mates:  One-eyed Rheid and Noah the Hook.

All too soon it was time for my parents, twin sister, and my nephew to say good-bye and head back home to Idaho and Utah.  I wished we lived closer but I treasure the time I do get to spend with them.

Doesn't it look yummy??!!

The colonic lady gave me some healthy suggestions and I am implementing a couple to see if there is any improvement in my over all wellness.  I purchased an exercise ball to sit on while I am at the computer.  If you bounce while sitting on it, the ball works like a mini-trampoline. Supposedly there are a lot of health benefits from "rebounding" and the ball is much cheaper than a mini-tramp.  I am even bouncing while I blog--healthy multi-tasking.  I've also started a green drink supplement that is the anti-oxidant equivalent of 15+ servings of fruits and vegetables.   Now I'm not saying that it is "oh, yummy!  Can I have some more?" tasting but it is much better than the "licking a lawn mower blade " taste of wheat grass.  Ahoy Matey, here's to better health!