# EXCUSES FOR NOT KEEPING GRANDCHILDREN



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Seems as if I have lucked into two of the best excuses for not keeping the grandchildren for the weekend. These are the ones that lived in the guesthouse behind be for 4 years until just before Christmas last year (4 boys). Two weeks ago they were out of school for springbreak and the two youngest wanted to come here for me to cook, and entertain and clean up after and thankfully our electricity was off that week and I couldn't. Yesterday their father called and wanted to put off the same two boys with us for the weekend and low and behold we were at Vanderbilt Hospital having CAT scans run on my heart because my home health nurse called the cardiologist at Vanderbilt and told on me Thursday. Course then I was ordered to Vanderbilt for tests. The good news is that my new valve is working perfectly. BUT--something else is not. The Dr. just called this morning and said that my bloodclot had dissolved (good news) BUT I had significant narrowing in the same vein going into the heart and not getting enough blood to the heart and something had to be done. (BAD news) And oh yes my sternum did not heal back together and that is the reason I still have all this pain. So DR said he will consult with others at Vanderbilt and see what is the best way to proceed and call me next week.

Well I call my son to tell him that we were on our way home late yesterday and that we would know something today. That is when he said "YOU HAVE THE BEST EXCUSES FOR NOT KEEPING THE GRANDCHILDREN'". Course then he and I both did this nervous giggling
especially when I said that I wonder if this will get me out of going to graduation next weekend.


----------



## dodrop82 (May 21, 2010)

Oh for cryin' out loud, Lucile! Yes, they are really good excuses, but that's about enough of this! I sure hope they have some easy solutions this time! Especially for your sake! I know you've about had it with this crap, and I don't blame you a bit! And what about you're sternum didn't heal...bone didn't fuse back together? WTH!? Ok, Keep us posted! You're back in my prayers!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

so sorry you have this going on hon. You have such a good attitude tho...how do you do it!


----------



## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

I'll be praying they can come up with an easy solution to the health woes. I can understand the kids wanting to come to Grandma's but their father obviously knows all you've been through and should be more considerate, perhaps just bring them by for an hour's visit. As far as graduation goes, I'd have to be on death's doorstep to miss that. Of course, I say that now and my oldest grandchild will be 9 next month.


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

I don't really have a good attitude--just making funnies to keep from crying I guess. 
Stacey all I know is that I have had major pain in my chest all along and been told that it was normal. Well seems that the sternum broke loose sometime and is not going to heal back--the bone is seperate and moving. I don't know but hope that it is just the upper portion (between the top of bra and collar bone). That is where it hurts anyway.Surely it is not all the way down. Anyway, I have a choice about that. I can live with this pain and will unless I have to have surgery for this fix. I don't know will just have to wait until Vanderbilt gets back with me next week with their recommendation. In the mean time, Rosie and I are going to do nothing.


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Ah Becky, you can go to Powell in my place. After you sit through that, you might change your mind about graduations. LOL Any recommendations about pet friendly hotels in Knoxville?


----------



## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Well, you're back on my prayer list! I hope they find a simpler solution than surgery.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Oh Lucile! You are going to have to find easier ways to avoid entertaining the Grands... What about, "Sorry, were painting the house that weekend. Unless they want to help..."?

Seriously, I'm so sorry to hear you are having more trouble. {hugs}


----------



## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Lucile, You continue to be in my prayers. It often takes a long time to recover from this kind of surgery. Yay, for the new valve and I hoped the clot would desolve and great it did. So try to look at this latest news as not a set back but as a few adjustments so everything will be in tip top shape for the next 20 yrs. There are many things they can do these days for veins they may be able to do a stent, your Dr. will know the right course for you. As for the Sternum my late DH and my son both had problems after surgery with healing. My son had a operation for Myasthenia Gravis the Thymus gland is removed it is nestled next to the heart, my son was 12 and growing plus they were giving him mass amounts of steroids (normally it should not affect the growth, but it can and did) simply put his chest grew very fast before healing was complete and ripped out the staples, they removed them and put in some wire like stuff and because he was young it worked, it make the scar about 1 1/2 inches across due to his growth. My late DH had so much infection after several heart surgerys plus diabetes his sternum became infected and had to be removed, they did a pectoral muscle flap to fill in the space. I still remember when he came home because there was no fat around it yet, so when he layed on the bed I could hear the heart chambers open and close all night!!!! It echoed!! I could not sleep listening to the opening and closing finally after about 5 days I was able to tune it out. These happened in 86 for DH and 91 for my son and medicine has come so far. So please try to not feel overwhelmed. Things are getting better.

Try and keep up beat, after all the pool heater is being replaced so you need to get many years out of it. After all you and DH may want to take a romantic swim in moon light like 16 yr olds in the near future. Hugs


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Thanks I needed that!


----------



## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

Lucille, I am so glad to hear that the bloodclot it dissolved - but the bad news makes me sad!  I sure hope that they come back to you with some easier solutions than having to have surgery again! 
I will be keeping you in my prayers!!!!


----------



## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Lucille,
I'm sorry to hear about the bad news  I think the grandkids will understand..rest and recovery is a must at this juncture :kiss:

hugs!
Kara


----------



## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

I won't be going to Powell's graduation as I am going to Catholic's and the baccaulaurate. I am retiring from there this year and wouldn't miss it. I cry at graduations, perhaps I wouldn't if I hadn't watched the young graduates grow up. I also didn't enter a dog show until Sunday that weekend. Becky


----------



## Julie (Feb 8, 2007)

I have always told my kids as they were growing up----when you have kids,remember--you are NOT dumping them off at my house! You had 'em,you can watch 'em --I've did "my time".

Basically--I feel that way now,but because we did not have any help in watching or caring for my children at all. No family any where around and so I did it myself and had a babysitter when I worked. I never trusted most sitters--so we never used them except for the times I was at work. I have no sympathy for those people who have family around to help raise their children or even watch a child for 20 minutes so you can run to a store or something.Over the years I heard many complain about their families not helping enough and I always told them.....hey-at least you have someone to help you in a pinch. My suggestion is to have them hire a sitter like everyone else has to.

I'm not a Grama yet-so I may "soften" some--but for now--that's how I feel and I don't want to be Grama yet either! :drama:

I hope you hear some good news about your sternum so that you can dance in the streets come July 4th!:dance::thumb::dance::thumb:


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

I feel the same way about the dumping off--trouble is these are big enough that they call me and beg to come stay will me. I really don't mind the children, it is that I am not able to tend to the little ones--really I just don't feel like listening to their "noise". Their Granddaddy does the tending here lately.

Becky I guess that since you have worked at a school you are used to graduations. I had to do 4 highschool and 4 college just with my own children. Then we started down the grandchildren highschool. This GS is the fourth one down. They do get boring. I will have to say that I am proud of him though, he got a scholarship to Maryville College. I guess you know about that college. I had never heard of it; but seems that it has high acadamic standards.


----------



## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Wow, Lucile - can't you just suck it up and take care of the grands and go to the graduations without coming up with these reasons for not?? I am so sorry to hear of these complications and hope everything is soon set right. Glad the blood clot is gone. You are in my thoughts. 

Speaking of graduations, we just attended one this past weekend at the University of Montana (for my niece who was getting her Doctorate in Physical Therapy) where Tom Brokaw was the speaker. Absolutely wonderful speech, one of the best I think I have ever listened to. He has a ranch in Mt.


----------



## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

You know Linda, I guess I am going to the graduation boring as it will be. Now if a Tom Brokaw type were to be the speaker, I would look forward to going; but it will be my luck to have some second-rate politican droning on and on. (no I am no laughing on line).


----------



## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Yes, I know what you mean. Usually dry and boring as all get out. But we live so far from family that we rarely get to go to these things. We wanted to make the effort here as we felt our niece had worked really hard and it is not often that several family members gather in one place. We just lucked out with the Tom Brokaw speech. But I am hoping you can come up with something not so serious the next time you have an inclination to skip!  OK???


----------

