The Day a Lump Entered My Marriage – Part I

For National Breast Cancer Awareness month, I thought I’d share an experience that affected Wayne and I deeply. The Find In 2001, I kept experiencing a series of sharp pains in my right breast. I first noticed it as I was raking leaves and then chasing Murph through them. Whenever I bounced, I’d feel a piercing stab through my nipple. In general that breast had seemed more tender than usual at the time, but any kind of jolting movement suddenly brought on that lancing hot sensation. I went inside and felt around the area and couldn’t believe what I was … Continue reading →

Domestic Violence: 7 Facts to Be Aware Of

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I did a little research and with some help from outside sources like The National Domestic Violence Hotline, DomesticViolence.org, the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and Medline Plus in addition to articles referenced herein by other Families.com bloggers, I came up with a list of seven facts about domestic violence. 1. Domestic violence goes by other names. Such as partner abuse and spousal abuse. 2. You don’t have to be married to experience domestic violence. You don’t even necessarily need to be living with your partner to be involved in a domestic violence … Continue reading →

My Spouse Won’t Go To The Doctor

You know, we have a saying in my house, if you’re feeling pretty bad (i.e. ill) for more than three days and you won’t go to the doctor – don’t complain about it. We began this saying back when we had really good insurance and a doctor visit only cost us about $10. Then we went through a period where we had no insurance at all – (you may remember my husband’s emergency surgery last December – our $22,000 bill is a direct result of having no insurance then). Still – we’re lucky to have health insurance now – although … Continue reading →

Is Your Spouse Stubborn when it comes to Health?

Does your spouse have any medical conditions that he or she tends to ignore or tries to downplay? If your husband or wife comes down with a bug, does he or she resist going to the doctor until there is no choice? Many people do not like to go to the doctor. Some even feel it is a sign of weakness, and they insist on toughing it out. Some just don’t like the vulnerability of being sick and attempt to go on as if nothing is wrong. It may also be a way to mask fear if an illness is … Continue reading →

When You or Your Spouse Needs Surgery

Have you or your spouse ever needed to undergo surgery? As my regular readers may know, both my husband and I have both needed surgery in the last three months. Three months, it’s kind of scary when you think that’s all it’s been since I took Scott to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. It was the first weekend of December and the following day was Cassidy’s birthday party. It was a scary night, all told, while the doctors worked diligently to diagnose why he was in so much pain and running such a high fever. It happened so quickly, … Continue reading →

The Biggest Challenges to Marriage

You may think I’ll bring up the marriage debates, but in my opinion it’s not related to the greatest challenges facing a successful marriage and successful interactions between the couples that are married. The challenges I want to talk about here are the challenges that can leave your relationship precarious and potentially lead to the dissolution of your marriage if you and your spouse aren’t equipped to handle the challenges. I like to call these challenges the final five, because when you and your spouse are capable of overcoming these challenges, then you are usually in a stronger place in … Continue reading →

Three Dreaded Letters: PMS

It’s not a subject most people like to discuss, but PMS or Pre Menstrual Syndrome can wreak havoc on relationships, especially when it is not recognized. Despite what many people seem to think, hormonal fluctuations throughout a woman’s cycle can be as hard on her as they seem to be on the people in her life. Yes, PMS is Real Too often people see PMS as being “all in her head,” but it’s not. Hormonal changes can cause everything from cravings and fatigue to mild discomfort or a good deal of pain. There is often bloating and irritability, and a … Continue reading →

It’s Hard Not To Hover

When your spouse has been gravely ill or injured, it can be hard not to hover over them as they are recovering. After all, it’s an eye opening experience to realize that you could lose them and it could be that unexpected and surprising. Appendicitis is easily corrected through an appendectomy, but in the hours and sometimes days it can take to recognize what it is can make those hours and days some of the longest you have ever spent. It’s hard to take a step back when they come home. It’s been hard for me. For my daughter it’s … Continue reading →

Who am I and What am I Doing Here?

I’m tired and I woke up this morning and I wasn’t quite sure what the day was or even what time it was. As I looked at the clock, my eyes blurred over and it took fifteen minutes of having hot water pound me in the face to wake me up. The doctors let my husband come home yesterday, but he’s got to take it very easy over the next few days to let the stitches and staples heal. I’m Exhausted I’m physically exhausted, I’m mentally exhausted and I’m emotionally exhausted. Over the last three days, I seem to have … Continue reading →

Sickness & Health: Where do I start ….

Where do I start this morning? It’s been a crazy weekend and it’s hard to keep things straight in my head – in part because I didn’t sleep for almost 48 hours and because Saturday night, late, I drove my husband to the hospital because he was trembling violently and spiking a fever over 103.7. Here is a little history. Over the last two weeks, we’ve had a couple of different kind of illnesses running through the family. During the week of Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law, her children, my mother-in-law and more all suffered from a very bad stomach virus. In … Continue reading →