Bejeweled

It is difficult to think of appropriate gifts for Maggie. She gets a lot of clothes which is great but many styles won't work for Maggie or won't work with her wheelchair. Button down shirts are lovely, but Maggie simply unbottons them so they won't really work for her. She's also very small and it's often hard to find clothes that are not designed for little girls. She did get some more sophisticated clothing for her birthday as well as itunes cards for her favorite music.

This year I tried something new. I saw these bracelets and knew I wanted Maggie to have one. I had to ask the sales lady how to secure it. (Just pull the string) Maggie can wear it without breaking it. She can't get it off and that is just fine with her. She is thrilled to have some jewelry and shows it off proudly.

I think the message is perfect for her. It simply says "TOUGH" and we all know Maggie is as tough as they come.  In fact, I can think of a few other peers of Maggie  who should wear one too. I'm especially thinking of Sophie who has a birthday today. Happy Birthday Sophie!

You won't meet a tougher bunch of kids anywhere.

Hopefully I can get a discount if I buy in bulk.

Pshaw, it's nothing.

I have always known Maggie was a tough chick, but I have a new appreciation today. Maggie has had so many surgeries that I have lost count. I know it is over 70. That does not include other “procedures” like CT scans, MRI’s and other non-invasive tests. There have been hundreds of those. If procedures do not hurt and are non-invasive, I do not think much about them. It is just no big deal. It could go something like, "Maggie has an MRI scheduled at noon, but I can meet you at two, does that work?"  No more. She gets my full attention and respect for all these procedures. Generally, she has to be sedated for these tests because she cannot possibly stay still. That is a lot of drugs in her little body, which sometimes requires an IV. That just exchanges one stressor for another.

A couple of weeks ago Tim had to have an MRI for his injured knee. He had one last year and expressed concern and trepidation about the test. I pooh poohed him. Of, c’mon, it’s 20 minutes and it doesn’t hurt. He did fine.

Today it was my turn. I was more than a little freaked out. As I was entering that very small tube with my bad shoulder fixed under some gizmo, I felt the panic starting to rise. I closed my eyes and said about 1000 Hail Mary’s. When it was supposed to be finished, the person said he had to do it again because there was movement in my shoulder probably from my breathing. Right. That did not surprise me. I was hyperventilating the whole time. I concentrated on slowing my breathing and started the Hail Mary’s all over again. I was afraid to move my “free” arm (not that there was much room) because I envisioned getting it stuck as I was coming out of the machine. It was wedged uncomfortably against the side, but I just left it there for the 20 or so minutes I was in the machine.

When I got out I texted Tim to tell him I now understood his fear. He definitely has a bit of claustrophobia. He went in feet first and could look around the room and he was still freaked out. I went in headfirst and learned almost immediately that he inherited that claustrophobia from me.

I took the bus home from the place but I needed to take a few minutes to collect myself before I hoped on the bus. I sat down at Starbucks and had some hot chocolate.

I felt like a huge baby. When Maggie gets home I am going to give her an extra hug today to start to make up for all those MRI’s that I thought were nothing.

She will probably laugh, though, because my daughter is a stud.

Bring it on.

As you know, Maggie dressed as a pirate for Halloween. It was a good costume because it allowed Maggie to look tougher than she usually does. Not tougher than she actually is, mind you, but tougher than she usually looks. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, Maggie is one tough chick.

Last Friday Maggie finally got her flu shots. It was October 30 and she went into the doctor’s office in her pirate outfit. I did have to remove the pirate ship from the outside of her chair, though. My van can fit her wheelchair, but alas, mateys , no room for the good ship.

We were scheduled to go in a week earlier, but Maggie was having some respiratory problems and we had to delay getting the shots. On Friday there were some squirrely symptoms in the morning, but we decided to go for it. It’s a balancing act, trying to figure out when she’s healthy enough to get the shots. Of course I don’t want her to get sick, but I don’t want to miss the window for the flu shot either. It was worth the chance on Friday because I could keep a close eye on her all weekend.

The flu clinic is upstairs, but we cannot get up there with the wheelchair, so they were going to do it in the office. The doctor told me to have the person come out to the car so Maggie would not be exposed to all the sick kids in her office. That would have been great, but the parking lot was jammed and we could not get close. We ducked inside and she received the inoculations in the hallway.

The H1N1 was a nasal spray and that just shocked Maggie. She looked insulted when not one, but two nostrils were infiltrated. Before she even recovered from that, the seasonal flu vaccine was being injected into her arm. Maggie quickly drew in a breath when the needle hit. I waited for the tears or sad face or something, but it was just the opposite. By the time the needle was out Maggie was laughing her head off. The medial assistant, a passing doctor and I all started laughing at her. There she was, dressed as a pirate, with the tattoo on her cheek laughing at the pain. It was as though she was saying “Really? Is that all you got”

Maggie’s attitude is so much tougher than her body.

I am thankful for that attitude because it is probably a huge reason she has survived all the surgeries and illnesses over the years. Besides, it’s very entertaining to watch people when the little girl in the wheelchair surprises them with her strength or sense otf humor or intelligence or whatever.