Hi There. I'm thankful I'm not in the hospital on Thanksgiving.

On Tuesday I went to the doctor, because I've grown fond of breathing, and it's rather inconvenient when I can't. I was supposed to follow up with my doctor in a couple of weeks, but I decided since this is pneumonia, I'd better not fool around with it. So I went to the doctor and said I was having trouble breathing, and then I said the magic phrase that got me a ticket to the hospital: "chest pain." Had I known this was code for "call and ambulance and take me away" I WOULD NOT have said it. The kids were at home, and fortunately they're old enough to be by themselves for a few hours. I was supposed to meet up with a realtor and go house hunting with them later, but instead I went to the E.R., protesting that I didn't want to be a difficult patient, but I really thought it was unnecessary. But my doctor did an EKG, and then insisted I go. Ppppbbbssssttt.

I resigned myself to wasting a few hours at the ER and then going home. The ER doc did some blood tests and another EKG then pig-headedly insisted that I be admitted to the hospital. I was compliant and hid my IRRITATION, even though I knew this was all nothing, and I really didn't want to pay a bazillion dollars for nothing. But, these DOCTORS with their TESTS and MEDICAL DEGREES seemed to think it was something, and so I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the hospital. They poked, and prodded, and x-rayed, and medicated, and woke me up at 3 in the morning. But yesterday evening they sent me home, hooray! And the moral of the story is never admit you're having chest pain in the presence of a doctor. What?!

So today I made Thanksgiving dinner, and I discovered how to make Boston Market's cranberry sauce. I love Boston Market's cranberry sauce, and I have been wondering how to make it, and so I thought I'd give it a whirl, and voila, I created a reasonable facsimile. here it is:

 

Pretty Close to Boston Market's Cranberry Relish

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1 small jar maraschino cherries

1/2 cup pecans

1 box cherry Jell-O

1/2 cup hot water

Zest of 1 orange

1/8 t ginger (not a big ginger fan, you can add more if you like)

1/4 t cinnamon

Drain jar of cherries and chop cherries and pecans. Grate orange peel. In a bowl mix water and jello until jello dissolves. Add can of cranberry sauce, cherries, pecans, spices and orange peel. Stir well. Refrigerate for several hours. Enjoy!

 

How was your Thanksgiving, and what's your favorite part of the holiday?

Comments

[Mrs. Kennedy]

Oh my God. Doctors! With their medical training, and their picky life-saving urges! I'm glad you're home. That cranberry sauce makes me sad that it has Jell-O in it, but I secretly understand that it's the right thing to do. My favorite part of the holiday is that you're not dead.

[lizardek]

Mrs. Kennedy stole my favorite part.

[Kira]

Now, I believe you were specifically urged to get better. And causing scores of picky medical types to panic and reflexively order tests is not, in fact, getting better. Ahem. Let's not let this happen again.
I know how you feel about doctors. After years of having zero problem with exercise induced asthma, on Saturday I toddled along on the treadmill for a little bit and ended up all WHEEEEEZY and whatnot. I made the mistake of telling my mother, who has been hounding me to talk to my doctor because "asthma KILLS people, blah blah blah."
I keep patiently explaining to her that if you GO to a doctor with a problem, they will DO something, so the obvious answer is NOT TO GO.
And it's like she doesn't WANT to understand.

[Terri]

Hope you're feeling much better soon!