UN-BE-LIEVABLE!

Well we made it home last night around 11pm.  And I have to tell you that was the worst flying experience I have ever had. 

Surprisingly, it had nothing to do with the behavior of my 2 year old.  Emma was as good as gold.  She was quiet, played with her toys, slept, watched a movie.  She did great.

I've always said that she can tell when I'm having a bad flare up or I'm upset.  She usually stays pretty quiet, very calm, gives me lots of hugs and kisses, and pats my leg. ♥


No, my flight was horrible because of the treatment I received from the flight attendants on

I will NEVER fly with this airline again.  I'd love to tell you what happened.

First let me show you what my lupus rash looked like before I flew home.  I was in the middle of a somewhat severe flare up.  I had called my doctor a few days before flight and he said to double my steroids and come see him in about a week.  The following photos were taken on Monday, Aug 17, 2 days before our flight home.

So the rash was visible and somewhat painful, but tolerable. 



So Emma and I were waiting up by the gate for preboarding.  I just assumed that all airlines let those needing assistance and traveling with small children board first.  Apparently not this flight.  I was told to wait till my boarding group was called.  I questioned them, and the lady said I would just have to wait. 

So I waited.  I am traveling by myself, carrying Emma, a carseat and our backpack.  I had my stroller too, which made getting around the aiport very convenient.  But I gate checked the stroller and had to bring the rest onboard with me.  I walk down the loading ramp and asked the flight attendant if one of the other flight attendants from the back could come up and help me carry the carseat back to my seat.

She said since I brought the carseat on the plane, it was my responsibility to carry it to my seat.  I gave her a look of "Are you kidding me?" 

I said, "Aren't you worried I might HIT everyone on the way to my seat because I'm not strong enough to lift it high enough when I'm holding my baby?"

She said, "When you get back there you can ask for help."

I said, "Can you call back there?"

She said, "I have to get drinks ready for our class and premier members."

So I held my baby, put my backpack over my shoulders, and held the carseat in front of me because that was as high as I could lift it.  I think I nailed about 12 people in the shoulder getting back to my seat.

When I finally got there, I asked the female flight attendant if she would just set the carseat in the window seat for me.  I told her I would do the buckling and securing it down, but my arms were so weak at this point I could not lift it high enough. 

She said, "No that's not my responsibility.  You brought it on the plane you need to put the carseat properly where it needs to go."

By this time, I'm FURIOUS!  I'm in so much pain because my left arm, the one that had the rash, was THROBBING.  I just dropped the carseat down in the aisle.  It made a pretty big noise.  Flight attendant looked at me and said, "You could have set it in the aisle seat, you didn't have to drop it." 

I said, "You probably could have just set it the aisle seat for me, just as easily."

She didn't like that.  What can I say, I am my mother's child. =) 

I put Emma down, found the strength somehow to lift up the carseat, got it probably secured in her window seat, put Emma in the seat and finally I get to sit down.  Well, when I checked my left arm, I noticed that on our way back to the seat, some of my blisters had opened up.  I started getting scared, because my immune system is really weak due to lupus medications.  I didn't want to get an infection.

I asked the same 'helpful' flight attendant if I could have a few napkins to wipe my arm off.  She said, "When we come by with the beverage cart, you get a napkin with your drink."

I said, "Can I please have some now?"

She walked away, I thought she was going to get me some.  Nope.  She never returned with napkins.

Luckily, I always carry a small "Lupie First Aid Kit"  I was able to sanitize the area and put a bandaid over it.  Unfortunately, I had to use one of Emma's security blankies...

So we take off.  Emma is doing great.  Time for the beverage cart.  Same flight attendant asks me if I need the napkins, I told her no, I used my baby's security blanket. 

She said, "What would you like to drink?"

I said, "I would like some water, but instead of putting 2 waters in 2 cups, can I just have the bottle?  My baby is only 2 and I'm afraid she's going to spill her water all over her self.  It's the same amount of liquid in a bottle as in 2 cups."

She said, "Sure, but you'll have to pay for it."

I said, "I thought drinks were complementary?"

She said, "They are, in a cup.  Not the bottle."

I said, "Do you understand why I want the bottle?  It's the same amount of liquid, you are not losing out on anything."

She said, "Sorry, you can pay for a bottle of water or you can take 2 cups of water."

I said, "Fine, give me 2 cups of water and LOTS of napkins."

We only spilled a little bit, but I still don't understand why I couldn't just have the bottle that she emptied when she filled up my 2 cups of water.

A little later on the complimentary cookie cart came by.  The lady said, "Do you want a cookie or not?"

I said, "No."

She then THREW the cookie at Emma!!!  That's right, THREW the cookie at my baby.  It bounced off of Emma's leg and landed on the floor.

I said, "Was that necessary?  Why did you throw the cookie?!!  I said we didn't want any."

She said, "Well I just thought your kid would want one."

I said, "If I wanted my kid to have a cookie, I would have said yes, but I said no."

So we finally land in Denver.  I'm fuming mad.  My left arm is pretty much useless.  It hurts so bad that I am holding back tears of pain.  I asked the flight attendant if I could have some assistance getting the car seat off the plane.

She said, "You can ask your neighboring passengers if they want to help you, but we have to get the plane ready for another flight."

LUCKILY, God placed a very sweet college student next to me.  No bigger than a twig, but she leaned over and said, "I'll help you, just let me know what to do."   Thank you God.

While waiting for our connection flight, I find the customer service desk for Frontier and ask them how I file a complaint.  She gave me the number to call.  I call Brian and he said he would take care of it for me.  He was so mad. 

Time for our next flight.  I knew I wouldn't be able to preboard, but I asked anyway.  Again, told to wait.  I asked if a flight attendant on the plane would help me with the carseat.  He snickered and said, "You can ask them."

Long story short.  2nd flight just as bad as the 1st!  No assistance with the carseat getting ON or OFF this flight. I asked the rear flight attendant if it was this airline's policy to NOT help passengers with small children get their carryon items to their seat.  And he said, "It is on THIS flight!"  Really.... W O W!

Water in 2 open cups, refused to let me have a bottle.  But that's okay, I bought a bottle of water at the airport so I was prepared.  Emma did great until the very end.  She actually slept the entire flight.  Woke up when we were landing.  And got really scared.  REALLY scared.  She didn't know where we were or who all these people were. 

An immature 20 something male in front of me, said very loudly, but not looking at me, "Will you shut that F'ing kid up already?"

I said, "First of all, she's 2, she just woke up, and she's scared. Second of all, if you have something to say to me, at least turn around and say it to my face.  Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners?"

He didn't say anymore.  Again, I am my mother's child.  =)

THEN, an older woman, 60-70 ish, leaned over and scolded me for having my child on an airplane late at night.  She asked me why I would do that to my kid.

I said, "I bet you didn't even know she was on the plane until she woke up.  She's been a perfect angel this whole flight, never made a sound.  She's just scared."

I had to literally DRAG my carseat off that plane.  I had absolutely no use of my left arm.  And I was carrying Emma and my backpack.  And do you know what all the flight attendants and pilot/copilots were doing??? 

STANDING THERE WATCHING ME.

NO ONE.

I repeat, NO ONE, helped me.

UN-BE-LIEVABLE

And waiting for me with a bouquet of flowers, was my guardian angel.  Brian immediately took everything out of my arms and grabbed Emma so I could sit down.  He said I looked completely exhausted and in a LOT of pain. 

I don't remember much from the drive home.  I just remember at some point, I started crying.  Then I started bawling.  We got home, Brian put Emma to bed, and helped me get upstairs and get some pj's on.  I literally could not do anything.  I'm still just bawling, I couldn't even put a sentence together.  He asked to see my rash.  This is what he saw:



I've always been told that God does not give us more than we can handle.  So I guess in some ways, I should feel flattered that he has made me such a strong person.  But man oh man, this rash is awful.

I finally calmed down enough to talk.  He asked if I wanted to go to the ER.  I said no, let's just go see my rheumatologist first thing in the morning. 

So I laid on my right side all night long and fell asleep before my head hit the bed.  I was exhausted.  My body was done.

Went to my AMAZING doctor this morning.  He had a lobby full of patients and I thought for sure I wasn't going to get a chance to see him.  You want to know what that wonderful man did?

He dropped everything when he saw me standing in the lobby (that's how packed it was, standing room only!)  He said, "Sweet heart what happened to you?  Come here let me take a look."  I showed him everything.  He said that this was definitely a big flare up.  I should have gone to the ER.  But now that he's seen me he can get me on the road to recovery.  He said my immune system has COMPLETELY shut down.  So he said that I need to stay home for atleast a week, avoid coming in contact with anyone who might be sick.  It could be deadly to me.  He gave me a few more meds (I have completely lost count of how many meds I take daily).  Told me to come back next week.  And within 7 min flat, I was seen, treated, and had a handful of prescriptions to get filled. 

He is such a caring doctor.  I don't know what I'd do with out him.  He then went back to all the other patients who actually had appointments for today.

Brian took the day off and drove me to the doctor's.  Then took me home and went grocery shopping, filled my prescriptions, and took Emma so I could rest.

Brian put Emma down for a nap and said I have a present for you.  I said okay, what is it?  He said, well when I got home I started thinking about ways I could help you out more and thought you'd like to have one of these:

It's a full size professional grade massage table for our house!



He said, "I know how much the lupus and now fibromyalgia hurt your joints and muscles.  And I know you like getting massages.  I would like to be the one that takes away your aches and pains.  I feel so helpless when I see you hurting and I can't do anything about your immune system or your arthritis or your migraines.  But I would like to be the one that gives you a massage instead of some stranger.  I even bought an instructional book to learn how to give therapuetic massages."

Ladies, I know right?  Did your heart just melt.  God has blessed me with many things in my life.  But nothing comes close to the tremendous blessing He gave me, when He brought Brian into my life.  Brian has been by my side for 10 years now.  Next month we celebrate 6 years of marriage.  And I can honestly say that I love him more now, than I did back then.  (and I was head over heels in love with him then)  He's amazing.

Well this post is by far the longest I've published.  I'll end it quickly.

I am sending a letter to Frontier Corporate, letting them know how rude and inconsiderate their flight crew was on both of my flights.  If any of you would be willing to sign a letter as well, please leave a comment with your email address and I'll send you the other letter I'm drafting that is 3rd person.

I am surrounded by the sweetest red heads who are so understanding of my chronic illness.  They both do whatever they can to make sure that I feel loved.  The one in front totally adores me and I think the one in back might also.  ;)