I know that life gets crazy for everyone! Here is a semi quick update on my life right now.
Chris is a freshman. He still needs to figure out that school is important. He is a Life Scout and is now working toward his Eagle Scout rank. He has already talked to the scout leaders about what he wants to do for his Eagle project. He would really like to finish it as much as possible by the end of the year. He got to go to Florida for spring break with our church. We attend an awesome church (more on that later.) He had a blast and got to swim in the ocean for the first time.
Cassidy is in eighth grade this year. She joined the Book Battle and had a great time. I was so excited for her. She is my child that has struggled with a learning disability in reading. She now reads ALL the time. She is a Cadette Scout in Girl Scouts and is also a Venture Scout. This all keeps her pretty busy. Cassidy has been fairly healthy this school year. The only hospital stay she has had was not for her asthma, but to get her appendix removed. She has only had one trip to the ER for her asthma and it was just this past weekend.
Barry is in seventh grade. He has decided that school is too hard. I am not sure if he is having a problem with someone at school or with the school work itself. I have been working on figuring that out. He is a Star Scout. He can actually rank up to Life Scout this week. I am not sure if he will do it right a way or not, but he can if he wants to. Barry is not sure what he wants to do for his Eagle Project, but he has time to figure it out.
I am looking for a job, but in the mean time have been keeping myself VERY busy. I still help out in scouts any where I can. I also volunteer in Kairos Outside. This is a fantastic outreach that works with women who have or have had someone in prison or jail. I attended this as a guest and LOVED it, so I have worked with the group since then. We also found a great church.
We attend Road to Life Church in Chesterton, IN. The first time we visited, my kids all asked to come back. So we did and have never looked back. Chris volunteers in Kidtown (kids up to 4th grade) doing media (lights and computer stuff.) Cassidy and I work in Baby Boulevard. This is kids from newborn to three or potty trained. We all are going to start helping with Load In because we go to church in a high school. So of course this means everything is taken in and out of the school we use every week. All three kids love the youth group, The Avenue or Ave for short. This is who Chris went to Florida with. Cassidy and Barry went to Chicago with the Ave over spring break. They all had a really good time.
Monday, March 28, 2016
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Most Unusual May (For Me Anyway)
May is usually a fast paced race to the end of the school year for my family. I usually need to be able to run errands, pick up kids, etc. This May was far from usual. In September of 2014 I started having some minor health issues. The difficulties were enough to annoy me, but not enough to run to the doctor. These issues were not life threatening, just irritating. In January my issues went from irritating to worrying. I dealt with it. (I was having excessively long monthly periods with very heavy bleeding.) In March I finally went to the doctor and he recommended a hysterectomy. I was so ready to be done with health problems that I was okay with the idea of a hysterectomy. He gave me information on the various kinds of hysterectomies that are done now. (Did you even know that there were multiple ways to have a hysterectomy? Partial, take the Fallopian tubes, take the cervix, take the ovaries, etc. Then there is the type of surgery you could have. Abdominal, vaginal, laproscopic, or da vinci laproscopic. Choices, choices, choices.) My doctor recommended the da vinci laproscopic surgery taking everything but my ovaries. That way I would have an easy recovery and not need to take any hormone therapy. Easy recovery and no hormone therapy? Easy choice, I can totally deal with that. I decided to go with his recommendation and be done with the health issues. I was told that the longest I would be in the hospital was two nights.
Fast forward to May 1st, surgery day. Before my surgery, I was slightly anemic from the excessive bleeding I was having during my monthly cycle. I have never been cut open before in any way so I was VERY nervous. The pre-op nurses and staff did a lot to try to calm me down, but they did not really succeed. As a precaution the nurses had me sign the form saying I would be okay with blood if I needed it. (Remember this, it is important.) I remember going into the operating room and then the next thing I remember is the doctor telling me he had to open me up because I was bleeding a lot and they had to find the bleeder. He called in another surgeon to help him find the bleeder. I got TWO units of blood during that surgery. I was moved up to my room and was very out of it for the rest of the night. I was very nauseous, but I thought it was from the extra trauma me body went through. (My surgery started at 10:30 am and I went up to my room around 5:00 pm.) During the night the nurses noticed a lot of blood in my urine. (I had a catheter.) They called the second surgeon and he decided I needed a test done first thing in the morning. The original surgeon came in Saturday morning and said he did not think anything was wrong, but I was still going to have the test done just in case. I went down to x-ray about 9:00 am. They injected a dye into my IV to see if there were any leaks in my urinary system. (At this point I had two IVs.) It was not comfortable. I hurt, but I dealt with it. They had to call my nurse down because the catheter got a clot and was not draining. Fun right? It gets better. I was taken back up to my room. Ten minutes later, my nurse came rushing in the the telephone. The original surgeon was on the phone. There was a problem and a urologist would be taking me back to the operating room that afternoon to see exactly what was wrong.
My mother was planning to bring my kids up to see me. My nurse recommended that she not come until about 6:00. He thought I should be back in my room by then. At 2:30 pm that afternoon I was taken back down to the operating room. They had to open me back up again because during the first surgery the doctors nicked my bladder and ureter. The urologists had to cut the damaged part of my ureter off and reattach it to my bladder. (I had three urologist in the operating room.) They had to cut my bladder open to reattach my ureter. After the surgery was over I got ONE unit of blood. (It was at this point that I started figuring out that anesthesia makes me nauseous. I threw up in the recovery room. Not fun.) I was taken back up to my room about 7:00 pm. I remember my mother saying that she would leave and come back the next day because I was so out of it. I do not remember much more about that night.
They came in every morning to take blood and check my iron levels and red blood cell count. On the day of my surgery, pre-surgery, my red blood cell count was low, but not dangerous. My iron level was low, but again not dangerously. Post-op, my numbers dropped but that is why they gave me the two units of blood during the surgery. The day after my first surgery after the first TWO units of blood, my levels were even lower than the post-op numbers. After my second surgery and third unit of blood, my numbers continued to go down. I was given TWO more units of blood the day after my second surgery. All told I received FIVE units of blood. (As I found out just this week ONE unit of blood equals about ONE pint of blood. An adult has about TEN pints of blood in their bodies. I needed about half of my blood volume replaced.)
I was in the hospital from the day of surgery, Friday May 1st, until Thursday, May 7th. I had a catheter in from the day of my first surgery until five days after I got out of the hospital. I had a stint in until June 4th. I had a third surgery then. My surgery was at about 8:00 am and I was home by 11:30 am. I was given something to help me avoid the anesthesia nausea. (They gave me a patch. It was supposed to help me avoid the nausea.) The surgery was fine. The nausea was not. I was nauseous going home, but they pain was not too bad. When I got home the pain got worse and the nausea got worse. About 3:30 pm, I started throwing up. I took the patch off because I was worried that it was making my nausea worse. I continued to throw up. At about 6:00 pm, I asked my neighbor to take me to the ER. I was at the ER until after midnight. I was given another IV and medicine to help with the pain and another medicine to help with the nausea. I was also given two bags of IV fluids because I was VERY dehydrated. I was still nauseous until about June 12th. I still have burning in my side where I had the stint.
I am doing better. I am feeling better. What was supposed to be a simple surgery turned into a massive ordeal. I have an incredible family and friend support system. My church called and checked up on me periodically. People brought my family dinner, so I would not have to worry about it. A friend let my mother bring my kids to her house every morning very early to catch the bus for two weeks. Other friends drove me to doctor's appointments, the store, and took my kids to their activities so they did not have to miss anything.
Fast forward to May 1st, surgery day. Before my surgery, I was slightly anemic from the excessive bleeding I was having during my monthly cycle. I have never been cut open before in any way so I was VERY nervous. The pre-op nurses and staff did a lot to try to calm me down, but they did not really succeed. As a precaution the nurses had me sign the form saying I would be okay with blood if I needed it. (Remember this, it is important.) I remember going into the operating room and then the next thing I remember is the doctor telling me he had to open me up because I was bleeding a lot and they had to find the bleeder. He called in another surgeon to help him find the bleeder. I got TWO units of blood during that surgery. I was moved up to my room and was very out of it for the rest of the night. I was very nauseous, but I thought it was from the extra trauma me body went through. (My surgery started at 10:30 am and I went up to my room around 5:00 pm.) During the night the nurses noticed a lot of blood in my urine. (I had a catheter.) They called the second surgeon and he decided I needed a test done first thing in the morning. The original surgeon came in Saturday morning and said he did not think anything was wrong, but I was still going to have the test done just in case. I went down to x-ray about 9:00 am. They injected a dye into my IV to see if there were any leaks in my urinary system. (At this point I had two IVs.) It was not comfortable. I hurt, but I dealt with it. They had to call my nurse down because the catheter got a clot and was not draining. Fun right? It gets better. I was taken back up to my room. Ten minutes later, my nurse came rushing in the the telephone. The original surgeon was on the phone. There was a problem and a urologist would be taking me back to the operating room that afternoon to see exactly what was wrong.
My mother was planning to bring my kids up to see me. My nurse recommended that she not come until about 6:00. He thought I should be back in my room by then. At 2:30 pm that afternoon I was taken back down to the operating room. They had to open me back up again because during the first surgery the doctors nicked my bladder and ureter. The urologists had to cut the damaged part of my ureter off and reattach it to my bladder. (I had three urologist in the operating room.) They had to cut my bladder open to reattach my ureter. After the surgery was over I got ONE unit of blood. (It was at this point that I started figuring out that anesthesia makes me nauseous. I threw up in the recovery room. Not fun.) I was taken back up to my room about 7:00 pm. I remember my mother saying that she would leave and come back the next day because I was so out of it. I do not remember much more about that night.
They came in every morning to take blood and check my iron levels and red blood cell count. On the day of my surgery, pre-surgery, my red blood cell count was low, but not dangerous. My iron level was low, but again not dangerously. Post-op, my numbers dropped but that is why they gave me the two units of blood during the surgery. The day after my first surgery after the first TWO units of blood, my levels were even lower than the post-op numbers. After my second surgery and third unit of blood, my numbers continued to go down. I was given TWO more units of blood the day after my second surgery. All told I received FIVE units of blood. (As I found out just this week ONE unit of blood equals about ONE pint of blood. An adult has about TEN pints of blood in their bodies. I needed about half of my blood volume replaced.)
I was in the hospital from the day of surgery, Friday May 1st, until Thursday, May 7th. I had a catheter in from the day of my first surgery until five days after I got out of the hospital. I had a stint in until June 4th. I had a third surgery then. My surgery was at about 8:00 am and I was home by 11:30 am. I was given something to help me avoid the anesthesia nausea. (They gave me a patch. It was supposed to help me avoid the nausea.) The surgery was fine. The nausea was not. I was nauseous going home, but they pain was not too bad. When I got home the pain got worse and the nausea got worse. About 3:30 pm, I started throwing up. I took the patch off because I was worried that it was making my nausea worse. I continued to throw up. At about 6:00 pm, I asked my neighbor to take me to the ER. I was at the ER until after midnight. I was given another IV and medicine to help with the pain and another medicine to help with the nausea. I was also given two bags of IV fluids because I was VERY dehydrated. I was still nauseous until about June 12th. I still have burning in my side where I had the stint.
I am doing better. I am feeling better. What was supposed to be a simple surgery turned into a massive ordeal. I have an incredible family and friend support system. My church called and checked up on me periodically. People brought my family dinner, so I would not have to worry about it. A friend let my mother bring my kids to her house every morning very early to catch the bus for two weeks. Other friends drove me to doctor's appointments, the store, and took my kids to their activities so they did not have to miss anything.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
2014 Update
How did so much time go by? I have thought many times about writing a blog and always seem to get distracted. I do not know how it happens, but it does.
Life in Indiana has been, well interesting to say the least. The weather is kind of out of control. We had one of the worst winters in history, SNOW, Snow and more snow. Then we had RAIN, Rain, and more rain. No really hot weather. And now we have pretty much skipped early fall and have gone straight to early winter. On Saturday, October 4, 2014, we had flurries. Yes real actual snow. Who ever heard of snow at the beginning of October! That is just the weather. :)
Let's see. Christopher is now almost 15. I can hardly believe it. He is a typical teenager. He thinks he is in charge of the world. He has decided that he is the man of the house and that his sister and brother need to obey him also. He will learn. (Insert evil mom laugh.) He is an unhappy eighth grader. (He absolutely HATES homework. His school has an after school program that requires kids to go to it if they do not finish homework. He is there A LOT.) He is still in Scouts and at times threatens to quit, until the next meeting or activity, then he has a blast and forgets to quit.
Cassidy is 13, an official teenager and everything that goes along with it. She is in seventh grade and actually real likes her classes. She is a big help everywhere and usually does exactly what she is asked without complaining, although the whine and complaint do happen. She still deals with asthma, still pretty severe. She gets very annoyed when she has an asthma attack. She was in the hospital last week and when we got there she knew all the nurses and respiratory staff that she saw. That does make her life a little easier.
Barry is 11. He is still a sweet little boy. He is in Scouts and seems to have a good time. He is in sixth grade. He has had a difficult time in school this year, but that is not completely unheard of at his school. There are some tough sixth grade teachers. :) He really enjoys hanging out with his friends.
We started attending a new church and really like it. My kids LOVE the youth group. They meet every other week and my kids really look forward to it. I have found some old friends and made some new ones at our new church. We have not been going long, but I really like it. I have two classes to finish to get my degree. I should be done in May. One this semester and one next. I cannot wait to be done.
Hopefully I will remember to update this blog more frequently, but we shall see. :)
Life in Indiana has been, well interesting to say the least. The weather is kind of out of control. We had one of the worst winters in history, SNOW, Snow and more snow. Then we had RAIN, Rain, and more rain. No really hot weather. And now we have pretty much skipped early fall and have gone straight to early winter. On Saturday, October 4, 2014, we had flurries. Yes real actual snow. Who ever heard of snow at the beginning of October! That is just the weather. :)
Let's see. Christopher is now almost 15. I can hardly believe it. He is a typical teenager. He thinks he is in charge of the world. He has decided that he is the man of the house and that his sister and brother need to obey him also. He will learn. (Insert evil mom laugh.) He is an unhappy eighth grader. (He absolutely HATES homework. His school has an after school program that requires kids to go to it if they do not finish homework. He is there A LOT.) He is still in Scouts and at times threatens to quit, until the next meeting or activity, then he has a blast and forgets to quit.
Cassidy is 13, an official teenager and everything that goes along with it. She is in seventh grade and actually real likes her classes. She is a big help everywhere and usually does exactly what she is asked without complaining, although the whine and complaint do happen. She still deals with asthma, still pretty severe. She gets very annoyed when she has an asthma attack. She was in the hospital last week and when we got there she knew all the nurses and respiratory staff that she saw. That does make her life a little easier.
Barry is 11. He is still a sweet little boy. He is in Scouts and seems to have a good time. He is in sixth grade. He has had a difficult time in school this year, but that is not completely unheard of at his school. There are some tough sixth grade teachers. :) He really enjoys hanging out with his friends.
We started attending a new church and really like it. My kids LOVE the youth group. They meet every other week and my kids really look forward to it. I have found some old friends and made some new ones at our new church. We have not been going long, but I really like it. I have two classes to finish to get my degree. I should be done in May. One this semester and one next. I cannot wait to be done.
Hopefully I will remember to update this blog more frequently, but we shall see. :)
Monday, December 30, 2013
So Long 2013
Well, time to say goodbye to a VERY stressful year. Any of you feel differently? Anyway, let me tell you about our last couple of weeks. Cassidy has been doing better (finally) and for the moment her asthma is under control. HOORAY!!! She has been approved for the new medication, but we are still figuring out all the details. We will probably start in the next couple of weeks. I hope it will make the difference that her doctor is expecting.
Our Christmas was fantastic. Most of my brothers and sisters were home. My kids went to their grandparent's house the Saturday before Christmas. They had a great time. Apparently they had a gingerbread house building contest. I thought their houses looked great.
We had our normal extended family over for Christmas day. Everyone ate way more than we needed to, but it was SO good. :) It was fun to see everyone.
Now to my favorite part. My family is very large and loud. We all went to Nick and Krista's house for Christmas and pirogi. (We can it something else, but I have no idea how to spell it.) We had seven kids from 4 months old to 14 years old, 10 adults and lots of fun in a little house. Nick was smart and took the munchkins to the park to get them out of the house while the baby slept. The adults undertook the task of making the pirogi. We make them from scratch and it is a long process, but worth it I assure you. My mother also makes borscht. My kids really like pirogi and look forward to it every year. We opened gifts, lots and lots of gifts. The kids were beyond excited. Cassidy wrapped a gift for Chris with the help of my neighbor that took him FOREVER to open. They wrapped it with lots of paper, tape, and ribbon. (Chris has decided this year that he did not want ribbons on anything.) She got a kick out of making things difficult for him.
On the Saturday after Christmas, we hung out with my brother and his wife and kids and my sister and her husband. We explored Albanese Candy Factory. Never a good place to go when you are hungry. For those who do not know, they actually have a chocolate fountain. Candy, candy everywhere. My sister-in-law decided that we had to go get lunch right after we left there. :) We went bowling. I am not very good at bowling, but it sure can be fun when you are playing with family. We got two lanes, one for kids with the bumpers and a ramp for the little ones and one for the adults with the gutters wide open. :) The kids had lots of fun and my brother-in-law can really bowl. :) I think my favorite part of the day was dinner. We had chicken tacos with all sorts of veggies. (Avocado, cucumber, peppers, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, fried mushrooms and onions, and cheese. Sounds good right.) My mother thought we were crazy to add cucumber and carrot, but my kids love it and so did my sis and bro-in-law. Once dinner was over, we played hand and foot. If you have never played, you are really missing out. My boys got to play for the first time and Christopher is a card shark. He and my mother were partners and they kicked butt. However my brother and his wife beat everyone. Everyone kept asking Barry which cards to pick. Apparently he really helped them all, but not so much himself. I think they both had a good time.
Over all we had a good holiday and so far a healthy one. :)
Our Christmas was fantastic. Most of my brothers and sisters were home. My kids went to their grandparent's house the Saturday before Christmas. They had a great time. Apparently they had a gingerbread house building contest. I thought their houses looked great.
We had our normal extended family over for Christmas day. Everyone ate way more than we needed to, but it was SO good. :) It was fun to see everyone.
Now to my favorite part. My family is very large and loud. We all went to Nick and Krista's house for Christmas and pirogi. (We can it something else, but I have no idea how to spell it.) We had seven kids from 4 months old to 14 years old, 10 adults and lots of fun in a little house. Nick was smart and took the munchkins to the park to get them out of the house while the baby slept. The adults undertook the task of making the pirogi. We make them from scratch and it is a long process, but worth it I assure you. My mother also makes borscht. My kids really like pirogi and look forward to it every year. We opened gifts, lots and lots of gifts. The kids were beyond excited. Cassidy wrapped a gift for Chris with the help of my neighbor that took him FOREVER to open. They wrapped it with lots of paper, tape, and ribbon. (Chris has decided this year that he did not want ribbons on anything.) She got a kick out of making things difficult for him.
On the Saturday after Christmas, we hung out with my brother and his wife and kids and my sister and her husband. We explored Albanese Candy Factory. Never a good place to go when you are hungry. For those who do not know, they actually have a chocolate fountain. Candy, candy everywhere. My sister-in-law decided that we had to go get lunch right after we left there. :) We went bowling. I am not very good at bowling, but it sure can be fun when you are playing with family. We got two lanes, one for kids with the bumpers and a ramp for the little ones and one for the adults with the gutters wide open. :) The kids had lots of fun and my brother-in-law can really bowl. :) I think my favorite part of the day was dinner. We had chicken tacos with all sorts of veggies. (Avocado, cucumber, peppers, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, fried mushrooms and onions, and cheese. Sounds good right.) My mother thought we were crazy to add cucumber and carrot, but my kids love it and so did my sis and bro-in-law. Once dinner was over, we played hand and foot. If you have never played, you are really missing out. My boys got to play for the first time and Christopher is a card shark. He and my mother were partners and they kicked butt. However my brother and his wife beat everyone. Everyone kept asking Barry which cards to pick. Apparently he really helped them all, but not so much himself. I think they both had a good time.
Over all we had a good holiday and so far a healthy one. :)
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Asthma Strikes Again!
Well, how was your Thanksgiving? Mine was great!! I had a great time with family and friends. I taught a new friend and a cousin how to make a fleece tie blanket, refreshed another cousin on the technique, made lots of fruit salad and desserts, and talked a lot. We had 35 people at my mother's house so it was a little full, but I sometimes think that is the best time. Everyone hung out and had fun.
Everyone knows that a lot of stores were opening on Thanksgiving evening and I said, "Nope, no way. I am NOT going to shop on Thanksgiving!" Well, little did I know, but my cousin decided that while she was in Indiana, she would take advantage of our lower sales tax. (For those interested, she lives in Chicago and Chicago has the highest sales tax in the country, so you can see why she would want to do this.) She has not know where ANYTHING is in Indiana. So guess what that meant? Yep, you guessed it. I went shopping on Thanksgiving! We had a good time. It gave us time to talk and catch up with each other's busy lives. We got home at almost 2:30 am. Talk about tired!! My daughter made it through Thanksgiving with no visit to the hospital! (Remember last year we spent Thanksgiving day in the PICU.)
Friday, all three kids went to visit their grandparents. They have been going over there every other weekend. I enjoy the break and they have been getting to know their grandparents better. I think it is a win win situation. On Saturday morning, I got a call asking if Cassidy could take some allergy meds. Sure why not? (Her nose was running.) I got another call that afternoon. She took some Tylenol for a headache. (No fever.) That is fine. I was totally not worried. I knew she had a new inhaler (194 puffs left) so she should be fine with her breathing, right? Apparently not. At 8:30 Cassidy called me and asked me to pick her up because the inhaler was not working. (For those of you with asthmatics you know that sometimes using the nebulizer works better because it allows the medicine to work over a slower period of time.) So I went and picked her up. I ended up with all three kids coming home, but that was fine. While I was in the car a found out that the inhaler only had 52 puffs left. WAIT JUST A MINUTE!!!! I know Chris also uses the inhaler, but he and Cassidy agreed that he only used the inhaler four times while they were there. (Each use is 2 puffs, even if he messed up and had to do three or four puffs each time, he only used it 16 puffs at most.) Let's do the math: 194-20 (benefit of the doubt, maybe he forgot a use or two.) = 174, 174-52= 122 puffs! I dropped the boys off at my mother's and headed to the ER.
Now most of you know that most ERs are always busy, but here we have a hidden gem. It is a new facility and still fairly unknown. Every time I have been there, we are taken straight into the triage room and then straight back. No different Saturday. We went straight back. Cassidy's pulse ox was 88. She was given 2 breathing treatments right a way and an oral steroid dose. Pulse ox stayed the same. Added oxygen, still the same. So she got admitted. The ER we go to is only and ER, not a full in patient hospital, so they transferred her by ambulance to our local hospital. I had the ER doctor call her asthma specialist and we were able to avoid an IV! Cassidy was VERY happy about that one.
She was in the hospital from Saturday night (the only kid on the peds unit) through Tuesday afternoon. She actually goes back to school in the morning. When will my child catch a break in this whole thing!
Everyone knows that a lot of stores were opening on Thanksgiving evening and I said, "Nope, no way. I am NOT going to shop on Thanksgiving!" Well, little did I know, but my cousin decided that while she was in Indiana, she would take advantage of our lower sales tax. (For those interested, she lives in Chicago and Chicago has the highest sales tax in the country, so you can see why she would want to do this.) She has not know where ANYTHING is in Indiana. So guess what that meant? Yep, you guessed it. I went shopping on Thanksgiving! We had a good time. It gave us time to talk and catch up with each other's busy lives. We got home at almost 2:30 am. Talk about tired!! My daughter made it through Thanksgiving with no visit to the hospital! (Remember last year we spent Thanksgiving day in the PICU.)
Friday, all three kids went to visit their grandparents. They have been going over there every other weekend. I enjoy the break and they have been getting to know their grandparents better. I think it is a win win situation. On Saturday morning, I got a call asking if Cassidy could take some allergy meds. Sure why not? (Her nose was running.) I got another call that afternoon. She took some Tylenol for a headache. (No fever.) That is fine. I was totally not worried. I knew she had a new inhaler (194 puffs left) so she should be fine with her breathing, right? Apparently not. At 8:30 Cassidy called me and asked me to pick her up because the inhaler was not working. (For those of you with asthmatics you know that sometimes using the nebulizer works better because it allows the medicine to work over a slower period of time.) So I went and picked her up. I ended up with all three kids coming home, but that was fine. While I was in the car a found out that the inhaler only had 52 puffs left. WAIT JUST A MINUTE!!!! I know Chris also uses the inhaler, but he and Cassidy agreed that he only used the inhaler four times while they were there. (Each use is 2 puffs, even if he messed up and had to do three or four puffs each time, he only used it 16 puffs at most.) Let's do the math: 194-20 (benefit of the doubt, maybe he forgot a use or two.) = 174, 174-52= 122 puffs! I dropped the boys off at my mother's and headed to the ER.
Now most of you know that most ERs are always busy, but here we have a hidden gem. It is a new facility and still fairly unknown. Every time I have been there, we are taken straight into the triage room and then straight back. No different Saturday. We went straight back. Cassidy's pulse ox was 88. She was given 2 breathing treatments right a way and an oral steroid dose. Pulse ox stayed the same. Added oxygen, still the same. So she got admitted. The ER we go to is only and ER, not a full in patient hospital, so they transferred her by ambulance to our local hospital. I had the ER doctor call her asthma specialist and we were able to avoid an IV! Cassidy was VERY happy about that one.
She was in the hospital from Saturday night (the only kid on the peds unit) through Tuesday afternoon. She actually goes back to school in the morning. When will my child catch a break in this whole thing!
Monday, October 21, 2013
Forgotten Memories
What is it about broken, lonely places that strike such a cord in our hearts?
Today my neighbor and I were talking about our dream homes. He wants to renovate an old dairy barn into the house of his dreams. I would love to get an old church or school and make it into my dream home. In the process of our talking, we started looking at old abandoned buildings of any kind ~ schools, churches, barns, etc.
1.
2.
A church in France.
It got me thinking. We found some eerily beautiful and haunting buildings. What would it take to rebuild or refurbish some of these places? I decided to see what else we have left behind. Empty, lost looking cars or moss covered train tracks.
3.
Then I found the saddest abandoned places of all, amusement parks. Have you ever looked at pictures of these forgotten places? Knowing that they were probably lived with laughter and joy makes the pictures of broken carousals and vine covered Ferris wheels that much harder to look at. These pictures were gut wrenching. Some of the pictures I looked at came with the story behind the reason the park was closed. Others I actually looked up. Here are a couple of pictures from the abandoned parks.
4.
This picture is of an amusement park that never had its chance at laughter and fun. It is in Chernobyl. It was supposed to open 5 days after the nuclear meltdown.
5.
A roller coaster in Germany.
Beautiful aren't they?
I looked for pictures of my home town's abandoned places. I grew up in Gary, Indiana. I went to school at Nobel Elementary (now closed) and Emerson Visual and Performing Arts (again, now closed.) Emerson was one of the very first high schools built in Gary. It showcased the fight for equal rights in schools and became an actual Fame type school in its waning days. I remember where my classrooms were and what they looked like. I remember friends I made then and all the fun we had. It was built in 1908 and was open until 1981. It reopened in 1982 as a visual and performing arts magnet school. It stayed open at the original building until 2008. Now you would never know that it was open as recently as 2008. It is kind of sad.
6.
I also found incredible pictures of the Methodist Church that has been featured in many movies including Transformers 3.
7.
These places and spaces would have such stories to tell if only they could. Can you imagine the history most of these buildings have seen? Emerson was 100 years old when it was finally closed in 2008. Both World Wars, the Great Depression, 9/11, the building was around for all of that history. These events were discussed and survived in this building. Most of the other buildings are as old, some even older. You can find much older buildings in Europe that have been around of centuries. What could we learn from these buildings? They show us the architecture and style of time period they were built. They mirror the tastes of the people that lived then. Even as buildings, they have so much they could teach us. That brings me back to my original question. What is it about broken, lonely places that strike such a cord in our hearts? I do not know that I will ever be able to answer that, but I do know that I have found a new interest. I want to see what these builds and places can teach me. I never would have thought about an amusement park in Chernobyl, not that it particularly matters, but I never really thought about the lives that were interrupted. I learned about the accident, but only that it happened and everyone had to leave, but as a child I did not think about the actual cost. Can you think to what it would be like if you were a child in Chernobyl and you knew the park was opening soon? I would have been so excited and then to have that gone, man it would have been very hard leaving everything behind.
Anyway enough rambling, I just had to get my thoughts down. They may not make a lot of sense to everyone else, but they do to me. :)
By the way, old forgotten cemeteries are just as interesting.
Here are the sights I found the pictures:
1. http://www.flickriver.com/photos/genbug/tags/barn/
2. http://photorator.com/photo/15346/a-famous-spot-in-france-st-etienne-abandoned-church-
3. http://blogof.francescomugnai.com/2013/03/33-more-breathtaking-and-incredible-photos-of-abandoned-places/
4. http://500px.com/photo/17857761
5. http://www.pixellica.com/inspiration/urban-decay-derelict-amusemen-park
6. http://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/06/12/emerson-school-of-gary-indiana/
7. http://www.flickr.com/photos/slworking/5914990794/in/photostream/lightbox/
Today my neighbor and I were talking about our dream homes. He wants to renovate an old dairy barn into the house of his dreams. I would love to get an old church or school and make it into my dream home. In the process of our talking, we started looking at old abandoned buildings of any kind ~ schools, churches, barns, etc.
1.2.A church in France.
It got me thinking. We found some eerily beautiful and haunting buildings. What would it take to rebuild or refurbish some of these places? I decided to see what else we have left behind. Empty, lost looking cars or moss covered train tracks.
3.Then I found the saddest abandoned places of all, amusement parks. Have you ever looked at pictures of these forgotten places? Knowing that they were probably lived with laughter and joy makes the pictures of broken carousals and vine covered Ferris wheels that much harder to look at. These pictures were gut wrenching. Some of the pictures I looked at came with the story behind the reason the park was closed. Others I actually looked up. Here are a couple of pictures from the abandoned parks.
4.This picture is of an amusement park that never had its chance at laughter and fun. It is in Chernobyl. It was supposed to open 5 days after the nuclear meltdown.
5.A roller coaster in Germany.
Beautiful aren't they?
I looked for pictures of my home town's abandoned places. I grew up in Gary, Indiana. I went to school at Nobel Elementary (now closed) and Emerson Visual and Performing Arts (again, now closed.) Emerson was one of the very first high schools built in Gary. It showcased the fight for equal rights in schools and became an actual Fame type school in its waning days. I remember where my classrooms were and what they looked like. I remember friends I made then and all the fun we had. It was built in 1908 and was open until 1981. It reopened in 1982 as a visual and performing arts magnet school. It stayed open at the original building until 2008. Now you would never know that it was open as recently as 2008. It is kind of sad.
6.I also found incredible pictures of the Methodist Church that has been featured in many movies including Transformers 3.
7.These places and spaces would have such stories to tell if only they could. Can you imagine the history most of these buildings have seen? Emerson was 100 years old when it was finally closed in 2008. Both World Wars, the Great Depression, 9/11, the building was around for all of that history. These events were discussed and survived in this building. Most of the other buildings are as old, some even older. You can find much older buildings in Europe that have been around of centuries. What could we learn from these buildings? They show us the architecture and style of time period they were built. They mirror the tastes of the people that lived then. Even as buildings, they have so much they could teach us. That brings me back to my original question. What is it about broken, lonely places that strike such a cord in our hearts? I do not know that I will ever be able to answer that, but I do know that I have found a new interest. I want to see what these builds and places can teach me. I never would have thought about an amusement park in Chernobyl, not that it particularly matters, but I never really thought about the lives that were interrupted. I learned about the accident, but only that it happened and everyone had to leave, but as a child I did not think about the actual cost. Can you think to what it would be like if you were a child in Chernobyl and you knew the park was opening soon? I would have been so excited and then to have that gone, man it would have been very hard leaving everything behind.
Anyway enough rambling, I just had to get my thoughts down. They may not make a lot of sense to everyone else, but they do to me. :)
By the way, old forgotten cemeteries are just as interesting.
Here are the sights I found the pictures:
1. http://www.flickriver.com/photos/genbug/tags/barn/
2. http://photorator.com/photo/15346/a-famous-spot-in-france-st-etienne-abandoned-church-
3. http://blogof.francescomugnai.com/2013/03/33-more-breathtaking-and-incredible-photos-of-abandoned-places/
4. http://500px.com/photo/17857761
5. http://www.pixellica.com/inspiration/urban-decay-derelict-amusemen-park
6. http://sometimes-interesting.com/2013/06/12/emerson-school-of-gary-indiana/
7. http://www.flickr.com/photos/slworking/5914990794/in/photostream/lightbox/
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Asthma Sucks! It Really, Really Does!!
WOW!! I know most everyone knows that asthma is super common and more and more people are diagnosed with it all the time, but what most people do not know (unless they have asthma or a loved one with asthma) is that it sucks big time! I grew up with a brother who had asthma, so I thought it was no big deal. We dealt with it and he is a wonderful brother. He still has asthma, but he knows his triggers and how to deal with them. Then I had kids. What a difference that makes! Christopher was diagnosed with asthma and severe allergies when he was about a year old. Never fun and hard to watch your child struggle to breathe. However, we started to figure out what his triggers were and now he does pretty well. My child is much like my brother, allergic to everything under the sun. Chris is allergic to dogs and cats, Christmas trees, tree nuts, peanuts, the list goes on. Again, now that we know, we can avoid or prepare for any issues.
Then along came Cassidy and Barry. Neither one of my youngest kids had any breathing issues until Cassidy got pneumonia in second grade. (She is in sixth grade now.) She was diagnosed with asthma that May. I have Christopher. I know how to deal with asthma in a kid. Boy was I wrong! Cassidy is so different than Chris. I still do not know what her triggers are. She has been in the hospital eleven times since third grade. She misses lots of school and hates that she does. She cries and apologizes to me because she is always sick. How do you help your child with that one?
This school year has been rough. We are in the last week of the first quarter and she has missed about 20 days of school. She has been to our primary care doctor repeatedly and to her asthma specialist at least once a week. She ended up in the hospital last week because of her asthma. She is finally back in school, but she is not allowed to go out for recess or participate in gym because of her wheezing. She is still on oral steroids. She has been on the steroids for pretty much the whole months of September and October (at least what we have gotten through.)
Here is a list of what we have done the past month to try to help Cassidy:
1. Urgent Care with her primary care doctor on a Monday.
2. Appointment with her asthma specialist on Thursday.
3. Follow up with her primary care doctor on Tuesday. He put her on an antibiotic.
4. Appointment with her asthma specialist on Thursday. He has me call him that afternoon so he could check up on her.
5. Appointment with her asthma specialist on Friday. (The following day to see how she was.)
6. A bad weekend. She started coughing so badly, she was throwing up.
7. Back to her asthma specialist on Monday. He put her in the hospital.
8. Hospital visit from Monday through Wednesday. On O2, but no IV much to Cassidy's delight.
9. Appointment with asthma specialist on Thursday.
10. Back to school on Monday.
11. Appointment with her primary care doctor on Tuesday.
12. Appointment with her asthma specialist Thursday (today).
Nine doctor's appointments in 3 weeks. No child should have to do that! During her hospital stay, her asthma specialist decided that she would have to be put on a different medication. A shot, twice a month that costs $800 a shot. He is going to fight with our insurance to make sure she gets approved.
Here is the way he let me know she needed this medication: "We need this medication. It will change her life. She will not need oral steroids as much and will feel better. We want her to survive her childhood."
Never something a parent wants to hear! Wait, you mean my daughter's asthma is so bad it might kill her with out this medicine!! You better get it approved, the quicker the better. I want her around for a long time.
I have always known that asthma can be deadly, but in my experience it is treatable and the people I love will be okay. I call Cassidy a brittle asthmatic. Just like with brittle diabetics, her asthma is very hard to control and we have no idea what really triggers it. Now I am praying this medicine is approved quickly and she really does improve!
Then along came Cassidy and Barry. Neither one of my youngest kids had any breathing issues until Cassidy got pneumonia in second grade. (She is in sixth grade now.) She was diagnosed with asthma that May. I have Christopher. I know how to deal with asthma in a kid. Boy was I wrong! Cassidy is so different than Chris. I still do not know what her triggers are. She has been in the hospital eleven times since third grade. She misses lots of school and hates that she does. She cries and apologizes to me because she is always sick. How do you help your child with that one?
This school year has been rough. We are in the last week of the first quarter and she has missed about 20 days of school. She has been to our primary care doctor repeatedly and to her asthma specialist at least once a week. She ended up in the hospital last week because of her asthma. She is finally back in school, but she is not allowed to go out for recess or participate in gym because of her wheezing. She is still on oral steroids. She has been on the steroids for pretty much the whole months of September and October (at least what we have gotten through.)
Here is a list of what we have done the past month to try to help Cassidy:
1. Urgent Care with her primary care doctor on a Monday.
2. Appointment with her asthma specialist on Thursday.
3. Follow up with her primary care doctor on Tuesday. He put her on an antibiotic.
4. Appointment with her asthma specialist on Thursday. He has me call him that afternoon so he could check up on her.
5. Appointment with her asthma specialist on Friday. (The following day to see how she was.)
6. A bad weekend. She started coughing so badly, she was throwing up.
7. Back to her asthma specialist on Monday. He put her in the hospital.
8. Hospital visit from Monday through Wednesday. On O2, but no IV much to Cassidy's delight.
9. Appointment with asthma specialist on Thursday.
10. Back to school on Monday.
11. Appointment with her primary care doctor on Tuesday.
12. Appointment with her asthma specialist Thursday (today).
Nine doctor's appointments in 3 weeks. No child should have to do that! During her hospital stay, her asthma specialist decided that she would have to be put on a different medication. A shot, twice a month that costs $800 a shot. He is going to fight with our insurance to make sure she gets approved.
Here is the way he let me know she needed this medication: "We need this medication. It will change her life. She will not need oral steroids as much and will feel better. We want her to survive her childhood."
Never something a parent wants to hear! Wait, you mean my daughter's asthma is so bad it might kill her with out this medicine!! You better get it approved, the quicker the better. I want her around for a long time.
I have always known that asthma can be deadly, but in my experience it is treatable and the people I love will be okay. I call Cassidy a brittle asthmatic. Just like with brittle diabetics, her asthma is very hard to control and we have no idea what really triggers it. Now I am praying this medicine is approved quickly and she really does improve!
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Family Tree Update
Guess what?? I am finding more family members I have not seen in years!! I have remembered things about some of these relatives that I did not know I knew. With most of them, I still do not know exactly how we are related, ie. cousins, niece, etc., I just know we are related. I have been figuring this out as I update our family directory. I am having a great time working on it, however I am kind of at a point where I need help. Because I am not sure who is related to who and how, I cannot fill everything in the way I would like to. Here is to hoping my newly reacquired family members will help me out. :)
Friday, August 30, 2013
School Is In Session!
I cannot tell a lie: I AM SO GLAD SCHOOL HAS STARTED. You know I love my kids, but even moms need a couple of hours once in a while to recharge. During the summer those hours are few and far between. Like teachers who need their summer breaks, I need my school time. I also enjoy helping my kids with homework. It reminds me of how much I do not remember (anyone want to explain direct objects {DO} and indirect objects {IO} to me.) It also helps me keep my mind sharp. (Math is my favorite!) This year it also has told me (in eight days) how quickly things are taught now. I do not remember learning DO and IO until high school and my oldest is only in 7th grade! This year is also the first year that all three of my kids are excited to go to school in the morning! Homework gets done every night. This is a big deal because for the past two years Chris has been on a "homework strike."
Here is a quick health update:
Cassidy's asthma is at it again! She had a major attack last Saturday in Chicago. It was bad enough that I almost called the paramedics. Since then she has had decent days and horrible nights. She is up most of the night and day, so she is extremely tired. This week has also been very hot. Ninety plus temps everyday with the humidity close to 90 percent. It has made things uncomfortable for everyone. (Some schools in the area closed early due to the heat. They did not have AC.) Hopefully now that the weather is cooling off she will start to feel better.
Here is a quick health update:
Cassidy's asthma is at it again! She had a major attack last Saturday in Chicago. It was bad enough that I almost called the paramedics. Since then she has had decent days and horrible nights. She is up most of the night and day, so she is extremely tired. This week has also been very hot. Ninety plus temps everyday with the humidity close to 90 percent. It has made things uncomfortable for everyone. (Some schools in the area closed early due to the heat. They did not have AC.) Hopefully now that the weather is cooling off she will start to feel better.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Family Tree
I have found that searching for family members you know almost nothing about is an interesting experience. I did not realize how many Stinebaughs there have been in the United States. From my perspective Stinebaugh is an uncommon name. The only Stinebaughs I have ever heard of are from our family. And now I have figured out where some of our family names have come from ~ Daniel, Samuel, etc. These names have been around for a very long time. And do you know how many Marys we have had in our family!!! Even with all of that, I am enjoying every minute of of my search.
On another note, when it rains like crazy in a very short period of time DO NOT go shopping! Parking lots flood in minutes!
On another note, when it rains like crazy in a very short period of time DO NOT go shopping! Parking lots flood in minutes!
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Family Genealogy
Why is it that family reunions can make a person really think about where their family came from? I think I know. I just returned home from Oklahoma where I attended my family reunion with 45 other crazy family members. I say crazy because most of us drove for quite a while for a one day event. (Fyi ~ there is talk that it will be a 2 day event in 2 years! ) As always everyone asks how we are all related and it gets a little confusing. I enjoy every bit of the confusion, but sometimes it is hard to keep track of everyone. We have a very big family, even if only a small portion comes to the reunion.
Because no one, not even me, can keep everyone straight I decided to start a family tree. Now mind you I have done a family directory every couple of years just to try to keep everyone current. Although the last one I did was apparently in 2008 and so it is VERY outdated. (Lots of new babies and marriages, etc.) I love doing it and will continue to do it as long as I am able to, but this year I came home and went to work on a family tree. I have only been home since Monday afternoon (I got home after 1 am Sunday night and I spent the night at my mother's house.) There are so many different ancestry websites on the internet that will help you find people and research connections. I have looked at lots of them and kind of got discouraged with the cost. However while I was in OK, my cousin's sister told my about a website that allows you to go up to 250 members of your family for free. Great! I can get started and see how I like the program. (Most sites I have looked at don't let you do much for free.)
Here became the problem: Our family is just too big. I got one branch of our Stinebaugh family into the system and was already almost out of room. When I added the two other branches I had already written out I ran out of room. Mind you, my great grandmother's parents had NINE kids. I had only put in 3! Well, the site allows you to invite family members to look at your tree and add to it, comment on it, add pictures, etc. Now here is why my family is so terrific ~ one of my cousins asked if he could pay the fee because he thought the site was so cool and we would use it a lot. I love my family!
As of right now we have 400 people on our tree and that is just the start. I have been working on it a little every day and keep finding new members of our family. So much fun! I have a feeling that when the next reunion rolls around our tree will be gigantic!! I cannot wait to see.
Because no one, not even me, can keep everyone straight I decided to start a family tree. Now mind you I have done a family directory every couple of years just to try to keep everyone current. Although the last one I did was apparently in 2008 and so it is VERY outdated. (Lots of new babies and marriages, etc.) I love doing it and will continue to do it as long as I am able to, but this year I came home and went to work on a family tree. I have only been home since Monday afternoon (I got home after 1 am Sunday night and I spent the night at my mother's house.) There are so many different ancestry websites on the internet that will help you find people and research connections. I have looked at lots of them and kind of got discouraged with the cost. However while I was in OK, my cousin's sister told my about a website that allows you to go up to 250 members of your family for free. Great! I can get started and see how I like the program. (Most sites I have looked at don't let you do much for free.)
Here became the problem: Our family is just too big. I got one branch of our Stinebaugh family into the system and was already almost out of room. When I added the two other branches I had already written out I ran out of room. Mind you, my great grandmother's parents had NINE kids. I had only put in 3! Well, the site allows you to invite family members to look at your tree and add to it, comment on it, add pictures, etc. Now here is why my family is so terrific ~ one of my cousins asked if he could pay the fee because he thought the site was so cool and we would use it a lot. I love my family!
As of right now we have 400 people on our tree and that is just the start. I have been working on it a little every day and keep finding new members of our family. So much fun! I have a feeling that when the next reunion rolls around our tree will be gigantic!! I cannot wait to see.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Reflections
Cassidy turned 12 today. 12!!!!! I cannot believe how fast time is going. The storms tonight made me remember the storms when she was born. Twelve years ago I was in the hospital in the middle of a huge storm and Cassidy decided to come. What a stinker! The power went out in the hospital for about 30 seconds and life got really interesting. Cassidy has made my life wonderful in so many ways. I would not trade one crazy day for anything. All of the hospital stays, the Girl Scout meetings, and complaints about being the only girl have made life so enjoyable.
Cassidy has been so excited today. "Guess what? It's my golden birthday, mom!" That puts things into a 12 year old's perspective. They get excited about the little things.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
WOW
WOW!! It is amazing how quickly time flies!
As of my last post we have had a hospitalization, 4-H (county fair), Boy Scouts, and school starting very quickly!
First: About a month after I last updated everything, you guessed it ~ Cassidy was in the hospital. We went to the ER on Saturday night, mainly to get a refill of nebulizer meds. (I did not want to risk a problem with running out.) When we left the ER at 12:30 am, Cassidy's pulse ox was 98. I thought we had managed to catch whatever was going on early enough. Boy was I wrong! By 8:30 am (eight hours later), I knew things were not so good. We went back to the ER and Cassidy's pulse ox was 79! The biggest problem was that even with breathing treatments, it would NOT go up. I knew then that we would be going into the hospital, but I did not know which one. I was given a choice ~ Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis or Memorial Children's Hospital in South Bend.
Restart of this post:
Somehow I did not actually finish or publish this update. (Today is June 8, 2013.)
So let's try again.
To be honest, I do not remember the exact date I started this post to begin with. So I will try to update everything.
The hospitalization was in May. We ended up going to South Bend Memorial Children's hospital (May 2012.) Cassidy was there for a week. I cannot imagine a better hospital. It is so much closer than Riley's and the doctors and nurses were fabulous! (Rileys is a great hospital also, but Memorial is so much closer, so I like it better.) Cassidy hated being in the PICU, but things could have been so much worse. I saw so many kids much sicker than her and I am so grateful that she is not worse.
The 4-H fair was a lot of fun. Cassidy was there everyday, because she had to take care of her horse.She did really well and made a lot of new friends. Chris and Barry had one project in the fair ~ Legos. Cassidy also had a scrapbook in the fair. It was a nice slow introduction to 4-H and fair craziness. They all got A awards in their projects.
Chris is now an official Boy Scout. He really likes his troop and they do activities every month. He has gone white water rafting, backpacking, and helped at winter fest. He also went to a survival "training" weekend, where he did not sleep in a tent and learned to start a fire without matches (kind of a scary thought.) Barry will join him as a Boy Scout next March.
We have made it through another school year. Barry was in his last year at Yost (fourth grade). Kind of a sad thought. I no longer have a child in elementary school. I was the PTO president at the school this year. Very crazy! I loved every minute, however I now know how much volunteers make all the difference. Cassidy was a fifth grader at Westchester Intermediate. She had some trouble with teacher's understanding her IEP and following it. Because I come from a family full of teachers I am totally on the teacher's side when my children do something wrong, but when it comes to their ability to learn I have to fight for my kids. Cassidy did fine until she was in the hospital again in November. Because she was sick, her teacher gave her an F in a project she was unable to finish. I was angry! I was able to get Cassidy in the class she needed to be in and she did really well through the rest of the year. Chris decided that as a sixth grader, he was on a home work strike. His grades definitely reflected that. He still managed to pass his classes, but his grades were lower than they should have been.
Now we are at the end of this crazy update, well, no not yet. :)
Chris was diagnosed with Asperger's. This has helped explain a lot of what goes on in his head to me, his teachers, and people who know him. It has also made it easier to figure out what kind of help he needs. He now gets group counseling and individual counseling. He really enjoys group counseling. He reminds me that we have to go. :) Makes my life a little easier. He seems to be more willing to think before he acts which is a great thing. Still have a long way to go, but we are on our way!
Cassidy now sees an asthma specialist and because of this she only was in the hospital one time this school year, although she spent Thanksgiving in the PICU. She still has flare ups, but now we are starting to get a handle on things. She has gone through one part of her allergy testing and she has two more to go. So far, no allergies yet. :)
Barry is my calm, healthy child. I think God knew that I needed a break after everything I have gone through with Chris and Cassidy. Hopefully Barry will continue to stay healthy. :) All three kids have projects for this year's fair. We have a lot to do!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
A Little Reflection
I was re-reading some of my older posts. It is amazing how much my kids have changed, yet still stayed the same. Chris still has his issues with anger, although the tantrums/meltdowns have gotten further apart and less scary. Cassidy has not had any hospital visits since last June and we are finally seeing a doctor close to us that will hopefully mean some answers. And Barry, well is still a little boy with huge dreams. And me, well, I am not 100% sure exactly how much I have changed, but I know I have.
I find myself caring more about the hurts of other people. I have always cared and been more than willing to pray for other people, but now I find myself much more impacted by stories I hear. The illnesses of people I have never met, the damage done in a tornado to people whose names I do not know, the soldiers killed in battle, while these always bothered me, now I cry for them. I am not complaining at all, but I did not realize how much this changed until I re-read the posts of not just me but others' too.
With my life, like so many people around me, SO incredibly busy, I find myself shocked that I care so much more. I am not whining about this, but I would have expected to be more jaded toward the hurts of others. I have seen people I know and care about getting more blasé about life and what is going on in the world and it really bothers me. I get discouraged to see people close up and quick caring. Why is it that the only time people seem to care is when something drastic occurs (tornado, earthquake, death)? What happened to the people how care about the little things (illness, depression, loneliness)? Not that to the people experiencing these things ever feel like the issues are small.
I find myself caring more about the hurts of other people. I have always cared and been more than willing to pray for other people, but now I find myself much more impacted by stories I hear. The illnesses of people I have never met, the damage done in a tornado to people whose names I do not know, the soldiers killed in battle, while these always bothered me, now I cry for them. I am not complaining at all, but I did not realize how much this changed until I re-read the posts of not just me but others' too.
With my life, like so many people around me, SO incredibly busy, I find myself shocked that I care so much more. I am not whining about this, but I would have expected to be more jaded toward the hurts of others. I have seen people I know and care about getting more blasé about life and what is going on in the world and it really bothers me. I get discouraged to see people close up and quick caring. Why is it that the only time people seem to care is when something drastic occurs (tornado, earthquake, death)? What happened to the people how care about the little things (illness, depression, loneliness)? Not that to the people experiencing these things ever feel like the issues are small.
Every once in a while, someone will surprise me and do the opposite of the rest of the world. I have seen the people who smile even when they are in terrible pain just to make someone's day or give every penny to a friend when the friend needs help. I am glad I feel more for others. I would hate to be one of the people who do not care anymore. I hope I continue to care.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Long Time In Coming
Well, I did warn you that it would be a while before I posted again. I have found myself slightly overwhelmed will volunteer stuff. (I think I need to learn to say NO!) To be honest I have no idea what I said in my last blog, so I will start fairly early in this school year. In September, Cassidy and I went to Riley Children's Hospital. She saw a specialist there and I was excited to maybe start getting some answers. Unfortunately, we did not make it to another appointment. My car broke down and my mother was in an accident, so we did not have a way to get there. We kind of muddled through the fall and winter, no hospital visits, but may bouts of illnesses. In March, Cassidy got sick yet again. The doctor put her on an antibiotic and oral steroid. The following week we were back at the doctor and he put her on another 5 day dose of oral steroids. We were at the ER that Saturday night (which just happened to be my birthday) with her breathing trouble. The doctor there said she had a viral sinus infection and he put her on a nasal spray and benedryl to dry her out. That did not work and we were back at the doctor on Wednesday of the following week. The doctor then decided that she needed to refer us to an asthma specialist here in Portage and she had her nurse make us an appointment for the first available time. We ended up back at the ER that Friday. The doctor there put her back on an oral steroid and almost admitted her. Thankfully her pulse ox went from 89 to 100 after two breathing treatments and a dose of very powerful medicine. We went to the specialist last Thursday and he said that her problems probably are immune system related and not an allergy issue. She is getting a CAT scan done on Friday of next week. Hopefully this will get us some much needed answers.
That is the major update about Cassidy. Now for the minor stuff. Christopher has bridged from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. He went on his first official overnight camping trip with them the weekend of my birthday. He had a very good time and is excited about going on another trip. Barry is now a Webelos Scout. He has two more years in Cub Scouts before he bridges to Boy Scouts. He is kind of glad that his brother is not in his pack anymore. Both boys are doing well in school and things are pretty smooth in that area of life. All three kids really like school and that makes me a happy mom. Cassidy is a Junior Girl Scout. Her troop has done quite a bit this year. They wrote and acted out a play about roles women play and they had a really god time with that. Now they are making a "Life Quilt" that has panels with words like bullying, acceptance, friendship, etc. On the quilt are also the words the girls came up with to describe these words or the feeling that they feel when they here the words. The quilt is being given to the principal to hang in the school.
I do not know how much you all want to here about me, but here it is. I am the PTO vice-president (not a job I ever expected to have.) I am the Girl Scout coordinator for our school. That means I answer any questions from the other leaders and I had to find the leaders in the first place. This job I like :). I am on the Cub Scout committee and do a lot to help them out. I run Market Day for our school and don't really mind this job. I almost feel that I live at the school. It makes for an interesting adventure.
My family is doing well. Jenny surprised us on Easter. No one expected to see her since New York is pretty far away. Nick and Krista and Andrew are doing well. Matt and Becky and Gretchen and Lucas are fine. Lucas really likes the beach. Mom is visiting Maria and Joel right now and they are fine also. Elena is teaching ceramics classes at the studio where she does her art work. Alex and Jackie and Alexis and Felicity are still in Azerbaijan. I haven't seen them in a while. I hope to see them when they come home for the summer. :) I know this a bit of a rambling account, but it seems to be the easiest way to update everything. Hopefully it will not be this long before I write again.
That is the major update about Cassidy. Now for the minor stuff. Christopher has bridged from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. He went on his first official overnight camping trip with them the weekend of my birthday. He had a very good time and is excited about going on another trip. Barry is now a Webelos Scout. He has two more years in Cub Scouts before he bridges to Boy Scouts. He is kind of glad that his brother is not in his pack anymore. Both boys are doing well in school and things are pretty smooth in that area of life. All three kids really like school and that makes me a happy mom. Cassidy is a Junior Girl Scout. Her troop has done quite a bit this year. They wrote and acted out a play about roles women play and they had a really god time with that. Now they are making a "Life Quilt" that has panels with words like bullying, acceptance, friendship, etc. On the quilt are also the words the girls came up with to describe these words or the feeling that they feel when they here the words. The quilt is being given to the principal to hang in the school.
I do not know how much you all want to here about me, but here it is. I am the PTO vice-president (not a job I ever expected to have.) I am the Girl Scout coordinator for our school. That means I answer any questions from the other leaders and I had to find the leaders in the first place. This job I like :). I am on the Cub Scout committee and do a lot to help them out. I run Market Day for our school and don't really mind this job. I almost feel that I live at the school. It makes for an interesting adventure.
My family is doing well. Jenny surprised us on Easter. No one expected to see her since New York is pretty far away. Nick and Krista and Andrew are doing well. Matt and Becky and Gretchen and Lucas are fine. Lucas really likes the beach. Mom is visiting Maria and Joel right now and they are fine also. Elena is teaching ceramics classes at the studio where she does her art work. Alex and Jackie and Alexis and Felicity are still in Azerbaijan. I haven't seen them in a while. I hope to see them when they come home for the summer. :) I know this a bit of a rambling account, but it seems to be the easiest way to update everything. Hopefully it will not be this long before I write again.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Major Update
I have decided that as a single mom with no internet at home, I will just write this blog as often as I can and not worry about missing time. I will of course update everyone on the things that were missed, but until I get internet at home I will not be able to blog very often.
So. . . I really have a lot to catch you all up on. Here we go:
The last time I wrote was in March. Almost six months ago and so much happening, I will try to remember it all. As you know I am a Girl Scout leader for Cassidy's Girl Scout Troop. As third graders, our troop was responsible for the Me and My Pal Dance. Our theme was "A Knight to Remember." We decided that we would include a catered dinner with the dance which made for more work, but it was so worth it. The dads/pals were dressed in suits and the girls all wore very beautiful dresses. Cassidy went with our next door neighbor, Jim. She had a blast. The dance was a huge success and the food was great. The other leaders and I worked very hard on making the dance fun. It was a blast watching all the girls, dads, pals, and other leaders dancing to the Cha-Cha Slide. Very funny! As much fun as we had, I am very glad that we do not have that responsibility next year. :)
I am also on the Cub Scout Committee for the boys. Chris only has one more year as a Cub Scout and then he plans to go onto Boy Scouts. (Not sure what I will do in the Boy Scout troop to help.) Barry has a couple more years before we get to that decision. Anyway, I am in charge of the Cub Scout scrap book. I am going to pass it on to another mom when Barry is done with Cub Scouts. I love to scrap book so I do not mind the job at all. The only problem I have is that I do not have enough pictures, but I will remedy that when ever I can. I am also responsible for setting up a summer activity for the Pack. The past two years we have had the pack at my mother's house to see the airshow and have a picnic. It made for a long, but interesting day!
All three of my kids went to Twin Lakes Camp this summer. Cassidy had the same counselors as last year, so she was very excited! Barry and Christopher were in the same cabin only because it was Barry's first year at camp. (Next year they will be in separate cabins.) They all had a really good time. They got to stay at camp for a couple of extra days because my alarm did not go off. I was not a happy mommy when I woke up. My mother ended up driving down to pick them up for me because I had to get everything ready for the Cub Scouts to come enjoy the airshow. Next year my neighbor's and mom are all going to call to make sure my alarm gets me up. :)
So. . . I really have a lot to catch you all up on. Here we go:
The last time I wrote was in March. Almost six months ago and so much happening, I will try to remember it all. As you know I am a Girl Scout leader for Cassidy's Girl Scout Troop. As third graders, our troop was responsible for the Me and My Pal Dance. Our theme was "A Knight to Remember." We decided that we would include a catered dinner with the dance which made for more work, but it was so worth it. The dads/pals were dressed in suits and the girls all wore very beautiful dresses. Cassidy went with our next door neighbor, Jim. She had a blast. The dance was a huge success and the food was great. The other leaders and I worked very hard on making the dance fun. It was a blast watching all the girls, dads, pals, and other leaders dancing to the Cha-Cha Slide. Very funny! As much fun as we had, I am very glad that we do not have that responsibility next year. :)
I am also on the Cub Scout Committee for the boys. Chris only has one more year as a Cub Scout and then he plans to go onto Boy Scouts. (Not sure what I will do in the Boy Scout troop to help.) Barry has a couple more years before we get to that decision. Anyway, I am in charge of the Cub Scout scrap book. I am going to pass it on to another mom when Barry is done with Cub Scouts. I love to scrap book so I do not mind the job at all. The only problem I have is that I do not have enough pictures, but I will remedy that when ever I can. I am also responsible for setting up a summer activity for the Pack. The past two years we have had the pack at my mother's house to see the airshow and have a picnic. It made for a long, but interesting day!
All three of my kids went to Twin Lakes Camp this summer. Cassidy had the same counselors as last year, so she was very excited! Barry and Christopher were in the same cabin only because it was Barry's first year at camp. (Next year they will be in separate cabins.) They all had a really good time. They got to stay at camp for a couple of extra days because my alarm did not go off. I was not a happy mommy when I woke up. My mother ended up driving down to pick them up for me because I had to get everything ready for the Cub Scouts to come enjoy the airshow. Next year my neighbor's and mom are all going to call to make sure my alarm gets me up. :)
In April, Cassidy was sick with pneumonia again and she was in the hospital again! She was in for about 4 days, absolutely no fun. This time she decided that she was old enough to be there alone at night. My family doctor finally said he was going to start doing the tests that needed to be done that the allergist/pulmonary doctor would not. We found that she is very highly allergic to dust mites. (Fun right? You cannot avoid those things!!)
My sister Maria got married this summer in Denver. Most of my sibling met in Vale, CO before the wedding at my cousin Anna's house. (Beautiful house!!) We had a great time. We went white water rafting which was a blast. However, Cassidy decided to get sick again. We went to the ER on Thursday (before the wedding). The doctor sent her home with oxygen and said hopefully when we went lower down the mountain to Boulder, she would do better. She did a little better on Friday during the day, but she had a horrible time Friday night. I took her to the Rocky Mountain Urgent Care, where they gave her three back to back double breathing treatments. When the third one was done, her pulse-ox was still 77, so of course that meant we were on our way to the ER. When we got to the ER, they were really busy. They were telling all the people waiting that it would be a while before they were seen. I went to the counter with Cassidy and told them where we started and what was going on with her and the nurse did not believe that a girl that looked as good as she did could be that bad, but he took her back to the triage area and saw that her pulse-ox WAS 77. They took her straight back. We were in the ER for about two hours. Then Cassidy went upstairs. We were only in her room for about 5 minutes before the doctor came in and said we should probably go to the Denver Children's Hospital. We went two different ways. Cassidy was life flighted to the hospital in a helicopter. She got to see everything. She thinks it is cool that no one else in the family has ever been in a helicopter. The Boulder Hospital gave me a voucher to get to the Children's Hospital because everyone else was at Maria's wedding, so the trip did not cost me anything. Cassidy was in the PICU for 5 days. She got bad enough that they put her on a B-PAP. That is somewhat like the C-PAP that people who have sleep apnea use. She was unable to eat anything for two days because her breathing was so bad. She went to the regular floor and was there for 3 days. While we were in Denver the doctors tested Cassidy for everything from Cystic Fibrosis to HIV. All the tests came back normal. There are some other tests that can be done, but we will have to have them done in Indiana. When she was released the Children's Hospital, they gave us vouchers to fly home on Southwest Airlines. (My mother and the boys went home on Tuesday, while Cassidy was still in the PICU.) We flew home and our luggage ended up in Indy. Southwest got our luggage sent back and we got it back a couple of days later.
I have all the kids get eye exams every year. My eyes are horrible and Brad wears glasses also. Chris has been wearing glasses for about 3 years and Cassidy got them last year, but she does not need them all the time. This year the eye doctor saw that Chris's optic nerve was swollen, so we went to a neurologist on the 4th. Chris now has to have an MRI, EEG, and some other tests to see what is going on. The doctor thinks that he looks good, but she just wanted to make sure everything was good.
On the 5th, I took Cassidy down to Riley Children's Hospital to see a pediatric pulmonary specialist. After our latest adventure in Denver, I decided that we needed to get a different pulmonary doctor and allergist. Once that decision was made it was easy to decided to go to Riley's. Got a different medication that should work better than her old one. Dr. was happy with how much we are doing to prevent issues, but even though she looks healthy her lung function is not great. Therefore the new meds. We go back in a month. Hopefully we will get the answers to help keep her healthy.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Bigger Update
I forgot some stuff that happened between December and February and then I have to update you on what has happened since February.
In December my brothers, (Nick and Matt), Maria and her fiance Joel, and I tore out the wall and floor in Cassidy's room and the bathroom. (I have taken pictures of the whole process and hope to post them soon.) It took a lot of work to get it done. We ended up having a plumber come in and fix the shower fixtures and a handyman to come in to do the finishing work. It is wonderful to have no more mold and freshly painted rooms. Cassidy is in love with her room. It is pink, very PINK! With white furniture, it is definitely all girl. :) The boys also got a freshly painted room and new floors.
The rest of January and February were fine. Until Cassidy got sick again. She started coughing on the 10th of February. On the 11th, I took her to the ER and she got three breathing treatments in 3 hours. No x-ray or meds. On the 15th I took her to her doctor and he put her on an antibiotic. He said given her history he was going to treat her like she had pneumonia again. On the 19th we were back in the ER, a different one. They did x-rays and saw she had pneumonia (again ~ for the third time this winter season.) She was admitted (AGAIN.) She saw an infectious disease doctor. Very nice woman. She had Cassidy tested for MRSA, and a bunch of other issues. Cassidy tested positive for myco-plasma pneumonia. It is the most common childhood pneumonia and very contagious. I looked it up and a person can be exposed 3 weeks before symptoms start showing. Cassidy was in the hospital for 6 days. I am a little frustrated with the fact that Cassidy keeps getting sick, but the doctors and I are trying to figure out what is causing all of this sickness.
My car is back ~ new engine and radiator. Both head-gaskets went out. When the mechanic took the motor out, they punctured the radiator. Fun right? These problems are fixed, but now I have another problem. When my friend was coming to pick me up, the heating system went out. The heating system in my car is one system with dual controls for the front and back. The hose leading to the back collapsed. I am waiting for the parts to come in. The car is drivable, but still needs work.
Man, when it rains it pours. However life could be worse and I am happy that we have doctors who have the ability to heal people and mechanics that can fix cars. Mostly I am grateful for a God who takes are of all of us.
In December my brothers, (Nick and Matt), Maria and her fiance Joel, and I tore out the wall and floor in Cassidy's room and the bathroom. (I have taken pictures of the whole process and hope to post them soon.) It took a lot of work to get it done. We ended up having a plumber come in and fix the shower fixtures and a handyman to come in to do the finishing work. It is wonderful to have no more mold and freshly painted rooms. Cassidy is in love with her room. It is pink, very PINK! With white furniture, it is definitely all girl. :) The boys also got a freshly painted room and new floors.
The rest of January and February were fine. Until Cassidy got sick again. She started coughing on the 10th of February. On the 11th, I took her to the ER and she got three breathing treatments in 3 hours. No x-ray or meds. On the 15th I took her to her doctor and he put her on an antibiotic. He said given her history he was going to treat her like she had pneumonia again. On the 19th we were back in the ER, a different one. They did x-rays and saw she had pneumonia (again ~ for the third time this winter season.) She was admitted (AGAIN.) She saw an infectious disease doctor. Very nice woman. She had Cassidy tested for MRSA, and a bunch of other issues. Cassidy tested positive for myco-plasma pneumonia. It is the most common childhood pneumonia and very contagious. I looked it up and a person can be exposed 3 weeks before symptoms start showing. Cassidy was in the hospital for 6 days. I am a little frustrated with the fact that Cassidy keeps getting sick, but the doctors and I are trying to figure out what is causing all of this sickness.
My car is back ~ new engine and radiator. Both head-gaskets went out. When the mechanic took the motor out, they punctured the radiator. Fun right? These problems are fixed, but now I have another problem. When my friend was coming to pick me up, the heating system went out. The heating system in my car is one system with dual controls for the front and back. The hose leading to the back collapsed. I am waiting for the parts to come in. The car is drivable, but still needs work.
Man, when it rains it pours. However life could be worse and I am happy that we have doctors who have the ability to heal people and mechanics that can fix cars. Mostly I am grateful for a God who takes are of all of us.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Time to Catch You Up On Everything
I have not forgotten you all, but I have been very busy. I kind of left off with Cassidy at Riley's. She came home the night before Thanksgiving and has not really had a problem since then. Chris and Cassidy started getting acupuncture the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it seems to be helping. Chris is gaining weight (finally) and Cassidy is feeling better. I had three finals, 5 small papers and three big papers to do before the end of the semester Dec. 15th. Crazy busy, right? Life since Christmas has not slowed down at all. I have been "snowed in" for about a week. Well, not really snowed in, but car less. My car went into the shop about 2 weeks ago ~ the first time. It went back into the shop two days later ~ the second time. The third time I took it into the shop, we finally figured out what was wrong. Both head gaskets in the engine broke. So until the engine is replaced/fixed, I am with out a car. The same time my car broke down, my mother's and neighbor's cars also broke down. With what problem you may ask? Both of their cars need, you guessed it new ENGINES. A little frustrating to say the least. Northwest Indiana got about 2 feet of snow last Tuesday/Wednesday and another 7 inches today. So not fun! I am so looking forward to SPRING. Talk to you all later!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Have I Got a Story For You!
As most of you know, Cassidy had pneumonia in September. We spent 3 days in the hospital and everything was better. Well, on Thursday (Nov. 18) I got a phone call from her school saying she coughed so much that she threw up. Of course that meant that I had to pick her up from school. (Now just so you know, she wasn't even coughing on Wednesday AT ALL!) When I got to the school, she was fine, a little cough but nothing bad. However being a mom with three kids, I made a doctor's appointment for 3:15 that afternoon. I always try to get to the office early, so hopefully that means they will see us quicker. We sat in the waiting room all of five minutes, before Cassidy was really struggling to breathe. I went to the desk and told the receptionist that she really needed to be seen. (Usually I do not mind waiting, but something told me we could not wait this time.) They got a nurse, who took her straight back and gave her a breathing treatment. (With asthmatics, they always put on a O2 saturation monitor. Her pulse-ox was 88.) After the breathing treatment, her pulse-ox went up to 94/95. She was doing better. However, what kind of story would this be without more. About 30 minutes later, her pulse-ox dropped back down to 89/90. Of course no one was happy with that. The doctor put her on O2, which only brought her pulse-ox up to 92/93. A second doctor came in and both doctor's agreed that she needed to go into the hospital. Not only into the hospital, but she had to go by ambulance. She freaked out! When the ambulance got there, the paramedic had to put in an IV. (Not Cassidy's favorite thing!!) She cried. The paramedic told her that if he put the IV in she could get a new teddy bear. She let him and got a cute little pink sparkly bear. I followed the ambulance and the boys were with me. We got to St. Mary's hospital in Hobart and sat in the ER until almost ten. They were waiting for a room for her. They did an x-ray and an hour long breathing treatment. The boys were bored and decided to fight with each other to pass the time. I am sure the people in the ER were very glad to see us go. We went up to the pediatric unit, where Cassidy was very excited to see nurses she remembered from previous stays. Her pulse-ox never got above 93, so on Saturday morning the doctor decided it was time to send her to a children's' hospital. We ended up going to Riley Children's' Hospital in Indianapolis. I was told that if there had been no fog , she would have been airlifted to the hospital. As it was, I followed the ambulance to Riley's. We never went slower than 80 mph on I-65. When we got to Riley's, Cassidy was admitted to the PICU, the pediatric intensive care unit. All day Saturday, her pulse-ox stayed about 90. The doctors decided to give her moist, heated O2. She was at 100% until the middle of the night when they turned it sown to 50%. Her pulse-ox through the night was 97/98. This morning was a whole different story. Her pulse-ox dropped to 85/86. Everyone was really concerned that they would have to insert a breathing tube. We had a tense couple of hours. However, they decided to try something different. They put her back on an O2 mask with the heated, moist air. They gave her a breathing treatment and then used another treatment machine. She had to breathing in and out deeply and when she breathed in the machine gave an extra puff and forced air deep into her lungs. After she did that, they used a third machine that pounds on her back to help loosen the mucus in her lungs. Right now (7:30 CST, Nov. 21) she is down to 60% o2 and her pulse-ox is up to 95/96. Tomorrow, we will meet the pulmonary specialist and see what we can do to stop this from happening again. I am sure this story is not quite over, we will have to see what happens tonight and tomorrow. TAFN ~ That's all for now!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
This Is What Happens When Life Gets In The Way!
Well, as most of you know, life usually finds a way of getting in the way of even the most well laid plans or intentions. With the chaos of summer and of school starting in the fall, I am almost surprised I still have my sanity! :) Let me try to get you caught up on what is going on with our crazy life. Christopher and Cassidy both went to camp this summer and had a blast!! Christopher went last year and had a terrific time, so he was very excited to return. This was Cassidy's first time at camp and she was a little apprehensive, but still excited. She, of course, had a blast also. She came home so excited! Because I worked at the camp for three years, the current camp director was kind enough to give me the grand tour of all the changes they have made to the camp since I was there. Can I be a camper again? The camp has made some wonderful changes and additions to challenge mountain and, well, just about everything else! (I asked them to have a women's conference so that I could come down. We will see what happens.) Anyway to keep going, we spent a lot of time at the beach. Cassidy had her tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in her ears after camp. Still waiting for the results of whether that will actually help her or not. Other than life itself, nothing much really happened this summer. School started for the kids and me (yes, me) in August. I am on my last semester and I will be done with my bachelors degree, finally. So far so good. The kids all love their teachers this year and are doing well! Barry is in second grade multi-age and loves being a buddy (a helper to a 1st grade pal.) He is in Cub Scouts which actually starts tomorrow night. Cassidy is in third grade. She is also in Girl Scouts. This is her last year as a Brownie. By the end of the school year, she will have finished the entire Try-It book. (She is very excited about that!) Christopher, who now wants to be called Chris, is in fourth grade. He is in his last year at Yost. (It only goes to 4th grade.) He is also in Cub Scouts, but he is a Webelos. Two more years in Cub Scouts and then he plans to go into Boy Scouts. Anyway, life is busy and hopefully I will keep you updated more frequently! :)
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