Yes, a week after bringing him to the ER knowing that Benji needed to be admitted, I am still kicking myself for bringing him home that night. And yep, I knew better. Plus, I had a haircut scheduled for the next morning. Sanford Children's was not in my plans.
The constant streams of "what if"s" doesn't seem to stop. Holy cow. It doesn't even seem to let up. Somehow I am reduced to a teary mess of a mommy on about an hourly basis when I remember that the little boy who is currently driving his big brothers nuts had blood sugars so low that he could have gone into a coma.
Yes, we've been through worse/scarier/more life threatening medical crisis with Benji. If that is even imaginable. However, they were never really based on bad judgement calls by me. Or maybe they were and people were just too polite to tell us.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
This boy.....
....is HUGE! A trip to the pediatrician for a yearly check up showed that Isaac is just gonna be giants like his uncles. His growth has been great, his feet are massive, and he's in the 95th percentile for everything. Unfortunately he was not too pleased with mommy for not forewarning him how in depth the exam would be. Ooops.
He was referred back to the University of Iowa for further evaluation in the Connective Tissue Diseases Clinic and for evaluation of longer term bowel management options. In addition, he was referred back to Children's Care in Sioux Falls for a more indepth evaluation of his gross motor delays, evaluation of his orthotics, and pt recommendations.
Overall, Glenn and I are thrilled with the prospect of a way out of the never ending rectal enemas. (Eeeewww!) Isaac is just preferring to be a sulky 8 year old and proclaim his denial that there is even a problem.
I did perk the sulky boy up a bit with a trip to McDonald's for his favorite $1 chicken sandwhiches (he can eat three by the way, if anyone besides him is counting) and a new Johnny Lightening car from KMart. For some reason, these boys just love KMart!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
VICTORY!
After almost two weeks of double pneumonia, I have won the battle.
(insert Warrior battle cry or something equally non-offensive to those of you who may believe that Native Americans should not be mascots for proud towns like the one where I happened to grow up, but I digress....)
My x-ray from Friday showed my lungs much improved. I have some lingering inflammation, or essentially bronchitis, am still coughing alot, and am sooooo tired, but am on the mend. It only took nebulizers every 4 hours for 9 days, 5 shots in my buttocks, and more pain killers and steroids than imaginable. Just a simple virus gone wild I guess.
Just to be sure though.....my doctor ordered a chest x-ray for later this week. This is the same doctor who was not convinced I was not a closet smoker (obviously she does not know that my virus wracked body was simply trying to perfect a husky smoker voice), felt that I am far too stressed and that's why I got so sick (really? that required alot of though!), offered/threatened to hospitalize me on three occasions during what I will forever call "The 2010 Virus That Made Mommy Want To Curl Up And Die."
So I am off to a busy week now that I know I am going to actually live through this nasty experience. Monday the boys have no school so I get a little time with Will and Isaac while Benji stays with a babysitter. Tuesday and Wednesday will be all about Benji while we embark on yet another trip to MN, and as for the rest of the week...well, my lofty goal is to finish cleaning out Benji's medical supplies and work on an article I am writing for a publication for parents of children with medical needs.
And I may just take up smoking if this all just stresses me out too much!
(insert Warrior battle cry or something equally non-offensive to those of you who may believe that Native Americans should not be mascots for proud towns like the one where I happened to grow up, but I digress....)
My x-ray from Friday showed my lungs much improved. I have some lingering inflammation, or essentially bronchitis, am still coughing alot, and am sooooo tired, but am on the mend. It only took nebulizers every 4 hours for 9 days, 5 shots in my buttocks, and more pain killers and steroids than imaginable. Just a simple virus gone wild I guess.
Just to be sure though.....my doctor ordered a chest x-ray for later this week. This is the same doctor who was not convinced I was not a closet smoker (obviously she does not know that my virus wracked body was simply trying to perfect a husky smoker voice), felt that I am far too stressed and that's why I got so sick (really? that required alot of though!), offered/threatened to hospitalize me on three occasions during what I will forever call "The 2010 Virus That Made Mommy Want To Curl Up And Die."
So I am off to a busy week now that I know I am going to actually live through this nasty experience. Monday the boys have no school so I get a little time with Will and Isaac while Benji stays with a babysitter. Tuesday and Wednesday will be all about Benji while we embark on yet another trip to MN, and as for the rest of the week...well, my lofty goal is to finish cleaning out Benji's medical supplies and work on an article I am writing for a publication for parents of children with medical needs.
And I may just take up smoking if this all just stresses me out too much!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Puppy Codependency
In one word, Petey is....pitiful.
Benji and I dropped Sadie off at the vet today to be spayed. Yes, there will be no part Schitzu/part pug/part whatever puppies at this house.
Poor Petey has been so sad since we left though. When I returned home without Sadie he gave me accusatory look like"I know you lady, you dropped my girl off in a snowbank somewhere didn't you?" He has been sitting in the kitchen for hours howling like some type of hounddog. I walked by him a few minutes ago and told him "dude, you're a schnauzer, not a hound, get a grip." I felt sort of guilty as he hung his head so I then sat down with him and launched into a lengthy conversation with him about the benefits of spaying his gal and how he can have the good dog bed to himself for the whole night. I apparently need more adult convesation being I have once again resorted to talking to the schnauzer over watching Rachel Ray!
Who knew that Petey and Sadie were such a "couple"? She did not seem to bat an eye when he went to the vet to be neutered. She slept in his bed, chewed on his bone, and shredded his puppy sweater. Apparently I underestimated the puppy love we have going on here on Petey's part. It's going to be a long night though as Sadie doesn't get to come home until noon tomorrow. I may need earmuffs to sleep!
So, back to the dropping off part- Benji gave Sadie quite the little pre-surgery pep talk at the vet's office. He instructed her to be a "good boy", not to bite, that pokes only hurt for a second, that if she's good daddy will buy her a toy, and again, not to bite. He has a great future as a child life worker I tell 'ya! On the way back home he asked me if Sadie was having surgery because her "kidney was sick". I then proceeded to attempt to explain to him the reasoning for puppy birth control. What was I thinking? All he got out of it was that "mommy and daddy don't like babies." Uhhh....not quite. I wonder how many people he will repeat that to?
Benji and I dropped Sadie off at the vet today to be spayed. Yes, there will be no part Schitzu/part pug/part whatever puppies at this house.
Poor Petey has been so sad since we left though. When I returned home without Sadie he gave me accusatory look like"I know you lady, you dropped my girl off in a snowbank somewhere didn't you?" He has been sitting in the kitchen for hours howling like some type of hounddog. I walked by him a few minutes ago and told him "dude, you're a schnauzer, not a hound, get a grip." I felt sort of guilty as he hung his head so I then sat down with him and launched into a lengthy conversation with him about the benefits of spaying his gal and how he can have the good dog bed to himself for the whole night. I apparently need more adult convesation being I have once again resorted to talking to the schnauzer over watching Rachel Ray!
Who knew that Petey and Sadie were such a "couple"? She did not seem to bat an eye when he went to the vet to be neutered. She slept in his bed, chewed on his bone, and shredded his puppy sweater. Apparently I underestimated the puppy love we have going on here on Petey's part. It's going to be a long night though as Sadie doesn't get to come home until noon tomorrow. I may need earmuffs to sleep!
So, back to the dropping off part- Benji gave Sadie quite the little pre-surgery pep talk at the vet's office. He instructed her to be a "good boy", not to bite, that pokes only hurt for a second, that if she's good daddy will buy her a toy, and again, not to bite. He has a great future as a child life worker I tell 'ya! On the way back home he asked me if Sadie was having surgery because her "kidney was sick". I then proceeded to attempt to explain to him the reasoning for puppy birth control. What was I thinking? All he got out of it was that "mommy and daddy don't like babies." Uhhh....not quite. I wonder how many people he will repeat that to?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
I am no cub scout!
No...I apparently was not paying attention during the first aid portion of cub scouts. Luckily for me Will was as he sprang into action when I about sliced off my finger cooking with my new knives tonight. Yes, as I was slicing chicken for fajitas and gagging at the slimy meat (I am no Julia Child) my Christmas present to myself attacked me. Good thing Will can apply pressure, bandaged, and tell me I probably don't need to see a doctor unless it turns green. Eeewww. Have I mentioned how much I love this boy?
As for the knives, I think we will have cereal for supper tomorrow night and just let them hang on their pretty little rack for a day or two. This will give me time to contemplate their beauty and dangerousness and also think about how much I love having all the fingers that God gave me still attached to my hands.
Speaking of their beauty, these knives are really cool. I have never had a nice set of knives. Based on their quickness to cut I would say that the ones I puchased from the dollar store when I graduated in 1997 were a little dull. These are Pure Komachi. I don't know much about kives except that these are cool, yet not so cool that they were out of my price range. I love that they are color coded so I can tell which one I used to cut which food item. They, obviously, would be much cooler if they were not so darn sharp though! I would take a picture just to show them off if I could manuver my camera with my hopefully-not-turning-green-injured finger.
Did I mention how much I love Will?
As for the knives, I think we will have cereal for supper tomorrow night and just let them hang on their pretty little rack for a day or two. This will give me time to contemplate their beauty and dangerousness and also think about how much I love having all the fingers that God gave me still attached to my hands.
Speaking of their beauty, these knives are really cool. I have never had a nice set of knives. Based on their quickness to cut I would say that the ones I puchased from the dollar store when I graduated in 1997 were a little dull. These are Pure Komachi. I don't know much about kives except that these are cool, yet not so cool that they were out of my price range. I love that they are color coded so I can tell which one I used to cut which food item. They, obviously, would be much cooler if they were not so darn sharp though! I would take a picture just to show them off if I could manuver my camera with my hopefully-not-turning-green-injured finger.
Did I mention how much I love Will?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
My poor crackly lungs
I had the unfortunate opportunity this week of encountering a bug that started out as a sinus infection and blossomed (very quickly) into double pneumonia. Yes, as the doctor asked me for the third time in 10 minutes if I was a smoker, I began to get annoyed. Then it dawned on me that my lungs were just that bad. So, yep, xrays showed they are definately not looking pretty. My options were IV antibiotics at home (which would never work because my veins are pretty scarred up from when I had pancreatitis), IV abx in the hospital (shoving Glenn into single fatherhood while we have no nursing care for Benji), or daily IM shots in the butt of antibiotics at the hospital.
Without a second thought I opted for option 3.
And my butt is very sore in case anyone was wondering.
My lungs have until Friday to look better or my doctor, who may or may not believe that I am not a smoker, plans to admit me for IV antibiotics. Today when I went for day 2 of Benji holding my hand and telling me "you're a good boy mommy." According to the doc, my lungs actually sounded worse today than yesterday. Oh, this is so not a good thing!
But for now, I will go get the shots in the buttocks daily with my 2 year old to comfort me and cheer for me when I get my Dora bandaids, because all good boys love Dora, right?
Without a second thought I opted for option 3.
And my butt is very sore in case anyone was wondering.
My lungs have until Friday to look better or my doctor, who may or may not believe that I am not a smoker, plans to admit me for IV antibiotics. Today when I went for day 2 of Benji holding my hand and telling me "you're a good boy mommy." According to the doc, my lungs actually sounded worse today than yesterday. Oh, this is so not a good thing!
But for now, I will go get the shots in the buttocks daily with my 2 year old to comfort me and cheer for me when I get my Dora bandaids, because all good boys love Dora, right?
Monday, January 11, 2010
Where the heck have I been?
Well......let me tell ya......when I started this blog I vowed that it would NOT be about Benji and his medical problems. It was designed to be about all three kids and their normal kid things, not sepsis, venous access failure, or any other nasty things that come with raising a certain little boy who's name starts with "B."
So needless to say after 5 weeks in the hospital and 3 weeks of working to get back on track after those 5 weeks in the hospital....
I AM BACK!
Laundry is caught up, the freezer is restocked, we have ventured out several times as a family to try to make some good memories, christmas presents have been wrapped/unwrapped/broken/lost/exchanged/traded with your brother/and broken again.
Life is back on the tracks.
During these 3 weeks at home we have been nurse-less and I have used this time to try to get Benji back to some semblance of a routine. 5 weeks in the hospital was definately not kind on our routine. So, we have started over with all things related to independence for this little boy. It is no easy feat either. From glasses wearing to dressing to talking to braces- everything was disrupted by the "hospital stay from hell when no one listed to daddy and mommy and Benji quit acting like Benji." Yesterday as he helped to put on his shirt for the first time since he was discharged I told Glenn "he's almost like a real boy."
Then......
He choked and vomitted green bile.
Okay. So not quite like a real boy.
Today Little Mr. Pinnochio is bile free and ready to conquer the world with mommy. Or maybe just Vermillion Ford. Pretty sure I said about 3 months ago that I would never go there again after they messed up my ignition. I guess hell froze over yet again!
So we are headed to the dealership to have a part replaced on the car and then to the library to see if they have a toddler storytime this spring. Yes, I could just call, but it turns out that in the process of trying to make this child more like a normal boy we discovered that he needs some friends. Preferably ones without fur and tails.
Off to the library we go........
So needless to say after 5 weeks in the hospital and 3 weeks of working to get back on track after those 5 weeks in the hospital....
I AM BACK!
Laundry is caught up, the freezer is restocked, we have ventured out several times as a family to try to make some good memories, christmas presents have been wrapped/unwrapped/broken/lost/exchanged/traded with your brother/and broken again.
Life is back on the tracks.
During these 3 weeks at home we have been nurse-less and I have used this time to try to get Benji back to some semblance of a routine. 5 weeks in the hospital was definately not kind on our routine. So, we have started over with all things related to independence for this little boy. It is no easy feat either. From glasses wearing to dressing to talking to braces- everything was disrupted by the "hospital stay from hell when no one listed to daddy and mommy and Benji quit acting like Benji." Yesterday as he helped to put on his shirt for the first time since he was discharged I told Glenn "he's almost like a real boy."
Then......
He choked and vomitted green bile.
Okay. So not quite like a real boy.
Today Little Mr. Pinnochio is bile free and ready to conquer the world with mommy. Or maybe just Vermillion Ford. Pretty sure I said about 3 months ago that I would never go there again after they messed up my ignition. I guess hell froze over yet again!
So we are headed to the dealership to have a part replaced on the car and then to the library to see if they have a toddler storytime this spring. Yes, I could just call, but it turns out that in the process of trying to make this child more like a normal boy we discovered that he needs some friends. Preferably ones without fur and tails.
Off to the library we go........
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