Only in the Midwest.
So last week I get this series of texts from Hailey.
Hailey: mom my stomach hurts. I threw up this morning.
Me: then why did you go to school?
Hailey: I had a test. It hurts around my belly button.
Me: ok. Call me or dad later if it gets worse. Gotta go, at E's appt.
2 hours later.....
Hailey: it really hurts mom.
Me: where? What side?
Hailey: if you are facing me on the right.
That's our smart girls answer.
Me: so you mean your left?
Hailey: I guess so.
Me: can you jump up and down on one foot?
Delay in response here as she tries this at school
Hailey: yes.
Me: you're fine. If its still bad tomorrow we will call dr.
No answer for 30 min or so then this
Hailey: mom. I know what it is. I looked it up. It's peritonitis!
Web MD is a dangerous Internet tool.
Me: you DO NOT HAVE PERITONITIS.
Hailey: then it's my appendix.
Me: no it's not.
Hailey: a hernia?
Me: it's none of the above. I'm going to sleep now. have dad take you to dr tomorrow.
A dr appt, an X-ray, 1 IV stick-which Hailey almost fainted from BTW, oral contrast, a CT of her belly, and a $200 imaging co-pay later, the diagnosis? Constipation. Argh! It was actually quite comical. Aside from the $200.
Ethan had two appointments in the last two weeks-endocrine and ophthalmology.
At Endo Dr Cernich is concerned with E's growth on growth hormone. He has grown about 4 inches in the last two years, but only gained a pound in 3 years. He knows we have him on the GH primarily for the cognitive benefit from the Ch 18 research study, and doesn't want to take him off. But he is concerned that our insurance may not want to keep paying if we don't show some significant growth after this many years. So he had some lab work drawn, an IGF to see if there is a chemical response to the GH, and if so, we should be ok dealing with the insurance.
At the eye appt, Dr Hug was very impressed with his tracking of the light up toy. However, she did determine the drift of his eyes is pretty significant, as well as his nearsightedness. Thus, glasses are in his very near future. The drift could be corrected with surgery, but not something we are willing to put him under anesthesia for just so he stops turning his head to the side to see things clearly. Maybe if he were walking, and having his head turned all the time was dangerous to him running into things we would consider it, but not right now. His maculopathy is still the same, no worse, which is great news.
My pre-op appt was fabulous. Dr Buescher explained my surgery and how she's going to send me home on lots of good pain meds and pain catheters in the surgical site called On-Q catheters-see pic below. Maybe even two on each side depending on how tough it is to get the expander under my pectoral muscle. The On-Q Caths stay in for 5 days then she pulls them in the office.
Craziness? I could go home the same day as my surgery. Yep, you read that right. Same day discharge. IF my pain is well controlled 2-3 hours post-op. Is it weird to ask to stay overnight even if my pain is well controlled?
Parker started track practice and comes home pretty beat every day! They even did some Pilates and yoga exercises last week, and boy was he sore that day. Not sure yet what event he is going to do, he seems to like the hurdles. I don't do hurdles, never could. Legs not long enough, not coordinated enough and the thought of crashing to the ground does not appeal to me. Thank goodness he's more coordinated than I am. We took him shopping for the clothes for his dance this weekend, and he looked so good in the outfit we got him! I can't wait to take pics Friday-will post as soon as I have them. He still hasn't decided where they are going to eat yet. Brian and I told him it would be a good idea to find out what kind of food she likes, that would help.
Hailey's club volleyball team took 1st place Saturday at the Parkville Pow-Wow! We are so proud of all the girls! They played so well together-and of 16 sets only lost one! This was their first medal all season-nothing like it being for first place of a Gold Tournament! Hailey had some very good hits and blocks. We still need to work on her confidence and getting her to swing hard every time. The 18's coach said she would be happy to work with her. We are also going to get her out to some camps this summer. She's come a long way with some hard work. We just have to keep her training after club season is over.
Last week was a very sad one, as one of Ethan's former classmates and the daughter of a fellow Police family passed away in her sleep last weekend. Brian and I were out of town when we got the news, and I wanted to get home as soon as possible and hug our little bald guy. We live with the fear every day that we will walk into his bedroom to get him up for school and he will no longer be with us, so Devin's death hits really close to home. My heart breaks for her parents Chris and Sarah. I can't imagine how we would cope as a family, and my prayers are for their comfort and peace in the dark days ahead without their daughter. With a special needs kid our lives become so entangled as caregivers, our identities as Mom and Dad and even siblings are lost in taking care of our kids who cannot care for themselves. It becomes second nature, habit, as commonplace to program a feeding pump, take apart a wheelchair, put on orthotics and oxygen and hearing aides as it is to breathe for us. We would be as lost as if we lost a limb. Please keep the Millsap family in your thoughts and prayers as well.
And just in case I didn't have enough shit going on in my life, I slipped on a wet floor last Friday morning before I got off work and tweaked my right knee. Yep, my bad knee. Since I woke up that afternoon and my knee was swollen and popping and hurt to put weight on, off to the ER I went. X-rays looked ok, just a little bit of soft tissue swelling. Orders to go home, rest, ice and elevate. After doing that it does feel a little better. But off to employee health tomorrow morning I go and see what they want to do. Brian said he was going to just take me out to pasture and shoot me. Put me out of his misery. Ha! No really, if I go MIA this week, send the cops after him.
Ethan has an appointment with Dr Erica, his dentist, tomorrow, and I'm kind of afraid she will need to pull some stubborn teeth that aren't wanting to fall out on their own. I'm a big baby and don't want to watch, so I'm making Brian go with me. He's not too thrilled either. Then a feeding eval at Mercy Tuesday morning.
So, again, a busy week equating to a busy, busy month.
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