When antibiotics fail...

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Makayla started showing symptoms of illness on Sunday.  On Monday she got worse.  We visited the ER three times in four days.  Today she went back to the doctor to have her ears checked.  Four days of oral antibiotics and one day of an antibiotic injection didn't phase her infected ear.  She has apparently grown a resistence to these meds.  So therefore she has been admitted to the hospital for IV antibiotics.  Will this happen again when she gets her next ear infection?  Shew...I hope not.  But we definatly need to consult with the ENT to discuss the next steps.

Visit to Shriner's

We've known for quite a while that Makayla has scoliosis. After regularly visiting one orthopedist who just kept telling us we would follow it and monitor it, we had to go to another doctor. He was local, but not a peds specialist. He scared me to death. He referred us to Shriner's and we went last week.

We found out Makayla's back has gone from 80 degrees in August to 105 now.  It began to drastically increase after open heart surgery in August 2010.

The option is to put an extension rod in her back. She will have to have outpatient surgery every 6 months to extend it for the next 10 years or so, until she stops growing. The doctor also wants her to wear a halo for a month or two prior to the surgery. He would like her to be hospitalized the entire time:/

It can't be done at that Shriner's because she needs a Cardiologist and Pulminologist available, which they do not have at that facility. We would have to go to Shriner's in St. Louis or we can go to Vanderbilt since it is in our state. Still yet, that is 4 hours away. We are hoping the doctor will approve Home Health to monitor her at home instead. If not, we hope she can be transferred to the local Children's hospital until time for the procedure. Our last option, but not last resort is to move to the Nashville area (something we had already been considering before learning all of this information).

For now, we will wait to return to Shriner's next month. I will be working on getting the house market ready, "just in case." Some things on my to do list is:

•  Repaint every room except the girls room and the laundry room.
• Back splash in kitchen
• Handles on cabinets
• Finish roof (not me of course;)
• Clear out large lot behind the house (currently in progress by someone we hired)
• Paint the deck
• Paint iron screen doors
• Putting cabinets up in laundry room
• Put up door up in laundry room

I'm hoping these changes will help sell the house quickly and for a great price if we put it on the market. 

**Update-I might have the hubs convinced to stay, but we will still prepare just in case. 

January 3 in 30 (Big Massive FAIL!!!) & other news

Yes that is right folks, I did not accomplish all my goals for January=(  I did pay off a debt (woot! woot!).  The closets have come along, but are not completely in order. (Do I get brownie points for progress made?)  And as for the 10 lbs in the month of January??  I haven't weighed myself in 2 weeks, but the weight is slow to come off=(  I've had some blood work done to determine why I'm so tired and slow to loose weight.  So far everything seems okay, but my Vit. D is low so the doctor put me on 5000 IU a day.  Hopefully that helps give me some energy, which in turn will help me loose weight *fingers crossed.*


On to other news...


Makayla took a trip to the endocrinologist for the first time this past week.  We now have a plan to keep her blood sugar stable, and hopefully all these sick episodes will subside.  That also reminds me, she was hospitalized a little over a week ago.  It appears as if she had pneumonia, but the next day she woke up, took off her oxygen, and just seemed perfectly happy!  We only had to stay one night (thank God).  This was our first overnight stay since "the incident" back in September...


One more thing that I wanted to touch on....we've had some scary episodes with Makayla.  I also read Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman (Fabulous book!  Highly Recommend!).  Plus I watched an episode of Oprah where these parents lost all three of their children in a car accident.  With all this, on top of the doctor this week asking the life expectancy of Makayla with her Chromosome condition, it got me thinking...thoughts that...I don't...want...to...think...but...they're there=( 


So I read in a magazine a suggestion to keep a one sentence journal.  Everyday just write a sentence about something from that day.  It is "time manageable" with my busy life.  So I purchased a very pretty journal yesterday at TJ Maxx and began.  But I am writing one sentence for each of my kids.  Some days they may be combined depending on what happened that day.  I don't want to miss a thing, and I don't ever want to get to the place where I forget "the little things."  As time allows me, I think I will also write a sentence for myself as encouragement on days in which I need it. 


So, now that February is about to begin, what are my goals for this month?  I will be thinking about those tonight and hopefully get my post up tomorrow, if not then by Friday.  Everyone have a fabulous week!  Until we meet again...

Peanut Pie Update

WOW! 

What a day!! 

My mom stayed with Peanut Pie last night, so Daddy B and I could go home and get some rest.  Just before 6am the phone rings.  Unbeknown to me why I didn't have my phone beside the bed (?)  I run through the house in the dark to answer it.  She tells me we need to get to the hospital because MB's sats were dropping and they had nurses, respiratory, and doctors in working on her.  I moved as fast as I could getting JD up and dressed, myself dressed, and grabbing what we needed. 

I called the nurse on the way and she said they had her up to 100% oxygen and they thought that the tube had moved in her chest.  X-ray confirmed that and they had to reintibate.  She did okay after they got it fixed, only to have another episode while Mommy Me stepped down to the cafeteria to get some coffee.  Daddy B was here and his nerves were on end.  She had to be suctioned because some secretions were blocking her airways.

So....

Even after all that, this afternoon she was able to COME OFF THE VENT!!! YAY!!!  She is doing well.  She is on 2 liters of oxygen and her sats are 98-100%  She has gained 1 lb 10 oz since Sunday.  She is definitely on the road to recovery!  Thank you to everyone who have been praying for her!  I may know you, but God does and I pray blessings upon blessings for everyone of you!

Hospital Visit 9/26/10

This morning Peanut Pie woke up crying.  My little girl hardly ever cries, she is so happy.  She was crying & shaking uncontrollably.  We found out a couple months ago that she has hypoglycemia.  So I knew from the shaking that her blood sugar had dropped.  I attempted to get it back up to a stable level by giving her juice and cheese and crackers.  That didn't work.  She got sick.  And off to the ER we went.  On the way there she calmed down and even the shaking had subsided.  Her blood sugar registered at 68.  Blood work also showed she was dehydrated. 

I'm not sure, but I think the dehydration has to do with her not drinking from her sippy.  She will just throw it in the  floor.  Time after time of repeatedly giving her the cup, she will continue to throw it down.  I don't know what to do?  I've firmly told her "NO" and even tried setting her in the corner.  Nothing seems to work.  She threw the cup down so hard yesterday that she cracked it!  She has an appointment this week with a behavioral doctor, so I am hoping we can come to a resolution.

Back to the ER visit: she was given IV fluids and she started drinking apple juice and eating.  After having a wet diaper she was discharged.  I hate hospital visits (they happen so frequently in our house) but I do like when they only last a few hours!  Love You My Little Peanut Pie!

The Princess of the house today has sounded more like a frog!  She has been coughing and had a low grade fever.  She rested today and this evening she seemed to be feeling better.  She even lost a tooth tonight, so that made her day just grand!  I am glad my princess is feeling better too!  Love you Princess JD!