"MAY"HEM

Here is May and the beginning of June in a nutshell......hold onto your seats folks......

Friday before Mother's Day, Dad went into the hospital where he remained for a week with diverticulitis and a perforated colon.  I battled bronchitis and didn't get to even visit my Dad.  My sister also went to the hospital when she passed out while getting her haircut. I missed two days of work due to illness then an EF2 tornado hit our neighborhood....scary yet somewhat humorous post with pics will be up soon.  No power for about a day!  Dad and Sister got out of the hospital then I went to the ER because........I could NOT breath like thought I was going to die can't breath.  Now if that doesn't freak you out what will.  So Dad went to the cardiologist the following week to hear "Everything looks good.  There is one area of the heart that is not getting enough blood but I can give you a medication for that."  Ok things looking up right!

WRONG!

Dad started the new medication which apparently was supposed to start gradually even though this was not the directions from the cardiologist!  This made his blood pressure plummet and sent him to the hospital once again on Isaiah's birthday.  The same day Avani got second degree burns on her thigh and also went to the hospital.  My sister also went back to the hospital.  All three are out of the hospital for a few days.  My sister goes back into the hospital and has her gallbladder removed.  This was supposed to be the end of all the drama since May was finally over.

So we thought......then June rolled in!

Isaiah had to have oral surgery on June 1st.  A few days later Dad went to his primary care doctor for a routine visit BUT got sent straight to the hospital yet again to have a heart cath.  A day later the heart cath revealed a 90% blockage and they placed a 2nd stint.  I guess it is time for a new cardiologist since he totally missed the 90% blockage at Dad's appointment the month before and said, "Everything looks good!" 

Last but definitely NOT least...

I go to Urgent Care because I got bit by a brown recluse....more on that later too...but to ease your fears my leg did not rot off!  Then nephew Logan goes to the ER twice in two days.  Then Avani damages a previous break in her wrist at my boys' birthday party (more on that one too!) and goes to the ER.  I am shooting for a peaceful July and starting it out with a mini vacation!  That should do the trick!

We don't plan on seeing the inside of the 4 hospitals and 2 urgent cares the family frequented anytime soon....although I guess we didn't plan any of those visits to begin with!!

FRIDAY HIGH FIVE

Time for Friday High Five!

Come join in the fun....please!Make a list of 5 things ~ ANY five things you want! 5 favorite things, Top 5 Vacation spots, 5 most embarrassing moments, 5 favorite pics, 5 reasons to not pick your nose......A LIST OF ANYTHING YOU WANT IT TO BE....funny, serious, sentimental, to dos, pictures, no pictures ~ anything!

To see my Friday High Five posts for examples, click here!

Post about it, linking back to me (now you can copy and paste the HTML at the bottom of this post for a button!) then sign Mr. Linky! Please use the Friday High Five URL post in Mr. Linky's URL section instead of your blog URL and here is how: write the post, publish the post, go to edit posts, VIEW the High Five post, copy the URL in the address portion at the top of the screen then paste it in the URL section of Mr.Linky!!

Sounds complicated but it isn't too bad!

If you need help, let me know in the comment section!

Go view all the other High Five posts and comment away!

Have fun!

5 THINGS SEEN OR LEARNED WHILE AT THE EMERGENCY ROOM

5.  My first thought when admiring the room of sickies waiting for medical advice at the ER was wow we have a bunch of redneck/white trash/ghetto sickies in this town.  Then I realized I was being way too judgmental since I was one of these people without being redneck/white trash/ghetto.  It took a second but I understood that at midnight there is no need to wear your Sunday best.  In fact, my own son was looking fine in his "I am going to the ER at 11 o'clock" look.  He was wearing red, black and cream plaid pajama pants with a fluorescent orange Incredible Hulk shirt topped only by the camo flip flops.  Yep we were all ONE in our fashion senses ~ who cares!  Amazing the ensemble you can come up with when you kid can't breathe, his lips are blue and his heart is racing!  More to life than fashion!!

4.  You get in much quicker if (1) your son cannot breathe and (2) the pediatric ER is still open.  Never been to the new pediatric ER but I will definitely return there if needed!  It was so fast!  I totally anticipated being there until the next morning but I wasn't!  Gotta love it!  Well not that you have to go there but that the option exists!  It is also funny to me how quickly kids appear to return to normal once you enter the ER and they know there is a shot looming in their near future!

3.  A little sense of fear comes when the nurse says Dr. C will be right in.  Dr. C is the pediatrician you fired because his nurse almost killed your second son at the age of 9 mos ( for real people, they had to start chest compressions but that is another post.....hmm....have I posted about that before?)  I will not lie I felt awkward especially after he recognized us!  Oh well he fixed my boy up so I can't complain!

2.  If you are in the Tulsa area and have been to the St. Francis ER, then you will know who I am about to talk about.  The lady who does the admitting portion of our ER visit was the sweetest lady named Dena.  Really she was so so sweet but she has claws for finger nails.   I am talking something almost Guiness worthy folks.  You know the ones that curl all the way around and curl in weird directions.  She couldn't even grab things with her finger tips but instead had to use her knuckles.  It is so weird to see and they are longer and longer everytime I see her.  They are thick and ugh just gross.  If you could have seen Elijah's face when he saw the claws!!  It was priceless!  I always say, "I don't know how you type with those!"  She can type with the curled up claws and pretty quickly considering she hunts and pecks with 6 inch curly q's on her fingers.  It is just so odd!  Quite a sight to see!

#1

Due to recent flu epidemics and the ever looming fear of the H1N1 virus, there were signs everywhere to please wear a surgical mask if you had any cold or flu symptoms.  I understand this but their operation seemed pretty senseless.  It should be well known by now that one is supposed to cover their coughing and sneezing with the inner elbow instead of one's hand.  Although well known, many do not do so in the moment.  This leads me to my point.  In order to get the surgical mask, the patient would have to reach into the box of surgical masks to get one. 

HELLO! 

So now you have a room full of sick people reaching their grubby little hands into the box of ALL the surgical masks thereby contaminating them all!  Doesn't that just spread the symptoms, feed the virus and DEFEAT THE PURPOSE!!!!  Why isn't the hospital staff handing them out?  People are probably getting sicker by wearing the contaminated masks directly over their mouth and nose while breathing in the funk for hours while waiting to be seen!  If you didn't have it before, then you sure have it now!  Idiots, I tell you!





<center><a href="http://angeleyesadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20High%20Five"><img alt="Angela's Adventures" src="http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r134/gigibryan/HighFive-1.jpg"/></a></center>

FRIDAY HIGH FIVE

Time for Friday High Five!

Come join in the fun....please!Make a list of 5 things ~ ANY five things you want! 5 favorite things, Top 5 Vacation spots, 5 most embarrassing moments, 5 favorite pics, 5 reasons to not pick your nose......A LIST OF ANYTHING YOU WANT IT TO BE....funny, serious, sentimental, to dos, pictures, no pictures ~ anything!

To see my Friday High Five posts for examples, click here!

Post about it, linking back to me (now you can copy and paste the HTML at the bottom of this post for a button!) then sign Mr. Linky! Please use the Friday High Five URL post in Mr. Linky's URL section instead of your blog URL and here is how: write the post, publish the post, go to edit posts, VIEW the High Five post, copy the URL in the address portion at the top of the screen then paste it in the URL section of Mr.Linky!!

Sounds complicated but it isn't too bad!

If you need help, let me know in the comment section!

Go view all the other High Five posts and comment away!

Have fun!


5 decisions from this past week

5. If Moose won't runaway on his own, then he may need help! He is an idiot after all!

4. Breathing through the nose would be a great idea!! I would love love love to be able to breathe through my nose! My nose has failed me yet again folks or maybe it is this allergen ridden state!

3. No insurance...sucks! No job....sucks! Doctors cost too much money! I need a job like NOW to save my sanity!

2. That noise in my car is not going away but in fact getting louder! Hmm.....

#1

I think my second grade son has too much homework! That or we have too little time! The entire second grade is on the same plan but for some reason my son doesn't understand why he has to go to school all day then do homework every night! Hmm......I wonder what the other mothers think?

<center><a href="http://angeleyesadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20High%20Five"><img alt="Angela's Adventures" src="http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r134/gigibryan/HighFive-1.jpg" /></a></center>

SUPER SPECIAL SHOES AND ROBOT LEGS

Good news all!!

We went to the orthotics appt for Elijah and hold your breath.............

his "special" shoes appear "normal"!

I know, I know!

How vain!

Remember though it is only because I didn't want the special shoes to cause him problems at school with teasing. It was rather interesting and the lady was the sweetest when I approached the "normal" shoe issue. She said, "Well he is so handsome and I know he doesn't probably want to sport the chunky all black Velcro shoe so I am going to get him a normal looking shoe."

Yeah!!

She then proceeded to hand the catalog to Elijah so he could pick out his shoes.

Really?

Not a move I would've made but luckily he picked out the pair I liked too without me saying a thing!! That's my boy! I taught him well! The shoes appear to look like a VANS skater kid type shoe which is way better than I imagined in my head. They are mainly white with a little bit of blue. Hopefully, they will truly resemble the picture once they are made. The shoes will be ready in two or three weeks complete with removable longitudes and arch supports that we can insert into his football cleats.

All was good until she then informed me that although insurance would completely cover the cost of the shoes, the shoes are over a $100 and the inserts are a little over $200!

Are you freaking kidding me?

Wow!

My seven year old boy picked out a $350 pair of WHITE shoes.

Ouch!

After that little bit of info, I promptly said, "How long will these last and how often will they buy him a new pair?" She said to take him back to the orthopaedist in December since the insurance will buy him a new pair of orthotics in January. Phew! Wow!

Needless to say, if the dog eats this pair of shoes it will more than likely die!

Hopefully he will have the shoes late next week and begin his healing process!

Oh and I can't leave out this little tidbit.....

The place we went to get the shoes is a prosthetics and orthotics facility. While leaving our room, a nurse was putting another patient into the next room. The man had a mainly metal prosthetic leg. Isaiah looked straight up at him and said, "Are you a robot?" The man said, "No but are you a robot?" Isaiah never being one to hold his tongue continues with, "Well no I am not a robot but if you aren't a robot then why do you have a robot leg?" He must have sensed my complete embarrassment because he kindly explained his situation to the boys and told me I shouldn't be embarrassed. He would rather kids ask instead of stare in case they encounter a child with a prosthetic leg. He let them touch his leg and told them they shouldn't be scared of people with metal legs. They thanked him and we left. The entire way through the rest of the office and in the parking lot Isaiah was muttering to himself, "He IS a robot! I want a robot leg too! I bet he has robot leg super powers!" Out of the mouths of babes!!

FRIDAY HIGH FIVE

Time for Friday High Five!

Come join in the fun....please!Make a list of 5 things ~ ANY five things you want! 5 favorite things, Top 5 Vacation spots, 5 most embarrassing moments, 5 favorite pics, 5 reasons to not pick your nose......A LIST OF ANYTHING YOU WANT IT TO BE....funny, serious, sentimental, to dos, pictures, no pictures ~ anything!

To see my Friday High Five posts for examples, click here!

Post about it, linking back to me (now you can copy and paste the HTML at the bottom of this post for a button!) then sign Mr. Linky!Please use the Friday High Five URL post in Mr. Linky's URL section instead of your blog URL and here is how: write the post, publish the post, go to edit posts, VIEW the High Five post, copy the URL in the address portion at the top of the screen then paste it in the URL section of Mr.Linky!!

Sounds complicated but it isn't too bad!

If you need help, let me know in the comment section!

Go view all the other High Five posts and comment away!

Have fun!


Sorry this is so late guys but our internet is down and has been for days!

I finally decided I could not take the withdrawal from the internet and am at the library using the computer!

5 happenings of this week

5. We went to a great orthopedist and found out about the "abnormal STUFF" in both of his feet.

4. Isaiah finally had his speech evaluation and will be having speech therapy once a week for 30 minutes. More on that in another post soon.

3. In an effort to save money, we switched cell phone companies. Savings of......$157 PER month!! Woohoo! Go me!! I had the turn off scheduled for the 1st; HOWEVER, I guess it was entered wrong or since I am switching they are mad because they turned it off TODAY!!!!! So I was home with NO technology whatsoever. No phone, no cable and no internet! The shock alone could be life threatening!! I had to go to the new phone company and start the turning on process earlier so I had ANY contact with the outside world.

2. I jumped at EVERY SINGLE PHONE CALL just waiting on the lady to call from my interview. Please call please.....insanity is setting in!

#1

In an effort to save money, we are switching cable and internet companies. SERIOUSLY this is irritating at best!!! The savings will be great IF IT EVER GETS FINISHED!!! Again I had the turn on and turn off dates overlapping to avoid outages BUT the turn on has now been put off for three freaking days!!! I shouldn't complain too much since the cable in two of the bedrooms is still working. Why? I haven't a clue but I am not going to complain about that!! I am just realizing just HOW addicted I am to DVR. I think DVR was created for PARENTS. Watching TV without the ability to stop, pause, rewind is seriously different!! Watching commercials is quite an adjustment too!! I NEVER watch commercials! EVER!! I have the last three days though. I won't lie I have change the channel accidentally a number of times due to thinking I was fast forwarding and actually hitting channel up!! Poor me! Poor poor pitiful me!! NO INTERNET is debilitating at best and alone can cause insanity. I often wonder if I am in electronic withdrawal or experiencing slow painful death by lack of internet, cable and DVR. Is that possible?

AND ANOTHER ONE JUST FOR FUN....

My cousin Kris had......wait well HE didn't have the baby but Starr had baby Nug yesterday!!

Baby girl born at 12:26pm weighing 6lbs 1 oz and measuring 19in long; however, she remains nameless and is currently called Baby Nug. I will post about her if I EVER get internet again or when I return to the library since my time on this computer is almost UP!!!


<center><a href="http://angeleyesadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20High%20Five"><img alt="Angela's Adventures" src="http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r134/gigibryan/HighFive-1.jpg" /></a></center>

GOOD NEWS: HIS FEET WILL NOT FALL OFF!!

Today we went to The Orthopaedic Center at Hillcrest and saw Dr. Holderness. He was amazing, sweet and informative. The office was super nice and the staff was highly knowledgable. Our appt was fast which was great since I had to meet Hubs at his three month diabetes appt an hour later. I was in and out in less than one hour.

Yes, Elijah has STUFF in both feet!

The STUFF is a bone that stopped forming!!

The doctor had a really good laugh at that one and wondered how an orthopedist could not know about Kohler's disease. Elijah has Bilateral Kohler's Disease basically Kohler's Disease in both feet. Not half as bad as it sounds with the word disease at the end!! I think it should be called Kohler's Syndrome!! Not as bad, right!! I am not going to lie when I first heard it ~ I WAS SCARED! Until he said, "It is no where near as bad as it sounds and they should just change the name! It is a self-limiting and self-healing disease." Basically, the navicular bones in both of his feet stopped forming and just looked like "stuff". The left foot is already healing on its own explaining why he has no pain in this foot but instead some mild tenderness. The right foot has not started the healing process yet. At this point, he said it is ok for him to resume all activities including football. Elijah was very relieved to hear this little tidbit. He said, "Basically if it hurts him then he needs to rest and take ibuprofen for any swelling."

First, he said he would send him to get longitudes and arch supports (?) for his shoes. He would have put him in a cast for a few weeks but since his pain is not constant he thinks the inserts would be the best option. THEN he changed his mind since Elijah's bones are growing inward he decided to send us to get prescription shoes! I think right now this is more of a setback for me rather than him. I don't want him to get made fun of and hope that these orthotics are fashionable. If not, maybe we'll opt for the inserts! I know, I know!! I'll do whatever he needs but I don't want him emotional scarred for life because he got made fun of for his "special" shoes and then he turns into freakin' Forrest Gump with Avani as his "Jenna"!! I deal with all of that Thursady of next week at the orthotics/prosthetics appt. He also said later on this could also affect his heels but we would deal with that when and if it occurred! For those of you who are more detailed oriented here is what I learned on the internet............

Kohler's Disease

Kohler's disease is a rare bone disorder of the foot in children that may be the result of stress-related compression at a critical time during the period of growth. Kohler's disease is a condition, where the navicular bone in the foot undergoes avascular necrosis. Avascular necrosis is a disease resulting from the temporary or permanent loss of the blood supply to the bones. Without blood, the bone tissue dies and causes the bone to collapse. For some unknown reason, typically in a child, the navicular bone in the foot loses its blood supply for a while. It is characterized by limping caused by pain and swelling in the foot. It most often occurs in children between the ages of three and seven, and it affects males five times more often than it does females. Typically, just one foot is affected. Children appear to grow out of the disorder, and the affected bones regain their size, density and structure within a year. For some, however, symptoms may last as long as two years.

Symptoms
Kohler disease is a rare bone disorder characterized by a painful swollen foot. The foot is especially tender along the length of the arch. Putting weight on the foot or walking is difficult, causing further discomfort and a limp. For reasons that are not understood, the flow of blood to one of the bones in the foot (navicular bone) is interrupted, resulting in progressive degeneration of that bone. In a relative short time, however, the bone heals itself.Usually, symptoms will be mild, and patients may not seek treatment until the pain and swelling have persisted for a while (you know like almost a year in this Mother of the Year's case!).

Causes
The exact cause of Kohler disease is unknown. It does not appear to be hereditary and, until recently, was not thought to be linked to an injury. Some orthopedic specialists now believe that Kohler disease may be linked to an injury in the area around a bone (navicular bone) in the foot and may be the result of delayed bone formation (ossification). Structural weakness might result from an increase in the ratio of cartilage to bone. Since the navicular bone is part of the mechanism by which the foot moves (articulation), it is subject to weight-bearing pressures and stresses from twisting and turning. Under normal circumstances, the navicular bone is served by a blood vessel from which smaller arteries supply blood to the regions of bone growth. At around the ages of four to six, the blood supply to these regions of bone growth increases as other blood vessels reach them. If ossification is delayed, and the child gains weight, the effect is to compress the blood vessels, thus causing tissue destruction (ischemia). The navicula is the last tarsal bone to ossify in children. This bone might be compressed between the already ossified talus and the cuneiforms when the child becomes heavier. Compression involves the vessels in central spongy bone leading to ischemia. Ischemia causes clinical symptoms. Thereafter, the perichondral ring of vessels sends the blood supply, allowing rapid revascularization and formation of new bone.

Affected Populations
Kohler disease is a rare bone disorder of the foot that affects males more often than females. The disorder strikes children between the ages of 1 and 10 years with a peak occurring at ages 3 to 7 years. The center of bone growth that is affected in Kohler disease develops in young girls about one year before it appears in young boys. Nevertheless, the disorder is five times more prevalent in boys than girls. It is thought that the incidence of the disorder in the population is about 2%.


Standard Therapies
DiagnosisKohler disease is diagnosed with an X-ray of the foot and the presence of weight-bearing pain in the middle of the foot. Treatment ranges from weight-bearing short-leg plaster casts at one extreme to "watchful waiting" at the other. Special supportive shoes may also be considered. Staying off the foot as much as possible helps in recovery. Symptoms can last for a few days or persist for up to two years. However, symptoms usually resolve within a year.

HAVE I TOLD YOU LATELY THAT I ♥ U?

Have I told you lately that I ♥ our pediatrician and HER staff?

I do!

They are so down to earth, friendly and just.....sweet!

There was the whole mix up with the referral but understandable since it was done on a Saturday and welllllll.....I love them so I can't stay made at THEM too long!

It is really hard {at least it was for me to find one that either I don't know doesn't kill your kid and have to start chest compressions or even listen to me!?!?!} to find the perfect pediatrician!

Anywhooooooooooochie......

I was calling the referral coordinator to tell her about Dr. Huang so she could be informed that he is not a pediatric orthopedist and wellll........basically is an idiot! She laughed at my story over and over and thanked me for warning her. I asked if there was any way the Doc could look at the CD of X-rays given to me by Sir Idiot. I thought maybe since she looks at pediatric X-rays all the time that maybe she could explain the "abnormal STUFF". At least see if it is a normal pediatric thing that she didn't point out since it is normal or if he truly needs to see a peds ortho. The plan was to drop the CD off Monday morning and have another Doctor look at the X-rays since our pediatrician was on vacation for 10 days.

A little under an hour later Sandra, the referral coordinator, called me back. She said, "I feel really bad and rather concerned about your situation so I have been on the phone ever since you called. I hope you are available Tuesday at 10am because I called the insurance company to ask about a pediatric orthopedist and they had one that was NOT listed. I called the peds ortho, explained the situation then went ahead and made you an appointment for Tuesday at 10am. I am faxing the referral right now. I am so sorry about all of this and I assure you we did not know he doesn't do pediatrics otherwise we NEVER would have sent you there! Thank you for letting us know! Call me if you need ANYTHING else!!"

I ♥ her!

So there you have it folks ~ service at its finest!

Hopefully this will go much better than Dr. Wong Stuff's appointment and maybe just maybe they can explain all the "abnormal stuff"!! I personally am not worried about the stuff since the pediatrician did NOT point it out in the first visit and it is in both feet. What are the odds of both of them having "abnormal stuff"?

OFFICIAL DIAGNOSIS IS ABNORMAL STUFF!!

Ya'll (southern term) are not going to believe this little adventure!!

I took Elijah to the orthopedist. I spent an hour and a half at a high priced orthopedist only to leave with another referral and a highly technical medical diagnosis of

.........DRUM ROLL PLEASE...................

"abnormal STUFF in both feet"!

Yep you read that correct "stuff"! I guess I need to look up stuff in the medical journal to understand! He has a medical degree and gives me "stuff"! Seriously?!?!?

Here the scoop:

Doctor comes in, asks a bunch of questions, pokes around on Elijah's feet, twists his feet in every direction, has him walk and jump then orders X-rays of both feet for a comparison.

Doctor comes back in and says this, "I don't see a fracture but the X-rays are abnormal!" THEN gets up to leave and while walking to the door says, "Do you have any questions?"

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?

My response was "UMMM YEAH I HAVE QUESTIONS! WHAT IS ABNORMAL?"

He then feeds me a bunch of bull with, "Well if I took X-rays of your feet, his feet and your other son's feet they would all be different somewhat. The bones would be there but children's feet are still forming. Cartilage calcifies then turns to bone and he has extra stuff but that stuff could be normal in pediatric orthopedics. I don't do pediatric orthopedics. I do adults and sports medicine."

My thought......

WHY WASN'T I REFERRED TO A PEDIATRIC ORTHOPEDIST TO BEGIN WITH OR AT LEAST SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THEIR HEAD FROM THEIR BUTT??? SERIOUSLY,YOU WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL AND YOU GIVE ME A DIAGNOSIS OF "STUFF".

I politely say, "Why was I sent here if you don't do pediatrics?"

His reply, "Well this is where the insurance sent you!"

I ask, "So can he play football and resume normal activity?"

Unsure he says, "Well yeah. I say let him gauge his own pain. If he plays and is in a lot of pain, then take him out of the game. If he doesn't have pain, then just let him play. Let him be the judge of that. When does football start?"

I answer, "I believe Aug 3rd."

He says, "Wait I am going to say no until you can get in to the other doctor. Hopefully you'll get in within the next 2 weeks. Let's face it he isn't {insert name of some famous NFL player that I don't know and don't remember}! He is seven yrs old. You don't have to push him to play football!"

OH NO HE DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!!!

I responded with, "Let me tell you this Dr. Huang (pronounced Wong but I sure wanted to say Who-Ang ) ~ I don't PUSH my kids to play sports. He loves sports. He loves football and HE WANTS TO PLAY! He has watched his entire last season of football twice in the past 24hours simply because he is so excited to start again. I just need to know so I can give his coach a definite answer NOT so I can push him but I guess I have to go to someone else who can define "stuff" (and yes I did air quotes!) I would not let him play if he is definitely injured but "stuff" (and yes I did air quotes a second time!) doesn't tell me a whole lot! What is the 'stuff'? Is it bone, cartilage, tendons, cysts, tissue, tumors......?"

He ignorantly says, "It's just stuff. I am not sure. Like I said, I don't do pediatrics so it could be completely normal in peds so I am going to refer him to a peds ortho. Come in the office and I'll show you the stuff on the X-ray."

We proceed to his office where he pulls the x-rays up on the computer and points to various things. He says, "this is bone, this is the toes and this (circling the "stuff") is just stuff." The look on his face was totally bewilderment as he continued to say, "I don't know what it is but it is in both feet. It's just stuff...hmmm....I just don't know what this stuff is and it is abnormal but again it might be normal in peds."

I said, "That isn't even close to where he is having pain though!"

His response, "Welllllll.......where is the pain again?" I showed him and he then said, "Well I am unsure!" My thought was OBVIOUSLY!

I said, "So your official medical diagnosis is "abnormal stuff in both feet"?"

He chuckled and said, "Well I guess it is! I'll give you a copy of these X-rays on a CD to take with you."

My response, "You've got to be kidding me! This is so ridiculous it's not even funny. I need to get this "stuff" figured out before my kid's foot falls off!" and promptly walked out to the waiting area for the CD.

The doctor pokes his head out a few minutes later and says, "Oh you are still here, good!"

My prompt response was , "yeah just here waiting on the CD of his "stuff!" and YES I did air quotes a third and final time!

I FULLY UNDERSTAND DOCTORS DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING BUT "STUFF", SERIOUSLY!?!? That's an hour and a half of our lives wasted right there folks! Well I am on my way to look up "stuff" on the Internet and see if "stuff" is listed in any medical journal. To think that this man has MD at the end of his name totally boggles my mind but clearly explains how Megan McSnotty got her job being equally as clueless!! Basically, I know NOTHING more than I did going in except I will never let anyone I know go to Dr. Huang since he is the "wong" guy for the job! I wonder if there was a hidden camera in there and I will be on TV soon.....it was that unbelievable!!

MY CHAT WITH MEGAN MCSNOTTY

I received a few emails asking about Elijah's referral to the orthopedist and here you go....

No call on Monday even though I was told,

"They should be calling first thing Monday morning!"

No call first thing Tuesday morning either.

I waited until 9:30am Tuesday morning to call the pediatrician's office for the name of the orthopedist so I could call for an appt. I was connected with the referral coordinator who was completely unaware of the need of the referral. She said apparently the note got lost in the shuffle b/c our appt was on a Sat when she does not work. She was very very very sweet and accommodating. I told her I wanted to get him in asap due to school starting and football season which he is desperate to start. She said she was going to call the orthopedist herself and call me right back. I thought yeah right but three minutes later we were back on the phone. She said, "I am faxing this over to Megan, the referral coordinator at the orthopedist, and she said she has appts for Thursday and she will process the paper work immediately! I am so sorry for the mix up but I told her it was urgent. Here is her name and the number for her direct line! If she hasn't called you by lunch then call her after lunch when the office reopens at 1pm!"

Welllll.........as you can imagine "immediately" did NOT happen! I am seriously thinking about sending Webster's dictionary to both the pediatrician's office and the orthopedist's office so they can better understand the meaning of "first thing" and "immediately"!! I understand people are busy so just say that! For pete's sake don't use "first thing" Monday morning or "immediately" if you don't mean it!! Anyway...I was running errands and knowing that "Megan" was probably busy I waited until almost 3pm to call her. I was giving my patience a try and well when I finally talked to her I was less than pleased with the attitude! Here was my conversation with little miss Megan McSnotty

Me ~ "Hello my name is Angela and I am calling about a referral for my son Elijah. I wanted to see if you received the fax with all the information you needed."

Megan ~ "I am alone today and I have an inch thick pile of faxes here. We normally call you!" (insert snotty attitude)

My thoughts were "if you are alone then you probably shouldn't have used the word "immediately" with the pediatrician's referral coordinator" BUT instead of being rude and understanding that people do get very busy I simply said, "Well they gave me your number and said to call you after 1pm if you hadn't called to set up the appt. I understand you are busy and you can call me back if needed. I was just verifying that you received the fax and making sure you had everything you need to process the referral."

Megan McSnotty ~ "Well that is just odd! They know we call you! They gave you my number!"

Again my thoughts were "No I just went in and strong armed them until they released the top secret number to me you idiot! Yes they gave it to me!" BUT instead I said, "Yes they gave me the number since they forgot to send the referral to set up the appt first thing Monday morning and they wanted to get him in asap!"

Megan McSnotty while shuffling through her inch thick pile of faxes replies with, "Well we can't even speak to you until three days after you have been to the hospital and worn a soft cast for three days."

Me getting peeved with her flip attitude ~ "Ok I understand you can't see people until three days maybe but you can't even speak to them to schedule the appt ~ I don't believe that for a second!"

Megan McSnotty ~ "We can't see people until three days after they leave the hospital. They have to wear the soft cast for three days prior to seeing the orthopedist."

Me ~ "First of all we did not go to the hospital! We went to the pediatrician's office. Secondly, if he needs to be in a soft cast three days prior to seeing the orthopedist then someone needs to give him a soft cast now!"

Megan McSnotty ~ "If you didn't go to the hospital, then how do you know his foot is even broken! Ok wait.......I see here he has a fracture of the tarsal bone. How did he break it?"

Me ~ "We aren't sure how he broke it. His foot was bothering him and I asked the pediatrician about it when I took him in for a physical. She Xrayed the foot just to be safe then said he had a broke bone in his foot. She then said it has either healed wrong or he has a cyst on his bone and needed to see an orthopedist but never put him in a soft cast. She just said he could ride his bike but no running or jumping!"

Megan McSnotty ~ "So if he got the soft cast on Saturday......."

Me clearly cutting off her train of thought ~ "He does not have a soft cast ma'am!"

Megan McSnotty with smoke exiting her ears as she tries to think must not of heard me as she thinks out loud some more ~ "ok so soft cast Saturday then the earliest appt would be today but I don't have a doctor here today sooooo...."

Me ~ "Ma'am can you hear me?"

Megan McSnotty ~ "Yes! I am just trying to figure out when to get him in. If this is his third day in the soft cast, then he should've been seen today or tomorrow butttttt......"

Me ~ "Ok Megan. I need you to LISTEN to me! I have now told you three times ~ HE-IS-NOT-WEARING-A-SOFT-CAST!! If he needs to wear a soft cast for three days prior to being seen in your office, then I need to know where to go to get the soft cast put on his foot! You are acting like that is an imperative step in the process so if he needs it, I need to get it!"

Megan McSnotty ~ "He's not in a soft cast?"

Me ~ oh how my thoughts were running a million mph in my head and it took EVERYTHING IN ME NOT TO FLIP OUT ON THIS IDIOT WHO ACTUALLY HAS A JOB WHEN AN INTELLIGENT PERSON LIKE ME IS CURRENTLY UNEMPLOYED!! ugh!

My reponse was simply ~ "Not unless a sock counts!"

Megan McSnotty replies with "HUH?"

Me ~ "Huh is really not professional but NO for the fourth time he is NOT in a soft cast! Does he need one on three days prior to scheduling the appt?"

Megan McSnotty ~ "No we are just going to have to skip that step. I have an appt open on Thursday at 2pm. Will that work for you?"

Me ~ "Yes!"

Megan McSnotty ~ "Ok see you Thursday at 2pm." as she gets ready to hang up!

Me ~ "Excuse me! There is a little matter of the name of the clinic, Doctor's name or I don't know perhaps the location to the office IF you plan on us arriving for our appt!"

Megan McSnotty proceeds to give us all the info says to keep him completely inactive and the call ends!

What did I think after this call?

How in the world does an idiot like her have a job while I am on unemployment? She obviously has NO children if she expects me to keep my seven yr old boy "completely inactive" for two days. Yeah right!

I am thinking of talking with the orthopedist named Dr. Huang (pronounced Wong) about taking over for the little girl! I understand all too well that she very well could have been busy especially since she was alone BUT she should not have had such an attitude or she should have politely taken my offer for a call back. Don't tell the peds office you will handle it immediately if you are unable to do so! I also understand overdemanding patients can annoy workers at a doctor's office but the over use of "immediately" and "first thing" causes stress for patients when not followed through. If it is going to take a few days, then say it will take a few days. My other question is ~ if by three o'clock she hadn't even looked through the "inch thick pile of faxes", then what does she consider immediately! If I wouldn't have called, then the good Lord above only knows when she would've called me!!

SO ANNOYED

Do you know what today is?

Monday

Do you know what time it is?

9:23pm HERE

Do you know what time the orthopedist was supposed to call me for Elijah's foot?

first thing Monday morning

Did the ortho call yet?

BIG FAT NO!

Do I know the name of the ortho so I can call and make the appt?

NO

Did the pediatrician's office call me with a name in response to my voicemail?

NO

Am I a little peeved right now?

YES!!

Well I guessed I should not have waited 9 mos so my kid freaks out about maybe not being able to play football!!

MOTHER OF THE YEAR IS DEFINITELY OUT!!

Man do I feel like total crap!

I feel horrible but I can't help but laugh at myself!

I am THAT Mom!!

Here's the story:

Since Sept or Oct back in football season Elijah kept complaining about his foot hurting. Nothing too bad since it didn't seem to stop him from playing hard enough on the championship team! I wanted to take him to the doctor but every time I would get ready to take him it would no longer be bothering him.

Fast forward a couple of months to basketball season. Mostly his foot would bother him while playing a game but never during practice or any other time. It would hurt then not hurt so again I passed on the doctor. After one game he was in tears at the mere thought of taking his shoe off. I said that is IT you are going to the doctor. I took him home gave him ibuprofen and an ice pack which helped and planned on taking him in Monday morning. He was fine by then so again we passed.

After sports were all over, he didn't complain much about his foot at all. Occasionally he will complain but just wants ibuprofen then he is fine. The plan was once summer started to take him in to get it checked out. Plan averted when Hubs switched jobs and the insurance was gone for awhile plus me losing my job made us pinch our pennies BUT he hadn't complained in awhile.

This week he complained a few times. I made a Sat appt for both of the boys. Isaiah had to get 4 shots and Elijah needed his football physical. SO yesterday I took both the boys to the doctor where I spent 2 hours and 20 minutes. She applied pressure to the area he always says hurts and well it hurt him but movement of the foot did not. She made him walk around then turned his foot in all different directions and NOTHING! She says, "Well I am not too worried about it but I'll go ahead and take Xrays to be on the safe side."

While Elijah went to get xrays, Isaiah got his four shots. He sat up on the table being his strong self saying, "Shots don't hurt. My Daddy takes a shot everyday and he doesn't even cry (Insulin needles are a LOT smaller!) so I am not going to cry either. I wike shots!" At this point the nurse placed FOUR needles on the bed and I thought, "Lord, help me now!" Needless to say he was SCREAMING and saying, "Otay it hurts! It hurts!! IT HURTS! STOPPPPPP!" He continued to cry or scream for 20 minutes!"

At this point the doctor and her scrub dressed skeleton friend come in the room to tell me he BROKE A BONE IN HIS FOOT!! I felt like a heel....pun entirely intended!! I just kept say, "You are kidding, right? Surely he hasn't had a broke bone in his foot for NINE MONTHS! He rides his bike for HOURS EVERYday, climbs trees and never stops being active until it is time to go to bed!!" She did say that the bone that was broke is on the the top and mainly an impact bone meaning he would only feel pain upon impact such as running or jumping on a trampoline. Funny how he never had pain jumping on my brother's trampoline! She said it has healed but there is still a crack and then a bump. She also said the ibuprofen and ice packs probably took the pain away enough for him to continue to be SO ACTIVE and the constant running involved with sports made it more painful versus the movement required for bike riding would not hurt it at all! She referred him to an orthopedist who should call Monday morning. She wants to see if it just healed wrong or if he has a cyst on his bone. SERIOUSLY! She said they might have him wear a cast for a few weeks but she was unsure. This being said she then cleared him for football and just wants him to see the orthopedist! What? Okay!?!?

SO ALL Mother of the year nods should now be forwarded to someone who puts off a doctor appt for their child's hurt foot FOR NINE MONTHS!!!!! Who knew ibuprofen and ice could cure BROKEN BONE PAIN!! NOT ME OBVIOUSLY!

I TOLD YOU SO!

Sadly I had a HUGE "I told you so!" moment that I could not use because I felt so bad for Hubs that I dared not utter the ugly words so I thought at least I could type them since he will never read them!!

I have been telling Hubs he has diabetes for going on 3 months now. He would always get mad and say, "Why do you want me to have diabetes?"

In turn, this would anger me to say, "I don't want you to have diabetes but you have too many of the signs to not have it and I don't want you to go into a diabetic coma because you are to chicken to go to the doctor!!"

Finally Friday we went to a doctor who confirmed my fear and amazing diagnosis skills. I SO wanted to say, "I told you so! Haven't I been saying this for almost 3 months!" ALAS I just felt so bad for my Baby that I swallowed them and wanted to cry but I stayed strong. He took it pretty well I guess but I think he is scared now and still in shock! We left the doctor feeling pretty good with our instructions only to find out after talking to people that apparently we NEED to switch doctors because we did NOT know a thing and he never mentioned diabetic education courses or diet plans beyond a list of 6 things NOT to eat and 3 things to cut back on. After his A1C results (a blood test that will chart his glucose levels up to 90 days back) come in, I plan on getting a copy and scheduling an appt with a new doctor who will immediately send us to a diabetic education course that we desperately need. Keep Martez in your prayers as this will be an adjustment for him!

I felt so bad for him that upon leaving to run a kazillion errands I stopped to get my KING SIZE Snickers and went about my day. I did check my blood sugar out of curiosity later that evening and mine was normal.....surprising considering the major sugar attack I had from fear of no more Snickers or sugar in our house! Martez is the biggest sugar addict in the house so this could be quite a challenge but he is taking it in stride and plans on taking good care of himself. Don't even get me started on his Mother's reaction to the Doctor's diagnosis b/c this post will be entirely TOO long! Her lack of knowledge and misuse of the Bible astounds me! So far his count hasn't gone below 300 even with his medication in fact he has mostly been in the upper 400s but everyone has told me it will take a minute to go down to normal and taking it down too fast will cause problems too. I will be calling his doctor tomorrow though just to be sure!!

WOW HOW MY MIND WONDERS!

So while admiring the cluster of under-the-skin-painful-unable-to-pop-for-like-a-month zits that have taken control of my jaw line and by jaw line I mean the area that should be my jaw line but rather a mere slant into the giant double chin that should be my neck my mind wondered and it went a little something like this! (WOW can we say run-on sentence! lol)

I was washing my face then putting on the usual nightly fixes aka expensive products that aren't doing a thing I thought of Elijah. Poor boy has had eczema since he was a baby. He used to scratch his legs until they bled but now he scratches and constantly looks ashy. I mean the boy can put lotion on and five minutes later I am telling him to put more on because his skin is "thirsty". The boy has a major aversion to lotion. By aversion I mean doing the whole "I've got to pee" dance with arms flapping saying "I hate lotion" then stomping away to which I answer "Don't say the word hate say I don't like" to which he replies "I don't like lotion a whole lot because it makes me feel wet like I peed my pants or something!" Well at least he didn't say hate! lol Then with this thought came....

At one point his pediatrician prescribed a lotion that upon filling the prescription and reading the warnings I failed to use. In all capitals the very first sentence read: "DO NOT USE THIS LOTION ON CHILDREN! IT HAS BEEN FOUND TO CAUSE LEUKEMIA IN STUDIES INVOLVING CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 12!" At first I panicked b/c I had used this very lotion when it first came out when E was a tiny baby obviously before the scientist freaks "tested it on children" then I was ticked off that the pediatrician prescribed it to my boy. Are you freaking kidding me? This thought then went to.....

At this point I decided to take E to a dermatologist. E was just 5 at the time and I figured the dermatologist would have some miracle cream or life altering suggestions. NOPE! No hot baths ~ first of all what child takes a HOT bath to begin with but I have known this little fact since he was diagnosed as a baby! Oatmeal in the bath water to aid in the itching ~ no news here! Avoid steroid creams because the skin will actually thin and crave the steroids thereby causing more itching and requiring more steroids to relieve the itching ~ again no news to me since I've been dealing with this for so long and my Hubs has psoriasis! His list of useless info could go on and on. Doc then decides he needs Elijah to take his pants off and lie on his belly since his worst area is his thighs (front and back) and his butt. Nothing weird here......UNTIL.......he is looking at the eczema and his scaring then proceeds to spread the cheeks.....little odd to me.....then while he is talking to me he's sitting there with his big ol hands on E's butt cheeks squeezing them with his whole hands and continuing to talk to me and squeeze and talk and ......me saying, "Elijah pull your pants up please and go stand in the hall!" at which point the Doc did a little drum roll pat on Elijah's rear and Elijah did as he was told. I begin to tell the doctor who I think was just naturally doing it and not even realizing it which creeped me out even more that i thought what he was doing was entirely inappropriate, I didn't think he should be seeing children if he couldn't keep his hands to himself, I would like his prescriptions and I would not be returning so I needed a referral! I then had to talk to my five year old about how it was not right for the dermatologist or anyone to touch his butt like that ever and to tell Mommy if someone ever does it again. I may have overreacted but it made me sick to my stomach, the whole mommy intuition crept through my veins along with plenty of adrenaline and I'm going to kick your butt chemicals. This thought made me think......

I have a couple of single women friends who might want to go see the butt squeezing dermatologist claiming some sort of weird rash for him to see!

SICK I KNOW.....BUT FUNNY!!

FAMILY OF SICKOS

Elijah was unable to keep ANYTHING down yesterday and I mean ANYTHING! His pediatrician had called in some Phenergan Gel aka creamy gold and said if he was still puking in the evening to take him to an after hours facility because she was already overbooked. At about 5 o'clock, Elijah comes in crying that his stomach just hurt so bad. Not knowing if it was cramping or just sore from puking all day I said, "Does it hurt bad enough to go to the doctor?" He said, "No!" and quickly returned to his room. I didn't really want to take him to the doctor because I figured it was a stomach virus and it would just have to run its course. An hour later he comes in bawling and pleading to go to the doctor. In his almost 7 yrs of life, this boy has NEVER ASKED to go to the doctor so I figured it must be really bad so off we went. I kept thinking about my appendicitis and prayed my little boy wouldn't have something as bad as that. Of course, once we get to the doctor he is acting fine! Why do kids do that? They can be acting like they are dying and you are so scared for them but once you make it to the doctor/hospital they make you look like a fool. Turns out he has strep throat! I guess you learn something new everyday ~ did you know strep throat can upset your stomach and in children make them vomit? I didn't know that! Did you also know if left untreated Strep can go to your heart? I DID know this little fact and used it to scare hubby into going to the doctor to get checked. Hey I know it isn't an everyday occurrence but I had to use something scary so he would actually go get tested. So turns out Elijah isn't the only one with strep......ALL of us have it ~ hubby, me, Elijah and Isaiah and we are all on meds. Tez is at his mother's for Christmas so I am not sure if he has it and we all know she won't take him to the doctor and pay a copay. Long story short.....stay away from us! Oh forgot to tell you while we were at urgent care someone had to be transferred to the hospital b/c of meningitis. One of the BA Fire Dept came in to be treated as a precaution since they had also seen the patient so this makes me wonder if it is so contagious and BAD then should we be treated as a precaution too because with my luck that will be what I get. Freaked out a little when they were talking about if anyone had been spit on, bled on or puked on and how they were going to need to disinfect everything in the office then they come in our room fondling our throats, glands, taking temps and all the other fun stuff. Nice!

UNBELIEVABLE RECOVERY

After hearing MANY horror stories along with very firm instructions and warning signs from the doctors and nurses, I totally expected a week of agony for Isaiah and prayed so hard that he would drink enough to stay hydrated. Answer to prayers, soldier boy or freak of nature are just some of the many thoughts I have had since Zaya's surgery!! The kid came home and although I thought he would be sleeping off anesthesia for hours, he had different plans. The boy ate applesauce, 2 popsicles and drank 2 sippy cups of white grape juice WHILE playing with cars, chatting on the phone and flipping out because I wouldn't let him go outside to play. I then believed the pain medication I gave him had an adverse affect b/c he was so freaking hyper and NOTHING like the hospital staff said he would be. They called in a different medication to use that evening and just said to keep him calm and not running around. RIGHT? Hey let's hop the boy up on steroids which make him super hungry, hyper and irritable THEN give him some pain meds that INCREASE the hyperactivity and you expect me to keep him calm! OK! Then fill him with juice, pudding, jello, popsicles, applesauce, slushies and ice cream for a little extra kick!! I think the withdrawal from sugary soft foods may be the worst we get. Don't get me wrong I am esctatic that his post-op status is amazing but I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop since I have heard some awful stories. I just keep saying well now that he can actually breath and he doesn't have rotten food in his throat he probably feels so much better than the pain is almost worth it! The worst part right now is just chasing him and listening to him scream while I put in the ear drops other than that you wouldn't believe he had surgery two days ago if you saw him. The first day he ate 5 popsicles, jello, apple sauce, bunch of juice, 2 slices of cheese pizza (w/o the crust) and a cupcake. Unbelievable I know! We actually even let him go to the end-of-the-year football party the night of his surgery since he was just his normal self and had asked ALL day if he could go to the "football birthday party". I told him he could go BUT if he ran AT ALL or jumped AT ALL he had to go home with Mommy. As we were walking into the party he was walking REALLY slow with his arms stretched out to the sides as if walking on a balance beam. When I said, "Hurry up baby it is cold!", he responded with, "No Momma I can't go fast or you will make me miss the football birthday party!" Him eating pizza at the party was "ify" for me but the doctors said he could have pizza as long as it was soft. I was very scared I would regret that decision into the wee morning hours if he woke up in pain. I was told MANY times to make sure I gave him his pain medicine AROUND THE CLOCK and to even set an alarm to WAKE HIM UP and give him medicine. Ok the plan was to wake up at 3am and give him a dose that would last until 8am.......yep you guessed it I did NOT wake up at 3am. I woke up at 5am scared to death to wake him up for fear he would be in pain. Luckily unlike Elijah, Isaiah is not to hard to wake up. I woke him up and said I need to give you some medicine baby. In his sweet sleepy gruff surgery voice he says, "Otay Momma!", took his medicine then laid back down. I starred in awe at my sweet sleepy little boy when he lifted his head and grumbled, "tan I *garble garble grunt garble* for my birdday?" then laid down. Unsure of what in the world he said, I simply replied yes and while walking out of the room in love with this sweet baby of my mine he sits up and says, "Momma I wuv you buncha bunches! See you in da morninG!" Wake up to morning two.....throat a little sore but I believe it was from sleeping and not drinking for several hours. He was hungry but didn't want anything I gave him so I just told him to keep drinking until he felt better. I wondered if this was the beginning of his little surgery downfall.....NOPE I cleaned all morning while he watched cartoons and played with his cars then after his nap he ate. Yesterday he ate ice cream, jello, a little applesauce, about 5 popsicles and 2 bowls of macaroni and cheese. I think the worst part is going to be getting him back onto a regular diet because he is totally in love with the whole "popsicle as a meal" idea!! They say days five through seven are actually the worst b/c the scab will fall off and the throat will basically be raw but I have high hopes for our little soldier boy that he will continue his march in recovery!

DISGUSTING HUH!

Friday I finally decided to go to the doctor after not being able to breathe through my nose for at least two weeks if not more. I mainly went b/c I was starting to cough and didn't want to not be able to go to the recovery room after Zay's surgery on Monday b/c I had some nastiness going on! So he asks what is wrong and I reply with, "Well I haven't been able to breath through my nose for at least two weeks. I am sneezing constantly. My ears popped and now everything sounds muffled. I started coughing about two days ago but I don't feel it is in my chest but rather just a really bad tickle or something stuck in my throat. My jaw, eyes and cheeks hurt and my head is almost to the point of exploding. Other than that I am fine thanks!!" He then looks in my ears with a deep MMM..HMM! Then he looks in my nose and really says, "Wow you definitely have something going on here and it's DISGUSTING!" Thanks Doc! He then looks in my throat and says, "I found the tickle in your throat. It is snot running down from your nose!" I thought hearing that would make me gag but I was just baffled by his brutal honesty and had to laugh as Isaiah repeated everything he said!!! He then said, "Well I am putting you on steroids which should make you feel better almost immediately but keep taking them. I am also putting you on some serious antibiotics that will probably give you diarrhea!" My response to him was a shocking, "No biggie to me I have IBS aka diarrhea EVERYDAY in fact about two minutes after I take my last bite of each meal I am already on my way to the bathroom especially if I drink milk! I really don't know why I am fat because nothing stays in my body too long!" How is that for blunt! As for the steroids and the so called immediate relief--bunch of crap all they are doing is making me sweat!! After three days of steroids, antiobiotics, nose spray, warm compressing and facial massaging, I am no better off than I was Friday just $37.65 poorer!! Thanks Doc! They really called this morning to see if I was any better......"NOPE! I stopped coughing but I still can't breath and my head could easily explode at any moment!!" "OK well go ahead and add a decongestant! We will be in the office tomorrow if you need to come back in!" Great so now I can add dry mouth to the list of ailments!!

I'M NOT SICK I'M JUST BUSY

Isaiah had croup over the weekend which you already know if you read the never ending blog - my friend said it was like reading war and peace!@? Thanks Shan you always know how to say just the right thing!! I think it has now turned into something else so I decided to take him to the Dr. today. He insists he is not sick and that he is just busy. Not sure what that means but okay. Long story short he has developed a sinus infection but the cute part of the story is when the doctor was done and walking out of the room Isaiah's yells at her , "HEY!". She stops in her tracks and says, "Well yes sir!" He then says sounding very angry, "I can't leaf you didn't make me feel better!" She just smiled and said, "well I thought you said you weren't sick, you were just busy and I can't help you being a busybody!" He then says, "You got to be tidding (kidding) me!" Out of the mouths of babes!

ISAIAH'S PNEUMONIA

My baby is finally better and yet I am still pissed at his doctor. The week of the bad ice storm when no one had power neither did any of the doctors but I was able to get Zay in on that Wednesday. Isaiah had been coughing terribly, gagging and puking on excess snot almost every morning for three months. He got his ears done in May and had not been sick since then until Labor day weekend which might I add was a record for him. Anyway he would cough really really bad I would give him a few breathing treatments and he would be better for about three or four days then it would return. So when I took him in the week of the storm I told the pediatrician who had already been told about Isaiah's situation that it had now lasted a little over three months and something needed to be done. Well he listened to his lungs and said, "He sounds good. He just has a virus!" My response was "the energizer cold virus because it has been over three months and he coughs to the point of puking up flemy snot EVERY morning no matter where he is! He can't possibly feel good and I am sick of cleaning snotty puke I would rather clean up hotdog/macaroni puke than that!!" He says "Well kids get 6 - 8 viruses a year." I said, "ALL in three months!! Could it possibly be an allergy of some type?" His response "Just a virus!" Needless to say I left pissed at being totally dismissed and tired of him acting like I am an idiot. It really pisses me off when doctors do that!! I am not the worry wart mother who takes her child in for every sneeze, sniffle, cough and fever!!! I learned very early on in the journey of motherhood that for the most part doctors won't do much for the common cold and fever because "coughing is good and helps breakup and get rid of the nastiness". I believe though there is a point where a little sleep would do everyone some good!! Besides the fact a "virus" shouldn't last three months without being looked into!! I know there are mothers out there that take their children to the doctor for every single little thing and expect some sort of medication to fix every little thing; however, I AM NOT ONE OF THOSE MOTHERS! My doctor should know this and I know he has tons of patients but he knows me because Isaiah has been a sicko so he could just look at the chart to figure out when I bring him in he is actually sick with something that REQUIRES medication!! I take care of the little things on my own and if I take my children to the doctor - they ARE sick!! Well I went with the doctors prognosis even though it went against my gut feeling! ONE week later I was working late so my mother brought the kids up to my work and my dad said "I think you need to take him back to the doctor listen to his breathing." In a way he sounded like he was gasping. I decided to take him to MedNow since they are close and have always figured out what is wrong and fixed it all the while acting like they actually care!! Well I go in and explain everything and he asks why I haven't taken him to his pediatrician because his oxygen level was bad enough to be admitted into the hospital. I explained I had one week prior and was basically ignored and told he had a virus but I also expressed my concern for the so-called "virus" lasting a little over three months with no concern from my pediatrician. I got "diarrhea of the mouth" and told the poor guy my concerns about him coughing, gagging and puking excess snot EVERY morning for months and my concerns about the doctor ignoring me then my whole speech about that came out. I really felt bad for the guy later but I explained it wasn't him I was mad at but I wanted tests run because something was wrong with my son!! He checked him over and said, "his lungs actually sound good but I am going to run some chest xrays because sometimes the worst sounding kids turn up nothing and the ones that sound okay end up having pneumonia!" He did chest xrays then came in the room and said Isaiah had bacterial pneumonia in his right lung and he was going to see if a breathing treatment would help his oxygen level before he went any further. The treatment brought the level up and he maintained it for awhile so the doctor said since I had a nebulizer at home he would let him go home so he wouldn't be in the hospital over the holidays. He prescribed breathing treatments every 4 hours, very strong antibiotics (which in turn caused diarrhea not good in the potty training phase - yippee!), and I had to do counts on his breathing and bring him back the next day to recheck his oxygen level. He said to take him to the ER if he got any worse otherwise have his chest xrays redone in 10 - 14 days either there or at his pediatrician. My poor baby boy had to do breathing treatments all the time even on Christmas he had to open presents then do a breathing treatment but at least he wasn't in the hospital!



This is where my conflict came: do I bring him back to Mednow who actually listened to me and took care of my son? OR do I go to the pediatrician and rub in into his face that he was wrong and from now on when I am concerned enough to bring my kid there he better act as if he cares and actually do his job? The doctor at MedNow said he had no way of knowing exactly how long Isaiah had pneumonia. He said he could of had it 24 hours, 2 weeks or 3 months but from the scenerio I had given he thinks he had it for quite awhile. He said he would probably do better because of the breathing treatments but would just get bad again because he was never given anything to get rid of the pneumonia! Nice I know! Why didn't his pediatrician listen to me? Well I finally decided to take him back to MedNow for the 2nd set of xrays since they were thorough and knew what was going on AND because a visit to the pediatrician would not have been pretty especially since I am still fuming mad just talking about it weeks later!! I still plan on having a talk with his pediatrician to let him know I don't appreciate being ignored especially since I am not one of those helpless, needy, worry-wart, drug seeking mothers! When I tell you something is wrong then something is wrong! At least try to get satisfaction by attempting to prove me wrong instead of pushing my intuition aside, ignoring my concerns, acting like I am the idiot while jeopardizing my son's health or I WILL KICK YOUR ASS!!! You may have more education than me but that doesn't mean you always use it so quit acting like an overpaid know-it-all idiot and start doing your job at least for the childrens' sake! Thanks guys sorry you had to read all that if you didn't stop half way through but I really needed that! Isaiah got his repeat xrays and they were clear!! He is feeling great not coughing, gagging or puking and that is not only a relief to momma who is always cleaning it but to Isaiah who was at the point of saying "momma I no want puke!" every single time he even coughed. Sad but true! My baby is back to his normal bad little self not that pneumonia stopped his ornery little butt from being bad!! Kids - gotta love 'em! Doctors - gotta watch 'em and keep them on their toes! Pray that next time I blog I am not in jail for assault or disturbing the peace at a local doctor's office hehehehe!!

INTUITION

You know the feeling down deep. The one voice every human has. We've all heard it. We've all ignored it. Now is the time to follow your heart, your intuition. The doctors don't always hear our voice but we must make ourselves heard. Too many times we are told everything is ok, just wait it out, your just being over protective, he's a late bloomer........ Make them listen. I recently watched the Oprah show about autism based off a documentary from Autism Speaks and it really brought to light how important a mother's intuition is and how we shouldn't give up. All too often instead of looking deeper into the problem it gets put off until it can no longer go ignored. This is true about many things in life but when it comes to our children we have to be their advocate. For instance for months and months I thought my son should see an ENT not only because of the constant ear infections but because I didn't think he was hearing me like he should. I switched pediatricians (for a completely different reason) and I really like the new one and trust his judgment. I do not blame him but I will blame myself if he ends up with permanent hearing loss for not following my mother's intuition. The sinking feeling in my stomach, the constant voice in my head telling me to just take him to an ENT and get another opinion. I know everyone will tell me it isn't my fault but it is my fault for not making my concerns heard. I am trying to be positive and hoping and praying for the best outcome possible but seriously how could I not be partially to blame. I know three people with Autistic children and they kept telling the doctor something wasn't right (I know my son getting tubes and his hearing loss is nothing when compared to parents raising children with autism or other disorders but just stick with me here!). They always got the cookie cutter responses and it took several doctors to finally get a diagnosis. Now they all play the what if game and man let me tell you it is the hardest game you will ever play in life. Everyone says get past it and move on with your life which we all must do but when your child is the one that's suffering let's see how well you deal with it. Autism Spectrum Disorder is such a broad disorder and so little is known about it like the cause, a definate treatment, or a cure. Just because I know people affected by the disorder I have recently been trying my hardest to learn about it and get involved like I never thought I would. Autism Speaks is an amazing organization trying to find answers to all the unanswered questions. They have a documentary out called Autism Everyday that I think everyone should see. You get to see how common Autism is but how it affects each family in a different way. You can see it at Autismspeaks.org. They also have letters to congress you just fill out your personal info and it sends letters to request support for EPIAA and funding for the Combating Autism Act. It is really easy just enter the information and click on submit. The letter is already written for you. How easy is that!! Wish school papers were that easy! Don't get me wrong I love my new pediatrician and there are amazing doctors out there that will listen to patients or their parents. There are plenty of doctors that really care about the people they treat BUT it is your job to find those doctors for your family and don't settle for less!!! If you don't get the treatment you think you deserve then move on and this doesn't apply to when you just don't get what you want - don't be psycho mommy just wanting drugs for your baby!! FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION! And if you don't believe me but you'll believe Opray she says FOLLOW YOUR INTUITION! Great minds think alike! Haha! Love ya'll! This is White Oprah signing off - I think I need my own show! You think this was bad wait till I get started on welfare reform. J/K

FINALLY!

Isaiah got RSV when he was 9 mos old and ever since then it has been just one thing after another with that boy - things that aren't even related but that is when everything began! In the past 11 mos, Isaiah has had 10 ear infections and they are getting harder and harder to cure and of course he gets diarrhea with all antibiotics so then he gets diaper rash. I feel sorry for the poor kid because I am sure he is more sick of it than I am. Well today we went to see an ENT named Dr. Vaidya and he was an amazing doctor. He was great at explaining everything and really good with Isaiah who by the way has screamed at every doctor since he went through the whole RSV deal. I do mean scream!! Isaiah didn't even wimper there even at the hearing test and ear pressure test (I don't know the actual name!). Isaiah will be getting tubes in his ears and his adenoids removed on May 1!! I know it may sound odd to want your child to go through that but I can't wait for my baby to feel better. It makes me sad to think that all this pressure in his ears has been causing him pain even if it isn't infected! He has significant hearing loss that the doctor "hopes" will be recovered! On the ear pressure test his line was completely flat which to my understanding means his ear drum is not even vibrating enough to register because of all the fluid in his ear. He said his hearing test results were right on the verge of what will normally be recovered and that which is often permanent. However he said he would be worried about it more if he was older because hearing test results are not as reliable at his age because they may not turn their head when they first hear the noise instead they may wait until it annoys them which totally fits his personality. He said we won't know for sure until he gets the tubes and gets a little older for some other hearing tests. I've wondered for awhile if he might have trouble hearing especially when he has an ear infection. If he isn't facing me then I can call his name about ten times before he turns around but again he is very stubborn so he could just be ignoring me and that is what I want to believe right now! Plus when he has an ear infection he doesn't speak as clear which could be the case for any child but he doesn't talk as well as Elijah did at this age but then comes the fact that each child is different. He is also a REALLY loud child which he said is because everything sounds muffled to him so he has to be loud to hear himself - how sad is that. Basically I am trying to be hopeful that he has no permanent damage but I always have my best friend in mind because her son had the same problem with the doctor sending her to an ENT much later than he should have and he still has some hearing loss. I am trying really hard to be hopeful because right now I could easily go the other way! The funny part is every parent wants their kid to do their best well I was doing just that in the hearing test like it was some kind of competition. He was sitting on my lap and I heard the noise when it started. He wouldn't turn his head until it was kinda loud but the whole time in my head I was thinking "just turn your head, come on turn your head, please hurry". For now I am believing everything is going to turn out for the better and hope the doctor's prediction for better sleep in Isaiah's future will come true!!!