I know it's been a long time. Truth is, I'm so overwhelmed with photos and stories of the rest of our eventful summer, that I don't even want to begin catching up. Maybe I won't catch up. Honestly, I could count on one hand the amount of hours I have spent sitting in front of my computer in the last several months. Every day holds a new adventure and the sunshine has been a non-stop reminder of how sitting at my computer desk should be last on my to-do list. This has been the sunniest coastal summer I can remember. Growing up here made me appreciate sunny days...as we don't often get too many. I think it's rained twice since the 4th of July...unreal.
Anyway, besides all the fun I had with my family, my summer was filled with change, sorrow, excitement, calamity, pain, and work.
Change:
Well, to make a long story short, Adam was finally rewarded with a promotion of sorts. After 10 grueling months of double- and triple-duty, he was offered two different jobs within GP. After a lot of prayer and weighing the pros and cons, he decided on taking a job for the pulp and paper division (North American Consumer Products) of Georgia Pacific. He's now the leader of Chemical Process Safety for the division. Yeah, he's kind of a big deal. I'm super proud of him and glad to see that his under-appreciated hard work and success is being recognized and rewarded.
Since beginning his transition in July, he's been traveling a lot. This will be a new "normal" for us as his new job requires 40-50% travel. However, when he's not traveling, he gets to work from home! That's right folks, he no longer works at Wauna Mill! As much as he will miss many of the people he worked with there, he's excited to be in a much more low-stress environment For now...and maybe even permanently...he has made himself an office down in his shop. So far it's working out nicely.
Sorrow:
I've been on a mini roller coaster of heartache and hope with a dear relative of mine. He's drug-addicted and beat down. Satan has gripped his soul and my heart breaks for him. By a series of God-ordained "coincidences" I was able to spend several moments with him on a handful of occasions...loving him and encouraging him the best way I know how. Currently, he's in jail...and sadly, I feel relieved. I continue to have hope and pray God's blessing over him.
Excitement:
For over a year I've been praying for a pastor to come to our area...someone to help us (me with other folks in the community) start a church. And through a long and detailed and amazing series of events, God has answered my prayer. Oh my goodness gracious...God has answered my prayer!
Calamity:
My dad had a big health scare! It's a long story that many already know. To sum it up, he grew a huge lump on his neck over the course of a few days and had an extreme headache. Our local hospital didn't know what it was so they sent him in an ambulance to OHSU. After some tests and a lot of waiting they thought he might even have cancer! In the end, doctors removed a very large thyroid cyst and half of his thyroid with it. It took a bit to recover and he's still plugging away. We are so thankful that God has restored him and his health!
Pain:
I hurt my foot!! About a week before Labor Day my dog barreled into me and my poor foot got the brunt of it. Basically, I lost a big chunk of skin and the rehab has been ridiculous! Initially, I let it scab over and hobbled around for a good week wearing one shoe. The bruising along with the road rash was painful. Anyway, when I got home from our Labor Day camp trip, the pain seemed to get worse daily. Every step I took made the scab pull away from my healthy skin and I could hardly walk. I tried passing the time by enjoying the sun, but the sun made it hurt sooo bad...even covered and wet! Long story short, I've had to keep the scab wet and the healing has been long. I can only wear special sandals...even flip-flops are painful. It's been nearly 4 weeks. It's looking WAY better...but I still have a bit before I can wear real shoes.
Other than that, Synnove badly bruised her tail bone when she fell out of a tree. And Soren was bit in the face by a dog (in the dog's defense...she was provoked...but still unfortunate). I'm glad we made it through another summer with no broken bones or hospital visits!
Work:
Andrea and I worked through the summer cleaning houses. We took a few weeks off in August, but I managed to find other things to occupy my days. Unfortunately, I didn't do one ounce of painting on our house (my intent)...but I did help a friend paint hers. Adam has been working during his "free" time on the fence for our field. He's also been tinkering around with his "new" car (ugh!).
Showing posts with label sickness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sickness. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
It Must be February...Cause we're all SICK!
Sorry for the long hiatus, but along with some technical difficulties with my computer, we've been very, VERY sick for the better part of the last month. Despite my prayers for health, the bugs have overtaken our house and we're having a hard time getting rid of them. We started back in mid-January when Synnove got a wierd tummy bug that lasted 6-7 days...then we were all healthy for a few days and then Soren got the tummy bug (his was much worse) for 6-7 days. Who gets a week-long tummy bug!?!?! Sheesh! We were all well for a week or two. Then, Synnove got a sore throat that turned into fever and other cold symptoms. She missed a week of school, was on the mend for a week, and now she's back to similar symptoms. Soren got the same bug (way worse) a week after Synnove and had a 6-day fever with bad cold symptoms and a tummy ache. I have also been sick with the same for almost two weeks now, and Adam is now battling it as well. I'm frustrated, exhausted, and tired of being stuck in my house with sickies.
When I find the time to have some patience for my computer (picture download issues) I'll get around to finally blogging about Synnove's 7th birthday. As for now, I'm contemplating a nap.
When I find the time to have some patience for my computer (picture download issues) I'll get around to finally blogging about Synnove's 7th birthday. As for now, I'm contemplating a nap.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Soren's Tummy Revisited
Last fall/winter/spring was rough for Soren. He was getting sick all the time and his occasional tummy troubles turned into an all-the-time misery. I wrote a short bit about it HERE. Anyway, it would take me a long time to write every detail of the last year, so I'll try my best to give you the abridged version.
After a handful of unsuccessful visits to the doctor, Soren was referred to OHSU Pediatric Gastroenterology. I was getting desperate for answers. Not only was my little Soren in misery, I was a stressed-out ball of anxiety myself. I dropped a good 15 lbs without even trying! Still, the thought of going to OHSU didn't settle with me completely. Our family doctor told me that if OHSU didn't call within a week to give her office a call. Over a week went by and OHSU didn't call. I was sort of relieved because I had already started Soren onto the path to what I was hoping would be some recovery. Soren was already feeling better! So, I said a big prayer..."Lord, if we're not supposed to go to OHSU please shut the door...please, please, PLEASE!" Still, I decided to call our family doctor to tell her that OHSU hadn't called. The nurse said that they were a few days late in getting the referral sent out, but that it was definitely sent out. She said to call in a few days if OHSU still didn't contact me. To this day, they have never called...we haven't been to the doctor since.
During our month of visits to the doctor and visits to the lab, I was busy at home doing my own research. I had recently gotten involved with a company called Young Living Essential Oils and was already having great personal results with the few oils that I had. Although, I hadn't begun using any for Soren and his tummy. I was also trying several diet changes for Soren. I would try one thing after another with no success whatsoever. Most advice was telling me he was allergic to something...but that was proving untrue. His tummy hurt all day...all day! It would hurt from the moment he woke up till he went to bed. For some time it didn't affect his eating too much, but as it got worse, he began to eat like a bird. He still pooped daily...and it was neither diarrhea, or hard/compact. Forgive me for the TMI, but it was usually several long, skinny poos. In my research I learned that your poo should be fairly firm/formed and the the size of your colon. Soren's was too small.
I was learning a lot about the products offered by YLEO through my friend Shari who had introduced them to me. She has been using the oils for almost 20 years and 30 years ago, through diet and herbs, she helped cure her husband of advanced Lymphoma in the span of 7 weeks (no chemo or radiation)! In fact, he had a tumor the size of a volleyball in his gut that was absolutely GONE in that 7 weeks! When she was introduced to the oils 10 years later and learned that they were exponentially more powerful than the herbs, she was sold. All that to say, she is a wealth of knowledge and testimonies. I had discussed Soren several times with Shari, but it took me a long time to fully be "on-board" with what she had to say. She told me to put him on a cleanse of raw fruits and vegetables to see what would happen. I was reluctant at first, but desperate enough to give it a try. Fortunately, Soren is extremely compliant! It only took two days for me to discover that he wasn't digesting his food...at all. I could see his breakfast in the toilet at lunchtime in full color (didn't look like poo)...and his lunch in the toilet at dinnertime. He was also starving! I thought that maybe his body just wasn't accustomed to the diet change, but Shari was adamant that regardless of diet change, his poo should look like poo!
She suggested enzymes. Again, I was hesitant. The product labels have dosages for adults. I was worried his little tummy couldn't handle it. But, after even more research, I found that most all the oils and supplements are safe for all ages. I also found that I couldn't really overdose him either...the worst that could happen is that he would throw them up. The labels are put on the bottles to appease the law/FDA. Also, because none of the products/oils are FDA approved it's hard to find information about them. Much of the info is shared through testimony. ANYway, it was during this time that YLEO was having a promotion on their probiotic, enzymes, and oil used to aid in digestion. I listened to an informational conference call and took copious notes. After that, I was convinced that these products were going to help my little guy get well. I ordered them ASAP!
At the time I finally received the products, Soren had been enduring tummy pain for over a year and had been enduring CONSTANT tummy pain for at least 2-3 months...all the while, catching every virus on the planet! I immediately started him on the probiotic and enzymes. Each capsule was able to be taken apart so I gave him 1/3-1/2 a capsule at each dosing. He took enzymes with at least two meals a day and the probiotic before bed. I also applied the oil blend on his tummy for times of extra discomfort. I was prepared for a gradual change to start happening over the period of a couple of weeks. His pain was greatly subsided and his poop was normal within TWO DAYS! I was floored! It's been an uphill roller coaster ever since. I say "roller coaster" because there have been several changes to his daily regimen.
YLEO offers several enzymes and enzyme blends, so I experimented with many. Only after a few weeks of splitting the capsules he was on a full dose with better success. He was on the probiotic for 3 straight months and then gradually weaned off by early summer. By August his tummy pain started to return on a regular basis. I was discouraged...but had done even more research and finally settled on the right enzyme. BUT, just as I was about to re-do his routine, YLEO introduced a new dual-capsule enzyme. One capsule releases in the tummy to break down carbs, and one capsule releases in the intestines to break down proteins. After having Soren on the new enzyme for just 2-3 days, his 6-week bout of tummy pain was over. He's been virtually pain-free ever since.
Yes, Soren still gets tummy aches...usually when he has too much sugar or other simple carbs...OR when he spends the day without mommy and forgets to take his enzymes! But, I couldn't be happier with the results of this journey so far. As I have learned more and more, I have discovered that Soren's problems likely stem from his time in the hospital as a baby (story HERE). He was put on extremely high doses of the strongest antibiotic his little body could take and it destroyed his immune system. I have learned that your immune system stems from your gut. If your gut isn't working properly, then your body has a harder time fighting off disease. I also learned that the average person's enzyme stores in the USA is virtually nil by age 30. Our diets are filled with an overabundance of processed foods (including our "healthy" produce) that have little nutritional value and fill our overworked livers with harmful toxins. Those toxins build up in our bodies and manifest...creating disease and cancer. Enzymes, I'm learning, are the keys to optimal health! They are what break down and assimilate the nutrients we eat. BUT, because we eat "dead" foods stripped of their good bacteria and enzymes through pasteurization, irradiation, and canning...we are not replenishing our enzyme stores. Make sense? Well...it's the best I can do for now.
Here is some information on a few of the key products that helped Soren's tummy:
Life 5 Probiotic
Essentialzymes 4
Di-Gize Essential Oil
Please note that not all essential oils are made alike. The ones from the health food store have little to no therapeutic value and canNOT be taken internally. All YLEO are safe to take internally, unless otherwise noted, because of the pureness and are of the highest therapeutic value because of the way they are distilled. If you are at all interested in starting a journey of your own, I'd be happy to help steer you in the right direction. Oh the stories I can share! Email me at nicolelouiseb@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: The information on this site is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from any disease, illness or injury should consult with a physician.
After a handful of unsuccessful visits to the doctor, Soren was referred to OHSU Pediatric Gastroenterology. I was getting desperate for answers. Not only was my little Soren in misery, I was a stressed-out ball of anxiety myself. I dropped a good 15 lbs without even trying! Still, the thought of going to OHSU didn't settle with me completely. Our family doctor told me that if OHSU didn't call within a week to give her office a call. Over a week went by and OHSU didn't call. I was sort of relieved because I had already started Soren onto the path to what I was hoping would be some recovery. Soren was already feeling better! So, I said a big prayer..."Lord, if we're not supposed to go to OHSU please shut the door...please, please, PLEASE!" Still, I decided to call our family doctor to tell her that OHSU hadn't called. The nurse said that they were a few days late in getting the referral sent out, but that it was definitely sent out. She said to call in a few days if OHSU still didn't contact me. To this day, they have never called...we haven't been to the doctor since.
During our month of visits to the doctor and visits to the lab, I was busy at home doing my own research. I had recently gotten involved with a company called Young Living Essential Oils and was already having great personal results with the few oils that I had. Although, I hadn't begun using any for Soren and his tummy. I was also trying several diet changes for Soren. I would try one thing after another with no success whatsoever. Most advice was telling me he was allergic to something...but that was proving untrue. His tummy hurt all day...all day! It would hurt from the moment he woke up till he went to bed. For some time it didn't affect his eating too much, but as it got worse, he began to eat like a bird. He still pooped daily...and it was neither diarrhea, or hard/compact. Forgive me for the TMI, but it was usually several long, skinny poos. In my research I learned that your poo should be fairly firm/formed and the the size of your colon. Soren's was too small.
I was learning a lot about the products offered by YLEO through my friend Shari who had introduced them to me. She has been using the oils for almost 20 years and 30 years ago, through diet and herbs, she helped cure her husband of advanced Lymphoma in the span of 7 weeks (no chemo or radiation)! In fact, he had a tumor the size of a volleyball in his gut that was absolutely GONE in that 7 weeks! When she was introduced to the oils 10 years later and learned that they were exponentially more powerful than the herbs, she was sold. All that to say, she is a wealth of knowledge and testimonies. I had discussed Soren several times with Shari, but it took me a long time to fully be "on-board" with what she had to say. She told me to put him on a cleanse of raw fruits and vegetables to see what would happen. I was reluctant at first, but desperate enough to give it a try. Fortunately, Soren is extremely compliant! It only took two days for me to discover that he wasn't digesting his food...at all. I could see his breakfast in the toilet at lunchtime in full color (didn't look like poo)...and his lunch in the toilet at dinnertime. He was also starving! I thought that maybe his body just wasn't accustomed to the diet change, but Shari was adamant that regardless of diet change, his poo should look like poo!
She suggested enzymes. Again, I was hesitant. The product labels have dosages for adults. I was worried his little tummy couldn't handle it. But, after even more research, I found that most all the oils and supplements are safe for all ages. I also found that I couldn't really overdose him either...the worst that could happen is that he would throw them up. The labels are put on the bottles to appease the law/FDA. Also, because none of the products/oils are FDA approved it's hard to find information about them. Much of the info is shared through testimony. ANYway, it was during this time that YLEO was having a promotion on their probiotic, enzymes, and oil used to aid in digestion. I listened to an informational conference call and took copious notes. After that, I was convinced that these products were going to help my little guy get well. I ordered them ASAP!
At the time I finally received the products, Soren had been enduring tummy pain for over a year and had been enduring CONSTANT tummy pain for at least 2-3 months...all the while, catching every virus on the planet! I immediately started him on the probiotic and enzymes. Each capsule was able to be taken apart so I gave him 1/3-1/2 a capsule at each dosing. He took enzymes with at least two meals a day and the probiotic before bed. I also applied the oil blend on his tummy for times of extra discomfort. I was prepared for a gradual change to start happening over the period of a couple of weeks. His pain was greatly subsided and his poop was normal within TWO DAYS! I was floored! It's been an uphill roller coaster ever since. I say "roller coaster" because there have been several changes to his daily regimen.
YLEO offers several enzymes and enzyme blends, so I experimented with many. Only after a few weeks of splitting the capsules he was on a full dose with better success. He was on the probiotic for 3 straight months and then gradually weaned off by early summer. By August his tummy pain started to return on a regular basis. I was discouraged...but had done even more research and finally settled on the right enzyme. BUT, just as I was about to re-do his routine, YLEO introduced a new dual-capsule enzyme. One capsule releases in the tummy to break down carbs, and one capsule releases in the intestines to break down proteins. After having Soren on the new enzyme for just 2-3 days, his 6-week bout of tummy pain was over. He's been virtually pain-free ever since.
Yes, Soren still gets tummy aches...usually when he has too much sugar or other simple carbs...OR when he spends the day without mommy and forgets to take his enzymes! But, I couldn't be happier with the results of this journey so far. As I have learned more and more, I have discovered that Soren's problems likely stem from his time in the hospital as a baby (story HERE). He was put on extremely high doses of the strongest antibiotic his little body could take and it destroyed his immune system. I have learned that your immune system stems from your gut. If your gut isn't working properly, then your body has a harder time fighting off disease. I also learned that the average person's enzyme stores in the USA is virtually nil by age 30. Our diets are filled with an overabundance of processed foods (including our "healthy" produce) that have little nutritional value and fill our overworked livers with harmful toxins. Those toxins build up in our bodies and manifest...creating disease and cancer. Enzymes, I'm learning, are the keys to optimal health! They are what break down and assimilate the nutrients we eat. BUT, because we eat "dead" foods stripped of their good bacteria and enzymes through pasteurization, irradiation, and canning...we are not replenishing our enzyme stores. Make sense? Well...it's the best I can do for now.
Here is some information on a few of the key products that helped Soren's tummy:
Life 5 Probiotic
Essentialzymes 4
Di-Gize Essential Oil
Please note that not all essential oils are made alike. The ones from the health food store have little to no therapeutic value and canNOT be taken internally. All YLEO are safe to take internally, unless otherwise noted, because of the pureness and are of the highest therapeutic value because of the way they are distilled. If you are at all interested in starting a journey of your own, I'd be happy to help steer you in the right direction. Oh the stories I can share! Email me at nicolelouiseb@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: The information on this site is intended for educational purposes only. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Anyone suffering from any disease, illness or injury should consult with a physician.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Everyday...
It feels good to be getting back into the old routine after almost two months of sick. I suppose Soren's tummy has been the main focus for the last several weeks. Diet changes, patterns, and daily poop examinations have led me to believe he's having digestion issues. I've been trying some new things with his diet to help him with his digestion, and it seems to be starting to work. I'm saying a lot of prayers and keeping my fingers crossed! Meanwhile, he's been referred to OHSU and I've yet to hear from them about setting up a consultation. Synnove's insecurity has been slowly getting better. I'm so incredibly thankful! We still have a long way to go, but she finally lets me go outside without freaking out. She still opens the door every 30 seconds to check on me though :) Baby steps... Lucy ran off a few weeks ago and was gone for 15 loooong hours. She came back filthy, stinky, anxious, and completely freaked out. We've spent a lot of time with her in the last 2-3 weeks trying to get her back to being her old self. Long story short, we got a goat (more on that later). By the way, Lucy turns ONE tomorrow! And...she's getting spayed on Monday :( Adam has caught himself another bug. I've been praying hard and doing all that I can to boost our immune systems so that we don't get it as well. Poor guy has been on the couch for the better part of 3 days. I don't know that I've ever seen Adam so beat down with sickness. I'm pretty sure he already got the same flu Soren and I got last month...so this is something new. And what about Me? Well, I've been doing the usual laundry, dishes, errands, MAJOR bill paying (March sickness has put us in the poorhouse), Bible study, field trips, etc. Oh, and I learned how to make sock monkeys! I'm not finished with my first one yet, but it's gonna be super cute!
Here's a random picture from a couple of weeks ago. As usual, the kids were goofing off in the bathtub and they started playing with Synnove's hair bands. They were pretending to be nutcrackers...clever :) ***If there are any Blogger friends out there who know a trick on how to ensure your post doesn't get all smooshed together...I'd love to hear it! I'm so tired of these random 1-paragraph posts!***
Here's a random picture from a couple of weeks ago. As usual, the kids were goofing off in the bathtub and they started playing with Synnove's hair bands. They were pretending to be nutcrackers...clever :) ***If there are any Blogger friends out there who know a trick on how to ensure your post doesn't get all smooshed together...I'd love to hear it! I'm so tired of these random 1-paragraph posts!***
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
What I Managed to Capture in the Last 3 Weeks
It's been a lot of sickness and rain at our house...more than usual. I suppose it started with President's day, and our two snow days....all downhill from there. We've been sitting on the couch in front of the television for most of it. It's gotten so bad that I've been trying to avoid the TV altogether. It's still raining outside, but at least we're feeling better...venturing into town is like a mini-vacation!
Call me a bad mother...but when you aren't feeling well, the TV is a lifesaver. Don't get me wrong, I love that the times have introduced 24-hour preschool programming, but I get tired of watching it myself...all day. So, for the times I want to watch something, I change the channel and say "go find something to do!" But, with Synnove's current fear of being away from me for 5 seconds, finding something to do has been difficult...especially since Soren hasn't been well either. So, one day I trudged off the couch to make some play dough. It had been at least a year since I'd made it before, so it was welcome entertainment as far as the kids were concerned. I'm so thankful for the huge assortment of cookie cutters I scored at Goodwill several years ago!
Soren is very good at playing independently. If he's interested, he'll play for quite some time. While he was getting over one of his colds, I found him in our unusable tub playing with his "pirate garden." His poor face is raw from blowing his nose...
Synnove managed to FINALLY lose a tooth! This tooth had been hanging by a thread for the better part of a month. She would NOT pull it out...and was quite terrified. One day, when Soren was sick, I had my Dad pick Synnove up from school and she lost it on the 2 minute drive home. She already has another tooth coming in. AND, she lost the one to the left a week later. As far as I know, she didn't actually "pull" either of them out...they fell out on their own.
I look forward to life getting back to normal. It's sad that in three weeks, these are the only pictures I have. We're all feeling better, but Soren is still having a battle with his tummy/intestines. It's been going on for the better part of a year, and has recently turned into a full-blown issue. We're currently searching for answers...little luck so far.
Call me a bad mother...but when you aren't feeling well, the TV is a lifesaver. Don't get me wrong, I love that the times have introduced 24-hour preschool programming, but I get tired of watching it myself...all day. So, for the times I want to watch something, I change the channel and say "go find something to do!" But, with Synnove's current fear of being away from me for 5 seconds, finding something to do has been difficult...especially since Soren hasn't been well either. So, one day I trudged off the couch to make some play dough. It had been at least a year since I'd made it before, so it was welcome entertainment as far as the kids were concerned. I'm so thankful for the huge assortment of cookie cutters I scored at Goodwill several years ago!
Soren is very good at playing independently. If he's interested, he'll play for quite some time. While he was getting over one of his colds, I found him in our unusable tub playing with his "pirate garden." His poor face is raw from blowing his nose...
Synnove managed to FINALLY lose a tooth! This tooth had been hanging by a thread for the better part of a month. She would NOT pull it out...and was quite terrified. One day, when Soren was sick, I had my Dad pick Synnove up from school and she lost it on the 2 minute drive home. She already has another tooth coming in. AND, she lost the one to the left a week later. As far as I know, she didn't actually "pull" either of them out...they fell out on their own.
I look forward to life getting back to normal. It's sad that in three weeks, these are the only pictures I have. We're all feeling better, but Soren is still having a battle with his tummy/intestines. It's been going on for the better part of a year, and has recently turned into a full-blown issue. We're currently searching for answers...little luck so far.
Monday, January 31, 2011
I'm Ready for a New Month
January has been full. It's January 31st, and yet it feels like March. Here's why...
I suppose the mayhem started in late December when Synnove contracted Molluscum. Thankfully, Soren had gotten a very mild case over the summer (at the time I had no idea what it was) and when I took him to the dermatologist for his forehead scarring from the accident I asked the Dr. about it. By that time, Soren's immune system had fought it off, but after a brief description, the Dr. knew exactly what it was. I had never heard of it, but learned it was very common. I'll skip the details. ANYway, I started noticing bumps on Synnove in early December, but didn't pay much attention because I knew what it was, and it was mild and harmless. It wasn't until about New Year's Eve that her few bumps exploded to hundreds and hundreds! Plus, they were creeping to her face, hands, and the bottoms of her feet. Frantic, I Googled treatment options. I already knew that there wasn't much for treatment other that cutting them off...but I researched for options. Molluscum is a virus that can attack the body for months to years! I was desperate for find a solution. I found a homeopathic treatment that was kinda spendy, but readily available at Walgreens. That night my mom picked up a bottle for me, and I started treatment right away. It was a long process and had to be done morning and night. Synnove was supposed to go back to school in just a couple of days and I had to get it under control because it's contagious.
In a couple of days, the bumps had slightly faded....enough for me to feel comfortable to send her to school. I told her not to scratch and to wash her hands often. She did. Synnove's case was on the verge of extreme...and the treatment we had was meant to be put on individual bumps without touching other skin, but we had to put it all over her body because the bumps were infinite! I went back to the internet for more answers. I happened upon some product reviews and a specific post where a gal talked about another natural remedy that worked for her son. I when to the natural foods store in town to see if I could find what she was talking about. I found one thing, but not the other. I started with Synnove right away (little sublingual pills called Thuja) and her bumps started vanishing within a few short days. It was miraculous! I was thanking God! Now she only has a few of the larger bumps and we continue to manage them with both medicines.
In the second week of January I started attending TWO Bible studies. One is a study though our church that meets 1/2 a mile up the road, and the other is a woman's study that meets on Tuesdays around lunchtime. I'm so excited to be a part of them! Not only are they a great way to delve deeper into the Bible and into spirituality, but they help me get connected with other Christians in my little community.
I attended the annual MK Seattle Sizzle Conference with Star Consultant perks. I also had the pleasure of cheering on my friend Andrea as she won Queen of Sales, Queen of recruiting, and Queen of Seattle Sizzle! It was the first time in the conference's history that there had ever been a triple queen! She is an incredible inspiration to all, a dear soul, and dear friend. She also earned directorship and her car! Believe-it-or-not, she only signed up 1 1/2 months before me! Mary Kay has been keeping me busy this month...especially with my latest "New Years Trade-In Sale." I actually made quite an impression with my fellow MK ladies with all the stuff I collected from my customers!
I was wrangled in to volunteer for the Knappa Schools Foundation annual auction fundraiser. I've been calling local businesses asking for donations and running all over town picking them all up. It's fantastic fun...ha ha. I finished most of my work last Friday...that's a big load off!
I started attending a new monthly scrapbooking group. I haven't scrapped since I was pregnant with Soren, and I've only scrapped up to Synnove's birth. Saying that I'm behind is a gross understatement.
Synnove turned 6 last week! I hosted TWO parties for her. I made tacos and cupcakes for 40 two weekends ago, and yesterday I had 4 of Synnove's friends over for a "glorified playdate." 5 6-year old girls together is quite the handful! Pics to come...
My Great Grandma Backe died last Thursday. It was just a few posts ago that I wrote about her 100th birthday! And it was only two short weeks ago that she finally asked Jesus to be her Savior. She is proof that it's never too late...what a miracle! The last handful of days have been spent driving back and forth to Warrenton for dinner and family time. It's a blessing, really...but the late nights are taking their toll...especially since everyone in my little family is....
...SICK! Fevers, coughing, stuffy noses, vomit, pinkeye, earaches. We are finally on the mend, but the last 2-3 weeks have been misery. Soren has been the worst as he's been sick for most of January. Adam hasn't had this bad of a cold in as long as I've known him. Synnove, despite her molluscum and a mild case of pinkeye, has been blowing her nose the least. However, she did get the croup the same night Soren was throwing up with a 103 degree fever. I've been keeping the cold at bay for most of the last couple of weeks, but it caught up with me a few days ago. Yeah, it's a bad cold...but not NEARLY as bad as what Soren and Adam have been battling. We have gone through at LEAST 5 boxes of tissue (doesn't include all the toilet paper we've used) to blow our ever-stuffy noses.
Adam left for his annual conference in Georgia yesterday. I'm just praying that we continue to feel better, and life can return to a less-busy normal. We've got Bible study at my house, a funeral, a field trip, and snack duty.
I suppose the mayhem started in late December when Synnove contracted Molluscum. Thankfully, Soren had gotten a very mild case over the summer (at the time I had no idea what it was) and when I took him to the dermatologist for his forehead scarring from the accident I asked the Dr. about it. By that time, Soren's immune system had fought it off, but after a brief description, the Dr. knew exactly what it was. I had never heard of it, but learned it was very common. I'll skip the details. ANYway, I started noticing bumps on Synnove in early December, but didn't pay much attention because I knew what it was, and it was mild and harmless. It wasn't until about New Year's Eve that her few bumps exploded to hundreds and hundreds! Plus, they were creeping to her face, hands, and the bottoms of her feet. Frantic, I Googled treatment options. I already knew that there wasn't much for treatment other that cutting them off...but I researched for options. Molluscum is a virus that can attack the body for months to years! I was desperate for find a solution. I found a homeopathic treatment that was kinda spendy, but readily available at Walgreens. That night my mom picked up a bottle for me, and I started treatment right away. It was a long process and had to be done morning and night. Synnove was supposed to go back to school in just a couple of days and I had to get it under control because it's contagious.
In a couple of days, the bumps had slightly faded....enough for me to feel comfortable to send her to school. I told her not to scratch and to wash her hands often. She did. Synnove's case was on the verge of extreme...and the treatment we had was meant to be put on individual bumps without touching other skin, but we had to put it all over her body because the bumps were infinite! I went back to the internet for more answers. I happened upon some product reviews and a specific post where a gal talked about another natural remedy that worked for her son. I when to the natural foods store in town to see if I could find what she was talking about. I found one thing, but not the other. I started with Synnove right away (little sublingual pills called Thuja) and her bumps started vanishing within a few short days. It was miraculous! I was thanking God! Now she only has a few of the larger bumps and we continue to manage them with both medicines.
In the second week of January I started attending TWO Bible studies. One is a study though our church that meets 1/2 a mile up the road, and the other is a woman's study that meets on Tuesdays around lunchtime. I'm so excited to be a part of them! Not only are they a great way to delve deeper into the Bible and into spirituality, but they help me get connected with other Christians in my little community.
I attended the annual MK Seattle Sizzle Conference with Star Consultant perks. I also had the pleasure of cheering on my friend Andrea as she won Queen of Sales, Queen of recruiting, and Queen of Seattle Sizzle! It was the first time in the conference's history that there had ever been a triple queen! She is an incredible inspiration to all, a dear soul, and dear friend. She also earned directorship and her car! Believe-it-or-not, she only signed up 1 1/2 months before me! Mary Kay has been keeping me busy this month...especially with my latest "New Years Trade-In Sale." I actually made quite an impression with my fellow MK ladies with all the stuff I collected from my customers!
I was wrangled in to volunteer for the Knappa Schools Foundation annual auction fundraiser. I've been calling local businesses asking for donations and running all over town picking them all up. It's fantastic fun...ha ha. I finished most of my work last Friday...that's a big load off!
I started attending a new monthly scrapbooking group. I haven't scrapped since I was pregnant with Soren, and I've only scrapped up to Synnove's birth. Saying that I'm behind is a gross understatement.
Synnove turned 6 last week! I hosted TWO parties for her. I made tacos and cupcakes for 40 two weekends ago, and yesterday I had 4 of Synnove's friends over for a "glorified playdate." 5 6-year old girls together is quite the handful! Pics to come...
My Great Grandma Backe died last Thursday. It was just a few posts ago that I wrote about her 100th birthday! And it was only two short weeks ago that she finally asked Jesus to be her Savior. She is proof that it's never too late...what a miracle! The last handful of days have been spent driving back and forth to Warrenton for dinner and family time. It's a blessing, really...but the late nights are taking their toll...especially since everyone in my little family is....
...SICK! Fevers, coughing, stuffy noses, vomit, pinkeye, earaches. We are finally on the mend, but the last 2-3 weeks have been misery. Soren has been the worst as he's been sick for most of January. Adam hasn't had this bad of a cold in as long as I've known him. Synnove, despite her molluscum and a mild case of pinkeye, has been blowing her nose the least. However, she did get the croup the same night Soren was throwing up with a 103 degree fever. I've been keeping the cold at bay for most of the last couple of weeks, but it caught up with me a few days ago. Yeah, it's a bad cold...but not NEARLY as bad as what Soren and Adam have been battling. We have gone through at LEAST 5 boxes of tissue (doesn't include all the toilet paper we've used) to blow our ever-stuffy noses.
Adam left for his annual conference in Georgia yesterday. I'm just praying that we continue to feel better, and life can return to a less-busy normal. We've got Bible study at my house, a funeral, a field trip, and snack duty.
I love my life!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Never In My Life...
...has my kitchen been this messy.
What you can't see are the crumbs, the exploding sink full of dishes, the empty silverware drawer (cause they are all in the dishwasher), dried-up yogurt, random bent nails and loose screws, and goodness knows what else. I walked in from taking Soren on his preschool pumpkin patch trip and just had to take a photo. It's sort of a glimpse of how our lives have been in the last month. Our house has been a construction zone, a guest house, a place to entertain, and a hospital for one of the sickest months on record. And, when I'm not doing laundry, cooking dinner, cleaning up vomit, scouring the Internet for our next vehicle, running my little business, taking kids back and forth to school, vacuuming joint compound dust, painting, selling stuff on Ebay, running to the post office, entertaining guests, making deliveries, throwing parties, attending meetings, and sleeping....I'm plopped on the couch for some much needed down time.
Forgive me for my 3-week hiatus...I hope to catch up soon :)
What you can't see are the crumbs, the exploding sink full of dishes, the empty silverware drawer (cause they are all in the dishwasher), dried-up yogurt, random bent nails and loose screws, and goodness knows what else. I walked in from taking Soren on his preschool pumpkin patch trip and just had to take a photo. It's sort of a glimpse of how our lives have been in the last month. Our house has been a construction zone, a guest house, a place to entertain, and a hospital for one of the sickest months on record. And, when I'm not doing laundry, cooking dinner, cleaning up vomit, scouring the Internet for our next vehicle, running my little business, taking kids back and forth to school, vacuuming joint compound dust, painting, selling stuff on Ebay, running to the post office, entertaining guests, making deliveries, throwing parties, attending meetings, and sleeping....I'm plopped on the couch for some much needed down time.Forgive me for my 3-week hiatus...I hope to catch up soon :)
Monday, October 4, 2010
A Rough Week for Soren
I think I've cried more times in the last week than I have in the last year. I've had many reminders this week of how blessed I am. That, mixed with varying unfortunate events, has put me close to my limit. When it rains, it pours...right? Well, for my little Soren boy last week, that little statement is quite true.
Last Saturday (the 25th), Adam wanted to surprise the kids with a trip to the Enchanted Forest in Salem. It was supposed to be a beautiful day, and when we left our home, the sun was already beaming. We didn't tell the kids where we were going, and Synnove just couldn't stop asking questions....she was excited! About 20 minutes into our 3 hour drive we got into a car accident. I'm going to save the details of that little event for a later blog. Unfortunately, Soren got the brunt of it and won himself an ambulance ride to Longview. He got the works...an IV, a CT, at least an hour of glass removal, and 11 stitches. I thank God for my husband, as he is usually the better "mom" in situations like these. He rode with him in the ambulance and kept him in good spirits throughout the afternoon while they poked and prodded.
Soren is such a brave little boy. The doctors were so impressed with his ability to stay calm and sit still throughout the entire procedure. As I've said before, Soren is sooo reasonable, flexible, and trusting. He was very quiet on the ride home, but perked up a bit when we arrived. And, despite the scary morning, he slept soundly through the night with his special bear from the hospital.
The next day Soren was doing well. We put him to bed...and with some snuggling, he fell asleep. I was worried about the kids having nightmares from the accident (Synnove was a bit affected), so my ears were sensitive to sounds coming from their rooms. At about 2:30 AM Soren woke with a tummy ache and ended up with the throw-ups all through the day until the next evening. And, in typical Soren fashion, he was a trooper...AND, always landed in the bucket :) Still, I was heartbroken for my boy and was on my knees throughout the day pleading with God to end the misery. From severe headache to severe tummy ache...what next??
It actually took him a couple of days to recover from his sickness. He was well on Tuesday, but still not 100%. He was very nervous to get his stitches out on Thursday. He doesn't say much these days...but I could see it on his face. I assured him all would be well, and it was. He sat completely still and only shed a single, silent tear when the doctor had to tug a bit on a scabbed up stitch.
That afternoon, the sun was out and it was actually warm enough for the kids to play in their swimsuits. It was just the remedy we all needed for a rough-week-pick-me-up! The kids played while I mowed the lawn and Adam mowed the field. Normalcy...it felt great.
The next few days were busy. I was doing a lot of running around, and we were all battling a bit of a cold...Synnove was the worst...lots of coughing. On Saturday, Synnove was sick with a touch of what Soren had. But, thankfully, it wasn't bad enough for her to want to lay on the couch. She didn't have much of an appetite, but that was about it.
Yesterday, we celebrated Soren's birthday (he's turning 4 tomorrow!), and both kids were relatively healthy. Adam and I put the kids to bed and settled into watching SNL on the DVR. We had to keep hitting the pause button to make sure Soren was OK...as he was doing a lot of coughing...and then whining. I went down to get him to see what I could do to make him feel better. He wasn't well. He was having a hard time breathing and his coughing was making him gag. Then, as if that wasn't enough to end the horrid week, he was also crying in pain. Growing pains...severe growing pains. We stuffed him with medicine...cold medicine, Tylenol, and applied some Vick's vaporub. Then, while he sat in Adam's lap watching Oobi, I massaged his aching legs.
I'm praying for a better week this week!
Last Saturday (the 25th), Adam wanted to surprise the kids with a trip to the Enchanted Forest in Salem. It was supposed to be a beautiful day, and when we left our home, the sun was already beaming. We didn't tell the kids where we were going, and Synnove just couldn't stop asking questions....she was excited! About 20 minutes into our 3 hour drive we got into a car accident. I'm going to save the details of that little event for a later blog. Unfortunately, Soren got the brunt of it and won himself an ambulance ride to Longview. He got the works...an IV, a CT, at least an hour of glass removal, and 11 stitches. I thank God for my husband, as he is usually the better "mom" in situations like these. He rode with him in the ambulance and kept him in good spirits throughout the afternoon while they poked and prodded.
Soren is such a brave little boy. The doctors were so impressed with his ability to stay calm and sit still throughout the entire procedure. As I've said before, Soren is sooo reasonable, flexible, and trusting. He was very quiet on the ride home, but perked up a bit when we arrived. And, despite the scary morning, he slept soundly through the night with his special bear from the hospital.
The next day Soren was doing well. We put him to bed...and with some snuggling, he fell asleep. I was worried about the kids having nightmares from the accident (Synnove was a bit affected), so my ears were sensitive to sounds coming from their rooms. At about 2:30 AM Soren woke with a tummy ache and ended up with the throw-ups all through the day until the next evening. And, in typical Soren fashion, he was a trooper...AND, always landed in the bucket :) Still, I was heartbroken for my boy and was on my knees throughout the day pleading with God to end the misery. From severe headache to severe tummy ache...what next??
Sick on the couch with his new buddy from the church ladies at the hospital...he named him "Lightning 'the' Queen"
It actually took him a couple of days to recover from his sickness. He was well on Tuesday, but still not 100%. He was very nervous to get his stitches out on Thursday. He doesn't say much these days...but I could see it on his face. I assured him all would be well, and it was. He sat completely still and only shed a single, silent tear when the doctor had to tug a bit on a scabbed up stitch.
That afternoon, the sun was out and it was actually warm enough for the kids to play in their swimsuits. It was just the remedy we all needed for a rough-week-pick-me-up! The kids played while I mowed the lawn and Adam mowed the field. Normalcy...it felt great.
The next few days were busy. I was doing a lot of running around, and we were all battling a bit of a cold...Synnove was the worst...lots of coughing. On Saturday, Synnove was sick with a touch of what Soren had. But, thankfully, it wasn't bad enough for her to want to lay on the couch. She didn't have much of an appetite, but that was about it.
In order to start his IV in the ambulance, the medic had to cut his shirt off...Soren was sad about that. I found an exact replacement on Ebay in a size larger...we got it in the mail on Saturday.
Yesterday, we celebrated Soren's birthday (he's turning 4 tomorrow!), and both kids were relatively healthy. Adam and I put the kids to bed and settled into watching SNL on the DVR. We had to keep hitting the pause button to make sure Soren was OK...as he was doing a lot of coughing...and then whining. I went down to get him to see what I could do to make him feel better. He wasn't well. He was having a hard time breathing and his coughing was making him gag. Then, as if that wasn't enough to end the horrid week, he was also crying in pain. Growing pains...severe growing pains. We stuffed him with medicine...cold medicine, Tylenol, and applied some Vick's vaporub. Then, while he sat in Adam's lap watching Oobi, I massaged his aching legs.
I'm praying for a better week this week!
Friday, July 16, 2010
The Past Week
You know you're life is busy when you have to check your calendar to see what you did the day before. We're having lots of fun in this semi-beautiful weather, and have been taking advantage of every day.
Last Saturday we invited Chris, Tonya, Faith, Elise, and Chris over for a little BBQ. Chris B. ended up not being able to come, but we had fun anyway. As usual, the kids were overjoyed to have a friend to play with. The kids played outside for a while until dinner, then they had a bath together and watched a movie downstairs while the rest of us visited and watched a movie upstairs.
On Sunday we all went to church for the first time in a while. No, we haven't been playing hooky...but have been either sick, out of town, or camping for the last two months. We took separate cars to church as I had a baby shower to attend, and Adam and the kids were gonna go island fishing with Dad. The weather wasn't the greatest, but they caught enough sun to put on their swimsuits for a while. However, they didn't manage to catch a keeper.
On Monday Synnove had Grace over to play in the afternoon and then Adam and the kids went to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner. I had to stay home because I had an appointment with a gal at our house. I had arranged for the kids to stay the night at Grandma and Grandpa's because I had a dentist appointment the next day and would have brought the kids over the next morning anyway. Adam came home with flowers that evening...thanks honey :)
Last Saturday we invited Chris, Tonya, Faith, Elise, and Chris over for a little BBQ. Chris B. ended up not being able to come, but we had fun anyway. As usual, the kids were overjoyed to have a friend to play with. The kids played outside for a while until dinner, then they had a bath together and watched a movie downstairs while the rest of us visited and watched a movie upstairs.
On Monday Synnove had Grace over to play in the afternoon and then Adam and the kids went to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner. I had to stay home because I had an appointment with a gal at our house. I had arranged for the kids to stay the night at Grandma and Grandpa's because I had a dentist appointment the next day and would have brought the kids over the next morning anyway. Adam came home with flowers that evening...thanks honey :)
Tuesday was Adam and I's 8th wedding anniversary. I opted to skip my MK meeting so I could spend some time at home. After my dentist appointment I stopped at the store to get some stuff for dinner and then picked up the kids. They had spent the morning picking berries, fixing the sprinkler system, and going to DQ (go figure). That night Adam and I mowed the lawn, split wood, and stacked it. Nothing like quality outdoor family time on our anniversary!
Wednesday I had planned a playdate with Jenna and JR. I was really looking forward to visiting with Cassie and letting the kids play! That morning Soren woke up not feeling good. I passed it off as morning hunger/gas (he's been having issues with that lately). He's not much of a breakfast eater, so when he willingly ate some Wheat Thins I figured he was fine. He threw them up 20 minutes later. I cancelled our playdate and we watched TV and movies on the couch all day. It was a beautiful day too! Synnove was bummed that her buddy was sick, but found things to do on her own. Soren got sicker as the day progressed and was throwing up green by midnight. He was such a trooper though...I don't think he complained once, and only cried when he accidentally hit his lip with his heavy tractor toy. He slept on the couch that night and woke with an appetite on Thursday morning. Thank you Jesus!
Yesterday we got our driveway sealed. There was much debate between Adam and I on whether or not we should pay to have it done. We have a fairly large driveway (roughly 4500-5000 square feet) and it is (was) covered in moss. We decided that it was going to be a fairly large undertaking for us to try to do it on our own, and much more headache than the savings would be worth. With all their big machines and expertise, the driveway was cleaned and sealed in 3 1/2 hours. It looks beautiful!
Adam came home fairly early last night so that I could race to Gearhart for a little MK party. He spent the evening with the kids going on a hike in search for treasures. The came home with a handful of elk teeth. I made it home in time to find Adam splitting more wood and the kids climbing trees. Even after being sick the day before, Soren was back to his old self.
And, tonight, Adam and I are going on a date for our anniversary! The kids don't know it yet, but Fi Fi is coming over to babysit. I love that when Adam and I decide we need a night out, the kids are happy to see us go so that they can play with one of their favorite cousins ;)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
4th of July Camping
A week before we were set to leave for our annual 4th of July camping trip the kids and I caught a nasty head cold. I was determined to get better because I didn't want to be sick for two trips in a row. Synnove's cold lasted just a few days, while Soren and I continued to cough and blow our noses. Even Adam caught the cold just 2 days before our trip! We didn't let it get us down though. The weather was less than desirable, but was tolerable. Of course, the sun came out on Monday evening...just as we were packing to leave....and today its 95 degrees outside!!
Anyway, we still had a good crowd and still had a great time. Lots of folks went on lots of rides and spent several hours creating new trails with machetes and chainsaws. Synnove and Soren were the only kids there, but they enjoyed playing with Fi Fi and making their own fun. Soren even did some riding on the little 4-wheeler by himself! Dad was working, so he was only there for a few hours here and there...we missed him. However, we still managed to get a hot shower every night!
Auntie Alice had hip surgery only a week and a half before the trip, and wasn't planning on coming camping...but she was there for the entire trip even though they had a wedding to attend on Saturday!! And, she was quite chipper! So glad she came :)
Chris W., Tonya, Sarah, and I...getting ready to watch a movie...
We watched a movie every night. On Sunday we watched a movie early so that we could light off fireworks later. It stayed light out till late and we were all up passed midnight every night.
Fi Fi and Soren with a giant sparkler
Here's a shot of all the roman candles I picked up from the field Monday afternoon...and that's just the roman candles...
Adam took the kids on a few rides up in the woods to hike and explore, and took the kids down to the creek a couple of times to find cool rocks and to make a dam...
Anyway, we still had a good crowd and still had a great time. Lots of folks went on lots of rides and spent several hours creating new trails with machetes and chainsaws. Synnove and Soren were the only kids there, but they enjoyed playing with Fi Fi and making their own fun. Soren even did some riding on the little 4-wheeler by himself! Dad was working, so he was only there for a few hours here and there...we missed him. However, we still managed to get a hot shower every night!
On Sunday Chris and Adam went to Chinook and bought quite a few fireworks. Here the kids are playing with whipper snappers, snakes, and smoke bombs...
Auntie Alice had hip surgery only a week and a half before the trip, and wasn't planning on coming camping...but she was there for the entire trip even though they had a wedding to attend on Saturday!! And, she was quite chipper! So glad she came :)
Chris W., Tonya, Sarah, and I...getting ready to watch a movie...
We watched a movie every night. On Sunday we watched a movie early so that we could light off fireworks later. It stayed light out till late and we were all up passed midnight every night.
Fi Fi and Soren with a giant sparkler
Here's a shot of all the roman candles I picked up from the field Monday afternoon...and that's just the roman candles...
Adam took the kids on a few rides up in the woods to hike and explore, and took the kids down to the creek a couple of times to find cool rocks and to make a dam...
Friday, June 4, 2010
Muddy Memorial
The Pacific Northwest is such a wonderful place to live. We've got most everything here, including sun. However, it doesn't come around much...and it was certainly absent for most of Memorial weekend. As usual, we've been looking forward to camping season ever since camping season was over. Synnove has been talking about it since at least January. The weather is always somewhat of an issue. It used to be even more of an issue when we were tent campers. But still, the rain has never kept us away from the campfire.
As most of you know, I'm quite the motivator for everyone else when it comes to camping. I use every possible tactic to ensure their arrival...and rely heavily on guilt. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...but at least they know we WANT them there...right? It's great to be somewhat relieved of these "duties" as the Wilson's are now just as gung-ho as I am...just more polite about it =) It's a good thing too because I caught a bad chest cold a mere two days before we were set to head out. I wasn't miserable...but almost. I had hoped that my at home remedies were going to help me escape the bug faster. They didn't work too well. Still, I tried my best to push through the packing and getting ready. The rain only dampened my desire to do much of anything but lay on the couch. So, that's what I did.
We had high hopes that the Mitsubishi would be finished enough for us to be able to cart the kids' 4-wheeler, but the weather never improved enough for Adam to be able to paint it. So, we hauled the little 4-wheeler in the Civic. Yes...I said "the Civic." We had to move the spare tire, so when it was finally in, it sat cock-eyed. Without noticing before it was too late, gas started leaking all over. I could barely breath to begin with...add a bunch of gasoline fumes to the mix, and I was on the verge of passing out on the way there. Even with the window rolled down with my head partially out in the pouring rain, I could not get clean air. I pulled over; Adam fixed the leak. Still, the smell was unbearable and so I continued to drive with my head out the window. If I wasn't miserable before, I was certainly miserable then.
Throughout the evening, people slowly trickled in. I spent much of my time dilly-dallying in the trailer and helping Adam try to get the refrigerator to work. After much trial and error, it finally fired up. We put the kids to bed fairly early for a camping evening, and I stayed in the trailer while they settled down. Synnove finally fell asleep, and then Soren started to complain about his stomach hurting. Great. He was acting strange and seemed to be in a lot of pain, so I quickly went out to get my mom who has experience with both hernias and appendicitis's'. I thought it could be painful gas, but Soren's pain seemed to be getting worse. So, at about 10:30, Adam and I headed to the ER...at least a 25 minute drive. Fortunately, Soren settled down during the drive, and we headed back to camp. Phew! He went to sleep and his tummy only hurt a little in the morning. Gas.
Saturday started out with our usual "cowboy breakfast" on a brand new giant fire grill/grate courtesy of Uncle Don.
The day was virtually rain-free. We ended it with delicious steamed oysters from Darrell and Jodie and mouth-watering chicken fajitas from Lori and Ed. We ate good that night...then again, we always do.
Doug brought lawn golf, and many played throughout the weekend...but none better than Taylor and Bronson! Below, the Holthusen's dog "Spicy" dug for at least an hour! She was intent on catching something, but we stopped her before she could actually get anything.
The discovery of the giant marshmallow played a large role in nightly campfire routine. Below, Synnove is trying her best to get her half-roasted marshmallow off of her hand. She tried for quite some time...
...It was funny until it flew across the fire and onto my pants...(see it stuck to my knee)
While the kids watched a movie, and while Adam was at the house taking care of the animals, I popped a couple of Sudafed and felt good enough to go on a couple of rides with Weesie. Her new 4-wheeler is awesome...even though we got stuck.
I don't know who this guy is...
As most of you know, I'm quite the motivator for everyone else when it comes to camping. I use every possible tactic to ensure their arrival...and rely heavily on guilt. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...but at least they know we WANT them there...right? It's great to be somewhat relieved of these "duties" as the Wilson's are now just as gung-ho as I am...just more polite about it =) It's a good thing too because I caught a bad chest cold a mere two days before we were set to head out. I wasn't miserable...but almost. I had hoped that my at home remedies were going to help me escape the bug faster. They didn't work too well. Still, I tried my best to push through the packing and getting ready. The rain only dampened my desire to do much of anything but lay on the couch. So, that's what I did.
We had high hopes that the Mitsubishi would be finished enough for us to be able to cart the kids' 4-wheeler, but the weather never improved enough for Adam to be able to paint it. So, we hauled the little 4-wheeler in the Civic. Yes...I said "the Civic." We had to move the spare tire, so when it was finally in, it sat cock-eyed. Without noticing before it was too late, gas started leaking all over. I could barely breath to begin with...add a bunch of gasoline fumes to the mix, and I was on the verge of passing out on the way there. Even with the window rolled down with my head partially out in the pouring rain, I could not get clean air. I pulled over; Adam fixed the leak. Still, the smell was unbearable and so I continued to drive with my head out the window. If I wasn't miserable before, I was certainly miserable then.
Throughout the evening, people slowly trickled in. I spent much of my time dilly-dallying in the trailer and helping Adam try to get the refrigerator to work. After much trial and error, it finally fired up. We put the kids to bed fairly early for a camping evening, and I stayed in the trailer while they settled down. Synnove finally fell asleep, and then Soren started to complain about his stomach hurting. Great. He was acting strange and seemed to be in a lot of pain, so I quickly went out to get my mom who has experience with both hernias and appendicitis's'. I thought it could be painful gas, but Soren's pain seemed to be getting worse. So, at about 10:30, Adam and I headed to the ER...at least a 25 minute drive. Fortunately, Soren settled down during the drive, and we headed back to camp. Phew! He went to sleep and his tummy only hurt a little in the morning. Gas.
Saturday started out with our usual "cowboy breakfast" on a brand new giant fire grill/grate courtesy of Uncle Don.
The day was virtually rain-free. We ended it with delicious steamed oysters from Darrell and Jodie and mouth-watering chicken fajitas from Lori and Ed. We ate good that night...then again, we always do.
Doug brought lawn golf, and many played throughout the weekend...but none better than Taylor and Bronson! Below, the Holthusen's dog "Spicy" dug for at least an hour! She was intent on catching something, but we stopped her before she could actually get anything.
The discovery of the giant marshmallow played a large role in nightly campfire routine. Below, Synnove is trying her best to get her half-roasted marshmallow off of her hand. She tried for quite some time...
...It was funny until it flew across the fire and onto my pants...(see it stuck to my knee)
Sunday it rained. It was a bearable rain, but still rain. The kids weren't too phased by it, and always found a way to have fun. They did get to watch a movie in the Wilson's giant trailer though!
While the kids watched a movie, and while Adam was at the house taking care of the animals, I popped a couple of Sudafed and felt good enough to go on a couple of rides with Weesie. Her new 4-wheeler is awesome...even though we got stuck.
Sunday night was the big pit BBQ. Stephanie and Wes braved the weather and came out for a couple of hours. Tay was soaked to the bone by the time they left. The meat was awesome! We stuffed ourselves beyond capacity and indulged in Auntie Jeanne's version of peanut butter bon-bons and Wesley's scotcheroos.
Brielle is only 2 months old! She's a trooper =)
Noodle fight!
I don't know who this guy is...
Monday morning, the Holthusen's left early. We found out later that they had a blow-out on the Meagler Bridge and had to limp across. I guess they did some damage to the trailer. The rest of us enjoyed cowboy breakfast with Lori's homemade biscuits and gravy! Yummy!!
Then, we all packed up and prayed that our trailers would make it up the incredibly muddy road. A couple of vehicles didn't make it and had to stay until it dried out a bit. A couple of days later, Dad went back to help Doug flip the axles on his new toy hauler to that they would make it out OK!
By the time we got home, the sun was shining, and I was feeling well enough to mow the lawn. Figures.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
I'll Get to it Tomorrow...Maybe
Summer isn't officially here yet, but it feels like it more and more every day! This time last year, I was hard at work revamping my house and loving every minute of it. Now, it seems that the steam has run out and I'm feeling lost in a sea of things undone.
On top of the relatively crummy weather, our family has battled some sickness in the last week or so. I'm currently in the middle of a cold, and praying that this is the end...until late fall, of course. Normally, I like to keep the house pretty clean, but ever since we got home from camping, the cleaning only gets done on a "need-to" basis. Vacuuming 2 times a week has turned into less than once, dishes stay in the sink for a day longer than they should, and the laundry continues to pile. It still drives me completely nuts though. I'm trying to get things together for a garage sale (hopefully next week), but even that has only been half done. I had one good day of sorting, and nothing has moved since. I have done a handful of projects outside. I scrubbed and hosed my house/windows that was/were covered in spiders and other muck. I've even planted a few plants! Gardening is not my forte...maybe someday?
One thing I do feel bad about is Soren's room. Since his transition to his big-boy bed, I haven't done much to improve the look of the walls. I'm having trouble pin-pointing a theme...so it's turning into a farm/cabin/pirate/western room. Since his transition I've only mounted a new curtain rod, painted/mounted a shelf with hooks, and hung 2 pictures. I haven't even painted his dresser yet. I think boys are tougher to decorate for. My goal is to plan a room that he can grow old with...that's where the challenge comes in.
Adam is in the middle of his busiest time at work, so our big outdoor projects are on hold. Our new big garden looks the same as it did 3 weeks ago. We did get some supplies for building a chicken run...but I'm sure that won't get done till summer's end. When the sun comes, the weeds, brush, and blackberry bushes grow like crazy...not to mention the grass. We have tons of wood to find/cut to stock up for winter. The generator needs to magically find a way to be wired to the house via Adam's special powers. Our shop roof needs some fairly major repairs. And Adam has been busy finding parts for his "new" ghetto-mobile (another blog for another day). How are we supposed to do it all!!?
Ugh...that doesn't even begin to paint the picture of how busy our summer will be. Adam and I have some serious prioritizing to do...but right now I think I'm gonna go watch some TV.
On top of the relatively crummy weather, our family has battled some sickness in the last week or so. I'm currently in the middle of a cold, and praying that this is the end...until late fall, of course. Normally, I like to keep the house pretty clean, but ever since we got home from camping, the cleaning only gets done on a "need-to" basis. Vacuuming 2 times a week has turned into less than once, dishes stay in the sink for a day longer than they should, and the laundry continues to pile. It still drives me completely nuts though. I'm trying to get things together for a garage sale (hopefully next week), but even that has only been half done. I had one good day of sorting, and nothing has moved since. I have done a handful of projects outside. I scrubbed and hosed my house/windows that was/were covered in spiders and other muck. I've even planted a few plants! Gardening is not my forte...maybe someday?
One thing I do feel bad about is Soren's room. Since his transition to his big-boy bed, I haven't done much to improve the look of the walls. I'm having trouble pin-pointing a theme...so it's turning into a farm/cabin/pirate/western room. Since his transition I've only mounted a new curtain rod, painted/mounted a shelf with hooks, and hung 2 pictures. I haven't even painted his dresser yet. I think boys are tougher to decorate for. My goal is to plan a room that he can grow old with...that's where the challenge comes in.
Adam is in the middle of his busiest time at work, so our big outdoor projects are on hold. Our new big garden looks the same as it did 3 weeks ago. We did get some supplies for building a chicken run...but I'm sure that won't get done till summer's end. When the sun comes, the weeds, brush, and blackberry bushes grow like crazy...not to mention the grass. We have tons of wood to find/cut to stock up for winter. The generator needs to magically find a way to be wired to the house via Adam's special powers. Our shop roof needs some fairly major repairs. And Adam has been busy finding parts for his "new" ghetto-mobile (another blog for another day). How are we supposed to do it all!!?
Ugh...that doesn't even begin to paint the picture of how busy our summer will be. Adam and I have some serious prioritizing to do...but right now I think I'm gonna go watch some TV.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
For Soren
When I started this blog, almost 1 year ago, I was just trying it out to see if I would actually do it. After a few short months I was well on my way to adding "blogger" to my computer resume. I'm always happy to hear that others enjoy my blog, but really, I don't blog for them. I blog for my kids. I love to scrapbook, but in the past few years, I haven't found the time to do it. So, blogging is a great replacement! I hope to keep doing it for several years and eventually/periodically turn my words/pictures into a book via http://www.blurb.com/
Side: You'll have to excuse the crazy paragraphing in this blog entry. Blogger does NOT like to cooperate when you add photos, and I couldn't fix the random spacing between paragraphs...sorry. It doesn't even let you indent!
Our PICU nurse was in love with Soren...in fact everyone that came in contact with him fell in love with him. Soren maintained his "happy" disposition for the first couple of days. The first night was no fun...as he was quite ill. And since he didn't have anything in his stomach, it was especially heartbreaking. He stayed one night in the PICU, but he almost had to stay longer because the hospital was so full. They eventually found us a room in the children's cancer center.
I think this video was taken the day after surgery.
Once in a regular hospital room, we felt like we could relax a bit. The room in the cancer ward was especially nice...complete with a computer and Internet access. We were grateful to them for taking us in, as they don't like to have to care for non-cancer patients. I was surprised over and over during our long hospital experience to get compliments on how well we cared for our little boy and how we made their job so much easier. I didn't feel like I was doing hardly ANYthing! The nurses at Doernbecher are absolutely fabulous!
Shortly after they came, I took Synnove home with me. Adam is SO good with the kids and I had absolutely no doubt that Soren would be well cared for. If not for that, I couldn't have gone home so easily. After two nights of no sleep, I was happy to curl up in my bed for some undisturbed sleep. That night was the 1st night since Soren's birth that I got to sleep all the way through!
The night we came home, we had some people coming to look at our house. We were selling it ourselves, so we had to do all the dirty work. The people were very nice, loved the house, and stayed to talk to Adam for quite some time. They had a little girl that was quite friendly and wanted to play with Synnove (she must have been 4-5). Actually, the girl was a bit too friendly and made herself at home. She really was a nice little girl, but I could tell that Soren was getting a bit uncomfortable. I certainly didn't want him throwing up in front of future buyers...so I had to sort of sneak upstairs and "shew" the girl away (I know...sounds terrible). My prediction was right, and Soren made his mess upstairs...phew!
On the night of the 12th (about 1 week post-surgery), I put Soren down for a nap. He woke a bit later and threw up a little bit. Gosh darn nit! I found it odd, and immediately told Adam. Of course, he was thinking clearly, and asked if he had a temperature. I took it, and he did have a small fever. I immediately called neurosurgery...and some on-call guy basically said it was no big deal and that if it went up we should go to the hospital. No big deal!? The kid just had brain surgery! We checked his temp again a short time later and it was higher. We immediately called Adam's mom to come over and took Soren to Tuality Hospital in Hillsboro (5 minutes from our house).
The ER wasn't busy and took us back pretty quickly. We weren't there very long when they told us that Dr. Selden wanted us back at OHSU and would provide an ambulance if needed. We opted no, and headed straight there. It was late at night and the ER at OHSU was...interesting. It took them a bit to get us in, and by that time Soren's fever was getting worse. We were put into our own room with a TV. We were literally there all night until morning.
While she was there, the Dr. came and felt that Soren was fine and they were prepping the discharge papers. While we were left to wait, Soren had a BM. As he pushed, fluid started dripping like a leaky faucet out of his inscision. Uhh...emergency! The nurse came in (awesome nurse that was with us for most of the rest of our hospital stay) and tried to be calm. She immediately called back Dr. Selden. As I recall, he came within the hour, looked at Soren, and cleared his evening schedule for emergency surgery. It was at that point that I didn't feel I could hold it together any longer.
I don't remember many visitors. Elise came when she was visiting a friend from school, and Grandma Q. and Suzi came and brought us a basket of munchies!
Katie...making the blood draw rounds as an intern...just happened to be training at Doernbecher on a day that Soren needed a poke. He's not too happy.
Happy boy...after the swelling in his face had gone down.
All of this happened before he learned to crawl.
He got some ballons from Grandma Patty
Apple juice
It was hard trying to keep him happy confined to our room. He loved the few short jaunts we were able to take outside the door.
Leaving...for good this time!
Before we left the hospital, we were told that Soren did have a small infection in his spinal fluid. We had to continue to give him IV antibiotics at home for the next 2-3 weeks on the same schedule using his new Picc line (an internal line that goes up the arm to the heart). That whole time was arduous and nerve wracking. The evening we came home, the home care people came to give us a training session on how to be sterile, how to put the pump on, etc. After 2 days, we were pros. We had to administer the stuff for an hour every six hours on the dot. Most times his line would get kinked in his shoulder, and we would have to hold his arm up the entire time. He rarely complained. Adam and I couldn't really take turns doing the night shift cause he had to work in the morning. I was exhausted.
My parents kept Synnove for a few more days after we got home to give us some adjustment time with Soren. She was still very unsure about Soren's ordeal. She was a welcome sight when they brought her back!
Because of his Picc line, we could only give him sponge baths...he hated them.
In this pic, Soren's pump is connected and sitting in the back pouch of the backpack.
Soren got his Picc line out on July 6th...just over a month after the whole thing started. We went on to have a crazy summer trying to sell our house, etc. He had a follow-up MRI on the Friday before Labor Day (1st day of camping trip). I took him myself, while Adam stayed back and packed up the Explorer to head off to Naselle for camping. During sedation, Soren kept waking up and waving at the nurses/anesthesiologists. They were baffled and amused by his strange resistence to the drugs. They had to re-drug him twice...so he was pretty out of it for the rest of the day. His MRI came back clear.
Soren has another MRI coming up in September. They just want to make sure that they got everything out and that nothing has grown back. Keep him in your prayers, and I'll post an update when the time comes. Thanks again and again to all of our friends and family who gave us loads of prayers and support during the entire ordeal.
I love you so, so much my Sweet Guy.
Side: You'll have to excuse the crazy paragraphing in this blog entry. Blogger does NOT like to cooperate when you add photos, and I couldn't fix the random spacing between paragraphs...sorry. It doesn't even let you indent!
With that said, today is the 2 year anniversary of Soren's craniotomy (ie; brain surgery). And I wanted to document it before I forgot the details. I know that most of my blog readers already know the story...so don't feel bad if you don't want to read the novel I'm about to write.
It all started a few days after Soren was born. Adam and I were sitting on the couch watching some late TV and I was playing with Soren's fuzzy little newborn head. I noticed a strange bump on the back of his head that had a strange looking hair follicle with several hairs coming out of it...almost like a tail. I was immediately alarmed and tried not to think the worst...but I couldn't help it. Adam didn't seem too disturbed, but seeing the tears in my eyes prompted him to do a quick Google search. We found a few things, nothing alarming, so I was able to sleep OK that night. It might have been the next day that we had an appointment with the pediatrician, so, of course, we asked about it. Our regular doctor wasn't there, so we asked his replacement. She didn't seem alarmed and said that it was probably just a dermoid cyst. She had another doc come and look at it as well...he said the same. After a few weeks, we saw our doctor for another regular visit. I asked him about the bump as well...he said it was likely nothing and that the worst that could happen would be an infection. So, 3 doctors...same story.
I left the subject alone for a while and wasn't too worried about it. At Soren's regular 4 month visit to the pediatrician, I had decided that I wanted to discuss removal of the "cyst." The bump was right on the part of his head where he laid on it all the time, and I just wanted it out of the way so it didn't even have the chance to be bothersome. The doctor ordered x-rays and referred me to the ONLY pediatric dermatologist in the state; Dr. Kroll at OHSU...just to make sure I had nothing to worry about.
We got in to see Dr. Kroll a couple of weeks later. I don't really recall what he said...but he didn't give me any definite answers. He ordered that we schedule an MRI...again, just to be sure. He didn't know who should be removing this "cyst"...a neurosurgeon, or a cosmetic surgeon.
The MRI was scheduled for a couple of weeks later (mid-March)...Soren was around 5 months old. He needed to be sedated since it would last about 45 minutes. I was nervous. Starting his IV took a long time. They poked and poked and poked and almost gave up! Soren was an angel. He got a bit fussy, so they gave him some sort of narcotic in his nose that made him all goofy and he laughed at everything. It was SO funny! They successfully completed the MRI, so all we had to do was wait.
The next two months were kinda crazy! We sort of put the whole "cyst" drama on the back burner and finished up prepping out house for the market. We wanted to have it for sale by the end of April so we were busy replacing things, fixing things, and decluttering things. We hadn't heard anything from Dr. Kroll's office, so we assumed that everything was OK. I recall calling...but they still hadn't gotten the results. In the first week of April I severely hurt my back, took my first ambulance ride, and ended up bedridden for 3 weeks. After THAT, Adam put the house on the market, and we started our house search in Clatskanie. I think we even put in 2 or 3 offers at that time as well (we thought our house would fly off the market because houses were going like hot cakes in our area). CRAZY! Adam didn't even have a job in the area yet. God was surely watching over us by allowing those offers to be denied. The market was starting to tank and we had no idea what was in store for us in the month of June.
Sometime during all this craziness I think I got a call from Dr. Kroll's office. His intern said that he didn't find anything on the MRI, but that Dr. Kroll wanted us to see Dr. Selden, Head of Pediatric Neurosurgery at OHSU. Again...just to be sure.
After that conversation, I still felt pretty good about the whole thing. I really didn't think that Soren had anything weird going on. I just thought that all the doctors were just covering all the bases. We went to see Dr. Selden sometime at the end of May. He took one look at the bump and said something like... "I know exactly what this is! How on Earth did you find it??" "How did you know to come here?" "This is very rare, and they often go undiagnosed!" Truthfully, I was relieved. Somebody finally had a definite answer. I was beginning to feel like Soren was one of those cases on Discovery Health's Mystery Diagnosis. He told us that Soren had a "Dermoid Sinus"....a rare, non-hereditary birth defect. They only occur down the midline of the skull or spinal cord because it happens when the two halves come together and there is an incomplete separation of systems. Basically, it's skin/hair cells pinched in the skull/brain that can continue to grow (like a tumor) and eventually cause death. The Dr. said that it often goes either undetected or misdiagnosed. I even Googled it and couldn't find ANYthing on it occurring in humans...but in dogs (in my initial search). You have to dig deep to find anything on humans...and even then, some of the information is only located in Dr. Journals that are not available to the public.
Dr. Selden is a busy guy, so he didn't waste any time. He didn't think that the sinus tract went through the skull and on top of the brain, but he wanted to see if there were any skull deformities, so he ordered a CT scan. Within the next couple of days, we took him in ready for another sedation. Fortunately, they were able to do it without it. I can't remember, but I think we might have seen Dr. Selden that same day. He showed us the CT and there was an obvious dent in his skull. He explained a bit about how the surgery would go and we were off.
I wasn't all too worried. It sounded as if they weren't going to have to cut into his skull and that the surgery would be fairly uncomplicated. We took Soren to complete a battery of blood tests and took a quick pre-surgery tour of the Doernbecher facilities. I wasn't expecting the surgery to be scheduled too soon, so I was surprised to get a call from the scheduler within a day or two. Soren was set to have surgery the next week! I was a bit stressed because my family was set to be on the East Coast that week and I had to find a way to juggle Synnove. My mom-in-law had just got a new job and her schedule was fragile...so, we planned for her take Synnove the first night, then Adam would watch her the second night, and I the third.
A couple of days before his surgery, my brother graduated from high school. I was able to fill everyone in on what was to happen, and we got many promises for prayer. My Grandma Q. and Aunt Suzi were very concerned that my parents weren't going to be there, so they told me they would try their best to be there for the surgery. Pastor Jagger said the same. I really didn't feel I needed the support...then again, I didn't really know what I was in for.
Bright and early Monday morning, we headed to the hospital. We thought we would be the first surgery of the morning, but our starving Soren had to wait a bit. He was very good...smiley and friendly. A lady came and took his picture and told us to fill out an "About Me" poster to hang on Soren's room door...for fun. Shortly after that, we said our goodbyes and headed to the waiting room. Grandma, Aunt Suzi, and Pastor were all there. Even Katie (Suzi's daughter) stopped by, as she was working in the phlebotomy lab there. And as the hours drug on, I was extremely grateful for the distraction. As I recall, the surgery was only supposed to last 2-3 hours...so when the 4th hour passed, we all got a little antsy. There weren't any updates through the front desk, and after a while Aunt Suzi was ready to demand some answers. Finally, we got a report that they were finishing up and that the Dr. would be out soon to talk to us.
Dr. Selden came out and called Adam and I back for a chat. He basically apologized for how long the surgery was, saying that he certainly wasn't expecting to have to do "the full meal deal" (his exact words). He then told us that he was completely shocked to find a whole peanut sized mass on the inner brain membrane that should have been visible on the MRI. He was very positive about the whole thing and felt 99.9% confident that he got it all out. We finished our chat and went out to wait for Soren. They brought him right through the waiting room to head down the hall to the PICU. Soren was up, bright-eyed, and looking around. Although, I was taken aback when I saw the horrendous, exposed incision.
Our PICU nurse was in love with Soren...in fact everyone that came in contact with him fell in love with him. Soren maintained his "happy" disposition for the first couple of days. The first night was no fun...as he was quite ill. And since he didn't have anything in his stomach, it was especially heartbreaking. He stayed one night in the PICU, but he almost had to stay longer because the hospital was so full. They eventually found us a room in the children's cancer center.
Soren was connected to so many machines in the PICU, it was really hard to hold him. I was scared to hold him...he seemed so fragile.
I think this video was taken the day after surgery.
Once in a regular hospital room, we felt like we could relax a bit. The room in the cancer ward was especially nice...complete with a computer and Internet access. We were grateful to them for taking us in, as they don't like to have to care for non-cancer patients. I was surprised over and over during our long hospital experience to get compliments on how well we cared for our little boy and how we made their job so much easier. I didn't feel like I was doing hardly ANYthing! The nurses at Doernbecher are absolutely fabulous!
Anyway, I was really sad to see Adam go home that second night. Unlike being in the PICU, the regular hospital rooms are a bit lonely. Before Adam left, Ann came for a visit! We were grateful for all of our visitors! Shannon, Faith, Katie, Elise...Thank you! Anyway, being alone the second night was torturous. Soren still wasn't well and wasn't eating much more than Pedialyte. All through the night, in a semi-conscious state, it seemed as if he was trying to push (having a BM) and then it turned into grotesque dry heaves. Over and over it would happen. I kept asking the nurse if we could give him a suppository laxative...but she said "we aren't supposed to" (I think that rule was exclusive to cancer patients). It wasn't until several hours later that another nurse came in to help. She said "why don't you give him a suppository laxative?" The nurse told her the same thing she said to me...so she decided to persuade the poop our herself. I won't explain what she did...but it worked! I thought the heaving would stop after that...but it didn't. I was a nervous wreck! I thought that the sickness would have worn off after a day...cause I thought it was a reaction to anesthesia. Nobody had any answers. I didn't find out till later that the nausea was coming from the swelling of the brain...making him "seasick."
I didn't sleep a wink that night, and Soren was miserable. I needed distraction so I struck up a conversation with the nurse...she was younger than me! After a while she had to get back to work. A bit later, I propped the door open and asked the nurse to keep a close eye while I took a walk to clear my thoughts a bit. I tried not to call Adam till a reasonable hour. I explained the horrid night and couldn't wait for him to come see us.
Later, he brought Synnove. Of course, she was in carpenter jeans, and Carhartt sweatshirt, and her hair was done the best he could manage. Synnove was very apprehensive (only 2 at the time) and didn't say much. This, and the time before and after, was especially hard for Synnove. I think the picture below was taken while Shannon was visiting and just a few short minutes before he threw up all over Adam. Lovely.
Shortly after they came, I took Synnove home with me. Adam is SO good with the kids and I had absolutely no doubt that Soren would be well cared for. If not for that, I couldn't have gone home so easily. After two nights of no sleep, I was happy to curl up in my bed for some undisturbed sleep. That night was the 1st night since Soren's birth that I got to sleep all the way through!
The next day, Synnove and I headed back to the hospital to pick everyone up. Hooray! We had made it through, and were going home! That morning, Adam had gotten Soren to eat baby food and formula, and he managed to keep it down. But...it came up again on the way home. Soren was such a trooper...he really was good considering the circumstances. This photo was taken in the parking lot...
The night we came home, we had some people coming to look at our house. We were selling it ourselves, so we had to do all the dirty work. The people were very nice, loved the house, and stayed to talk to Adam for quite some time. They had a little girl that was quite friendly and wanted to play with Synnove (she must have been 4-5). Actually, the girl was a bit too friendly and made herself at home. She really was a nice little girl, but I could tell that Soren was getting a bit uncomfortable. I certainly didn't want him throwing up in front of future buyers...so I had to sort of sneak upstairs and "shew" the girl away (I know...sounds terrible). My prediction was right, and Soren made his mess upstairs...phew!
The next few days were OK, but still not great. I became a nag at the pediatric neurosurgery department...calling all the time...wondering why Soren didn't seem to be getting any better. They were always very nice, and tried to reassure me that what he was experiencing was normal. I remember that Saturday (about 5+days after surgery) was the first day he didn't throw up. My parents got back from their trip and mom came for a quick visit. She and Elise were busy preparing for the opening of Elise's coffee shop in a month. Anyway, when she came, she noticed how skinny he was and how pale he still was. I was still optimistic...hoping that would all pass once he started eating regularly again. Here he is eating strawberries from the garden...
On the night of the 12th (about 1 week post-surgery), I put Soren down for a nap. He woke a bit later and threw up a little bit. Gosh darn nit! I found it odd, and immediately told Adam. Of course, he was thinking clearly, and asked if he had a temperature. I took it, and he did have a small fever. I immediately called neurosurgery...and some on-call guy basically said it was no big deal and that if it went up we should go to the hospital. No big deal!? The kid just had brain surgery! We checked his temp again a short time later and it was higher. We immediately called Adam's mom to come over and took Soren to Tuality Hospital in Hillsboro (5 minutes from our house).
The ER wasn't busy and took us back pretty quickly. We weren't there very long when they told us that Dr. Selden wanted us back at OHSU and would provide an ambulance if needed. We opted no, and headed straight there. It was late at night and the ER at OHSU was...interesting. It took them a bit to get us in, and by that time Soren's fever was getting worse. We were put into our own room with a TV. We were literally there all night until morning.
The ER was hell for Soren...and for Adam and I. They thought he might have a urinary tract infection, so they stuck a tube up his *ahem* They tried starting an IV...over and over and over again. It was complete torture. Finally, they put one in his head with fluids and antibiotics. THEN, they decided to do a spinal tap to see if his spinal fluid was infected. They thought it would be best for us to leave the room while they did that. We heard his screams through the glass door. All during this time, Soren's fever had made him lethargic. All he did was sleep...thankfully. He woke in the morning and watched Sesame Street with a smile on his face.
Obviously, his fever was down. We were just waiting on the cultures taken from his spinal fluid. Turns out, they did find a small infection in his urine...but they didn't feel that would have caused his fever. That morning, they admitted him at Doernbecher.
Patty needed to get to work, so my mom came from the coast to pick up Synnove. We didn't know how long we were going to be staying at the hospital...but it seemed as if things were looking up. Soren was happy and we were just waiting for the cultures and for Dr. Selden to evaluate him. Patty came during her lunch break. She was a welcome sight, as I was in need of some moral support. Below is Patty and Soren having a little nap...the bandage around his head is holding his IV in place.
While she was there, the Dr. came and felt that Soren was fine and they were prepping the discharge papers. While we were left to wait, Soren had a BM. As he pushed, fluid started dripping like a leaky faucet out of his inscision. Uhh...emergency! The nurse came in (awesome nurse that was with us for most of the rest of our hospital stay) and tried to be calm. She immediately called back Dr. Selden. As I recall, he came within the hour, looked at Soren, and cleared his evening schedule for emergency surgery. It was at that point that I didn't feel I could hold it together any longer.
Patty called her work and stayed with us until he got out of surgery that night. And we were thankful to see Grandma and Grandpa Thompson waiting for us in the waiting room after we sent Soren off. God was not only watching over our little boy, but watching over us as well. We were in great need of company that night.
I really don't remember how long the surgery lasted. All I know is that the Dr. went back in to find that some of the stitches around where he patched a hole in the "dura membrane" were deteriorating and that's where the leak came from. To this day, I feel that all the pressure on his head/brain from being sick for so many days was what caused the deterioration. That's part of the reason why I was so frightened for what the next few days would bring. I still was made to believe that a lot of his initial sickness came from the anesthesia and I didn't want to have to go through it all again. What if Soren had to have another surgery??
When Soren came out of surgery, he was quite cranky. He was officially traumatized, and feared anyone in scrubs. When we were called in to see him, I took a quick gander to assure that he was OK, and then sat back and cried. I tried to pray...but I couldn't even concentrate. Patty sat next to me for my own comfort while we watched the recovery team monitor his every move. Adam stayed near Soren.
That night, in the PICU, things went very well. Soren didn't get sick. I was baffled...so I asked the nurse. She said that people (including children) don't get sick off the anesthesia unless they are allergic. I guess all of his sickness was from brain swelling. And because the 2nd surgery didn't require the Dr. to go all the way to the brain, Soren was in the clear! He was drinking formula by early the next morning!
We spent the next week in the hospital. Intel was very flexible and Adam was able to do some work on his computer from the hospital room (ethernet). Synnove was in good hands at my parent's house. I think she even got to help paint the inside of Elise's new coffee shop! Soren was hooked up to some intense antibiotics 4 times a day on a pump for 1 hour at a time. Somehow we filled our days with things to do...mostly eating and watching TV. I recall watching The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe over and over, and America's Got Talent. I did some laundry periodically and visited with parents of cancer patients while I waited for a washer to open up. I praised God for the health of my baby...that he didn't have to go through what their kids had to go through. We even listened to a little concert down in the lobby after Soren got his Picc line (free from conventional IV).
Here's a bunch of photos from that week...
I don't remember many visitors. Elise came when she was visiting a friend from school, and Grandma Q. and Suzi came and brought us a basket of munchies!
Katie...making the blood draw rounds as an intern...just happened to be training at Doernbecher on a day that Soren needed a poke. He's not too happy.
Happy boy...after the swelling in his face had gone down.
All of this happened before he learned to crawl.
He got some ballons from Grandma Patty
Apple juice
It was hard trying to keep him happy confined to our room. He loved the few short jaunts we were able to take outside the door.
Leaving...for good this time!
Before we left the hospital, we were told that Soren did have a small infection in his spinal fluid. We had to continue to give him IV antibiotics at home for the next 2-3 weeks on the same schedule using his new Picc line (an internal line that goes up the arm to the heart). That whole time was arduous and nerve wracking. The evening we came home, the home care people came to give us a training session on how to be sterile, how to put the pump on, etc. After 2 days, we were pros. We had to administer the stuff for an hour every six hours on the dot. Most times his line would get kinked in his shoulder, and we would have to hold his arm up the entire time. He rarely complained. Adam and I couldn't really take turns doing the night shift cause he had to work in the morning. I was exhausted.
After the 2nd surgery, his inscision protruded from his head quite a bit because they wanted to make sure it was good and tight. Dr. Selden assured me it would eventually go flat.
My parents kept Synnove for a few more days after we got home to give us some adjustment time with Soren. She was still very unsure about Soren's ordeal. She was a welcome sight when they brought her back!
Because of his Picc line, we could only give him sponge baths...he hated them.
In this pic, Soren's pump is connected and sitting in the back pouch of the backpack.
Soren got his Picc line out on July 6th...just over a month after the whole thing started. We went on to have a crazy summer trying to sell our house, etc. He had a follow-up MRI on the Friday before Labor Day (1st day of camping trip). I took him myself, while Adam stayed back and packed up the Explorer to head off to Naselle for camping. During sedation, Soren kept waking up and waving at the nurses/anesthesiologists. They were baffled and amused by his strange resistence to the drugs. They had to re-drug him twice...so he was pretty out of it for the rest of the day. His MRI came back clear.
Through all of this, I have learned--yet again--that God is in control. No matter what happens, he knows our pain and can guide us through any obstacle life has to offer. All the glory belongs to Him!! Without Him, I might have never decided to have his "harmless cysct" removed, and I could have lost my baby by the time he was 3 years old.
Every time I hear the first verse of that new song "Always" by Building 429 I get a lump in my throat. Especially the part where the verse says:
"He would have been 3 today
I miss his smile
I miss his face..."
"But I believe always, always
our Savior never fails..."
Click HERE to hear the song.
Here's Soren's scar today. I couldn't get him to sit still so it's a bit blurry. It's white and completely flat.
Here's Soren's scar today. I couldn't get him to sit still so it's a bit blurry. It's white and completely flat.
Soren has another MRI coming up in September. They just want to make sure that they got everything out and that nothing has grown back. Keep him in your prayers, and I'll post an update when the time comes. Thanks again and again to all of our friends and family who gave us loads of prayers and support during the entire ordeal.
I love you so, so much my Sweet Guy.
~Mom
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