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Category Archives sickness

Pausing for Surgery

Posted on July 22, 2014 10:44 am by TheAngelForever

The last few days have been a whirlwind of activity. The weekend was spent getting things done and ready for Monday. Monday was the day that TechyDad would be having surgery. This is surgery that he should have had done before we met, but the day before they said it would not be covered.

After suffering for many years, I got TechyDad to head to the ENT to follow up on his breathing troubles. When he saw the doctor she immediately ordered a CAT scan (you can see the pictures on the post here). The scan of his nose told a story. It was a story of one nostril being blocked. His deviated septum was caused by a concha bullosa. Basically another sinus cavity tried to form in a turbinate of his nose. So on Monday, that would be removed, his septum fixed, and turbinates that had not been fixed in the past done.

Monday morning we rushed to get the boys ready for their days. JSL was heading off to a friend to go to camp and hang out with them afterward. NHL spent the day with Mimi. TechyDad had to be at the hospital at 8:10 for his 10:10 surgery. To make a long story short, the surgery started late, which added to anxiety. As you can see above, TechyDad was using his phone to take selfies and entertain himself. Almost an hour late, the ENT came into meet with us and go over things.

I went out into the waiting area and tried to read. I was too tired to eat and was afraid to miss the surgeon after an hour and a half had gone by. Two hours after TechyDad was wheeled into the OR, the surgeon came to see me. Everything had gone well. The concha bullosa was easier to remove than expected. He was upset when they woke him up, but she thought he would do great. A lot of the rest was a blur. I was so tired, hungry (it was after 1 and I had not eaten), and relieved to hear that he was out. I went to get something to eat and let everyone know what was happening.

Two hours later when I got back from picking up JSL and bringing him to be with NHL, I was able to see TechyDad. His coloring was bad and he looked miserable. He got up to walk and was dizzy and exhausted. When he got back, we changed his bandage under the nose and he went to sleep. They wanted to send him home, but it was just too much at that point. The nurses were fantastic and helped to go over everything with me, got him popsicles to help with his sore throat, and at about 5:30 TechyDad felt strong enough to go home.

If I am MIA the next few days, I am off taking care of all of the boys. It’s odd how you can take your spouse for granted until a time like this. TechyDad cooks for us and does a lot of the bedtime/shower routine with the kids. A huge thank you to everyone who helped out yesterday and kept TechyDad in their thoughts and prayers. It was a relief knowing the boys were happy and safe so they didn’t have to worry about things during the surgery. A special thank you to Nana for making sure we all had dinner last night so we could get some rest.

Categories:
sickness TechyDad

A Request for Superman Sam

Posted on June 18, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

If our neighbors were looking at us funny on Father’s Day, it made sense. You see my boys were dressed up like superheroes on our front lawn for a photo shoot.

This is not something that we typically do. No, we were on a mission. A mission to help a mother. A mother who has had her life turned upside down in just over a weeks time. A family that heard the news nobody ever wants to learn, no less about the six year old member. Phyllis Sommer, aka Imabima, was told that her beautiful son Sam has Leukemia. Cancer – the “c” word that nobody wants to utter or have used in a sentence about their child was now a reality for the Sommer family.

Phillis and her husband Michael are both rabbis and started a blog to document about Superman Sam. Just after we got home from having Father’s Day brunch I noticed that Phyllis had a new blog post up: Superheroes for Sam: A Photo Project. Our plans changed and superhero items were quickly grabbed from around the house. When we explained to the boys what we were up to, they wanted to see Sam’s photo. They had heard me talk about Imabima before, but did not know Sam. They were excited to be part of Superman Sam team to help someone close to their age smile. NHL knew that this was a mitzvah. To me, it is more. It is not only making a little boy smile during a time that he never should be dealing with – it is helping a mother to grant a wish for her little boy. A mother who is trying to make sense of this life changing news. This mother who could be any one of us.

Phyllis, our thoughts, prayers, and Team Superman Sam wishes are with you from our part of New York. Let Sam know that NHL, JSL, TechyDad, and I are cheering him on. And most important know that TechyDad and I are sending you and Michael hugs and well wishes. Know that although we are not geographically close, we are with you. A package from us will be coming soon.

If you want to be part of Team Superman Sam and send him a photo, please head to the post for mailing address and other information here.

It's Me

Categories:
bloggy friends jsl me moments nhl photos PSA sick kid sickness TechyDad

ER Visit in the Night

Posted on June 16, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

Wednesday was a great day. After your graduation from nursery school, you had a special request for a lunch out. We went there, played outside, played at home. Then, you helped me to finish writing your birthday thank you notes. When we were done, I asked you to head with me to the mail box. It was at this point that I realized that we never did buy the gift for one of NHL’s teachers. NHL also mentioned that the following day he was supposed to bring in a snack to celebrate his summer birthday.

So you and I went to Price Chopper because I knew we could get some cookies without nuts and gift cards. When we got home, we talked with our neighbor while you ran and ran and ran around the house. Then, we took things inside and went to the mailbox. At bedtime, you started coughing. No matter what we did, you were not able to stop coughing. It was time to try something to help. I assumed it was asthma kicking in.

Once the nebulizer was over, it was already pretty late. We put you back into bed and sat in the room to make sure you would settle. Suddenly, I heard Daddy try to get you out of bed fast. You were throwing up and gasping for air. You were whisked away to the bathroom, where you were shaking horribly and could not stop this from happening over and over. We eventually got you into our bed and comfortable.

I dozed off briefly until you started to toss and turn. You started to cough again. We pulled out the nebulizer for another treatment since it had been five hours. Nothing got better. Your color was getting worse and your breathing getting more labored. Your little body was clearly in distress. We called Nana and Papa to see if they could take us to the ER. I was afraid to drive you alone with your breathing the way it was.

The ER brings back some bad memories for me. Thank goodness you do not recall a lot of the times you have been there for your fevers. The nurses were really great and had a doctor come to you in triage. They immediately noted that you had croup – that barking cough echoed down the halls. I’m not sure why I thought you were too old for that. The nurse and I tackled you to start some steroids to help the cough that was still horrible. Since your lungs were clear, we were told we just had to keep the meds in you and then could head home. We were moved to an area in the hall to sit in a chair. You immediately curled up in my arms to try to sleep.

I sat there thanking my lucky stars that it was nothing more serious. Your lungs were healthy, your ears fine, and you were getting enough oxygen. A few hours after we arrived in the ER, we were sent home. You crawled into bed and managed to sleep for a few hours

I was not able to sleep. I watched you breathing and holding onto Perry who had also comforted you at the hospital. My mind was racing and I just wanted to see you rest in our home. Thank goodness you are feeling better now and soon you will be up to speed to really begin our summer vacation.

Love,

Mommy

Categories:
Dear Kid Saturday doctor jsl photos sick kid sickness

Another Febrile Seizure Anniversary

Posted on May 31, 2012 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a parent, we love to remember the days that our children take their first steps, say our name, and other milestones. I have those memories in the front of my mind, but some others still haunt me to this day. The days that my boys have had febrile seizures will always be something I remember. NHL only had one, but it was the first that I experienced as a parent. JSL has now had five of them since he was nine months old.

After each of the febrile seizures that the kids have had, we would get especially nervous when the boys would have another fever. We practice very strict fever lowering protocol thanks to our doctor. Every week and month that goes by after a febrile seizure is a wonderful accomplishment. It typically means we are less likely to have a repeat event. Of course, JSL is not the typical child. He has shown us that even after 20 months, they can happen again.

On June 3 of last year, my heart skipped a beat. It was the moment as a parent that you never forget. It was getting a call from school to meet your child with a full emergency response team out on the playground. At almost the one year mark, we are thrilled that we have made it this far without another episode, but my guard is not down.

The timing right now could not be worse. On Tuesday, JSL went for his five year well visit. I knew that we had to make up some vaccines that had not been done earlier since he was not feeling well. Since he was healthy, happy, and good to go the doctor, I agreed to allow JSL to have his DTaP and Polio vaccines. We are holding off on the MMR until later in the summer. With his fever tendency, everyone felt that combining the MMR and DTaP would not be good.

Before we left, the doctor and I talked about preventative fever measure. We were going to give JSL ibuprofen around the clock for at least 24 hours. Right before bed, JSL had a dose of medicine. He was sleeping so soundly we didn’t have the heart to wake him in the middle of the night for more medicine. At 6:45, we heard a scream from JSL. He was howling and burning up. All day Wednesday we battled the fever. At one point, it was 102 with medicine (his normal temperature is just about 97).

With any luck, this fever will come and go and his body will fight off the reaction to the DTaP vaccine. Of course, now I am bracing myself for the next shot in a month. I just hope we can get to that year mark and beyond. Each month that passes, JSL gets older and kids usually do outgrow febrile seizures by 6-7 years old. I just hold my breath and hope.

Do you have one of those parenting moments that you can not forget? Please feel free to share and vent below.

It's Me

P.S. The other night I was in tears reading this post from Megan on Velveteen Mind. Her little girl also had a febrile seizure. So very close to home and brought back a flood of emotion. The truth is posts like ours help to raise awareness. Not only are they therapeutic to the parent after, but they let others know the signs, symptoms, tell-tale signs IF their children have a similar experience. We are not trying to scare people, but help people to be aware. A parent will forever remember that moment seeing their child’s blue or gray lifeless body.

Categories:
doctor health awareness jsl looking back milestone photos sick kid sickness

The Power of a Hidden Mouse

Posted on February 4, 2012 9:02 am by TheAngelForever

Dear JSL,

This has been a rough week for you. First, a fever in the middle of the night. Then, you had nap/night terrors that scared us out of our mind. When we went to the doctor, your throat was swabbed and ear blasted with a new contraption to clean it out. In the end, it looks like you have a virus. The fever went away, but suddenly a horrible cough and leaky nose appeared.

While I sat by you and you slept away the fever, I pulled out some old school knitting of mine. I wanted to make something special to help you smile. It brought me back to when I was knitting next to your hospital bed in February 2008. Of course, this time you knew I was making something for you and were so excited when you saw what was hidden within the cloth. The minute it came off the knitting needles you declared it was yours and a blanket for your little monkey. Of course, you were too tired to get your monkey, so you went to rest with it on your puppy pillow.

When NHL saw the hidden Mickey in the cloth, he asked me to make a blanket for his little lion. With your help, we made sure this was made quickly.

Of course, now you are asking me to knit you a Mickey Mouse blanket. Hmmmm……I will have to figure that one out. Now, to work on getting rid of the cough and making you feel better.

Love,

Mommy