Another Day, Another Ear Infection

Sorry, no Wardrobe Wednesday today.  Read on to find out why.

So yeah, Mae's sore ear was confirmed to be infected as we suspected and she's now on 10 days of bubble gum flavored antibiotic.  By this morning she felt well enough to go back to school and actually wanted to go back.  I was happy to have both girls back in school for the day as I had some major house work to do before our brand new bed arrived this afternoon. 

The mountain of clean laundry in our bedroom needed to be sorted, folded and put away.  I had to disassemble our old bed, remove it from the room and vacuum up 6 months worth of dust bunnies that were collecting under it.  All for the delivery men to arrive an hour before they said they would, after them telling me there was no way they could get here before I had to leave for work.  Apparently they forgot how to use a phone!  So they arrived before I was finished hauling furniture around and running the vacuum across the floor only to discover that the new box spring would not fit up our stairwell.  Perfect.  I actually think it could have fit, especially if the Gardener was home (he never takes no for an answer) but he wasn't considering they showed up nowhere near the 2 hour window I was promised on the phone, plus these guys were complete weenies and gave me a look that insinuated I was the craziest woman they had ever come across when I offered to grab a crow bar to start disassembling the problem door frame.  They insisted they couldn't make it fit and said they would be back maybe by the end of the week, probably next, with a thinner box spring thing that would probably, most likely fit.  So now we're sleeping on the brand new mattress (I refuse to sleep on that old lumpy mattress one more night!) directly on the floor.  I guess that's what you get when you shell over big money plus a delivery fee and also happen to live in an ancient farmhouse. Lucky for us.

As if the fun would stop there, on the one day of the week I actually have to be somewhere to earn my meager paycheck, Binny slinked off the bus this afternoon, in tears, holding her right ear.  Thank goodness the Gardener has a current insurance card in his wallet and the patience to deal with another sick kid and her sore ear.  Time to restart the 10 day antibiotic countdown.

Why I Do What I Do

So, if you've been reading this blog for some time, you know I don't work.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I milk cows at a local dairy farm (Moooooo!) once a week and I do photography as often as I can but other than that, I'm home.  Almost every day I can be found here at the house washing clothes, making meals, making sure everybody has their necessary prescription medications and favorite cereals, waking up early with the Gardener and getting the kids on the bus in time for school.  Most of what I do goes unnoticed by my family but they don't seem to mind coming home to a relatively clean house and  a hot meal on the table every evening.  And it's days like today that I don't regret our family's decision to do with a little less income in exchange for flexibility.

Last night shortly after we tucked Mae into her bed, she came downstairs holding her hand to her ear and whimpering about it hurting.  She was up off and on most of the night holding a warm compress against her ear and occupying the big recliner in our living room.  This morning when there was no improvement to her ouchy ear, I called school to say she would not be there today and made an appointment at the pediatrician's office.  I didn't have to find somebody to fill in for me for the day or rush around to find a sitter and rearrange my whole schedule. Nope, this is what I'm here for. 

Puzzler

Binny is finally feeling better and back at school today, but not before using up every tissue we had in the house and feeling pretty miserable for a handful of days. Most of those days, we did puzzles.

Wardrobe Wednesday

Yesterday, Binny woke up with a runny nose and a wicked sounding cough. I kept her home from school and we sat around in our jammies watching PBS kids and put puzzles together most of the afternoon. This morning when she emerged from her room at 5AM, her cough and runny nose were accompanied by a fever, so it's basically a repeat of yesterday. Home again. She's in a good mood and believe it or not, when she gets sick, she's a real doll. She loves to cuddle and drink hot cider and talks in this sweet, sick kid voice that just melts my heart.

Link up your Wardrobe Wednesday posts below!

Ramble On, Baby.

It's been so long since I posted anything here other than a few random photos that I have no idea where even to begin. The last time I really checked in, Mae had strep throat and an ear infection. I had pneumonia. The Gardener was painting his tractor and I was pissed about not being able to watch Olympic curling.

Mae's strep and ear infection went away but at the end of last week, her ears were bugging her again. Sunday morning she tossed her cookies but by the afternoon she started feeling better and was even able to keep a little food and some liquids down. I kept her home from school yesterday just to make sure, but today I was happy to put her on the bus. She complained about not wanting to go but by the amount of fighting she did with her sister this morning, I'm sure she's back to her normal self.

Binny woke up last Friday and came downstairs to tell me that she puked the bed. And not like, I woke up and my tummy hurt. No it was more like, I woke up and I noticed dried vomit all over myself, my bed and Monkey. I kept her home from school and in a day she was back to normal.

My pneumonia is finally gone and I'm feeling much better. Although I did seem to catch that pukey bug from over the weekend (maybe had something to do with me washing 6 loads of puked up linens and clothing....) which in turn made yesterday absolutely miserable for me. I gladly handed Mae the phone yesterday afternoon when she wanted to call Grandma and go play over there for the evening. Thank goodness Grandma was home and happy to spend a few hours playing hide and seek and the Wii with her granddaughters.

The Gardener's tractor is painted and up and running.
There was a recent change in our snow removal equipment and for a while we were completely without but now that the tractor is up and running we'll be able to use that if we should get any more snow before winter is gone for good. *For the record, that last sentence was in no way an invitation for Mother Nature to gift us with any more snow or freezing temperatures.

Work is slow for the Gardener so he had the choice of using up 2 weeks of vacation that he had saved up or file for temporary unemployment and lose our health benefits at the end of February and start paying for for Cobra. We decided that he would use up the 2 weeks to at least get us through another month without having to pay for health insurance benefits out of our own pockets. Hopefully things will start picking up as the weather warms and he won't be out of work for too long. At least that's what I keep telling myself. I'm not too incredibly worried about it. The farmer I work for is always happy to find something for him to fix at the farm and we have talked about a few creative ways to make money like recycling scrap steel and selling stuff we don't use on Craigslist. Hell, I may even put an ad in the paper offering to do some family photography now that Spring is on the way...

Anyhow, after a weekend of the Gardener moping around the house and worrying himself to the point of not being able to sleep, I looked into getting rid of him for a week, a little vacation if you will. It just so happened that the Gardener's dad was planning a trip out to see the Gardener's brother, B to help him remodel his bathroom. Driving ten hours one way (in the middle of the night and into an ice storm, no less) just to spend all week ripping out flooring and drywall, re-plumbing, re-wiring, re-drywalling and re-flooring a bathroom may not seem like a fun vacation to me but it's perfect for the Gardener. Plus the three of them love a good construction project.

Tomorrow my brother, T is coming over and we are going to start a bunch of vegetable and flower seeds and set up the grow lights in the basement. We may even drink an Irish coffee and toast to his Birthday!

I am so excited for Spring, I can hardly contain it. The garden, the sun, the flowers, hanging laundry on the line, opening windows and taking in that fresh warm air. BRING IT ON! With that enthusiasm, I am going to start Garden Mondays very soon again, perhaps even next Monday if I can get my crap together and no one else get sick...

Has anyone else started to think about gardening yet? I can't wait to get my hands dirty!

And with that I had better run and start some house cleaning before the day gets away on me.

Here I am

It's been way too long since I've posted an update. I missed both Random Tuesday and Wardrobe Wednesday this week. *gasp* So here's what's been going on...

Last week Mae came down with strep throat and a double ear infection (sweet!) and the day after that I decided to go to the doc for another antibiotic after the sinus infection I was treated for a few weeks ago came back with a vengeance and slid right down into my left lung. At first I thought it would just go away on it's own, after all I have been taking vitamins and garlic to boost my immune system but by the time I drug my wheezing ass to the clinic, I had pneumonia. All weekend my lungs crackled and I coughed up green stuff and still today after 8 days of antibiotic (that also has a fun side effect of a terribly bitter taste in my mouth) I went back to the doc to have my meds extended into next week to be sure that I kick this bug once and for all. I am feeling better and I'm not coughing up stuff anymore but I'm still coughing and wheezing a little, especially last night after 3 hours of running around at the farm.

Speaking of the farm... My boss had a cow butchered last week and delivered a quarter of it to me today. I asked for mostly ground hamburger and a few steaks and that's exactly what I got. My freezer is once again full of local meat and I love it. Tonight the girls and I decided to try out the new batch which came just days after we finished our last batch of happy cow and almost all of the happy hog we bought last fall. I made tacos for Binny and I and Mae insisted on trying one of the tenderloin steaks. Actually we all took a bite of the steak just to see if this year's cow was as good as the last. It was one of the most tender and flavorful steaks I have ever tasted. I even tossed a piece to Oliver as he stood with his nose up in the air catching a whiff of the beefy goodness.

I gave Binny a haircut! For the last 3 years, I have been the only one to receive a haircut by an actual hair professional. The Gardener and the girls are forced to endure my choppy yet free haircuts done right in my kitchen with an old tablecloth clothes-pinned around them in place of a cape. So far they haven't complained too much, but I'm sure the girls will start to beg me take take them somewhere when they get older and all of their friends are going to salons, but for now free works for us.

The Gardener hasn't been around much lately. He's still on second shift but even when he's home, he hasn't really been home. But fear not, he hasn't left me for another woman...
he's been out in the shed cleaning and painting his tractor.That's a whole lotta green!

I talked with my grandparents the other night. Grandpa's hanging in there and still taking a crazy amount of medication but it seems to be keeping him out of the hospital which is definitely a good thing. My Grandma was thrilled to tell me all about her big Bingo win the other night. She won 50 bucks! Woohoo, Grandma Dee!

The Olympics have also kept me me away from blogging. I love both the Summer and Winter Olympics but especially the winter Olympics. Partly, I'm sure because of my North Dakota childhood which included both hockey and figure skating. I played hockey only a few years early on then switched to figure skating for the next 5 or so years. I was never really that great at either but it was fun and really what else is a kid to do in the middle of winter living in one of the coldest places in the US? I'll tell ya. Not much! So yeah, I like the figure skating and speed skating (short track especially, with it's roller derby like qualities) but my favorite is (believe it or not) curling. It totally sucks though that we don't have cable because curling is one of the events that is only shown on cable and cannot be pulled in by our rooftop antenna. I thought I would be able to catch it online but it turns out the curling video is a premium feature only available to paying cable customers and no pay per view option. Big bummer. Oh well, I'm getting my fill of skiing, snowboarding and skating so I can't complain too much. Maybe my sweet husband will take me out this weekend to a place that is showing curling on TV... Did you catch that Honey?

Last weekend I went out with a girlfriend that I haven't seen in a very long time. We drank beer and laughed until the wee hours of the next morning. It was so much fun and long overdue for the two of us to have a girls night out.

That's about it and now if you'll excuse me, I have have some men's figure skating to watch. I hope the costumes are as flashy as the music I can hear in the background!

RTT- Short And Sweet

Again I'm cheating and writing this Monday night. 2nd shift still. Dinner was chicken noodle soup. The shitty kind from the can, which also happens to be Binny's favorite. I wasn't feeling the power to fight over yet another meal today so I caved and now she's full and happy and sleeping. I call it a win.

Mae came home from school early today. Not feeling well. She laid in the recliner most of the day. I gave her some Tylenol and put her to bed. Tonight would also be the first night in many that she hasn't come down with the complaint of not being tired. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Speaking of tomorrow and bringing... we're expecting snow! Not Snowpocalypse snow, but maybe enough to close school and give us more time to make Valentine cards. The girls' class Valentine's Day parties are this Friday and we haven't even thought about making Valentine cards yet.

My Mother-in-law lost over 65 pounds and wrote her weight loss story to share with all of the Internet! Although being overweight has never been an issue for me (almost the opposite, in fact), I know many people do struggle with their weight and I'm so happy for them when they finally get a grasp on it. Bravo, Linda!

I finished our taxes and filed them. Our refund should be here in a week and then maybe, just maybe I'll convince my husband to go out and buy some new clothes. There are only so many times I can effectively spot treat the same greasy sweatshirt, and don't even get me started on those hole-y jeans. I'm thinking $200 cash at Fleet Farm should outfit him pretty well, as long as he doesn't wander into the tractor parts section...

That's it for me. Be sure Click to over to Keely's blog for the whole Random Tuesday line-up.

RTT- Screw You Swine Flu

Well it's Tuesday again and the best way to get everything out there is to pull out the Un Mom's Random Tuesday Thoughts badge and get to it.

Shall we?

After weeks and weeks of impatient waiting, there was finally an H1N1 flu clinic in our area. My friend, (not the doctor's office or the school where the girls were supposed to receive the vaccine) called to tell me that she just took her kids to a flu clinic at a local fire department and had them vaccinated. She also said there was NO waiting and I should take the girls. (thanks for the heads up, T!) It was on an evening that I had to work but I left instructions with the Gardener to have both girls vaccinated and none of that nasal spray stuff, even for Binny no matter how much she complains and cries about getting the shot. And did Binny cry! She had herself so worked up that the Gardener had to hold her down for her 3 seconds of pain. Her arm was sore for about a day but she's fine now and even posing for the camera. It was of course no big deal for Mae who has been a little pin cushion lately. I do feel relieved now that they both have been vaccinated and I hope that everyone else who wants to have their kids vaccinated will be able to do so very soon. Mae was a special circumstances case but even if she weren't I would want them both to be vaccinated...

And finally... *drum-roll please.*

The Gardener's new toy tractor.

As you can see it's not new at all, rather old, noisy and a little rusty but it's what he wanted, something he could tinker with. It obviously needs a little work and some fresh paint, but it actually runs, so that's a start right?

Have a great Tuesday and don't forget to drop by the UnMom for more Random Tuesday thoughts!

RTT- Vote Today!

Well it must be Tuesday again. I see Random Tuesday Thoughts posts starting to fill my Google reader. Stop by the UnMom to catch up on all of the randomness.

As for me... we made it through Halloween but now we have 2 giant bags of candy sitting on the kitchen counter. I'm hoping to do something about that very soon. Freckle posted on Facebook that the Candy Fairy stopped by their house the night of Halloween, took her kids' candy and left them each a small toy. And her kids loved the idea! So, I'm thinking that after 3 days of my kids stuffing their faces with various forms of high fructose corn syrup, the Candy Fairy may stop by today while the kids are at school and drop off a small, inedible treat and sneak off with what's left of their candy.And let's face it, after wax lips, the rest is just plain old candy.

Mae had an appointment with her pediatrician yesterday. It was just her annual physical that was due in September but I wanted to wait until all of the tests came back and we had a chance to talk with the Immunologist again. Mae's pediatrician checked her out from head to toe and said that she looked very healthy. The minor ear infection she was treated for 2 weeks ago had cleared up, blood pressure was normal, and she passed the informal doctor office eye test. Doc sounded very pleased with the findings of Mae's immune work-up and went over all of the specifics with me again. Her big concern right now is the nasty H1N1 virus. There were no H1N1 vaccines at the clinic but she did say that the schools would be vaccinating kids as soon as more vaccine becomes available and of course encouraged me to have both girls vaccinated if they don't catch it first. She said that she'd be very surprised if one or both of the girls didn't come down with it in the next week or two.

The waiting room was full of masked children coughing and wheezing waiting to see a doctor. We had to use a separate "well visit" entrance to the office itself and around every turn was a hand sanitizing station. Pretty much, I'm almost certain that we were exposed to many cases of the nasty flu yesterday but so far no signs of illness yet. *crossing my fingers* Mae's doc did say though that if Mae does come down with H1N1, she should come back to the office in request of tamilflu because of her immune defect. She also asked if I wanted Mae to have the seasonal flu shot while we were there. Of course I agreed and Mae was vaccinated for the seasonal flu (just like every other year). I called last week about the shots and was told that they didn't have any and while waiting to check in at the reception desk I heard one of the receptionists tell another parent that there were no H1N1 or seasonal flu vaccines available. I guess they must be trying to keep some around for the more at-risk kids. After all Binny isn't eligible for either tamiflu or the short supply seasonal flu shot.

In more illness related news, the school is handing out small bottles of hand sanitizer to each student and encouraging them to use it. As much as I think hand washing is important to staying healthy, I think that the hype over hand sanitizer is a little extreme. Even at the doctor's office (we've been in several lately), I see health care workers use a squirt of that stuff instead of actually washing their hands. Yeah it may kill some of the germs but it doesn't actually clean your hands the way good old soap and water does. So around here with each mention from the girls that they need a squirt, I have been gently steering them to the sink instead.


I plan to vote today. There aren't any big races around here on the ballot today but there is a school referendum that has caused some commotion in our school district. The district wants to build a new middle school and a new swimming pool to replace the old pool that is in need of some major TLC. There are always people who refuse to vote for anything that could raise their property taxes (by $164 annually for a house worth $100,000) but I did see many yard signs supporting the referendum while we were out trick or treating. I also read some wimpy opposing arguments in the Squeak saying that during a recession is not a good time to be spending money on our schools. I couldn't disagree more. With all of the federal incentives and the ability to negotiate low prices with contractors that are just hoping for new projects to come up in order to keep themselves in business, this sounds like a great time. I also happen to have 2 children that will be going to middle school in the next few years and use the swimming pool for swimming lessons... and a husband who is trying to stay employed as a construction electrician. Call me selfish but I think that this project is worth the 164 bucks.

That's it for me today. Have a good one!

Pajamas, Lunch and Amoxicillin

I know what you're thinking. "What, no Wardrobe Wednesday? She always posts on Wardrobe Wednesday."

Well. I missed it this week. I was even given the perfect opportunity yesterday, being school pajama day and all but time was short yesterday morning, and every other morning for that matter. The normal hurry up and don't miss the bus routine was compounded even further by a thick blanket of fog that concealed the school bus until it was waiting at the end of our driveway.

My kids love pajama day. In fact as a special reward for good behavior last year, Mae's class chose pajama day over popcorn and a movie. That's how serious the kids (here anyhow) are about pajama day. I think the and a movie part of last year's pajama day was to lay down and simulate bed time. Those sneaky teachers, I bet they felt real sly fooling a bunch of 5 year- olds into rest time. Anyhow the girls were excited to be able to wear their slippers and robes at school but Mae did give me the stink eye when I reminded her that she would only be at school half of the day due to her doctor appointment in the afternoon. She really wanted to walk around the Library in her PJs but perked up when I said that she could wear her pajamas out to lunch.

We ate lunch at one of those semi-fast food places that serves only noodles. I'm not sure why the restaurant has a trendy adult feel and no kids menu when it serves the one thing that I would say 90% of kids live on for the first several years. Not that they asked Me for decorating or menu advice. Binny ordered buttered noodles which is basically 3 cents worth of wide egg noodles with a tablespoon of butter on top. Although she ate it, I did feel kind of ripped off having to pay the same price for my meal which was full of veggies as I did for Binny's nutritionally void bowl of blandness. Mae was a bit more adventurous opting for the cheesy macaroni noodles.

After our lunch, we stopped in to see my brother and since the girls were still wearing their pajamas, it was a great opportunity to change clothes before Mae's doctor appointment. I also took some photos with the beautiful backdrop that is fall.


Then it was off to Mae's appointment at Children's. We talked with the nurse practitioner and Immunologist extensively about Mae's test results with the exception of one the more in-depth immune complement tests which still hasn't come back. So far the information we have is that she has an immune complement disorder in the alternative pathway. Basically that's just a fancy way of saying that she doesn't fight off bacterial infections as well as she should. There was talk that if her situation becomes worse that she may end up going on chronic antibiotics but at this point both the doc and the nurse practitioner thought that was too drastic. And I completely agree. While we were there, I also wanted them to look in Mae's ears because when I picked Mae up from school, her teacher said that she was complaining of ear pain earlier in the day. Sure enough Mae's left ear was just starting an ear infection so they prescribed an oral antibiotic. I was just thankful that we could take care of it there. I even had the prescription filled at the hospital's pharmacy so we could get a dose in her right away and not have to make an extra stop on the way home. The immunologist wants to see her again in 6 months to follow up and check her progress. I was also given strict orders to call them if her health changes in any way. They also said that if she should need to be hospitalized, they want her down at Children's. She is free to see her primary doc but if a severe infection develops, they'll want to see her ASAP. I guess this news was about as good as I could hope for with of course the exception of the ear infection but at this point ear infections seem like small potatoes to us.

We're Not Jewish

Today was Mae's follow-up blood draw down at Children's Hospital. Last week the nurse practitioner from the Immunologist's office called to tell me that one of Mae's blood tests a month ago was abnormal. Something called the Alternative Pathway. She said that the doctor thought this could have been a lab error so he wanted to re-run the blood test today while we were there for the follow-up test anyway. She sent out the orders to us to give to the lab today. Then on Thursday she called back again and said that they wanted to make that sure some other associated immune levels were also not off although they were normal last time but could be testing as normal on a low day. Anyhow, off we went for our jaunt through the metro area, although not before successfully dropping off our stash of old IV antibiotics!

Every time we go down there I feel pretty emotional. The clinic and lab is right inside the hospital entrance so we walk through the same halls and doors that we did when Mae was a patient there back in May. Today there was a mom taking her daughter home from what I can guess was a lengthy hospital stay. She was pushing a big stroller, carrying her beautiful baby girl and also hefting a big duffel bag. The little girl had a feeding tube in her nose and the woman looked exhausted. As we walked past them, I took notice of how healthy and strong Mae is today. We aren't done yet and still have many unanswered questions like why in the heck does she get these serious infections, but I think we're in good hands with her immunologist and nurse practitioner. They really seem to be keeping her case on the fronts of their minds, which is very reassuring.

The lab techs seemed to be a little thrown off by all of the changes that had been made since the orders had been changed twice. Once they finally had all of the paperwork straightened out Mae was called back. She rolled up her sweater sleeves and plopped herself in the chair and swung the armrest around in front of her. The phlebotomist looked at me for approval of Mae's arrangement and I assured her that Mae could handle it. I stood next to Mae and put my right hand on her shoulder as she grabbed my left with her free hand. She closed her eyes for the poke but opened them up and let go of my hand as soon as the needle was in. No tears, no anxiety, no problem, and also no sticker or prize by the way. Usually those people have a stack of stickers to choose from and a drawer full of cheap toys and treats. Mae didn't notice and besides we had big plans for the rest of the day.

On the way out of the parking garage, I called my brother and we stopped to pick him up to go out for lunch. He was ready to go when we arrived so we didn't get a chance to visit his compartment but I'm sure it was just as well. He suggested a Thai restaurant in the area and off we went. Mae had mentioned that she wanted noodles for lunch so this was perfect. The restaurant didn't open till noon and we were a bit early so we browsed around the hippie boutique next door for a few minutes. The smell of incense was enough to induce a headache but Mae had fun trying on hats and looking at the cases full of glass figurines. By the time we walked out of the shop, the restaurant was open. Mae had stir fried egg noodles with vegetables and chicken and I had tofu vegetable curry. Delicious! My brother also had tofu and curry but his was much spicier than mine yet very delicious!

After we dropped off my brother back at his building Mae and I headed out to use some of her Birthday gift cards. She bought a whole outfit at Old Navy complete with a matching sparkly headband. Even though we didn't end up spending much money at all today, it seems that Binny and the Gardener made our purchases look mighty expensive. The gardener saw an ad in this week's Squeak for an auction today. Before we even left this morning he and Binny were off in the truck to go see if they could find a rototiller for the garden. He called me this afternoon to tell me that he and Binny bought an entire truckload worth of miscellaneous items for 50 cents. No rototiller but he did come home with 21 decks of playing cards, 7-1000 piece puzzles, a wooden Chinese checker board, a lint shaver for clothing, an old typewriter and everything else that was on the pile no one would bid on. Basically my husband bought all of the crap that nobody wanted, but it all went for 50 cents so I guess it was worth the trouble of going through everything and throwing out the junk. Among the few good items were piles and piles of stuff that we either threw on the burn pile or into the garbage can. Broken dishes, smelly old lady perfume (Avon, of course) that my husband foolishly dumped out right next to his shed. As soon as I opened the car door upon our arrival home, I could smell his purchase and it was ten times worse than the hippie boutique. "Um dear, are you sure the old lady smell isn't on all of this stuff?" Once he confessed that the smell was his fault, I agreed to let him bring some of his treasures into the house. For the last twenty minutes the gardener has been shaving all of our sweaters and turning our living room lamp on by remote. Who knew that remote outlet converters even existed?

In a box labeled "Holiday" there were ugly X-mas wreaths, Halloween decor and an assortment of bar giveaway St. Patrick's Day beaded necklaces. As I threw the beads into the trash Mae said, "that's okay, were not Jewish anyway." I'm pretty sure she meant Irish but either way it made me laugh.


One more day to enter my Peachy Giveaway!

Medication Drop Off Tomorrow!

Almost 4 months to the day after writing this post, we will be getting rid of Mae's unused IV antibiotics tomorrow. After inquiring for what seems like forever to people who don't seem to give a shit about our groundwater, I came across a guy at the county's planning office who was planning an event to address this very important issue. Tomorrow, Saturday October 3 from 9-11 there will be drop off locations throughout the county where residents may drop off any unused medication to be disposed of properly.

Over the summer the county also introduced a medication drop off box at the police department. I went (wearing my bathing suit) to try and get rid of the meds then but there was a sign on the box saying that liquid medications would not be accepted (although the website had no information about exclusions), so back home with my big bag of IV meds once again. I was tempted to overlook the sign but the surveillance camera discouraged me from committing what I'm sure is a crime. I can see the news story now. "County woman wearing only a bathing suit and cover up shoves 15 bags of IV antibiotics into drop box at local police station."I just hope after waiting all this time that we will be able to get rid of it once and for all.

How Much Damage Can One Sneeze Cause?

Towards the end of last week, still a houseful of people mind you, Mae came down with a fever. It was only a day and a half since she had immunizations at the doctor's office so I figured that had to be it. I gave her a fever reducer and kept her home last Friday. Saturday she felt a little better but still running a low fever. Sunday she was feeling much better and she didn't need the medicine anymore.

Then all of a sudden at breakfast with 7 people around our kitchen island, Binny sneezes. This was no sneeze I've ever seen come out of a child. It was a mixture of pancakes with raspberry jam and whipped cream, breakfast sausages, cantaloupe and snot at 90 miles an hour. There was nothing any of us could have done to stop it. Binny herself was surprised at the magnitude of her sneeze. Right then as I run to get a tissue or 7 for Binny, the rest of the adults at the table discussed whether or not to throw out the bowl of cantaloupe that was directly in the path of Binny's sneeze. It was agreed that only Binny may consume the sneezy cantaloupe. And right there, feeling defeated and realizing that we would get ALL this icky cold, I apologized in advance to my grandmother and grandfather who happened to be sitting on either side of Binny. Not that an apology helps matters or will offer any vitamin C benefits but what else is there to do?

I started to feel it on Tuesday. All day yesterday I had a sinus headache that just wouldn't quit. I had to go to the pharmacy anyway to pick up a prescription, so while I was there I decided to replenish my supply of cold medicine. I have always used sudafed but since the active ingredient in Sudafed is also a main component in the illegal drug compound Meth, the sale is extremely monitored. Which means for all of the sick people who want nothing more than to relieve the intense pressure of a sinus cold must now locate and present a valid driver's license, sign a log complete with: name, date of birth, address, phone number, etc. Combine that with a long line of people, insurance problems and an impatient Binny who keeps asking why I won't take off my sunglasses in the store makes for one hell of an outing.

In addition to the semi-legal cold medicine I bought a box of day and night cold medicine. I went home took a daytime and planted my butt in the recliner. I managed to feel better and made dinner for my family then back to the chair. The Gardener put the girls to bed and I took a night cold tablet (well within the dosing schedule on the box) and went to bed myself. This morning I felt better but more so I felt drunk. You know that feeling when you stand up and the room won't stop spinning. The sinus pressure was down most evident by the dried snot all over my face, and I could breathe and my headache was reaching a bearable point as well but I had an overwhelming feeling of being over-medicated. (does that even make sense?) Now that the pills have worn off I feel a bit better and hope that this was the worst of it. Binny and Mae are almost back to normal too. I hope that this was the worst of it because we have weekend plans. September is a busy birthday month for our family, so we decided to have one last summer weekend in the woods to infect the rest of the family celebrate.

I guess it wouldn't be the right to start the school year and NOT pass around a cold.

My Child, The Human Pin Cushion

Yesterday was Mae's appointment with the immunologist down at Children's hospital. Long story short, the doc. ordered a bunch of blood tests, gave her 3 immunizations and in 4 weeks she goes back for more blood work. In 6 weeks we will go back to talk with the doc. about all of the test results and go from there. So, really we don't know anything at this point except that Mae is one strong and brave little girl. She was stuck (with needles) 5 times and didn't shed a single tear. Right before the first shot, she was a little anxious but as soon as the needle went in, she was fine. By the time we went down to the lab to have her blood drawn she was relaxed and ready to go. The lab tech needed 6 tubes of blood and Mae's little vein gave up after 5 and a half tubes so she had to stick Mae one more time. The blood drawing woman (my spell checker goes wild when I write phlebotomist, but gives me no alternative spelling. WTF?) felt bad and apologized but hey I understand and Mae was happy to show her how brave she can be.

After the appointment and the lab, Mae and I went out to dinner, just the two of us. I wish it could have been under other circumstances but it was nice to have a evening out with my brave girl.

This morning Mae's little arms were sore so I gave her some Tylenol before she left for school. Hopefully that will take care of it. I'm just happy that we'll finally be getting some answers even if it takes a while.

Short and Sweet

Well, the doctor's office called back and wanted to see Mae this afternoon to check her out. Her doc wasn't there so she ended up having to see someone else. He thought her glands were a bit swollen and said her tonsils looked red and puffy (I also looked in her mouth and thought the same thing). They did the always fun throat swab thingy to check for strep and it came back negative. I'm not surprised by that finding because that was the very bacteria (Strep A) that Mae was being treated for, but doc. wanted to rule it out. Her lab test results from yesterday were excellent so hopefully this was just a fluke. So, for now we'll just wait and see what happens next. Her fever has gone down and she says she feels better so that eases my mind, but still I get nervous when she has a setback like this.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about, read my post from earlier today.

Done, Done... Or Not?

Finally, the day we were waiting for came. Well, actually 2 days we were waiting for. Yesterday afternoon Mae's PICC line was removed and today is her last day of school. What a relief it is to not have to pump her full of thick yellow fluid that makes her pee smell funny and the chore of cleaning everything with alcohol wipes and feeding her lots of pro biotic yogurt. Finally Mae can make that playdate with her friend to jump on the trampoline and have a wheel barrow race in the green grass. Her little arm is all red and raw from being under a bandage for 4 weeks, but no more tubes, only a tiny band aid covers the hole that was for 4 weeks the antibiotic super highway that made my child well again.

I am ever thankful to our wonderful no nonsense pediatrician and Mae's great attitude and bravery through all of this. Don't get me wrong, there were days that were not fun for anyone, but we all made it through. Mae will go back to see her doc in 2 weeks to have her blood levels checked to make sure that the infection doesn't come back, but we are hopeful. Later this summer we will make an appointment with the pediatric immunologist down at Children's hospital for some more extensive testing to see if these infections are stemming from a bigger problem. For now we are looking forward to a fun healthy summer, starting this afternoon. I couldn't think of a better way to kick off summer vacation!

One more thing. It can't all be sunshine and roses right? The explanation of Benefits from Mae's hospital stay, ambulance, Children's hospital, home nurse, etc. started rolling in. For the 4 days she spent at Children's hospital, not including any of the doctors or special tests, just the room and board was $17,484.42. Thankfully we have insurance. I don't know what we'd do without it.

UPDATE: I wrote this post this morning while Mae was at school (last day!) and was waiting to hit publish until she got home and I could take a photo of her minus the PICC line and ace wrap. Before the noon release from school, Mae's teacher called and said Mae is running a 102 degree fever. What the fuck!!!! Pardon my foul mouth but seriously I thought I was going to collapse to the floor when I heard this. Binny and I got in the car and drove to school to pick her up. Her teachers sat with her in the office until I got there and looked as sad and heartbroken as I was over this turn of events. I brought her home, gave her some Motrin and called the doc. Now I'm just waiting for a call back. Not over yet...

Make An Old Lady Cry, Why Don't You

I took a photo of Mae earlier this week to have printed into Thank you cards via Walgreens. I've been burned by the Walgreens photo department before but I thought, eh it's just a few cards, they can handle it.

Well Walgreens, you made Auntie Pat cry, I hope you're happy! She thought Mae looked so sad and not better like we claim. Granted, Auntie Pat cries at game shows and reality TV but still I felt terrible.

This was the photo I uploaded to the Walgreens site...

and this was what they printed...

Terrible, right!? When I picked them up, I thought the color was a little off and a bit darker, but I didn't have time to have them redone. It looks a little better in person, but still not even close to a match. I sent them out anyway and now I wish I wouldn't have. My great idea of sending a photo to show everyone that Mae is feeling better, backfired... big time.

Proper Disposal Of Medications

Mae's nurse was here this morning to give her the new antibiotic. Everything went well and I feel comfortable doing the next dose alone. Good, good, now on to my real concern. Now that's she's on a new different medication (rocephin), what are we supposed to do with 15 unused (still sterile, yet I took them out of the fridge to make room for the new stuff) bags of IV antibiotics. I asked this very question to the pharmacist yesterday on one of our many phone conversations coordinating the switch over. He said that he can't, by federal law, take back any of the medication to the pharmacy and suggested that I either dump it down the drain or throw it into the garbage. Seriously? We can't do better than that?

I also asked the nurse this morning and he (yes, a man) didn't have any better ideas. I am determined not to dump it down my drain (hello, Septic system and private well!) or throw it into the garbage. I've watched enough local news investigations on this very subject to know that dumping it is irresponsible, but what do I do with it? Our state's extension office lists the upcoming medication disposal drop off events, but the closest one is this weekend and over 2 hours away driving one way. Maybe I'll call the hospital this afternoon to see if they have any suggestions for me. Bloggers, any ideas?

Not The News We Were Expecting

Well, I heard from Mae's doctor this morning. The blood work from Monday looked great, but when she called down to Children's to talk with the Infectious Disease doctor to get the go ahead to switch to an oral antibiotic, he told her that it would be best to continue the IV antibiotic treatments for another 2 weeks to make sure that the infection is gone for good. The infectious disease doctor claims he never said that Mae could switch to oral meds after 2 weeks but I know the other ID doc did. Another case of poor communication I guess. Anyhow, Mae's doctor agreed to follow the ID doc's recommendation of another 2 weeks, and they also decided to change the type of antibiotic so that it will only need to be given twice daily through the PICC line. No more 1Am or 1PM infusions which means that we can all start getting some sleep and Mae can return to school all day for the rest of the school year.

This is disappointing news and I hated having to tell Mae that the PICC is staying in for another 2 weeks, but she took it well and is jazzed about not having to get manhandled by me in the middle of the night anymore. I guess sleep will be our compromise for now.

She will still have to go in for blood work and another dressing change for the PICC on Monday. This past Monday it took an hour and a half to get all of the tape and dressings off and replaced. The worst is all of the adhesive goo mess and cleaning everything properly without disrupting the entrance of the PICC. After I suggested for what seemed like the thousandth time that they use the adhesive remover (conveniently supplied in the PICC dressing change kit) to get the sticky off of Mae and the tubing rather than just pulling, they finally listened. And wouldn't you know? It worked great! I know the nurses at the clinic don't care for PICC lines very often but heck, I know I could do it just as well myself with less discomfort for Mae but of course they wouldn't go for that.

Tonight the Gardener is going to take Mae to the clinic for the first dose of the new meds just to make sure that she doesn't have have any allergic reactions. I have to work tonight otherwise I would go too, but the home nurse is coming tomorrow morning for the 7 o'clock dose to show me how to give the new meds. Of course the new medication will be administered differently but rumor has it, this new one should be easier.

I am so ready for this chapter of our lives to be over. This morning when I was up to give Mae her meds, I was so exhausted physically and emotionally to the point that I was trying to wish this all away. I wished that Mae would have never pulled her tooth out on the bus which allowed the strep A bacteria to enter her body and settle in the bones of her foot. I wished that the first doctor we saw would have listened to me and not sent her home with the diagnosis of a common virus. I wished that the staff down at Children's had their crap together. I wished that Mae didn't have to be poked and pulled and miss so much school. Most of all I wish that she wasn't the sick kid. The kid who gets all of the attention for being ill and feeling crappy. I know we can't turn back the clock and make this all go away, but I just want it to be over.

Home At Last

Well, we made it home! We left the hospital this afternoon around 3:00 and made it home a little after 4:00, just after Binny arrived home from school.

The home nursing company dropped off the infusion pump supplies and antibiotics this afternoon so we could start the first antibiotic treatment at 7:00 tonight. The hospital staff had said that the home care nurse would come to show us how to run the equipment, but by 5 minutes to 7:00, still no nurse. I called the nurse hotline to see where our gal was and finally around 8:00 she showed up. I'm not sure what the deal was with that but when she finally showed up everything went well and Mae received her first home treatment. It's a little scary to be the one responsible for dumping strong antibiotics right into her veins, but I'm sure I will gain confidence as the days go on. The next treatment is at 1 Am and already I'm starting to fade but I hate to go to sleep and chance missing the next one because I'm so tired.

The important thing is that she's home and showing huge improvements. Now the fun begins of trying to get the insurance company to cover as much of this as possible. The doctor visits, the trip to the ER, the first hospital stay, the ambulance to Children's hospital, Children's hospital, the countless diagnostic tests, the doctors (because that's billed separate from the hospital charges) and of course the home nursing that we started tonight. I try to tell myself not to worry about the money, but I can't help it. The bills will start coming soon and I know that although our insurance is pretty good, we will end up with some hefty bills. Nothing we can do about it I guess, she's feeling better and I'm very thankful for that.

For the rest of the week I plan to keep her home from school. She still has the stitches in her right ankle and the PICC line is still so new, I would hate for something to happen to it. She will go to the doctor on Thursday to have the stitches removed and have a follow up with her (fantastic, no-nonsense) pediatrician. And boy do I have a list of things to go over with her!

Tomorrow the Gardener goes back to work, Binny has a field trip that I was supposed to help chapperone (Grandma is going in my place) and back to the farm for me. This whole new schedule along with our old schedule will take some getting used to. After a few days I'm sure we'll get the new routine down but right now I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. A friend is making dinner for us tomorrow night which is awesome, and my brother is coming over on Friday to help plant the garden. Then company rolls into town this weekend... That should be fine too and will maybe give me a little time to catch my breath as I will have my Mom and Grandma to keep the kids entertained and help out with cooking.

Thank you to everyone who has been thinking of us over the last week and the many well wishes we received. My daily blog count has doubled from all of the people checking in on Mae. I plan to continue to update Mae's recovery for anyone who is interested but mostly for my record keeping. This blog has been so wonderful for me lately. I have gone back to check my notes many times and found it so helpful, especially when all the days seem to have smushed together. I wish I would have started blogging years ago, the Internet has a much better memory than I do.