Nathan's Hip

Many people are wondering what is happening with Nathan's hip.  Join the party!  We are also still wondering.  Here is what we know so far, and the questions our knowledge inspires.

Based on an MRI and a CT scan, Nathan does not have cancer.  We were unsure about that for a while and spent a long weekend wondering if that would be the diagnosis.  There is a higher bone density on the side that he is experiencing pain. The "impression" from the doctor reading the CT scan is that there is a "mild chronic stress reaction" of the iliac bone.  But that is an unusual place to have that problem.  The fact that something like that should have healed long before now has meant we get to see a doctor at Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake.  The doctor mentioned something about possibly having fluid "in there."   I can't elaborate on something I don't understand.

We did that on Tuesday this week.  They also agreed that nothing too serious or scary was going on (like cancer), but they were still unsure what was happening - exactly.  Nathan had some blood drawn that day and we have an appointment next week for a full body scan.  The scan is supposed to be even more in depth than a CT scan (which is more in depth than an MRI).  They will have to give him some contrast of some kind and wait for it to work before they do the scan.  We've been told to expect the appointment to last about 4 hours.

So now we are trying to figure out what to do with the rest of the kids on that day.  School is out.  It seems unnecessary to make them also take a 10 hour trip.  It's the day before Thanksgiving so we could just hang out with family for the weekend, but Chad would have to meet us separately and there are animals to care for and we'd have to add packing to our plans.  Besides, with all of the traveling we've been doing, and the stress we've been feeling, nothing seems more appealing than being home.

And that's an update on Nathan.  Thankfully, his pain seems to have lessened.  I think the physical therapy, while helping straighten out his back, was aggravating his hip. He is nearly pain free unless he has a day of a lot of extra activity.

Maybe my next post will be an update on Daniel!

Daniel's Trial

Daniel has been having a lot of pain in his jaw again. I feel so sorry for him.

We got him into the doctor yesterday with 3 hour's notice and they "unlocked" him then adjusted him. (That will be a nice bill.) He was still hurting at bedtime (and crying a lot) and this morning. He has an orthodontic appointment this afternoon. I'm sure that won't help. He's been instructed to wear his night time guard continuously until his appointment today. He wasn't excited about that.

I wish I really knew how to help this kid! I wish I could go back two years and take care of those crooked teeth when it was first suggested to us. Who knew it would lead to this?

Leah's teeth are behaving the same way that Daniel's started out. We'll have to be very vigilant!

Eighteen-dollar Miracle

Joseph can hear again!

While talking with a friend yesterday, I was reminded about a chiropractor I'd taken Daniel to last year mentioning how he could treat ear infections. I didn't pay too much attention to that then because I knew Daniel didn't have an ear infection.

But Joseph did. And I wasn't thrilled with the idea that the antibiotics were killing germs now but fluid would still be in his ears. I could only imagine that fluid getting infected again, requiring more antibiotics. Besides, it really bothered me that he couldn't hear very well!

I called the chiropractor's office after lunch and they gave us an appointment for the afternoon. We were there about 20 minutes. Joseph was so well-behaved, the guy couldn't stop mentioning it. He looked in his ears, mentioned they were still a little red, had Joseph open his mouth and gave each ear a few hard tugs (not at the same time). Then he had us do some sort of "laser" treatment. (That seemed a little strange to me, and I hope we didn't actually give him brain damage.) Joseph didn't cry or shy away at all. And on the way home, he could actually hear me!

Thanks for reminding me of the chiropractor, Rachel!

I just wish there was some sort of miracle healing for me. My cough is taking its toll on me. I don't sound very authoritative when I'm getting after my kids but get suddenly cut off by a coughing attack! And talking on the phone is fun.

Sarah's nose is still yucky, though it's slowing down and coming out a little thicker, so I imagine she's on the mend. Joseph noticed a gooey glob sitting in the end of her nose and said, "Sarah booger in and out." Yes it was...with every breath she took! :)

Deafness

Joseph's been on antibiotics for his double ear infection since Wednesday last week. He still isn't hearing very well.

I have been spoiled by having healthy kids (Daniel's TMJ and braces have been expensive and inconvenient, but not a serious situation) and to see one of them have a deficiency is nearly breaking my heart.

If I have my back turned to Joseph and speak normally, he can't hear me. I have to raise my voice and often get his attention first to make myself understood.

I checked with the doctor's office this morning and they said that it's normal for ears to have fluid behind them for several weeks...even on antibiotics. I'm considering checking with a chiropractor to have his ears "tugged" on and getting that fluid to drain.

My biggest hope is that this is all temporary. I'd rather have my kids as whole as I can get them. We have enough hearing problems around here without having a REAL hearing disability!

CRABBY

I'm feeling quite crabby this morning...and my kids weren't spared.

We just finished a four-day weekend full of teasing, whining, begging and fighting. OK, it wasn't all bad, but I'm crabby this morning and that's all I can remember right now.

We spent 4+ hours at the fair last night...most of them walking. (I think I'm going to enter something into the fair next year. Maybe one of my baby blessing afghans I made for the kids.) I felt the strain on the bank account from the very moment we paid $18 to get the family through the gates. I'm grateful that 3 of the kids were free! We only bought ice cream cones and let each kid pick one ride, but with parking and a quick stop in the Arctic Circle drive-thru for cheaper refreshments, we spent $77.02. We bought NOTHING from the commercial buildings and other booths. I couldn't bear to part with anymore cash. One day I'm going to look back at this and think that wasn't so much money, but right now, it is.

Anyway, we got home with less than 20 minutes before I had to go to my pres. meeting. I gingerly slipped off my sneakers and socks and slipped on my sandals. The rest of the night, my limp was more noticeable than usual.

So last night, I looked up my heel pain a little more seriously. I've been suffering most of this year; it isn't getting any better. I need to lose some weight, but don't have good enough mobility to exercise. And at the end of days like yesterday, the pain includes my calf muscle, too. I feel confident that I've self-diagnosed my problem with 95% accuracy. Plantar fasciilitis. Or policeman's heel. Or jogger's heel. Or tennis heel. Or lazy, fat lady's heel. (I made that one up all by myself.)

I can't avoid it any longer...I have to stop going barefoot. I have always gone barefoot. My bare feet to me are like feelers to a bug. That's how I know there is a spill on the floor, a fruit snack being smashed into the carpet, sharp objects lurking and waiting for little people to crawl on, etc. With shoes on, I feel clumsy. I trip on things more (since the floor is usually SO uncluttered) and step on people more. It's like walking blind through the house! I can't curl up on the bed or couch with shoes on. And I have to wear socks.

But even with so many reasons why I can't stand shoes, I can't stand the pain anymore. Since I don't have the luxury of staying off my feet, I have to do this. It's obviously not going to go away and it can eventually cause a whole list of problems (some I have already begun to see). I hope that a few weeks of shoes will heal my heel and I can toss those clunkers back into the closet! And then winter will come and I will have to dig them back out again.

A perfect adventure to start on a day that I feel crabby.

On the summer express

I feel like I'm on a runaway roller coaster lately. And that has meant that my blogging has been neglected. I have several things to report and hopefully, I will do that soon.

I need to sit down for a while, anyway, because I have a sore heel that refuses to heal. (haha) It's been hurting for several months now, but it only has gotten worse. Now I can't hide it and I get funny looks from people. Unfortunately, I can't do much of what I'm supposed to do from a chair.

So, just hang on there, all you valiant readers; I'm working on it!

So much time...

...so little desire.

I have an entire house full of "jobs for mom." Most of these jobs have been created by the mom's kids, but expecting them to be very helpful is rather optimistic.

It's not that I mind doing housework. Actually, I used to dream of staying home with the children, keeping the house tidy, baking cookies, hosting picnics in the backyard and having educational moments with the darlings during the normal course of the day. HA! That's why those are called dreams.

As it is, all that I've accomplished from that list is staying home with the kids. I can hardly keep anything tidy (even my personal spaces), I have NO desire to bake cookies, though I wouldn't mind eating 2 or 10, picnics in the backyard don't include me and usually end up with paper plates littering the lawn (despite repeated reminders) and educational moments are hard fought around here.

Part of my trouble lately is a heel pain that won't go away (we're talking months now) and the more I stay on my feet, the worse the next day is. So I am lazy at home, hoping to at least avoid the pain for a few moments. Too bad all the clutter doesn't gravitate towards me while I'm sitting around...I could really get something done then!

Even so, I'm not sitting around, because toilets get flooded, diapers get full, tummies get hungry, chores DO have to be done and errands need to be run. And some how, life got busier when summer started. Whatever happened to the "lazy days of summer?"

How was your Mother's Day?

I hope everyone had a good day, especially you mothers! (Father's Day is just around the corner, fellas.) My day was pretty good.

I would have slept in longer, but the coughing got me up and at 'em. Darn it. I've had a cough for over 2 weeks now. It has MUCH improved, but not before my rib cage suffered. I can hardly draw a breath to talk, so coughing has been torture. Today I had a bit of trouble moving about. I think it will be better tomorrow. (I sure hope so.)

Church for us is at 12:30 so I didn't need to leave until 12. Chad cancelled his EQ meeting so he was able to stay home a little longer to help. That was nice. He left just before 11. I got everything and everyone into the van and was only 5 or so minutes behind schedule.

I had my first ophthalmic migraine today. That was an interesting experience. I'd already had a headache all morning. Maybe that triggered it? It struck while I was trying to get prayers for Relief Society. It distracted me a bit and as it grew over time, I began to feel concerned. I really didn't want to discover I was going blind on Mother's Day!

Fortunately, there is an optometrist in the ward and I sought him out. He explained what it all was and I felt better knowing it would go away...which it did. Just wish the headache would;I still have a headache. (If you didn't check out the link yet, an ophthalmic migraine is not the same as a headache migraine, though they can be connected. An ophthalmic migraines is often painless...it's an eye migraine. Clear as mud?)

Anyway, I got 4 sets of coupon books and a little card with Joseph's hand prints which he took back from me twice. He actually improved on the gift by cutting it up. So now I have a puzzle of Joseph's hand prints. :)

Chad (and the kids) honored me with some flowering plants and useful items. :)

I was disappointed that the day didn't yield any chocolate and then grateful. I didn't have a very good week with the scale. I probably don't need to make it any worse.

I called my mom and Chad called his. It sounds like Mother's Day was nice for everyone. Hope you enjoyed your day, too!

(I've been slow, but I just finished the Day Two post for Chicago. Go back to the April archives to look for it.)

VITAMINS!

I think we've discovered the source of the problem with Daniel's hives.

I'll tell you right now, it isn't the laundry detergent. He broke out in hives tonight after going to bed, which is when he usually comes to us. He'd changed his shirt (because he got it wet) and put on a newly laundered one. So I know it wasn't the shirt.

I was trying to figure out why he keeps breaking out at night. Then I thought of the vitamins the kids get each night on their way to bed. I bought new vitamins at Albertson's two days after getting the new washer. They would have gotten their first dose of these the next night. I think that's the night Chad mentioned Daniel's hives.

There are some nights we skip/forget vitamins. Daniel does go some nights without problems. We don't take vitamins with us when we travel. Daniel didn't get hives the night we were visiting Grandma.

Now we just have to wait 4 or 5 nights to know for sure. Hopefully, we're on to something here. It's much cheaper to stop buying vitamins than it is to buy fancy schmancy laundry detergent. Though I do lament the time spent doing laundry today. Those are some CLEAN clothes!

H-I-V-E-S spells Trouble

We are STILL struggling with Daniel's hives. A very perceptive friend pointed out to me that the trouble might be the new laundry detergent we started using when we got the new washer. She may be right! It was within the few days surrounding the arrival of the washer that Daniel started having problems. We just aren't exactly sure if the hives started before or after the washer was installed.

So I stopped giving Daniel the prescribed steroids after 3 days to try to solve the problem through the laundry. I didn't want to give him medication while he was still exposed to whatever irritant we were dealing with!

Unfortunately, I'm working with a 9-year-old boy and it's been hard to make sure that ALL the clothes he's wearing are clothes that have been washed in the right detergent. Every time he's broken out, there's been some question about something he's had on.

At first I thought the offender was the dye in one of the detergents we'd been trying out. But when the hives wouldn't go away, I thought it might be the perfume. While I washed Daniel's clothes separately from the others, I would mix them in the baskets.

Yesterday, I bought a dye and perfume free Tide liquid made especially for high efficiency washers. You can safely assume I didn't find it in the bargain bin! Since then, I have washed EVERYTHING in Daniel's drawers, the clean clothes not put away and the dirty ones in a pile. I have also stripped his bed, vacuumed his mattress and washed all his bedding. I even washed a jacket I found on the floor. Then I washed Nathan's dirty clothes. So the only things I haven't washed are the towels (those are next), Nathan's bedding, the clothes hanging in the closet and Nathan's clean clothes.

Where do I stop being "safe" and start being "obsessed"? Should I pull down the valances in their room and wash those, too? He does have a dust allergy (though it's never manifested itself in hives) and those things have been hanging there since before we moved in.

I wish the hives would break out in a particular pattern and spell out the source of the problem for me. Something similar to the "SOS" marooned travelers make with rocks on a sandy beach is what I'm picturing. Is that really too much to ask for?

If this marathon of laundry doesn't do the trick, and doesn't kill me, I'll have to call the doctor and ask him if I should continue the steroids (4 days left) or make an appointment with him. Heck, I already know what he's going to say to that! I'm thankful that we had Zyrtec in our food storage supplies.

TMJ

Daniel saw the TMJ specialist yesterday. It's confirmed; my nine-year-old has TMJ. And from the wearing away of the jaw joints, he also has arthritis in his jaw. Isn't that nice?

The doctor worked Daniel's jaw a little yesterday, to improve mobility, but we have to go back next week to have his bottom molars "built up" so that the jaw and bite will be aligned right.

Here are some images from the CAT scan they did in the office. Here is his head. He looks weird without a nose. He looks like he's wearing a helmet. And look at that mouth full of teeth! They are all crowded in there, fighting for their own spaces. So pretty. I thought this image was perfect for the upcoming Halloween season!
















These pictures show the jaw joints (both sides). The doctor drew on them to show me that the joints should be round, where Daniel's are flattened. And the bone is looking a little thin. It should be thicker.


















Daniel will need braces and it looks like we're going to be visiting with an orthodontist as soon as this round of treatment is over and we're sure it's working. The doctor only had one orthodontist he recommended as he feels the other ones in the area only mess up the TMJ patients. I wonder if they are relatives?!

When the assistant showed me what the charges for all of this would be, I nearly stopped breathing. We haven't even started on Sarah's and my medical bills yet. This is like getting another 1/2 of a baby! We were planning on our first trip to Disneyland a year from now. We may have to wait another year.

Life doesn't get boring for too long!

Pain...

A nasty, four-letter word and Daniel's new enemy.

Remember the jaw/cheek pain Daniel had at the beginning of the summer? We saw a chiropractor and that seems to take care of the problem. When it returned on the other side of his head last week, I took him to a chiropractic office closer to home. We were there Monday and Thursday (yesterday).

The chiropractor worked on him and said things should be better; twice. He didn't charge us for either visit. I am still grateful for that as it would have been about $100 by now. But last night at dinner, Daniel was about to die from his discomfort. He wouldn't even eat dinner (and there was no way we could get him to set the table). So I drove him to the medical clinic in a town 20 minutes away.

That doctor is going to see if a TMJ specialist (40 minutes away) will see him. The doctor was not sure he'd take such a young patient. Apparently, it's quite rare for children to be suffering what Daniel seems to be suffering (this according to just about every Dr./dentist we've seen). If he won't see him, he'll send us to an Ear-Nose-Throat specialist who will see children. Sending him to Primary Children's in SLC came up once, too. I don't really want to drive 40 minutes, so I'm pretty sure I don't want to drive to Salt Lake! And he mentioned "MRI" and "CAT scan" if the specialists aren't helpful, but we're not running to expose him to unnecessary radiation.

But the doctor doesn't work today (nor does his nurse) so nothing will be done with that until Monday. Yipee! Another weekend of moaning, groaning and crying. Oh, and don't forget the drugs.

Hormone Therapy

My poor kids are going to need therapy for the abuse they've been getting while I wait for my hormones to balance out. Bluntly said, "I am WAY cranky."

There are few chances given around here lately. The first sound of fighting earns my wrath. If you don't respond after the 2nd time, you're likely to be singled out and faced with a very unfriendly comment. I have learned to leave the room when I'm feeling too crazed.

I feel bad about my recent attitude, but only upon reflection. It does nothing to keep me from losing control the next time something irritates me. So not only am I dealing with little sleep, crazy hormones, a depressed sense of self-image, I'm feeling large amounts of guilt, too. Yay for me and the family!

But it's not all my fault. When Daniel thought it would be funny to make his sisters and brother put very spicy hot pepper seeds into their mouths, my first thought was...Give him one, too! I didn't feel bad when he cried (and he made sure he cried the loudest and longest). Daniel usually does irritating things, but this was too much for the hormones. Little Bully, meet Big Bully.

And when the boys somehow got water all over the table, chairs and floor and then left it? I waved the soggy mail I'd peeled from the table, lectured them and dealt a punishment. If I can't count on the oldest ones to show some responsibility, I expect the crankiness to last a while.

Since I'm so cranky, I feel like it's showing weakness to smile or laugh, even when it's deserved. Earlier today Rebekah yelled from Joseph's room, "Joseph is drawing all over his arm!"

Me: "What is he drawing with?"
R: "A pen."
Me: "Did you take it away?"
There is a pause. The next thing we hear is Rebekah saying to Joseph, "Give me that!" and then she yells out, "Yes!"

Everyone laughed, but I tried to keep it in (unsuccessfully).

Something else to add to the stress around here...Daniel's jaw is hurting again, on the other side. When Daniel is in pain, everyone knows. It becomes his excuse for everything he doesn't want to do. He is suddenly addicted to children's pain meds and lies around moaning, groaning and sometimes screaming. I guess I'll have to find him a chiropractor to go to around here. I know where one is 40 minutes away, but I'm hoping for a little less road time. Why is it that medical problems ALWAYS happen at the end of the week? It makes for very long, cranky weekends.

I've seen two quotes as I've been driving around this week. Some of you may have seen them, too. I'm only sharing them because I liked them. This is not a jab at anyone, nor am I trying to send any "messages" at all.

First one on a sign of a local church: Hold up your head but keep your nose at a friendly level.
Second one at a local business: Borrow money from a pessimist...they don't expect it back.

Magic Ball please

When it comes to kids and health, I really wish I had a way to see into the future and know if a current problem was going to go away or become a bigger issue.

The night Leah ran into the glass wall, it looked like she was going to get a nice shiner. I wondered if she could get a concussion from hitting her cheekbone too hard and if I should have sent her to bed. In the morning, we couldn't even see a mark (though I think she could still feel it). Apparently, that was some wasted worrying.

This morning, Joseph woke up crying, threw up some water he'd drunk and became extremely tired and floppy. He wouldn't even sit up for me to dress him, but fell against me. When his arm fell across his eyes, he didn't even move it. His skin was cool and a little clammy. By the time the doctor's office was open, he'd perked up and was almost normal. So now, 3 hours after, I keep wondering what to do every time he cries or acts cranky. Is he over it? Is it coming back? Is there something to even worry about?

I really wish I could see into the future in a magic ball. I'd have to clean off all the smudges and fingerprints first. Do magic balls come with Windex?

UPDATE:
Since writing this post, I did take Joseph to the dr. (I got up from the computer and found him asleep on the floor behind me.) He couldn't find anything immediately wrong and thought he was probably coming down with something, but fighting it. We are supposed to give him fluids, rest and Tylenol/Motrin...because he's likely achy. I hate new illnesses on the weekend.