the family
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
ENT followup
Today was Zach's ENT follow up from his ear infection, results say left ear is good, right ear needs a few more days of drops. while we were there we went ahead and got a hearing test done for zach. the good news is the tempanogram (sp) that they insert in his ear to check for middle ear problems and fluid build up showed that the ear drum was good, no fluid! this is a first!! the bad news is, after a few minutes in the sound proof room, zach failed to respond to the audiologist sending sounds in the room. the audiologist was concerned and requested zach gets a ABR done, so we are on the waiting list for this and will hopefully have his testes dropped the same time while he is already sedated. so now we wait.....
Monday, March 15, 2010
genetic follow up
today was a LONG day! we left early for austin, only to get there on time...really thought we were gonna have some time to spare. sigh. Zach was seen and certianly voiced his opinion in the matter, he wasnt happy to be there at all!! he only smiled after the exam and when the doc wasnt near him. what a silly boy!
from a genetic standpoint, we are thinking his deletion on the 22nd chromosome is a CNV,copy number variant...meaning it runs in our family somehow, so far my blood came back negative, however dad gave his blood today, we will see if his has the same deletion. zachs head was measured and its the same from the last time we were there, about 9 months ago, so this means no brain growth :( but he is making developmental gains so we will sit happy with that! she also thinks his hitting himself may be from the ears, so tomorrow when we go to the ENT i think its time to convince the doc to go on and plan this surgery, we will also need to plan to have his testicles lowered and give him a ABR while he is sedated, this is the "gold standard" hearing test. we need to see where we stand for his hearing.
after the appointment we raced back to belton to have Zach seen by a special company that was in town fitting kids for special trykes, we are hoping to get him one donated to him, after he outgrows it then we would give it to another child who needs it. he loved being on the tryke:)
by the time that was done our nurse was off duty and it was time for her to get back to the house to head home herself. if only there were MORE hours in the day...
from a genetic standpoint, we are thinking his deletion on the 22nd chromosome is a CNV,copy number variant...meaning it runs in our family somehow, so far my blood came back negative, however dad gave his blood today, we will see if his has the same deletion. zachs head was measured and its the same from the last time we were there, about 9 months ago, so this means no brain growth :( but he is making developmental gains so we will sit happy with that! she also thinks his hitting himself may be from the ears, so tomorrow when we go to the ENT i think its time to convince the doc to go on and plan this surgery, we will also need to plan to have his testicles lowered and give him a ABR while he is sedated, this is the "gold standard" hearing test. we need to see where we stand for his hearing.
after the appointment we raced back to belton to have Zach seen by a special company that was in town fitting kids for special trykes, we are hoping to get him one donated to him, after he outgrows it then we would give it to another child who needs it. he loved being on the tryke:)
by the time that was done our nurse was off duty and it was time for her to get back to the house to head home herself. if only there were MORE hours in the day...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
cant hear you, i got therapiez growing outa my ears
here a therapy, there a therapy, everywhere a therapy, eeek. so today was Chance's eval for Ocupational therapy, we were able to let him take mikeys spot with mikeys therapist for the eval. ive always joked with chance that he wasnt in therapy "yet" well, those words came back to bite me! he qualifies for therapy, ill find out thursday exactly what his area of weakness is.
Zach isnt feeling well thanks to his ears. fever, cranky, diareah thanks to the antibiotic, sleepy, restless, fussy, higher heart rate, higher oxygen need, mouth breathing...stuffy nose and im guessing a sore throat! ugh. so i cancelled his 3 therapies for tomorrow. he needs his rest. i have plans to go to 2 pharmacies, do schooling with the boys, run by walmart, hobby lobby and i wanted to hit a few thrift stores,and possibly the library...we will see how much of that can get done. id like to sleep some too.
Zach isnt feeling well thanks to his ears. fever, cranky, diareah thanks to the antibiotic, sleepy, restless, fussy, higher heart rate, higher oxygen need, mouth breathing...stuffy nose and im guessing a sore throat! ugh. so i cancelled his 3 therapies for tomorrow. he needs his rest. i have plans to go to 2 pharmacies, do schooling with the boys, run by walmart, hobby lobby and i wanted to hit a few thrift stores,and possibly the library...we will see how much of that can get done. id like to sleep some too.
Monday, March 8, 2010
which hat now?
well its monday YIPPY (insert small bit of sarcasm). this week we have 8 therapy sessions planned, Zach has OT, and PT twice each, he has speech and developmental therapy, Mikey has ot, just once this week as Chance gets the pleasure of OT this week as well, he gets his evaluation and we will see where we need to go from there. Zach also gets his RSV shot and then hopefully by saturday Harold is home. just for fun ive decided to list "my hats" mom, wife, book keeper, records updater, cook, errand runner,appointment maker, cook(though not very good) housekeeper(also lagging behind) homeschool teacher (think ive lost my mind) therapy aid (ST, OT,PT,DT)diaper changer, medication administrator. needless to say im looking forward to Harold returning home. he has a "Hunny do" list alread! here it is...
HUNNY DO
Take Over ALL Hats....
my list for when he returns?
SLEEP!!!
HAVE A GREAT MONDAY EVERYONE
HUNNY DO
Take Over ALL Hats....
my list for when he returns?
SLEEP!!!
HAVE A GREAT MONDAY EVERYONE
Sunday, March 7, 2010
the small gestures
friday we left the pulmo visit with zach and headed over to mcdonalds for the boys to eat and run around. loaded zach into his stroller/wheelchair, oxygen tank in the front, bag of meds on the side and went in. thats when it happend, something so small it was probably not noticed by many others. inside we met an Angel, though from the outward appearce most wouldnt have guessed (never judge a book by its cover) a twenty-something guy with tattoos down his arms, and guages in his ears reached down in a nearly automatic response and waved and talked to zach, of course zach just smiled up a storm at the young guy. the thing is, not that he spoke to Zach, but that he did it without hesitation, he didnt see the oxygen from his nose, or the tank in the stroller, or that the stroller wasnt like most...he saw ZACH, nothing more. in that brief meeting i saw an Angel, not a "misfit of society" or "punk rocker" or any other stereotypical phrase that may be used. thank you for the moment....
Saturday, March 6, 2010
saving resources
since im posting alot on becoming healthier and staying healthy i thought it may be a good idea to also share our way to not only save on our electricity bill, but to also help save resources for both us and the earth.
we recycle, cardboard, cans, plastics that allow for it. we try to buy items packaged in items that can be recycled.
we turn lights out when not using them, we use the energy saving bulbs, lots of our appliances are energy effecient as well. we wash clothes in cold water only, helps save electricity. i do most of my laundry and dishes at night, when the cost of electricity is down. using the dishwasher is actually better, uses much less water than hand washing. when we brush our teeth we only turn water on to clean up, its off during the brushing process.
we dont use paper towels, we use regular hand towels, we dont use paper napkins, we use cloth.
alot of what we do is just being mindful and aware that our actions will not only affect our pocket book but also our natual resources. again start small, one less bag of garbage, one less load of laundry, using real plates instead of paper....
we recycle, cardboard, cans, plastics that allow for it. we try to buy items packaged in items that can be recycled.
we turn lights out when not using them, we use the energy saving bulbs, lots of our appliances are energy effecient as well. we wash clothes in cold water only, helps save electricity. i do most of my laundry and dishes at night, when the cost of electricity is down. using the dishwasher is actually better, uses much less water than hand washing. when we brush our teeth we only turn water on to clean up, its off during the brushing process.
we dont use paper towels, we use regular hand towels, we dont use paper napkins, we use cloth.
alot of what we do is just being mindful and aware that our actions will not only affect our pocket book but also our natual resources. again start small, one less bag of garbage, one less load of laundry, using real plates instead of paper....
Friday, March 5, 2010
arm yourself
knowledge is power, and ive decided to step out and lend some to you all, in hopes i wont be pointed at and whisperd "she's one of them....the crazy ones" but if i am, so be it. the info is here, please check it out.
this site has a list of 12 chemicals in beauty supplies i hope you all read and take note of, these are things that you need to rid yourself of. again my all time fav. site for ordering the healthier things is www.vitacost.com
http://www.searchforthecause.org/documents/dirty_dozen.pdf
this site lists alot of good information about BPA, im sure you have heard some of it in the media, but here is a good look and where its used.
http://www.toxicnation.ca/toxics-in-your-body/bisphenola
this is also a good link to take a look inside your body and find out where the chemicals come from, what they do inside the body, and so forth.
http://www.toxicnation.ca/toxics-in-your-body/how-are-you-exposed
here is a link to a list of good ideas for going toxic free
http://www.toxicnation.ca/go-toxic-free
finally i dont want to completely overboard anyone with info, but will give a quick summary of things we are doing in our home to help get toxic free. i use mainly homemade cleaners, baking soda and vinegar to clean items, this does just as well as soft scrub, clorox, commet or any other items your now using. vinegar can be used to sanitize, clean windows and mirrors, laundry to help remove static and get clothes softer. clean toilet bowls, mopping, etc. baking soda is used for those items i need to scrub. we use no spray cans in the house, no lysol or fragrant oderizers. baking soda and vinegar can be used in the dishwasher as well as borax, lemon juice, or orange juice to help add a nice smell. bath time we use burts bees for the kids and are making the switch for ourself we use toms toothpaste for everyone. im looking into getting some "soap nuts" for our laundry as this would be a toxic free, eco friendly way to clean clothes. we also wash in only cold water as it uses less electricity, but that is for another post. i use lots of supplements for the kids and i, including vitamin c, vitamin d3, echinacia, fish oil to help boost our immune system. i use aloe vera gel for lotions, to help heal scrapes, to help condition hair, and am looking into getting some aloe vera juice as its many benifits for health. we are trying to cut out as much processed foods as possible, making more from scratch, etc. these are just a few ideas, start small dont feel overwhelmed.
this site has a list of 12 chemicals in beauty supplies i hope you all read and take note of, these are things that you need to rid yourself of. again my all time fav. site for ordering the healthier things is www.vitacost.com
http://www.searchforthecause.org/documents/dirty_dozen.pdf
this site lists alot of good information about BPA, im sure you have heard some of it in the media, but here is a good look and where its used.
http://www.toxicnation.ca/toxics-in-your-body/bisphenola
this is also a good link to take a look inside your body and find out where the chemicals come from, what they do inside the body, and so forth.
http://www.toxicnation.ca/toxics-in-your-body/how-are-you-exposed
here is a link to a list of good ideas for going toxic free
http://www.toxicnation.ca/go-toxic-free
finally i dont want to completely overboard anyone with info, but will give a quick summary of things we are doing in our home to help get toxic free. i use mainly homemade cleaners, baking soda and vinegar to clean items, this does just as well as soft scrub, clorox, commet or any other items your now using. vinegar can be used to sanitize, clean windows and mirrors, laundry to help remove static and get clothes softer. clean toilet bowls, mopping, etc. baking soda is used for those items i need to scrub. we use no spray cans in the house, no lysol or fragrant oderizers. baking soda and vinegar can be used in the dishwasher as well as borax, lemon juice, or orange juice to help add a nice smell. bath time we use burts bees for the kids and are making the switch for ourself we use toms toothpaste for everyone. im looking into getting some "soap nuts" for our laundry as this would be a toxic free, eco friendly way to clean clothes. we also wash in only cold water as it uses less electricity, but that is for another post. i use lots of supplements for the kids and i, including vitamin c, vitamin d3, echinacia, fish oil to help boost our immune system. i use aloe vera gel for lotions, to help heal scrapes, to help condition hair, and am looking into getting some aloe vera juice as its many benifits for health. we are trying to cut out as much processed foods as possible, making more from scratch, etc. these are just a few ideas, start small dont feel overwhelmed.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Fluoride
recently my eyes have become open by some news that just made my jaw drop...FLUORIDE...the item i held so close to "keeping healthy teeth" turns out to be originally a toxic pollutant...OMG! its in our WATER, its in toothpaste, its everywhere. i immediatly threw out our toothpaste and orderd toms of main toothpaste with no fluoride. we will no longer be getting the fluoride treatments at the dentist, and im looking into getting a good reverse osmosis water filter, its the only kind that will remove fluoride. boiling water will remove chlorine but consentrates fluoride.
this site has a lot of info, check it out for yourself, but i will also copy and paste some of it here.
http://www.mbschachter.com/dangers_of_fluoride_and_fluorida.htm
if your looking for the fluoride free toothpaste, please visit. www.vitacost.com
Facts About Fluoride
So, what are some of the facts about fluoride? According to the handbook, Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products, fluoride is more poisonous than lead and just slightly less poisonous than arsenic. It is a cumulative poison that accumulates in bone over the years. According to the Physicians Desk Reference, "in hypersensitive individuals, fluorides occasionally cause skin eruptions such as atopic dermatitis, eczema, or urticaria. Gastric distress, headache, and weakness have also been reported. These hypersensitive reactions usually disappear promptly after discontinuation of the fluoride."
In the largest U.S. study of fluoridation and tooth decay, United States Public Health Service dental records of over 39,000 school children, ages 5-17, from 84 areas around the United States showed that the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth per child was virtually the same in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas. Dr. John Colquhoun, former Chief Dental Officer of the Department of Health for Auckland, New Zealand, investigated tooth decay statistics from about 60,000 12 to 13 year old children and showed that fluoridation had no significant effect on tooth decay rate
Prior to 1945, fluoride was properly regarded as an environmental pollutant. It was responsible for many lawsuits against industries, such as the aluminum industry and the phosphate fertilizer industry, whose waste products contain large quantities of fluoride. This fluoride destroyed crops and animals, leading to the lawsuits. The limited public view was that fluoride was an environmental pollutant that needed to be reduced or eliminated from the environment.
As a result of clever public relations campaigns, fluoride was transformed from an environmental pollutant to an essential nutrient necessary for producing healthy teeth. The science was poor, but the P.R. campaign was great. Being against fluoride was like being against motherhood or apple pie. Industries not only made millions from selling this environmental pollutant to water companies and toothpaste companies, but more importantly, it saved billions of dollars that would be required to clean up this environmental pollutant.
ive read elsewhere that it is a toxic that builds up in your bones as well, so im not sure that it will ever be "out of your system" but i encourage you to do your own research.
this site has a lot of info, check it out for yourself, but i will also copy and paste some of it here.
http://www.mbschachter.com/dangers_of_fluoride_and_fluorida.htm
if your looking for the fluoride free toothpaste, please visit. www.vitacost.com
Facts About Fluoride
So, what are some of the facts about fluoride? According to the handbook, Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products, fluoride is more poisonous than lead and just slightly less poisonous than arsenic. It is a cumulative poison that accumulates in bone over the years. According to the Physicians Desk Reference, "in hypersensitive individuals, fluorides occasionally cause skin eruptions such as atopic dermatitis, eczema, or urticaria. Gastric distress, headache, and weakness have also been reported. These hypersensitive reactions usually disappear promptly after discontinuation of the fluoride."
In the largest U.S. study of fluoridation and tooth decay, United States Public Health Service dental records of over 39,000 school children, ages 5-17, from 84 areas around the United States showed that the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth per child was virtually the same in fluoridated and non-fluoridated areas. Dr. John Colquhoun, former Chief Dental Officer of the Department of Health for Auckland, New Zealand, investigated tooth decay statistics from about 60,000 12 to 13 year old children and showed that fluoridation had no significant effect on tooth decay rate
Prior to 1945, fluoride was properly regarded as an environmental pollutant. It was responsible for many lawsuits against industries, such as the aluminum industry and the phosphate fertilizer industry, whose waste products contain large quantities of fluoride. This fluoride destroyed crops and animals, leading to the lawsuits. The limited public view was that fluoride was an environmental pollutant that needed to be reduced or eliminated from the environment.
As a result of clever public relations campaigns, fluoride was transformed from an environmental pollutant to an essential nutrient necessary for producing healthy teeth. The science was poor, but the P.R. campaign was great. Being against fluoride was like being against motherhood or apple pie. Industries not only made millions from selling this environmental pollutant to water companies and toothpaste companies, but more importantly, it saved billions of dollars that would be required to clean up this environmental pollutant.
ive read elsewhere that it is a toxic that builds up in your bones as well, so im not sure that it will ever be "out of your system" but i encourage you to do your own research.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
relying on technology...
yep were in the age of technology, sometimes its wonderful, faster computers, smarter phones, phones with no landline, ability to bank, pay bills and make purchases all online. but the kind of technology im talking about tonight is medical technology. yes its great, its lifesaving, every step that is made is a step that could potentially save hundreds of lives. im all for it! without the vent we wouldnt have zach here, without the technology to feed zach thru the gtube, he would have starved, these are all good things.
question for you though, when you tuck your kids in bed and check in on them how do you know they are sleeping well...really in hard sleep? maybe they are drooling, or snoring? maybe your kiddo sweats while they sleep? for zach when i check on him thru the night, my number 1 factor in seeing if he is sleeping hard...his heart rate. and how do i check that? a piece of technology we use for zach to monitor his heartrate and his oxygen saturation level, most of you will be familiar with this when you take your kid to the doctor for a check up and they put the little lazer probe on their finger for about a minute and then take it off....
well in zachs case, anytime he is sleeping it is on the entire duration, during waking moments he has it spot checked, a few times a day. we rely heavily on these numbers, if his "awake" heartrate is higher than 130 its a sign he may be in discomfort, if his Sat is lower than 96 we immediatly check to see if his oxygen is in his nose or if he has removed it. during the night when he is asleep Zach's heart rate can go as low as 70 that ive seen, and this is thought to be "good" since it is much less work on his heart. if its hanging out in the low 100's thats a sign to us that he may be working on getting sick. its crazy to me that we rely so heavily on these lil numbers. that these numbers play such a crutial part in Zach's care, and moreso that without this technology we may not be able to catch things soon enough.
technology is good, but sometimes i hate relying on it....
question for you though, when you tuck your kids in bed and check in on them how do you know they are sleeping well...really in hard sleep? maybe they are drooling, or snoring? maybe your kiddo sweats while they sleep? for zach when i check on him thru the night, my number 1 factor in seeing if he is sleeping hard...his heart rate. and how do i check that? a piece of technology we use for zach to monitor his heartrate and his oxygen saturation level, most of you will be familiar with this when you take your kid to the doctor for a check up and they put the little lazer probe on their finger for about a minute and then take it off....
well in zachs case, anytime he is sleeping it is on the entire duration, during waking moments he has it spot checked, a few times a day. we rely heavily on these numbers, if his "awake" heartrate is higher than 130 its a sign he may be in discomfort, if his Sat is lower than 96 we immediatly check to see if his oxygen is in his nose or if he has removed it. during the night when he is asleep Zach's heart rate can go as low as 70 that ive seen, and this is thought to be "good" since it is much less work on his heart. if its hanging out in the low 100's thats a sign to us that he may be working on getting sick. its crazy to me that we rely so heavily on these lil numbers. that these numbers play such a crutial part in Zach's care, and moreso that without this technology we may not be able to catch things soon enough.
technology is good, but sometimes i hate relying on it....
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
sigh
well i was on a really good role with the posts, sigh. then life caught up. we have been doing okay, a couple more weeks and the hubs will be back, at least for a few months:)
took the boys this weekend to the carnival, that was intresting, chance wouldnt stop screaming and crying when we first got there he was anxious and scared of the rides and the noises. he ended up having a good time, he really liked the smaller rides, i wasnt able to get him to go in the fun houses with mikey though, he was just too freaked out. all in all i think the boys had a great time, 3 hours at the carni sure wore us out!
it was a pretty weekend so i also took the boys to wazoo's a bounce house place and let them play about 3 hours and then to the park for about an hour, needless to say they slept good all weekend!
Zach didnt get to enjoy these outings, mainly because of the crowds and there was a nice wind chill to it and its not like he would be participating, so i let him enjoy the house with just him and the nurse.
He has been up to his own lil tricks though. he started pulling up about 10 days ago, on his baby walker, and now he is pulling up to the entertainment center, the couch, his crib...all over! he is so excited by this as well. i think hubs will be excited too. okay well ill try to be better at posting again..
took the boys this weekend to the carnival, that was intresting, chance wouldnt stop screaming and crying when we first got there he was anxious and scared of the rides and the noises. he ended up having a good time, he really liked the smaller rides, i wasnt able to get him to go in the fun houses with mikey though, he was just too freaked out. all in all i think the boys had a great time, 3 hours at the carni sure wore us out!
it was a pretty weekend so i also took the boys to wazoo's a bounce house place and let them play about 3 hours and then to the park for about an hour, needless to say they slept good all weekend!
Zach didnt get to enjoy these outings, mainly because of the crowds and there was a nice wind chill to it and its not like he would be participating, so i let him enjoy the house with just him and the nurse.
He has been up to his own lil tricks though. he started pulling up about 10 days ago, on his baby walker, and now he is pulling up to the entertainment center, the couch, his crib...all over! he is so excited by this as well. i think hubs will be excited too. okay well ill try to be better at posting again..
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