Nausea Is For the Birds!!!!

Why is it that when you get one thing under control (pain) another problem ensues. Yes, nausea. The morphine was not doing the job so last night they changed my pain medicine to Lortab. Not just any Lortab but 7.5mg x2. Which is 15mg of Lortab every 4 hours. Yeah, I know that makes me sound like a junky but that was the does that finally made the pain bearable and I was able to actually get a little sleep. Now it is making me nauseated. So they have added Zofran to the equation. Which helps but even looking at food makes me nauseated. But I have to eat a little something to keep from getting the full fledged nausea and vomiting.  Tonight they are going to start me on Dilaudid IV since I will be NPO after midnight. And change my Zofran to Phenergan. I hope that all works.

As for the looks of my foot....pigs in a blanket comes to mind. Yeah my toes are so swollen they don't even look like mine. There is definite bruising. My leg and foot itches like the dickens from the temporary cast.

The bedside commode has become my new best friend. It just became to painful to hobble to the bathroom. 

If you haven't had a chance to read up on all the Hollywood hoop-la People's Best and Worst for 2008 isn't to bad. I think I have counted every popcorn piece on the ceiling. Instyle magazine is next on my list. I should come up with a new design for the fashion statement gowns the hospital has. 

I know I am just rambling. I am here by myself right now. Tim went home to met his parents to help them get the kids settled in for the night. We thought it would be best to keep them on there normal routine. For one we are paying for it and two it will give Tim's parents a much needed brake. So Jo Ann can get her grocery shopping done for Christmas. My mom has gone home for the day to get some clothes washed and she will be back up here bright and early in the morning. 

Thanks to Greg and Stacey and the kids for coming by. The poinsettia does bring a little Christmas cheer to the room. The kids made me feel like I was at home with all the fighting and arguing.

As soon as I know what time surgery is scheduled for I will let you all know.  Dr. Lemak has 9 other cases scheduled for tomorrow. I just hope and pray he doesn't put it off another day. Because the swelling is really bad. We will just have to wait and see.

Thanks to everyone for your calls and e-mails. It means so much. Take care until tomorrow.

Monday It Is

Dr. Lemak finally made it in. He said with all the swelling that it would be best to hold off until Monday. Which we kinda figured. For now I have to keep my foot elevated and keep the pain under control. Which has been an issue. So they are going to increase my Morphine dose. I am already stir crazy. Thank goodness for my computer.

Tim was telling me earlier that this morning during all the chaos Ben ask "if they don't fix mommy will we have to get a new one".  God love him. 

Our friend Stacey came and kept the kids last night. Thanks a million. I owe you one. She said Ben did not go back to sleep he was to worried. When Tim went home to relieve Stacey, Ben was so upset he was crying and very worried.  I was able to talk to him it seemed to make him feel better. The boy is so smart. He ask so many questions. He wanted to know if I was going to have those stickers on my chest like he did in Boston.  How are they going to get those nails and screws in there? I told him they would use hammers, drills, and screwdrivers like daddy when he fixed something. That seemed to make him feel better. 

He and Brooke are now in Northport with MeMe and PawPaw. Thanks so much for coming up so early to get the kids. My mom has not left my side. She has been here since about 2am. That's my mom for you. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Blogging from the hospital

Yes you read it right, from the hospital.  As a matter of fact Brookwood Hospital. Well its me with the injury/ailment. I fell last night and fractured my right ankle. Brooke had rolled out of bed and I was trying to get to her before she woke up good. So I went walking down the hall real fast went to turn the corner into her room and my feet slipped out from underneath me on the hardwoods.  My foot was at a 90 degree angle. All three bones are fractured. They set it in the ER early, early this morning and a temporary cast was placed. 

I am now waiting on Dr. Lemak or his fellow to make rounds and see if they are going to do surgery today or Monday. I hope today but really dought it. 

Please excuse any typo's I am functioning on pain meds. Which I am in need of now. So I will update you as soon as I know something.

Keep me n your thoughts and prayers. Especially Tim since he is pretty much going to be a single parent for the next 6-8 weeks.

Audiology Report

As you know Wednesday Brooke had her repeat hearing test. Things went well. Poor Jennifer had her work cut out for her. Brooke was not the most cooperative toddler. We started out in the booth. Jennifer thought she would get Brooke to do picture recognition however Brooke only wanted to play with the toys. So on we went to "listen for the sound and put the toy in a bucket". That went a little better but Brooke soon lost interest. So Jennifer decided to try old faithful "closed booth test".  Brooke did well for a while but soon got bored. On went the headphones. I always have anxiety with this because I can't hear myself and can't tell how well Brooke is doing.  Brooke began only looking at our toys we had in our lap. This scared me because I didn't think she was hearing anything. But little did I know that little miss priss was cutting her eyes toward the side she was hearing instead of turing her head. That's my Brooke showing who's boss and I hear you but I am not going to look at you. Jennifer did say that she could only get a consistant acknowledgement with normal level human voice. We then attempted the OAE. She did not fail but it was inconclusive because of Brooke's tubes. 

I know that was alot of mumbo-jumbo but to sum it all up Jennifer thinks and feels comfortable with Brooke's hearing ability. As I have said in earlier post her vocabulary is growing daily and Jennifer even made comment on the amount of words. According to guidelines 18mths uses 25-50 words and 2yrs uses around 300 words with 2 and 3 word combinations. Brooke uses way more than 50 words. To be honest I can't put a number on the amount of words she says. She also uses 2 word combo's and occ 3 word combo's. 

Jennifer wants to see her again in 3mths or sooner if I notice any plato or progression. Thanks to everyone for your prayers. Brooke says thanks too!!!!! 

 

Physical Therapy Session

This past Monday Brooke had here PT session. She is doing extremely well. There is less than 25% developmental delay so Kristi (her physical therapist) said she could be released from early intervention if I was okay with it. It was my decision. I was shocked. Not really but to hear those words was a little uneasy to me. I have gotten so use to having a second set of eyes helping me watch over Brooke. To be honest it makes me a little nervous. Because I know how a vast majority of the CMV children outcome ends of being. No good, Not good at all. It's so depressing to read and follow up on some of the links I originally started following. Kristi cold tell I was uneasy  with the decision. So she is going to come back in March and do her annual evaluation (IEP) along with the service coordinator. She said we could also have speech come out and evaluate Brooke since there is a question of her hearing on the left side. Which I am going to agree with. I am going to utilize every little facet of early intervention offered. I not nor is Kristi concerned because Brooke's vocabulary is abundant and grows daily.

As you may have read in an earlier post Brooke is scheduled for a repeat hearing test on Wednesday.  Please say a prayer for Brooke that her hearing is intact bilaterally. 

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday. I am so thankful for my friends and family. I am most thankful for GOD blessing my family and answering so many prayers over the past 21 months. As you all know it has been one heck of a ride. But we have survived and made it. 

Although there were a few times I wondered how much more could we possibly handle. But GOD does not give us anymore than he thinks we can handle. We have truly been blessed. I look at things so much more differently now than I used to. 

Thanks to everyone who has been there for me and my family. And a special thanks to those who have continued to keep my family in your thoughts and prayers. May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving.

It Was Found By Accident.....

.....But by the grace of GOD. Yesterday at work the ECHO department had gotton a new ECHO machine to work with. I volunteered myself  for them to do an ECHO on me. Dena was saying "Niki you have great pictures, look how good this looks. When across the room Lisa said " look at that"!!! Much to my surprise there was to what looked like an ASD (a hole in my septal wall separating my two atrial chambers) Yes that is what Ben had repaired in June of 2007. I was not to worried or concerned. So I called my PCP to get her to order an ECHO with bubble study to better diagnose/rule-out the defect. Well today I had the study and lo and behold I have a PFO and ASA. (patent foramen ovale and atrial septal aneurysm) The PFO typically closes shortly after birth but in my case it didn't and the aneurysmal area is a weakening in the wall. I have not been symptomatic or having any problems. I got Dr. Jones to read the study for me and he said there is only 20% of people with this type of defect and all that is recommended is taking a baby Aspirin to prevent TIA's(transischemic attacks/light strokes). I will have an ECHO yearly now to evaluate the defect and make sure there s not any changes. Dena who did my ECHO kept apologizing  but it was GODS will for this to be found and me not have any serious problems later on. What is the likely hood of both Ben and I having congenital heart defects that are not so common. Ben's was the least common of ASD defects.