Here we go again.....

Those of you who know the Ins and outs of our life, know that my kids are sick frequently. Every time I start to get overwhelmed by this, I stop and thank the Lord that they aren't critically ill. I mean, it could be a lot worse than asthma. This appreciation of what the Lord hasn't given me, gives me the strength to embrace what He has. So, in this crazy story about my day, you will eventually (towards the end) get an update on Amelia's latest appointment with the pulmonologist.



Doctors appointments with three children are somewhere near the top of my list of things I would like to avoid if at all possible. Two doctor's appointments in one day with three kids is unthinkable!

Last week, Amelia started up with her asthma symptoms again despite the most recent attempt to add reflux medicine to see if it was exasperating her asthma symptoms. That seemed to work for about four weeks but, like I said, last week it all started up again. Trying to anticipate the stress of the doctor's office with all three of the kids, I made arrangements for Owen to nap at a neighbors house. Unfortunately, this weekend his cold turned worse and left me wondering if he had an ear infection and pink eye. So, this morning I made an appointment for him. This made getting him back to the neighbors before the pulmonologist appointment impossible. I braced myself for a long day and was convinced I could handle it better than I have in the past. We left the house this morning at 9:30 to get to the pediatricians office. I'm driving in the complex at ten after and I look in the rear view mirror at Lane (the one child that isn't going to the doctor today!) and find him vomiting all over himself, the car sear, and everything else that happened to be surrounding him. Seeing as this was really the first stress of the day, I had it in me to handle this quite calmly, I think. I went into the doctors office, got what I need to clean him up the best I could, stripped him down to his diaper and flip flops, and pressed on to the appointment. It would only be fitting that the pediatricians office was slammed. I mean, really, I am in this office several times a month on a good month and I have never seen so many people in this waiting room. From this visit it was confirmed for me that yes, Owen does have an ear infection and pink eye. Lane, I had decided, did not have a stomach virus but had gagged on the mucous that was pouring down the back of his throat. We are always leaving that office with at least two prescriptions in hand this time being no different. At this point I'm formulating a plan for how to feed my kids, find some clothes for Lane, do something about the vomit smell in my van, and get to St. Petersburg for the pulmonologist appointment. I had a little extra time on my hands before the next appointment but not enough to go home. I pulled into a Bealls in the middle of who knows where (thank you GPS) and got Lane something to wear for the remainder of the day. Which I might mention was just a blessing that he wasn't pitching a royal fit about not having any clothes on in public because he doesn't even stand for that around the house. The boy likes to have clothes on at all times. From here, the stress of the day just consistently escalates until we finally arrive back home at 5:30. There wasn't much chance that a 12:50 appointment in the middle of my boys nap time would go well. So, through crying and screaming (the entire time the doctor was in our room) we made a game plan for Amelia's chronic cough. She gave me a 2 week antibiotic (she also had a slight ear infection) to rule out any bacterial infection in her lungs. If she is not better at the end of this, we will go ahead and admit her back into the hospital for some further testing. They will do a bronchoscopy (I'm quite sure I didn't spell that correctly) and a few other things that I don't know the names of. The doctors frankly are not sure why she would always sound so horrible with such a high level of asthma medicine. Her asthma should be controlled. (A quick recap of tests they've already done: a sinus CT, cystic fibrosis sweat test, ph probe for reflux, allergies.) My frustration is that I'm sure she will be better after the antibiotic because if she's not better in 3 days they want me to start the oral steroids. These always make her better for a few weeks. So, they won't do the tests and a month later we'll be right back in the same spot. I am really disappointed that the Prevacid wasn't the magic cure. I was very hopeful. Anyway, back to my crazy day. I'm leaving out a few uneventful events in between where I left off and time to go into Publix to get the antibiotics. As I pull off my exit it starts pouring. Now keep in mind, all three of my children are crying or screaming because they have either been in the car or in a doctors office ALL DAY with no nap to boot . Owen finally fell asleep for the first time today and now I'm going to have to drag him into Publix in the pouring rain. I'm talking rain where you can't see the lines on the road right in front of you. Here is where I lost all composure and just started crying. Thank goodness for girlfriends. I called my friend Denise and I picked her up to ride with me to Publix so she could wait with my kids in the car. Some of you may be wondering why I didn't just wait until Jason came home and run back up to Publix later. That would be because he is out of town until Wednesday. I'm sure that added to my break down-knowing that there was no relief in sight, no help around the corner. Well thank you Denise because it was just enough relief to allow me to calm down and muster up what I needed to make it through the rest of the evening. I fed the kids a PB&J and some yogurt for dinner and put them in bed at 7:15. Whew!!!! Now I just have to do something about the vomit covered clothes and car seat that have given my van a less than desirable aroma! I did make it through the day but I don't' think I handled it better than I have in the past like I was so committed to at the start of the day! Maybe next time.


How to Comment on a Blog

This post is with both sarcasm and sincerity. Sarcasm for those of you who know full well how to make a comment but never have. And sincerity to those of you who not only don't know how to make a comment but didn't even know you were suppossed to.

1. Click on where it says 0 comments at the bottom of that days post.
2. Make a comment.
3. Click on Publish Your Comment.

A few thoughts on comments.....

• They don't have to be long. They can be one word, phrase, or thought.
• It is nice for the blogger (that would be me) to know who is reading.
• You don't have to comment every time you read. Every once in a while is sufficient.

Thank you and Happy Commenting!