When Did You???

These are things we have do no less than once a month since we have a chronically ill child. How often do you do them???

When was the last time you.......

1) Detailed your car? Just took the time to wipe it down with a few wet wipes and get the dirt and grim off most of the surfaces.

2) Washed your shoes? Yup about once a month I toss our sneakers in the washer and then the dryer. Your shoes go everywhere and it comes back home with you.

3) Mopped floors? Swiffer is probably the best inventions ever but every so often I still have to get down on my hands and knees and scrub.

4) Disinfected Toys? All of Squeaker's toys have to be either able to be soaked in bleach or put in the washer. We do have some that we wipe down with wet wipes but I try to keep those to a minimum because it's work.

5) Washed the curtains? This is something everyone should do more often in my opinion. Especially if you have asthma or allergy issues. Think how much stuff can get stuck in those things. And most often they go YEARS without being even looked at.

6) Cleaned every handle in the house? Closets, bedroom doors, outside doors, dresser drawers, desks, and while your at it those pesky light switches.

7) Cleaned the chairs? That's right chairs. Those things you sit on to eat dinner at the table. Sure the table gets wiped down regularly but what about those chairs. You touch those too, a lot.

8) Your tooth brush? Soak it in some cheap mouth wash. It will kill the germs it picks up in your mouth.

Just a few things we think about, do you??

Break My Heart

We all know kids say the funniest things sometimes. There are times when they say things that are so sweet and of course they can say heart breaking things. Tonight Squeaker just about put me into tears.

Squeaker Likes Hot Wings

On a normal day Squeaker has to have two breathing treatment sessions, two doses of antibiotic, two Advil doses, and one dose of an appetite enhancer. Well as she has been sick lately there has been more. All this week Albuterol was every 4 hours so that's 4-6 treatment sessions a day. Advil ever sick hours, once a day steroid, her antibiotic, and appetite enhancer. Yeah it's a lot for anyone.

As the week has gone on Squeaker has been more and more reluctant to have her meds. Not that I can blamer her. Then you mix that with a very off day today, it was rough. After a bath and some dinner it was time for evening meds. I measured out everything and went to grab Squeaker.

I kneeled down next to Squeaker and she saw what I had. In a very sad upset voice "Why have too?" My heart just sank but I knew I had to say something. I quietly responded "To keep you healthy and not hurt." This was not comforting to my poor toddler, she wiggled and squirmed trying to do anything she could to avoid the syringe. Finally I caught her head at just the right angle and Squeaker stopped moving long enough to take her medicine. By this time though she had big tears in her eyes and it was all I could do to not cry too. Once I was finished Squeaker said something the sounded a lot like "No more."

My poor little girl. I know she needs these medicines and I hate to think what state Squeaker would be in without them. But she doesn't get that, all she knows is that her mommy who she trusts completely wants to give her this insanely yucky stuff. And it's not just one but tonight it was four......

Just breaks my heart.

Fever Fussing

So as usual Squeaker has been a little under the weather for a week or so. Which isn't surprising since I was sick too. But of course Squeaker didn't get over it yet. Last Friday was the worst, oh it was awful. She was wheezing, coughing, and then the fever. Nothing major, 101.0F, but of course I had to call it in. The Pulmonologist on call was worried about the fever while on an anti-biotic. Mix a fever with a bad pnumonia season and we ended up going to the ER. Oh and they wanted her in the Birmingham ER just in case Squeaker needed admitting she needed to be at the Children's Hospital. ACK!

Before I could go to the ER I had to give Squeaker some Albuterol and Advil, doctors orders. Once in ER they checked for flu, negative. Ran a chest X-Ray, it came back clear. The ER doctor and the Pulmonary team talked and decided it was okay for us to go home. After 3 hours (the lab was backed up) we were headed home. We left the house at 3:00pm, 2 hours in the car, 3 hours in the ER, and 2 hours to get home.... it was a long afternoon.

On the drive home I felt like an idiot. I know I shouldn't because even the doctor wanted us in the ER. But social norms say kids get fevers no big deal, you give them Advil and life goes on. So for two hours I just had to kept telling myself you did the right thing. I wasn't a waste. You can let these things slide by. You never know when it will be something big.

Well couple days past and we get to today. No more fevers but still lots of coughing and wheezing. Which of course means another call to the doctors office to check in. I love the nurses at the Pulmonology clinic. They know exactly what questions to ask so they can get the right answers out of my poor fried brain.

Now what would have been the preferred treatment plan would be hold out until Thursday for Infusion therapy and we would know for sure if it worked. But since insurance is being a pain that appointment got cancelled. So we have to do a 15 day course of oral steriods. 5ml for 5 days, 3ml for 5 days and 1.5ml for 5 days. Keep up with all other meds and albuterol every 4 hours for a couple of days. Oh and Rayne isn't supposed to be in contact with anyone who is sick or could be sick. Which this time of year is just about everyone. So home bound we are for a week at least. Hopefully a week is all we need.