Showing posts with label Lyme Disease. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lyme Disease. Show all posts

January 25, 2012

4 months old!

I owe this blog a VERY long update, but a quick one will have to be what I do for now...

We are doing well, just no time to blog.  A different season we are in for certain! Thought I'd post a quick pic I took this morning from my phone so you could see baby girl. Sooooo, this little, tiny baby we adopted as an embryo, who was not supposed to live, much less survive thawing is now 4 months old and 21# and very long wearing 12 month clothes comfortably. ; ) Gotta love it!  If I buy her anything at this point it will be 18 month for the Spring/Summer. She is rolling over, though with her big ol' self it takes a lot of work on her part ; ) She is smiling, laughing, and is just a joy to have with us.  Thank you Lord for blessing us with this precious girl.

Rhea's business is doing well which keeps my bookkeeping side of things busy too. D-man's Lyme Disease is close to remission and he is under a trial of being off medication right now.  Leevster is involved in building a scrap metal business, D-man is working to finish up high school and start driving this semester. BooBear is sewing, crocheting, knitting, and cooking. She is loving it all and is learning to balance and plan as she juggles all of her favorite activities. PookieBear is starting her "schooling" this semester and is loving to learn to read and write. In her spare time she plays in her doll house, colors, plays play-dough,  and helps me in the kitchen. She is truly a great sous chef and help to me. Her favorite past time though as it has been for 4 months straight is playing and spending time with her baby sister. If the baby is in her bouncy seat, Pookie is right there beside her!



Boobear looks strained in this picture holding baby girl...Well, 21# is a lot to haul around! She still doesn't have full head/neck control yet! ; ) She is a 4 month old in a 9 month old body!

May 18, 2011

24 Weeks

I am 24 weeks pregnant? Really? The 1st trimester was s...o...o...o long and now the 2nd trimester is going by a bit too quickly for me : ) My appointment went well last week. All very straightforward. Cravings? still coffee! So VERY strange as I couldn't even stand the taste of the stuff when I was pregnant with the other four. My late night bowl of cereal seems to still be a must too.

I continue to nest like crazy. This wonderful weather we have been experiencing in the Houston area has been such a treat. I cannot think of the last time we were able to sleep at night with the windows open in May!

We have the garden planted, I have 2 closets gutted and cleaned out, I have gone through all the hand-me-down clothes and got "real" about what to keep, and I started sewing PookieBear's new dress. Though, I have not made the kind of progress she would like to see. She wants to wear it, now!

I found a great gentleman's chest for D-man off Craigs*ist. It looks great in his room. Iy was a needed perk for him as he went on a 3rd antibiotic this week and it has been rough on him. However, because it has been hard on him, we know that more Lyme bacteria is being zapped. He also started 2 online summer school courses this week and he is looking forward to the classes.

I do have pictures to post, but I am going to need to employ a child to upload them all for me off the 2 cameras and my phone so I can share them soon! Well, off to grade some papers and finish that dress for PookieBear!

May 9, 2011

23 weeks & our family

The last month has flown by, but then it hasn't. We have been up to all kinds of things! In the last 4 weeks:
  • D-man turned 16 & BooBear turned 11
  • My grandmother died
  • My sister and her boys came to visit
  • We went to Dallas for my grandmother's memorial service
  • D-man had a rough month with his Lyme Disease
  • D-man has had a great last few days with his Lyme Disease
  • I have felt like I have been on the computer WAY too much
  • I have been on the computer, but it allowed me to be caught up on all the taxes and paperwork for the business.
  • I found a changing table on Craigsl*st
  • I need to find a crib, twin bed for PookieBear, and a chest for D-man
  • I have only gained 7#. With PookieBear at this point I had gained 15# who knows?
  • I need to work out more (period!) using my new DVD (since I have only used it once)
  • I was BLESSED with a stroller, carseat combo from my sis, along with a bouncy seat, maternity clothes, a highchair, a swing, and lots of baby boy newborn clothes (if I have a boy).
  • I feel fantastic and am feeling the baby move a lot.
  • The baby gets hiccups FREQUENTLY! It is the strangest feeling
  • I continue to wonder where all the dirty laundry comes from? Does it hide somewhere? I thought I was caught up!
  • I sewed 2 maternity skirts. They are cute and comfy.
  • I am working on a sundress for PookieBear next
  • BooBear had 10 inches cut off her hair today to donate to Locks of Love.
  • D-man starts 2 online summer school courses next week.
  • We are now official iPh*ne owners (with kids who thankfully program them for us)
  • Rhea's business is picking up like crazy! Thank you Lord!
  • We decided we would do a vegetable garden this year after all. We had 2 last year and were not going to do one, but the kiddos all want to do one, so better late than never!
  • I have been TOTALLY enjoying my gardenias & roses that are blooming!
  • Our dog is destined to be an outside dog if he keeps going to the neighbor's property to roll in horse poop
  • Leevster & BooBear continue to take ASL classes and L-O-V-E it! 
  • BooBear is still taking weekly sewing lessons and is learning so much
  • the older 3 kiddos had their spring piano recital last week
  • My kids are into watching the old Roy Rogers episodes right now and BooBear is starting to "talk" like Dale Evans. Yee-Haw!
  • Our Tahoe may not make it through the summer without some major TLC. hmmm....
  • Nesting has begun--tomorrow? PookieBear's closet!!
  • Cravings? strangely enough....coffee! Also, a big bowl of cereal before bedtime'
  • I have my next appt with the OB on Wednesday. 
  • Mudpuppy is so amazing to us. He/she is such a testimony to God's faithfulness and providence. We still reflect on the fact that this little tiny one was conceived under a microscope in March of 1999, was frozen for nearly 12 years, transferred by a doctor to my womb, and is kicking me as I type this. Truly AMAZING!
I have pics of some of the above bullet points to share. I will post those with my doctor's appt update later this week. Love to all of you!!

April 5, 2011

Lyme Disease is a BEAR!

D-man has been battling chronic fatigue something awful. It is debilitating. He is in bed about 20h a day. When he is awake, he is in a fog. This is all a part of chronic Lyme Disease. We just have to keep moving forward with baby steps always trying new things to see if they will help. I am glad I am feeling better so I can be involved in helping research and seek new answers. He has not had one "good" day in over 2 weeks. Please pray for our D-man. It is hard for him as I believe he is realizing that falling a year behind in school is a strong reality.

We have a church conference coming up at the end of the week we are attending. He wants to be able to not only go, but to be clear-headed enough to listen to the speaker. We are praying that not only he will be able to attend, but he will "feel" like being there. Thank you everyone.

March 20, 2011

The Lyme Disease Car is in 2nd Place VOTE AGAIN!

We have moved up 3 spots since yesterday! We are currently only 200 votes from 1st.  We can do this. Please vote again today to help bring awareness to our country about Lyme Disease!


CLICK HERE and then click the vote button and you are done for today! Thank you friends!

March 18, 2011

The Lyme Disease NASCAR is up to 5th Place!!

We have moved up 2 spots since yesterday! There are currently only 2400 votes separating 1st and 5th place! We can do this. Please vote again today to help bring awareness to our country about Lyme Disease!


CLICK HERE  and then click the vote button and you are done for today! Thank you friends!

March 17, 2011

Lyme Disease NASCAR-Please Vote!

As you know, our eldest son suffers from Lyme Disease and the tick borne co-infection Bartonella. Toyota is sponsoring a contest for the paint scheme for Michael Waltrip's car for an upcoming NASCAR race. Please vote EVERY day until 3/26. Please post this on your blog, post it on FB & Twitter (because I am not on those), and  e-mail it to your friends. You do not have to do anything except click on the link and then click on the vote button next to the car. Bringing awareness to this debilitating disease that affects young and old alike is so very important. Thank you for your help!


CLICK HERE TO VOTE



p.s. If you have time to leave a comment to let Dustin know you voted or passed the link on somehow, I know he'd love to see the response! Thank you all again!



March 9, 2011

Catching Up...

I am still here! I just haven't felt up to posting these last few weeks. Having a high-risk  pregnancy has been a new adventure for us and challenging to say the least. The baby is doing well and we continue to thank God daily for the blessing of each new day with this pregnancy.

I went for my 12 week appointment and all was well. The nurse was even able to pick up the baby's heartbeat with the doppler! I had my OB panel blood work drawn, I was told to stop my supplemental progesterone, and went home. All was good. The next day I woke in the morning and was unable to pee. Well, off to the clinic I went to get a cath. That was a painful ride to the clinic, but I was so glad to get there. The OB did an u/s and found I had an incarcerated uterus. Basically, anatomically speaking, things weren't in the right place and therefore kinking my bladder and causing the acute urinary retention to happen. The OB's plan was to have me cut back on liquids in the evening to prevent this from happening again. I was to return in one week for a follow-up u/s for him to determine if my uterus had moved back into place.

All was well for 24+ hours. I woke in the middle of the night that weekend and guess what? Yeppers, I couldn't "go". So, off to the ER I went. This time they sent me home with a permanent catheter (NO FUN). I got through the weekend. called my OB on Monday and back I went in for another appt. I had quickly developed a very, very, painful UTI and he put me on antibiotics.

I was having problems with the catheter and had to make another ER visit later, was given strict bed rest for the week and I went back in this past Friday for the next u/s.  We prayed that everything would be "in place". If it was not, the OB would have to do a manual adjustment to move everything into place. (EEK). We were thrilled to see that the baby & uterus had moved completely to where they needed to be.

Because my condition only happens in about 1 in every 6,000 pregnancies the office was abuzz with talk of my case. So, on my Friday appt, I had 3 nursing students in the exam room with me for the appt, follow up, and cath removal. (LOVELY!) Yes, science experiment I am : )

We are thrilled, and praising God for such a wonderful outcome. Now that I am off the progesterone, my all day m/s is not as severe, but it is still pretty bad and I am praying that it eases up soon. Next, I get a call from my OB that my blood work results came back and that my glucose level was 120! I have never had a problem with any of my pregnancies with my glucose levels, but this time I just might? I went in to take my one hour glucose test this morning. I felt covered in prayer by my friends as I drank the chilled, thick, artificially orange flavored, syrupy, drink. I got it down in the required 5 minutes and I kept it down so I could have my blood drawn 60 minutes later. I will get the results from that test on Friday and then I see the OB again next Wednesday for another checkup. I will be 15 weeks at that point. Our church family has been wonderful to provide meals during the last couple of weeks since I have been down.  Our family has appreciated & been blessed by their love, support, prayers, encouragement. So, there you go. That is the update on our pregnancy.

Our eldest son D-man has continued to battle Lyme Disease with a co-infection of Bartonella. We have seen highs and lows and currently we are seeing the lows. He has a phone appt. with his doctor on Friday and she will evaluate his progress, diet, and meds and maybe we can get things tweaked a bit. Helping a teenager through the process of managing and living with a chronic illness has been challenging and prayers are always appreciated as we work through this trial.

Spring is here and the weather is beautiful. I have all the windows open today and the kiddos have all gone outdoors for a much needed "extended recess" break! I thank you as always for the kind e-mails and prayers and lifting our family up to the Lord. We are grateful to continue this adoption journey as we walk through this pregnancy!

December 10, 2010

Friday Doctor Appts.

I was up at 4:00 a.m. and out the door with Rhea heading to Dallas at 5 a.m.
My appointment went wonderfully. Dr. M set our FET time for 12:30 p.m. next Friday. The nurse went over the rest of my med and injection schedule, and we were back on the road to Houston.

D-man's doctor called for our phone appt. while we were driving back. D-man is on the right track, but Lyme is a slow healing condition. He tested negative for all co-infections, but the doctor believes D's body is trying to fight not only the Lyme, but a specific co-infection. We agree with her on this and D will continue the treatment for this particular co-infection--We still have 1-3 more years of treatment. Please continue to pray for D, as he is struggling so much with concentration and memory.

I will post more tomorrow, but the words are blurring, and I MUST go to bed! : )

December 9, 2010

Lists, Lists, Lists

I am not talking Christmas shopping, as I have already finished that (whew). These lists are the ones for us to be able to leave town next Thursday. "Us" being all 6 of us. I am thinking very positively and planning that there will be an embryo transfer and I will be on bed rest for the full 5 days. If that indeed is what the Lord places in our lives, then I need to have this crew ready.

We are blessed to have enough hotel points to have a suite with an adjoining room for us to reside in while we are in Dallas. We will have plenty of room and I actually look forward to the time together in our 1200 sq. ft. living quarters to read together, play games, eat together, and laugh together.



iScholar Canary Legal Pads, 2-Pack, 8.5 x 14 Inches, 50 Sheets per Pad (98142)


Before that can happen, I must work the lists! Although I run the rest of my life on my iMac, I still like a legal pad for planning trips. On my list...There are clothes, toys, games, and computers to pack, pet sitting arrangements to be made, a Costco trip to make, and menu planning to be organized. With Dustin and I on special diets, I am going to have to get creative cooking in a hotel room. There is no kitchenette. I will have 2 tiny refrigerators, period. I am bringing my Blend-Tec, toaster oven, and hope to borrow a hot plate and an electric hot water kettle to take with us.



BUT before that I need to plan meals for tomorrow. Rhea and I leave at 5:00 in the morning to be at our Dallas appt. at 9:00. I have a friend coming tomorrow to stay the day with the kiddos and "run the show" over here while we are gone. We also have a phone appt with D-man's LLMD (Lyme Disease doctor) to go over all of D-man's test results and future treatment plan. That will happen while we are driving back to Houston tomorrow. Sound stressful? Surprisingly, I am not. ; ) I am completely relaxed and excited to see what next Friday will bring!

So, on to prayer requests:

  • safe travel to Dallas and back for Rhea & I tomorrow
  • for my friend and all 7 kiddos in our home tomorrow
  • for me to have all questions prepared and asked ( I always forget to ask something) to both my doctor and D-man's doctor at our appts tomorrow.
  • continued good health for our family as we prepare to leave next Thursday to Dallas

  • and finally, and very importantly, transportation/shipping coordination of our newest adopted little one. It is a closed adoption, so I have no idea where in our country he/she is, but please pray that the 2 clinics can coordinate transportation of our little one to Dallas IN TIME for the transfer next week. 
Thank you all once again for your prayers, e-mails, and comments to us. They are such an encouragement to us and we are blessed by them all!


If you have a minute, please read this embryo adoption Christmas post from a fellow EA family.

November 19, 2010

We are 27 days away!

I was visiting with our embryologist today and she talked about how "close" we were getting to our FET. I guess it really hadn't hit me yet how close we truly are to our big day! My last 2 weeks have been so full and busy. For a mom like me who prefers to not be on the go, life circumstances have taken me away from home quite a bit and I really haven't had the time to think about how many days until our FET. We are excited like anything, we pray throughout the day for our little ones & our clinic staff, but I have just been moving through each day and didn't realize how close we really are to going to Dallas!! I hung up with our embryologist, pulled up the calendar on my computer and literally counted the days and there were:

  • 2 more days of those "blister pack tablets" I have to take
  • 9 more days until I lower my Lupron dose & start my E2 patches
  • 18 more days until I go to Dallas for b/w & a Sono
  • 20 more days until I go to Dallas again for more b/w & another Sono
  • 21 days until my last Lupron injection
  • 22 days until I start PIO injections, & oral Medrol & Tetracycline
  • 24 days until I start Lovenox injections & baby aspirin for my APA Dx
  • 26 days until we go to Dallas
  • 27 days until our FET!
I had butterflies all in my stomach just thinking about it : ) We are preparing to have a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving with immediate family, decorate for Christmas on Friday, and start our Advent devotionals that Sunday. (btw: thank you for continuing to lift up D-man in prayer. He has had a rough week and been in bed. We appreciate your prayers) We are all looking forward to a quieter Thanksgiving with all that has been going on around here.         ....27 days!

btw: I must give a big shout-out to Franchesca at Small Bird Studio. She did an amazing job on my blog facelift! She is running a GREAT Christmas special and her wait list moves quickly. I hope you go visit her check out her portfolio

btw: Did I mention we are 27 days...Oh, I did? Sorry, we are just so excited : )

Thank you Lord for blessing us so abundantly.

November 8, 2010

San Francisco Trip



We will be leaving to go to San Francisco for D-man's appointment in a couple of days. The weather is supposed to be sunny and cool and we are looking forward to a few hours of shopping the morning before his appt. We will be taking plenty of pictures! Thank you for your prayers for safe travel and for the doctor to determine each of the bacterias we are dealing with in D-man's Lyme Disease.

October 25, 2010

Lyme Disease Update






This is what we are trying to do in our home right now. I will tell you, so very little is EVER shared about Lyme Disease. We've all 'heard' about it and honestly, I heard about the disease more from our veterinarian when referring to protecting our dogs than I ever heard from anyones about protecting our children! As Christians, we do not live in fear. We are dealing with a nasty bacteria and the co-infections that can accompany Lyme Disease. There is no quick and easy cure as these types of bacteria live in tissues and only show in the bloodstream while traveling.

We are in the process of finding our son a specialist who is very familiar with Lyme Disease (LD). Easy you might think in the Houston area, but finding a true Lyme-Literate Medical Doctor (LLMD) is not easy at all. So, as our family joyfully looks forward to our upcoming FET and the hope of pregnancy and birth of children, we are juggling that with helping our eldest fight the nasty bacteria that has entered his body.

God allowed us to find the tick and know that the symptoms our son is dealing with are all related to the bite eight weeks ago. We continue the herbal protocol and have now needed to introduce antibiotics to the regimen, but there is a need for us to find and get to an LLMD for proper clinical evaluation and testing to make sure we are only dealing with one bacteria. It is difficult to watch our teenage son who is intelligent, full of life and joy, shut down with pain and chronic fatigue.

There are so many people who suffer from LD and ever knew this until LD affected our family. So, I am balancing serving my Lord, serving & loving my husband & my children (including our 5 wee ones) & balancing researching this disease.

I will keep you posted...

September 3, 2010

More info on Lyme Disease

I have been asked by several people to share some info on Lyme Disease. Here is some info gathered from the CDC, the Lyme Disease Foundation (LDF), and the American LDF, along with details of D-man's symptoms.

  • Lyme Disease (LD) was named after the town, Lyme, CT where in 1975 Dr. Steere discovered the cause of a mysterious outbreak of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

  • LD is only transmitted by the Deer Tick. Deer do not get LD only humans, but adult Deer Ticks are nourished from deer and thus reproduce. (D-man was bit by a nymph stage tick)
  • The tick must stay imbedded on a person at least 36-48 hours before enough  bacteria is in the bloodstream to infect the person. (D-man's was on his back and he had no idea until after a couple of days) 
  • Not all Deer Ticks carry LD.
  • Early symptoms include a bullseye-type rash around the tick area (though the area itself is not bothersome usually), flu-like symptoms, headache, fever, body aches, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes near the area of the bite.
  • If caught and aggressively treated in the first 3-4 weeks, full recovery is expected.
  • 2nd stage and later stage symptoms are similar, but can include, painful & swollen joints, stiff neck, sore throat, changes in vision,  rashes in  other areas of the body, abnormal pulse, changes in vision, fever, dizziness, memory loss, & many other possible symptoms.  
  • The longer one waits for treatment, the better the chance of the person battling LD for years to come. 
We caught D-man's early as I know the exact day I removed the tick. D-man then came to us with 2 swollen lymph nodes near the bite site on his back. He really had no rash to speak of. He later developed migraines and extreme fatigue. He has either had really good days or really bad days. The headaches have lessened, but the chronic fatigue really has him down. His lymph nodes seem to be improving a bit though. 

August 26, 2010

What's Next for Our House? Lyme Disease!


Yes, well, it does always seem to be "something" rare and out-there for our house! First, our Leevster had Kawasaki Disease 2 years ago at age 10. Next our  BooBear came down with Mononucleosis last year at age 9. Rhea had bone spurs in his neck and had surgery last month. Now, it is D-man's turn, yes, LYME DISEASE!
We caught it early, got on top of it and D-man is on treatment and we've been told he should be through it all in 1-2 months. This is our prayer because we know of someone who has been battling this bacteria for over three years.  I will post some Lyme Disease info later. I just wanted to update you.
Oh, and yes, My sis had her baby. With our family tradition of big ol' boys, she had an 8# 6oz baby boy early Monday evening. I can't wait to go to Austin to meet him.
Well, off to the store for supplies! more later...

 
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