When toilet paper sticking to your shoe takes on a whole new meaning.

I'm feeling cooped up and I've got a bit of Spring Fever, even though we're nowhere close to Spring. 

I was supposed to have my tonsils removed a couple of weeks ago, but because of a medical condition I have they had to reschedule it. Apparently I will never be allowed to have surgery at a surgery center and instead this and any future surgeries need to be performed at the hospital. I go in next week to have the work done, and I'm just ready to get it over with.

I've been trying to stay away from the germs that are in public places as much as possible, because I didn't want to come down with anything that would stop me from going in.  For the most part it's been easy, but I have to admit the last couple of weeks have dragged on. The day before I was scheduled to go in, they broke the news to me that it needed to be done in the hospital. So just when I was just about to see the light of day I had 2 weeks added to my sentence. I'm ready to be paroled! I want to take the girls shopping and not be concerned that I'll catch something that will postpone the surgery once again, if I run to the store for a gallon of milk.

I have to admit that things haven't been exactly boring here at home while waiting though. Last week when I was getting ready for a doctor's appointment, things got a little exciting. Have  I mentioned that not all excitement is the same? If not, let me tell you now that excitement is not necessarily a good thing...

After giving Hopper her shower, I jumped in, so I'd be ready for my doctor's appointment. I'd been shaving my legs and was finishing up when I noticed the shower drain cover was starting to float. I was immediately filled with a sense of dread. The dread turned to horror, as I was scrambling to rinse off my legs and noticed black stuff coming back up through the drain. 

Crap.

Literally and figuratively both. 

I jumped out as fast as I could and stretched each foot up to the sink and washed them as best I could before drying off and getting dressed. I slathered my feet with hand sanitizer before putting on my socks and shoes. It was the best I could do under the circumstances, and it made me feel marginally better, but I was still grossed out.

Thankfully, we didn't have to leave for the appointment for a couple of hours, so Hubster got the snake out and snaked the drain. The water in the shower and on the floor of the laundry room subsided, and he did get a small clump of roots out, so we were hopeful all was well. It wasn't. As soon as I flushed the toilet upstairs, the toilet downstairs started backing up. In the split moment confusion of watching the toilet water rise, Hubster flushed it hoping it would go down. It did. All over the floor. 

We were back to square one, but it was time to head out the door for the appointments at this point, so Hubster and Scooter had to skip their showers. We called the plumbers on the way to the car and asked, if they could meet us back at the house once we were done across town. Thankfully, it all worked out, and the drain was snaked once again with a gigantic snake that is much more powerful than our industrial one. The roots he got out of the drain looked like a small volleyball in the plastic bag. 

Gross.

But at least we don't have to worry about black stuff floating up through the shower drain when we're showering again. The bad thing is that we do have things to worry about.

A few years ago, we were told we needed to replace the drain outside from the outside of the house all the way to the street. We put it off, because it was going to cost anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000. We're now wishing we had done it. The price has gone up to almost 25 grand! Apparently one of the permits that is needed is almost $6,000, and there is more than one permit needed in order to complete the work.

Crap.

If we couldn't afford $10,000 a few years ago, I can absolutely promise we can't afford $25,000 today. 

Crap. 

So we're looking into a different solution. It involves putting in a 'clean out'. They can replace about 10 feet of the outside drain and put two pipes shaped like a U. If they use the side of the U that is closest to the street, the can snake things out into the house, and if they use the part of the U that is closest to the house, they can clean everything out toward the street, and they never have to bring the filthy snake down our stairs again.  So it's definitely an option. It's a $7,000 to $10,000 option, but at least it isn't $25,000. And at this point, we need to get it done, so we don't keep having these horrible sewer problems. 

Crap.

On a good note, I got the router replaced the other day, so I'll be able to finally get online and write a blog post without being bumped. 

I'll take it. 

Roses are red. Violets are blue. Candy is sweet. And so are you.

I worked hard today, and yet I have nothing to show for it. At least nothing anyone can see.


I spent the day working on paperwork that needs done for Scooter's hospitalization back in September. I spent the better part of 9 hours on the phone trying to get things straightened out. By the end of the day, I still wasn't done, but I at least know what I've got to do tomorrow. It's been nightmarish. 


And all because of a (insert cuss word of your choice here) contaminated blood culture. 


I still have hours of work to go tomorrow. I was going to work more on it all tonight, but I decided 9 hours is enough for one day. Besides that, I can't seem to get warm. I've been freezing all day long, and it's the warmest it's been in a week. My body is definitely trying to fight something. 


Have I mentioned recently that I'm ready for Spring to get here? Take my word for it, if I haven't mentioned it. 


I'm ready.


On a good note, Hopper is dealing with being home while Scooter is at school better than we'd anticipated. She was started on anxiety meds awhile back. It's the first medicine we've tried that has actually helped her with her anxiety without causing even more issues. We're very hopeful they'll help her through this difficult transition. More than anything, we're thrilled we finally found something that works for her.


She's so cute. She was so excited tonight that she gets to go to 'work' tomorrow that she tried going to bed at 2:00 this afternoon. I held her off a few hours, but she's beside herself with excitement. Without any prompting from me, she even got all her clothes laid out and ready for tomorrow before she crawled into bed.


I think I need to take her cue and go to bed early...


Hope you and all your sweethearts had a good Valentine's Day! 

Paging Mr Man. Mr Red Man?

Two weeks ago, when Scooter had to be admitted to the hospital with the fear of a blood infection, they had to put her on some strong IV antibiotics. One of those antibiotics is called Vancomycin. It can cause what is known as Red Man Syndrome. It is basically an intense flushing of the body due to a histamine response to the antibiotic.


We were told it's not necessarily an allergic reaction, but she needed antihistamines each time she got a new bag of antibiotics, so we could try to get the redness under control. When she was discharged from the hospital that Wednesday, we noticed that the redness was worse. We asked, if she could have more antihistamines, but there was only an order for it to be administered by IV, and her IV had already been removed. We decided not to wait for the doctor to write more orders, and just took her straight home and got her
started on them at home.


In spite of being on antihistamines every 4 to 6 hours, the redness was getting worse and was looking more like a bad rash. Her poor stomach felt like leather and sandpaper at the same time. She was covered over her entire body, except the lower arms and legs. She was miserable. The rash was hot to the touch, it stung, and it itched like crazy. She started steroids that Friday night to try to get the rash under control.


Ha.


By Sunday, the rash started crawling up her neck and onto her face and scalp. We took her into the urgent care clinic. The doctor said he figured that her body was overwhelmed with antibiotics that didn't have an infection to work on, and it just couldn't handle it. He said to continue the steroids and antihistamines, stop the oral antibiotics she'd been sent home on and to have her see a dermatologist as soon as we could. 


We got an appointment for Tuesday and waited while the rash got worse. 


The dermatologist said that he thought it was an allergic reaction to the antibiotic she'd been sent home with from the hospital. He also said it could still be the Red Man, as there are instances when it has a delayed reaction and gets worse about a week out from the original episode. (Her reaction started within minutes of being on the Vancomycin, which is normal, as far as Red Man goes, but the delayed reaction definitely fit in with the timeline of the rash).


He increased her steroid dosage and prescribed an steroid ointment for the rash. He also told us to use an amazing hypoallergenic cream, and he'd see us in a couple of weeks. Within a couple of days, the rash on her trunk started to fade as she started to peel like she'd had a sunburn over her entire body. The sheets on her bed are covered every morning with little pieces of peeled skin when she gets out of bed.


And while the rash looked better on most of her body, we watched it creep down her arms and legs. She looked like she had Scarlet Fever or something. The good news is that her doctor said her pneumonia is gone, even though she'll still have a cough for a couple more weeks. 


Thankfully, it appears as though her rash has stopped growing and has all but disappeared. Her skin is still a mottled purple and looks like raw hamburger or something, and she's still peeling, but she's feeling so much better. The ointment and cream have helped tremendously, and we are so very grateful. 


It's so good to see her smiling again!


Now, I can hopefully get over the temporary paralysis that seems to set in when there's a big medical stressor like this.

Scooter update.

Got a call at 10:35 Sunday night from the emergency room. Apparently, the blood culture they'd taken on Sunday when Scooter went in by ambulance to the hospital started growing something. We needed to bring Scooter back to the ER immediately.


Since she's been in, she's been on round the clock IV antibiotics. We still don't have the results for either the type of bacteria that is in her blood nor for the echocardiogram, which will determine whether or not she has an infection in her heart valves. Hoping to get answers to both of these today. Answers will help determine when she gets to come home.


She's doing quite a bit better, but she's getting sick of the hospital, the poor thing. 


Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They mean the world to me.


I'll be back soon.

Sigh

at hospital with scooter. blood cultures from yesterdays visit are growing. to b e admitted for iv antibiotics. needing to rule out mrsa and incfected heart valve. please pray.

No hopping for Hopper. At least not for awhile...

All things considered, Hopper is doing quite well after her surgery.


She was able to get about 6 hours of sleep straight through the night following her surgery, but that's about it. The poor little thing has always fought sleep when she's in the hospital or on a road trip. I think she's afraid she's going to miss out on something, so her eyes will be drooping, her head will be nodding, but she won't allow herself to relax enough to drift off. Normally, the different pain medicines she's been on would knock a person on their butts, and they'd have a hard time staying awake, but it's been a real struggle for her. 


The night of the surgery, The Hubster and I both stayed with Hopper at the hospital. The charge nurse was nice enough to block off the other half of the semi-private room, so we'd have a place to sleep. It's the first time she's been in a non-pediatric ward after surgery, so the nurses were more than happy to have us both there. They weren't sure how to handle the situation, and I think she intimidates them a bit. Where she has difficulty communicating, says 'yes' when she means 'no' all the time (and vice versa), and she can't put into words how much she hurts (the pain scale along with the little faces is worthless for her), they were just happy to have someone there to help them bridge the gap. It just happened to work out very well for us, and we are very, very thankful.


Hopper was able to get out of bed with the help of the physical therapists yesterday, but even though all she did was sit in a wheelchair, it was rough on her. She was in the chair for a couple of hours, while the staff changed her bedding, I gave her a sponge bath and braided her hair, and she ate lunch. Unfortunately, she needed morphine to get back into bed. She having difficulty understanding how not to put weight on her foot, and as a result we had to increase her pain medicine after her excursion out of bed. 


This is not going to be easy for Hopper. 


Hubster is at the hospital with Hopper right now. He stayed with her overnight. I'll be going up later today, but I am home with Scooter right now. I'm hoping to be able to get the house a bit closer to being ready for her to come home. I was so far behind before she got hurt that I'm really feeling the pinch now. I'm hoping I can get something done while I'm home, so it won't be as overwhelming when she comes home.


Plus, we're worried about her slipping into a depression. She's realizing everything she's not going to be able to do for several weeks...go to her day program, bowling, hiking, swimming, walking.... She apparently fell apart and cried really hard last night after Scooter and I went home. The poor thing. My heart breaks for her. Needless to say, I don't want the condition of the house to add to her concerns. 


I was able to get a little bit of sleep last night, and Scooter waking me up came entirely too early for me this morning. All things said, though, I'm thankful she woke me up. I can sleep later. I need to get some more laundry in the washing machine, get Scooter's room ready for Hopper to move in (it will be awhile before Hopper will be able to navigate the stairs well enough to sleep downstairs), and get something else done as quickly as possible in the rest of the house. The way it is, Hopper will really struggle getting around.


She's likely going to need a walker, a wheelchair or crutches to get around, and right now there's not room for any of them. 


On that note...I need to get busy before I fall asleep. My eyelids are feeling rather heavy about now. 


Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers. They're much appreciated.

I want a do over!

In the surgical waiting room at the hospital. 


Hopper went to 'work' today with her day program. They went to a fun tumbling gym that has the gigantic trampolines at ground level. She was having fun jumping when she landed wrong and her leg buckled. She broke her femur. Thankfully, they hadn't eaten yet, and she hadn't eaten or had anything to drink since before she left the house this morning, or I think surgery would have been delayed even more. 


They'll be putting a rod down the center of her femur and then putting the rest of the femur in place and pushing the rod even further in. It will then be screwed in place, so it can't spin around inside the bone, and it will be able to heal. 


She's done amazingly well all things considered. Her anxiety swells from time to time, but they have given her plenty of pain medicine and something for anxiety, so hopefully she'll do okay when she wakes up. It's been a long day for the poor little thing. She fought the medicines and didn't fall asleep at all, even though she's beyond exhausted from the pain and anxiety.


She'll be in the hospital for a couple of days before we can take her home. We have no idea how we're going to pull it off, or even if we can, but she needs to learn how to either use crutches or a walker when she gets home. She's not going to be able to put weight on it for awhile, so it'll be interesting to see how it goes. Shockingly, she won't need any sort of brace or cast to help stabilize it. That sorta blows us away, but we trust the doctors know what they're doing.


Thankfully, Hubster brought my netbook up to the hospital for me to use, so I could have something to do. So here we sit and wait. He reading a book. Me playing on the web.


The cutest thing that happened today? Hubster asked Hopper how she liked the ride in the ambulance. She got very animated and said, "Ambulance is Good!" 

The poor little thing. I'm glad she can see the adventure in the day.