Just keep getting beat down around here sure am ready for the sun to shine on us just a bit.
Monday of last week I was sitting in some training for work when I get a text with a few pictures of my son’s head split wide open at school. Wife grabbed him up and took him to the pediatrician but they don’t do stitches. So luckily they called up the plastic surgeon and got us in out patient right away so no hospital wait or crazy ER copay.
So I break away from training to meet him to get sewn up. Nothing like restraining your 4 year old in a sheet as he is screaming scared to death. Luckily once the local kicked in he chilled out and thought the Doc sewing him up was pretty cool.
So I head back to training actually happy to be there as I have wanted to do this for quite some time now but since I was in a specialized unit before I was not eligible. So training for something I actually want to do and did not get voluntold to do plus it comes with an extra $120 a month not too bad. But Wednesday of training rolls around and I get pulled aside and informed that I am likely going to be pulled from the activated (those that get paid extra) list of folks for the training I am in because somebody did the numbers wrong and they actually have one less activated spot than they thought. Of course the bearer of bad news is pretty pissed as well since he picked me for the spot and so far almost all of the folks running the training mentioned that I am one of the best they have seen in awhile.
Friday morning arrives and my Mom calls me at 6:30, not unusual as I am usually driving to work so it is easy to talk but training starts an hour late than my normal shift so I am still helping get kids ready for school so I don’t answer as I’ll call her on the way into work. Well my wife’s phone starts ringing immediatly and guess what it is my Mom. That only means one thing something bad has happened. Sure enough my grandfather has been rushed to the hospital possible heart attack. At least he is only 2 hours away and not in Florida and 12 away like last time. So I call the boss and let him know I won’t be coming in. I had finished all the required stuff the day before and I am likely not being activated anyway. My grandfather has been on the way down for a few years now and the dimentia has really started to kick in. I arrive at the hospital and he is curled up in the fetils position in the bed. Never really seen him like that. Even when he had his heart attack a few years back he was sitting up in the bed and doing pretty well. They then take him off for more testing. He comes back he sees me and smiles but does not address me grandma tells him who I am and he just kind of giggles. Still not sure if he knew me or not.
Tests confirm no heart attack thankfully but point towards blood clots but he won’t lay still enough for the scans to be readable.
By the end of the day he is pretty stable just not sure the actual issue. So I head back home and we have a nice little mother’s day weekend planting things around the yard. Go back to work on Monday and the boy is set to get his stitches removed. Work was crazy busy so I did not make it to the Dr. and had to work a few hours late. So I get home give the boy a hug and say I am sorry for having to work late and ask how the stitch removal went. He said just fine but I wish you were there with me.
So we go to bed. Few hours into sleep baby wakes up screaming bloody murder which is highly unusual. The little guy is soaked and frying with a sweet 103* temp and tons of goo coming out of his ears get some meds in him and he chills out a bit. I call off work and take him to the Dr. the next morning. The goo coming out of the ears is from his severe reflux that meds have not really controlled so we knew a GI consult likely was coming. Lucky for us there is not a pediatric GI specialist local that can get anyone in in less than 5 months usually. So we’ll be headed 120 miles for some consults for awhile. Hoping it is just severe reflux and don’t find anything major when they scope him. So I stayed home with him again today as he is still battling the fever. He was in pretty good spirits most of the day but he is none to happy at the moment and mama has him downstairs so he doesn’t keep the other boys up.
So I head back to work tomorrow for a day. Then Friday to the Dr. for an awaited follow up for the middle boy that has been having some issues. Every few weeks for a day or two he will pop a real low grade fever never more than 101*, won’t eat anything not even chocolate, cookies, ice cream, nothing, will ask to take a nap about 11am sleep till 3:30 or 4:00, then around 7:00 ask to go to bed and sleep till 7:00 the next morning. He will be very sensative to touch, light, and noise and says his belly hurts, and his pee will smell very acidic. Then he is back to normal and a few weeks later it all happens again. Last go round they did a bunch of blood work and were able to rule out Leukemia but his blood work work had some weird anomolies. So they think he has this rare 1 in 1,000,000 blood disorder where he essential every 21 days his body purges almost all of his white blood cells for some reason. So we have been keeping a daily log of his temperature, food intake, mood, hours slept etc. It is almost creepy putting it in a journal because sure enough every 21 days the symptoms begin. So we meet with the Dr. again Friday and they’ll do more labs but looks like we’ll be seeing a Pediatric Hemotology specialist for him which I believe will be in Cincinnati as well as the GI specialist for the other boy.
Talked to my mom tonight and finally were able to get some clear scans of grandpa’s lungs and found some blood clots. So they have moved him to a rehab facility. Really worried about him but hope they can get everything sorted out.

So sorry for the long post and jumping all over the place just helps to type it out some times to get it all off my chest.

While it has been a rough few weeks one of the best things did happen with the oldest boy (one who got stitches) this week. He hates to sleep he will get himself all wild before bed time so we talk about him having an engine inside him and it needs to slow way down before bed. He says he has Thomas (the kids train engine) and he is what makes him goes so fast before bed. So earlier in the week I asked him if he could slow Thomas down so we could get ready for bed.
He said sure but God was in there too. I was not sure what he said so he repeated that he had God inside him too and that he talks to him. I smiled and said that yes God is always with us and willing to listen to whatever we want to talk about. He then smiled and said Jesus too, he is in my heart and he will always be in my heart. Tears of joy started to roll. I sure did need that in the middle of all we have got going on.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Black92LX,

I have no advice or knowledge to share with you, just want you to know someone is praying for your boy.

Work screwups, kid drama and grandfather MI problems.
Sounds that movie, The Perfect ShitStorm.

quote:

Tears of joy started to roll. I sure did need that in the middle of all we have got going on.

Good for you Black!
I hope your luck (and your son's) turns around soon pal, you deserve it.

I hope the storm passes by quick and sunny days are ahead.

I am going through the when it rains, it pours with my business right now.

That certainly is a lot of rain but I'm glad I read to the end.

Kids are a lot of work, and can sometimes be assholes, but they sure are great. I'm not sure if we'll have another, and my hat's off to you with 3.

Last year my little guy blasted himself in the face by running by the corner of a table. Indeed, holding them down in the ER is no fun. I've actually never experienced anything like that, it was vexing.

I've come to the conclusion that children are our immortality.

Take care, man.

And now I am in the hospital about to have surgery to remove the old appendix.
Woke up this morning not feeling too good. Pain got worse and worse until any movement at all was pretty excruciating.

Black, I know it's pop culture and all, but a line from one of the movies "Bruce Almighty" or "Evan Almighty" always kind of stuck with me.

When people ask God for strength, maybe he gives them a chance to be strong. It's a bit trite, but I like the core message. All this rain is just a chance for you to come out better...and stronger than you were before.

I wish you a speedy recovery, and just remember, better they caught it before it got gnarly than after.

I am now home resting after a normal appendectomy procedure.
A little sore but nothing a regiment of Tylenol and Advil aren’t keeping it bay.
It actually helps to move around slowly. Had a bunch of landscaping work to do but Dr said no lifting, pushing, or pulling over 10lbs for 4 weeks.
That is going to be tough.
But we’ll manage.

Ugh, hang in there. Life can really challenge us at times.

The good news is you’ll never have to go through that again. At least that’s what my wife tells me every time that saga comes up in conversation. Rest up, after 7-10 days you’ll be back to normal.

I am sorry to hear about the challenges that you and your family have been facing. We all face times when things life throws at us can either push us closer to God or we can choose to walk. I pray that you remain faithful.

It's good that you are taking your son who sounds like he is presenting with the signs and symptoms of Cyclic Neutropenia (I am not a hematologist and I am not offering up a diagnosis) to Cincinnati Children's. They are a good facility. Google the heck out of Cyclic Neutropenia so that you and your wife can understand what is possibly going. This will enable you to ask the questions you need to ask. If you want or need a second opinion there are several large pediatric hematology centers available to you.

quote:

Originally posted by Censored:
I am sorry to hear about the challenges that you and your family have been facing. We all face times when things life throws at us can either push us closer to God or we can choose to walk. I pray that you remain faithful.

It's good that you are taking your son who sounds like he is presenting with the signs and symptoms of Cyclic Neutropenia (I am not a hematologist and I am not offering up a diagnosis) to Cincinnati Children's. They are a good facility. Google the heck out of Cyclic Neutropenia so that you and your wife can understand what is possibly going. This will enable you to ask the questions you need to ask. If you want or need a second opinion there are several large pediatric hematology centers available to you.

We got into see an infectious disease specialist with UK pediatrics for the recurrent fevers and they kind of backed off the Cyclic Neutropenia a bit. They don’t feel the fevers are high enough or the white blood counts low enough.
We’re going to continue our daily journals and he’ll get some more blood taken at different points when symptoms begin to arise.

We head to Cincy Children’s next week for the baby’s GI stuff so they can scope him. They seem to feel his stomach may not be emptying properly.
He is on the highest dose of Prilosec the pediatrician is willing to prescribe and it seems to have very little impact. We tried Zantac as well and it did not do anything.

So we’re just inching along.

I am down for about 3 weeks from lifting, pushing, or pulling so that is going to be rough with 3 wild boys and summer now upon us.

Keep us updated on how your kids are doing.

Wow- a whole lot of hospital for you .
1) Grandfather with PE- what caused PE?
2) You with appy- pathology report confirms?
3) Son with GI Sx’s
Looking at this like a puzzle- seems to be coming down the male side- which is why the questions.
Not trying to pry - E mail in profile.

quote:

Originally posted by SIGfourme:
Wow- a whole lot of hospital for you .
1) Grandfather with PE- what caused PE?
2) You with appy- pathology report confirms?
3) Son with GI Sx’s
Looking at this like a puzzle- seems to be coming down the male side- which is why the questions.
Not trying to pry - E mail in profile.

Not sure grandpa went into the hospital Thursday night, they flew home from Florida Tuesday.
Gramps is doing a bit better he is in a rehab facility and is supposed to be home tomorrow. Home health should begin next week as granny is really going to need some help.
He is supposed to be even more confused than usual, still knows my mom and grandma but when they talk about him going home he does not know what they are talking about.
Which is somewhat understandable as the were in Florida for 7 month, then to their house in Ohio for 2 days before a week in the hospital, and now a couple weeks in rehab.
I don’t really see him being home for long. My granny really can’t care for him well enough. My mom built an addition onto their house a few years back and moved in but she works way too much. I see him being in a memory care facility by the end of the year. Not sure if Ohio or Florida is better for him. Ohio he’s closer to my mom and the rest of the family but with the nicer weather of Florida he seems better there.

I am healing up slowly. No more Advil or Tylenol so that is good. I am just slow moving.

Next week we head to the GI specialist hoping to get something sorted out as the little fella can’t lay down for much longer than about 2 hours without waking up coughing and gaging from the reflux.