sick

A Case of the Sickies {Thoughts From Me}

July 9, 2014 by Dana

Sickness has hit our house. It’s in full force. The home that usually has little more than a seizure a week hit it, now has the dreaded Summer Colds.

It started with Jack. He developed a terrible fever of 101 last week. It spiked to 103 a few times. His throat was sore. He vomited and I want mention the amount of diapers that needed changed. It was awful.

He got better. We had a few days of bliss without any sickness and then it hit Grandma, Winston and Laycie. Laycie took the stomach icky part of the bug while Grandma and Winston took the throat issues. Laycie has a mild sore throat as well.

Today, my poor sweet Winston woke up unable to talk because his throat is inflamed. I immediately had him start drinking water, as much as possible. I gave him some medicine and an allergy pill as well to help with the swelling reaction. Later I gave him some chicken broth boiled with Garlic and then some tea with honey and lemon. Both helped.

This afternoon, Laycie began feeling badly. So terrible that she needed a nap with Mommy. She’s been mostly asleep all afternoon and is now sleeping again beside me. She doesn’t seem to have a fever but she does have an upset tummy and cough. I gave her some medicine and of course, her seizure medicine so that Monster doesn’t attack right now. Sleep seems to be helping her.

I’m trying my best to avoid this sickness and to help Emmalee avoid it with me. So far so good but it’s not over yet. I hope I don’t curse us!

Please say a prayer that these sickies pass us quickly and that our household is soon back to normal. It breaks my Momma-heart to see my sweet babies sick.

Until next time…

End of June Update {Thoughts From Me}

June 30, 2014 by Dana

There’s so much keeping us busy around here lately. Home and reviews are overrunning with life. There’s so much to do and so little time.

Days like this I wish I was Born Organized but I am far from it. My home overflows with stuff and busy days. Doctors appointments have taken much of my time lately and just keeping the basics done around home.

The small things I do get done fill up fast. I can’t keep up and I really don’t bother trying. At this season in life, as long as the kids are happy, learning and fed, that’s all that matters to me. There’s no way to get anything else in.

At this stage, I’m on a learning mission. Learning about Faith, Life, Love and yes, organizing it all both physically and mentally. It’s not an easy lesson but it’s all falling in place as I age. Every day I come a little closer to making things better for us.

Right now we are facing some struggles. Laycie is changing medication because hers is no longer controlling as it needs to be and I pray this change is for the best for her. Jackson has a small bug and a high fever to go with it. He’s also battling constipation and we aren’t sure where it’s coming from but he’s starting medication to help with that as well.

Winston and Emmalee are troopers as always. Emma does have her wellness check-up this week and hopefully we can get her going with her orthopedics again soon because that really needs done. With all the sickness from Laycie and Jax we’ve had to put off a lot in the last year. Now that we have more balance, I can now deal with those things that we had to put onto the back burner.

Life has been so busy lately that I’ve barely been online except through my phone and I truthfully needed that little break to refocus. It takes balance to live the life you want and so I’ve been trying to find a good balance to get to where we need to be. It’s a slow process but we are heading that way.

The Sickies Have Hit Us {Thoughts From Me}

January 3, 2013 by Dana

The stomach bug came in with the New Year this year. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for us in 2013. We’ve spent the last 24 hours loving on my littlest two.

Laycie began with a cough right after Christmas that I assumed was just a normal Winter cough. Wrong! Yesterday, her little tummy tore up on her and her fever spiked. She had a restless night.

Jackson started with a cough on New Year’s Eve. He also had some mild congestion. He’s been restless, too, and slightly cranky which is completely unusual for him.

When the babies get sick, Mommy doesn’t wait around for long. Especially not with Jax, since he’s unvaccinated. So first thing this morning, I jumped out of bed, exhausted, to take the kids to the doctor.

It wasn’t terribly busy at the office today, so we were able to get in quickly. I was excited to find our office has hired a new practitioner. Laycie loved her. She was patient and kind, took her time with both the kids and thoroughly checked them over.

The end result is that both have a simple stomach bug that should pass within the next 24-48 hours. Laycie is in the midst of it and Jax is in the beginning but I’m praying he doesn’t get worse. The only thing I can do is let it run it’s course and encourage lots of fluids for both.

So we will be staying in for the next couple of days, drinking and snuggling lots. They are both feeling better already. Laycie is tucked in my bed and Jax is snuggled up with Grandma in the recliner for the night. I’m praying this passes by tomorrow and none of the other kids pick it up, which they don’t seem to be.

You just never know when sickness will strike but I’m thankful we have a great medical staff who cares for us and is available 364 days a year. It really makes a difference. Until next time….

Medicine Side-Effects in Epilepsy {Epilepsy Awareness}

November 18, 2010 by Dana

Having Epilepsy generally means taking medicine to control it. There is a large range of available medications for control of seizures and each comes with their own side effects. Some of the side effects are managable and others are not, so you should always read up on a medication, ask questions to both your doctor and pharmicist and know what your side effects are for that medication, as well as other drug interactions.

Our family has taken the following medications over the years: Phenobarbital, Trileptal, Dilantin, Lamictal, Keppra, and Carbatrol. Currently Laycie is taking Carbatrol. Medicine dosage is important. Too much can lead to severe side effect symptoms and too little can result in seizure.

Here are some examples of the side effects of these medications and how they have affected our family:

Phenobarbital can cause over-excitement and hullicinations, as well as rash and itching. I personally suffered all of these as a result of this medication.

Dilantin can result in the same side effects and I also suffered these from the medication.

Trileptal can cause extreme drowsiness, lack of appetite and speech impairment. Laycie suffered all of these side effects while taking this medication for her first two years.

Carbatrol can result in over-excitement, severe hyperactivity or ADHD type symptoms, insomnia, lack of appetite, rash, and itchiness. Laycie has suffered all of these symptoms from this medication also.

For Laycie, the Keppra stopped working after two weeks without warning. The doctors give no reason as to why.

As I stated above these are examples of how these medications’ side effects have effected our family. This does not mean they will effect your family in the same way, and should not be viewed as such. As a patient, parent or loved one of someone with Epilepsy, you should read up on the facts about the medication your family member is taking and pay special attention to the side effects so that you know what is normal and common and what is not. Some of these side effects can be dealt with in other ways but some can have severe and dangerous effects. Our family is lucky that it is not the case for us. Our side effects are mild, thankfully and easy to live with.

Ahhh Thursday {March 5, 2010}

March 5, 2010 by Dana

My day started a little late because I wasn’t feeling too well. I awoke to three cute smiling faces.

My handsome son had fixed his sisters breakfast, and done a great job making their cereal.

Once I got up and around, feeling a little better, my sweet princess decided we needed a dress up day. She picked out make-up for her Momma and helped me fix it up. She chose a lovely pink bow for my hair. My son brushed my hair “smooth” and the extra attention really felt nice. I picked out my favorite pink pants and a couple of tank tops, since I was just doing odds and ends in the house.

My princess chose to wear her blue and white dress today and use a purple bow in her hair. She brushed her own hair (I’m so proud of this new achievement of hers) and put her bow in. Then we did her makeup. What a gorgeous girl I have!

Overall, it was a terrific Thursday, relaxing and full of love. We sang and danced and made memories today that cannot be replaced. And what beautiful memories they are.

Tuesday Winter Blahs {December 15, 2009}

December 16, 2009 by Dana

It’s Tuesday. Mid-December. Spent most of our day in the doctor’s office. Both girls have a cold and ear infection. Emmalee’s been running a fever and Laycie has been overly fussy. The doctor looked them both over and sent us home with Amoxil for infection. I have been praying for them. Praying that God will relieve the pain that they are feeling and heal them quickly. Poor sweet babies. Emma’s staying home again tomorrow just to make sure that the medicine is working before she goes to school on Thursday. Definitely, going to school Thursday, though, because it is Christmas party day. I would hate for her to miss that. Socializing is so important to her. Well, this is just a quick update. Now off to do college online.