The following is a letter that I wrote and plan to send to the editor of the local newspaper. I took out names because this is the big, bad, scarey internet. Anyhoo, I have been meaning to write a letter such as this for many years. I have a fear that our school district will start cutting programs that they consider "optional". We really do have amazing teachers who put in amazing amounts of efforts. They are almost too good to be true! In our house, learning a musical instrument is required. That may sound mean but I truly believe that music, as well as art, are subjects that are just as necessary as math, science and english. Some day all my kids will thank me for making them learn to play an instrument. Sarah plays the viola in the school orchestra, Erin plays violin in the orchestra and Thomas self taught himself to play the organ and keyboard at home. The art and music programs in school are so valuable because not all parents are as mean as me and school may be the only place that they experience these things.
To the Editor,
I would like to show my support for art and music in our schools because it is my belief that having good programs in school is mandatory, not just a luxury. My children's experience in the DD schools has been nothing but superb. It starts with Mr. B and Ms. E in the primary school. Mr. B is not just teaching these kids to sing nursery rhymes. If you ever attend one of his concerts you’ll be surprised at how great the kids sound. It’s not unusual for the kids to hear names like Chopin or Bach. Ms. E teaches about great artists like Van Gogh or Monet. These kids are not just fooling around with arts and crafts they are really producing art. She treats their work with respect and admiration.
In the elementary school Mrs. A taps their creative side and is constantly having an "art gallery showing" of beautiful pieces just outside the door of the art room. I’ve always loved to go into the building just to see what’s new. Art club is held after school for the artists in the school. Also in the elementary school Mr. K is not just getting the kids to sing, he’s teaching them about rhythm, melody and so much more. He’s teaching them to have the confidence to sing solo in front of the whole class. He has the opportunity of chorus and choir open to kids who want to sing more. I’ve heard both of these groups sing and I’m always amazed!
My girls started in the orchestra in third grade with Mrs. S. If you’ve ever listened to a third grade orchestra student you’d be impressed with the patience she must have. They start out plucking "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" in third grade and by the time they are through middle school they’ve learned to tune their own instrument by ear and mastered the talent of vibrato. So far this year I am impressed with Mr. S, conductor of the high school orchestra. The music he chooses is quite difficult, challenging the students and keeping them interested. I can’t wait for the first concert.
Also in the middle school, Mrs. S and Mrs. Y have some students that show so much talent that the school is decorated with framed pieces done by students over the years. Mrs. Y has an after school art club and Mrs. Sakoutis spends her after school time helping the students build the sets for the two plays that are performed.
These are the teachers that my children have had the privilege of having.I would like to personally thank them all.
All these teachers have many responsiblities that I haven’t even mentioned. I’m sure that there are many other art and music teachers in the DV school district that are just as outstanding. I would like to thank the school board for adopting a budget that allows for such great programs. I would encourage them to continue to make art and music a priority in our schools. To the taxpayers that do not have children in the school, I want to assure you that you are getting your money’s worth. I’ve seen first hand how much extra time and effort is required to deliver excellence!
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
PEOPLE TREAT YOU THE WAY YOU LET THEM
I have a vacation home at the New Jersey shore. It is in a community that is run by a community association. Its actually called a club. The club is run by a group of five trustees that we homeowners elect.
I've been having trouble with the road maintenance on the road in front of our house. To make a long story short, its a dirt road and in order to fix the huge pothole in front of my house they've continuously added dirt to fill it in. This along with natural erosion from up the street, has increased the level of the road in front of my house to the point that now my house is below the level of the road. As you can imagine, when it rains, the water rushes down the street looking for the lowest spot. My property along with other properties on the street are now the lowest point. Many of us are getting flooding into our homes. We've complained to the Board of Trustees only to be met with denial. We've been told that they've never added dirt to the street (should have taken a video). We've also been told really ridiculous things such as our houses are actually sinking.
Recently there was a club meeting at which we voted to elect a new board. Since so many people are having various problems with the current board, all but one of them were voted out. A portion of the meeting was open to comments from the community members. I stood in front of the two hundred plus people and made a statement regarding the road issues. I made it clear that I was speaking to the new board members since the old ones would never listen. After I made my statement a man came up to me and asked if I would step aside so he could speak to me. He seemed polite enough so I agreed. He then proceeded to try and convince me that my house was sinking. My first tactic was to tell him I knew that was not true. He continued. I then told him that I was an engineer and that I KNEW my house was not sinking. I told him that my husband is also an engineer and we BOTH KNOW our house is not sinking. Amazingly, he continued. My next tactic was to stop responding. I was thinking, when will this man give up? He continued, blah, blah, blah...
My old self would have just let him go on and on. My old self would have felt it was rude to cut him off. My old self would have gotten more and more irritated and would have felt bad later that I hadn't stopped him. My old self has given way to my new self. My new self then said to him "I can't talk to you anymore, its too annoying." He was pulled up short and finally he stopped. I had suddenly realized that I did not have to listen to him. I could tell him to go away. I was not rude, he was. He left and I patted myself on the back. I really like this new self!
I've been having trouble with the road maintenance on the road in front of our house. To make a long story short, its a dirt road and in order to fix the huge pothole in front of my house they've continuously added dirt to fill it in. This along with natural erosion from up the street, has increased the level of the road in front of my house to the point that now my house is below the level of the road. As you can imagine, when it rains, the water rushes down the street looking for the lowest spot. My property along with other properties on the street are now the lowest point. Many of us are getting flooding into our homes. We've complained to the Board of Trustees only to be met with denial. We've been told that they've never added dirt to the street (should have taken a video). We've also been told really ridiculous things such as our houses are actually sinking.
Recently there was a club meeting at which we voted to elect a new board. Since so many people are having various problems with the current board, all but one of them were voted out. A portion of the meeting was open to comments from the community members. I stood in front of the two hundred plus people and made a statement regarding the road issues. I made it clear that I was speaking to the new board members since the old ones would never listen. After I made my statement a man came up to me and asked if I would step aside so he could speak to me. He seemed polite enough so I agreed. He then proceeded to try and convince me that my house was sinking. My first tactic was to tell him I knew that was not true. He continued. I then told him that I was an engineer and that I KNEW my house was not sinking. I told him that my husband is also an engineer and we BOTH KNOW our house is not sinking. Amazingly, he continued. My next tactic was to stop responding. I was thinking, when will this man give up? He continued, blah, blah, blah...
My old self would have just let him go on and on. My old self would have felt it was rude to cut him off. My old self would have gotten more and more irritated and would have felt bad later that I hadn't stopped him. My old self has given way to my new self. My new self then said to him "I can't talk to you anymore, its too annoying." He was pulled up short and finally he stopped. I had suddenly realized that I did not have to listen to him. I could tell him to go away. I was not rude, he was. He left and I patted myself on the back. I really like this new self!
Monday, October 06, 2008
INTERESTING
I find it so funny that after reviewing my last few posts it seems to be a roller coaster of ups and downs. I would write a post saying I was not feeling well then I would write a post that I was feeling better! Peppered in between was problems my kids were having! I hope my latest post saying that I have renewed hope and think I am feeling better is not just one of my ups only to be followed by a down!!! Wish me luck!!
An interesting point: in the past I've found people who go on and on about their medical problems a bit annoying. I'VE TURNED INTO THAT PERSON!!! EEEEK!!
An interesting point: in the past I've found people who go on and on about their medical problems a bit annoying. I'VE TURNED INTO THAT PERSON!!! EEEEK!!
SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED
So much has happened since the last time I have posted. The people who read my blog before were a very small group and I'm sure now those few have even stopped coming - including my husband. He was my number one fan but I doubt that he stops by anymore. He knows I have been feeling so lousy that I don't have the energy to post.
Well, so much has happened since I posted in April. I went to a new endocrinologist at the beginning of June. He discovered that I had low iron and put me on Slow Fe. It has taken a long time, however, slowly but surely it has seemed to help at least with some of my symptoms. I no longer huff and puff from just normal everyday activity. I would still say that I have some symptoms of low iron although I am sure that my lab numbers will show that I am well within range. I've decided that for me, I am going to not go by my lab numbers but just by how I am feeling. I am not worried about having too much iron because I am no where near the upper end of normal.
At the end of August I came down with Shingles! Talk about kicking someone when they are down! The worst of it was over in 4 weeks but I still have some slight itching and some numbness on my back where the rash was. For me the pain was not agonizing but really maddening. I had the pain first and then it was replaced by itching. For about a week or so I had both pain and itching and could not even slightly scratch it because it hurt so much even to rub my fingers over it. The doctor that diagnosed it recommended that I get a complete physical because shingles is usually seen in the elderly or people with compromised immune systems. I felt she was insinuating that I could have cancer when she recommended a mammogram. I figured it would be a good idea to get a physical and went to see an internist (not the same doctor). He listened to my long drawn out story of fatigue, migraines, under active thyroid, shingles, etc and seemed to be undecided whether I was crazy or I actually had something wrong with me. In the end he ran a bunch of tests just to be sure. I am still waiting for those results. If everything comes back negative he can jump onto the bandwagon that says I'm crazy.
During all of this I was still getting many migraines so I decided to keep my appointment that I had at the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia. My visit there on September 30th went well. I had to take a personality test (370 questions) as well as speak to a psychologist to actually see if I am crazy! In reality, they are just seeing how stress may play a role in your headaches. They made sure I realized that they weren't saying that stress is causing my headaches but they were trying to see if the headaches may be exacerbated by stress. In the end the psychologist was actually impressed that I was so emotionally sound considering my not so lovely childhood. She gave me a card in case I want to try acupuncture and a book mark that says "Falun Dafa" on it. Its an ancient spiritual practice. I guess just using this book mark is supposed to relieve any stress I may experience. Hmmm.
My time with the nurse and neurologist was much more fruitful. I came away with a couple of new medications to take. He gave me something to replace the Imitrex I take when I actually get a migraine. Its Imitrex plus Aleve. More importantly, he gave me a prescription for an anti seizure medication that will hopefully prevent my migraines. Its called Lamictal and works to balance the neurotransmitters in the brain. Migraines have to do with the neurotransmitters firing out of control in the brain so it makes sense to try this medicine. He says that this particular medicine seems to be especially effective in migraines with aura. Since I always get the aura and sometimes I only get the aura without the headache, it should work well. Hopefully. If not there is always the book mark!
I try this medication for two and a half months and go back to see him. If it seems to be working, I will then stay on it for eight months. If it controls the headaches for that long I will then be weaned off from it. I can not take a full dose right away but will take a month to build up to the full dose. He said something about how this will help to avoid some sort of lethal rash you can get as a dangerous side effect...hee hee. Seriously, the rash thing is real but I really doubt I will have that problem. After all, I'm an optimist! So far I have been on the lowest dose for one week. My initial reaction is that it may already be helping a little bit. One week is too early to tell how much it may help me but I am hopeful for the first time in months.
I realize that this blog may not really explain all I've been through in the past two years regarding my health. I'm sure it doesn't portray how much I have lost of myself. I have become the sick person and I don't like that. I wish I was my old self but at this point I still feel far away from the old Elise. I know that in the past few months I have learned to ignore many of my problems and continue living my life. Because of this I'm not sure if the medicines are helping or if its just a case of mind over matter.
One of my hopes is that I can start to post a bit more here without always talking about my poor health. The best way to do that would be to start feeling more healthy! Well, if that is not possible then I would still like to find something more positive to write about. Regardless of audience size, I like to write about my everyday happenings.
Well, so much has happened since I posted in April. I went to a new endocrinologist at the beginning of June. He discovered that I had low iron and put me on Slow Fe. It has taken a long time, however, slowly but surely it has seemed to help at least with some of my symptoms. I no longer huff and puff from just normal everyday activity. I would still say that I have some symptoms of low iron although I am sure that my lab numbers will show that I am well within range. I've decided that for me, I am going to not go by my lab numbers but just by how I am feeling. I am not worried about having too much iron because I am no where near the upper end of normal.
At the end of August I came down with Shingles! Talk about kicking someone when they are down! The worst of it was over in 4 weeks but I still have some slight itching and some numbness on my back where the rash was. For me the pain was not agonizing but really maddening. I had the pain first and then it was replaced by itching. For about a week or so I had both pain and itching and could not even slightly scratch it because it hurt so much even to rub my fingers over it. The doctor that diagnosed it recommended that I get a complete physical because shingles is usually seen in the elderly or people with compromised immune systems. I felt she was insinuating that I could have cancer when she recommended a mammogram. I figured it would be a good idea to get a physical and went to see an internist (not the same doctor). He listened to my long drawn out story of fatigue, migraines, under active thyroid, shingles, etc and seemed to be undecided whether I was crazy or I actually had something wrong with me. In the end he ran a bunch of tests just to be sure. I am still waiting for those results. If everything comes back negative he can jump onto the bandwagon that says I'm crazy.
During all of this I was still getting many migraines so I decided to keep my appointment that I had at the Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia. My visit there on September 30th went well. I had to take a personality test (370 questions) as well as speak to a psychologist to actually see if I am crazy! In reality, they are just seeing how stress may play a role in your headaches. They made sure I realized that they weren't saying that stress is causing my headaches but they were trying to see if the headaches may be exacerbated by stress. In the end the psychologist was actually impressed that I was so emotionally sound considering my not so lovely childhood. She gave me a card in case I want to try acupuncture and a book mark that says "Falun Dafa" on it. Its an ancient spiritual practice. I guess just using this book mark is supposed to relieve any stress I may experience. Hmmm.
My time with the nurse and neurologist was much more fruitful. I came away with a couple of new medications to take. He gave me something to replace the Imitrex I take when I actually get a migraine. Its Imitrex plus Aleve. More importantly, he gave me a prescription for an anti seizure medication that will hopefully prevent my migraines. Its called Lamictal and works to balance the neurotransmitters in the brain. Migraines have to do with the neurotransmitters firing out of control in the brain so it makes sense to try this medicine. He says that this particular medicine seems to be especially effective in migraines with aura. Since I always get the aura and sometimes I only get the aura without the headache, it should work well. Hopefully. If not there is always the book mark!
I try this medication for two and a half months and go back to see him. If it seems to be working, I will then stay on it for eight months. If it controls the headaches for that long I will then be weaned off from it. I can not take a full dose right away but will take a month to build up to the full dose. He said something about how this will help to avoid some sort of lethal rash you can get as a dangerous side effect...hee hee. Seriously, the rash thing is real but I really doubt I will have that problem. After all, I'm an optimist! So far I have been on the lowest dose for one week. My initial reaction is that it may already be helping a little bit. One week is too early to tell how much it may help me but I am hopeful for the first time in months.
I realize that this blog may not really explain all I've been through in the past two years regarding my health. I'm sure it doesn't portray how much I have lost of myself. I have become the sick person and I don't like that. I wish I was my old self but at this point I still feel far away from the old Elise. I know that in the past few months I have learned to ignore many of my problems and continue living my life. Because of this I'm not sure if the medicines are helping or if its just a case of mind over matter.
One of my hopes is that I can start to post a bit more here without always talking about my poor health. The best way to do that would be to start feeling more healthy! Well, if that is not possible then I would still like to find something more positive to write about. Regardless of audience size, I like to write about my everyday happenings.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
FEELING BETTER.....I HOPE
My first migraine of this last bunch of migraines was on February 21, 2008. It was followed by five more migraines early in march for a total of six migraines, ending with the last two on March 12, 2008. During the entire time of getting and recovering from the migraines I have a major brain fog. The migraines were followed by over a week of dizzy spells. This was followed by a period of just feeling out of it. I really didn't start to feel significantly better until late last week. I still have moments where I feel odd as if I may get another migraine at any moment. So five weeks of my life gone. Right now I am able to pretty much function but I am pampering myself a bit in order to make sure the migraines don't return.
I have been reading a lot about migraines and have confirmed the connection that I suspected between my under active thyroid and the migraines. It gives me hope that once I FINALLY have my thyroid under control I will not get all these crazy migraines!
A side note, Sarah's numb feet (while running in gym) are a bit better but it's still happening.
UPDATE MAY 29,2008:
I ended up having 10 migraines in April. Eight of those were in one six day period. That was the week that I decided to stop taking my cabergoline. My last two migraines were on April 30, 2008. I am still feeling pretty crummy but have a renewed hope. I have an appointment with a new endocrinologist on June 3, 2008. My hope is he can stabilize my thyroid and I will get rid of these migraines. I have an appointment with Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia for September 30, 2008 just in case. I'm hoping by then I can cancel it because I am feeling better.
In the meantime I am tired, have hardly any stamina, my eyes keep twitching and I'm still seeing sort of funny. I hope no more migraines.
I have been reading a lot about migraines and have confirmed the connection that I suspected between my under active thyroid and the migraines. It gives me hope that once I FINALLY have my thyroid under control I will not get all these crazy migraines!
A side note, Sarah's numb feet (while running in gym) are a bit better but it's still happening.
UPDATE MAY 29,2008:
I ended up having 10 migraines in April. Eight of those were in one six day period. That was the week that I decided to stop taking my cabergoline. My last two migraines were on April 30, 2008. I am still feeling pretty crummy but have a renewed hope. I have an appointment with a new endocrinologist on June 3, 2008. My hope is he can stabilize my thyroid and I will get rid of these migraines. I have an appointment with Jefferson Headache Center in Philadelphia for September 30, 2008 just in case. I'm hoping by then I can cancel it because I am feeling better.
In the meantime I am tired, have hardly any stamina, my eyes keep twitching and I'm still seeing sort of funny. I hope no more migraines.
Monday, March 03, 2008
SARAH'S NUMB FEET
In the future, this will be a post about how Sarah's feet went numb anytime she ran. Hopefully, by the time I get around to actually writing it, I will have the good news that the problem was resolved. I think we may almost be there.
Another reason why I haven't posted....this blog could easily turn into one depressing post after another!
Another reason why I haven't posted....this blog could easily turn into one depressing post after another!
WHY I HARDLY EVER POST ANYMORE
I haven't been posting much because I really haven't been feeling well. Its been almost two years now that I've been dealing with out of whack hormones. It seems like every three or four months I have some new difficulty. It started in the spring of 2006 when I began having migraine headaches and my period started coming every three weeks. I've had a pituitary tumor removed in the past. Since the pituitary is the master gland located in your head and attached to your brain, it can cause some hormonal problems. Among other things, these hormone troubles can mess up your period. I was worried in 2006 that it had come back (50% of pituitary tumors grow back after surgery).
I went to an endocrinologist to find out if it had grown back. She ran some blood tests and had an MRI done. While I was there she looked at my neck and felt it. She found a thyroid nodule that needed to be checked out with an ultrasound and then a fine needle biopsy. She also had some blood work done for possible thyroid disease.
My follow-up visit was filled with bad news. I had a mass on my pituitary and I had an under active thyroid caused by Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disease where my own body is destroying my thyroid. I've been trying to control my thyroid hormone levels ever since. Its bounced between under active and overactive. Mostly just under active and slowly getting worse. Each time my blood work shows numbers that are out of the normal range I feel crummy. It takes several weeks for me to feel better from a new dose of medicine. I recently started taking a higher dose 5 days ago. One of the signals that something is not right is that I get migraines. I also have major brain fog. I also feel exhausted and often times fall asleep during the day. There are other symptoms that I get but those are the worse to deal with.
The mass on my pituitary was not definitively found to be a tumor. However, one of the signs that it is a tumor is that the level of your hormone prolactin is elevated. Mine has been going up and down for the past two years. We figured out that when it goes up it causes me some of the same symptoms as the thyroid does. Mainly, migraine headaches and brain fog. In November we decided to start treating it and with medication we've lowered it into the normal range. In the first six months after finding the pituitary mass, it did not grow. I will be having another MRI in March to see what it looks like now. I've taken to calling it "the tumor" instead of "the mass". I really hope it hasn't grown. It's 1.1 cm, anything over a cm is considered a macro tumor as opposed to a micro tumor.
Since it takes me weeks to recover from either my thyroid hormone being off or my prolactin level being off, I spend much of my time not feeling really well. I know that it could be worse but another symptom is feeling down in the dumps. I think a lot of it is hormonal but there's also the fact that I'm just plain sick of all of this. Whenever I get another migraine, I just think "not again."
Note: I've read this over but I don't have the mental fortitude to try to make sure it makes complete sense.
UPDATE MAY 29, 2008: I spoke to my neurosurgeon and he is almost 100% sure that the mass on my pituitary is not a tumor. Possibly just scar tissue. He had said this before but I was worried because of my elevated prolactin. He said that my prolactin level is not really high enough to be indicative of a tumor. He said it would be at least 75 - mine's always less than 50 but more than 30 - it bounces all over the place. I really trust him and believe that he is right. So now I call it "the blob" on my pituitary. Actually its really adjacent to the pituitary. After feeling really sick and having side effects that I am pretty sure were because of the cabergoline, I decided to stop taking it. A lot of those side effects have gone away although I am still feeling badly.
I am seeing a new endocrinologist soon because I am sick of feeling lousy. I'm hoping a new doctor with more experience will be able to help me. He is around 2 1/2 hours away in Philadelphia but I've read a lot of great recommendations on him. I'm hoping it will be worth the trip and I will feel better. I'm hoping a switch in thyroid medication will help me. I am filled with hope...I feel like I've lost these past two years of my life.
I went to an endocrinologist to find out if it had grown back. She ran some blood tests and had an MRI done. While I was there she looked at my neck and felt it. She found a thyroid nodule that needed to be checked out with an ultrasound and then a fine needle biopsy. She also had some blood work done for possible thyroid disease.
My follow-up visit was filled with bad news. I had a mass on my pituitary and I had an under active thyroid caused by Hashimoto's disease. Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disease where my own body is destroying my thyroid. I've been trying to control my thyroid hormone levels ever since. Its bounced between under active and overactive. Mostly just under active and slowly getting worse. Each time my blood work shows numbers that are out of the normal range I feel crummy. It takes several weeks for me to feel better from a new dose of medicine. I recently started taking a higher dose 5 days ago. One of the signals that something is not right is that I get migraines. I also have major brain fog. I also feel exhausted and often times fall asleep during the day. There are other symptoms that I get but those are the worse to deal with.
The mass on my pituitary was not definitively found to be a tumor. However, one of the signs that it is a tumor is that the level of your hormone prolactin is elevated. Mine has been going up and down for the past two years. We figured out that when it goes up it causes me some of the same symptoms as the thyroid does. Mainly, migraine headaches and brain fog. In November we decided to start treating it and with medication we've lowered it into the normal range. In the first six months after finding the pituitary mass, it did not grow. I will be having another MRI in March to see what it looks like now. I've taken to calling it "the tumor" instead of "the mass". I really hope it hasn't grown. It's 1.1 cm, anything over a cm is considered a macro tumor as opposed to a micro tumor.
Since it takes me weeks to recover from either my thyroid hormone being off or my prolactin level being off, I spend much of my time not feeling really well. I know that it could be worse but another symptom is feeling down in the dumps. I think a lot of it is hormonal but there's also the fact that I'm just plain sick of all of this. Whenever I get another migraine, I just think "not again."
Note: I've read this over but I don't have the mental fortitude to try to make sure it makes complete sense.
UPDATE MAY 29, 2008: I spoke to my neurosurgeon and he is almost 100% sure that the mass on my pituitary is not a tumor. Possibly just scar tissue. He had said this before but I was worried because of my elevated prolactin. He said that my prolactin level is not really high enough to be indicative of a tumor. He said it would be at least 75 - mine's always less than 50 but more than 30 - it bounces all over the place. I really trust him and believe that he is right. So now I call it "the blob" on my pituitary. Actually its really adjacent to the pituitary. After feeling really sick and having side effects that I am pretty sure were because of the cabergoline, I decided to stop taking it. A lot of those side effects have gone away although I am still feeling badly.
I am seeing a new endocrinologist soon because I am sick of feeling lousy. I'm hoping a new doctor with more experience will be able to help me. He is around 2 1/2 hours away in Philadelphia but I've read a lot of great recommendations on him. I'm hoping it will be worth the trip and I will feel better. I'm hoping a switch in thyroid medication will help me. I am filled with hope...I feel like I've lost these past two years of my life.
SARAH'S EAR TUBE MAKES HER HEARING EXTRA SENSITIVE
Well, Sarah had her tube put in on January 7, 2008. She was mostly worried about not eating and not sleeping well and having it cause her a migraine headache. This did not happen. We arrived at the hospital at the scheduled time and then had to wait in the waiting area for a half hour. We got called back to the surgery area and asked a few questions. She had to put on her hospital Johnny and then was put into a bed to wait some more. It wasn't long before the Anesthesiologist came by and told us he was going to insert the IV before he put her to sleep. When Erin had had tubes put in (twice) they had put her to sleep with gas and then inserted the IV. I had told Sarah that this was what would happen so we were both quite surprised. He felt her arm and told us that she had a good vein. OOPS he missed it. Things went down hill from there. Sarah's eyes were bugged out of her head as he tried to do it again into her hand. I was holding the other hand and felt it go from warm to cold and knew that they wouldn't have much luck. Her veins had collapsed in her panic. She didn't cry but she did feel feint. Then she felt sick to her stomach. Finally, they decided to put her to sleep with gas and then put it in. Both hands were really bruised up and stayed that way for weeks. They must have hit some nerves because she had some weird numbness in her pinkies for a least a month following.
The news from the actual surgery was better. No tumor blocking the Eustachian tube. No fluid in the other ear. Just the one tube and it went in fine.
Things were quite sore afterwards. She had quite a bit of hearing loss beforehand so things seemed quite loud to her after the tube was put in. I knew that when a tube is put in your ear there can be hypersensitivity in your hearing so it was no surprised. I knew that she would have trouble at school, especially in the lunch room. I wanted to make arrangements for her to eat some place else until her hearing was less sensitive. When the nurse from the hospital called I asked her if she knew how long things would seem extra loud for Sarah. She didn't know and recommended that I send Sarah to school with cotton to stuff in her ear. I then called the doctors office and spoke to the nurse there. She not only didn't know, she was amazed that this was happening. I also checked out the internet and was surprised I couldn't find out a lot of information about it. This is surprising because I know it must happen quite frequently. My husband had tubes when he was a kid and he can remember that his hearing was so sensitive that it actually hurt his ears. I finally gave up and figured we would just deal with however long it took. I want to write what happened in regards to this so that if someone else out there ends up at this website they will know how long to expect things to seem loud. During the first day Sarah's hearing was so sensitive that it did indeed hurt. I had to whisper everything. The sensitivity seemed to ebb and flow a bit, probably due to the fact that there may have been some fluid or blood building up and draining. In turn that would block and unblock the hearing. At least that is my guess. The next day she didn't complain about pain from noise although things were still sore in general. We still were talking quietly to her but not keeping things super quiet. She stayed home from school the second day but went back on the third. I arranged for her to eat in a room next to the nurses room (yes, germ heaven). The fourth day she decided on her own to eat in the lunch room Things still seemed a bit loud to her but she knew that she could plug her ear if it got to be too much. I would say that in about a week her hearing seemed normal to her.
The news from the actual surgery was better. No tumor blocking the Eustachian tube. No fluid in the other ear. Just the one tube and it went in fine.
Things were quite sore afterwards. She had quite a bit of hearing loss beforehand so things seemed quite loud to her after the tube was put in. I knew that when a tube is put in your ear there can be hypersensitivity in your hearing so it was no surprised. I knew that she would have trouble at school, especially in the lunch room. I wanted to make arrangements for her to eat some place else until her hearing was less sensitive. When the nurse from the hospital called I asked her if she knew how long things would seem extra loud for Sarah. She didn't know and recommended that I send Sarah to school with cotton to stuff in her ear. I then called the doctors office and spoke to the nurse there. She not only didn't know, she was amazed that this was happening. I also checked out the internet and was surprised I couldn't find out a lot of information about it. This is surprising because I know it must happen quite frequently. My husband had tubes when he was a kid and he can remember that his hearing was so sensitive that it actually hurt his ears. I finally gave up and figured we would just deal with however long it took. I want to write what happened in regards to this so that if someone else out there ends up at this website they will know how long to expect things to seem loud. During the first day Sarah's hearing was so sensitive that it did indeed hurt. I had to whisper everything. The sensitivity seemed to ebb and flow a bit, probably due to the fact that there may have been some fluid or blood building up and draining. In turn that would block and unblock the hearing. At least that is my guess. The next day she didn't complain about pain from noise although things were still sore in general. We still were talking quietly to her but not keeping things super quiet. She stayed home from school the second day but went back on the third. I arranged for her to eat in a room next to the nurses room (yes, germ heaven). The fourth day she decided on her own to eat in the lunch room Things still seemed a bit loud to her but she knew that she could plug her ear if it got to be too much. I would say that in about a week her hearing seemed normal to her.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
SARAH'S EAR
Tomorrow Sarah goes to have surgery to have a tube put in her ear. It all started at the end of September when she told me that she was having trouble hearing out of one ear. Like a good mother I ignored her the first time she told me. The second time (a couple weeks later) she told me again and I had her plug her good ear and tell me if she could hear the TV with the bad ear. She couldn't. I'm no Sherlock Holmes so it took me a day to figure out that it could be an ear infection. Last fall she had gotten an ear infection and did not have any pain until the infection was so bad the eardrum was about to burst. I know that it was about to burst because she described the pain as "throbbing" and said it felt like something in her ear was "growing." Now you would think I would be very tuned in to any sort of thing happening with her ears. So although she didn't have any pain, I decided a trip to the pediatrician was in order. Of course she did indeed have an ear infection. Quite bad actually. The course of treatment followed a similar path to last year. It took two or three rounds of progressively stronger antibiotics to cure the infection. Afterwards she had to be on six weeks of maintenance antibiotics because of residual fluid left over in the ear. Last year after the six weeks the fluid was gone but this year the fluid was still there.
Fortunately, we have an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist that we are familiar with (Tom has on going sinus problems and Erin had tubes in her ears when she was younger). I made an appointment and I wasn't surprised when he tested her hearing and she was having trouble hearing with that ear. We already knew this but hey, why not pay for an expensive test to tell us the same thing! Just joking, I'm sure its important to know just how much hearing lose there is just to compare with how much is restored after the tubes. He recommend a tube and said he would check the other ear for fluid during surgery and if some was in there he may put two tubes in. He said that it is common at this age for the adenoids to swell and sometimes block the end of the Eustachian tube so fluid can't drain. The adenoids usually go back down in a year or two. He also said in very rare cases the tube may be blocked by a tumor. He will check during surgery.
Considering Sarah is my little worry wart, she is doing outstanding. She really doesn't seem stressed much at all. I'm sure she will be a little worried tomorrow but so far so good. I am not really worried because we have been through this twice before with Erin. It gets to a point where you just want to get the tube put in so the problem can go away. I am constantly worried that the ear infection will flair up again. It just makes matters worse knowing she doesn't get the pain until its almost too late. She is off the antibiotics now for a couple of weeks so it could come back at any time. It will also be nice that she won't need those antibiotics since they really mess up her digestive system.
Fortunately, we have an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist that we are familiar with (Tom has on going sinus problems and Erin had tubes in her ears when she was younger). I made an appointment and I wasn't surprised when he tested her hearing and she was having trouble hearing with that ear. We already knew this but hey, why not pay for an expensive test to tell us the same thing! Just joking, I'm sure its important to know just how much hearing lose there is just to compare with how much is restored after the tubes. He recommend a tube and said he would check the other ear for fluid during surgery and if some was in there he may put two tubes in. He said that it is common at this age for the adenoids to swell and sometimes block the end of the Eustachian tube so fluid can't drain. The adenoids usually go back down in a year or two. He also said in very rare cases the tube may be blocked by a tumor. He will check during surgery.
Considering Sarah is my little worry wart, she is doing outstanding. She really doesn't seem stressed much at all. I'm sure she will be a little worried tomorrow but so far so good. I am not really worried because we have been through this twice before with Erin. It gets to a point where you just want to get the tube put in so the problem can go away. I am constantly worried that the ear infection will flair up again. It just makes matters worse knowing she doesn't get the pain until its almost too late. She is off the antibiotics now for a couple of weeks so it could come back at any time. It will also be nice that she won't need those antibiotics since they really mess up her digestive system.
LUCKY ERIN
For the past couple of years Erin has complained about pains in her hips and knees. In 7th grade when she started to run cross country, she had to stop for a couple of weeks when her hip became sore. The spring of 7th grade she came home one day and told me that her knee had gotten locked in a bent position when she had tried to straighten it after sitting on her knees during class. It was so painful that she almost passed out. She ended up crying in school, something that she never does. She was finally able to get it unlocked by bending it even more and she felt her knee "slide" back into place. Then this year in 8th grade she had a similar problem where her knee would hurt when she tried to straighten it (one time after sitting with her legs bent up under her). In between these incidents she would often tell me about minor aches and pains. I decided that although I didn't think she had a serious problem, we should take her to an orthopedic doctor.
The visit was definitely worth the $15 copay. He told us that it is very common for adolescent girls to have knees that tend to slide back and forth. He showed us by putting marks on her knee and then moving it from straight to bent. Sure enough her knee slid about a half inch to the outside. Very creepy. He also told us that as her hips widen she would get pain there too. He said some girls suffer much more than she has and it can get very painful. He told us that when she sits on her legs with her knees bent that causes inflammation under the knee cap. Then when she tries to straighten them they move and because of all this inflammation it really hurts. The good thing is that her knees and hips should feel better after adolescence.
He then told her to stand and pointed out that her arch was okay until she stood and then it would collapse. He said that her feet tended to roll in because of the collapsing arch and that puts more stress on the moving knees and growing hips. He recommended that we buy "stability" running sneakers. He gave us a website to go to in order to know which sneakers to buy. When I came home, I checked the sneakers that she had used this year for running and found out that they were stability sneakers. I figured that was why she didn't have a problem while running this year. At the time I had thought it was odd that she didn't complain during the time she was running, all the problems happened at other times of the year. I think we both feel happy that all her problems are just normal things that will eventually get resolved.
The visit was definitely worth the $15 copay. He told us that it is very common for adolescent girls to have knees that tend to slide back and forth. He showed us by putting marks on her knee and then moving it from straight to bent. Sure enough her knee slid about a half inch to the outside. Very creepy. He also told us that as her hips widen she would get pain there too. He said some girls suffer much more than she has and it can get very painful. He told us that when she sits on her legs with her knees bent that causes inflammation under the knee cap. Then when she tries to straighten them they move and because of all this inflammation it really hurts. The good thing is that her knees and hips should feel better after adolescence.
He then told her to stand and pointed out that her arch was okay until she stood and then it would collapse. He said that her feet tended to roll in because of the collapsing arch and that puts more stress on the moving knees and growing hips. He recommended that we buy "stability" running sneakers. He gave us a website to go to in order to know which sneakers to buy. When I came home, I checked the sneakers that she had used this year for running and found out that they were stability sneakers. I figured that was why she didn't have a problem while running this year. At the time I had thought it was odd that she didn't complain during the time she was running, all the problems happened at other times of the year. I think we both feel happy that all her problems are just normal things that will eventually get resolved.
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