Foster2Forever

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TOP TEN DOCTOR VISITS SINCE I’VE HAD KIDS

Having kids totally changed my life!  As a foster parent, it changes with one phone call. (see my first call to foster)  We have had more than our fair share of doctor visits and even hospital stays.  The most recent – last week…

Oh Amanda is hosting a weekly Top Ten Tuesday, so I thought that this week I would list some of my most memorable visits to health care professionals in the last couple of years.

Before I list this Top Ten – let me first introduce you to the cast of characters:

  • Bubba (hey we ARE in Texas) – my teenage stepson
  • Stinkpot – our 2-yr-old that we adopted through foster care
  • Lil Bit – our 9-month-old foster baby

Without further ado – MY TOP TEN DOCTOR VISITS SINCE I’VE HAD KIDS

    1. My broken toe – Okay, not a doctor visit for the kids, but I did break my toe as my kids rode on my lap down a water slide the day of Stinkpot’s adoption.
    2. Bubba’s 3-day EEG after having a seizure at school – He was taped up like a lobotomy patient so that the wires would stay glued on his head. Quite a sight!  Lots of stares!  He showed up for his first day of work at McDonald’s like this – he was obviously sent home! This very expensive test gave no indication of the cause of his seizures. He has another one scheduled next month.  This time we will buy him a new video game to “beat” and allow him to stay up as long as he wants. [his previous seizures occurred after spending a weekend at his mom’s unstructured home life]
    3. Stinkpot’s first stay in the hospital – This 3-day visit was so frightening. First because the onset was so SUDDEN (crawling 1 minute then he couldn’t wake up). The doctors first thought it was meningitis -there had been a few cases in the area- I hated watching the spinal tap -thankfully not meningitis. Second, since the chest x-ray was clear for 2 days, the doctors were thinking something much more serious, like leukemia. On the 3rd day the chest x-ray showed pneumonia. He finally recovered and was sent home, but we were physically and emotionally exhausted!
    4. Stinkpot’s 2nd stay in the hospital for pneumonia – At a doctor visit for high fever, his oxygen level had dropped down to 82% and he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.  He LOVED it! He enjoyed the gurney ride as much as a buggy ride and was grinning and waving at everyone with the oxygen mask on him.
    5. Stinkpot’s visit to the pediatric pulmonologist – After 2 hospital stays, the insurance company actually contacted me to discuss Stinkpot’s breathing problems.  The insurance company wanted me to take him to an allergist; however, an allergist would not see him until he was at least 4 years old. So the insurance company suggested a pediatric pulmonologist. Stinkpot’s primary care physician wouldn’t give me a referral so I had to have the insurance company contact the doctor to get this done.  The pulmonologist looked at his chest x-ray and said that his chest was so full of fluid that he would be diagnosed with pneumonia again if he was running a fever (he wasn’t). The pulmonologist put him on a regimen of Singulair, Nasonex, and Zyrtec – he hasn’t been sick since!!!!
    6. Lil Bit’s 1st stay in the hospital
    7. Lil Bit’s 1st visit to the ER
    8. Lil Bit’s 2nd stay in the hospital for bronchialitis
    9. My allergic reaction to the flu shot
Impetigo
    1. Last week’s doctor visit for Lil Bit’s impetigo – a mosquito bite on Saturday evening gradually got worse and was oozing pus by the next evening.  Impetigo is a staph infection – the worst part is that when I saw this picture I realized that the baby got it from ME!!!  I thought the rash was another reaction from the flu shot.  After seeing how quickly that mosquito bite turned bad, I can see now how it can be deadly in a hospital setting.
    2. Honorable mention goes to LICE! Even though there was no doctor visit, I had 2 kids taken out of school until we got rid of those critters.  Although it doesn’t really belong on this list…I’d rather catch vomit on me than deal with lice again. That was the absolute WORST!!!

Y’all have a great week staying HEALTHY!!!!
Hugs!

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UPDATE ON LIL BIT (Part 5) – HOSPITAL STAY

A few weeks ago, we had yet another health scare with Lil Bit (our 8-month-old foster baby). I had noticed that he was beginning to wheeze again. We gave him a breathing treatment of albuteral with his nebulizer, and began watching him closely.

Late that evening, after the other kids had gone to bed, he was becoming extremely fussy and crying out. His breathing was worse. Looking at his chest, I noticed that he was “retracting” (the skin was pulling in & out between the ribs with each breath). The scariest part was when I looked at his round, little face — he was turning BLUE!!!

With tears in my eyes, I sped to the hospital with him crying out the 10-minute drive. I was so scared & trying to comfort him in the back seat with tear-soaked words. I drove over 50 mph through a residential zone & ran 2 red lights. I didn’t care – I just wanted to get Lil Bit to the hospital!

I pulled up to the ER & frantically rushed inside.

Something was different — Would you believe it?

This is the moment Lil Bit stopped crying.

I immediately told the young man at intake how this baby I was holding was struggling to breathe. The young man looked at this little angel quietly lying there and calmly replied,

“Please fill out this form, and I will need a copy on your insurance card.”

“Uh, sure,” I sheepishly replied.

I self-consciously picked up Lil Bit to find a seat in the crowded waiting room as everyone was quietly watching me. (I actually believe I heard an IV drip down the hall.) It was as if everyone’s eyes were saying, “What a nutcase of a mother – wait your turn.”

Just then, before I had made my way across the room, Lil Bit began wailing again. Strong & LOUD! Not that I wanted him to cry, but it did get the attention of a nurse that rushed to us.

“Let’s check his oxygen level. Come with me!”

By this time, Lil bit was really screaming now! With his arms & legs flailing about, it took several trys to get any type of reading for his oxygen — finally 92%

“Let’s find an exam room so the doctor can see him,” the nurse told another.

We quickly got settled into the ER exam room & them we had to..
WAIT
Doctor exam
WAIT
Blood tests
WAIT
Chest x-ray
WAIT
IV (this is the worst with an infant)
Steroid injection
WAIT
Breathing treatment
WAIT

DIAGNOSIS
Bronchialitis

At 2 a.m., the doctor returns and says, “He can go home now.”

WAIT

45 minutes later, as the nurse begins to take the IV out of Lil Bit’s arm, I exclaimed, “Look at his chest!” He was retracting again.

The nurse rushed to get the doctor. From the doorway, the doctor said, “Let’s go ahead & admit him.”

WAIT

At 5 a.m., we finally arrived at our room on the Pediatric floor of the hospital. We could finally get some sleep!

WAIT

30 minutes later, the nurses had completed the admissions paperwork and lowered the lights as they left the room.

Lil Bit & I finally slept….HARD!

The treatment Lil Bit received worked wonders!
His breathing improved tremendously throughout the day.
Lil Bit was released from the hospital late that afternoon.

I’ve since requested that Lil Bit be referred to a pediatric pulmonologist (worked great for Stinkpot). No one is balking at this request; in fact, the doctor and insurance company have been very helpful with the referral.

Lil Bit is on his way to receiving specialized care to prevent these health scares in regard to his breathing.

Have a great week enjoying your family!
Hugs to y’all!
~penny
http://txpenelope.blogspot.com

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UPDATE ON LIL BIT (Part 4) – Another Hospital Visit

Thanks to an obstinate dairyman, I had a meeting scheduled out-of-town at 4 pm on Good Friday. Making lemonade out of lemons, my family traveled out of town with me on our way up to the Metroplex to visit cousins during the Easter holiday weekend.

That night, Lil Bit began coughing a horrible cough throughout the night. I called the local hospital to see if he could get RSV again (he was hospitalized with it for 4 days in February). “Yes!” was the reply. At 4 o’clock in the morning I dressed and headed to the small-town ER with Lil Bit coughing the entire way.

My thoughts were racing – if Lil Bit needs to be hospitalized:

  • Can I take him to the hospital back home or would they want him to stay here?
  • Would he have to ride in an ambulance as Stinkpot did last time he was hospitalized?
  • How long would we have to stay in this small-town hospital?
  • Would he need to spend another 4 days in the hospital like the last time he had RSV?

I arrived at the ER and the doctors were quick to examine him. The doctor’s thought was that with his throat being so red that he may have strep throat. The nurses came in and tested him for strep & RSV.
The tests results came back quickly: No strep, no RSV, just a common cold. YEAH! We can leave!
When I got back to the hotel, everyone was up & ready for breakfast. Ready for an Easter egg hunt!
A funny thing did happen in this small-town hotel though. I thought it only happened in the movies, but….
the elevator broke down with my kids inside!!!
After that fiasco, we finally were able to head to my sister’s house & the cousins had such a good time together on their Easter egg hunt. They were so proud of their findings!!


Have a great week with your family!
Hugs to y’all!

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Running the Race with Asthma

Last October, upon leaving the doctor’s office after a routine visit, I was given a flu shot (not H1N1). After a bout with the flu in 1993, I do my best to get vaccinated. However, the next evening, after dinner, my lip swelled up & I broke out in hives! I was a polka-dotted Angelina Jolie!

After a series of tests, the allergist diagnosed me as allergic to, not only the flu vaccine, but ragweed, cats, mold, and elm trees! After another test, I was diagnosed with asthma. How can that be? Isn’t that a childhood disease that they can possibly outgrow? I’m nearly 45 years old!

My allergist informed me that I have adult-onset asthma. What? The diagnosis of asthma actually explained a number of concerns in regard to my health. The persistent cough I had struggled with for the last few years. The tightness in my chest that, at times, could become somewhat painful. All indications of asthma that I never considered.

There is no cure for asthma, only control. The doctor put me on a daily regimen of Singulair, Flonase, and Advair that have helped control my symptoms.

During my asthma test, I noticed a poster of Olympic swimmer, Amy Van Dyken. It stated that she had asthma since childhood. An Olympic champion? With asthma? Since forever? Wow!

I asked my doctor about exercising with asthma, and she suggested that exercise would, in fact, help build my lung capacity. I had been a long-distance runner in high school. I had also trained for the 2004 Houston Marathon, until a back injury at the 7-mile training mark sidelined me from completing the training program. I now made a goal of running a 5K.

Last year, the Komen Foundation gave a $50,000 grant to the Community Cancer Association to provide medicine & supplies to breast cancer patients in my area. (I am on the Board of Directors of this incredible organization.) The Komen Race for the Cure was scheduled for April 24, 2010. Five months should be plenty of time to train!
In November, I began training on the treadmill. I would jog 30 seconds, then walk for a minute & a half. I couldn’t believe how difficult this was. I was winded after a 30 second jog! It took a solid month of this before I ever felt that I could breathe without difficulty.
A person with asthma has to build up exercising slowly. Overdoing it could have very serious consequences. I learned this hard way a few Fridays ago. The weather was just beautiful, and I went outside for a long run. I wanted to run most of the course. I was jogging 1 & a half minutes at a time, and had run 2 miles on the treadmill the day before. I was ready! Or so I thought…
On a treadmill, I would run a set speed; however, once outside, I just ran. Probably too fast. I also had hill & wind outside that I didn’t have on a treadmill. I ran about 2 & a half miles that day. I was so sick the next day and throughout the weekend! It took me nearly a week before I felt recovered enough to get back on the treadmill. But I did.
I’ve since built up to 2-minute jogs and may stay at this level for a while. I am coughing a little more than usual now. Maybe from overdoing, or maybe from all the pollen in the air. My original goal of jogging the entire 5K has been obliverated with concerns over my health. It may take months or even years, or I may never be able to jog a 5K in its entirety.
My goal now is just to finish! Without killing myself!
And that’s OKAY!!!
Have a great week reaching your goals!

 

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UPDATE on Lil Bit…Part 1

My last writing on our now 6-month old foster baby, he was in the hospital with RSV & we were to give him to a relative on the 9th. It has been a whirlwind since!!!

Lil Bit was admitted to the hospital on February 2nd – Groundhog Day, no less – for RSV. My wonderful husband and I took turns staying/spending the night at the hospital. (An adult has to stay with an infant at all times)

Already emotionally & physically exhausted, I received all the legal paperwork discussing Lil Bit, his birth family, & the home study of a family member. Instead of being placed with his 5 siblings & other children, the home study recommended that Lil Bit be placed with his great-aunt. (don’t freak out – she’s younger than us at 33 years young!) As I read the home study & how they already had a room ready for Lil Bit, I began to cry. This baby has a family that loves him & wants him! He has 12-year-old & 7-year-old cousins that are excited about having a baby in their home. Who are we to get in the way of that?

I spent Thursday night in the hospital alone with Lil Bit saying my goodbyes to the little man & sleeping very little. (Can you hear the violins softly playing in the background?)

On Friday morning, my knight in shining armor that I married 5 years ago, comes into the gloomy hospital room & tells me that he wants to meet with our attorney. “I just want to hear what the attorney has to say” were the words he repeated to me.

Later that morning, I received a conference call from the law firm – my husband & TWO attorneys. Some of the things discussed:

  • Great-aunt cannot financially take care of Lil Bit without government assistance;
  • An arrest of great-uncle for violence years ago;
  • Lil Bit has lived with only the mother & us;
  • We have had Lil Bit for 1/3 of his life;
  • We have the financial capability to take care of Lil Bit long term;
  • Final adoption of Lil Bit is uncertain – other family members may be located;
  • This may cost up to $15K in legal fees!

So much to digest in one call & a really tough, expensive decision to make!
I was both excited & shocked when my frugal knight in shining armour told me –
“LET’S GO FOR IT!!!”
….to be continued….
Hugs until then!
~penny

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YES, IT DOES GET WORSE!

What a week!

I am still very nervous about what going to happen to Lil Bit, our 5-month-old foster baby. His case worker called me last Friday to tell me that they were going to send Lil Bit to the family member that has his other 5 siblings.

Since then, I have spoken with our attorney, and it all comes down to whether we, as foster parents, have standing for a court case. Foster parents can ask a judge to be considered as an option for placement if the child has lived with them for a year. Even though Lil Bit has lived with us less than 2 months – he has lived with us for 20% of his short life. But that doesn’t hold up in court.

We will have to prove that placing Lil Bit with the family member will possibly “endanger or otherwise cause harm” to him. Did I mention that, as I understand it, this family member has 6 children of their own? I know that the State is not recommending this placement; however, the family member does have an attorney & is requesting a sibling placement. I am meeting with our attorney tomorrow.

The worst part of all this is that I took Lil Bit to the doctor on Tuesday because he was getting a cough – and, turns out he has RSV! He was admitted to the hospital & is in isolation! I’m thankful I went ahead and took him before he had gotten worse! He has been doing well in that he is still getting plenty of oxygen; however, he has been fighting a fever & severe congestion.

Please keep Lil Bit and our family in your prayers!

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New Year’s Resolutions/Goals for 2010

Resolutions seem to go away the first week, but here are some goals I’d like to accomplish in 2010. Wish me luck & lots of prayer!

Spiritual
*Read the Old Testament – all of it – in chronological order. I found this really great One Year Chronological Bible at Mardel’s for $15. It is organized chronologically, which is really helping me with putting all the great Bible stories together how they happened. It’s like reading a great novel!

Family
*Provide a safe, loving Christian home to all my sons. My stepson graduates in May. Stinkpot, my very strong-willed toddler is a disciplinary challenge. We hope to adopt our foster baby boy sometime in 2010. (If you’d like information on fostering or adopting children in Texas – attend an informational meeting in your area.)

Homelife
*Get organized (somehow!) with cleaning, cooking & raising preschoolers while working full-time. I’m going to have to try this FlyLady thing again. To help with meal planning, I purchased this computer program –Dinner is Ready: 30 Meals in One Day – that I like alot. It puts together your menus & shopping lists by clicking on the recipes you like – you can even add your own recipes. Now to find the time to do the grocery shopping & cooking…(p.s. so far I have only been able to get this program to work on our PC with Microsoft xp, but not with Vista)

Personal
*Run the 5k in the Komen Central Texas Race for the Cure on April 24th. I have already begun training on the treadmill at work, but yesterday, I threw out my back…ug! Have any of you participated before?

Community
*Fight cancer in Central Texas by raising $15,000 for the Community Cancer Association at our first Quarters for Cancer event on Saturday, March 27th at Richland Mall. Anyone want to help or volunteer?

What are your goals/resolutions for 2010? Am I being too ambitious?

Hugs to you all!

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Just another Manic Monday

Beginning a really busy week, both at work & at home.

This is coming off a worrisome weekend with my 2-year-old foster boy, Stinkpot. He has had so many breathing problems (2 hospitalizations for pneumonia). With the way he was gasping Saturday night, we began steroid medication. He woke up Sunday morning with 101 fever & we really thought “here we go again”, but his fever broke by noon & he has been feeling great since. THANKFUL for answered prayers!

This week is really crazy!

  • Tonight is the final meeting with Stinkpot’s adoption worker before his adoption on August 12th!
  • Wednesday we are stimulating the economy by installing new flooring in our living room -> Goodbye to our income tax refund!
  • Thursday we are off to an adoption fair & then to an evening at a waterpark with our new church family
  • Sunday Bubba, my stepson, leaves for a weeklong camp & getting him ready will take a few days!

One thing that helps with crazy weeks like this is to have meals planned ahead of time. I learned this tip from The New Messies Manual: The Procrastinator’s Guide to Good Housekeeping by Sandra Felton.

Please comment if you have any tips to keep Mondays (& the rest of the week) from being manic

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Allergies, Sore Throats and Viruses

I’ve been suffering through yet ANOTHER bout of allergies this week. I’ve lost count this year on how many times I’ve been going through this. Is it grass I’m allergic to now? Then I’m in big trouble! The coughing & sore throat are so annoying!

But the worst part is that my portable hard drive & now laptop have a virus. It’s so annoying & worrisome.

3 lessons I’ve learned from this:

  1. Always disconnect portable drives using the safely remove hardware button
  2. Don’t have them connected to your computer as it’s booting up or restarting
  3. Don’t procrastinate backing up your data!!!

Of course, #3 is the most important. Hopefully, I won’t lose all my digital pictures from this entire decade because of my procrastination…

I’m Clever

Sway