Ear Rocks

This is what my world has looked like for the past 3 days.  I woke up Saturday morning feeling great.  We were having family pictures taken, my mother-in-law is here for a visit, cousins were coming down for the long weekend and my hubby had a much deserved day off on Monday.

I was leaning over the tub like I do every morning to wash my hair.  When I stood up, the entire room began spinning and I feel over and to the ground.  I lay on the floor with the entire room spinning so fast it was a blur.  I managed to get up off the floor and crawl to the couch in the living room.  Now, I have been dizzy before but never like this.  Not even after getting off a spinning ride at Six Flags.  I made the second mistake of trying to lay down again and got sick to my stomach.  I yelled for Steve who carried me to the bathroom where I proceeded to get VERY sick.  I have never in my life felt like this.  It was scary.  I had no control over my brain or my eyes; my eyes kept trying to track where I was in space.  It was alarming.

I quickly called my dad who has had these symptoms before and he confirmed what Steve had already said, it's Vertigo.  Apparently everyone has these thousands of tiny crystals in their inner ear that are suspended in liquid.  These crystals stimulate nerve cells when we move our heads.  Sometimes these crystals or "Ear Rocks" fall into the ear canal and our brains get confused.  These rocks roll around and tells the brain that you are moving more than you are or Vertigo.

Well, I went to the doctor to see if that was all that was going on.  Of course its a Saturday because no one in my family get sick unless its a weekend or holiday or in this case, both!!  After a very long and dizzy wait, I found out I also had a double ear infection too.   So an antibiotic and 3 other meds that make me very sleepy later, I was home.

I was sick and didn't even know it.  Isn't that like a mom?  Always worried that someone else is sick but totally ignoring any thing that may be going on with you :)

What's hard about Vertigo is that you really can't lay down, it makes it worse.  Of course all of the meds for naseua and dizziness make you so sleepy that you can't hold your head up but you literally have to sleep sitting straight up.  As long as you hold you head perfectly straight between your shoulders, your good.  Sometimes you have to wear a neck brace and believe me I have wanted to.

It's unclear if the ear infection is related to the Vertigo.  It probably is somehow but the doctor said that there doesn't need to be any kind of infection for Vertigo to happen.   It can happen at anytime if those "rocks" get knocked loose.

So here I am 3 days later, better but still dizzy.  I am hopefully going to get appointment with an ENT today.  I have heard from my dad and on several websites that they have a very simple technique of moving your head in certain positions that put those crystals back in place.  I am desperate so I am going!  If I don't, I could stay this way for weeks!!

Crazy!  I never knew.

Boys Will Be Boys.... Not Girls

I posted on my foster/adoption blog about my concerns for the plight of boys in the foster care system. But the problem is not just in the "system". I see boyhood and in turn our future manhood being attacked in general at every turn.

Behaviors that used to be considered normal and acceptable for boys is being labeled " hyper" or "attention deficit". The mere fact that boys by nature from the time they can walk pretend any thing can be a gun is not deviant behavior but God given. The fact that I have seen little boys that had never even seen a gun let alone had a toy one, pretend to bite their PB&J's into a gun is proof if their inherent nature to pretend.

Why is that wrong? Little boys should be able to run wild outside, fight with swords, rescue maidens, get dirty and just play unhindered.

We desperately seem to want boys to "calm down", to play quietly, to sit still. I am sorry, it's just not possible for them. It is outside of their nature.

Statistically, boys are four times more likely to be prescribed Ritalin than girls and three times more likely to be labeled ADD. (www.protectingourboys.org) I read on another site that the 85% of all Ritalin manufactured worldwide is consumed in the United States. Those are staggering statistics.

Our society here in America is trying to feminize our sons. Why? To what end?

Just thinking...

Honored

We just recently had the honor of being recognized on the Buckner blog for our work.  We feel very humbled....

Mentorship: The Best Possible Foster Parent – Biological Parent Relationship

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May 16, 2012
Filed in Foster Care, Weekly Updates from the Experts

Foster Care is a temporary program by design. It’s intended to be a short-term solution to ensure children’s safety and well-being when their biological families are unable to adequately meet their needs. Sometimes, the biological parents are never able to resume care for their children, and placement with extended family members or adoption is pursued. However, there are other times when the system works just as intended.

Today’s blog post is about one of those times, and spotlights a foster family from our North Texas office who was willing to stand in the gap for both the child in care and his biological parents. Read this story below about Trevor (name changed) and consider what your role might be to serve as a foster parent for children like him.

Trevor was placed with his Buckner foster family, Steve and Laura Hill, as a 4 month old infant weighing eight pounds. He had been removed from his biological mother due to allegations of medical neglect. He was a happy, smiling infant. Unfortunately, he rarely cried – always a developmental concern – and he had received numerous medical diagnoses.

As the Hills became more familiar with Trevor and sought out all recommended medical treatments, they began to notice some of the very same signs and symptoms that Trevor’s biological mom had reported to the Department of Families and Protective Services (DFPS) upon removal.

Steve and Laura Hill live near Longview, Texas. They are parents to two biological sons, Ethan, 12, and Isaac, 9, and are dedicated foster parents.

Through several medical appointments, an extended hospital stay, numerous tests and extensive lab work, it was determined that Trevor was a “medical mystery.”

In spite of frequent scheduled feedings, his weight gain was very slow. Laura Hill dedicated many hours to researching Trevor’s condition and documenting daily notes on his progress or regression, depending on the day.

The Hills established a relationship with Trevor’s biological mother and became advocates for her when communicating with DFPS. This family was separated due to the state’s understandable concerns that Trevor had been a victim of medical neglect. However, facts began to show that Trevor’s biological mother had sought medical attention for him, but he failed to improve 

Steve and Laura embraced Trevor’s mom and offered her support. They also made an agreement with DFPS that when Trevor was returned to his biological mother as a “monitored return,” they would be available to Trevor and his mom to help ensure she had the support she needed in caring for Trevor.

Today, the two families are in frequent contact with one another, Trevor’s medical needs are being closely monitored and an enduring friendship has formed through Steve and Laura’s mentorship of Trevor and his family.

What are your thoughts about connecting to biological families?

Debbie Sceroler is the foster care and adoption program director for Buckner Children and Family Services in Longview, Texas.