Hocus Pocus

I don't want to drag this illness out anymore but I have to share this experience with you because I am in awe of it.  

If you know me well, I am typically very skeptical about medical treatments.  I hate going to the doctor. I hate taking any medicine myself and giving medicine to my kids.  Not because I don't believe it works; I do.  I just think we way over prescribe today.  Got a cough, here's a steroid.  Got a fever, here's a Zpac.  Too many antibiotics and we are immune or allergic.  I believe this is what happened to my middle son.  Six ear infections before 18 months and six antibiotic prescriptions and he is allergic to Penicillin and Erythromycin.   I could be wrong but I strongly suspect it.

But if you know me really well, you know I am even more skeptical about "natural" remedies.  I am NOT saying that natural is not good but I am very hesitant to rub an oil on a staph infection and think it will not spread.  Or stick garlic in any orifice and it pull out infection.  I am not even saying that these remedies don't work, just incredibly skeptical!!!!

All of this to say that when I was told that to cure my vertigo all I needed to do was see an ENT and have a series of head movements to "settle my ear rocks", I was skeptical for sure.  But even more than skeptical, I was desperate.  

I could go into all of the details about how ridiculous it was for me to find an ENT that would take me before the end of June but I am not going to relive my frustration.  Thankfully an fantastic ENT had me on his cancellation list and I was able to go yesterday.  Now mind you I had to live on Gyro Coaster  for 5 days but there was nothing I could do.  

So yesterday morning, my dad drove me to the doctor.  I got in immediately; no wait!  YAY!!  The doctor comes in looks in my ears (which were NOT infected like the PA said on Saturday.  Again antibiotics for nothing), my throat and my nose; always a pleasant experience ;)

He asked me a series of questions about how I felt and confirmed vertigo.  Now.... the hocus pocus part...

He had me fall straight back onto the table 4 times, twice facing opposite directions.  I became terribly dizzy.  He even had a bucket "just in case" I got too sick.  He determined that my left ear seemed to the one causing the most problems by how much my eyes would track after each fall.   His nurse came in and they began to have me do a series of falls and turns with my head.  A succession of turns 6 different times.  The first time I was so sick we had to rest but as he continued to the turns with my head, I felt less and less dizzy so that by the 6th time I was almost back to normal.  WEIRD I know but it worked.  I sat up after that 6th time and was not dizzy at all.  Apparently they have gotten this down to a fine art.  The series of movements forces the ear rocks back down to the bottom of the inner ear.  

If I hadn't been through it, I would have NEVER believed.  But it worked... I am a believer.  No medicine, no drops or ointment.  Just head movements!!

The down side is that I have to wear this lovely neck brace for 48 hours so that I don't move my head back and forth and up and down too fast.  I can only take it off when I take a shower.  Bummer.  And believe when I say no one stares at you when you are wearing a neck brace in public {insert sarcasm}

And I have to sleep sitting straight up for two nights.  I survived last night okay but this is going to be a long 2 more days for sure!!

I am so relieved that my misery is over  for a while anyway.  I was told that once this happens you are very susceptible to it again.  So no more bending over with my head down.  I have to use my legs to squat down and pick things up.

I think my legs needed this kind of work out anyway :)

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.

Accordion to Isaac

My sons..... What can I say but that they are most definitely different. They are very unconventional and eccentric for sure.

Why they end up liking what they do is still a fascinating mystery to me. Isaac for sure is random. Thus we can him "Random Man". His likes are anywhere from guns and swords, to art and music to sewing ( he took a sewing class last summer and was the only boy. He loved that :).

Alot of what he is influenced by is what he sees on tv. We are huge Nightmare Before Christmas fans. It started for me and Steve in college and we have passed the love for all things Tim Burton to our sons. Well this year we were watching this for the thousandth time over the holidays when Isaac decided he wanted to play the accordion. Most of the music in the movie has a minor key feel so the accordion is a feature. It also peeked his interest when the boys went to see Weird Al in concert :).  That experience is for a later post!

Well being the music loving family we are, any interest is an instrument shown must be pursued. So we started doing some research.  Steve and Isaac scoured the internet to find one.  Little did we know that a real accordion is actually very expensive.  So we shelved his accordion dreams for a while.  One day, however, Steve was sharing with one of his bosses that Isaac wanted to learn to play the accordion.  Apparently his boss shares the same affinity for randomness and just so happen to still have his accordion from when he was 9 and wanted to learn to play.  He told Steve that he would be glad to have Steve take a look and see if it was something that Isaac may want.  Long story short, it was beautiful and in perfect condition.  So Steve, being the good daddy that he is, traded a coveted gun of his for this 50 year old accordion.

So here we are, a couple of months later and this is what he can do ;)

Now if we can  only find someone who teaches lessons.  Does anyone still do that anymore :)