My Broken Toe

Well, I've done it again!

 

In my rush to answer the ringing telephone, I hit my pinky toe on the edge of the ottoman in front of the sofa. Ouch!

 

I've done this before, several times (I'm sort of clumsy). So I didn't think too much about it. But immediately, the right side of my foot all the way around to the ball of my foot began swelling, and turned a dark blue.

 

My Doctor Visit

Mike insisted that I make an appointment with my doctor today, so I did and he was able to see me this afternoon. At this point, he doesn't suspect my sickness is related to the mold in our house. I tested negative for strep throat. He said he could hear wheezing and some rattling in my chest, but he says it's not bronchitis or pneumonia. He diagnosed me with an upper respiratory tract infection. He also said both my ears are filled with fluid and are infected, as well. He prescribed an antibiotic, lots of fluids for this congestion, and lots of rest.

What's On My Mind

I know, it's been kind of quiet here. Not in my house per se, but on the blog front. I've been sick this past week. Imagine that! Didn't I wonder recently if life could somehow possibly slow down a bit around here? God sure has a sense of humor.

I've spent most of my time between doctor visits, and the hospital for tests, and in the recliner nursing a fever and pain. For about two weeks now, I have had a fever off and on, and pain on my left side (front and back), as well as a general pain throughout my whole body. You know, kind of like stiff and aching body parts. I wondered if maybe I am developing arthritis. I wondered if the pain in my side might be appendicitis, but the pain never really was excruciating enough to convince me. I also wondered if it might be kidney stones, but again, the pain level never reached an unbearable zenith.

Plantar Fasciitis, Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome, oh yeah, and Knee Surgery Too!

I've been having heel pain in my right foot for over a month now. I'm not one to complain much with pain, so I've been taking ibuprofen and just hoping it would eventually go away. Not so.

I finally decided to go to the doctor last Friday. I was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. What in the world?? Apparently I have somehow injured my plantar fascia.

So the doctor set up a treatment plan involving stretching exercises, ice therapy, an anti-inflammatory drug, and wearing this hideous night splint.

Sleeping in this contraption is not much fun. The first night I woke up what seemed like every hour, it was so uncomfortable! The next morning, as I was telling my husband about it, he laughed when he realized that I had not readjusted those long straps that run along the outer edges. I had them pulled too tight and my foot was pulled too far up! Good grief!

The next night I loosened the straps a little, but still I wasn't taking any chances. I took Tylenol PM before going to bed and I only woke up twice. Now it doesn't hurt my foot to wear it, but it is cumbersome and I have to sleep with my foot out from under the covers.

I have to admit that wearing this splint has helped a great deal. And I'm doing my exercises and taking my medicine. So I hope the recovery time won't be too long. And I hope that I don't have to take the cortisone shot that the doctor mentioned. Ouch!

I was supposed to have a follow-up appointment with the doctor in two weeks to see how much progress I am making, but I ended up having to go back today because I've started having some numbness in my toes. When I called the doctor about it, he told me that numbness was definitely not a symptom of plantar fasciitis, so I had to go back to see him today.

He said it could be a couple of different things, but he thinks it is tarsal tunnel syndrome, and that wearing the night splint is aggravating the nerve. So... he said I won't be wearing the night splint as long as he would have liked. And it really seems to be helping the most :(.

Fortunately, the initial treatment plan for tarsal tunnel syndrome is basically the same as for plantar fasciitis (except for wearing the night splint), so I will continue the same exercises. And starting next week I will begin sleeping in the splint every other night, gradually leaving it off altogether. Then I will have a follow-up appointment with the doctor in one month. If I still have the numbness in my toes, he will do a nerve study to see exactly what's going on.

I'm supposed to be staying off my foot and resting it as much as possible. Ha Ha! When a doctor tells a woman to stay off her foot, he may as well put a cast on the foot if he actually expects that to happen! Seriously, as a busy wife and homeschooling mother, I'm not so sure I'm allowed to stay off my feet :) Especially considering the fact that my husband is having knee surgery next week, and he won't be allowed to walk or put any pressure on that leg at all for one week following the surgery.

So, actually he'll be the one laying around staying off his feet, and I'll be up and about, taking care of him. But that's ok. I'm not complaining about that. It is my privilege to take care of him and pamper him a little. I am so grateful that he works hard to provide for our family, and that he allows me to be a stay-at-home mom! And he really is helping me in the evenings with cooking supper while I prop up in the recliner and try to rest it a little. I'm just glad that I'm not having surgery too (the doctor did say that surgery was a last resort if the other treatment options didn't work). Now that would be something, wouldn't it, if we both had surgery and had to be laid up recovering at the same time! Thank goodness our all wise heavenly Father has not allowed that to be!

Two Weeks After the Accident...

I paid a visit to the chiropractor today. I'm still in alot of pain (head, neck and back), and have tried to make a doctors appointment to be referred to a doctor who specializes in neck and back injuries. But of course, all the doctors in town seem to have taken the rest of the year off! And if you've been reading my blog long, you know that I live in Smalltown, USA, so life can be downright difficult here sometimes! Not at all like the big cities with lots of doctors to choose from.

I have some friends who absolutely swear by chiropractors, and after discussing my pain issues with one of those friends today, I decided to give it a try! One thing about the visit that I really liked was the fact that I didn't have to have an appointment; they accept walk-ins. The down-side to today's visit: their x-ray machine was down. So we don't yet know if any vertebrae are out of alignment, but of course that's what they suspect.

So she didn't do an adjustment today, but they did start my therapy. A four-page questionnaire followed by questions from the nurse followed by evaluations. Then a TENS therapy session, followed by a hot towel massage. I must admit, that part was wonderful. I could get used to the massages!

I have to go back tomorrow for my next therapy session, and she said the x-ray machine is supposed to be working by then. So we can see the extent of my injuries.

On top of the pain I am suffering from my injuries, I am still so stressed out over the outcome of this whole situation. It is simply ludicrous and unbelievable! I went by the police station today to pick up a supposedly amended report. I was so angry when I finished reading it. I just want to ask the officer who wrote up the report if he was really the officer at the scene! I can't believe how many discrepancies are in the report. And my statement that he wrote contains very little of what I actually said, and alot of what I never said at all!

Despite having written statements from three eyewitnesses at the scene of the accident, the police report still refuses to cite the lady who ran through the red light and hit me as the cause or fault of the accident! And I spoke with an agent from her insurance company today to see if they have received the amended report along with the witness statements. The agent told me that the police report doesn't list their insured at fault, so they likely will not assume liability for the damage/injuries. Not a happy day for me...

My husband is off work tomorrow so he told me tonight that we will go together to the police station tomorrow and ask to meet with the police chief and the attending officer to discuss the report. Not sure if it will do any good, but I suppose it can't hurt to try.

I have become so depressed over this situation that seems as if it should be so cut and dry! I mean really, lady runs red light and hits my vehicle rendering it un-drivable, injuring me and my daughter. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who is at fault here! Especially when you have three other people (not counting my daughter and me) who saw what happened. And yes, I do have insurance, so if her insurance won't assume liability, mine will cover some things, but I will incur out-of-pocket expenses, mainly a very high deductible, as well as medical bills.

In the meantime, will you join me in praying that God will work all of this out? I know that He allows things to happen for a reason. I am trying to trust in Him through it all, and trying not to worry. But I think the stress of it all is making my pain worse.

~Lord Jesus... please help me to trust in You. I am Your child and You have promised to take care of my needs. I know that worry, fear and anxiety have no place in a believer's life, but Lord it is so hard not to let them in sometimes! Please, Lord, take away the worry and replace it with Your peace. Please, Lord, work all of this out for my good and Your glory.~

Catching Up Again

We've had so much excitement around here, I can hardly stand it! Where to begin?

I guess I'll start with the wreck... Kate and I were involved in an auto accident last Wednesday afternoon. We are very fortunate; we sustained minor injuries. CT scans revealed slight concussions, cervical spine sprains, a sprained ankle. We are still very sore, and I continue to have headaches and neck and back pain. But, gratefully, no broken bones or more serious injuries. Unfortunately, my Explorer did not fare so well.



I don't yet have an update on the repair status of my vehicle. And unfortunately, the "at-fault" status is still up in the air as well. The lady who ran through a red light at the intersection and hit me claims to have been part of a funeral procession that was already about 350 feet down the road. The police report doesn't accurately portray my side of the story, and it doesn't include the statements made by eyewitnesses at the scene.

Today I had to go to the police station to write out my statement of what happened, and the eyewitnesses were asked to come in to write out their statements, as well. The chief of police came in to talk to me about it, but, thinking back on what he said, it all seems so absurd. He said this case might go to court, because the "code" is not clear on just how far away a car can be from the rest of the funeral procession, and still be part of the procession. If that is the case, it seems to me that the city should be required to post a police officer at the intersection to direct the traffic, and to make sure there are no stragglers racing through red lights trying to catch up with the procession.

On to the fun stuff... we traveled to Alabama over the weekend to have our Christmas celebrations with our families. Here are some pictures detailing our fun!

my parents

Nana & Papa with some of the grandkids (why can I not remember to take a picture while everyone is still there??)

Granddaddy and my kids

I had to take Will back to the doctor today *sigh*. He started feeling sick again on Saturday afternoon, and by Sunday night he had a temperature of 103.6 and was complaining of a sore throat. I wasn't sure if this was related to his previous illness, but the doctor said it's not. This time he has tonsillitis, so she called in a prescription for Augmentin.

And we are leaving tomorrow, going to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee for a short vacation. We will be coming home on Christmas Eve day. It is getting late and I am still not finished packing... Judging from the lack of noise at this moment, I assume that my husband has tucked everyone into bed already, as we plan to get an early start in the morning. We are all very excited! I suppose I should log off this computer and finish packing so that I can get into bed myself.

Goodnight!

The Saga of Continuing Sickness...

The doctor did indeed call me last night. His bloodwork came back within normal range. She said his liver enzymes were a little high, but not so much as to cause concern. We're still waiting on the results of the CBC to determine if it is actually mono. He has felt sooo much better today. Still having bouts of fatigue, but thank the Lord, no fever! So far he seems to be on the road to "normal."

And just when we thought we were over that hump... Kate was sick when she came home from school yesterday :((( Sore throat, fever, stuffy nose, runny nose... agghhhh! We have a doctor in town who has night-time hours (????) kind of like an after-hours clinic, only he doesn't open until 8:00 pm. And since we plan to travel for Thanksgiving, I thought I should find out what she has. So I took her there last night.

We had to wait an hour before we were taken back to an examining room. The waiting room was hot and stuffy. Not an empty chair in the room. Sick people coughing and sneezing all over the place. I could just feel the germs multiplying and spreading. Ick!

The diagnosis: upper respiratory infection. The prescribed treatment: amoxicillin for the infected sinuses, zyrtec for the nasal symptoms, saline nasal spray for the stuffiness, tylenol for the fever and aches, lozenges for the sore throat, sleep propped up on extra pillows to promote drainage... and a shot of decadron to reduce inflammation of the sinuses.

Just a few minutes after the shot, I was in the receptionist area, paying for the visit when all of sudden, Kate said she had to throw up. I looked at her and right before my eyes, I watched the color literally drain from her face. She told me she couldn't see clearly, that everything was blurry. Then she said she couldn't hear anything. She was frightened. Then she said everything was getting dark. Now I was frightened. We got her into a chair and she didn't faint, but she did start to vomit.

I guess one of the nurses went for the doctor, because all of sudden, he was there, telling them to get her back in the examining room onto the table. He had her elevate her feet and lie with her head lower than the rest of her body. He said she had just experienced a sudden drop in blood pressure. That she was fine. He gave her a sprite and told her to sip it slowly. He stayed with her and talked to her in a calming, reassuring way for about 5 minutes. We just love this doctor! Then we were on our way home.

Geesh, what a night! I decided to forgo any medications since her stomach might be sensitive after that little episode. I just tucked her into bed and called it a night!

She has felt okay today, not normal, but okay. Taking her medicines, and Will's still taking his.

And I'm trying very hard not to ask "What next????" But in the midst of it all, I am grateful that the Lord has given me His strength to endure these last 8 days. And I am thankful that I am able to take care of my children, to nurse them back to good health. And I am thankful that it is not something more serious that we could be going through.

Update on Will - Pt. 2

Saturday's fever ranged from 99 to 101.2 degrees. I think he felt a little better. Still lying around more than being up. Sunday was definitely his best day. No fever all day. He even felt like celebrating his birthday! We put 12 candles on a strawberry cheesecake ice cream cake (his favorite) and sang happy birthday to him.

I stayed home with him Sunday morning while Mike, Ryan and Kate went to church. No fever. And even though by Sunday evening he had been fever-free for 24 hours, Mike stayed home with him while the rest of us went to church. Just to be on the safe side.

Will felt so much better, and he wanted to go out for pizza for his birthday, so we met them after evening service. Even though he felt better, he soon realized  he still didn't have much of an appetite and he couldn't even eat one full slice of pizza. *sigh* He's so tired of this.

At bedtime, I realized he had a rash on several places on his body. And his temperature was 99.6. After having no fever for 24 hours. Will this never end???

So, guess where we went today? Yep, back to the doctor. This led the doctor to believe that he does indeed have mono. Taking a penicillin-based antibiotic while having mono can produce a rash. So many questions. Was it strep throat? Is it mono? She thinks yes to both questions.

She took some blood to have it analyzed. She told me about 4 different things, other than the epstein barr virus that causes mono, that she wanted to check for. I can't remember it all. The mono test will take a week and a half to get the results back, but she should know something on the other tests today and she will call me tonight to discuss it.

He slept most of the morning. He has felt well enough today to play the wii with his brother. Although, he has eaten very little today. And he has had no fever today. Can we be so fortunate as to continue to be fever-free tonight?

Thank you to those who have been praying. It means alot to me! It has definitely been a long week. And if it is mono, this could continue for a few more weeks! I'm praying that it is not mono, but then if it isn't, I would like to know what it is. I guess that's why she is running these other tests.

I will post more when I know more.

Update on Will

So we saw the pediatrician again today. She had three opinions of what might be causing Will to have fever for this many days. 1) It could be strep that is not completely responding to the amoxicillin, and therefore we would need to try a different antibiotic. 2) It could be mono. The mono spot test came back negative, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the virus that causes mono is not present. 3) It could be the flu.

She did a nasal swab to test for flu. The result was negative. She said that rules out flu. However, it seems funny to me that both the strep and the mono tests produced a negative result too, and the doctor said that you could get a false negative on those tests. I don't understand, but then again I'm not the doctor.

Futher testing for mono would require blood work which would take two weeks to confirm the results. She decided to continue to treat Will for strep throat. Mostly because his throat looks better, his tonsils aren't swollen, and his lymph nodes aren't tender to touch anymore. In her opinion, that means it did respond to the antibiotic. But there could be a "pocket" of infection that isn't responding to it, hence the continued fever.

We will try the new antibiotic over the weekend, and if he continues to have fever we will go back to her office on Monday morning for blood work and further tests.

So Will and I didn't go to Kate's basketball games tonight. We still aren't sure if he's contagious. The doctor said if it's strep, then he is not contagious, in spite of the fever, because he has been on an antibiotic for several days. On the other hand, if it is mono, then as long as he has a fever he is contagious. So we will stay put for the weekend. Just in case.

Not that he would have felt like going to the games anyway. His temperature is back up to 101.4 now. And he is tired and achy from the fever. As long as his fever is down he feels ok, but when it goes back up, he feels pretty rotten. I'm praying that it is the antibiotic, and that this new one will work. We should know something by about 5:00 tomorrow afternoon, because if it is strep the fever should be gone within 24 hours after starting the antibiotic.

Please join me in praying for him. This has been one long week.

Still Sick

He's still sick. It's been 5 days now. And Lizzy has hardly left his side.

I'm up to check for fever in the next little bit. It is easier to stay up and wait, than to go to sleep then wake up.

I will call the doctor in the morning (hmmm... it is morning). Just not sure this is strep. Wondering if it might be something viral, maybe flu? He has had aches and pains off and on throughout the day since Tuesday. He has slept alot. He has had temperatures ranging from a low-grade 99 degrees all the way up to 104 degrees! The last couple of days, he has had no appetite.

Just when I think he's getting better, the fever goes back up. Or the headache returns.

This morning when I woke him, his fever was back up to 102 degrees. A couple of advil and two hours later, he felt fine. Then he slept through lunch. He felt good for the first part of the afternoon. We even played a few games of Uno! Then he felt tired again, and the fever went back up...

talking to his big brother... he called to check on Will, and to wish him a happy birthday... Sorry Will, it wasn't such a happy one!

And there are stomach issues too. I wonder if that is a reaction to the antibiotic.

He has had strep throat once already this year, and it wasn't like this at all. Within a couple days of being on the antibiotic, he was back to normal. So uncertain.

Sick Days

I have a sick little man at home today. Actually, he's been sick since Monday. The doctor suspected strep throat, but the test came back negative. So she tested for mono. That came back negative as well. She explained that you can get a false negative result, and based on his symptoms of sore throat (which looked like strep to her as well) and headache, she prescribed an antibiotic. He never had a temperature and he never felt really bad.

Until today. After two days of being on his medicine. When I woke him this morning, he felt as if he were burning up. I felt like such a bad momma, not checking on him during the night...

So he has spent most of today lying on the couch, alternating between watching tv and sleeping. Taking tylenol and advil, which has helped him to feel a little better, but has really done very little for keeping the fever down.

He threw up this afternoon, so I began to wonder if he has strep throat after all. A call to the pediatrician, and the nurse assured me that nausea and vomiting can go along with strep throat. But she took down these notes and told me the doctor would call me this evening.

So... waiting.

If you think of us, please say a little prayer. I feel so helpless when my children are sick.

Foot Surgery

I've been having some foot pain for the past three weeks, so I went to the doctor last Tuesday. It was a plantar wart and the doctor treated it with cryotherapy. Unfortunately, as of today (exactly one week later) it was absolutely zero percent better.

It was supposed to have blistered and begun cracking and peeling by now. But...nothing...stubborn wart.

So I went back in to see the doctor this afternoon, and of course he said he would have to surgically remove it. Yikes! I knew this would be a simple office procedure...therefore I would have to have a local anesthetic (as opposed to general...meaning I would have to be awake and feel this shot). I don't like needles!

He had me lie down on my stomach on the table, and while the nurse began spraying the freezing treatment on it, he injected the anesthetic. I began raising the upper half of my body off the table while simultaneously kicking my "unoccupied" foot! Ouch!

Thankfully, the anesthetic was very quick acting. Literally, within less than a minute I didn't feel anything anymore.

Then the doctor began removing it with a scalpel and cauterizing it with what my daughter described as a "mini-blowtorch!" He did tell me that it went deep. He had to cut and cauterize about half an inch down into my foot. He said it would definitely be very painful when the anesthetic wears off. As of the writing of this post, my foot is still numb and I had the procedure at about 5:30 this afternoon. I plan to take the pain medicine he prescribed in just a few moments and then go to bed. The medicine is to be taken every four to six hours (as needed), so that means I will probably wake up with some pain tonight.

So, to my blogging friend Tom, I can probably empathize (maybe a tiny bit) with you by tomorrow morning! I know it won't be ANYTHING like what he has gone through with his foot surgery, though.

On a lighter note, as the doctor was performing the procedure, he was explaining to the nurse and to me that when he practiced in a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, he performed this very procedure many times in a day. Only, he had a laser to cauterize it with (which meant less chance of damaging healthy tissue), and there was some sort of vacuum attachment that sucked up the burnt flesh so you didn't have to smell it as much.

Oh the joys of living in a small town!

Monday, Monday...

It's interesting how we'll have a day or two with nothing much going on at all, then all of sudden, things just take off at break-neck speed! Monday we "hit the ground rolling" so to speak, beginning the day with an out-of-town doctor's appointment for me. We could have hurried back home to begin school, seeing as how we didn't get much school work done on Friday (because of dh). But, I felt that since we rarely have time for browsing and window shopping, etc. we'd just hang around and make a day of it.

I HAD to check out the latest finds in Beall's Outlet, lol. Not sure if many of you are familiar with this store, but it's kind of like a Big Lots with close-outs and bargains and what-not. I found two pairs of shoes for me (very inexpensive!), and a couple of things for the kids. I love that store! Next, the kids wanted to check out the pet store. We looked at everything in there! And we bought a new toy for Aubie, our cockatiel. Then we had lunch at Zaxby's, my children's FAVORITE restaurant. After lunch, we stopped in at Rue 21. My daughter loves this store, but I'm not so sure that I do. For one thing the music playing was nothing that I'd want my kids hearing all the time. And while some of their clothing line is cute, a good bit of it is...umm, well let's just say it's not what I'd want my daughter to wear. After Rue 21, we made a stop at the Dollar Tree. Who doesn't like a store with lots of $1 items?

When we got back home that afternoon, the only school work we decided to tackle for the day was our reading subjects. So all in all, it was a day well spent. And I think the kids enjoyed it as well.