I know this blog has mostly been about Kirby, but mainly b/c there's not much new going on with Gary or me. However, I have been gong through something unexpected lately.
A few weeks ago, we went to Florida for vacation (3 days with my mom and 3 days with Gary's sister). Our first night home, I felt a bit of a scratchy throat. The next day I felt cold most of the day and by the evening, I felt horrible. I ended up calling in sick 2 days b/c I either didn't have energy or had chills/aches. By that weekend, I thought I was getting better (no aches, but super snotty).
The next Monday night, I started feeling intense pains in my upper abdomen. I'd felt something similar before, but never that painful. Almost immediately, I felt like I had to go to Urgent Care. Thankfully, my MIL was able to come over to watch Kirby, but those 10 minutes of waiting were torturous! Gary drove as fast as possible, but I felt so awful that I ended up throwing up out the car window (mainly b/c I had a lot of gunk in my throat from the illness and just couldn't bring myself to swallow it). The other tortuous part was waiting at Urgent Care to been seen (there were 2 other people ahead of me). The dr couldn't really do much for me, but thankfully the pain wasn't as intense by then. He suggested that I take Zantac and go on the BRAT diet for a few days (banana, rice, applesauce, and toast).
When I had similar pains in the past (well, stomach pressure in the same area), it usually started after dinner and ended around 2am. I was typically able to fall asleep and magically the pains would be gone when I woke up. Unfortunately, it was impossible for me to fall asleep this time b/c of the pain. I finally threw up around 4am and fell asleep shortly after the pain went away.
2 days later, I saw my regular dr and tested my blood to look at my liver functions. Boy, there's nothing like seeing the message the next morning that my liver functions are abnormal and that it's jaundiced! More blood donations and stool samples to rule out hepatitis, parasites, etc. On Friday, I ended up getting an ultrasound and it came back "multiple" gallstones.
This past Wed, I saw a liver dr and he said that the jaundiced liver sounds like a classic case of a gallstone getting stuck in one of my tubes - which causes other functions to back up and not work properly. I donated more blood for them to check how my liver's doing, and thankfully it's 90% back to normal (which means it was an issue from the gallstone and not some other liver issue). Also on Wed, I had an MRI to look at my stomach area. At least the appt was that day instead of making me freak out about it for several days. It certainly isn't the most pleasant thing to do (especially since I already felt like a pin cushion and they had to inject contrast), but I felt like I handled it like a trouper since I didn't have Gary there to calm me down.
The liver dr called me yesterday and told me the good news about my liver and said that even though there are a *lot* of gallstones, there are no stones in any tubes. He was concerned that I might have another episode, which can possibly cause other issues (pancreatitus, etc). He said that if I have another episode, to go to the ER instead of Urgent Care to make sure there's someone around in case something bad happens. He referred me to a surgeon to discuss my options. That appt isn't for another week, but I'm assuming they're going to suggest that I have my gallbladder removed. I'm scared of surgery, but I'm ok with the idea since I *never* want to go through that pain again. Additionally, I'm terrified to have another episode so I've been really careful about what I eat (no fat, no dairy). I'm hungry all the time, but on the plus side, I've lost 10 pounds. :)
Friday, June 24, 2011
Half a Year?!
Oh wow - has half a year already passed since the last update?! Sheesh! Let's see if I can think about what's happened since January.
Kirby went back to daycare in February and he's been doing really well. Dropping him off in the morning still sucks, but he only cries for about a minute before he's off playing. This week he transitioned into Toddler 2 (18 months - 2 years). Apparently, they start to speak more once they get in that room b/c they're around older kids. Kirby still doesn't say much, but lately he has been saying more words that we understand ("ma mo" = lawnmower).
Health-wise - Kirby's doing well. He got sick a lot when he first went back to daycare, but that's not too surprising. In March he was tested for allergies and it came back that he's definitely allergic to peanuts and possibly eggs, so for right now we're avoiding all tree nuts and low heat eggs (scrambled eggs, french toast, etc). We question whether he's allergic to high heat eggs (cookies, cakes, etc) b/c he's eaten things at daycare without having a negative reaction so we have an appt in July to test high heat eggs. I'll make a souffle and he'll eat small bites of it at the dr office to see how he reacts. For peanuts, we're avoiding nuts until he's tested again next March. We're hoping that the levels are lower, which may possibly mean that he's going to outgrow the allergy. *fingers crossed*
Developmentally, he's right on track. He's running around, great with his hands, and super smart (in my opinion, of course). He's still a super sweet kid, but toddler tantrums have started to rear its ugly head. We're coping ok so far, but I may need to read up on how to raise a singleton without making him spoiled. ;) Like most kids, he's happy to be outside exploring and he's really into firetrucks. It's been quite an interesting experience to be his mama, but I'm enjoying every minute of it.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Highs and Lows
In addition to ringing in the New Year, this past weekend was quite busy! On Dec 31st, Kirby had a play date with Macie, an adorable girl that's a little younger than Kirby (maybe a few weeks younger). Macie took the opportunity to check out the new space - mostly in the opposite room that the rest of us were in. :) She's been walking for a while and I was happy to have someone Kirby's age around so he could watch her. As I mentioned in my previous post, Kirby's been walking for a while, but not on his own. To our surprise, that afternoon (several hours after the play date), Kirby started walking around on his own! By the end of the day, he basically walked around the house twice.
The next morning (New Year's day), we went to the mall to have breakfast at Panera Bread (yay - I finally found bear claws!). Since the stores were still closed, but the mall was open for mall walkers, we let Kirby play in the kid's area for a bit, then meander down the mall to practice walking. He walked about the length of 4 stores on his own! He only ran into 1 person - she didn't know which way to go to avoid him and he grabbed onto her legs. Thankfully she was nice about the whole thing. :)
Since then, Kirby still wants to hold my finger to walk, but he's basically running around the house by himself. It's so funny to watch him because he holds both arms in the air like he's a doctor that just washed his hands before surgery. :)
Now we just have to work on him standing up by himself. He's done it a few times, but now he refuses to stand straight up - he seems to need something to climb so he can get to his feet. I'm sure once he walks a bit more that he'll be motivated to get up after falling down.
Also on New Year's day..... the low point.
Kirby will be going back to day care February 1 and for some reason I got it in my head that we should give him peanut butter since he may come in contact with peanuts at school. At Kirby's 12 month appt, the dr gave us the go ahead to give him anything we want, but I haven't been in a rush to try peanuts until now.
I had 5 little pieces of wheat toast, and I put peanut butter on each of the pieces. We put it on Kirby's plate, but of course he didn't pick it up. He still doesn't like to touch new things - especially if they're squishy. So we ended up feeding him 3 pieces. He didn't seem to like or dislike the flavor - just seemed pretty neutral (which is weird b/c peanut butter is delicious!). After around 5 minutes, he started to rub his eyes. I thought it was just because he was tired since he just woke up from a nap. The he started to tug at his ear and raised his hands like he wanted us to pick him up. I didn't immediately think that he was having an allergic reaction since everything seemed so subtle. I got a phone call from my dad so I didn't see the rest of his symptoms, but by the time I got off the phone (less than 10 minutes), Gary & my MIL thought he wasn't acting right - in addition to rubbing his eyes and tugging his ear, Kirby started drooling a lot.
I decided to call the ask a nurse but since it was a holiday, I knew it'd be 30+ minutes before they called me back. We decided that we'd better be safe and took Kirby to Urgent Care. I sat in the back seat with Kirby to make sure he was ok and his breathing changed a little (it sounded raspy). I was worried that since it was New Year's day that the wait would be long (the sign actually said over an hour), but as soon as I said what was wrong, a nurse was called and we were taken back. The nurse got all his vitals, and then by the time the dr came to see us, Kirby was back to normal (breathing normally, no more drooling, eye rubbing, etc). The dr looked him over and said that everything seemed ok. Kirby was given Benedryl, which was funny b/c Kirby was sucking that stuff down like it was candy. The nurse said she'd never seen a baby enjoy it so much. :)
We had to wait 20 minutes while the Benedryl took effect and it was SO difficult keeping him out of all the drawers. We tried holding him, but of course he just learned to walk so he wanted to roam free and touch *everything*! The dr came back, said Kirby looked normal, gave us a prescription for an EpiPen and prednisone, and we left. The rest of the day was uneventful, except that I didn't hear a peep from Kirby all night long. I'm guessing he was still a little drugged from the Benedryl.
Sunday - nothing happened, but then Kirby seemed to have another weird reaction on Monday while eating lunch. He started rubbing his eyes, tugging his ears, etc. He hadn't eaten anything with peanuts, but there was a quiche that was made in the same processing plant with peanuts. I called his pediatrician in hopes of getting an appt for him to get checked for allergies and luckily they had an appt available that afternoon. Kirby seemed fine after about 15 minutes, but his eyes were still red and puffy by the time we went to the dr office. We had to wait quite a while, but it gave Kirby plenty of opportunities to practice walking *all over* the waiting room. :)
When the dr came to examine Kirby, she said almost immediately that his reaction isn't allergies, but pink eye. I didn't see this, but she said that there's yellowish discharge and the rim of the eyes look exactly like pink eye. Additionally, she said that she's suspicious that what happened 2 days before was an allergic reaction - mainly b/c Kirby got better completely on his own (without meds). She obviously couldn't say for sure since she didn't examine him that day, but she felt certain that his reaction earlier in the day was just b/c he has pink eye. At least that was a little bit of a relief! Putting eye drops in Kirby's eyes certainly wasn't fun, but thankfully that only lasted 3 days. On top of pink eye, Kirby's also has a little cold, so he's also snotty and hasn't had much of an appetite. Poor little dude!
We made an appt with an allergist to get him tested so that we know for sure what we're dealing with. Unfortuantely, the next available appt isn't until the beginning of March. :( We've gone this long without exposing Kirby to peanuts, so it's just for 2 more months. We'll let day care know there's a possibility and until then, I'm trying not to think about it much b/c it makes me sad thinking that my beautiful little guy might have a life threatening allergy.
Happy New Year!
The next morning (New Year's day), we went to the mall to have breakfast at Panera Bread (yay - I finally found bear claws!). Since the stores were still closed, but the mall was open for mall walkers, we let Kirby play in the kid's area for a bit, then meander down the mall to practice walking. He walked about the length of 4 stores on his own! He only ran into 1 person - she didn't know which way to go to avoid him and he grabbed onto her legs. Thankfully she was nice about the whole thing. :)
Since then, Kirby still wants to hold my finger to walk, but he's basically running around the house by himself. It's so funny to watch him because he holds both arms in the air like he's a doctor that just washed his hands before surgery. :)
Now we just have to work on him standing up by himself. He's done it a few times, but now he refuses to stand straight up - he seems to need something to climb so he can get to his feet. I'm sure once he walks a bit more that he'll be motivated to get up after falling down.
Also on New Year's day..... the low point.
Kirby will be going back to day care February 1 and for some reason I got it in my head that we should give him peanut butter since he may come in contact with peanuts at school. At Kirby's 12 month appt, the dr gave us the go ahead to give him anything we want, but I haven't been in a rush to try peanuts until now.
I had 5 little pieces of wheat toast, and I put peanut butter on each of the pieces. We put it on Kirby's plate, but of course he didn't pick it up. He still doesn't like to touch new things - especially if they're squishy. So we ended up feeding him 3 pieces. He didn't seem to like or dislike the flavor - just seemed pretty neutral (which is weird b/c peanut butter is delicious!). After around 5 minutes, he started to rub his eyes. I thought it was just because he was tired since he just woke up from a nap. The he started to tug at his ear and raised his hands like he wanted us to pick him up. I didn't immediately think that he was having an allergic reaction since everything seemed so subtle. I got a phone call from my dad so I didn't see the rest of his symptoms, but by the time I got off the phone (less than 10 minutes), Gary & my MIL thought he wasn't acting right - in addition to rubbing his eyes and tugging his ear, Kirby started drooling a lot.
I decided to call the ask a nurse but since it was a holiday, I knew it'd be 30+ minutes before they called me back. We decided that we'd better be safe and took Kirby to Urgent Care. I sat in the back seat with Kirby to make sure he was ok and his breathing changed a little (it sounded raspy). I was worried that since it was New Year's day that the wait would be long (the sign actually said over an hour), but as soon as I said what was wrong, a nurse was called and we were taken back. The nurse got all his vitals, and then by the time the dr came to see us, Kirby was back to normal (breathing normally, no more drooling, eye rubbing, etc). The dr looked him over and said that everything seemed ok. Kirby was given Benedryl, which was funny b/c Kirby was sucking that stuff down like it was candy. The nurse said she'd never seen a baby enjoy it so much. :)
We had to wait 20 minutes while the Benedryl took effect and it was SO difficult keeping him out of all the drawers. We tried holding him, but of course he just learned to walk so he wanted to roam free and touch *everything*! The dr came back, said Kirby looked normal, gave us a prescription for an EpiPen and prednisone, and we left. The rest of the day was uneventful, except that I didn't hear a peep from Kirby all night long. I'm guessing he was still a little drugged from the Benedryl.
Sunday - nothing happened, but then Kirby seemed to have another weird reaction on Monday while eating lunch. He started rubbing his eyes, tugging his ears, etc. He hadn't eaten anything with peanuts, but there was a quiche that was made in the same processing plant with peanuts. I called his pediatrician in hopes of getting an appt for him to get checked for allergies and luckily they had an appt available that afternoon. Kirby seemed fine after about 15 minutes, but his eyes were still red and puffy by the time we went to the dr office. We had to wait quite a while, but it gave Kirby plenty of opportunities to practice walking *all over* the waiting room. :)
When the dr came to examine Kirby, she said almost immediately that his reaction isn't allergies, but pink eye. I didn't see this, but she said that there's yellowish discharge and the rim of the eyes look exactly like pink eye. Additionally, she said that she's suspicious that what happened 2 days before was an allergic reaction - mainly b/c Kirby got better completely on his own (without meds). She obviously couldn't say for sure since she didn't examine him that day, but she felt certain that his reaction earlier in the day was just b/c he has pink eye. At least that was a little bit of a relief! Putting eye drops in Kirby's eyes certainly wasn't fun, but thankfully that only lasted 3 days. On top of pink eye, Kirby's also has a little cold, so he's also snotty and hasn't had much of an appetite. Poor little dude!
We made an appt with an allergist to get him tested so that we know for sure what we're dealing with. Unfortuantely, the next available appt isn't until the beginning of March. :( We've gone this long without exposing Kirby to peanuts, so it's just for 2 more months. We'll let day care know there's a possibility and until then, I'm trying not to think about it much b/c it makes me sad thinking that my beautiful little guy might have a life threatening allergy.
Happy New Year!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
