Friday, April 30, 2010
Pray with out ceasing.....
As I walk the well beaten path from the house to the barn, I notice that a wild rabbit has braved our yard. I watch it as it nibbles on the grass. It sees me and franatically bounds away. I say he braved the yard, because of our large white Great Pyrenees, Belle. She is just on the other side of the fence and would love to chase the little rabbit. Then you would think that our barn cat Cecil would detour the bunny from coming into the yard as well. I smile and think to myself, thank you for the sweet greeting this morning. I make it to the barn door where I am greeted with an ankle rub by the before mentioned Cecil. We greet each other in the familiar morning ritual, that always end with him pawing at my hand at the feeder wanting his food faster than I can get it out. The familiarity and warmth of this ritual makes me stop and say thank you for always staying the same. The world around me changes, the rules change, the people change, but you are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thank you. I finish the chores and make my way to the garden. The trees are nearly leafed out, wow the green is so vibrant. You know that God could have made all of this in black and white, but he didn't he chose to give us the gift of color. As I think about the way my day has started, I am reminded of the verse "Pray with out ceasing" I think I use to believe that meant to ask God for forgiveness all day, to ask him to help you stay our of trouble, or even to ask him for things all day. I suppose there might be sometime that it is called for, or maybe there are people who are call to that. BUT for me I believe that it is more of an acknowledgment of GOD all day. In the breeze in a hot day, or the song of a sweet bird when you are feeling low, the colors of a fantastic sunset, or any of the number of moments in the day you can feel or see his presents. A continual breath of thanksgiving, of loving him in our praise. That is pray without ceasing to me. Just a thought for you. Hope you see him in everything in every way ALL DAY! God Bless!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Logan's really blessed weekend!
For those of you who really want to know what is going on with Logan, here is the scoop.
On Friday April 23 Logan told me on his way to school he had a headache. Logan as a rule never has anything wrong with him. Maybe some seasonal allergies from time to time, but nothing big. So, I thought no big deal. In fact he ran in a track meet the night before and got home late, so I thought he was probably tired, and maybe a little dehydrated. SO, I said drink a lot today and take some Motrin, as he ran out the door. I didn't think much about it, and went on with my day and the goat OB observation. Goat didn't cooperate and was hanging on to those babies, so I just kept watching, Nichelle and her room mate came over for dinner and I fixed dinner then went to the track meet to watch Logan run. When he was done he told me he had the worst headache all day and he needed something for it and a drink. I took him home he ate and I gave him some meds and he played UNO all of us. He went to bed and I went out to deliver the goat babies. I ended up pulling all 3 of them around 2 a.m. I took a shower, checked on mom and babies and went to bed for a much needed sleep. 3:45 a.m. He came to me almost in tears telling me I had to help him get rid of this headache. I gave him more meds, and put hot towels on his forehead. I changed the hot towel several times. I went out in the rain at 6 to check the goats, and when I got in he was pretty sound asleep. SO, I went to town to do some errands and start dinner. My parents were come over for dinner and to go Nichelles performance. He got up and told me his head was killing him, so I go him more meds, still wasn't worried. I thought with all the seasonal pollen, maybe he had a sinus headache, or a migraine. Mom and Dad came and Logan went to bed. Kind of strange as he really likes to do stuff with them. I check to see if he had a fever, the wasn't one. We ate dinner, and his headache got worse. It was getting close to time for us to leave for the performance and I checked his temp again and it was 99. I decided that we should take him to urgent care. Chad and I talked about it on there way there, we decided urgent care was best as there was no need to clog up the ER for a headache. When we got to urgent care they put him in the pediatric department. This seems so funny as he is 5' 10", and he weighs around 150 lbs. He is only 15 but we all kind of thought it was funny. Logan was having a little trouble at this point talking to us because he couldn't stand to hear it or to think much. His jaw had started to hurt really bad and he wouldn't open is mouth much. They took his temp and it was around 101. They talked about meningitis, but decided that since his neck seemed ok, it probably wasn't that. (THIS IS NOT CORRECT!!! YOU CAN HAVE MENINGITIS WITHOUT YOUR NECK BEING STIFF!!!!) (If you EVER have a VERY bad headache and a SUDDEN fever with no other symptoms, you need to see and ER doctor RIGHT AWAY) That day they gave him some antibiotics that they use when you have meningitis, and 2 liters of fluid, and 2 doses of morphine..... This STILL did not make his headache go away and around 9:30 they sent us home with the IV port still in place and told us to come back the next day so they could do blood test and see how he was doing. That night we gave him Ibuprofen or Tylenol every three hours all night. The next day we took him back at 10, he wouldn't eat anything much as his jaw and head still hurt too much. I really was starting to get worried at this point. They did a blood test and this white count was worse, if we didn't give him meds ever 3 hours the pain got worse and the temp started climbing. They decided to give him another 2 liters and more of the IV antibiotics. I questioned at this point if we should go to ER and have the CT scan they said they wish they had. Did he need to be in a hospital??? They said no they thought it would be fine to do the meds then go to our pediatrician on Monday. I said ok, but I was still nervous. They did the treatment and he felt sick from the meds. His headache was not gone, but they sent us home to see the pediatrician Monday with the IV port in. I talk to my sister that night by phone, she is ER doctor, and she was worried and wished we had the CT scan and even a spinal tap. That night Logan had swelling come up between his eyes and his left eye lid swelled and drooped. I called the nurse to talked to the DR and they told me it was ok not to come in unless he couldn't move his eyes without pain, his headache was worse than it had been, or his fever went up to 104. So we made him sleep in my bed, and continued the meds through the night. First thing we took him to the pediatrician, who was very worried, and believed we needed a CT then a spinal tap. SO we went to the ER where they agreed and did the CT right away. There we found that Logan had an infection in his sinus that had went through the bone and into the lining of his brain. They started him on more IV antibiotics and fluids. They decided then he would need a team of doctors to figure out what to do. Quickly they decided that since the antibiotics had been given to him before a spinal tap was done and we found something on the CT that we would not need to do the spinal tap. This was good news for all of us, Logan was really worried about that. They took him to do an MRI and an MRV. The MRI was used to be sure the infection that got near his brain had not gotten in his vain and caused a blood clog. I am not sure what else would have happened if that were the case, I just realized that would be bad. So they called in a Neurosurgeon, because in the beginning there was a belief he might need brain surgery. They called in an ENT and ear, nose, throat specialist to fix the sinus problem (the sinus was blocked and could drain), and infectious disease doctor, and a pediatric intensivist. They took him to the PICU where they decided on a plan. They did so many blood test, took xrays and watched him closely. The first step was to drain the sinus so the so the source of the infection would be gone. The neurosurgeon decided because the infection close to his brain was so small it wasn't worth the risk to take it out. We would just monitor it very closely and work on meds to get rid of it. They did the surgery and made the new outlet, which we will have to monitor to be sure it doesn't close up. They were able to get a sample to get a culture from, drain and clean, so that part is done. He woke up so fast, and did so well, that they moved him to the pediatric floor. He had a PIC line placed today ( kind of like a long term IV, they put it in the upper part of his arm and run a catheter up his arm into a large blood supply line in his chest). He has to stay here until the culture comes back, maybe tomorrow, for sure by Saturday. Then we will go home and the home health company will come and teach me to infuse the antibiotics he will need for the next 5 to 8 weeks. He will have to finish school from home.
SO, I say all of this to say, that as always GOD is watching out for us. He planned this out weeks ago. I quite my job 3 or 4 weeks ago, to do something different, maybe take classes, or take care of my child. Chad was scheduled for vacation and had enough people to cover for him so he didn't HAVE to go in if something happened. Logan had a VERY bad headache that made us take him to the doctor. He had a headache, and not BRAIN DAMAGE or WORSE! The infection didn't make it to his brain. He recovered from the surgery in record time. I could continue on and on and on. I have found that God prepares things for us when the worst is going to happen. For instance, when the goat couldn't have her baby I called my goat midwife friend (lol) it was 11:30 p.m. and her husband was out of town and she was sewing. She was free to come over. She not only helped me take care of the situation, she taught me what I needed to know so I wont be afraid if that ever happens again. I mean what are the chances.... God even cares about my animals. I know he heard the many, many prayers I said over that goat that night. And as my friend told me "how can God give us more faith if he doesn't answer our prayers". It is so easy to trust your kids in his hands when you know how he cares for everything in your life. Our God is good, and he shows us his nature and his love for us in the worst of situations. We are so grateful that he makes all the advanced arrangements, and know just what we need before we even need it. How could we ask for anything more.... Thanks for your prayers and concerns!
On Friday April 23 Logan told me on his way to school he had a headache. Logan as a rule never has anything wrong with him. Maybe some seasonal allergies from time to time, but nothing big. So, I thought no big deal. In fact he ran in a track meet the night before and got home late, so I thought he was probably tired, and maybe a little dehydrated. SO, I said drink a lot today and take some Motrin, as he ran out the door. I didn't think much about it, and went on with my day and the goat OB observation. Goat didn't cooperate and was hanging on to those babies, so I just kept watching, Nichelle and her room mate came over for dinner and I fixed dinner then went to the track meet to watch Logan run. When he was done he told me he had the worst headache all day and he needed something for it and a drink. I took him home he ate and I gave him some meds and he played UNO all of us. He went to bed and I went out to deliver the goat babies. I ended up pulling all 3 of them around 2 a.m. I took a shower, checked on mom and babies and went to bed for a much needed sleep. 3:45 a.m. He came to me almost in tears telling me I had to help him get rid of this headache. I gave him more meds, and put hot towels on his forehead. I changed the hot towel several times. I went out in the rain at 6 to check the goats, and when I got in he was pretty sound asleep. SO, I went to town to do some errands and start dinner. My parents were come over for dinner and to go Nichelles performance. He got up and told me his head was killing him, so I go him more meds, still wasn't worried. I thought with all the seasonal pollen, maybe he had a sinus headache, or a migraine. Mom and Dad came and Logan went to bed. Kind of strange as he really likes to do stuff with them. I check to see if he had a fever, the wasn't one. We ate dinner, and his headache got worse. It was getting close to time for us to leave for the performance and I checked his temp again and it was 99. I decided that we should take him to urgent care. Chad and I talked about it on there way there, we decided urgent care was best as there was no need to clog up the ER for a headache. When we got to urgent care they put him in the pediatric department. This seems so funny as he is 5' 10", and he weighs around 150 lbs. He is only 15 but we all kind of thought it was funny. Logan was having a little trouble at this point talking to us because he couldn't stand to hear it or to think much. His jaw had started to hurt really bad and he wouldn't open is mouth much. They took his temp and it was around 101. They talked about meningitis, but decided that since his neck seemed ok, it probably wasn't that. (THIS IS NOT CORRECT!!! YOU CAN HAVE MENINGITIS WITHOUT YOUR NECK BEING STIFF!!!!) (If you EVER have a VERY bad headache and a SUDDEN fever with no other symptoms, you need to see and ER doctor RIGHT AWAY) That day they gave him some antibiotics that they use when you have meningitis, and 2 liters of fluid, and 2 doses of morphine..... This STILL did not make his headache go away and around 9:30 they sent us home with the IV port still in place and told us to come back the next day so they could do blood test and see how he was doing. That night we gave him Ibuprofen or Tylenol every three hours all night. The next day we took him back at 10, he wouldn't eat anything much as his jaw and head still hurt too much. I really was starting to get worried at this point. They did a blood test and this white count was worse, if we didn't give him meds ever 3 hours the pain got worse and the temp started climbing. They decided to give him another 2 liters and more of the IV antibiotics. I questioned at this point if we should go to ER and have the CT scan they said they wish they had. Did he need to be in a hospital??? They said no they thought it would be fine to do the meds then go to our pediatrician on Monday. I said ok, but I was still nervous. They did the treatment and he felt sick from the meds. His headache was not gone, but they sent us home to see the pediatrician Monday with the IV port in. I talk to my sister that night by phone, she is ER doctor, and she was worried and wished we had the CT scan and even a spinal tap. That night Logan had swelling come up between his eyes and his left eye lid swelled and drooped. I called the nurse to talked to the DR and they told me it was ok not to come in unless he couldn't move his eyes without pain, his headache was worse than it had been, or his fever went up to 104. So we made him sleep in my bed, and continued the meds through the night. First thing we took him to the pediatrician, who was very worried, and believed we needed a CT then a spinal tap. SO we went to the ER where they agreed and did the CT right away. There we found that Logan had an infection in his sinus that had went through the bone and into the lining of his brain. They started him on more IV antibiotics and fluids. They decided then he would need a team of doctors to figure out what to do. Quickly they decided that since the antibiotics had been given to him before a spinal tap was done and we found something on the CT that we would not need to do the spinal tap. This was good news for all of us, Logan was really worried about that. They took him to do an MRI and an MRV. The MRI was used to be sure the infection that got near his brain had not gotten in his vain and caused a blood clog. I am not sure what else would have happened if that were the case, I just realized that would be bad. So they called in a Neurosurgeon, because in the beginning there was a belief he might need brain surgery. They called in an ENT and ear, nose, throat specialist to fix the sinus problem (the sinus was blocked and could drain), and infectious disease doctor, and a pediatric intensivist. They took him to the PICU where they decided on a plan. They did so many blood test, took xrays and watched him closely. The first step was to drain the sinus so the so the source of the infection would be gone. The neurosurgeon decided because the infection close to his brain was so small it wasn't worth the risk to take it out. We would just monitor it very closely and work on meds to get rid of it. They did the surgery and made the new outlet, which we will have to monitor to be sure it doesn't close up. They were able to get a sample to get a culture from, drain and clean, so that part is done. He woke up so fast, and did so well, that they moved him to the pediatric floor. He had a PIC line placed today ( kind of like a long term IV, they put it in the upper part of his arm and run a catheter up his arm into a large blood supply line in his chest). He has to stay here until the culture comes back, maybe tomorrow, for sure by Saturday. Then we will go home and the home health company will come and teach me to infuse the antibiotics he will need for the next 5 to 8 weeks. He will have to finish school from home.
SO, I say all of this to say, that as always GOD is watching out for us. He planned this out weeks ago. I quite my job 3 or 4 weeks ago, to do something different, maybe take classes, or take care of my child. Chad was scheduled for vacation and had enough people to cover for him so he didn't HAVE to go in if something happened. Logan had a VERY bad headache that made us take him to the doctor. He had a headache, and not BRAIN DAMAGE or WORSE! The infection didn't make it to his brain. He recovered from the surgery in record time. I could continue on and on and on. I have found that God prepares things for us when the worst is going to happen. For instance, when the goat couldn't have her baby I called my goat midwife friend (lol) it was 11:30 p.m. and her husband was out of town and she was sewing. She was free to come over. She not only helped me take care of the situation, she taught me what I needed to know so I wont be afraid if that ever happens again. I mean what are the chances.... God even cares about my animals. I know he heard the many, many prayers I said over that goat that night. And as my friend told me "how can God give us more faith if he doesn't answer our prayers". It is so easy to trust your kids in his hands when you know how he cares for everything in your life. Our God is good, and he shows us his nature and his love for us in the worst of situations. We are so grateful that he makes all the advanced arrangements, and know just what we need before we even need it. How could we ask for anything more.... Thanks for your prayers and concerns!
Friday, April 23, 2010
Morning Concert
A tiny stream of light slowly floats across the greenest grass, it inches upward highlighting the flowered trees. The light reveals a pair of birds, singing a new spring song, and the rustling of there frantic work, harmonizes nicely with the swaying of the grass in the gentle breeze. The ponds water joins in lapping against its muddy shore, along with humming bees already busy with their days work. Tapping the rhythm of the morning are the hooves making their way from the barn eager to taste the cool fresh grass of the morning. Soft purring of the resident cat seems to blend it all together, as the sun finally makes it through the barn window, this day has begun, the way they have for the thousands of years before, with a song to wake the day. This concert was created for his glory, to be enjoyed by the residents of the beautiful earth..... (and all creation sings his glory)
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