Monday, May 20, 2013

update on Lydia

We've had a rough couple weeks with Lydia being sick, and we think we have some answers now.  Last appointment, the pediatrician had me keep a fairly extensive log to see if we could see a pattern in her vomiting.  A pattern did emerge in this, showing that typically she would vomit with acidic and dairy-heavy foods.  As a result, we are trying medication for reflux and dietary changes that eliminate highly acidic foods and all dairy.

This is not a new diet for me, as I was on a similar one in high school for similar symptoms.  I was instructed to stop Zofran once we get her started on the Zantac pills, which is going to be difficult for her I think.  We also did blood work to test her thyroid, liver and kidney function, and look for markers that would indicate a gluten intolerance (celiac disease).  They also ordered some other tests in the lab that I don't remember right off the top of my head.  We will have results of all her labs in the next few days, and can adjust as needed from there.

At this point, we aren't going to pursue a referral to a specialist in GI up at Children's Hospital, but we are going to be following up with her pediatrician again next month to see how the dietary and medication changes are helping.  If she has a complete turn around with the full combination, at that appointment I'll bring up challenging her with dairy again to see if that is in fact a factor or if it is just coincidence.

She's a bit overwhelmed, obviously, at all the changes that we're making to her diet (dairy alone is a big change, but to add in acidic foods too and going cold turkey is hard for her to process mentally right now).  I did decide that while she's on this diet, I'm going to join her 100% so she doesn't feel left out of all the meals for the rest of the family.  Also, if this works well we will as a family be on this diet to support her fully.  I'm also teaching her how to make things as we go, so far she's learned how to make homemade spaghetti sauce and cut the acidity without changing the flavor.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

giving up until fall I think

Well, this school year has been a wash for me.  Every time we start trying to getting into a good routine something completely messes up things and it takes several days to deal with that and then get back to life as normal, only to repeat.  I'm seriously thinking that I'm just going to finish up attendance with k12 for Jordan, and then call it done until September.  All I have to do with the oldest girls is their standardized test, which we're going to do instead of a portfolio review this year to see if it is any easier for me.  I'm getting the CAT from Seton testing services.  It is not a timed test, so it will fit perfectly with Missa's and Liddy's IEP section that gives them both extra time on testing without having to think and watch the clock.  It also should be easy to accommodate Missa's dyslexia per her IEP she had at the charter school, I'm planning to test each girl individually so it will be easy to adjust as needed.  I just have to get to order the tests so that I can administer them to the kids.  I'm *supposed* to order them this payday, which is tomorrow, but thanks to yet another car repair we will be putting that off most likely.  I need to crunch numbers still and see what we have to work with after the car repair and groceries/gas since we are going to be putting off a couple bills to cover the car.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

ok is vacation week over yet?

I was so looking forward to Scott having this week off and getting to do all sorts of fun things as a family.  We were going to go to the zoo, get our portfolio review done, and do a LOT of yard work.  We had a full, busy, and fun week planned for time together as a family.

Instead, Lydia spent 8 days throwing up nonstop.  The other girls got to spend a day at grandma's while we took her to Children's Hospital, she went to the pediatrician on Friday, and now on day 8 she's at the point that if she doesn't improve by Monday morning I'll be calling her doctor and demanding that they put in an order to admit her for IV fluids and medication.  She's weakened to where she's having trouble walking, she is starting to hallucinate, and is just miserable and making everyone else miserable.  Her 9th birthday was Friday, and her present was suppositories for her nausea and Zofran pills to take once the other medicine starts to work with a "come back in a week once she's hydrated so we can run a million blood tests on her that will require 2 or 3 people helping to hold her down."  She didn't even get to have her birthday cake.  She picked out an ice cream cake, and nobody got it yesterday.  She did keep food down last night all night, so we made the decision to go ahead and do the ice cream cake for her.  That was a mistake, and it totally set off her vomiting again until she fell asleep while I was out shopping with a friend of mine (and the boy along for the ride, poor kid).

Hopefully she improves soon, or on Monday morning I'll be calling her doctor again.  No point in calling right now or tomorrow even, as her doctor isn't on call and the pediatrician at the local ER is a total douche and I flat out can't stand him.  He stinks as a doctor too in my not-so-professional opinion.  I am supposed to take the healthy 3 girls and the boy to church tonight, leave in about 45 minutes, but I really don't feel up to it.  I'm drained, both physically and mentally.

This vacation week has sucked.  Hopefully Monday brings back normal life and health to an extent where I'm not freaked over Lydia being so sick.  I'll come back another time and post more details about her illness, as it is something we've battled for all her life to a degree with the last several months of it being more serious (with the worst flare up being this past 8 days)