Swine Flu: First American Life Claimed

The news is sad on this day.  The first American to die of swine flu has been reported!  I always think that it is sad that people pass but this woman was a remarkable woman.  Judy Trunnell was only 33 years old when swine flu claimed her life.  She was about to embark on a new stage in her life.  She was about to have a baby.  Her daughter was born after she slipped into a coma.  From my understanding of what I have read she did not even get to see her new baby girl!

Judy Trunnell was a school teacher, from Texas, who had dedicated her career to children with disabilities.  She was admitted intot he hospital yesterday and died yesterday.  Her family is greiving as I can imagine.

I would like to take this chance to send my prayers to Judy Trunnell’s family.  May they share in the joy of what she has left behind; a beautiful healthy baby girl.  I know her husband must now be having mixed emotions and I pray that he find a way to keep his wife Judy Trunnell alive in his heart.  I pray that he is able to show is new born baby girl all that his mother was.  I pray that this family work through this.

The flu this year  has truly been a killer flu.  I hope that we find better ways to fight this flu before next flu season.  I am asking that you please keep Judy Trunnell’s family in your prayers.  I do not know her but all I can think about is that baby without its mother.  My heart breaks just thinking about it all!

Becca

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Swine Flu Symptoms: A World Epidemic

Swine Flu Facts:

Swine flu is so named swine influenza, hog flu or pig flu.  Although this new mutate strain is not true swine flu it is a variation of influenza.  The origins of this new strain are currently unknown although it has been seen in pigs it is not exclusive to swine.  The current worry started in Mexico and has quickly moved to the US.  Living in New York I have to say that I am a little worried.  Schools in the city have been closed.  Schools here, about an hour outside of the city, are talking about the possibility of closing and my mother in law keeps telling me about an influenza book that she read.  According to her this is what was happening in the early 1900’s when the flu took out a huge portion of the population.  Although I keep telling her that she is worrying for nothing and that medical awareness and treatment is much different then it was in 1909 I have to admit that I am a little worried.  Perhaps the worry comes out of a student of mother whom I am acquainted with died from the flu a month ago.  Either way I feel it necessary to know what we can do and what to look for.

Swine Flu Symptoms:

I think that it is important to know what we are looking for.  If we can identify the symptoms we can make smart decisions as to seeking medical attention.

1. A fever over 100 degrees
2. cough
3. Sore throat
4. Runny nose
5. Stuffy nose
6. Muscle pain
7. Fatigue
8. Vomiting
9. Diarrhea

It ius advised that if you have any of these symptoms you call your Dr.  It is also advised that you keep children who are sick home and not have kids out of the house.

Swine Flu Precautions:

1. Wash you hands often.  Just as we teach kids it is important to wash you hands while you sing happy birthday twice the rule works well for adults as well.  I know I do it… in my head of course!  Frequent hand washing is important.  The amount of time you are washing is just as important.  Make sure that you get in between all of your fingers, under your nails and your wrists also.  DO NOT JUST RINSE!
2. Use hand sanitizers.  The hand sanitizer must contain at least 60% alcohol.  If you opt for the wipes it is important to assure that you dispose of them properly.
3. Keep your hands away from your face.  This means no playing with your chapped lips, no biting your nails and no picking your nose.  I felt that I should add that last one for the ones who do it.  You know who you are!
4. Cover your sneezes.  It is important to use the inside of your elbow or tissues for this.  I know when I was young we were taught to use our hands but that is not the acceptable way anymore.  That just helps to spread germs!
5. Make sure that you help you kids do the same!

While all of these precautions are effective there is one that I have heard in completely ineffective.  Wearing surgical masks is not advisable.  One would have to change into a new mask every few hours in order for it to be effective.  It was described in a way that made me feel it was good sound advise.  The mask traps germs.  After a few hours it has trapped all of the germs it can and you begin breathing in those germs.  You also use your hands to remove the germ filled mask spreading it to other parts of your body.

I hope that all of this information helps.  I think that if we all remain calm and follow the above precautions we will all come out of this fine.  Oh and one other thing.  It is completely fine to eat pork.  You will not get swine flu by eating pork!  Good luck!

Becca

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The Stomach Bug Returns

As I was saying last week I hate stomach bugs.  I had thought that I had escaped its bite but I spoke too soon. Abigail spent all night Tuesday sick, Emma and I woke up sick and Rob is the only one not infected.  So I will not tell you about this horrible experience.  Yeah right you know that I will!

• Abigail did not get sick in 5 places before making it into the bedroom.
• I was not the one who did the laundry that she created.
• I did not sit there and help her while she was throwing up.
• Emma did not wake up the next morning covered in stomach flu remnants.
• I did not throw up all day that morning.
• I did not call my sister in law to take the baby because I could not take care of her.
• I did not sleep all day.
• I did not ignore my older kids all day who were also sick
• I did not wish I would rather be dead!

All in all I hope that this stomach Flu or bug as I like to call it has worked its way through my family.  I hope that it never comes back.  I am not sure when you spend a week cleaning it all up that the bug will not bite you.  I took the bleach idea and washed my hands obsessively and yet the bug still bit me.  I am amazed by its sneaky ability!  I cannot wait for warmer weather when the mosquitoes are the only bugs biting!

Becca

Update:  Rob was bitten last night!  Now we have all had it… Hopefuilly it will GO AWAY!!

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National Craft Month

I had not idea that in addition to national disability awareness month it was also national craft month.  I am really starting to think that there is a month for EVERYTHING.  While I do feel that some of these months are important such as Breast Cancer Awareness month and National Disability Awareness Month.  I just think that some just feel silly.  It would seem to me that the craft stores are the ones that began this national craft month!   Who else would have felt that crafts should have their own month?

While I do think that it is silly to have national craft month I am excited about the coupon that JoAnn Fabrics sent to my email!  Crafts  a great way for children and adults to express themselves.  It is a way to learn and have fun.  Crafts are fun and enjoyable.  As so many of you know I love crafts!  I am just not sure that they need their own month!

Either way I am going to take my 30% coupon and stock up on supplies.  Letting them go to waste would be a complete shame.  I am not one to let a bargin get away!

Becca

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Is My Baby Blind?? Part III

So there I was at home that afternoon.  Abigail and Emma were still in school.  This meant that I could look online and learn all that I could about blindness in infants.  I know that babies are not able to see well the first few days of life.  I read and read all afternoon.  I did not see anything good.  I saw ways to help your blind child, I saw ways to tell if your child is blind and a million other things.  I kept doing the experiments suggested in hope that she would see something and I could end all of this.

So I shined a light in her eyes, I pointed her to the window to see if she would look out it.  I did everything that every web site had said to do and still nothing.  I cried for about 5 minutes and then picked myself up!  I said, “OK so she is blind.  There are worse things.  She is healthy other then that!  You can do this.”   And there it was.  Just like with the Mastocytosis (which can become cancerous), just like the cerebral palsy I could do this.  It was all going to be alright.  I said it again and again and again until I believed it.  I started to read about what to do with children who are blind.  I read all about ways to stimulate blind babies.  If I could not change it then by God I would educate myself about it.

As I called my husband and told him he had the same response that his mother had.  I told him all the things I had been looking at and was, by this point, even cracking jokes.  I told him that we could get another dog now because Analiese would need a seeing eye dog.  He even started cracking jokes about it which are worse then my dog one so I will leave it out.  We were ready for whatever was to come.  I guess it is the kind of thing we had been faced with before.  We learned early on to accept it, deal with it and move on!  Now I was in the moving on stages by the afternoon.  That is until my in laws all got together and sent a huge margarita glass filled with flowers.  I cannot tell you what the card said but there I was crying again.  Partly because it was all too much and partly because it is always nice to know that you are loved!  Love was what I needed right now and they knew it.  That is why they are so great!

All day I helped Analiese and tried to get her to track things.  My father was convinced she was following a rattle.  I had explained to him that she was following the noise and after about 30 minutes of trying other things he gave me a great big bear hug.  This is what my daddy is best at.  It was his way of saying it is not fair.  You have too much.  It was his way of loving me.  It was his way of saying it would all be OK.  Just like daddy always does!

Becca

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Is My Baby Blind? Part II

From here I could tell that the Dr. was worried too.  He was trying not to let me know.  As he set down the flashlight that he had been shining into Analiese’s eyes he picked up a great big bright toy!  I thought that she would for sure watch this.  He moved it slowly back and forth in front of her.  She just stared into space as if there was noting there.   The Dr. then went to his tie that he was wearing, which was also bright, and waved it back and forth slowly and yet again nothing.

By this point I was standing there watching this thinking, “you have to be kidding me!”  I had told the Dr. about my concern, but Analiese  should have come into the office and looked at him and track things and show that I am a worry wart.  She was supposed to prove me wrong.  By this point I was FLIPPING out inside.  All of a sudden he stopped moving his tie and accepted defeat.  I was right!

At this moment he said he was sending her to a pediatric opthomolgist.  He had given me a name of one and he was even nice enough to schedule the appointment.  I know from my other children and all of their issues that this is not a good thing!  It is actually a really bad thing when your Dr. feels that he needs to sit down and call another Dr.  Now I was again FLIPPING out inside.

On the way home I called my mother-in-law.  She is like my best friend.  She is the one I always call first.  Tears were welling in my eyes and I told her how the appointment had gone.  She was silent!  This is never good.  She usuaully has so much to say.  She tells you that it is all fine and she tells you that it is just a precaution.  She helps you figure out how to fix it.  This itme though she was silent.

I felt like it was 10 minutes before she said anything.  I am sure it was more like 1 minute but to me it felt like an eternity.  Here I was looking for infinate wisdom and all I got was silence!  Then she spoke and she was alomst yelling, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!”  I said,  “well no I am not.”  This was me stalling while still waiting for her to reassure me!  Then she said, “I am speachless.  How much crap can be put on your plate?  I just cannot believe this!”

It was then that I cried.  She was right.  I already had a child with Mastocytosis, undiagnosed bipolar and another child with Cerebral Palsy.  When would God think that enough was enough?  Why me is all I kept saying.  I am a good person.  I have always been overly kind even to nasty people.  I went to church on an almost regular basis.  Why was God doing this to me?  All I had ever wanted out of life was to be a mother and have the “perfect” family.  This mess was anything from perfect!

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Sick

I think that my favorite kids poems ever is “Sick” by Shell Silverstein.  I used to love this poem more then anything and I cannot tell you the number of times I have read it in my life.  I sit here thinking about this poem for a few reasons:

1. Abigail keeps faking being sick.  This is what the poem is all about.  It is about a girl who has everything wrong with her until she finds out that it is Saturday.  She is then by some miracle better.  This is now Abigail starring in the role of the faking little girl.  She has gotten one over on me a few times in the past few weeks but now I am on to her.  I do not know why she is avoiding going to school.  It used to be something that she loved!  All I know is that no more children will be staying home with mommy unless they have a fever and cannot move off of the couch.  I do not want to entertain all day.  I want to see Abigail and Emma off to school and play with the baby.  I want to work when the baby is sleeping not entertain an imitation sick child. 
2. The baby is sick:  Yes it is true I think that we have an ear infection on our hands.  This would be the first for baby Analiese which is impressive being that we are moving closer to two with each passing day.  I hate when babies are sick.  They cannot tell you what hurts.  They cannot tell you when their fever is creeping back up.  It makes it all so hard to have to watch them hurt and be sad.  It just breaks my heart how Analiese still wants to be a trooper and has not learned better yet.  She still wants to play even though I know that it hurts for her to hold her head up.  She still wants to come to dinner even though she does not want to eat.  I just find it all so heartbreaking.
3. I want it to be Saturday:  Yes I know that the week just started but in the poem it is all better because it is Saturday.  I sit here wishing for one of these magical Saturdays!

** oh and to top it off I just picked Emma up from school.  She had one hive and this was apparently a reason to come home urggg**

I hope that you are having a better time this February with your sick little ones!  I am just looking for Saturday!

Becca

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