For the past 2+ months most of the world has gotten a small taste of what it’s like to be a medically complex family. Everyone has felt the fear of germs, stayed in the confines of their home when they’d rather be out and about, been considerate of those with underlying health issues, and began being more conscious about the spread of germs. But now that the world is slowly beginning to open up again, will all of you remember this? It is my fear and the fear of most special needs families that you won’t. I’ve seen so...
Just a Cold
I know you’ve heard it a million times. I know you’re probably tired of hearing it; the many moms pleading with you to stay home when you’re sick. But believe it or not this very simple concept seems to fall on deaf ears over and over again. For some reason people are not understanding why they need to stay home for a measly cold. They continue to claim they’re “fine.” Their child with the runny nose and slight cough, is “fine.” It’s “nothing.” It’s “just a cold.” Well I’m here to tell you it’s NEVER just a cold. A...
Hospital Hell
It’s hard to believe an entire week has already come and gone. One minute we were in Rhode Island on a mini vacation, and the next we’re in the hospital. I lose all sense of time when we’re in the hospital with Madison. Sitting in the same chair EVERY SINGLE DAY is hard. Sleeping in a windowsill is hard. Trying to comfort your child while they’re hooked up to multiple machines is hard. It’s just all around hard, and the days sort of just blur together. The first few days of a hospital admittance tend to be the scariest...
The Domino Effect
Epilepsy sucks. Diabetes Insipidus sucks. Hypopituitarism sucks. All of these conditions are difficult to mange on their own, but put them all together and the complexities can be overwhelming. With so many systems out of whack, a tiny change in one can greatly affect the others. Whenever something is “off” with Madison there’s never an easy answer as to why. We always have to look at the whole picture and it can make things quite challenging to say the least. So far, we’ve been pretty lucky in her care with most of her systems running smoothly and levels stable....
Headed Home!
Our 1st Hospital Stay Since Meningitis Thursday 8/23, after making it a whole year without needing to be admitted to the hospital for health reasons, Madison was sent to the ER from her pediatricians office after a chest x-ray seemed to show pneumonia in her right lung. While most kids would have been sent home on an antibiotic, Madison’s health history makes things more complicated and it’s usually safer to admit her to the hospital for observation. It sucks, but we’re pretty lucky that we’ve been able to make it an entire year without her suffering from anything serious...