Dreary Rain with a Chance of Cold

Not just a chance of cold, but definitely a cold virus. I had been sneezing all last week thinking it was just allergies; ha was I wrong. Now not only am I sneezing constantly, but my sinuses (nose especially)are fully blocked and my head is freaking killing me.

Will I die? No! Don't be so dramatic...haha, but I dare say I do feel like utter crud.

Add the virus to a dreary rain (heavy downpour type) and you have the makings of a BEAUTIFUL day!

Coming up later....Funny Monday!

Every Year

The picture to the right shows the most important defense and offense to illness.

It seems the same time every year I end up with a sickness. I think my husband would say I always have a sickness *chuckle*, but I beg to differ.

Halloween last year one of my children was sick and I became sick not long there after. This year none of the kids were so sick they could not participate in the Halloween festivities, but I sure as heck was and still am...boohoo!

Yes, I am whining, but most of all, I want to thank my children for helping me when I needed it the most. Even my husband stepped up the other night and helped. While they may not do everything I would have done, they did help and allowed me to sleep; which I can say has been the best medicine.

I am not totally over it (lovely bronchitis), but I am getting there.

So a big THANK YOU to my hubby and children!

Image Source: http://www1.umn.edu/systemwide/enews/images/washhands.jpg

Nothing New....Yet!

Per my last post about all these wacked out symptoms, nothing to report as of yet.  It is rather disappointing, but hey, what can I do. 

Not much!

I thankfully have not had the dizzy spells or headaches as of late.  I still get the tremors occasionally, but I am learning to deal with them.  Thanks for all of the comments and concerns.


Technorati Tags: tremors, life, health, illness

What The Hell Now?

Is life not fun? Well, lately, if pain, numbness, tingling, tremors, spasms and such are part of my life, then I guess it is especially fun! Maybe I should explain a bit more...


About two years ago I went to my doctor with numbness and tingling in my face with additional symptoms of muscle type spasms or what some would call restless leg syndrome.

My doctor is pretty thorough and yet I can somehow still baffle him. I call myself his problem patient. He just laughs and says, "No, you are just getting old." Which of course I then chuckle because after all, I am only 38 to his 33 years. I may be older than him but he is not far behind.

As you can probably tell, doc and I have a pretty good rapport. Well, the last few months I have been experiencing the same symptoms; honestly, I have been feeling the same ones, new ones and some getting worse. After going in complaining of my neck, I started to mention the other symptoms again. We thought maybe some symptoms were coming from the neck/headache pain, yet the only thing found on the x-rays was some arthritis (bone spurs), but not severe, but still there.

He sent me to a neurologists who was a total bitch. Not only was she trying to push me out the door (it seemed) as soon as I got there, but she acted as though I had no business being there. I advised my regular doctor I was not pleased and how she did not do as thorough an exam as he has done; so now we are in diagnostic mode; again: We hope!

He ran a crap load of blood tests, yet again. He rechecked my calcium, potassium, hormones, thyroid and more. Can you believe it? Nothing, nada! OMG!!! I am screaming (inside) now! He actually seemed rather disappointed nothing showed up via the blood work and to be honest, so am I, because I want this mystery freaking solved, yesterday.

Well, two years ago with the first MRI of my brain, he was ruling out MS; which at the time he did; nothing showed. So now, two years later, we were back to an MRI. He has ruled out just about everything metabolic, mineral and abnormal that can go wrong with my body. What is left?

Apparently, with the second MRI we are hoping to find something that would account for the below list of symptoms:


Numbness/tingling of face (nose, lower cheeks and chin)--Feels like creepy crawlies, yuck!

Spasms--Restless leg everyday, all day and occasionally big, jerking type movements from whole body parts, like my shoulder and arm or my leg, even my head.

I look like a freaking puppet who's master likes to cause the puppets limbs to jump around randomly.

Tingling sensations down both arms to finger tips. NEW

Severe pain/tingling around lower skull/upper neck that radiates to the top of my head and involves at times ear and face pain--mainly on the right side. NEW

Tremors--When trying to hold an object steady, my hands shake/tremble. Does not seem to bother me when I actually pick up something, even though my arms feel weak. Same thing with my feet/legs. If I hold them out, my foot starts to shake/tremble and I get frequent Achilles tendon spasms on the bottom of my feet.

Problems with thinking! Of course, my husband and I have to laugh about this symptom every now and then. He jokes me about not having a brain to think with and so on. But, when I am having real issues, he knows not to joke. I literally cannot think and sometimes I not only loose my train of thought, but forget I am even talking.

My mother finally said something to me, so I know it is bad when my mom speaks up. Normally she is the one that just says, "Oh well, it is probably nothing." She has even informed me I seem more flighty than normal. *chuckle*

Speech--This one has totally thrown me for a loop. I will be in the middle of speaking and while I am thinking the word, it will not come out of my mouth. Not the, tip of your tongue type problem, a real, I cannot form the F--k-- word. Can you imagine how frustrating that is? I have even cried because when I finally got the word out, it came out jumbled/garbled.

At first some of these symptoms caused a right many laughs out of my husband, until he realized how frustrated and scared I would become. There were those times I tried to laugh it off because I did not want anyone to know how bad I was really feeling.

I go for an MRI with and without contrast tomorrow. So, either MS, brain tumor or God only knows what else.

I JUST WANT TO KNOW!






Technorati Tags: MS, MRI, Tremors, Spasms, Blood Tests, Tingling, Pain

Nothing Too Serious, But Still...

I swear if my children didn't come down with some of the strangest illnesses my life would be so very boring.  At least they (my children) seem to offer a certain amount of "excitement" to my life. 

 

LO

My 11 year old daughter Lo started with some chest pains Saturday afternoon just before soccer.  No, she wasn't nervous or anxious.  Thankfully she doesn't get that way, but apparently it was really bothering her during her game.  I wasn't there, this information was relayed to me later, when she and my husband came home.  Anyway, she had to be pulled out of the game, so I know the pain was pretty intense.  Lo does NOT stop playing unless she absolutely has too or if she is on her death bed.

I was a little concerned because she did look overheated when they got home.  I made her rest for a while, drink more fluids and even put ice on her neck since her heart seemed to be racing a bit.  None of these things helped.  I had her take some ibuprofen, no help either.

At this point, kind of at a loss, but still not too worried. 

Now I am thinking allergies!  I had her take her allergy meds, nothing.  Hmmm, she kept complaining about this pain at night.  It is worse at night!  Reflux?  Could she be having some type of allergic reaction?  Nope!  No amount of antacids worked or allergy meds.  Well, I am totally baffled.  She is not sleeping well and the pain is pretty intense at times.  She complained of it being a stabbing type pain.

I decided it was time for a doctors visit yesterday.  Thankfully we were in and out of there in an hour.  She was easily diagnosed!  Costochondritis

I know, what the heck is Costochondritis?  Well, it is inflammation of the cartilage, where the ribs attach to the sternum (breast bone).  Only my daughter!  No, there is no specific cause; either overuse, allergies, virus...basically anything goes as far as the cause. So now she just has to rest, can't get too much exercise (yeah right) and take ibuprofen.  If she isn't better in a week they want to do an xray.  I am sure she will be fine, but this is just nuts isn't it?

 

Chels

On a GREAT note; my daughter Chels who had all kinds of inflammation and other symptoms that no one has been able to diagnose is feeling a bit better.  Her knee is doing well and although she is still experiencing occasional inflammation all over her body, we are learning how to handle it and treat it accordingly.  Recently she had what we thought was an intestinal virus.  I noticed though she was also having some rib pain again (Pleurisy).  I told her she needed to take the Prednisone just to see if it would help.  I had a hunch her intestinal issues may be another for of inflammation in her body.  Well, after taking the Prednisone she miraculously felt better. 

Hmmmm, I wonder if we are on to something here?

 

Technorati Tags: costochondritis,lo,chels,children,illness

My Daughter: Her Knee

Chel is still having problems, although, in the scheme of things, better than before.

The Chondromalacia Patella has not improved, yet I cannot say for sure if that is my fault of poor Chel's body?!  I will elaborate!

 

Good Mom/Bad Mom?

She is supposed to be receiving physical therapy to add in strengthening one side of her knee and until this week I just couldn't afford to send her.  It isn't necessarily expensive, but with everything that has been going on, an extra 20-30 bucks a week to visit the physical therapist was just a bit too much.  Because of this, Chels has had to wait and we have not been able to find out if the therapy will actually work.

On one hand I feel like a complete failure as a parent, on the other, I know it was either therapy or giving up something else, such as prescription drugs, food or gas.  Which one too choose?

Now, Chel has been moving around and trying to get as much exercise as her knee can handle, so it isn't like she sits on her butt all day; unfortunately, because school can be difficult for her to maneuver, she has missed quite a bit and it is causing her grades to suffer.  I personally feel she would have A's and B's right now, instead of C's and one D if it weren't for this problem.

I will be contacting physical therapy and her doctor today to see what we can do; hopefully the therapy will help and she will feel better in a couple of weeks.

 

Technorati Tags: knee pain,chondromalacia patella,chels,therapy

Revisited Continued

I left off yesterday discussing that first visit to the doctor's office and them not really finding anything other than a possible virus; but definitely not the flu.

 

The First Night of Pain

Chels of course stayed up and I tried to keep her comfortable.  By dinner time she was in so much pain she cried and whined.  Now, this is not the type of whining and crying where you tell a child to hush and they stop.

This crying had that, "Mom, please take this pain away" type sound.  The type of cry that pleads for someone to help.  Yet there was nothing I could do!

I did call her doctor and upon discussing the situation, we decided we would take her back, again in the morning.  So, I did.

What The Doctor Thinks

This visit actually provided more information; but still no diagnosis.  Her pediatrician noted that her joints were slightly swollen, some were warm to the touch and upon manipulation Chels was in quite a bit of pain.

Not only were your toes, fingers, knees, neck and head hurting, but the muscles in her legs were also painful.

At this point the only choice the doctor felt we had, was to do extensive blood work.  Not only did they test for Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis, but her doctor requested that Chels's blood be tested for Epstein Bar Virus (EBV), Cytomegalavirus (CMV) and I think that there was another one but not sure. 

After the blood was drawn, we (Chels, me and the doctor) had a discussion about what we should do next.  Her doctor decided to make Chels an appointment with a Pediatric Rheumatologist and we were left to go home and wait.

Watching your child in pain and having to take high doses of ibuprofen is not fun, but by that Friday Chels was feeling somewhat better.  Although most of the symptoms had eased up, they were totally gone.

By the time we found out Chels's blood results (which were negative) and she visited the Rheumatologists; the worst of the symptoms had subsided.

Isn't that always the case?  Our vehicles normally are the ones that act up then do not show any signs of problems when we take them to the mechanic. 

I was very happy to have Chels feeling better, but that didn't help with getting a diagnosis.

 

Her Knee

Right now we are dealing with her knee giving her problems.  While we do not know yet if her current knee issues are related; I do know they are bad.  Chels will go to school and by the time she gets home her knee is not only in a lot of pain, but is swollen and you can see on her face what it is doing to her.

Movement is still better than no movement at this point.  While it is painful, Chels says it does help some to move her knee around to keep it from getting stiff.

She had her MRI today and we have a visit Wednesday with the Orthopedist.  Hopefully soon we will know what is going on with her knee.

 

Technorati Tags: knee pain,chels,joints,orthopedist

Chels's Symptoms: Revisted

For those of you who have been reading about my daughter Chels on here and her recent health issues, this may be repeat of some information.  Those that are just stopping by, well, hopefully some of this information can help or even, maybe, someone will have some insight.

Chels just turned 14 yesterday...woohoo!  Yet another teenager in the house!

I say this because I already have an 18 year old in college and a 16 year old who drives us absolutely batty with laziness.  Although the older two live with their father in Northern Virginia, I talk to them quite often and we visit as much as possible. 

That all being said, we 'think' Chels's symptoms began months ago.  As early as last year Chels has had issues, but we were not aware they  may be related until recently.

 

The Beginning

She began with strange back pain in the middle of her back (thoracic region) that was quite debilitating.  The doctors were so concerned they sent her for an MRI, to a Neurologist and put her on Neurotin which is a medication used for nerve pain.  While nothing was 'officially' diagnosed, they did know 'something' was going on.

They were concerned because we have Anklosing Spondylitis in the family, along with other joint, bone, spine problems.

 

Chest Pain

The last six months have been filled with strange occurrences of chest pain.  First it started on the right, back, kidney region.  Even her doctor thought it was kidney related.  As usual though, all tests came back normal.  No infections, kidney functions were perfect.  This pain would travel from one side to the other.  Sometimes in the front and sometimes in the back. 

While the mention of constipation came up, I determined this was not the case.  Chels was not constipated. 

How could this be?  She not only loves vegetables and other fibrous foods, but drinks plenty of water.  She was using the bathroom frequent enough not to be constipated, although this can happen since she has Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  This just didn't feel right to me.

 

Recent Issues

Chels woke up on February 11th in extreme pain.  She could barely walk her legs were hurting so bad.  Her fingers, hands, feet, knees....all were hurting, slightly swollen and she couldn't make fists.  She had a migraine type headache and really bad neck pain and stiffness.

I thought to myself and even told her, "Oh no, you have the flu."

I figured some ibuprofen and rest would make her feel better.  Since she does have Hashimoto's, I felt I should take her in for the doctors to give her a flu test.  At least then they could treat her with a viral drug if she indeed had the flu.

Well, no flu! 

Me:  "What, no flu?"  "No, this can't be!"

Doctor:  "No flu."  "Let us do a finger prick to see if she has something viral or bacterial going on."

Me:  "Ok, sure, why not." 

Now at this point I am a bit concerned, but nothing dramatic.

Finger prick results came back in about 15 minutes with a 'possible' viral something or other showing up.  Nothing major was evident though; meaning nothing really stuck out to anyone.

We went home, continued with treatment....

More to come tomorrow!

 

Sites for reference:

Mayo Clinic:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hashimotos-disease/DS00567

American College of Rheumatology:  http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/as.asp

 

Technorati Tags: chels,health,pain,swelling,stiffness,joints

Nothing New...Yet

Well, I have been hoping for that phone call telling us we can bring Chels in for her MRI earlier than Saturday; but I am not sure that is going to happen.  So far, no phone call.  Bummer!

While she is being a trooper and handling the situation really well, she is still having difficulties. 

Chels does get up and walk around a little in the house without the crutches because she needs too; not because it doesn't hurt.  At school though she requires crutches because it is even more weak and tries to give out on her. 

She wakes in the morning with pain and keeps describing it as though 'something is stuck in her knee'.  She is having to take prednisone just to get through and by the time she comes home from school, her knee is swollen and requires her to elevate it for an hour or so.

Once the swelling is down some she can play a little.  What I mean by play is; she tries to run around and have fun, but it is more of a limp run.  We chuckle about it when we can.  She is playing spring soccer so we will see she how that goes.  I am not sure how much she will get to play at this point, but at least she is trying to get some exercise.  As I stated, she is a trooper! 

I think I would be whining more than kid in a toy store not getting their way at this point. 

So, we are still in the waiting phase, yet again!  I do feel bad though because she is having to deal with kids at school picking on her and telling her how she is faking.  You cannot fake something like this and I know my kid...some kids are just mean.  Thankfully, I am not in middle school anymore!

Thanks for all of the well wishes!

 

Technorati Tags: knee pain,RA,health,children

Update: Life's Dramas

Chels is scheduled for a MRI.  The Orthopedists stated her knee is stable (which means no ligament damage), which I am grateful; but because of her symptoms she could either have some torn cartilage or this pain can come from growing.  I had no idea that pain so severe could come from growing. 

 

This is how it was explained:

Chels had a large growth spurt over the last year; approximately 3 inches.  So, when that happens the muscles, tendons, ligaments etc. cannot accommodate and strengthen as quickly. 

The muscles and other soft tissue behind the knee become stronger, while the soft tissue on the front side become weaker.  When this happens it becomes difficult for the leg to be fully extended.

We will know for sure after the MRI, but he seems pretty sure this is the cause; especially after I told him about her sudden height jump.  We have been seeing these Orthopedists for the last two to three years and so far they have always hit the 'nail on head' so to speak.

Thankfully, if this is the case, she will only require some physical therapy to get the muscles and tendons back in working order.  While researching this new information I found what the doctor was speaking of: 

 

                          Osgood Schlatter Syndrome/Disease.

 

We are still dealing with the swelling, stiff joints.  When I mentioned to him about her symptoms he felt this could be related, but also agreed with me; if Chels has JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) it may not show in her blood for a couple of years. 

For the moment it looks like we may have a diagnosis on the current knee pain (once we get the MRI next week), but it just happened to coincide with all of her other symptoms.

All in all, I feel better today and feel ultimately everything will be A-OK!  Thanks for all of the well wishes.

 

Technorati Tags: Osgood Schlatter,knee pain,MRI

Life's Dramas

Well, we were back at the Rheumatologist office yesterday because Chels woke up Monday morning with swollen, painful hands and feet; again. She couldn't make a fist at all. By mid day her knee was hurting so bad she could barely walk and when she lay down to try and relax she would wince in pain every few minutes.

I finally broke down. I cried so much because I just don't know what to do anymore. I have to take her now to the Orthopedist office tomorrow afternoon because of her knee. The visit with the Rheumatologist wasn't as productive as I would like. She(the doctor) felt that the knee pain was either mechanical in nature or due to emotional stress. Well, other than the pain and swelling Chels has been experiencing, I just do not think stress is a factor. I know in my heart something is going on; we just don't know what it is yet.

So, the purpose of this Ortho visit is because her knee has not only been painful, but she cannot fully bend or extend her leg. Any pressure for more than a few minutes practically sends her to the floor and when she got home from school today it was swollen. The predisone isn't working as far as we can tell and Chels is in tears every time she moves.

I just hope we find out why her knee is hurting tomorrow. I can't stand to see my daughter hurting. She is a trooper though and she is doing all of this without the aid of narcotic pain meds. I am very proud of her!

Chels is the tallest, Lo next to her and their goofy faced brother I (shown in the picture).

Technorati Tags: life drama,children,health,pain

On a Positive Note!

We went and saw Chels's Rheumatologist today and it seems, all is well.  While her blood work is showing her to be relatively normal (if you know 13 year olds you understand this statement to be only somewhat true) we do have to start keeping a journal of her symptom, when they occur and if there is anything she does or does not do that helps.

The doctor seems to think Chels contracted a virus, which in turn caused her immune system to go haywire because it is already compromised from her Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  I am glad she is feeling better.  Chels is still having some minor swelling and stiffness in her hands when she wakes, but compared to what she was going through, this is great news. Oh, I almost forgot the pain she has been having around her kidney area.  Well, we thought it was her kidney area; even the pediatrician thought this.  Apparently pleurisy causes the same symptoms that Chels has been having and this would make since as it kept going from the right lung to the left lung area.  If you are not familiar with the term pleurisy, this is a condition in which the pleural lining of the lungs becomes inflamed; which seems to be common in people who have these immune responses.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes and hopefully after a few visits (she has to return every three months for a while) we won't have to deal with the issue any longer. 

 

Technorati Tags: rheumatologist,hasimoto's thyroiditis,health,children,auto immune

Lupus, RA or Something Else?

Well, we still do not know.  All we know at this time is; according to the Pediatrician, all test results are negative.  Even those  these tests were negative and my daughter's pediatrician thinks there is a possibility what she had was viral induced arthritis; it is still recommended for Chels to see the Rheumatologist.

 

The Rheumatologist has stated that she wants to see Chels this coming Thursday.  With my daughter's history of Hashimoto's, apparently there could be something still going on.  We will see, but so far so good and Chels is doing better.

Thanks for all of the well wishes and prayers!

 

Technorati Tags: daughter,lupus,ra,illness,health,children

Update on Daughter's Illness

*Note*  My daughter's pediatrician is not the type of doctor that jumps up and immediately thinks something is wrong if there is not evidence.  She does not perform tests or medicate unless she feels it is warranted.

 

That all being said, yesterday was a tad bit worrisome, but I am better today.  I am not the type of parent who automatically thinks something really bad is happening.  I am more the type of parent that people look at say, "Why can't she be more sympathetic?".  From the time my children were little I tried to make sure my hubby and I didn't make a big deal about injuries, whether minor or major.  Because of this my children tend to handle injuries and illness pretty well. 

This incident has scared me and I would be lying if I stated otherwise.  I hate making a big deal about a possible illness, but this just has me baffled.

We re-visited the doctor yesterday and blood was drawn.  Because my daughter Chels already has an autoimmune disorder (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis) she is use to having her blood drawn. 

Her symptoms

Painful muscles (leg and arms), swollen and stiff joints (fingers, toes, knees and neck), a few hot joints, severe headaches, no fever, no other signs of illness. 

The pain has been so bad at times she cried for a couple of hours almost straight.  Symptoms are at the worst in the morning, but last all throughout the day.  She has had some other symptoms over the last six months that haven't made any sense, so hopefully all of this will shed some light on that too.

What the Doctor Says:

While we don't want to think the worst, her pediatrician has recommended for Chels to see a pediatric rheumatologist for possible Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis.  The pediatrician is also having her blood tested for a varied list of viruses that can invade the body, but are not necessarily looked for in a typical office visit.  Chels's pediatrician has recommended I give her high doses of anti-inflammatory medication such as Advil (she gave us a prescription for 800mg) and she has to take an antacid so the ibuprofen doesn't affect her stomach.

 

Where We Currently Stand:

Chels seems to be able to handle the swelling and stiffness a bit better with constant ingestion of ibuprofen.  She is still having issues, they are just lessened with use of the medication.

We have received the results for some of the blood work, but nothing conclusive.  Her CBC panel seems to be within normal ranges (so far), but her white cell count in on the low side of normal.  The doctor told me that we really need to wait until all of the results come in so that it can be looked at as a whole.  Ugh, I hate the waiting game.

Hopefully I will have more news tomorrow.

 

Technorati Tags: sick child,lupus,rheumatoid arthritis,symptoms

Worried Mother

I have been so worried about my daughter Chels (13) since yesterday morning.  She awoke with all over body pain and a horrible headache.  I figured flu, that is the most reasonable conclusion to draw, correct?

She does not have the flu; the doctor performed a flu test.  I do not want her to be sick, but I would rather her have the flu, at least then the doctors would be able to give her a viral medication. 

The doctor did a finger prick to see how her white blood cell count is doing.  It was low (I did not ask how low...dummy me) indicative of a virus.  By last night though I was calling the doctors office back.  She was in so much pain in her legs she was crying every few minutes and that is just not like her.

I started asking her more questions like, "Where did the pain first start?", "What hurts the most?"...etc, etc.  Apparently her feet and legs hurt the most yesterday morning along with her headache (although everything seemed to hurt to some degree).  By last night it was mainly her legs and knees.  Now during all of this she has complained of a tightness in her joints, which is a sign of some type of inflammation in the joints.

She could barely walk last night and after speaking with the doctor, we decided not to take her to the hospital because they really wouldn't do anything anyway; except makes us wait for 6 hours to be told to follow up with the pediatrician.  I do not think the doctor wanted her exposed to the numerous people who may be in the emergency department with the flu; as the flu season has peaked here in Virginia.

We went to sleep (although I don't think she slept all that well).

This Morning

Well, not surprising I ended up having to call the doctors, yet again.  This morning she is complaining of her knees and hands hurting, with the arms hurting more.  Now I have just noticed redness on her knuckles of her left hand.  They are not producing any heat that I can tell yet, but this is just getting worse not better and I have to be honest, I am a worried.

She cannot make a fist, it hurts her to bend her knees, walk, stand up straight and even sit.  She does the best laying down and being completely still. 

We have another appointment for the doctors this morning and they will draw some blood.  Keep your fingers crossed, because right now, I am really concerned for my girl.

 

Technorati Tags: sick child,pain,stiffness,swollen joints,worried mother

Children, Hair and Lice: One Mom's War With the Nit Monster!

I was reminded of this incident because of a recent post at Fenicle:  Sticky Tack Drama

No, not Knit, Nit!  Nit as in the eggs of hair louse. 

This happened some years ago; well, sometime around 1996 or 1997.  I received a lovely note home from the nurses office at my children's school letting me know they had contracted lice.

We were living in a rather rural area so I wasn't really all that surprised.  With four children, two adults and a home to treat; I was not looking forward to this endeavor.  Hubby and I purchased the treatment kits, we thought we were following the directions and as far as we could tell, all signs of the lice were gone. 

The children went back to school and in a couple of days, they were back home; infested, yet again.  I am sure I screamed, cause at that point in my life I was a basket case anyway.

While I may have a cluttered house at times, it isn't dirty, but then again, lice prefer clean (hair) to dirty....I bet you didn't know that!

Now that all of the product was gone from the first treatment we had to purchase more. We spent approximately $200 for these two treatments.   This time I made sure I followed the directions and even bought one of those metal nit combs that are supposed to be better (which they are) and cause irritated, irrational mothers to pull hair out of their little one's heads.  Of course that doesn't describe me at all.

Of course the house was retreated...etc, etc.  You get the process! 

Can you believe that didn't get rid of them?  I had finally had it!  My children had missed school because we couldn't get rid of the nits and I found out that if even one, one little measly nit is left, you will be going through the whole process again in about a week.

I spoke with the nurse, she advised us of some home remedies to try...yea; okay, that didn't work. 

Being the rational mother I am, I sat my children down (all girls by the way) and started shaving heads.  While you may think this is harsh, several months of treatment and hours of nit removal didn't work; what would you have done?  We couldn't afford to go to the doctor for a prescription type and the doctor told us that our youngest couldn't use it; we were stuck.

I didn't shave them bald, just short enough so that the nits had nothing to stick too and when using the nit comb, the nits were found easily.

As a mom, I was devastated.  I didn't want to cut all my girls beautiful hair, but I knew it would grow back.  Now my children weren't so understanding.  My younger two at the time didn't care, but the older two actually got mad at me and thought I did it to hurt them.  Oh, I was so upset.

We got through that though, their hair grew back and we accomplished what I had set out to do; I GOT RID OF THE LICE and the NIT MONSTER!

 

 

Technorati Tags: children,hair,lice,schools,parenting

The Foods We Eat...

I had a commenter leave me a message about my last post "Another Dumb Moment" and she gave some really good advice about watching the sodium content in the frozen dinners; in particular the Weight Watcher's (R) frozen dinner I was speaking of in the post.

This reminded me of a recent report on the NBC Today show about the foods we eat and what we think is healthy from a fast food restaurant isn't necessarily healthy. Case in point; the report compared some fast foods that we eat and most people think are healthy compared to what actually is healthy.

Did you know that a sesame bagel with 2 tbsp. of cream cheese has 177 calories more than two, yes two Egg McMuffins from McDonalds (R). I couldn't believe this when I saw it on TV and you can also play this little food game at Mens Health [dot] com.

This information comes from a book called "Eat This, Not That!" by Dave Zinczenko. He tells of so many food myths. The book also discusses "what restaurants don't want you to know". It really is amazing reading some of the information provided in this book; what we thought we knew; we really didn't.

I found out first hand yesterday; yes the day I didn't eat when I should have and almost fainted. Hubby and I decided to take a trip to Arby's (R), the fancy one (that is what I call it).

I figured; okay, I will get the BLT on whole wheat, which includes two pieces of whole wheat bread, some mayo, a good amount of 'green' lettuce (not iceburg), two slices of tomatoes and a few slices of bacon (don't really know how many slices of bacon; but it was good). I also had some sweet potatoes as a side instead of fries and unsweetened iced tea.

My hubby got the Bacon Cheddar Roast Beef Melt on an onion roll, fries and a drink.

I couldn't believe when I looked up the nutritional information on just the two sandwiches that my BLT had almost twice the calories and fat as his. OMG; I couldn't believe this. Of course, being the ever supporting spouse; hubby laughed at me. What was I to do; except roll my eyes and suck it up.

I have a feeling I am going to request this book for Christmas! What do you think?