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August 11, 1997.
Valkyrie started Kindergarten today. (I'm not comfortable with this decision... I guess I am just being over protective.) She came home in tears, but I think that is just due to separation anxiety. I hope.
August 18, 1997.
Well, it has been a week since she started school and she seems to be adjusting well. She loves to paint and play in the house area. Things are looking ok... (Mommy is feeling a bit better about this)
August 25,1997.
Still going well. She is really soo tired when she gets home. And the first thing she asks for is her inhalers. We took her to the doctor and everything seems ok. She is up to 31.5 pounds. (she gained half a pound *YAY*)
September 1. 1997
She seems to love going to school. She isn't speaking any better, and no mention from school about speech therapy... hmmmmm. She is making lots of new friends and making beautiful pictures. (well, ok... hehehe I think they are beautiful *giggle*)
September 10, 1997
Well today was a REALLY bad day. Valkyrie came home from school unable to breathe. Her lips were turning blue, and her fingernails were blue. Her respirations were 95 per minute, and she couldn't even cry. I called her doctor, and we went into overdrive. Breathing treatments every 3 and a half hours, started the Rhinotan (for her sinuses). Her eyes looked like someone punched her. Huge black circles, no sparkles. Scared the life out of me. Apparently at lunch (11:30 am) she told the aaides that she had a sore throat. They didn't tell her teacher. She continued to have problems, but no one noticed. By the time she got home, she was so desperate for air, that she almost passed out. I am NOT a happy mommy right now. (On the war path is more like it)
September 11, 1997.
Valkyrie is still not breathing well. Better than yesterday, but still not great. Went to talk to her teacher this morning, she said that she didn't see anything wrong. She didn't know about the sore throat until after school was over and Valkyrie was home. She told me that it would be almost impossible for them to assure me that this would not happen again. Homeschooling was discussed.
September 12, 1997.
Took Valkyrie to the Doctor today. Her lungs are clear, but very weak from that last attack at school. She is suffering from allergic Rhinitis again. (very bad case of sinusitis complete with the worst case of post nasal drip imaginable) She has new prescriptions... more corticosteroids. *sigh* We discussed her not going back to school, and her staying home with me and being homeschooled. Doctor DeZayas says that she believes that it would be the best thing. Valkyrie can learn better with the one on one interaction, and also I can make sure that she never has an attack like that last one again. Plans were also made for speech therapy at a private clinic in Winter Haven. So she will finally be getting the speech therapy that she should have been getting for the last month. Things are looking up again. The crisis is over for now... Thank you God for choosing to leave her with us again. And also for giving me the strength to get through yet another close call.
September 18, 1997.
Well, Valkyrie is improving, but is not allowed to play outside. The school called and told me that they could have her tested to see if she would qualify to have an LPN with her at all times during the day. Not a bad idea, but how could an LPN understand what she means when she says that her throat is sore? And just how would this work? I have a hard time imagining that they would provide an LPN at no cost to me. It just seems kinda fishy is all. The school is trying really hard to convince me not to pull her out... I guess they are really unhappy about losing that extra money that they would be getting from the state for having her there. Oh well, hehe they are just gonna have to deal with it. LOL She has an appointment in Winter Haven on the 23rd for speech and language evaluation. Let's hope that they listen to me and don't try to do what so many others have done. I hate Doctors who meet a child for 5 minutes and suddenly think that they know that child and everything that is wrong with them. I will not have them catagorize her. Nope... not in this lifetime hehehe
September 22, 1997
Well, I took her to be evaluated today. They were really nice. Valkyrie liked it, so I guess that is ok. They gave her all kinds of articulation tests, and seemed to really try to understand her. And they really took the time to learn about her past problems. They test results basically said that her speech is comparable to that of a two year old, which is about right. They are going to send off some of the results and when they get all the paperwork back, they are gonna call me and schedule therapy twice a week. They tried to talk me into sending her back to school, saying that I was depriving her... yeah right... depriving her how? I sent her and she came real close to winding up with brain damage... Since it is my duty as a parent to protect my child and do what is in their best interest, I do not see putting her life in danger as a feasible option. And by sending her back to school, I am putting her life in danger. I don't think so. And I explained this at great length with them and they finally tried to see my position. And they almost agreed with me. I told them that she gets plenty of opportunities to interact with children her own age. When the Doctor gives her the all clear to leave the house. (Which she hasn't done yet... Valkyrie is basically housebound until the weather clears or the pollen goes away, which ever comes first). So my little peanut is going to stay home with Mommy. And she is really pretty happy about it :oD
October
A really great month! No attacks, no doctors visits... just a great time at Disney for Halloween. Valkyrie went dressed up as her favorite bear... Pooh. We got to eat ice cream and go on rides. A really great family night!
November 7, 1997
Went to the doctor for a really strange rash. We found out that the next door neighbors grandaughter was exposed to scarlet fever. Valkyrie ran a fever and now has the rash, so we are in praying and waiting mode. Dr. DeZayas ran some tests so we should know something later today or tomorrow.
November 10, 1997
YAY! It isn't scarlet fever! Thank You God. It appears to be some sort of virus like the chicken pox, but she has already had it. She isn't having much in the way of complications, so all is well once again and I can now breathe again :o)
November 21, 1997
Took her back to the doctor today for a check up. She is totally over what ever that was, and has gained back the pound that she lost. She is now 32 and a half pounds. Mother in law gave her a bath today... one of the coldest days we have had... she is starting to get choked with crud again, but her doc said that we should just start the treatments every three hours and call her if I need to. She knows we ahve been down this road before, and that I know what means trouble and what is just a pain.
November 27, 1997
Well, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!! It wasn't a real happy one here. We had to take Valkyrie to the ER where Dr.DeZayas met us. Her cough turned worse over night, and she had a massive attack. Dr.Dezayas put her on a portable oxygen tank and sent her home with us since I have had experience with this before. She is on Rynatan, and her nebulizer along with Phenergans and Biaxin. I am now a walking talking Pharmacy again hehe.She is doing pretty well now, her blood oxygen level has risen to 89 which is really pretty good. Not what we would like it to be but alot better than what it was.
November 29, 1997
Things are looking up! Valkyrie's blood oxygen level is up to 97% and we are really happy. The croupiness is dissipating although it is still there. She ate today for the first time since thanksgiving, so we are hopeful that this is turning arouund and she won't have to go into the hospital. Her doctor has been calling every couple of hours just to check in. Kewl huh? The next best thing to a house call hehehehe.
December 6, 1997
Well, we finally got our clean bill of health from Dr. D. *YAY!*
We are still doing the preventative anti-biotics and the breathing treatments every 4 hours, but at least she is playing with her sister and her brother again. She still tires easily, but when she gets pooped out she just grabs her Pooh toys and plays on the bed next to me with them. It is absolutely amazing how she deals with this stuff. I wish I could be as relaxed as she is.
December 13, 1997
Well, Christmas is quickly approaching... and Valkyrie is getting ready to start asking Santa for stuff. The funny thing is that she thinks that Pooh and Santa are one in the same! *giggle* She wants "SannaPooh" to bring her lots and lots of Pooh duff (Pooh Stuff) and a "Misser taterhead" and pooh swippers. I guess we will have to see what we can do about that stuff.... she has been so good this year, and been through alot, so I think that she just might get everything she wants. The sniffles are coming back again *sigh* It seems that that thing they call "El Nino" is really causing alot of problems for alot of people... us included. It is unseasonably cold here... in the 30's at night. And this is a wet cold... the kind that goes right through you. 30 degrees here feels like about -10 in NY. So we are praying that the Lord will keep her safe, and that she can fight off anything that may be trying to settle into her poor tired little body.
December 23, 1997
Ahhhh the wonder of Christmas is here! The cats refuse to stay out of the Christmas tree, and Valkyrie is constantly chasing them and complaining about it *giggle* She looks just like a little mother... walking around with her small furry misbehaving children, scolding them just as I would scold her. It is so cute, and comical. She is still sniffling, and really isn't quite herself, but seems to be holding her own for now.
She still only weighs 31 and a half pounds, she isn't gaining anything yet. This is SO frustrating! But its Christmas eve, and she is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa. (We managed to convince her that Pooh and Santa are not one in the same person hehehe) But she still wants Pooh to deliver her presents *giggle*
I guess we could just tell her a little white lie and say that he came and helped Santa put the stuff under the tree. I mean why not? It would make her really happy :o) Santa and Pooh are bringing her Mrs. Potatohead, a new Pooh blanket, the whole Pooh Crew beanie babies, the Pooh Pirate ship, and lots of other pooh type goodies. I think she is gonna be one happy little lady. :o)
January 2, 1998.
Jan. 12, 1998.
Jan. 20, 1998.
Jan. 28, 1998.
Feb. 7, 1998.
Feb. 13, 1998.
Feb. 21, 1998.
March 9, 1998.
March 16, 1998.
I will be adding updates often. (or at least when i find the time). I have set up a roll away bed here in the office for her, so I can be on the net and still have her with me all the time. She loves to watch me play *giggle*.
Come back and visit us again soon!
Well, she adored her Christmas Presents... and thanked Pooh profusely for bringing her pooh stuff. She won't go to bed without the new pooh blanket or the beanie babies
Valkyrie came down witht he sniffles last night. *sigh* she is all "snuffled" and is having a hard time breathing. Went tot he doctor and they gave us the usual antibiotics and some extra inhaler stuff. Not really sure I like giving her the Vanceril as it is a cortical steriod, but if it will help to prevent an attack I will be more than happy to give it a shot. It makes her cough alot more than usual. She is now walking around the house with ALL her pooh toys stuffed in a baby stroller. *grin* She says she is taking them to Disney :o)
Back to the doctor this week. Cold has progressed to severe bronchitis even with the augmentin. We now have an IV antibiotic (Rocephin) and an oxygen tank here for when she needs it. Her doctor feels that she will be ok at home with me because I pretty much know what I am doing. I have a registered nurse come in during the day so that I can get some rest. I have the night shift which consists of no sleep from 12 p.m. to about 8 a.m. when the nurse gets here. Ron helps out on his days off so that I can play catch up on my sleep. I'll tell ya this computer sure comes in handy for keeping me awake!
Much better this week! We are off the IV and she is actually trying to eat again! She lost 5 pounds this round which brought her down to 26 pounds. It will take awhile for us to get it back... again. Seems like everytime she gets sick it takes her 3 months to get back to where she was before hand. Her doctor bought her a BIG stuffed Pooh Bear (this thing is bigger than she is) because she was such a good girl. Looks like with any luck we won't be doing the hospital stays too much anymore! We all like that idea.
Well, we are still struggling in the apetite department, but she has gained back a half a pound! She is wanting to work in her school books again, so we are doing it little by little. Mostly working with her flash cards and the sign language because she gets out of breath with very little activity. We play quiet games and she plays lots of Nintendo. Oh and before you say anything about nintendo being bad for kids... it really helps with problem solving (ok I died there last time now how can I get past it this time), hand-eye coordination and planning. She is getting Really good at Donkey Kong Country!
Still using the oxygen off an on but not nearly as much. Her lungs are slowly recuperating, and her apetite is coming back. Mostly for cookies and cake, but at least she is eating. She is on special vitamins and lots of pediasure to help her get her nutrition as well. At this point it is basically "give her anything she will eat or drink and to heck with the nutritional value". She needs to get the weight back or she will get sick all over again.
She gained a full pound back! The oxygen tank is gone and she is now playing a bit more. Amazingly enough she never lost her smile or her giggles through all this mess. She is now devouring spagetti as fast as I can make it and is getting back to a fairly normal diet again! YAY! Still lots of cookies, but now she is eating real food too so things are going well. She uses the Big Pooh for her pillow since she can't sleep flat yet because she can't breathe laying down. She has the best pillow in the house!
Today was a very special day for all of us. Since Ron works at Disney we got to go into the new Animal Kingdom Park before it opens to the public. Talk about AWESOME! We all had an absolute blast and really got to relax and enjoy being a family without having to worry about anyone. It really felt good. Valkyrie really enjoyed the Kilamanjaro Safari... we got to ride through the plains and see zebra so close you could touch them, the giraffes were running along side the vehicle and the lions just watched as we snapped our pictures. The kids got to learn about all the animals and also about the dangers they face. We even got to chase some poachers! A really wonderful (and tiring) day.
YAY! Valkyrie is back to being the sweet funny little worm she is supposed to be. She is getting in trouble (she tried to give the cat a bath and decided that the dog needed to use my conditioner) and stealing cookies from grammy again. Most people would be upset if thier kids were sneaking out of the house to go steal a cookie from the next door neighbor, or they used all their Pantene conditioner on the collie, but to me this is the way life is supposed to be. She really reminds me of Dennis the Menace... but cuter *grin*. Life is back to normal bedlam and I love it!
