Many of you may be wondering about the recovery of Miss Eva. I am happy to say that things are going very well. She was cranky and a little loopy most of the first day. I had to wake her up every four hours for pain meds during the night (that was fun - it tastes nasty and she wanted nothing to do with it). The next day she bounded into my room at 6:30am with a "Hey Mama! I wake up!" She was all smiles. And she was in a good mood all day. She'd get cranky around the time it came to give her her pain meds (I bet she was sore). She began eating real foods that night. She asked for a hamburger and ate half of it. I was amazed.
Wednesday was a bit worse. Jason told me that inflammation usually is the worst about 72 hours after surgery. She would cry a bit during the day, especially when she coughed. And she would wake up once in the night in pain. It's sad. :(
Popsicles are great and she'll drink some juice but her favorite is plain ol' ice water. Fabulous. She is eating "real" food at every meal but I provide mostly soft stuff. She is dying for Goldfish crackers but the doctor said no scratchy foods (crackers is specifically on the list) for 2 weeks. She is sad about that.
One more thing - ear tubes are the best thing that has ever happened to Eva. I can already tell a big difference in her speech. Her consonants are crisp and she no longer sounds "muddy". She responds better and even sits farther away from the TV (she had been nearly nose-to-nose ).
Too bad Brendan got sick yesterday. He vomited three times (at night, of course, so neither of us got any sleep) and now I fear I have it. When you wake up with a pounding headache and nausea, you don't have a great outlook on the day. Sigh. I long for the day that no one in the family is sick/recovering/infected.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Surgery
Today was the day for Eva's surgery. We were out of the house by 5:45, dropped off the other two kids at a friend's house and then Eva and I went to the surgery center. She was in pretty good spirits considering she hadn't had any breakfast (she wasn't allowed any food or drink before surgery). There was a movie in the lobby that she watched until they called us back for pre-op. We each got a wristband with her identification on it. I told her they were matching bracelets so she thought they were cool. Then we changed into her hospital gown (aka "your new dress") and the nurse checked her vitals. So far she had been pretty good about things but that all ended when she had to be weighed. I could tell she was getting nervous in this strange place with all these new people asking her to do various things. Finally we were able to do that and they gave her the "magic potion" to help her be more, um . . . compliant. A nurse gave her paper and some crayons to use while the drugs took effect. It must have taken longer than they normally see because the nurse looked a little surprised that she was still so feisty.
When the "potion" did kick in it was kind of funny. She started drawing slower, her eyelids were droopy and once or twice she dropped the crayon. Then she started giggling at nothing and got a little spacey. She had been clingy, but when they wheeled her away she was totally relaxed.
The surgery itself took less than half an hour. I sat anxiously in the waiting room and before I knew it the doctor was sitting next to me. He explained that there was a lot of fluid behind her ear that they were able to drain. He said her hearing should be immediately improved. The doctor also told me that her adenoids and tonsils were very large and so now she should have much better breathing. I was told that she was in recovery and that I could go see her soon.
When they called me back, I could tell she had been crying. I was able to sit and cuddle with her. She was tired and a little loopy and VERY cranky. She drank her juice and fell asleep on me. The nurse said to me, "She should be pretty tired. She put up quite a fight when she came out of anesthesia." I am not surprised. If they had said that she was calm I would have wondered what little girl they were talking about. The nurse had removed her IV for fear that she would rip it out. Later another nurse came in to tell me what to expect with recovery, and that when Eva was ready I could take her home.
When she came to a little bit, she coughed and promptly threw up her juice on me (at least I knew there was no breakfast behind that). While we cleaned up the nurse told me that was normal since children tend to swallow a lot of air during the procedure. Sadly, she did that two more times but then she felt better and fell asleep on me again. After about an hour in the recovery room Eva finally conceded that she wanted to go home. I think part of the stalling was that she was enjoying all the one-on-one Mommy attention. So we picked up Darby and Brendan and came home. The other two ate lunch and she had some juice and a popsicle. Jason even called and talked to her for a bit.
She has been cranky all day (everything is "NO!" or a whine) but is resting now. She has three different medications to take, one of them being a strong painkiller. I expect she'll be doped up or asleep most of the day and maybe tomorrow too.
And that's the story. I was nervous and a little scared but things went well. I am grateful for good doctors and caring nurses. I'll keep you updated on her recovery.
When the "potion" did kick in it was kind of funny. She started drawing slower, her eyelids were droopy and once or twice she dropped the crayon. Then she started giggling at nothing and got a little spacey. She had been clingy, but when they wheeled her away she was totally relaxed.
The surgery itself took less than half an hour. I sat anxiously in the waiting room and before I knew it the doctor was sitting next to me. He explained that there was a lot of fluid behind her ear that they were able to drain. He said her hearing should be immediately improved. The doctor also told me that her adenoids and tonsils were very large and so now she should have much better breathing. I was told that she was in recovery and that I could go see her soon.
When they called me back, I could tell she had been crying. I was able to sit and cuddle with her. She was tired and a little loopy and VERY cranky. She drank her juice and fell asleep on me. The nurse said to me, "She should be pretty tired. She put up quite a fight when she came out of anesthesia." I am not surprised. If they had said that she was calm I would have wondered what little girl they were talking about. The nurse had removed her IV for fear that she would rip it out. Later another nurse came in to tell me what to expect with recovery, and that when Eva was ready I could take her home.
When she came to a little bit, she coughed and promptly threw up her juice on me (at least I knew there was no breakfast behind that). While we cleaned up the nurse told me that was normal since children tend to swallow a lot of air during the procedure. Sadly, she did that two more times but then she felt better and fell asleep on me again. After about an hour in the recovery room Eva finally conceded that she wanted to go home. I think part of the stalling was that she was enjoying all the one-on-one Mommy attention. So we picked up Darby and Brendan and came home. The other two ate lunch and she had some juice and a popsicle. Jason even called and talked to her for a bit.
She has been cranky all day (everything is "NO!" or a whine) but is resting now. She has three different medications to take, one of them being a strong painkiller. I expect she'll be doped up or asleep most of the day and maybe tomorrow too.
And that's the story. I was nervous and a little scared but things went well. I am grateful for good doctors and caring nurses. I'll keep you updated on her recovery.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Back to Bagram
Jason here. Warning: long-winded travelogue to follow. I am going to apologize up front for a lack of pictures. The internet is so slow here that it takes a really long to upload anything.
For the past couple of weeks I have been in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan at a small base called Robinson. It is being run by a Marine unit and they had just finished building a new clinic and wanted a dentist there for the grand opening. Getting around Afghanistan is kind of tricky during the winter, so they wanted me there a few days early. When I got there it turned out that the clinic opening needed to be pushed back a week. And then it took us a few days to get out of there since a few flights were canceled.
When we initially left Bagram we flew to another large base called Camp Bastion. We ended staying in a communal tent for a week there. It was different because the base is run by the British and so we ate English food for a week (think pork and beans for breakfast). Sean and I (he's my partner/dental assistant) tried to stay busy by wandering around the base, reading, and watching movies. When we first got there we walked into the TV room and I was pretty surprised to see a room full of grown men watching Oprah.
We flew by helicopter from Bastion to Robinson. That old helicopter had more grease coming off it than a quarter pounder with cheese. It dripped grease onto the screen of my kindle and all over the gear and us. Then something exploded on both sides of the helicopter and it looked like confetti came flying off. It was just a test fire of the emergency flares, but for a second there my heart rate jumped up.
We were greeted by a few of the team guys and shown around the base and to our rooms. They invited us to play football on an astro turf field that the UAE built. I was picked last (I was wearing pants and boots since I didn't bring shorts or running shoes) and easily played the best pick up game of football I have ever played (not to brag but it was kind of silly, I was making one handed grabs and interceptions). It was a good time.
The next week was spent doing exams and cleanings on the American guys. When not doing dentistry I was usually reading or playing Madden 2011 on the PS3 they had there. I bought a kindle right before I left the states and I am so glad I did, I use it about everyday. I am working my way through The Work and the Glory again(those are great books).
When the clinic finally opened the next week, everyone was kind of chomping at the bit to get out there. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work for the Marine team out there and they were all heading back to the states in the next few weeks. So lots of people showed up and we were busy doing consults and pulling teeth. These poor folks have probably never had proper dentistry in their lives and they simply cannot understand anesthesia. Needless to say they are pretty nervous. Most of them take some talking to to get them to agree to treatment. Some simply walk. One kid got so nervous and jumpy during anesthesia that I kicked him out of my chair. I don't fool around with needles and my fingers in the mouth.
After the clinic day was finished we headed back to pack up and wait for our transportation out of there back to Bastion. We waited almost five days and finally hopped on a convoy. I spent almost six hours in the back of a tank looking thing rolling through the Helmand province of Afghanistan. One of the trucks blew out its transmission and so we sat there on the road for a couple hours while we sorted it out. When we finally rolled into Bastion, we immediately got a red eye flight back to Bagram. Some guys on the same flight had tried 8 times in the past week to get a flight, so we felt pretty lucky to be heading out.
The flight was an interesting experience. We sat on the floor of a cargo plane and had a big huge strap over 5 or 6 guys as a seatbelt or something. It was really uncomfortable, but I was glad to be heading home.
And that was my first trip out to the hinterlands of Afghanistan.
For the past couple of weeks I have been in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan at a small base called Robinson. It is being run by a Marine unit and they had just finished building a new clinic and wanted a dentist there for the grand opening. Getting around Afghanistan is kind of tricky during the winter, so they wanted me there a few days early. When I got there it turned out that the clinic opening needed to be pushed back a week. And then it took us a few days to get out of there since a few flights were canceled.
When we initially left Bagram we flew to another large base called Camp Bastion. We ended staying in a communal tent for a week there. It was different because the base is run by the British and so we ate English food for a week (think pork and beans for breakfast). Sean and I (he's my partner/dental assistant) tried to stay busy by wandering around the base, reading, and watching movies. When we first got there we walked into the TV room and I was pretty surprised to see a room full of grown men watching Oprah.
We flew by helicopter from Bastion to Robinson. That old helicopter had more grease coming off it than a quarter pounder with cheese. It dripped grease onto the screen of my kindle and all over the gear and us. Then something exploded on both sides of the helicopter and it looked like confetti came flying off. It was just a test fire of the emergency flares, but for a second there my heart rate jumped up.
We were greeted by a few of the team guys and shown around the base and to our rooms. They invited us to play football on an astro turf field that the UAE built. I was picked last (I was wearing pants and boots since I didn't bring shorts or running shoes) and easily played the best pick up game of football I have ever played (not to brag but it was kind of silly, I was making one handed grabs and interceptions). It was a good time.
The next week was spent doing exams and cleanings on the American guys. When not doing dentistry I was usually reading or playing Madden 2011 on the PS3 they had there. I bought a kindle right before I left the states and I am so glad I did, I use it about everyday. I am working my way through The Work and the Glory again(those are great books).
When the clinic finally opened the next week, everyone was kind of chomping at the bit to get out there. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work for the Marine team out there and they were all heading back to the states in the next few weeks. So lots of people showed up and we were busy doing consults and pulling teeth. These poor folks have probably never had proper dentistry in their lives and they simply cannot understand anesthesia. Needless to say they are pretty nervous. Most of them take some talking to to get them to agree to treatment. Some simply walk. One kid got so nervous and jumpy during anesthesia that I kicked him out of my chair. I don't fool around with needles and my fingers in the mouth.
After the clinic day was finished we headed back to pack up and wait for our transportation out of there back to Bastion. We waited almost five days and finally hopped on a convoy. I spent almost six hours in the back of a tank looking thing rolling through the Helmand province of Afghanistan. One of the trucks blew out its transmission and so we sat there on the road for a couple hours while we sorted it out. When we finally rolled into Bastion, we immediately got a red eye flight back to Bagram. Some guys on the same flight had tried 8 times in the past week to get a flight, so we felt pretty lucky to be heading out.
The flight was an interesting experience. We sat on the floor of a cargo plane and had a big huge strap over 5 or 6 guys as a seatbelt or something. It was really uncomfortable, but I was glad to be heading home.
And that was my first trip out to the hinterlands of Afghanistan.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The rocking horse
It was purchased for Eva but is the right size for Darby. I put her on it today and she actually started rocking it. Sigh. She's getting so big.
The kids were all so cute after church that I had to take pictures. Brendan really wasn't into it.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The solution
We had Eva's appointment yesterday with the specialist. She was given fancy hearing test first. We were in a soundproof room with speakers and lights in each corner. The audiologist would talk to her in different volumes from the various speakers and see how she responded. She was a little nervous so I held her in my lap. It broke my heart a bit when I could hear what the audiologist was saying and she was happily playing on my lap, non-responsive because she couldn't hear her. The results were that she is hearing at 35 decibel range (in the 20s is the edge of the normal range). And so she has mild hearing loss. Put your fingers in your ears - that's how she hears the world.
Then we went in to see the specialist. He asked me a bunch of questions and then looked in her ears and her throat. He looked a little surprised when he looked at her throat. "Does she snore?" he asked. "Does she have sleeping problems?" She does. He let me look at her throat. Her tonsils were huge! The left one was so big it touched her uvula (the little hanging down part in the back of your mouth). The other side was about 1/2 that size. Her airway is pretty constricted as a result. He also told me that there is cloudy fluid in her ear that has been there 6 months or more.
And the verdict is: ear tubes inserted, adeniods removed and tonsils taken out. He suggested doing it all at once so she doesn't have to go under anesthesia twice.
So Eva is having her surgery in about 2 weeks. The specialist kept stressing how much of an improvement this will make in many aspects of her life. She'll hear better, speak better and sleep better (making her a happier child). But I can't help but be a little nervous. However, she is a brave little thing and I do truly believe this is for the best. I'll keep you updated.
Monday, March 7, 2011
What we've been up to
Bubbs has been loving his karate class. He is getting much better. He still has problems with staying still in ready stance though, and we have to chat about why we don't talk to the teacher about Star Wars in the middle of class. :)
We go outside in the backyard on these spring days. The blossoms are on the trees and flowers are coming up. Its so pretty here in the spring.
Darby has discovered the cooling/heating vents. She loves to experiment with them.
Eva has helped me bake lately. Well actually, she dumped in one ingredient and then got bored. I let her lick the beater anyway.
And this past weekend we went to a local fun center and played some arcade games. Then we ate out at a hot dog place (kids' choice) and got ice cream. It was a much needed fun family day. We haven't had one lately.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Standing alone
Last night we were all playing on the floor. Darby used me to climb up to a standing position. And then, she let go. Finally she was brave enough to let go of support and stand. She tried it many times. She was pretty impressed with herself. I wish I had gotten a picture. Next step, walking.
Once Upon a Potty
Okay, maybe it was thrice upon a potty . . . but that's it. Last weekend I started potty training Eva. She has been showing an interest in big girl things and using the potty. We tried potty training before we left California and it fell flat. Honestly, I wasn't ready for the work at that time. This time I felt like we were all ready. So this time I put her in underwear (she insisted on wearing her winter hat as well), showed her how to use the potty (again) and filled her up with liquids. I tried taking her to the potty every half an hour. She would scream and tell me, "No!" every time. And so she peed all over the floor. She looked genuinely shocked. I wasn't too worried as it was only Day 1 of training.
She went poop for a potty treat but that effectiveness wore off after 2 times. She gets her Pablo toy after she fills a row on her sticker chart but all she does it point to him and ask for him. When I tell her that she needs to use the potty to earn him, she says, "No!" We "potty trained" her dolly and read potty books. She loves that but her behavior hasn't changed. Things have become a real power struggle.
By Day 4 I had realized that this was not working. She hadn't voluntarily gone to the potty herself but one time. And each time I talked about it resulted in screaming or arguing. Her "no" means, "I don't like you to tell me what to do so I am going to disagree so I have control". And so, I backed way off.
We are not going back to Pullups - they are too absorbent and I want her to feel the uncomfortable wetness. I have cloth training pants with a waterproof liner. I have turned it over to her. She has a potty in her room and the bathroom. She changes her wet underwear. With her stubborn nature I realize that this has to be all her idea for it to stick. When it is her idea, I think it will be quick. Now we wait.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Can you hear me now?
For a little while now I have been wondering about Eva's hearing. I have been able to sneak up on her from behind, calling her name and she doesn't turn around until I say it at a certain volume. She was prone to ear infections as an infant and the pediatrician told us to watch out for how she speaks, especially her consonants. I noticed that she seems a little behind in her speech compared with others her age. Not much, but some. It made me wonder if she is a "late bloomer" or if she does have some hearing and speech issues. At her latest appointment, she failed her hearing test in both ears. When they were checked, it was noted that she had fluid behind both tympanic membranes, not infected but fluid nonetheless. We came back today (3 weeks later) to check if it had gone away. Nope. And she failed her hearing test again. So she is being referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist and a speech pathologist will test her soon.
She has been a champ through this whole thing. I am so grateful that she does what the doctor asks, even though I know she doesn't like things in her ears and can be a contrary little girl. I bet she'll end up with tubes in her ears. We'll see how things pan out.
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