12/09/06 Cruise Continued ~ Pirating Bananas DIS Geekorama Part 2 Part 15

[pyramid2000]

Or . . . how about this one?

 

[pjpoohbear]

Becka, can you find some options that will be just for Nathan, and play up the angle of he gets those because his body works in a special/different way.

Pj

 

[kimerinc]

I don't know if anyone told you, but we have a rule there that if you get a major milestone (and you got the biggest thus far), you HAVE to go on the cruise!

I once did an excercise for a non-profit that helped us understand what volunteers will do and what is going to far for them and for us. We had to rank our priorities and values. For me DD and DH came out #1. So whenever I am asked to do too much, or Savannah needs me, I just say, I am sorry you are messing with #1. That was the problem with the Eastbound, it messed with #1. WHY COULD THEY NOT DO THIS IN JULY SO WE COULD ALL GO TOGETHER?

 

[kimerinc]

Well we got back from Nathan's allergy testing and the verdicts are in. He is allergic to the following:

Foods: corn, potato, tomato, wheat, egg white, soy, milk, pork, barley, malt
Non-Foods: grass, pigweed, ragweed, elm, feathers, candida



We have a lot to learn I am afraid. His allergist wants to focus on the milk and corn allergies right now so we have to eliminate all of that from his diet. The milk will be hard but I think it is doable. She warned us with the corn to avoid high fructose corn syrup. That stuff is in EVERYTHING!!!! This is going to be very difficult.

DS is already quite upset because several of his favorite foods are now not allowed. It is hard for a 4 year old to understand that is making him sick.

I don't wish bad luck on anyone else but I think I have had my fair share by now. I just really want to get off this ride I am apparently on.

Its not a very good ride! Ask Tana about how to deal with kids with allergies. That girl has a lot of experience with this!

 

[kimerinc]

He has skin rashes and always has that cause him to itch a lot along with some other symptoms. He might feel somewhat cruddy but honestly he probably would not know the difference - that may be all he knows.

I agree that I should win the lottery - maybe then I could afford my very own private chef/nutristionist to help us deal with this.

I know DCL is supposed to be good with allergies but do you think they will be able to accomodate DS?

Tana told me they were very good with her DS. I really think she would be a wealth of good info for you!!

 

[kimerinc]

I know she is most concerned about the milk/dairy and corn allergies and that is why we are eliminating those entirely over the next 3 months....somehow...

He will start taking the drops next week for 6 weeks. I think the ultimate goal is to kind of "detox" him, do the drops to develop some better responses to the allergens and then very carefully monitor him and put him on a kind of rotation diet. This way he may fine that he can eat bowl of cereal with milk maybe once a week or that he can have pasta with tomato sauce every 4-5 days.

Nathan has never been a very picky eater so that will help but I just feel so bad for him. So many of his favorite foods are not forbidden and he is just so sad. DH has allergies to legumes so at least Nathan understands about allergies making people sick a little but it is still hard to look at his face when I tell him that chocolate milk, Frosted Flakes (heck every cereal we have in the house currently has corn syrup in it), ice cream, lasagna, yogurt, etc.. is not something he can't have. It just breaks my heart for him.

Becka, if it helps, I had the shots for 2 years as a kid and while not perfect, I am mostly allergy free! My parents had to carry epinephrine until I was 5. Now, just asthma.

 

[Jhalkias]

Heck, we have one on the other thread that corrects DCL's spelling too!

Just a pretender . . .

Remember, you saw it HERE FIRST!

 

[becka]

Can someone remind me of Tana's exact screen name....I can't remember it and search does not work. Thanks!

 

[pyramid2000]

Good Morning!

I hurt myself somehow getting into bed at the wrong angle last night and as a result I did not really get any sleep and I was in a lot more pain. Pretty much as bad as it has been. Yesterday when I coughed I actually felt and heard a pop and now it seems I can actually feel the shifting of the rib when I move. It was cracked before but now I think it actually broke clean through. It was especially painful trying to find a position to sleep in where as the previous nights I actually could always find a comfortable position with some artful pillow placement. I am exhausted this morning so I took a bunch of my pain meds and I am going to go back to bed and see if I can get more comfortable and get some sleep.

I'm sorry there isn't anything more they can do for you. I am praying you get some relief soon!!

 

[pjpoohbear]

TanaL

Good luck, Becks!

Pj

 

[pjpoohbear]

BECKA, do not laugh!

PJ

 

[Jhalkias]

Well we got back from Nathan's allergy testing and the verdicts are in. He is allergic to the following:

Foods: corn, potato, tomato, wheat, egg white, soy, milk, pork, barley, malt
Non-Foods: grass, pigweed, ragweed, elm, feathers, candida



We have a lot to learn I am afraid. His allergist wants to focus on the milk and corn allergies right now so we have to eliminate all of that from his diet. The milk will be hard but I think it is doable. She warned us with the corn to avoid high fructose corn syrup. That stuff is in EVERYTHING!!!! This is going to be very difficult.

DS is already quite upset because several of his favorite foods are now not allowed. It is hard for a 4 year old to understand that is making him sick.

I don't wish bad luck on anyone else but I think I have had my fair share by now. I just really want to get off this ride I am apparently on.

Becka,

One of my favorite quotes is by Albert Einstein . . . "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity". Maybe once you get Nathan to eat foods that agree with him it will really help with the behavoiral issues? He may have been acting out because he did not feel good . . . Milk allergies in particular can be really hard on kids.

Hang in there . . .!

 

[pyramid2000]

My heart is hurting. This morning one of our patients jumped to his death here at work. Somehow he managed to get on a roof, about 3 stories above a cement patio area. After ove 2 hours of negotiations he jumped. Tough morning here. His family could certainly use some prayers. He was psychotic at the time, so his reality was......

Oh Angie! What a poor soul he must have been.

 

[pyramid2000]

Well we have had a scary evening. Allie was in her brother's room playing and she climbed up into the window area. (He has these big double windows with a very wide ledge - almost 2 feet deep) They both love to play up in that area. Anyway Allie fell off and she hit her head on a toy on the floor that gave her a puncture type would on her scalp. As some of you know scalp wounds bleed like nothing else. She was hysterical, covered in blood and screaming. DH ran up to get her and game back with her and the worst part was that I could not move very fast to get to her but boy did I try.

We got her cleaned up and the cut stopped bleeding but she has a huge knot on her forehead. We gave her some Tylenol and then we gave her a bath to get all the blood off her face and out of her hair but she was not too cooperative. The poor thing. She is now sitting on the couch with DH and her stuffed puppy watching some Little Einsteins while she is drifting off the sleep.

We called her doctor's office just to see if they wanted to see her because we were a bit concerned. The doctor on call thought she would be fine but we need to wake her up in a few hours and check on her.

Of course through all of this I was trying to help with her and I managed to hurt myself quite a bit in the process. I didn't really care at the time but now that things have settled down I care some because it really hurts.

I am sure she will be OK but I don't want to go through anything like this again for a while.

Ouch! Poor Allie! Give her lots of hugs and kisses.




Wouldn't it be nice if she could relate her pain to yours right now.

 

[waltsgirl]

Brack and Marielle are probably watching the big game!! Duke vs North Carolina!

I have to say I have always been a huge Coach K fan! I hope I don't get banned!!

 

[Jhalkias]

Becka,

I just sent you an email with Tana's email address.

John

 

[pyramid2000]

Good for you. And good for your dad! Dennis and I just paid for scans of our carotids, abdominal aorta, bone density, and some blood flow test of the extremities. Just because problems with those things can be deadly and docs and ins. won't check them out until you have symptoms...like a stroke or a blown abdominal aortic anyrism (sp John1). Both of us got great reports, except I have med. bone density loss which means I need to add some calcuim and vit. d to my diet which I have done.

I am glad that they both turned up good!

 

[lillygator]

Angie, I didn't comment prior as I really don't know what to say....I've often felt the weight of the world and that I can't handle what I have been given...but I look at my girls and Charming and realize, hey, these smiles can't be all bad...I only wish we could spread it around to those feeling less fortunate. Prayers out for the family....

 

[becka]

Becka,

One of my favorite quotes is by Albert Einstein . . . "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity". Maybe once you get Nathan to eat foods that agree with him it will really help with the behavoiral issues? He may have been acting out because he did not feel good . . . Milk allergies in particular can be really hard on kids.

Hang in there . . .!

Thanks again everyone! I am once again reminded how great of a group you all are. I can't believe the odds that everyone of you is just so great - there is not a bad banana in the bunch!

Yes the allergist seems to think from our appointment today that many of the behavior issues we are seeing with Nathan could very well be caused and or made worse by his allergies. She at one point called him the "poster child for allergies". I am not expecting any miracles but she seems to think we may barely recognize him in a few months.

 

[pyramid2000]

Caroline! I missed you. DrHug was working on our photos last night and there is a photo of you and I on CC just yacking away! I told DrHug, "I really, really love Caronline! - and her hubby too!" when I saw that one. Please come sail with us again....or we will just have to bring our RV to your doorstep and see South Jersey!

You are the sweetest Angie!! All my love back at you!
You should be in Montana by next year right? I plan on driving to CA for the Repo home and I will be needing some places to stop along the way (hint, hint)

One of my biggest wishes is to get our group together and do it all over again. I think I will start playing the lottery. You can't win if you don't play!!