A few races and food, some theme parks and food, and a cruise...

[bumbershoot]

While I like the recap... other than all the parts of you being sick...

If you write a TR, I will read it.

Thanks.

I am so glad to hear that E is getting better. Poor thing! And poor you. It is never easy when your kids are sick. No matter how old they get. How's this for your title? "I went to WDW and all I got was sick!"

Love the title, I just might use it!

 

[kaoden39]

I'm glad you like it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Working things out, trip-report-wise, in a "Word"-type document. Figure I should get out all the "why hasn't Disney built that dang bubble yet to keep out the stressful-on-our-bodies cold" feelings into something coherent rather than just a long and ridiculous rant, LOL.

I've actually started to think of summertime visits. I would rather become a puddle of sweat than get so stinkin' cold ever again at WDW.

E's ears are slowly slowly responding to the antibiotic drops. Not sure if his eardrum ruptured, because his pain and his fever have continued to cycle up and down. Nighttimes are really hard on him and on me because we decided to cut out the walking-to-the-room part and just have him in with me.

This usually isn't an issue, but we just got fabulously soft bamboo sheets, and we only got them for the bigger bed. So poor Robert hasn't gotten to sleep on them yet. Poor guy. He's all jealous.

My cousin had her baby. At home, which I'm super-jealous about, and super-happy for her (and her mom for a variety of reasons). A little boy, who they promptly gave an E name. So both of their sons are E, and then there's my E. And all of them end in "an" or "on". Fun cousin stuff. (the girl cousin also ends in that sound, though her name ends in "en")

 

[nancy drew]

Congrats to your cousin!

And many

to you and to E. As a former ear infection victim (had at least one every year), I feel his pain. A warm washcloth/hot rice sock can help alleviate some of the pain. I'm sure you've tried that, but I always feel like I have to offer advice. Its a thing with me, I guess.

I look forward to hearing about your cruise!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Had to go up again today; he was not improving to any sort of expected extent.

They couldn't see his eardrums because of all the accumulated earDROPS. Awesome. So they don't know if there was a rupture or not, or if the right one is still bulging or anything like what it was last week. It's gone from big pain on the right to biggish pain on the left, and both times there was pain in his mastoid, so this teaching doc we saw today finally went the oral antibiotic route (fearing mastoiditis as well as the ear infections). He's SO happy to be off the eardrops. Hates those things.

She's expecting to see a difference at some point tomorrow. Hope hope hope.

Hoping that is so, because once he's worked out it's time to focus on me. Because I've got something going on in my ears, too. And it's no fun. At all.

She has him on a nice probiotic too, because the amoxocillin is going to mess with his system...she thinks of everything.

Nancy, thanks for the reminder of the moist heat. Gotta do that more often!


Cruise...let's just say I'm now making a list of Caribbean islands I want to visit, along with "am I willing to fly there, or do I need to cruise there" as a sidenote for each one. I think that for me it's now "I cruise to get to the islands" where as for Robert and Eamon it's "I go to these islands because it gets me on the cruise". Either way, we would be on a boat and on some islands. Win win.


I think that Disney is a better bet for allergies. RCCL was slightly confused. Had the mark for Vegetarian next to a meal containing crab, LOL. And they never had the marks for their dessert menu, until one night when they did on ONE thing, and I thought "oh gracious no" because either it was an error (like the crab thing) or there was gelatin in everything. We should have just increased our Ben&Jerry's (chocolate only) budget and forgotten all about dessert at the dinner table.

Obviously our stuff isn't an allergy (just several unpleasantnesses), but it just seemed like Disney is a bit more up on how to communicate those things. On the other hand, we weren't making any sort of deal about dietary differences.

I gotta try to go to bed. Hoping against hope that E sleeps well tonight without interruptions for inconsolable crying and incoherent (especially since I'm still dealing with extra hearing loss from my own problems) explanations for the crying... I need some sleep. Feeling like I have an infant again, only without the ease of nursing and walking and rocking in my "arsenal". Or "toolbox" perhaps. Little less violent-sounding there. Have I mentioned that I need some dang sleep?



ETA: I was trying to find a thread I'd seen before, and ended up finding a review of RCCL entitled "FREEDOM Review 9/30/12 (Corner Aft, Gluten Free Vegetarian Cruising) LONG + PHOTOS!!!" For anyone interested in such a review, it might be good to sort of kind of counteract my observations of a few moments ago.

OK, bed. (obviously I was trying to post this last night)



ETAagain: There was much sleep last night. Except for the bloody nose part (he's been having light ones during this whole illness) and the "holy wow you are sweating like crazy, let's change your pillow out and put a towel under your head and a towel under your body and change your clothes, too" moment, but other than that, no crying no groaning no none of that. He got up and conducted a sword fight in the living room (with himself...we have some highly reflective surfaces which are fun for him), talked about food...very different than the last few weeks. Whew.

 

[annmarieda]

I do hope he gets to feeling better soon! Ear infections are just not fun!!!

 

[bumbershoot]

Yay, he feels fabulous! Like night and day. One dose at 4ish, one dose at 9. Slept. One dose at 9am. Different kid. My boy is back. 3 doses per day with 2 doses of probiotic in between. He's eating, he has color to him, he's starting to fill out again (from January 3-last week he had lost 8 lbs). He's reading better than ever, too. (I think many parents have noticed changes in development once kids get through a difficult cold or other illness; it's fascinating!) He feels great.

I, however, do not. Tomorrow I get checked out.



Last Saturday we stopped at the health food store to get me some natural ear drops (mullein and garlic). E felt terrible so he and Robert stayed in the car. I took the advice of the employee and just bought what she pointed to. Used them for 3 days; hurt so bad I had to use E's anti-pain eardrops beforehand. I felt so cruddy I didn't even question it, just figured that's my lot in life. Yesterday stopped at SuperSupplements to get something else, was wandering around, mentioned that to an employee... She asked if I'd gotten *oil* or if I'd gotten herbs prepared with alcohol. I didn't know. Got home...both of 'em. Alcohol. I'd been putting 55% alcohol into my already painful ears.

Reading is fundamental, folks! Always read the labels.


I've been whining all day about missing my mom and wishing I had something to take care of me. Someone who could have read those labels, someone who could decide the course to take with my ears like I did with E. To make my appointments. All day, whining whining whining that I don't have a mom. Suddenly I just went to the phone, called, made the appointment. Hung up, called and left a message with my acupuncture people. Went to the couch, sat down. Wow.

Thanks mom. Appreciate the assist.

 

[annmarieda]

I am glad to hear that E is doing better. You on the other hand. Alcohol in the ear???!!! No kidding that hurt!!! I hope you get better. This has just been a sucky flu season. I have felt under the weather if not down right ill since the end of the trip last month. I NEVER need this much sleep! I hear what you are saying too... I have yet to call to make an appointment. I think we just tend to take care of business when it comes to our kids a bit more than we do ourselves.

 

[bumbershoot]

I remembered the word for the drops: tinctures. Don't put alcohol-based tinctures in your ears. I have to go over to the health food store today to talk with the manager in non-specific way to remind their people (not telling on the one person) to make sure their advice does not involve tinctures in ears.

So now I'm on the same protocol is Eamon is, though with a lower dose and a shorter course. They weren't worried about eardrum perforation with me, and they also weren't worried about mastoiditis like they were with him. But the probiotic I'm on (the fun of going to a naturopath, you get everything!) is stronger and I take it more often. And almost twice as expensive!

I'm not feeling as good today as E was after 3 doses of his pills, but I suppose I'm feeling a bit better. The brain fog is lifting. Last night, while still clutching my throat (not a throat thing, though...I think the lymph nodes under my chin are SO swollen that it's causing this ghastly pain, because nothing sprayed in my throat helps at all with the pain...not even ibuprofen gets to it, even though I've been taking two a day which is nearly an overdose for my body!) every time I swallowed, randomly losing my voice, etc etc...I was suddenly willing and able to go through the cruise info sheets, some of the receipts, etc. I haven't been mentally capable of even doing that, and the difference in how I felt last night and how I feel today, just mentally, is pretty huge. This illness was massive.

Last night I pulled out our race bibs and was able to smile, instead of frown wistfully for how much fun we could have had. Positive steps!


And this will eventually give y'all more reading to do, because it means I'll soon have the mental power to do the pictures and write some more! And it might very well be a more positive, hopefully silly, story, rather than the "the world is horrible it's full of illness and exhaustion and ear and throat pain" story it would have been last week. Soon soon!


Ann, I know I need to start reading yours. But in the meantime, I think you're doing the Disneyland Half like me; are you also thinking about the Wine&Dine? I am!* I've invited my great friend, and she's actually considering it!

Since I'm on the mend and E is chomping at the bit to get back to the Y, I'll get back to training soon. My shoulder pain that had plagued me for months and months is nearly gone mysteriously, and I'm hoping it doesn't come back once I start on weights again. Because I am looking forward to getting back into shape!!!



*And it would be a solo trip.

 

[annmarieda]

No worries about getting over to read mine. It will be there when you feel like reading it.

Yup...I am doing the DLH. Nope.. I am not doing the W&D. Little jealous that you are... but I am going to do the ToT and that is pretty exciting too. Plus..this will be my third time. On my way to legacy...

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh yes you're doing the TOT. I knew there was some night race in your future!

I decided to see what the W&D was like rather than repeating TOT. It's like trying out new resorts for me. I want to keep sampling before too many repeats!

What is the definition of "legacy" with Disney races?



Trip teaser. Have I mentioned that we did NONE of the table service reservations I had set up? Not one!

 

[nancy drew]

Had to go up again today; he was not improving to any sort of expected extent.

They couldn't see his eardrums because of all the accumulated earDROPS. Awesome. So they don't know if there was a rupture or not, or if the right one is still bulging or anything like what it was last week. It's gone from big pain on the right to biggish pain on the left, and both times there was pain in his mastoid, so this teaching doc we saw today finally went the oral antibiotic route (fearing mastoiditis as well as the ear infections). He's SO happy to be off the eardrops. Hates those things.

She's expecting to see a difference at some point tomorrow. Hope hope hope.

Hoping that is so, because once he's worked out it's time to focus on me. Because I've got something going on in my ears, too. And it's no fun. At all.

She has him on a nice probiotic too, because the amoxocillin is going to mess with his system...she thinks of everything.

Nancy, thanks for the reminder of the moist heat. Gotta do that more often!


Cruise...let's just say I'm now making a list of Caribbean islands I want to visit, along with "am I willing to fly there, or do I need to cruise there" as a sidenote for each one. I think that for me it's now "I cruise to get to the islands" where as for Robert and Eamon it's "I go to these islands because it gets me on the cruise". Either way, we would be on a boat and on some islands. Win win.


I think that Disney is a better bet for allergies. RCCL was slightly confused. Had the mark for Vegetarian next to a meal containing crab, LOL. And they never had the marks for their dessert menu, until one night when they did on ONE thing, and I thought "oh gracious no" because either it was an error (like the crab thing) or there was gelatin in everything. We should have just increased our Ben&Jerry's (chocolate only) budget and forgotten all about dessert at the dinner table.

Obviously our stuff isn't an allergy (just several unpleasantnesses), but it just seemed like Disney is a bit more up on how to communicate those things. On the other hand, we weren't making any sort of deal about dietary differences.

I gotta try to go to bed. Hoping against hope that E sleeps well tonight without interruptions for inconsolable crying and incoherent (especially since I'm still dealing with extra hearing loss from my own problems) explanations for the crying... I need some sleep. Feeling like I have an infant again, only without the ease of nursing and walking and rocking in my "arsenal". Or "toolbox" perhaps. Little less violent-sounding there. Have I mentioned that I need some dang sleep?



ETA: I was trying to find a thread I'd seen before, and ended up finding a review of RCCL entitled "FREEDOM Review 9/30/12 (Corner Aft, Gluten Free Vegetarian Cruising) LONG + PHOTOS!!!" For anyone interested in such a review, it might be good to sort of kind of counteract my observations of a few moments ago.

OK, bed. (obviously I was trying to post this last night)



ETAagain: There was much sleep last night. Except for the bloody nose part (he's been having light ones during this whole illness) and the "holy wow you are sweating like crazy, let's change your pillow out and put a towel under your head and a towel under your body and change your clothes, too" moment, but other than that, no crying no groaning no none of that. He got up and conducted a sword fight in the living room (with himself...we have some highly reflective surfaces which are fun for him), talked about food...very different than the last few weeks. Whew.

Ugh I don't even know what to say about all of the ear drama, other than I really feel for you guys! My ears have miraculously been fine since my teenage years, but before that I was plagued with ear infections every year. Have you used peroxide at all to get wax out? Not that you want to go and put MORE stuff in your ears, but I use it sometimes and it helps clean things out.

I am bummed to hear that you had a not-so-great dining experience on the cruise. Not what I was hoping to hear, for your sake or mine! But I just saw your ETA and will look for that review. Well, I'll look after we go on our cruise and I find out whether we puke the whole time.

It sounds like you guys are slowly on the mend. I can't believe how long you have been knocked out! Do you guys drink kombucha at all? I've become hooked on the Synergy brand and have one nearly every night, which is likely overkill but I can't help it. The kids love them too, and when Nathan was dealing with all of his nastiness I tried to give him some whenever I could, to help rebuild his immune system and heal his digestive system. Can't say whether it worked, as he was fighting something big, but it didn't hurt, and he liked it, so... wasn't a waste. Not like the Tamiflu they gave him that set him off vomiting for 2 days straight. Nothing like spending $50 on one dose of medicine* that makes your kid throw up!

*He only took one dose because he couldn't keep anything down, not even 1ml or the stuff.

 

[bumbershoot]

Oh poor Nathan not being able to keep anything down.

I remember trying kombucha once but it was a zillion years ago. I have another appt next week to talk about what we can do to keep my immune system strong (or as I call it "not overly reactive because not everything wants to kill me no matter what my body thinks") and we'll go from there!

As I'm sure you know, sometimes the list of things you can try is overwhelming! When we were in Florida every time I could get out to the stores I was accumulating more and more health stuff. Eastern, Western, just so much! We even bought single dose stuff from the shop in the lobby at the Universal hotel... (that I never took*)

Eamon now believes I started his ear infection. I can't remember what made me think of it, but something made me think "I should put peroxide in his ears because that will help". We had some in the Owner's Locker so I did it. We were at Universal at the time. And it was that night that he started ear pain. So bad that at midnight Robert took a cab to the Walgreens to get ibuprofen, and then spotted a homeopathic ear remedy at the counter area and got that, too. Gave E a quarter of an ibu (we're seriously lightweights here) and then those eardrops, and he quieted down long before the ibu could have helped. We thought it was all done. Until it came back.

Anyway, peroxide and ear pain are now linked in his mind.



*I never took it because it was stuff that would knock me out, like Cold Plus. Even with Robert there I was too scared to knock myself out because "what if Eamon needs me?" I'm generally the health-care person, but in retrospect Robert was thinking a bit more clearly than I was during a lot of it (while he was there, that is) and I should have just gotten some darned sleep.

 

[annmarieda]

Oh yes you're doing the TOT. I knew there was some night race in your future!

I decided to see what the W&D was like rather than repeating TOT. It's like trying out new resorts for me. I want to keep sampling before too many repeats!

What is the definition of "legacy" with Disney races?



Trip teaser. Have I mentioned that we did NONE of the table service reservations I had set up? Not one!

Legacy is you have done all of them from the start... usually at the anniversary marks RD does something for the legacy runners...usually. So my goal is to make it to the 5 year anniversary. I don't blame you though for wanting to sample. If it was not for the fact I did the inaugural ToT... I probably would be doing the W&D instead.


Can't wait to read your report... not a single one of your original ADRs was kept? I am curious now..

 

[bumbershoot]

Legacy is you have done all of them from the start... usually at the anniversary marks RD does something for the legacy runners...usually. So my goal is to make it to the 5 year anniversary. I don't blame you though for wanting to sample. If it was not for the fact I did the inaugural ToT... I probably would be doing the W&D instead.

How cool that you've done the TOT from the start!

Working on photobucket right now!

 

[bumbershoot]

Slowly starting a trip report here.