Oh Please Let it End

Let me just start by saying that I am still optimistic and so thankful for our health.

We've had some great news! I took Cameron to the pediatric GI specialist on Thursday down in Salt Lake. She was a very thorough and sweet doctor. The conclusion was that she doesn't think that he has celiac disease! What a relief. She explained that the blood test that is done to test it tests for inflammation in the intestines. Normal range is less than 19. His was 167 (that's why got in so fast, because it was SOO high). She said that most of her patients with celiac usually test around 40. That they are grumpy, bloated, and underweight. Cameron was smiling and laughing and playing through the whole visit, and she said his characteristics are nothing like what she looks for. So we are going to do another blood test in about 6 months to see if it's back into the normal range. (She explained that his excessive antibiotics and c-dif could have caused his test to come out so high).

I was so so relieved to have such a bright light at the end of the tunnel. And still am.

However, on our drive down to the specialist, I broke out in hives. By that night my hands were swollen to about twice their normal size. I took benadryl throughout the night and called the doctor in the morning. They told me to stop taking my medications I was on (for sinus infection and yeast infection) and called me in a steroid. Trevor was gone for the day. I had benadryl in me to help with the itching and swelling - which in turn made me so tired and irritable at the kids. My sweet friends (neighbors) were so willing to help. My friend Trisha (who also has twin boys) took Cameron and Owen for 3 hours so that Zach and I could try to recharge our batteries. My neighbor Debbie went and picked up the steroid for me (since Trevor had our only working vehicle). I finally took it about 4 on Friday. I was feeling so much better (going from benadryl- a downer, to a steroid - and upper). All of the kids were playing so great. So I started to try to find us dinner and catch up on the dishes. Zach was playing in the drawer and dropped a ceramic pot thing on his toe. I've never heard him cry so hard. He was bleeding so bad and I couldn't get a good look at it. I quickly called Debbie to run up and help me. Her and her husband rushed over to help hold him so I could look at it better. In the mean time, a delivery guy showed up at our door with the two desks we just ordered for Trevor's new office (Yeah! Trev got an office!) I was conflicted to help him, or help my screaming bleeding baby. (Blood took presidence:) We concluded it didn't need stitches and should be ok at least through the night.

Saturday morning Zach was so fussy so I laid him down for an early nap. He slept for 3 hours and woke up with a fever of 101.5. My mom and Rob so nicely met us at the office to help us get the desks put together and wrangle the kids. Zach's fever was consistently high once any meds wore off. I was still having hives, but the swelling was better. So that night I took 2/3 of my dose of my steroid in hopes that I'd be able to sleep (it keeps me up). Zach was up miserable all night, and I couldn't sleep much.



By this morning (Sunday) Zach's fever wasn't going under 102. I had firey cheeks and was having really hard time breathing. Through the new snow to instacare we went. I, luckily, took my steroid right as I left.

They couldn't figure out what was causing Zach's fever. She checked all the normal. Lungs, ears, mouth, strep. Nothing. I figured I could show her his toe, just in case. She took some x-rays. Not broken. She was worried about how red his whole big toe was and attributed the fever to an infection. But since he just got over c-dif (which is caused by antibiotics) it's hard to know the best treatment. You can't let a baby keep a fever that high and not treat an infection. But you also don't want to risk c-dif again. So she carefully thought out an antibiotic in hopes that it would be a good balance between the two.

I could feel my chest loosening a little bit, but was still having a hard time. She looked up all the meds I'd been on and was pretty sure it was getting caused from the antibiotic I was on for my sinus infection (this now makes 3 families of meds I'm allergic to). She said the reaction is getting worse and switched my steroid and got me an inhaler.

So now we're watching the snow come down like crazy outside. Being so thankful that I made it to the doctor before I couldn't breath any more and the snow kept us here. It's kind of ironic. I'm so thankful for modern, accessible medicine. But I'm also kind of mad at it too. My sweet Zach is so not feeling good. His fever was still over 102 after his nap, but seems to be going down with both ibeprophen and Tylenol in him. I hope he's being treated for what is actually causing such a high fever so persistently. I'm still not breathing normal, but feel so much better than I did. (Although between 2 steroids and an inhaler, I feel very jittery)

I'm so excited that Cameron is finally having some exciting news, and I hate that it got tainted with all of this. Owen's back's been hurting again this weekend, so I'll take him in tomorrow (or when I'm up for it) to get tested again to see if he's still got blood in his urine. Although it seems like it's never going to end- I'm pretending that is still ending. We have finally had some answers and some hope. So that is what I will hold on to. I know that everything happens for a reason and that we can make it through anything, together. I also know that this is not the worst thing in the world.

Thank you for listening to my venting. I always start off writing my posts in my emotions. I was feeling very frustrated and mad. But by the end I am always feeling so blessed. I have the best 4 guys by my side at all times.

On Friday, when I was having such a hard time, and Zach hurt his toe. I was feeling like a horrible mom, not being able to control my emotions. I was trying to be patient and do what the boys needed. I was getting them ready for bed (oh yeah, the power went out about an hour after the toe incident - that so didn't help. God thinks he's so funny :) I was putting on Cam's jammies when he turned to me and said, "You're the sweetest mommy."


And in that moment I knew, it didn't matter what we've been through, or may have to continue to go through. I am the most blessed woman in the world!