by Christina Renee | Uncategorized
Finding a Diagnosis
What do you do when you or a family member is sick and you can’t figure out what’s wrong? You go to the doctor! You search until you find a diagnosis. And what happens if you go to the doctor and they don’t know? They send you to other doctors. All the doctors then run lots and lots of tests. And still no answers. What do you do then?
Looking for Answers and a Diagnosis
And that’s where a lot of us are searching for. I am searching for answers to health problems that can’t be seen and if they are not seen are they real? Of course, they are! I know it and so do many of you. But why are we made to feel as if they can’t find answers and they can’t see the problem. Then it could be in our head. I can’t be the only one to hear this, can I?
Getting Worse
This is a journey I have been on and one my son is still on. He’s been sick since January and getting worse each month. Here are some things we’ve done that have helped, what didn’t, and where we are now.
Sam started getting sick in January by passing out and vomiting many times a day. This was my very robust son. He loved playing with his nieces and nephews. Sam loved to cook and was good at it. He worked in a factory carrying heavy beams on his shoulders and welding steel to parts. Sam’s always been very strong and loved that he was. But starting in January, he wasn’t. In the last 9 months, he went from carrying 300 lbs. to carrying 10 lbs. But that’s something you can’t see.
Sam is now throwing up a dozen times a day. Now Sam is constantly in pain and as weak as a kitten. He gets dizzy a lot so can’t go far from home by himself because he’s passed out too many times for us to be comfortable with that. He sleeps more and more because only then can Sam forgot how bad he feels. We are still looking to find a diagnosis.
Many Doctors and Tests- No Diagnosis
He’s seen his primary doctor, a cardiologist, a vein doctor, a gastrologist which we thought for sure would have answered since a lot of it was abdominal pain. And a neurologist. Nothing showed up on CAT scans or MRIs except hairline fractures on his spine we never knew he had. He had tests of every kind all with no answers.
And the ER and Not Finding a Diagnosis
Sam made so many visits to the ER that they knew him. Run a few more tests, hydrate him by IV and send him home.
I know when I was finally diagnosed it took 2 years. So I thought I knew what we had to do to finding out what was wrong with Sam.. But it wasn’t working. I was so frustrated. Sam was so frustrated. Even the doctor was frustrated. At the last doctor visit, she told us that now she was looking for ZEBRAS. The old saying “if you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.” Well, now we’re looking for the unusual. And again, we are still no closer to findind a diagnosis.
Trying Anything to Help
His father and I have been looking for anything to help Sam. We’ve had the house checked for any metal, mold, toxin or poision we didn’t know about. Did you know there are a lot of tests for houses too? We put in filters for the house, the water, and the showers. We’ve been improving his diet and reading nutrition books trying to decide what would help with Sam to build up his strentgh. I’ve been making soups with bone broth that have helped him somewhat. At least Sam kept more of that down.
Getting a Referal to Mayo
Sam’s last doctor visit we asked for a referal to Mayo clinic. So we found out Sam’s insurance isn’t taken at Mayo. So we started a Go Fund Me account #SendSamtoMayo. We no longer know what to do or where to go bedsides there.. We still need to find a diagnois and we still feel no closer. If you have other ideas please send them.
i personally know the uncertainty and frustration of not finding a diagnosis, both fom myself and my son. It’s heart breaking and frustrating and hurts not knowing what to do. I wish I could say that we’ve already been to Mayo and we’ve found a diagnosis but that’s not true, YET! The biggest lesson I have for you is
BE PERSISTANT!
You can’t stop looking for answers. Find people to support you, and ask for help.
Blessings,
Christina
by Christina Renee | Health, Uncategorized
My daughter had Covid and not one other person in our household got Covid. When we went in for testing, we were told to expect 50-75% of our household to get sick also. When the health department called to talk to her about tracking Covid, they were astonished that not one other person in our house was sick.
No One Did,
It was difficult, but here’s what we did.
Isolate
We isolated our daughter from everyone else. My other daughter slept in the living room. No one else was allowed to talk to her except on the phone. Daughter 1 kept opening the door and sticking her head out because she was lonely or bored.
Meals
We set a tray with her food outside her door and knocked. Kinda like when you knocked and ran outside someone’s house. She could text for drinks or snacks between times. Although she wasn’t that hungry. When she was done, she put her tray right outside the door. Hmmm, kinda like room service.
Sanitize
We sanitized the entire house after she had a positive test for Covid. We opened up windows and ran a diffuser with lemon oil. Then we deep cleaned the house. We also went through wipe sanitized the doorknobs, light switches, and remotes every day. We found a sanitizer that works for both phones and remotes that uses essential oils. I’m not sure how much it helps but my phone smells good. One good thing, I guess my spring cleaning is mostly done.
Bathroom
The only time our daughter came out was to use the bathroom. She came out with her container of sanitizer wipes and when she was done using the bathroom she wiped down everything she touched with the sanitizing wipes.
Food
I fed our daughter chicken soup, lots and lots of liquids. Ginger ale, tea, small amounts of coffee, lots of water, Make sure the food is soft and non-dairy to limit mucus and congestion. Chicken and beef broth are great choices, juices- not so much. They are too full of sugar and sugar depresses your immune system. Sugar-free popsicles are great, we buy the fruit ones.
PPE
Every time I did have to come face to face with my daughter, we both wore face masks. She wore a face mask to the bathroom too. When I or someone else took her tray from the door, we used glaves. We were extremely careful not to touch anything with our bare hands that she had touched. That also includes her laundry. We used gloves and washed her clothes in the sanitizer setting.
Give Them Things to Do
Our daughter got bored easily. And she’s an adult! When they feel ok, if they do, hopefully, they will want something to do. Coloring books, child or adult with markers or crayons are good. Look for books to interest, and of course; electronics. I usually kept a box of quiet things to do when my children were little for when they were sick.
Listen
I know even though we were only a door apart, my daughter felt really alone. We had some long phone conversations, as did friends and other relatives. And you still might have to use boundaries. Also, listen to how they talk. Are they raspy? How much do they cough? Is it increasing? Are they trying to catch their breath?
Take Request
Within reason. If it’s easy to get and could keep them busy, then it’s probably a good idea. Now, this does not apply to little children. You know the maturity level of your child. The same with over the counter medicines.
I certainly hope none of you have to experience Covid to yourself or your family. But if you do, I hope these tips help.
What tips do you have that’s worked for you and your family?
by Christina Renee | Children, Family, Parenting, Uncategorized
Good Morning
How do you wake your children up?Do you stumble bleary-eyed into the kitchen and point them to the cereal? How about instead waking them up with a cheerful good morning in a happy voice. Or even with a good morning song. I love Wake Up you Sleepyhead by Rappin Rabbit. Make sure they know you’re glad to see them.
Say I Love You
Even your teens need to hear this. And the prickly one who doesn’t want to be close to you, they need to hear it more than most. Tell them I love you frequently.
Encourage Them
Encourage them every day. I heard from Nancy Cambell at Above Rubies to make a chart and put a check mark each day when you encouraged them. That way you didn’t forget. And let’s face it, even Mom’s need a reminder sometimes.
Model Good Behavior
There’s a saying more is caught than taught for a reason. Because children follow in our footsteps and copy us. Are you modeling what you want your child to copy?
Feed Them Healthy Food
Make family mealtimes a priority. Have healthy meals for them so they will grow up liking to eat salads and vegetables. We’ve always had a garden, even in an apartment. And the children will want to et what they grow. That goes for cooking too. Your child will develop an appetite for what you feed them so if you want them to grow up with a love for wholesome foods, serve them instead of chips and soda.
Treat them as an Individual
None of my 10 children are the same. As a matter of fact, people are surprised at how diverse they actually are. Each child has a special purpose made by God that is different than any other. Your job as a parent is to discover what that is and give them the resources to develop that talent. Each child is different in how they respond to ways of discipline, encouragement and they all have different gifts and love languages. For instance, one child is sent to his room as a punishment. I have another child who tried to get sent to her room because she liked being sent to her room. So we had to find a different method for her.
Look, Listen and Touch
Please put the cell phone down and look at your child while they are talking. Really listen to them. I know sometimes I hear the same story over and over but it’s important to them. I have trouble too sometimes. Look them in the eye. Touch is important too. A hand on their shoulder while your talking, a hug. As our children get older, we forget they need to be touched too.
Spend Time One on One
Make time to spend one on one with your children. They need to be valued as an individual not just as a group. This morning my son and I got up early and went to Walmart. Another time might be doing nails with my daughter or going out. When we had 8 children at home we used to rotate errands and grocery shopping with one of them. There are times you will seek them out, times they would rather withdraw. These are the times that they need you most. Even if they don’t think so.
Make Home a Happy Place to Be
Make home a great place to come home to. Make their friends welcome. Be happy and smile. Smiles are contagious you know. There’s another saying “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t’ nobody happy.” Are you a happy mom? Can other people tell it? I love being a mother. People always guess my age as younger than I am and I tell them “My children keep me young.” Do you have a home they want to come home to?
Pray with Them
I know you pray for them, I know I do too. But there is something very special about praying with your child. It’s something we do when they are younger but as they grow up, it’s easy to lose track of this habit. I know with jobs and activities it is harder and harder to keep any kind of schedule with them. There are times I’m in bed before my children. Even if you can’t do it every night, try and do it once in a while. And let them know you’re praying for them. Ask, what specifically can I pray for you? even adult children.
10 Ways to Show Your Children Love
I know I don’t do all of these perfectly all the time. But these are the 10 ways to show love to your children. I hope they’ve been a blessing to you. What other ways have you found that show love to your children?
by Christina Renee | Uncategorized
Date Night For Less
Today is Valentine’s Day. A day when couples are out on dates, spending extravagant amounts of money. All to show how much they love one another. I hope this isn’t true for you. Not that you’re not going out, no, but that you have to spend huge amounts of money just to show your love. I also hope you’re going out on dates a lot more than once a year. My husband and I try to go out every week but it usually happens about 3 times a month instead. And we don’t have a lot of money to spend. Let me tell you some of the things we’ve done throughout the years to have date night for less.
Date night at home
When our children were little we put them to bed early and either cooked a special dinner or brought something home and ate dinner after they were in bed. A few times as my children were older, they made dinner for us and served us. We even gave them a tip.
Picnic type date night
We have taken our own drinks and picked up subs and went and sat at the lake many times and talked. We’ve also gone to the park, sometimes just to sit and walk around. But there were several times they had entertainment. Which leads to the next date…
Community Events Date
Look in your paper or sign up for an email from your town. There is a list of events around town. Now some of them have a cost but there are also many that are free. We have a music at least once a week. There are free museum times, our library has free passes. In the summer both movies and concerts in the park.
Reduced Price Dates
I love using Restaurant.com. We get to try new restaurants and only pay about half the price. I also have apps for restaurants and sign up for coupons. We have used Groupon for restaurants and activities to try.
So what things do you do to save money on date night? Do you date regularly?
by Christina Renee | Christmas, Gifts, Holidays, Uncategorized
Getting ready for the holidays includes a wrapping station. While I am envious of this wrapping station, I don’t have the room for that. I have an under the bed box that I keep ready to wrap every gift.
Wrap Early and Often
Since it’s close and easy to get to I can wrap as I buy gifts. I try to wrap them the same day but at least within the week. With everything in one place and easy to get to I don’t have to procrastinate as it’s not a big deal to just get it done. I wrap, write it down and put it up. I do add the bows later if I have to stack it in the closet. No wrapping on Christmas Eve.
Makin’ a List
While you’re wrapping don’t forget to make your list. Put a label or tag on your gift, or just write it on there. In my list, I write down who it’s for, what I got them and where it’s located. I don’t know how many times I found a gift late because I forgot it, or who it was for because I was sure I would remember. LOL, Then I would have to peek in the corner of the gift to remember who it was for. So write it down.
My Wrapping Station
While this is pretty simple, it works for me. I have all the rolls of wrapping paper to one side. Rolls of ribbon and baskets of bows and ribbon. A stack of tissue paper with gift bags and gift boxes on top. They help keep the paper flat. And a small box with tape and scissors. While I love to look at the beautifully wrapped gifts on Pinterest and Youtube, that’s just not my life. I had to come to the conclusion that it’s okay. Maybe later in life.
So what’s your wrapping style? Do you have any great tips for wrapping gifts?
by Christina Renee | Parenting, Uncategorized
Going Home
When getting ready for baby a big part of planning is going home. You will have visitors. Don’t be afraid to tell them it’s not a good time. And when those visitors do come, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Yes they want to hold the baby but they also want you to feel cared for. A lot of people offer but are not quite sure what needs done. Have a list, laundry folded, dishes, etc.
Rest
Get your rest. You are responsible for someone else now and they need you to be rested too. Nap when the baby naps. Now you won’t need to nap every time but make it a point to get at least one good nap a day in.
Relationships
Your relationship with your honey will change. Make sure you both get some time alone, even if it’s just to take a hot bath at first. You’ll need that to recharge. You can’t give from an empty cup. Fill yours up.
Get time together too. Try and get an adult date in but don’t be surprised if you spend most of your time talking about the baby. You’ll get in a new rythym together. You don’t even have to go out. Have a date night in.
Be Safe but not Fearful
There is all these new things are not supposed to do. Use commom sense. I am not telling you to throw everything you are told but all my children are fine and I never once heated up a lunch meat sandwich.
You Don’t Need Everything
I know many book tell you an abundance of baby needs. Have you ever seen a comercial that contrasts the first baby with 2nd or 3rd babies, HUGE difference. Getting ready for baby does include a lot of stuff, just not as much as you read about.
A few things I loved: a sling, baby loves being close to mom and you have your hands free. And you can use them a long while.
A swing when they are little or a bouncy seat. These only get used a few months but they can be life savers. They only need a few toys and lots of love and cuddles.
It Goes Quick
While there are times when it seems like they will be crying (I had 3 with colic) or you will be changing diapers forever, it goes much faster than you think it will. My youngest is now 10 but at one point we had 5 children 6 and under. Wow, looking back, I’m not sure how we did it but I do know it went fast. I look back on pictures of when they were young and it seems like forever ago. Savor the times you have now. It’s gone really fast.
Here is a link to part 1 if you found this helpful.
