Kyle Medical update

Well, Kyle has finally kicked his vomiting habit. Thank the Lord. Course, I had to "figure" out his GI issues by trial and error on my own. He had been vomiting frequently all summer and early fall. It was a nightmare. Shoulda bought stock in carpet & fabric cleaner. Finally, we switched him to almond milk (off soy formula) in early to mid November. Well, he has hardly vomited at all for the last month. We went for his regular 2 year check up at the beginning of December. He weighed 24 lbs at that visit (10%) and 33.5" tall (15%-20%). At that time, the doctor recommended to send him to GI specialist and have him scoped. But, since he was finally doing better, we decided not to put him through that. I had him vaccinated against the seasonal & swine flu and varicella (late on that one).

He had to go into the dentist for the 3rd time to have his filling replaced in his front tooth. What a nightmare. He screams bloody murder! They have to strap him down on a board do keep him from flailing (I call it the kiddie taco) and the nitrous oxide gas (laughing gas) does not help ... he definitely doesn't laugh. The 2nd time we had it filled in was in November (6 months after the first time)... he got so hysterical it was really upsetting me and I started to sweat while he was being worked on. Being a doctor myself, I know this is one of the first signs before someone passes out... I hope it wasn't going to be me! After all that, it came out about 3 days later.... I couldn't believe it. So, we had to take him in again and do it all over again. Fortunately, they were much quicker this time and I didn't almost pass out. Knock on wood, it is still in...

Took Kyle in for recheck today... no weight gain, but hasn't lost any either. He is still doing well and seems fairly healthy except another cold. I hate colds. Never ending snotty noses, coughing and boogie-rags. Anyway, he got 2 more vaccines today since he is so far behind on all his vaccines. He got the Hib and DPT vaccines today. A little grumpy tonight, but seems to be handling it ok. I got way far behind on vaccines b/c he had such a bad reaction to vaccines when we first got him. Both times he was initially vaccinated... he was sick for a week. So, then, we only did one vaccine at a time. I was trying to catch him up, but everytime we went to the doctors.. he was sick. So, I had to get 3 vaccines a month ago, 2 vaccines today, and still has 2 more to go in another month. He seems to handle 2 vaccines at a time now. The only reason I had 3 done last month was b/c one was a intranasal vaccine and not a shot.

Knock on wood, we hope 2010 will be a healthier year for Kyle with less vomiting, diarrhea, colds, doctor and dentist visits... can that be his New Year's Resolution?

Christmas Newsletter 2009

Merry Christmas 2009!


Well, 2009 has been a year of ups and downs for us. Most importantly, our family is blessed to be together for over a year now with Kyle making our family complete. Overall, we are basically healthy. Kyle has had issues with food intolerances and allergic reactions, a SUPER-sensitive gag reflex when he coughs (not fun in public), never- ending colds, and two front teeth with cavities (which the fillings keep falling out of). But, who’s complaining?! The dentist wants to know… What is he doing that his filling has fallen out for the 3rd time? ”Uh, he is a hyper-active 2 year old boy, do I need to say more?” His idea of fun is jumping off of furniture and running around at mock speed. The only time he is still is when he’s sleeping and strapped down in a car seat (and then he talks, talks, talks). Wonder where he gets that from?! Kyle is a joy, but definitely all boy and loves, loves, loves cars. If it’s a vehicle, he loves it. He loves Cars the Movie (of course), matchbox cars, Chuck the truck, tractors, planes, clothes with cars on them, and Mac trucks (“Mac!”). And, he loves to push things and ride on the tractor with Dad. He has no fear and is doing gymnastics and loves to swim (he thinks he can- SCARY). If you are near a pool, you have to be on your toes or he will do a cannon ball jump in at mock speed. He makes the lifeguards nervous (exact quote).
Devin is doing well. She wasn’t ready for kindergarten this year being the youngest person in her class- and is going to preschool instead. That was a hard decision, but ultimately the right one for her. She goes to Bel Esprit and is building up her self confidence. She takes “Ellie the Bear” everywhere with her. She took swimming lessons all summer and loves it. She can now swim by herself - at least one less kid I have to worry about drowning! She loves to play pretend with her stuffed animals (truly a mini-me) and draw and write. She has been healthy (Thank God) and has a good sense of humor. She can also be a blabber mouth once she gets over her shyness and is comfortable with you. The kids still go to Miss Julie’s daycare while Mom is working.
Some of the struggles we have been through this year started with Jack losing his position at Hubbell last February. It was a shock and we have learned to live on less. Arizona has the highest unemployment and housing foreclosure rate in the country. Since our state is built on the housing market, it is in the pits. We are fortunate that I have a secure position at my veterinary clinic and we had “emergency” funds set aside. That has been a saving grace during these bad economic times. God must have been listening because Jack starts to work on December 15th at CCS Presentations Systems doing corporate sales.
My Dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 Glioblastoma (brain cancer) last April. I flew out to the East Coast for his emergency surgery to remove a tumor. It was quite a shock since he was playing golf and tennis the week before. He then had to go through aggressive radiation and chemotherapy. Our family flew out again in May to spend time with my parents and help them at home. Then, in July, he suffered a massive pulmonary embolism. I flew out again on emergency to be with him at the hospital. Miraculously, he survived and was finally able to go home again in August. Since then, he has been doing well but is still going through chemo. We are thankful he is doing well and is home with my Mom. Jack’s parents are also dealing with some medical issues (as we like to say… “Getting old isn’t for sissies”). But, we are thankful they are still able to live at home in their comfort zone and live close-by.
No big vacations this year and we are still trying to balance family and work. We are thankful for our family’s health and that we are able to get through these financial hard times. We are blessed to have our home, our friends, our animals, and our children.