Category - Health

1
Warning: This Post May Put You To Sleep….
2
A Peek Inside Her Head
3
Online Medical Research: A Blessing And A Curse
4
Imagination Overload
5
A Spoonful of M&Ms Helps The Medicine Go Down

Warning: This Post May Put You To Sleep….

Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go I wanna be sedated.   Nothin’ to do and no where to go-o-oh I wanna be sedated…   To clarify, The Ramones want to be sedated. I do not. At all. In fact, the idea of being sedated seriously freaks me out. I’m not talking about urban legend scenarios where you’re put under at the dentist and wake up with your shirt on backwards. I’m talking about the real fear of being unconscious while somebody else monitors your breathing and heart rate. That’s some kind of scary. The only thing scarier is having to sedate your child. Especially when your child has underlying medical conditions that make anesthesia more risky.  In order to perform an EEG on our daughter last week she needed to be asleep. Not fully knocked out, but soundly asleep. She also needed to be sufficiently sleep deprived to elicit the disorganized brain chaos necessary to reveal any abnormal brain waves lurking about. Our neurologist suggested using Chloral Hydrate the morning of the procedure to sedate. We’ve used this drug before without any problems. However, after doing some research into Long QT Syndrome (a potentially serious heart condition our daughter is being monitored[…]

Read More

A Peek Inside Her Head

  Have you ever looked at your child and asked, “What is going inside that head of yours?” Apparently there’s a way to find out. Just hook up them to tangle of rainbow coloured wires and take a gander at their brain waves… Avery has been having seizures since she was three years old. This is attributed in some way to her genetic disorder. Luckily for us, we have found the perfect balance of medications and outside of a few minor absence seizures, she has been seizure free for nearly two years. She was tested a few years ago and the results showed “moderate seizure activity” despite having relatively few physical symptoms. So now it’s time again; the neurologist scheduled another peek via EEG. If no seizure activity is present, he will wean her off the anti seizure meds. This is both thrilling and terrifying… “But, what if her seizures come back?!” I protested. “She’s fine on the meds. Can’t we just wait a little longer?” “We need to give her a chance,” he told me. “You don’t keep someone on medication if they don’t need it.” He’s right. I may not like it, but this is what happens now.[…]

Read More

Online Medical Research: A Blessing And A Curse

  With so much medical and genetics related information accessible online, many parents regularly turn to the internet to research everything. If you’re the parent of a child with special needs or specific medical issues, it’s crucial to understand as much as possible about current challenges, potential problems, and helpful therapies.   This knowledge is both a blessing and a curse. Our daughter has a chromosomal deletion/duplication disorder. This damaged DNA makes her susceptible to certain diseases. Incredibly, scientists have identified a number of specific faulty genes as the cause of certain diseases. We have a comprehensive list of which of our daughter’s genes are affected and after delving into the online world of genetic gene cards, we’re aware of which diseases may be looming. I don’t have to tell you how frightening this is. It’s like knowing your child will likely be in a horrible car accident in the future, without knowing when or where or how severe, yet you’re powerless to stop it. There’s nothing you can do, but being armed with information and a solid understanding of your child’s diagnosis or prognosis is essential in terms of being able to ask the right questions.  Most doctors do not appreciate Dr.[…]

Read More

Imagination Overload

A vivid imagination is a good thing if you’re J.K. Rowling or Walt Disney. For me, it can be a bit of a problem.  The wind rattling the window at night is for most, the wind rattling the window. For me, it’s a frothy mob of rabid raccoons working themselves into a lather struggling to make their way into our house to attack me in my bed. A plane flying low over head signals an aircraft coming in for a landing. I hear that thunderous hum and duck for cover, certain that it will crash land in a ball of fire in our backyard at any moment. The average recreational walker does not scream like a sissy when being overtaken by a jogger. How could I be sure I wasn’t being chased by a mugger? His Nikes were pounding the pavement hard and accelerating rapidly so I don’t think my assumption was unfounded. Okay, maybe trying to swat him with my shopping bag was a bit much, but still. Do you see what I’m dealing with here? And scary movies? I stupidly watched Paranormal Activity I, II and III and haven’t slept soundly since. I’m still getting over the whole[…]

Read More

A Spoonful of M&Ms Helps The Medicine Go Down

When your child needs to take meds, whether occasionally for an infection, or daily for a chronic condition, being the adult on “dispensing duty” can be difficult. My memory is not what it use to be. I can barely remember to change out of my slippers before I leave the house (true story). So what’s my point? I forget. Oh yes, it’s tricky keeping track of your child’s medications, especially if they require several doses, at different times of day. Hubby: “Did you give Avery her *whatever drug* yet?” Me: “Um. Ah. I think so. Maybe. I’m not sure. Crap.” Here’s a little trick we use around here now to keep track. A simple a.m./p.m pill dispenser works like a charm but….most young children’s medications are in liquid form – which does not jive with the pill dispenser thingamabobber. So we use an M&M in place of the liquid med. When your child takes the medicine, you give them the candy. Not only is it a bribe to take the icky medicine, it acts as a visual so you or your spouse or any other pill dispensing adult in your home, knows whether or not the medication has been given. Setting an[…]

Read More

All images and text are copyright © 2020 Forever In Mom Genes