Today was Sweetie's check up appointment with her LLMD. I was happy to report to her that Hubby and I have seen a definite spike in Sweetie's energy level. I told her all we've been doing lately, and about Sweetie's recent week of not feeling so great. I mentioned the "elbow pit" pain Sweetie had a couple weeks ago, the tightness in her chest she felt a few times in a week about a month ago, and - oh yeah - the fact that Sweetie reported to me right after her last appointment that she feels like throwing up every day! But all these negatives have passed her by, at least for now. And all in all, Sweetie has been dancing, moving, shaking, talking and alive! So good for us to see!
The doctor was happy to hear of this energy improvement, and took it as a definite sign that the Augmentin is working for Sweetie. I knew, going into this visit, that even though I had good things to report, we'd still be looking at about a month more on the meds. I was wrong. Good news = two more months on this antibiotic! I guess, the point being, now that we know this is the right antibiotic for her at the right dosage, and we can finally see some definite improvement, we need to give it a couple more months to really do its thing of killing off as much of the Lyme as possible.
Okay, then. Summer #2 of medicated Sweetie. We can do this!
And when those two months have passed, it'll be on to the herbal supplement portion of our program. Stay tuned...
So. Sweetie is on an upswing. Yay! In other news, we spent Father's Day Sunday at... wait for it... urgent care. Waiting to see the doctor, reporting flu-like symptoms that had been smoldering for Hubby and finally came to a head Saturday evening, and a strange rash that had appeared opposite from where he was bit by the tick just over 2 weeks prior.
Classic symptoms. Classic timing. Seemingly classic case of Lyme Disease. 3 weeks of Doxycycline was prescribed (I got it pushed to 4 weeks), labs were drawn (for Lyme and 3 other co-infections, as well as a blood count), and the rest of Father's Day included plenty of rest and quiet time for Hubby as he willed himself to feel better. Not quite the Father's Day he, or we, were wanting, but good to get some answers.
He's back to work today, after spending yesterday at home sleeping and gaining back strength and an interest in eating. By last night he was much more like himself. I'm glad he's back to work, but really hoping he takes it easy today and is truly feeling much better soon.
Even though we are bummed to get this diagnosis (well, technically, we don't yet have the lab results, so no official diagnosis yet. But, as I said, the doctor and we agree that it sure does seem like Lyme), we feel lucky that, this time around, we knew when he was bit and what to watch for for symptoms. Sweetie got the flu symptoms last year, but we were nowhere near as Lyme-savvy as we are now, so didn't even consider that she was experiencing anything other than the flu. It wasn't until 2 or 3 weeks beyond that that we finally figured her lingering headaches were fishy and took her in to see the doctor.
So, Hubby will be okay. We caught this early enough for him and got him the treatment he needs to kick this Lyme to the curb. He and Sweetie will be sharing probiotics for awhile, and reminding each other to take their medicine. What a fun father/daughter bonding experience! (ha!) But, in the end, he'll be just fine.
And Sweetie? Yeah, she'll be okay too. It's a tougher road for her. A long, winding road that seems to be smooth for now. Time will only tell if we'll run into anymore obstacles along her journey or not. Something tells me, despite her improvement, we still have twists and turns to discover. But, yeah. Through it all, she'll be okay too. She'll be just fine.
She'll be great.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Energy Boost
I have good things to report about Sweetie! But first, a word on our Hubby Watch, 2012...
As noted in my previous post, Hubby was bit by a tick a little more than a week ago, just before we were off on a weekend away, and after normal office hours for his (not Lyme literate) doctor.
We chose to just watch for any symptoms of Lyme with him - the bullseye rash, flu-like symptoms, etc.
So far, so good. He happens to be experiencing allergic symptoms to the pollen in the air. That, or a mild cold - nasal drip, slight headache. And he keeps asking me if these are "flu-like symptoms." No. You'll know if you're brought down by flu symptoms, trust me. You won't have to ask if that's what's going on.
We are also going to get Hubby tested for Lyme, as a matter of course. One lab tech I spoke with offered that this should be done 2 weeks after the bite. Now today I read, via a friend's friend, that antibodies won't be registered on a test until 3 or 4 weeks afterwards - which is "too late" in the game, if you are infected, for antibiotics to be completely effective. I think we'll try for the just-more-than-two-weeks testing, anyway. With all the hiking and outdoor activity Hubby's been involved in over the last few years, he is at a higher risk for Lyme, even without this known recent bite.
So, there's that. We will keep you all posted...
Now, back to Sweetie...
She is currently finishing up her 11th week on antibiotics. Almost 3 full months on Augmentin. And Hubby and I can honestly say that within the last couple weeks we have seen a definite boost in her energy level.
It should also be pointed out that the last couple of weeks here have been uber busy, what with our move, a long road trip to a family wedding, birthday parties, and the end of the school year. So, if anything, you may think that Sweetie - heck! all of us! - should be way more wiped out than we normally are. But no. Not for Sweetie, anyway. She has been chatty and none-stop moving... just like she used to be!
Man! I forgot how annoying she can be!
(Kidding! I kid!)
But seriously... from her non-stop dancing at the wedding, to dinnertime conversations where she talks, talks, talks, talks, talks, to her "cuddling" up with us on the couch/can't stop moving even though she's trying to relax with us, it's all adding up to one Sweetie full of energy! And we love to see it!
Now that she's like this again - how she used to be - it really goes to show us how non-energetic she had become. No, at the time it didn't seem like she was way low key either. Just kind of consistently mellow, really. But, as compared to now - and now that we're reminded of it, before - we can really see the difference.
Does she still look tired? Yes. A little pale? Yeah, I think a bit. Did she have to miss some school a couple weeks ago due to not feeling well (Lyme related/Herxing/crazy life/bad eating results). Yes. So we still have a ways to go, I'm thinking. But for now, it sure is good to see this glimpse of a return of our Sweet girl.
And now for my latest concern with her: She was going to go jump rope the other day, but then changed her mind, saying out loud (mostly to herself) that she'd rather not do that because her elbow pits hurt a bit.
Hmmmm... elbow pits = joint pain. Joint pain = Lyme symptom. A Lyme symptom she's never mentioned before (and, had I not been close enough to hear her talking to herself, I'd still not know about.) I've been asking her ever since how her elbows feel. Last check, yesterday (trying really hard not to be obsessive with my asking!), they still hurt. Hmmmmm....
Lyme. It's a process, for sure, to get it under control. Her next doctor's appointment is next week. Curious to see what the next step in our process will be.
As noted in my previous post, Hubby was bit by a tick a little more than a week ago, just before we were off on a weekend away, and after normal office hours for his (not Lyme literate) doctor.
We chose to just watch for any symptoms of Lyme with him - the bullseye rash, flu-like symptoms, etc.
So far, so good. He happens to be experiencing allergic symptoms to the pollen in the air. That, or a mild cold - nasal drip, slight headache. And he keeps asking me if these are "flu-like symptoms." No. You'll know if you're brought down by flu symptoms, trust me. You won't have to ask if that's what's going on.
We are also going to get Hubby tested for Lyme, as a matter of course. One lab tech I spoke with offered that this should be done 2 weeks after the bite. Now today I read, via a friend's friend, that antibodies won't be registered on a test until 3 or 4 weeks afterwards - which is "too late" in the game, if you are infected, for antibiotics to be completely effective. I think we'll try for the just-more-than-two-weeks testing, anyway. With all the hiking and outdoor activity Hubby's been involved in over the last few years, he is at a higher risk for Lyme, even without this known recent bite.
So, there's that. We will keep you all posted...
Now, back to Sweetie...
She is currently finishing up her 11th week on antibiotics. Almost 3 full months on Augmentin. And Hubby and I can honestly say that within the last couple weeks we have seen a definite boost in her energy level.
It should also be pointed out that the last couple of weeks here have been uber busy, what with our move, a long road trip to a family wedding, birthday parties, and the end of the school year. So, if anything, you may think that Sweetie - heck! all of us! - should be way more wiped out than we normally are. But no. Not for Sweetie, anyway. She has been chatty and none-stop moving... just like she used to be!
Man! I forgot how annoying she can be!
(Kidding! I kid!)
But seriously... from her non-stop dancing at the wedding, to dinnertime conversations where she talks, talks, talks, talks, talks, to her "cuddling" up with us on the couch/can't stop moving even though she's trying to relax with us, it's all adding up to one Sweetie full of energy! And we love to see it!
Now that she's like this again - how she used to be - it really goes to show us how non-energetic she had become. No, at the time it didn't seem like she was way low key either. Just kind of consistently mellow, really. But, as compared to now - and now that we're reminded of it, before - we can really see the difference.
Does she still look tired? Yes. A little pale? Yeah, I think a bit. Did she have to miss some school a couple weeks ago due to not feeling well (Lyme related/Herxing/crazy life/bad eating results). Yes. So we still have a ways to go, I'm thinking. But for now, it sure is good to see this glimpse of a return of our Sweet girl.
And now for my latest concern with her: She was going to go jump rope the other day, but then changed her mind, saying out loud (mostly to herself) that she'd rather not do that because her elbow pits hurt a bit.
Hmmmm... elbow pits = joint pain. Joint pain = Lyme symptom. A Lyme symptom she's never mentioned before (and, had I not been close enough to hear her talking to herself, I'd still not know about.) I've been asking her ever since how her elbows feel. Last check, yesterday (trying really hard not to be obsessive with my asking!), they still hurt. Hmmmmm....
Lyme. It's a process, for sure, to get it under control. Her next doctor's appointment is next week. Curious to see what the next step in our process will be.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Tick Tock
... Speaking of Hubby...
(wasn't he supposed to be a co-author of this blog with me? Helloooo! Where are you?!)
... Last Thursday afternoon, right after 5pm, he found that he was bit by a tick.
Great! Now what? He didn't think the tick could have possibly been on him for very long at all. But still. With all the nasty stories and in-depth info on Lyme we've researched ourselves and heard delivered from Lyme experts, we knew that to wait for treatment even a little while wasn't the best plan of action.
But, it was just after the doctor office closed for the day, and we were leaving for a weekend away in the morning.
We knew enough that to go to urgent care would just result in him getting the typical 2 doses of doxycycline - a "preventative" measure most doctors seem to be prescribing that - guess what?! - doesn't work. At all. It is really a worse plan than to not do anything. Hmph.
So, no. We didn't want that.
And we also knew that what, ideally, should happen is for him to be put on antibiotics for a 28 day course - even without the diagnosis. However, hardly any doctor does this. Only Lyme literate docs "believe" in this method of preventative treatment.
Hubby's doctor (who is my doctor) is not Lyme literate. He's a great guy, for all intents and purposes. Maybe he'd listen to our family's history with Lyme, recognize our concern, and throw Hubby a bone. But it was doubtful. Very doubtful.
So... we were kinda sorta freaking out, initially, about what exactly he should do.
I called a not-really-at-all-close acquaintance from church, who happens to be a homeopathic, Lyme literate doctor. Yes, it was of course after hours for her, but there was a number to reach her at at any time. I didn't exactly reach her even there, but I left a message. Yes, you may remember us from church. No, we're not your patients. Would you possibly have any recommendations for us at all? Please and thank you very much.
I never heard back from her. Not surprising, considering that we aren't her patients. But, it was worth a shot.
I emailed another Lyme literate contact I have. She wrote back with a suggestion to see if Hubby's doc, in the morning, would possibly provide him with a week's course of antibiotics. Beyond that, ????...
So, that was the plan. Stop freaking out now, and call the doctor in the morning.
The next morning, after I had woken in the middle of the night to think on things a bit, I asked Hubby if he still thought we should call the doctor. My feelings were that, just as the 2-dose course of doxycycline doesn't do you any good, so too would a 1 week course not be beneficial. 2 pills or 1 week of pills - both, I figured, would be enough meds to prevent your body from making antibodies against Lyme - thus making any future Lyme testing return negative, but not enough meds to actually kill the disease if, in fact, it exists.
Furthermore, since we know when he was bit, we can simply watch for the bullseye rash to appear (assuming, if it's Lyme, that a rash will appear, as often it doesn't, even with the disease), as well as flu-like symptoms within the next few weeks. Because we've been through this with Sweetie, and we know better what to watch for and what to insist follows through as a treatment plan, if need be, it seemed best for him to just wait it out. If symptoms crop up, and he gets an appropriately long, appropriately strong dose of antibiotics at that point, that in itself would be soon enough to get the Lyme wiped out. The earlier Lyme is caught and treated, the better, yes. And this plan to wait will get us to the appropriate results soon enough to take care of it, I feel.
Hubby agreed. Fine. No. Let's not call the doctor.
And so, we wait. It's now been a few days and all seems well, so far. Mind you, we just moved, and we just had a whirlwind weekend away, and he's off this week trying to settle us into our new home... and all of this is stressful enough. So, yes, he's tired. Yes, he had a headache yesterday. Yes, he kind of feels blah. But all of this seems par for the course of our crazy lives of late. No particularly worrisome symptoms specifically related to the bite have yet cropped up.
Here's hoping it stays that way.
(wasn't he supposed to be a co-author of this blog with me? Helloooo! Where are you?!)
... Last Thursday afternoon, right after 5pm, he found that he was bit by a tick.
Great! Now what? He didn't think the tick could have possibly been on him for very long at all. But still. With all the nasty stories and in-depth info on Lyme we've researched ourselves and heard delivered from Lyme experts, we knew that to wait for treatment even a little while wasn't the best plan of action.
But, it was just after the doctor office closed for the day, and we were leaving for a weekend away in the morning.
We knew enough that to go to urgent care would just result in him getting the typical 2 doses of doxycycline - a "preventative" measure most doctors seem to be prescribing that - guess what?! - doesn't work. At all. It is really a worse plan than to not do anything. Hmph.
So, no. We didn't want that.
And we also knew that what, ideally, should happen is for him to be put on antibiotics for a 28 day course - even without the diagnosis. However, hardly any doctor does this. Only Lyme literate docs "believe" in this method of preventative treatment.
Hubby's doctor (who is my doctor) is not Lyme literate. He's a great guy, for all intents and purposes. Maybe he'd listen to our family's history with Lyme, recognize our concern, and throw Hubby a bone. But it was doubtful. Very doubtful.
So... we were kinda sorta freaking out, initially, about what exactly he should do.
I called a not-really-at-all-close acquaintance from church, who happens to be a homeopathic, Lyme literate doctor. Yes, it was of course after hours for her, but there was a number to reach her at at any time. I didn't exactly reach her even there, but I left a message. Yes, you may remember us from church. No, we're not your patients. Would you possibly have any recommendations for us at all? Please and thank you very much.
I never heard back from her. Not surprising, considering that we aren't her patients. But, it was worth a shot.
I emailed another Lyme literate contact I have. She wrote back with a suggestion to see if Hubby's doc, in the morning, would possibly provide him with a week's course of antibiotics. Beyond that, ????...
So, that was the plan. Stop freaking out now, and call the doctor in the morning.
The next morning, after I had woken in the middle of the night to think on things a bit, I asked Hubby if he still thought we should call the doctor. My feelings were that, just as the 2-dose course of doxycycline doesn't do you any good, so too would a 1 week course not be beneficial. 2 pills or 1 week of pills - both, I figured, would be enough meds to prevent your body from making antibodies against Lyme - thus making any future Lyme testing return negative, but not enough meds to actually kill the disease if, in fact, it exists.
Furthermore, since we know when he was bit, we can simply watch for the bullseye rash to appear (assuming, if it's Lyme, that a rash will appear, as often it doesn't, even with the disease), as well as flu-like symptoms within the next few weeks. Because we've been through this with Sweetie, and we know better what to watch for and what to insist follows through as a treatment plan, if need be, it seemed best for him to just wait it out. If symptoms crop up, and he gets an appropriately long, appropriately strong dose of antibiotics at that point, that in itself would be soon enough to get the Lyme wiped out. The earlier Lyme is caught and treated, the better, yes. And this plan to wait will get us to the appropriate results soon enough to take care of it, I feel.
Hubby agreed. Fine. No. Let's not call the doctor.
And so, we wait. It's now been a few days and all seems well, so far. Mind you, we just moved, and we just had a whirlwind weekend away, and he's off this week trying to settle us into our new home... and all of this is stressful enough. So, yes, he's tired. Yes, he had a headache yesterday. Yes, he kind of feels blah. But all of this seems par for the course of our crazy lives of late. No particularly worrisome symptoms specifically related to the bite have yet cropped up.
Here's hoping it stays that way.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Saturdays with Hubby
Happy Memorial Day Weekend! We here at chez OurSubLyme Life decided to not only participate in the typical Memorial Day barbecue, but also throw in attending a huge birthday party, and MOVING to boot! Woo hoo! Do we know how to fill a long weekend or what?!
After we got home the other night from the birthday party, and settled Sweetie in to bed, I could finally admit to Hubby that I was feeling... oh, I don't know... frustrated? is that the word?... about, well, Sweetie, I guess. Or her dealings with Lyme. Or I don't even know what. I just needed to talk.
I felt bad that, whenever Lyme Disease is brought up in conversation, I feel impassioned, excited almost. As if I could talk to someone forever about all that I've come to know about the disease. It's great that it's a subject I'm comfortable talking about and can share with people many things they themselves probably don't know. But isn't it also kind of like I'm taking advantage of Sweetie's unfortunate diagnosis? Like bad diagnosis = great topic of conversion for mom. It just doesn't seem right, or fair, to Sweetie.
Hubby said, no. It's just that it's a subject I've come to feel very strongly about. And sharing little known facts with people who otherwise may never know the severity of what Lyme could become is not a bad thing. Knowledge is power, and all that.
On the other hand, I felt like a fake or an imposter or something - first talking about all the truly terrible things that Lyme could mean for a person, and how terribly difficult it can be to "cure." Telling people about Sweetie's restrictive no grains/no sugars diet and the reasons behind it (grains and sugars are inflammatory)... and then looking off into the distance, along with those I am speaking with, to see our happy Sweetie playing and laughing and carrying on with all the other kids in attendance, not looking "sick" or otherwise afflicted in the least. "Yeah, right," they must be thinking. "Poor, poor Sweetie. What a shame she's so, so sick with this terrible Disease. Obviously, she's suffering a lot. Hah! Whatever."
Hubby assured me of the reason behind Sweetie's easy management of Lyme... because we've restricted her diet, have her on a strong antibiotic, and are helping her overwrought gut along with equally strong probiotics. Plus, she never was a terrible eater in the first place. Maybe if she had been, her original telling signs of infection (the cyclical vomiting) would have been something much, much worse. But it wasn't. She's good - no, great - because we're making sure she is! And that's a great thing!
I said I felt like I am always concerned with how Sweetie's feeling, and always frustrated that she never seems to tell us the truth. She's always great. But how can that be? But we can't possibly know exactly what she's feeling because we're not her and she's not fessing up. Maybe her "great" is only "eh," but she doesn't know any better because she's been "eh" for so long. Or maybe she actually is great! Who knows?! So frustrating.
Hubby said he figures that Sweetie actually, truly is great. In fact, he figures she's just as healthy on a day to day basis as any other kid. Maybe even more healthy because of her diet! Sure, she's apt to have bad days now and then. But so could any kid feel sick on any given day. So maybe Sweetie's reasons for her occasion down days are different than another kid's. Or maybe she really does just get a cold from time to time, for instance. He likens her dealings with Lyme Disease to those of a person with any other kind of "hidden" disease. Say, multiple sclerosis. The average person probably cannot tell if another person they meet has MS. And most likely, most of the time anyway, the person with MS actually does feel fine. But they have flairs where they do not. Which is Sweetie's situation as well. Most of the time, she's fine. Other times, she's feeling the effects of Lyme Disease.
Basically, it would do me some good to, more or less, forget about her Lyme on a daily basis, stop stressing that every little thing may or may not be related to it, and go on with life. When Sweetie really needs to ask us for help, when/if she's ever not feeling her best, she will definitely let us know about it. Chill the heck out.
I agreed that this would be a fabulous idea. For my own good, and for Sweetie's. She doesn't need me asking her all the time how she is (and over the last few weeks, I actually have really gotten better at this. Honestly!) She doesn't need to adopt a complex about how every little ache or pain or yucky feeling must obviously be related to Lyme. And, in fact, this is the total opposite of what we want for her, and for us. She may not use Lyme as an excuse! She already knows this, loud and clear. ("I'm too tired to move anything else." - "Why?" - "Because I have Lyme Disease!" - "Uh uh. Wrong. You may NOT use Lyme as an excuse to get out of doing things!" "Fine. I guess I could move one more box.") Nor does she need to live in fear of what Lyme could do to her. We intend to rid her of Lyme completely! You're fine, Sweetie. You'll be fine! If something is truly the matter as associated with Lyme, you will be able to tell the difference and we will respond accordingly. I promise.
After about an hour of talking, after I let it all out, after I was able to express all my frustrations and fears and wonderings and everything, I felt much better. Like I always do.
Talks with Hubby always make me feel better. They help me get a much better, more realistic view of the world. They chill me the heck out.
I needed that. I thank you, Hubby. And so does Sweetie.
After we got home the other night from the birthday party, and settled Sweetie in to bed, I could finally admit to Hubby that I was feeling... oh, I don't know... frustrated? is that the word?... about, well, Sweetie, I guess. Or her dealings with Lyme. Or I don't even know what. I just needed to talk.
I felt bad that, whenever Lyme Disease is brought up in conversation, I feel impassioned, excited almost. As if I could talk to someone forever about all that I've come to know about the disease. It's great that it's a subject I'm comfortable talking about and can share with people many things they themselves probably don't know. But isn't it also kind of like I'm taking advantage of Sweetie's unfortunate diagnosis? Like bad diagnosis = great topic of conversion for mom. It just doesn't seem right, or fair, to Sweetie.
Hubby said, no. It's just that it's a subject I've come to feel very strongly about. And sharing little known facts with people who otherwise may never know the severity of what Lyme could become is not a bad thing. Knowledge is power, and all that.
On the other hand, I felt like a fake or an imposter or something - first talking about all the truly terrible things that Lyme could mean for a person, and how terribly difficult it can be to "cure." Telling people about Sweetie's restrictive no grains/no sugars diet and the reasons behind it (grains and sugars are inflammatory)... and then looking off into the distance, along with those I am speaking with, to see our happy Sweetie playing and laughing and carrying on with all the other kids in attendance, not looking "sick" or otherwise afflicted in the least. "Yeah, right," they must be thinking. "Poor, poor Sweetie. What a shame she's so, so sick with this terrible Disease. Obviously, she's suffering a lot. Hah! Whatever."
Hubby assured me of the reason behind Sweetie's easy management of Lyme... because we've restricted her diet, have her on a strong antibiotic, and are helping her overwrought gut along with equally strong probiotics. Plus, she never was a terrible eater in the first place. Maybe if she had been, her original telling signs of infection (the cyclical vomiting) would have been something much, much worse. But it wasn't. She's good - no, great - because we're making sure she is! And that's a great thing!
I said I felt like I am always concerned with how Sweetie's feeling, and always frustrated that she never seems to tell us the truth. She's always great. But how can that be? But we can't possibly know exactly what she's feeling because we're not her and she's not fessing up. Maybe her "great" is only "eh," but she doesn't know any better because she's been "eh" for so long. Or maybe she actually is great! Who knows?! So frustrating.
Hubby said he figures that Sweetie actually, truly is great. In fact, he figures she's just as healthy on a day to day basis as any other kid. Maybe even more healthy because of her diet! Sure, she's apt to have bad days now and then. But so could any kid feel sick on any given day. So maybe Sweetie's reasons for her occasion down days are different than another kid's. Or maybe she really does just get a cold from time to time, for instance. He likens her dealings with Lyme Disease to those of a person with any other kind of "hidden" disease. Say, multiple sclerosis. The average person probably cannot tell if another person they meet has MS. And most likely, most of the time anyway, the person with MS actually does feel fine. But they have flairs where they do not. Which is Sweetie's situation as well. Most of the time, she's fine. Other times, she's feeling the effects of Lyme Disease.
Basically, it would do me some good to, more or less, forget about her Lyme on a daily basis, stop stressing that every little thing may or may not be related to it, and go on with life. When Sweetie really needs to ask us for help, when/if she's ever not feeling her best, she will definitely let us know about it. Chill the heck out.
I agreed that this would be a fabulous idea. For my own good, and for Sweetie's. She doesn't need me asking her all the time how she is (and over the last few weeks, I actually have really gotten better at this. Honestly!) She doesn't need to adopt a complex about how every little ache or pain or yucky feeling must obviously be related to Lyme. And, in fact, this is the total opposite of what we want for her, and for us. She may not use Lyme as an excuse! She already knows this, loud and clear. ("I'm too tired to move anything else." - "Why?" - "Because I have Lyme Disease!" - "Uh uh. Wrong. You may NOT use Lyme as an excuse to get out of doing things!" "Fine. I guess I could move one more box.") Nor does she need to live in fear of what Lyme could do to her. We intend to rid her of Lyme completely! You're fine, Sweetie. You'll be fine! If something is truly the matter as associated with Lyme, you will be able to tell the difference and we will respond accordingly. I promise.
After about an hour of talking, after I let it all out, after I was able to express all my frustrations and fears and wonderings and everything, I felt much better. Like I always do.
Talks with Hubby always make me feel better. They help me get a much better, more realistic view of the world. They chill me the heck out.
I needed that. I thank you, Hubby. And so does Sweetie.
Friday, May 18, 2012
50 Shades of Gray
Sweetie had her... well, let's see... second follow up with her LL doctor today since starting on her antibiotics 6 weeks ago.
When asked, Sweetie of course said she was great. But when the doctor then turned to ask me how I thought Sweetie was, I, well, hmmmm.... I'm not really sure. She's doing well, I guess. Yeah.
Funny. As I said in this post, after reading Cure Unknown, and recently listening to a Lyme expert speak on his personal connection to the Disease (through the devastating, years long plight of his daughter), I am just thanking my lucky stars that Sweetie's symptoms have never been anywhere near that bad. On the other hand, though, it was just a few months ago that I was feeling like a crazy person trying to find somebody, anybody, who would recognize the illness that I saw my daughter was experiencing and go about treating her in an effective, appropriate manner.
A) She's sick! This isn't right! Why doesn't anyone agree with me and help us out?!
B) Is she feeling better? Eh. I don't know. She was never feeling terribly, awfully miserable in the first place. It's really hard to say.
My one measuring stick I can truly judge by is the vomiting. In the midst of our searching for answers over the course of the winter, Sweetie's main issue was her vomiting every few weeks. But now? Well... she hasn't vomited since February (knock on wood). So that's one improvement I can see... but her vomiting stopped well before her Late Stage Lyme diagnosis and her new round of antibiotics began. So... hmmmm...?
Beyond that, on the negative side... she still looks awfully tired, almost all the time. Hubby and I see it for sure. Her doctor sees it. Random other people do as well. But we remain frustrated because, really, if you're not looking closely at her, or not looking specifically for it, the typical person coming into contact with Sweetie in a day will not necessarily see this in her. They will not see the dark, heavy eyes. They'll just see sweet, smiling, happy, "great" Sweetie - plain and simple. Or maybe? People just don't want to see her this way. My parents, for instance, don't understand at all what Hubby and I are talking about when we say Sweetie looks really tired. While Hubby's parents, on the other hand, nod silently in agreement when we talk about Sweetie looking tired and unhealthy.
But actually being tired? That's another very gray area. She has never been down and out, completely, truly fatigued. She can happily get through her day, now and always. But does she wake up after a good full night's sleep, yet continue to yawn as she manages through her morning hours? Yes. Does she seemingly more often than before come to rest on/cuddle up to me as her days wind down? Yes. Does she choose to play indoors quietly more often than run around outside being active and hyper? Yes... but that's always been her way. Really no change there. Is her energy level improving? Eh. Maybe? I don't think so? It's really hard to say.
On the positive side, I'm pretty sure I'm noticing a little more color come back into her cheeks. Sometimes, anyway. So that's good. But still, who's to say if that's really a definite measure of improvement. Or if I'm really seeing what I think I'm seeing... sometimes.
And then there's her "foggy brain" issues... if she's even having that. Aside from what I mentioned in my last post, it seems to me that she's having some difficulty with finding the right words sometimes. But, then again, she's never had what I'd say is an "economy of words" when she speaks. She usually takes the long way around a sentence/story and, if she gets hung up on a thought, she'll start the whole thing over (sometimes several times) rather than find a "close enough" word and move on from there. But is she getting worse still at this sort of thing? Hmmm... it definitely is a gray area when it comes to figuring out her gray matter.
(I'm really not trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I don't want to see that which is not there. Huh. Maybe that's why I also can't recognize any improvements I see in her either. I'm trying so hard to ignore what may be, but really probably isn't, Lyme related issues that I don't see what's truly going right for her.)
What I do know, and am learning more about everyday, is how utterly confusing Lyme Disease is, even to the LL community. In discussion with Sweetie's doctor today, I noted that I finally recognized in Sweetie what her version of Herxing is. To which the doctor responded that that was good, because if she's Herxing we know the medicine is working. But, I said, her Herxing this time around is very different than the definite, really awfully sick day of Herxing she had last summer when starting up on antibiotics. This time around it's much more subtle. Her doctor said, to this, that sometimes the Herx reaction is much more dramatic in a person who is more "newly" infected with the Disease.
"I thought I understood that a person doesn't have the Herx reaction unless they already were in the Late Stage of the Disease," I said.
"It's hard to say," was her doctor's answer.
Am I upset that I seem to be getting contradicting answers from Sweetie's doctor at different office visits? Not really. Frustrated, sure. Was Sweetie already Late Stage Lyme last summer? We thought that's what we understood. But now? Who knows. Certainly by now she is Late Stage, and now is when the right diagnosis matters.
It's not the doctor's fault for not having all the answers for us. I just know that, with Lyme, it's almost all "hard to say" what the true answers are. But working together, and watching for signs of improvement - as subtle or insignificant as they may appear to be - is how we'll move forward, working to get Sweetie back to her healthy self.
One more month on these current antibiotics. Then we'll regroup and see where we are. If no drastic improvement is shown, we'll switch to a different antibiotic.
Here's hoping I can start to definitively state I see improvement in my sick/not really too sick Sweetie soon.
And so the story continues. At this point, it certainly is hard to say how it all will conclude...
When asked, Sweetie of course said she was great. But when the doctor then turned to ask me how I thought Sweetie was, I, well, hmmmm.... I'm not really sure. She's doing well, I guess. Yeah.
Funny. As I said in this post, after reading Cure Unknown, and recently listening to a Lyme expert speak on his personal connection to the Disease (through the devastating, years long plight of his daughter), I am just thanking my lucky stars that Sweetie's symptoms have never been anywhere near that bad. On the other hand, though, it was just a few months ago that I was feeling like a crazy person trying to find somebody, anybody, who would recognize the illness that I saw my daughter was experiencing and go about treating her in an effective, appropriate manner.
A) She's sick! This isn't right! Why doesn't anyone agree with me and help us out?!
B) Is she feeling better? Eh. I don't know. She was never feeling terribly, awfully miserable in the first place. It's really hard to say.
My one measuring stick I can truly judge by is the vomiting. In the midst of our searching for answers over the course of the winter, Sweetie's main issue was her vomiting every few weeks. But now? Well... she hasn't vomited since February (knock on wood). So that's one improvement I can see... but her vomiting stopped well before her Late Stage Lyme diagnosis and her new round of antibiotics began. So... hmmmm...?
Beyond that, on the negative side... she still looks awfully tired, almost all the time. Hubby and I see it for sure. Her doctor sees it. Random other people do as well. But we remain frustrated because, really, if you're not looking closely at her, or not looking specifically for it, the typical person coming into contact with Sweetie in a day will not necessarily see this in her. They will not see the dark, heavy eyes. They'll just see sweet, smiling, happy, "great" Sweetie - plain and simple. Or maybe? People just don't want to see her this way. My parents, for instance, don't understand at all what Hubby and I are talking about when we say Sweetie looks really tired. While Hubby's parents, on the other hand, nod silently in agreement when we talk about Sweetie looking tired and unhealthy.
But actually being tired? That's another very gray area. She has never been down and out, completely, truly fatigued. She can happily get through her day, now and always. But does she wake up after a good full night's sleep, yet continue to yawn as she manages through her morning hours? Yes. Does she seemingly more often than before come to rest on/cuddle up to me as her days wind down? Yes. Does she choose to play indoors quietly more often than run around outside being active and hyper? Yes... but that's always been her way. Really no change there. Is her energy level improving? Eh. Maybe? I don't think so? It's really hard to say.
On the positive side, I'm pretty sure I'm noticing a little more color come back into her cheeks. Sometimes, anyway. So that's good. But still, who's to say if that's really a definite measure of improvement. Or if I'm really seeing what I think I'm seeing... sometimes.
And then there's her "foggy brain" issues... if she's even having that. Aside from what I mentioned in my last post, it seems to me that she's having some difficulty with finding the right words sometimes. But, then again, she's never had what I'd say is an "economy of words" when she speaks. She usually takes the long way around a sentence/story and, if she gets hung up on a thought, she'll start the whole thing over (sometimes several times) rather than find a "close enough" word and move on from there. But is she getting worse still at this sort of thing? Hmmm... it definitely is a gray area when it comes to figuring out her gray matter.
(I'm really not trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I don't want to see that which is not there. Huh. Maybe that's why I also can't recognize any improvements I see in her either. I'm trying so hard to ignore what may be, but really probably isn't, Lyme related issues that I don't see what's truly going right for her.)
What I do know, and am learning more about everyday, is how utterly confusing Lyme Disease is, even to the LL community. In discussion with Sweetie's doctor today, I noted that I finally recognized in Sweetie what her version of Herxing is. To which the doctor responded that that was good, because if she's Herxing we know the medicine is working. But, I said, her Herxing this time around is very different than the definite, really awfully sick day of Herxing she had last summer when starting up on antibiotics. This time around it's much more subtle. Her doctor said, to this, that sometimes the Herx reaction is much more dramatic in a person who is more "newly" infected with the Disease.
"I thought I understood that a person doesn't have the Herx reaction unless they already were in the Late Stage of the Disease," I said.
"It's hard to say," was her doctor's answer.
Am I upset that I seem to be getting contradicting answers from Sweetie's doctor at different office visits? Not really. Frustrated, sure. Was Sweetie already Late Stage Lyme last summer? We thought that's what we understood. But now? Who knows. Certainly by now she is Late Stage, and now is when the right diagnosis matters.
It's not the doctor's fault for not having all the answers for us. I just know that, with Lyme, it's almost all "hard to say" what the true answers are. But working together, and watching for signs of improvement - as subtle or insignificant as they may appear to be - is how we'll move forward, working to get Sweetie back to her healthy self.
One more month on these current antibiotics. Then we'll regroup and see where we are. If no drastic improvement is shown, we'll switch to a different antibiotic.
Here's hoping I can start to definitively state I see improvement in my sick/not really too sick Sweetie soon.
And so the story continues. At this point, it certainly is hard to say how it all will conclude...
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Just "Sweetie" Or Just Lyme-y?
Curse you, Lyme Disease! Curse you for, well, showing up at all in our Sweetie's life. That's bad enough. But double curses to you for showing up in her life now.
Now, when she's 9 years old. When the "9 year old change" is clearly taking place in our growing Sweetie's life. When she's just beginning to dip her toe into those "tween" years. When she's already getting moody and obstinate and very much trying to become more of her own person.
Testing boundaries, testing relationships. Testing our patience.
With Lyme thrown in the mix, it just makes it that much harder to tell what's typical growing "pains" and unfortunate milestones, or an effect of the Disease on her system.
I know that Lyme can cause brain fog - memory loss, loss of concentration, fatigue, inability to understand, moodiness, etc. - and I've seen some evidence of this in Sweetie over the last few months or so. But then again, is it truly brain fog at all? Or is it just Sweetie being "just Sweetie"? Perhaps not listening as well, not understanding or remembering as well just because of the developmental stage she's in.
Or am I imagining it altogether?
One example: We were at her Grammy and Grampy's last weekend, celebrating Grampy's birthday. He asked Sweetie how old she thinks he is. This game was not too fun, because Sweetie knew exactly how old Grampy was turning because we had discussed it earlier. But before Sweetie could speak up with the right answer, Grampy suggested to her that he was "older than dirt."
This confused the heck out of Sweetie. Who was "Dirt"? What do you mean? I don't get it. He and I tried to brush the whole thing off, telling her it's just a saying, never mind. But Sweetie was really confused. She went off to play for a minute or so, but then came right back to sit by me, asking me, "No, really. Who's Dirt? I don't get it."
I explained the whole meaning behind the saying and that satisfied her wonderings. But I don't recall that, once she "got it", she laughed about the joke of it all - which would be a typical Sweetie response. She just was pleased to finally understand, and went off to play some more.
I think there was another saying about something else that day that she overheard as well, again wondering what it all meant. Not sure - it was a hectic, busy, fun day!
Another example is just the fact that, more than once, Sweetie will ask me or Hubby a question, we'll answer it, and 5 minutes later she'll ask the same thing again. Was she really not listening when we gave her the answer before? Did she forget entirely that she already asked us this? What's going on?
Today, Sweetie and I are not really getting along so well. The morning started off with her needing to take a bath. Apparently, on her way into the bathroom, she bopped her head on the doorframe. I didn't see the accident, or even hear her cry about it. But when I got there she was sitting on the toilet with her head in her hands. When I asked her what was wrong, she merely looked up sadly/angrily and pointed to where on her head it hurt. Then she proceeded to gesture to me about the door and the bang and the everything. No words, just gestures.
"So are you not going to talk to me all day? I don't help people who don't talk to me."
And, no. She didn't talk to me for quite awhile. Wrote me messages, yes. But no words came out of her mouth.
Finally, when she did start talking, it seemed like an awful lot of attitude was coming out with those words.
Now, hours later, I've sent her upstairs to her room to read or rest. She's not talking again. She had been outside riding her bike and somehow or another got her knuckles scraped a tiny bit on a tree. But do I understand the details at all? Heck no! Because she's not talking.
Apparently, to Sweetie, pain and injury = an inability to talk.
Pity. Because just when it's most important for me to hear her so I can help her feel better and fix up any existing injuries, she shuts right the heck up and won't tell me where/how she hurts or what I can do to help.
Of course, this morning and right before I sent her upstairs now, I had a stern talking to her, insisting that she talk to me and wondering out loud why it is that she won't ever talk when she's hurt or not feeling well (this is not a "today only" thing.). Especially now when words would so help me to help her! Furthermore, I stated again that I didn't understand why it is she never wants to tell us she's anything but "great." "I don't understand why you get so mad at us for asking you how you are, in general. It just doesn't make any sense to me at all!"
ANYway.... sorry... got off on a bit of a tangent there. But seriously... who's to say what's truly bringing all this on.
Maybe it is Lyme driven and she's not feeling well and/or is tired but she doesn't know how to express it, so she comes off as snippy and attitude-y instead.
Or maybe she's just being herself - "just (Sweetie)" - and this is just the beginning of what I have to look forward to, moving forward into her teenaged years.
You know, when Sweetie was little and anyone tried to "cute-ify" her name in anyway, Sweetie would stop them in their tracks and say, "No! I'm just (Sweetie)!" Her insistence that people only use her name when talking about or to her, at the time, was pretty cute, actually, even in its stubbornness. How great that she knew who she was and didn't want anyone messing around with her identity!
Now, at this stage of her development and this point in her life with Lyme, I'm just left wondering sometimes who my Sweetie is at all, and what kind of person she'll be as we move ever so cautiously into the near future years of her life.
Now, when she's 9 years old. When the "9 year old change" is clearly taking place in our growing Sweetie's life. When she's just beginning to dip her toe into those "tween" years. When she's already getting moody and obstinate and very much trying to become more of her own person.
Testing boundaries, testing relationships. Testing our patience.
With Lyme thrown in the mix, it just makes it that much harder to tell what's typical growing "pains" and unfortunate milestones, or an effect of the Disease on her system.
I know that Lyme can cause brain fog - memory loss, loss of concentration, fatigue, inability to understand, moodiness, etc. - and I've seen some evidence of this in Sweetie over the last few months or so. But then again, is it truly brain fog at all? Or is it just Sweetie being "just Sweetie"? Perhaps not listening as well, not understanding or remembering as well just because of the developmental stage she's in.
Or am I imagining it altogether?
One example: We were at her Grammy and Grampy's last weekend, celebrating Grampy's birthday. He asked Sweetie how old she thinks he is. This game was not too fun, because Sweetie knew exactly how old Grampy was turning because we had discussed it earlier. But before Sweetie could speak up with the right answer, Grampy suggested to her that he was "older than dirt."
This confused the heck out of Sweetie. Who was "Dirt"? What do you mean? I don't get it. He and I tried to brush the whole thing off, telling her it's just a saying, never mind. But Sweetie was really confused. She went off to play for a minute or so, but then came right back to sit by me, asking me, "No, really. Who's Dirt? I don't get it."
I explained the whole meaning behind the saying and that satisfied her wonderings. But I don't recall that, once she "got it", she laughed about the joke of it all - which would be a typical Sweetie response. She just was pleased to finally understand, and went off to play some more.
I think there was another saying about something else that day that she overheard as well, again wondering what it all meant. Not sure - it was a hectic, busy, fun day!
Another example is just the fact that, more than once, Sweetie will ask me or Hubby a question, we'll answer it, and 5 minutes later she'll ask the same thing again. Was she really not listening when we gave her the answer before? Did she forget entirely that she already asked us this? What's going on?
Today, Sweetie and I are not really getting along so well. The morning started off with her needing to take a bath. Apparently, on her way into the bathroom, she bopped her head on the doorframe. I didn't see the accident, or even hear her cry about it. But when I got there she was sitting on the toilet with her head in her hands. When I asked her what was wrong, she merely looked up sadly/angrily and pointed to where on her head it hurt. Then she proceeded to gesture to me about the door and the bang and the everything. No words, just gestures.
"So are you not going to talk to me all day? I don't help people who don't talk to me."
And, no. She didn't talk to me for quite awhile. Wrote me messages, yes. But no words came out of her mouth.
Finally, when she did start talking, it seemed like an awful lot of attitude was coming out with those words.
Now, hours later, I've sent her upstairs to her room to read or rest. She's not talking again. She had been outside riding her bike and somehow or another got her knuckles scraped a tiny bit on a tree. But do I understand the details at all? Heck no! Because she's not talking.
Apparently, to Sweetie, pain and injury = an inability to talk.
Pity. Because just when it's most important for me to hear her so I can help her feel better and fix up any existing injuries, she shuts right the heck up and won't tell me where/how she hurts or what I can do to help.
Of course, this morning and right before I sent her upstairs now, I had a stern talking to her, insisting that she talk to me and wondering out loud why it is that she won't ever talk when she's hurt or not feeling well (this is not a "today only" thing.). Especially now when words would so help me to help her! Furthermore, I stated again that I didn't understand why it is she never wants to tell us she's anything but "great." "I don't understand why you get so mad at us for asking you how you are, in general. It just doesn't make any sense to me at all!"
ANYway.... sorry... got off on a bit of a tangent there. But seriously... who's to say what's truly bringing all this on.
Maybe it is Lyme driven and she's not feeling well and/or is tired but she doesn't know how to express it, so she comes off as snippy and attitude-y instead.
Or maybe she's just being herself - "just (Sweetie)" - and this is just the beginning of what I have to look forward to, moving forward into her teenaged years.
You know, when Sweetie was little and anyone tried to "cute-ify" her name in anyway, Sweetie would stop them in their tracks and say, "No! I'm just (Sweetie)!" Her insistence that people only use her name when talking about or to her, at the time, was pretty cute, actually, even in its stubbornness. How great that she knew who she was and didn't want anyone messing around with her identity!
Now, at this stage of her development and this point in her life with Lyme, I'm just left wondering sometimes who my Sweetie is at all, and what kind of person she'll be as we move ever so cautiously into the near future years of her life.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Get Over Yourself
Okay, okay. So it happened. Sweetie wasn't feeling so well yesterday, and she was good enough to let me know.
Not so much with words. But by not wanting to eat much of her breakfast yesterday morning and by her sour mood.
Oh, and around midnight the night before. Actually coming into our room and telling us she didn't feel good. Bad belly. She was a hurtin' pup for awhile there, poor thing.
Given all that, I decided to keep her home from school yesterday. One more day of spring school vacation never hurt anyone...
(Thanks to Nana for keeping her so I could go to work!)
Not that Sweetie's ill feelings weren't entirely unexpected. After all, we've had her (and us) on a no grains/no sugars diet for a couple weeks or more by now, but then allowed her (and us) to have a "cheat day" on Sunday in celebration of her Grampy's birthday.
Pizza. Sandwiches. Cheese and crackers. Ice cream. Cake.
Ugh.
That does not do a body good!
And now we know. Hubby and I came through it alright. But poor Sweetie. She, and we, learned a good lesson.
Good news: looks like we'd been successful at ridding her body of the excess grains and sugars that had been there.
Bad news: when reintroduced, those grains and sugars make a Lyme Diseased Sweetie feel pretty rotten.
More good news: by lunchtime yesterday, she was wanting to eat again, feeling a lot better. And by mid afternoon she was really feeling like herself again. Even wishing that she could go to school now! (too bad it was edging in on the end of the school day by then, not to mention she was with my mom in another town at that point.)
All in all, by the time I picked her up to take her home, you would have never known that Sweetie was anything other than her usual great in recent hours. Great! Lesson learned, and moving on.
When Hubby got home from work - knowing Sweetie had stayed out of school for the day - she greeted him as cheerily as ever. Hmph. Had I never said anything, Hubby'd have no evidence at all to clue him in that it had been a "sick day" for her.
That made me think... really, nearly all the times that Sweetie has felt ill due to her Lyme Disease, I've been the one to witness it. Only me. Nana too, if Sweetie ends up with her for the day. But mostly - only Sweetie and I have seen it all.
From last summer's migraine and her feeling so ill that she turns pale as a ghost and shaky, feeling like she's going to vomit at any minute; to the various instances of vomiting she'd experienced throughout the Fall and Winter; to yesterday's morning of tummy aches, nausea and tiredness. I'm the one who's seen her fast downfall every time.
I told Hubby last night that that's frustrating to me that I'm the only one who's really seen her so sick. By the time he gets home, she's past it all and feeling much better.
And not that that's true for every single instance. We both witnessed her Herx reaction last summer when she first started on antibiotics. And there was one evening late last fall when she had a bad evening of it. And of course, our midnight visit last night. But by and large, I see her at her worst, get her through it, and see her perk up almost just as quickly to her regular ways.
Hubby reminded me - and he's absolutely right... that's because Sweetie does not like to be sick. She gets over her illnesses as quickly as she can. Where other kids (and adults!) can be known to "milk it" for as long as possible, Sweetie recognizes the moment she feels even just a little better than the moment before, and rides that momentum out, getting herself back to her healthy ways ASAP.
So while, yeah, it's frustrating when she won't admit to feeling bad, and it's frustrating that, when she isn't at her greatest I'm typically the one to see that through, I do have to admit it's pretty darn great to have a kid so hell bent on feeling as healthy as she can to do all the great things she wants to get done.
Huh. That's another valuable lesson we can all learn from. Thanks, Sweetie, for teaching us the way.
Not so much with words. But by not wanting to eat much of her breakfast yesterday morning and by her sour mood.
Oh, and around midnight the night before. Actually coming into our room and telling us she didn't feel good. Bad belly. She was a hurtin' pup for awhile there, poor thing.
Given all that, I decided to keep her home from school yesterday. One more day of spring school vacation never hurt anyone...
(Thanks to Nana for keeping her so I could go to work!)
Not that Sweetie's ill feelings weren't entirely unexpected. After all, we've had her (and us) on a no grains/no sugars diet for a couple weeks or more by now, but then allowed her (and us) to have a "cheat day" on Sunday in celebration of her Grampy's birthday.
Pizza. Sandwiches. Cheese and crackers. Ice cream. Cake.
Ugh.
That does not do a body good!
And now we know. Hubby and I came through it alright. But poor Sweetie. She, and we, learned a good lesson.
Good news: looks like we'd been successful at ridding her body of the excess grains and sugars that had been there.
Bad news: when reintroduced, those grains and sugars make a Lyme Diseased Sweetie feel pretty rotten.
More good news: by lunchtime yesterday, she was wanting to eat again, feeling a lot better. And by mid afternoon she was really feeling like herself again. Even wishing that she could go to school now! (too bad it was edging in on the end of the school day by then, not to mention she was with my mom in another town at that point.)
All in all, by the time I picked her up to take her home, you would have never known that Sweetie was anything other than her usual great in recent hours. Great! Lesson learned, and moving on.
When Hubby got home from work - knowing Sweetie had stayed out of school for the day - she greeted him as cheerily as ever. Hmph. Had I never said anything, Hubby'd have no evidence at all to clue him in that it had been a "sick day" for her.
That made me think... really, nearly all the times that Sweetie has felt ill due to her Lyme Disease, I've been the one to witness it. Only me. Nana too, if Sweetie ends up with her for the day. But mostly - only Sweetie and I have seen it all.
From last summer's migraine and her feeling so ill that she turns pale as a ghost and shaky, feeling like she's going to vomit at any minute; to the various instances of vomiting she'd experienced throughout the Fall and Winter; to yesterday's morning of tummy aches, nausea and tiredness. I'm the one who's seen her fast downfall every time.
I told Hubby last night that that's frustrating to me that I'm the only one who's really seen her so sick. By the time he gets home, she's past it all and feeling much better.
And not that that's true for every single instance. We both witnessed her Herx reaction last summer when she first started on antibiotics. And there was one evening late last fall when she had a bad evening of it. And of course, our midnight visit last night. But by and large, I see her at her worst, get her through it, and see her perk up almost just as quickly to her regular ways.
Hubby reminded me - and he's absolutely right... that's because Sweetie does not like to be sick. She gets over her illnesses as quickly as she can. Where other kids (and adults!) can be known to "milk it" for as long as possible, Sweetie recognizes the moment she feels even just a little better than the moment before, and rides that momentum out, getting herself back to her healthy ways ASAP.
So while, yeah, it's frustrating when she won't admit to feeling bad, and it's frustrating that, when she isn't at her greatest I'm typically the one to see that through, I do have to admit it's pretty darn great to have a kid so hell bent on feeling as healthy as she can to do all the great things she wants to get done.
Huh. That's another valuable lesson we can all learn from. Thanks, Sweetie, for teaching us the way.
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