My Return To Work

is coming up on Monday!  I've been out with Tyler since June 10.  Wow!  It's been a long and tough summer!  I work in a maximum security (adult male) prison.  My co-workers have blessed our family beyond belief during Ty's recent hospitalizations.  Many of the officers don't even know who I am, yet they gave from their hearts and prayed many prayers for us. I am so grateful to each and every one of my family, friends and co-workers.

Ty's cough seems to be disappearing except for an occasional bout. I have to remind him to cough to keep it loosened up.  He is still able to cough mucus up and out so I am pleased with that. We've gone from doing treatments, IVs and medications nearly 'round the clock to only three times a day. I keep thinking there is more we're supposed to do and have to remind myself that this is it!!

The Prednisone has his face puffy and he's beginning to sneeze and fill a kleenex when he blows his nose. It also has a little blood in it so I'll keep an eye on that. Bran, my non-CFer has also been sneezing so it must be something in the air or "seasonal". It usually takes a few days, but Claritin works wonders for Bran!

Well, that's about all the news that is news for now!  The heat continues this weekend so everyone keep cool!

Back in Business!

It has taken me a little bit to get my page working again.

But now I'm back in business!

We went back to UNC on Thursday and had Ty's PICC line removed.  His lung function increased from 60 to 68%.  We've stopped all IVs, Zyvox and Septra.

The doctors did a "test" with the Prednisone to see how Ty's lung function would react to 5 days of 50mg tablets. I'm thinking he responded well with an 8 point increase in his FEV1.  So now we're doing 40mg of Prednisone every other day.

We also stopped TOBI and are back on our 28 day off/on schedule.

We're still holding off on the Hypertonic Saline as well.  I think the main goal is to get Ty's lung function back up and then try the Hypertonic to see what it does to him.  It may be that the 7% is too harsh and he needs to bump back down to the 5%.  We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

A big issue for me, this weekend, is spending time with Bran. I promised him that we would go get school supplies, just me and him.  We all know that it is really important to him that he gets "Bran" time since we focus so much attention to Ty's illness.

We signed Bran up for soccer and boy is he excited!! To tell the truth, I'm pretty darn excited about it too!  I love being on the ball field.... I'm not prejudice over the type (football, baseball, softball, basketball, soccer, etc)... I love them all!

Our Journey Begins

      ... a place where dreams come true
 
            ... a special wish for a special kid

                   ... a lifetime of memories

                         ... the highlight of a kid's summer

                               ... an everlasting smile

Today we received confirmation that Ty is eligible for a wish! I've always been cautious about not applying while Ty was so young. I want him to remember this very special event in his life. As we take more and more hits with his health, I figured it might be a good idea to start the paperwork. Here's to hoping his greatest wish comes true!!!!

Home Sweet Home

We made it back home and boy does it feel good! It usually takes me a few days to realize how good home feels. While we're in the hospital my brain flips a switch and doesn't crave or 'long' to be back home. I guess my body focuses on the task at hand and adapts to whatever situation we are put in.

Hospital discharge was much more smooth this go 'round. A persistent issue is not being able to get the meds we need from the pharmacy. Thankfully the hospital called in advance for the antibiotics, however NO ONE has Vitamin K around here! It took me from Friday until Tuesday to get it. So Ty missed his Friday and Monday dose. This is definitely one to remember the next time we're released.

Ty is doing an AWESOME job with doing his meds and treatments this time! Wow!! I could not ask for anything more! It makes it so much easier when he does what he is supposed to do. I could get used to this!

PICC Line Issues

Today the home health nurse attempted to draw blood from Ty's PICC line for levels related to the Tobramycin with no avail. She tried flushing it with Heparin several times but nothing worked. She ended up having to stick him for the blood work. 

The 1st stick didn't take so he opted to have his finger pricked.

The finger prick worked well but didn't produce enough blood.

Ty agreed to another needle stick and this time: SUCCESS!!

Tomorrow we're headed back to UNC to have the PICC team clear the line.

No Place Like Home

We busted out!

      Flew the coop!

            Bid farewell!

                   We were released from the hospital and now we're back home!!

Hospital Day 13 (Tuesday)

Tuesday I woke up feeling terrible. I felt incredibly weak and all I wanted to do was lay down and sleep. So that's pretty much what I did... all day long!  The nurses stepped in and made sure Ty was well taken care of and had plenty of company.  I did manage to get up and play the Wii for a little while.

Hospital Day 14 (Wednesday)

Today was Ty's birthday! It was certainly one to remember! So many people came together and raised money to make Ty's wish come true.... to have a "PSP Go".  The generosity, love and support of complete strangers is mind-boggling. No matter how bad things get for us, there will always be so many other families that have it worse. One of my weaknesses is not acknowledging the strength, faith and test of endurance that our family faces on a daily basis. When people tell me that they could never do what I do, that I'm one of the strongest people they have ever met... I feel like I don't deserve that, that what I do is not extraordinary. To be honest, it hurts to think about it. When I make myself stop and acknowledge the struggle that we face and attempt to conquer each day, it simply brings me to tears. I don't want this for my life, I don't want it for my family and I certainly don't want to see my son fight to breathe.

I know with all my heart and soul that God chose me to be Tyler's mom.

He saw something special, something strong, unmoving, determined, spirited and able to carry the load.

WOW! God has high hopes doesn't he!!  ☺

I firmly believe that families of special needs children are hand-picked, chosen with purpose. I also believe that all of us possess the above characteristics and that sometimes they're only accessible through God's mercy and grace.

We are certainly no better than other families who take care of sick, elderly or disabled loved ones. There are  families who adopt children knowing of their medical conditions, people who voluntarily choose to care for the sick and disabled. All of these people are gifts sent from above. They too, I believe, are hand-picked for the task at hand.

My favorite saying, the one that helps me keep pushing is, "God will never put more on me than I can bear".  I also love the song by Kirk Franklin with this verse in it.

In closing I would like to thank the many people who give to causes that don't directly affect them. It is so easy to fight for a cure for Cystic Fibrosis when your child suffers from it, but how many of us would be so involved if it didn't directly affect our loved ones?

The people that reach out to help others in need, often times complete strangers, are also special, hand-picked gifts from God.

They are equipped with hearts so big, smiles so warm and arms so giving that no other source could possibly provide.

These are the people that I look up to.

These are the people that I hope to become.

These are the people that can touch a child and leave a lifetime of precious memories.

These are the people that humble us as parents.

Thank you for being such an incredible blessing to our family.

Hospital Day 12

Monday Day 12

Tyler and I slept in today. I woke up with my back achy and sore. I'm guessing sleeping in this chair has finally caught up to me! ☺ Ty hasn't eaten much today. He has played on the computer ALL DAY. I gave him a hard time about that. He agreed that as soon as he gets to level 20 he's going to put the computer away and spend time with me. Isn't that just adorable?  

One of our nurses (Jackie) has started giving Ty a prize every time she has to stick him to draw blood. The last 2 times she has given him Silly Bandz. You know he just loves that!!  Well today one of the respiratory ladies was talking about her two daughters (ages 3 and 5). Ty told her that she could take all of his dinosaur bands to her two girls and to tell them they were from "Tyler". I was floored. He earned those prizes from needle sticks and had a big enough heart to share them with two little girls whom he has never met. The respiratory lady was speechless. She said she would be sure to tell them about Tyler and to let them know that the bands were from him. I'm a proud Mom!

So the waves of sadness continue to roll ashore today. Most of the time I manage to keep it at low tide but if I'm not careful the waves start coming in fast. I just kept looking at Ty today, hoping and praying that I won't be put in a position to not be able to escape these thoughts (or that reality) EVER. I forgot to mention that Ty's birthday is on Wednesday. Its a bit of a sting to be in the hospital on this special day. On one hand I'm shouting to the mountain tops that I've had Tyler another year... on the other its bittersweet because without a cure I wonder how many more of these he'll have. Of course the happy thoughts far outweigh the sad ones so I remind myself to smile and enjoy it.

It is my goal to get a book written by a fellow CF mom SOON! I really think it will help me sort, calm and understand these feelings and emotions. I am so tickled to be able to say that I've hugged and kissed my Tyler-Roo a bunch of times today!!!  ☺

Lung function is scheduled for Wednesday. That's Tyler's birthday and it may very well be the day that we go home!!!!!

Hospital Days 9-11

Friday Day 9

I've really noticed a huge difference in Tyler's attitude. He seems so happy and calm. At the beginning of June, before we switched to UNC and started IVs, Tyler's attitude was almost unbearable. He was angry, impatient, beside himself, defiant and miserable. On the surface it looked like Tyler had a nasty attitude and needed discipline. I knew not to judge that book by its cover. I cannot imagine how it felt to have pneumonia for 7 months, to feel like crap day in and day out. To have my body starved of the nutrients it needs to stay alive when I'm well, much less how it feels when I'm sick and weak. To have to go to school and be expected to perform like a healthy child, to be judged with an "I don't care attitude" when I'm fighting for my life. To have my teachers send notes to my mom that my work isn't done, that I'm falling asleep in class and that I'm always forgetting to bring my pencil and the right book to class. To have so much pressure on me to pass my EOGs and then I fail them BOTH and have to be crammed with information for an entire week to retake them.... all the while struggling to breathe, fighting to make it through each day because I'm exhausted from my lung disease. Did I add the fact that I have to get up at 5:30am to do my treatments and then I'm up late to finish them before bed? 

I think... given the circumstances, I'd have an attitude too! It's really nice to see a smile on Ty's face again.

Saturday Day 10

Today Bran, Me-maw, Papa Dale and Chip came to visit with us again. Me-maw stayed with Ty while Papa Dale, Bran and I went to Target. I really enjoy spending time with my daddy and my son. Those two love to argue and they are so funny together. I got Ty a Nurf target set and 2 balls that we can throw around the room. Bran and Ty both had a blast shooting Chip and Papa Dale! In no time they had already lost a bullet!! Chip brought the Wii from home and set it up for us.  Let the games begin!!!!

Sunday Day 11

Today we had a great day playing the Wii together. Ty introduced me to a bunch of games that I've never played before. Turns out he's a great teacher!! The doctors are noticing a difference in the way Ty looks and acts. They feel like things are turning around and Ty is well on his way to getting better. We are blessed.

Ty wouldn't touch the hospital food today so I decided to go out and get us both a sub. I got a shower, fixed my hair, put lotion on to hydrate my skin and to make me smell good. 

I felt like a million bucks!

I had a pep in my step and I was ready to conquer the world again.

I got in the van and exited the parking deck and started my exploration of Chapel Hill for a SubWay. Somewhere from left field  a wave of sadness and grief suddenly consumed my spirit. I felt vulnerable and not ready for the not so bright days our future has to offer. I began to realize that I'm associating sadness and grief with the smell and presence of being in my van. Doesn't that sound crazy? Maybe its from the thoughts and feelings I experience while going back and forth from home to the hospital?? For 2 months the only time I've been in my van is when I'm on the road getting Ty to a doctor's appointment, or driving to the pharmacy to pick up his medicine. My heart pondered if it would be like this in the end. If I will associate certain smells, places and times with Tyler and experience that wave of sadness and grief. 

I tried to snap out of it and I was confused as to where all of this came from. How can I go from being on top of the world for a few hours after months and months of worry and stress, only to come crashing back down on a trip to SubWay. Perhaps it was a product of being alone and by myself, temporarily away from the hospital. I don't know. I'll try to figure all of that out later. Right now its time to get back to Tyler and to enjoy him and his smile. 

Hospital Days 6-8

Tuesday Day 6

Today Ty's PICC line was replaced. They actually came to our room and did the procedure in here. No gas was used, only meds thru the existing PICC line to put him to sleep. He was so funny and I hate I didn't catch it on camera. I desperately need a video recorder! I'll put it on my "tax return" list for 2011!! 

We found out today that Ty has the Rhino virus. Not only is he on contact precautions but now he's on droplet precautions as well. This means he can't leave the room to go upstairs to the recreation room. 

As the medicine started taking effect Tyler became incredibly entertaining. He would start this long, drawn out laugh and everyone in the room simply couldn't resist laughing with him. He kept trying to lift his head and his speech began to slur. The procedure took about 30 minutes. An IV was started in his hand in hopes of using his PICC line for blood draws on Wednesday. The vancomycin is hard on veins so I was kinda nervous about how long the IV would last. Also today, Ty was on oxygen long enough for the procedure but that's it! His saturation levels are maintaining on their own! 

Wednesday Day 7

Once again Ty has not needed oxygen!! Since we've been in the hospital I have literally napped throughout the day and slept all night. I don't know if I'm exhausted, depressed or what. We used Ty's PICC line for blood work today but the nurse says the IV may remain until Monday so that Ty doesn't have to be stuck for more blood work. I'm pretty unsure of this. There is no way his veins will withstand vancomycin 3x a day for the next 5 days. This also brings up new questions.... "Does this mean we're keeping the PICC line for another few weeks?", "Does this mean we'll still be here on Monday?". Today Ty laid around all day. He only got out of bed long enough to use the bathroom. His cough seems to be subsiding, although when he does cough it is still wet and productive.

Thursday Day 8

Today has been awesome!! We had a visit from Chaplain Bird, one of my co-workers. He brought cards and gifts for me and Tyler. Tyler LOVED everything and was super excited. Today was the 1st time that Ty was up, moving around and acting like his old self again. I am so blessed and thrilled that Ty has the ability to get better and return to his old self. So many of our CFers talk about how bad they long to be able to walk again without being out of breath. A trip to the bathroom becomes a 45 minute ordeal and being able to fix their hair becomes a favorite past time. I am making a conscious effort to be thankful for the things Ty is able to do. We take so many things for granted: walking, breathing, singing, bathing ourselves, running to the bathroom, coming and going as we please with nothing major holding us back.

I'm not a "social butterfly" but I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Chaplain Bird's visit. I was so tickled to get cards from my co-workers and to see Ty's face light up with excitement over his gifts. His gifts were inexpensive but were priceless and meant the world to him. I had no clue that a small puzzle would bring him so much joy. I had no clue that a card signed by my co-workers would touch me as deeply as it did. I have signed so many cards over the years for others but I never fully appreciated its impact.

I've not slept at all today!! Tyler and I have played all day long. We've thrown a few balls around in the room, we've colored and played cards. Tomorrow Ty does PFT's again. I truly hope and pray that we've improved!! Judging by the day we've had, I think we'll do good!

Oh, I almost forgot! This morning our nurse came in and questioned Ty's IV lasting until Monday. We both agreed to take it out. When she went to take it out we found out that Ty had already pulled it out during his sleep!!!!  It was still halfway in his hand so the saline was dripping into his tissue instead of his vein. Luckily, the saline drip was extremely slow so there was only a little swelling. Ty said his hand was a little achy but otherwise okay. 

Its late... I've not had a nap today... I'm going to bed.  ☺  Sweet dreams!!

Hospital Day 5 / Got Me Thinking

I'll start off by acknowledging that the 2nd phlebotomist to draw Tyler's blood did it in a matter of seconds with NO problems!! I graciously thanked her too!

Monday (Day 5)

Lung function (PFT) was down to 42 today. I was quite concerned about the decline but found out from my buddy Kevin that doctors have told him PFTs can actually vary by 2 to 4 percentage points. The doctors say Tyler sounds much better today, the wheezing and crackling have diminished. We're on contact precautions (MRSA and Pseudomonas) so we're confined to the room most of the day. He was, however, able to go play the Wii and play kickball with Physical Therapy upstairs. Thumbs up!!

Tomorrow we get our PICC line replaced. 

So today I'm ill and testy. It could have something to do with being a female so I'm justified!!! ☺

Things that got on my nerves today:

1. Blood draw at 5:30am. REALLY?? 5:30A.M!! Is that NECESSARY???

2. 6am Respiratory Therapist comes in our DARK room where we are SLEEPING! Tyler stirs long enough to do his albuterol and then drifts back to sleep. The guy then proceeds to wake me up to ask what time we went to bed.

           A few things to consider:

                a. I'm grown.

                b. Its none of your business.

                c. I don't answer to you.

                d. You wake me up again with a stupid question and the attitude is 
                    coming out to bite you. I'm just saying!

(By the way, I responded to him by firmly acknowledging that I put my child to bed at a proper time and that we are tired from waking up every hour by beeping IV and oxygen machines.)

Got Me Thinking.......

As Ty coughs more, I am beginning to see where it bothers other people around us. You can see the fear and concern on their faces that

1) something must be wrong with Ty since he's coughing so much

and

2) wondering if he's contagious.

We went to see Toy Story 3 and right before the movie started I began to wonder what I would do if he started coughing again. How unfair it would be to others to let him sit there and how sad it would be for him to miss the show and feel embarrassed at having to get up and leave every few minutes. I started getting anxious about Ty having a coughing fit and I had to mentally talk to myself about remaining calm and to cross that bridge as I come to it.

I also had that "Ah-Hah" moment that THIS is what all those other CF parents were talking about!!!

Hospital Days 1-4

Thursday (Day 1)

We were admitted after our clinic visit. We went up on Vancomycin from 440mg to 600mg. So far the red man syndrome has not come back and we're not even doing benadryl! Thumbs up!  We've added intravenous tobramycin and he is on oxygen while he sleeps.

Friday (Day 2)

Today we had Ty's hearing tested. He's never been tested so we needed to get a baseline on him, especially since he is on both the intravenous and inhaled tobramycin. The test came back normal, his hearing is fine! I think it only took about 15 minutes and we received the results immediately. Ty's oxygen levels kept dropping so he remained on O2 until lunchtime. After that he maintained levels of 96/97 on his own. Today Ty had to have blood draws because of the change in dosage levels for the vancomycin and the addition of the intravenous tobramycin.

Saturday (Day 3)

Tyler was quiet all day today. He hardly spoke a word to anyone. Bran, Me-maw and Papa came to visit so Bran and Ty played on the laptops all day. It was pretty odd to not hear Ty talk and shocking not to see that infamous attitude of his for an entire day. ☺ Oxygen levels stayed low all day so we kept the O2 running. We had another blood draw to monitor kidney levels.

Sunday (Day 4)

This morning we were awoken to the nurse freaking out over Ty's PICC line. Undoubtedly he had completely wrapped himself up in the cords and had pulled his PICC line out a little bit. I think she drenched and scrubbed his arm in alcohol for fear of infection. I got kinda tickled at her because she panicked but it was comforting to see that she cared and took extra precautions to try and 'save' the PICC line. The doctor was paged and an x-ray was done to see where the line was. The line is no longer "central" but it is still okay to use to administer the IVs. The IV dosages remain constant, however the concentration has been changed to accomodate the misplaced line.  Tomorrow a team will come in and will either push the line back up or will thread a new line inside the existing line.  I had no clue they could do that so it will be interesting to see! O2 levels are still low so we're still wearing the O2 nose piece. 

Today the doctor asked if Tyler ever talked to me about his CF, how it makes him feel, his fears, if anything worries or bothers him, etc.  I've asked Ty about his feelings but he didn't voice much. Our conversations usually come up when I prepare him for a scheduled procedure or when we need to talk about compliance with his medicine and treatments. The doctor is going to have one of the psychologists come and talk to him to make sure there are no unmet needs.

Another blood draw a few minutes ago. When the lady stuck him I could tell she wasn't good at what she does. She stuck him and went WAY into the vein. I could see the tip of the needle trying to stick out of the skin on the other side. She then proceeded to move the needle around in the vein while Tyler cried in pain. She did this 2 times. Her time and opportunity is up. She'll not stick him again. The next one better get it right or this Mama is going to get mean.

Clinic Visit

Our clinic visit was yesterday, we were excited to see how high Ty's PFTs (lung function) were. We were also going to get his PICC line removed since the doctor allowed us to keep it for an extra week. Ty did his lung function test and could only get up to 44%.  He struggled with pushing air out and would start coughing pretty quickly. He turned around and looked at me and said he didn't have any air in his chest and that it was hard to breathe.   That hurt.

From that point until the doctor walked in I knew that we were in big trouble. I could hear the doctor talking about Ty in the hallway, saying he had never seen anyone drop half their lung function in just 1 week. He even went and talked to the PFT guy to make sure he had done the test right. Ty was given 4 puffs of Albuterol and the test was repeated. His 1st blow was his best @ 51% and he went downhill from there.

We were immediately admitted into the hospital and a few things were added to our treatment schedule. We're now doing oxygen, prednisone and tobramycin.


Confession time:  I've always seen our CFers with oxygen on but let me tell ya, it takes on a whole new meaning when you see your own son with it. It hurts, it ties my stomach in knots and it gives me a much deeper appreciation for fellow CF families and patients.

Overnight Ty's oxygen level dipped to 88 and 89. With the oxygen he's back up to 97.

That's all for now.

Colorful Bandages

Have you ever had a PICC line and the hospital gave you a super cool self-adherent colored bandage?? These bandages are sometimes referred to as "coban" or "vetrap".  You can purchase a roll at your local Tractor Supply.  YEP! You heard me!  We picked up a roll tonight for $2.29 at our local Tractor Supply.  You can view their website here. I've also read that you can buy it from your local vet. Another option is to call your local medical supply companies to see if they sell it.

Tomorrow we travel back to Chapel Hill to have Ty's PICC line pulled. The mucus in his chest is finally breaking up. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see so much mucus in his "spit cup". A "spit cup" sounds gross doesn't it... almost like he's dipping snuff!  Ewww. LOL I usually give Ty a cup to spit his mucus in while he's doing his treatments. Not only is it convenient, but it also gives me a chance to monitor how much is being coughed up and what color it is. 

Ty continues to drag his feet on his treatments. This morning it took him almost 3 hours to get everything done and tonight it took him nearly an hour to get started. We're having to remove all distractions (TV, computer, game) during his treatments because he can't seem to stay focused and get them all done in a timely manner. 

Last night the mucus was pretty thick and loose in his chest and it became hard for him to breathe. He panicked and came running in my room, breathing loud and heavy. I could hear him wheezing and his pulse rate shot up. I calmed him down, had him do a breathing treatment and I did chest PT on him. It cleared up and he was fine. I hope this served as a wake-up call for him.

We've got our fingers crossed for tomorrow! Our last FEV was 84%. We're shooting for 90% this go 'round!

Bran is on TV!

Brandon is on TV! For July 4th we took the boys to The Battle at Guilford Courthouse in Greensboro, NC. They soaked it all in and to our surprise loved it much more than we anticipated. We also took along my nephew Christian. He and my fiancee "Chip" are also in the video.

Our children are tomorrow's leaders. If you haven't already, educate them about our history. Give them the tools to restore this great nation!

Fighting the Meds

And so it begins...

Tyler has made it perfectly clear to me that there are going to be times when he fights taking his medicine and he fights his treatments. I have found medicine on the floor, hidden in pockets, and even sitting out in full view on the kitchen table. We've moved beyond the normal not wanting to do his treatments and have stepped into a new phase of hiding meds and filling up nebulizer cups, only to dump them out when he gets into his room because he doesn't want to do his treatments.


I was warned this would happen. Last year's CF Family Day had an array of parents telling jaw-dropping stories of their teens vehemently refusing to do their treatments, having them say with great anger and attitude that "I'll DIE before I ever let them cut me open and put new lungs in me, STOP talking about it!". One mom said she and her daughter fought constantly over treatments. She would tell the daughter to do them and her daughter would fly into a rage over them never getting off her back, not trusting her and never giving her a chance. The mom said a simple, "Do your medicine" would turn into an all out scream fest. She said she would back off of her daughter and give her the opportunity to take responsibility for her medicine and then the daughter would again NOT do her medicine. A few thoughts that came to mind were:

I'd whoop her tale!

Not my child! He better pray he never does that!

I would ground him! Let's see how long he can go without his video games, cell phone or iPod.

The parents must have never disciplined that child and now look at them having to deal with a monster.

I wouldn't let my child talk to me like that.

Isn't it funny how we jump to conclusions and make judgments when we've never walked in the other person's shoes?? Isn't it heartbreaking when you think you're exempt from a particular problem and then one day that problem happens to you?

Tyler's recent behavior has made me realize that there are more deep-seated issues to this problem than first thought. The easy way out is to assume that Tyler is just being lazy. The effortless excuse is that he doesn't want to stop playing his video game long enough to do his treatments. While these may be true at times, it is so vitally important that we dig deeper and objectively ask ourselves, "WHY is he REALLY refusing?". Could there be another reason? Is it time to help Tyler soul-search and identify his feelings?

Tyler and I have had "us" time where we casually talk about how he feels. It is important that he is comfortable talking to me about his feelings and it is important that I give him the space and opportunity to express those feelings without being judged or ridiculed. Sometimes when I ask Tyler a question he gets really quiet and I can tell that (1) he feels embarrassed to admit the answer or (2) he hasn't thought about it and needs time to gather his thoughts.

It's okay to give our kids time to think!!!

The greatest resource that I have as a CF mom are fellow CFers! If I ever have a doubt or need a heads-up on what's to come, all I have to do is send an e-mail or type a message on Facebook. Tyler not taking his meds has soared to the top of my 'concern' list. A fellow CFer had this to say about it:

I hid stuff ALL THE TIME! Unless the pills make Tyler sick, you can pretty much assume that he is in a phase where he is tired of taking meds and is testing his limits. Can you blame him? I'm 31 and I get tired of doing my stuff everyday. It's a drag. :-)

The best thing to do is to ask him (in a respectful voice, not just a mom voice ;-) why he is doing that and let him answer without interruption. Once he has finished it's really important to validate his feelings for a moment. Then explain to him why it's important to take his meds. It may not totally fix the problem, but it will help you find out the best way to deal with the situation. Contacting your pediatric CF social worker is your best bet because they will have tricks and tips to wade through this common struggle.

Wow! Can you hear that sigh of relief? Maybe I'm doing something right after all!! ☺ Isn't it nice to know that your child isn't the ONLY one to go through this?

In closing I will leave you with 3 guys (CFers) who have held my hand and walked me through issues that have really concerned me with Tyler:  Ronnie at RunSickBoyRun, Josh at Joshland and Kevin in my hometown. I can't thank these guys enough. You've always been there and have gone above and beyond the call of a concerned CF mom. You're the best! I love you!

What about the healthy child?

Brandon is my 10 year old (going on 30!).  He pretty much stays healthy all the time.  I honestly cannot remember the last time I took him to the doctor for being sick.  It was probably back in the toddler years.

I have taught Bran from a very early age to be independent and responsible. As a single mom I had my hands full with just managing Ty's CF.

As Bran gets older he makes it known that he is still a member of this family. A big one for Bran is that I need to spend time with him because I spent the day with Ty at the CF clinic.

As a general rule, Bran gets why I focus so much attention on Ty but that doesn't mean he has to like it.  (He just whispered to Tyler to get started on his medicine before I start yelling. Ha! Ha!).  We acknowledge and address his feelings and I encourage him to have an open dialogue with me about what its like to be the "healthy child" in a CF family.

Recently we were in the hospital for more than a week and it really hit home for Bran. He genuinely missed his brother and was quite concerned about his health. He even told me that he felt bad for Ty having to get so many shots.

I'll leave you with a perspective from someone who has CF and mentions how it must have affected her "healthy" brother growing up (Check out Stacey Bene's Confessions of a Cyster):

One thing that still makes me sad about this period of time is all of the time my stupid disease stole from my brothers life...this equated to him being unintentionally ignored much of the time. Everybody always said how great Jason was at entertaining himself. Honestly, I don't think he had a choice. There was only so much attention to go around. My parents did nothing wrong...I just took a lot of time and attention to care for... Honestly, it must have really sucked for him :-(

 Now its your turn, tell us how you deal with the issues that come with having both a healthy child(ren) and sick one(s).

Flash Me! Friday

Yep! You're looking at this correctly!! I'm posting a "Flash Me! Friday" on a Monday. The Groettum Family  came up with a really neat idea to take a picture of their choosing (here's the catch) without any cleaning up whatsoever! Wow!  That's scary! But I'm GAME!!  If you would like to do the same, check out the rules here.

This week’s flash…
Show us where you kick your feet up and relax!

T

This is our living room.  As you can see we have all white walls.  It is driving me crazy.

We've had the house for about a year and I'm ready to paint.  I was thinking of a burgundy accent wall where the window is and the other walls a light tan.

What do you think?? Give me some suggestions!!!!


Putting these pictures up makes me realize how BARE the living room is!!  Wow!

Color is the spice of life!  I need to get busy! 

What's up with all those cords?

Hey Tyler, why are your shorts in the floor?? 

So there you have it!  This is my daily relaxation spot!  I don't have the fabulous view that Mandy has over at www.RunSickBoyRun.com.

That's okay, I can just hop over and see her view from my computer screen!!  

My blog...

is officially underway.  Wow!  I have much respect for everyone's pages now.  Designing these things are a lot of work when you have no clue what you're doing!  Well, there's no time like the present so shall we begin??

Tyler has had pneumonia since November 2009.  He woke me up screaming around midnight one night.  I thought he was just having a bad dream.  I went into his room and he was laying on his side.  He wouldn't move.  I assumed his stomach was hurting because he has so many tummy issues, but he assured me it was his side.  He was in so much pain and I didn't know what to do so I told him I would take him to CMC-Charlotte.  The ER was unbelievably easy and hassle free.  The ER doc immediately diagnosed pneumonia and put in a page to the on-call CF doctor.  To both of our surprise, we weren't admitted and was instead instructed to follow up with the CF clinic on Monday.  We did oral antibiotics for the next two weeks and was told our next appointment would be in 3 months.  I politely asked how we could be sure that the pneumonia would be gone in 2 weeks without a follow-up. So to ease my mind we were given orders to get another x-ray and bring them with us in 2 weeks.  The x-rays revealed that the pneumonia was even worse.  We went in to get our 1st PICC line and did home IVs (5) times a day for the next 3 weeks.

A month later we were back in the ER with the same symptoms once again.  This time Ty had strep throat and  again pneumonia.  Once again we followed up with the CF clinic on Monday.  During our visit  the doctor was heavily considering that we go into the hospital for a tune-up.  He said he would check on a few things and be right back.  When he came back he acted like everything was perfect, that Tyler was where he needed to be and he would see us in 3 months.  We were shocked.  Disbelief.  Did that just happen? Within 2 days Ty was once again screaming with side pain.  I called the doctors office and we were told to follow up with our Pediatrician.  You want me to do what???  Needless to say, the pediatrician's office repeatedly said we had to call the CF clinic back since it was pneumonia (and CF) related.  I finally had hem talk to Dr. Thevaos (we love you!!) and he agreed to see us. 

That was my final straw so we moved our care to the CF clinic in Chapel Hill, NC.  So far we have been totally blown away with the care that we've received.  We found out things we never knew, namely that Ty has polyps in his nose and that he cultured things I have never heard of.  We were given another PICC line and really high doses of antibiotics (Vancomycin, Ceftazidime and Septra) to combat the pneumonia, MRSA and pseudomonas.  Ty kept getting sick on his stomach and wouldn't eat, so we moved him home where we're doing 7 IV's a day, 8 breathing treatments and 60 minutes of chest therapy.  We go back to Chapel Hill on Thursday.

PFTs went from 62% to 59% (pre IVs), to 78% and 83% (during IV's).  Let's pray for even higher numbers on Thursday!