Well a lot has been going on and I’ve been meaning to post an update but I just haven’t gotten around to it until now…
Isabelle got her ears pierced in late October, she didn’t really cry about her shots at her six month well visit so I figured that the whole ear piercing thing wouldn’t be too bad. I found someplace that would numb her ears before they pierced them, well that did not seem to make much difference. She was not a happy camper about the whole situation, but needless to say they are now pierced and she has bling that matches her big sister.
We had an occupational therapy session at the end of October; her therapist seems to think she is doing really well. She showed me some different positioning exercises to work with Isabelle on in order to help build her neck strength where she will be able to hold her head of by herself. We also discussed trying to get Isabelle a chair (basically a high tech stroller) that will give her additional support in the specific areas which is something that she needs in order for her to learn to hold herself up.
The girls where matching pink butterflies for Halloween (I did manage to post a picture of them in their costumes before now).
We ended October with a bang and definitely started November on a downhill note. Isabelle got really cranky Halloween night and the next night we just had a really hard time getting her to calm down and be comfortable. She was extremely congested and Sunday night she started to run fever, definitely not something she needed to be doing. I took her to the doctor on Monday, November 2nd, turns out the reason she was so fussy was that she had an extremely bad ear infection in both of her ears. The doctor went ahead and gave her a shot, oral antibiotics, and something to help with the cough and congestion. She seemed to be getting better and then Friday night she just went to screaming and refusing to eat again, so Saturday, November 7th, I took her to Youthcare to get her ears checked again (I’m very paranoid about taking her to Youthcare/ER, because the doctors tend to automatically assume it is something with her shunt) I had already talked to her regular doctor before I carried her and he figured it was either her ears or she was going to need something for a respiratory infection. Well the doctor on call looked at her ears and said that one looked worse than the other, so we got another antibiotic shot and continued on her oral medicine.
Oh, by the way during the week (Wednesday) we also had a check-up with the Neurosurgeon; that visit went really well. I discussed with them the possibility of having Isabelle fitted for a helmet to help correct the shape of her head some, they gave me the name and number of an orthotist to get in touch with in order to determine if a helmet would benefit Isabelle. The neurosurgeon will not do any scans (MRI/CT Scan) just because, the only reason they will have a scan ordered is if she starts to have a problem that they think is shunt related. They will not have to electively go back in for a shunt revision just to extend her distal tubing (the tubing that runs from her shunt to her abdomen). I was told that there is enough tubing in place that as she grows it will uncurl and extend out on its on, but that shunts do stop working, become clogged or who knows what else could happen with it and that most likely she will wind up having to have a shunt revision at sometime in her life for that reason. So all in all the visit went well they were amazed at how well she is doing and at how big she is getting. We don’t have to go back for a check-up for 6 months (She will be over a year old when we go back) so YEAH!!! Now I just have to call and see about the helmet.
Okay so back to the whole ear infection thingy, Isabelle seemed to be doing better after her second shot that she got on Saturday. She was playing in her rocking chair at the office Tuesday afternoon when I noticed that she felt a little warm. I checked her temperature and she was running a low grade fever so I gave her a dose of Tylenol and figured I would watch her and see what was going on, we are only two doses of oral antibiotics away from finishing the original prescription. Well Tuesday night wasn’t a spectacular night at the Hart house, she went to fussing and refusing to eat again, so I called the doctors office first thing Wednesday morning and kept stressing to them that I just needed to be told what time to be there that Isabelle was running fever again and that she WOULD be seen TODAY. The whole time I’m talking to the doctor’s office I’m thinking this person must be new because she really isn’t getting my point. So she says that she’ll send the message to the doctor and give me a call back on what he wants to do (which I’ve already explained to her that Isabelle would be seen today). Right before lunch I get a call back that the doctor wants to see Isabelle, so we schedule her for that afternoon. We get there and they get us back pretty quickly, he looks at her ears and says they still look horrible and that obviously the oral antibiotics aren’t working so he wants to give her a shot today and one tomorrow. That’s the plan and my poor baby is absolutely miserable, I’m up for anything that will help her get better NOW! Thursday as I’m leaving I ask if she’ll still be able to get the second half of her flu shot on the 19th when I had previously scheduled hers for, Quincey had to go for a scheduled asthma recheck and her flu shot, they said if her ears were better then yes she could get it. Saying some major prayers wanting my baby girl to be better and not in pain.
We had our November therapy session on the 18th, the rep for the company that builds the chairs that I mentioned from Isabelle’s October session came and talked to me about the chair and he is working on the paperwork for it now. Isabelle is doing so much better with holding her head up, it’s not like she just holds it up but she will support her head for a few seconds at a time and she will lift it to turn it from one side to the other. She has just started to work her right hand more to a midline position and she will play with her fingers on her right hand also. I tell everyone to tell her what she isn’t doing and she will show them the next time they see her that she can do some of it, maybe not completely but she makes an effort. So our therapy sessions are helping and in January we should be able to get started with vision therapy also.
Our scheduled doctor’s appointment was the 19th for Quincey and Isabelle at 3:45 p.m., somewhere close to 5:00 p.m. (yes you read that correct) we got called back to an exam room. A little after 5 the girls were seen, Isabelle ears looked good so they said she could get her flu shot, we discussed Quincey’s asthma and everything we are doing seems to be working so no changes there. The girls got their flu shots, not overly pretty on either one of their parts, Quincey didn’t want to get her shot at all and I think Isabelle is so tired of shots that someone touches her like she’s getting one she just starts to fuss (then again I probably would also). We left at 5:39 p.m. from the doctor’s office for just a routine visit; our visits have never been like that.
Quincey had her family Thanksgiving feast on the 20th and it was so cute to see them all singing the songs and dressed like Indians and Pilgrims. Quincey is out of school for a week for the holiday.
I always like to end my weekend or start a new week out with a sick baby it seems. Isabelle started fussing Saturday afternoon with Jinky and Pearlie, so Jonathan brought her with him when he came to the church to help me finish getting stuff ready for the dressing fundraiser that the children’s group had done. Well, Isabelle hadn’t napped good Saturday so when we got home I got her to take her bottle and she went to sleep. Sunday morning she seemed fine when we got up and got ready to go to church, no extreme fussing. It was a busy day Sunday and Isabelle took a really good nap during lunch and then by that night she was fussing and refusing to eat again. By this point I think I’m getting pretty good at knowing what’s causing this. I send the doctor a message first thing Monday morning and he wants to see her around 11 am so I drop Quincey off at Mom’s for the day and head to her appointment. He looks at her ears and says that absolutely look no different than before, even though I tell him that they looked perfect Thursday when we were there. So again he recommends shots, one Monday and the next one on Tuesday. Holiday week everyone is trying to get in before the office closes and it’s always been our luck to wind up sick right at a holiday. We got out of the doctor’s office around 1:30 p.m. after her shot. Tuesday morning her appointment is at 8:45 a.m. so I just take Quincey with us so I can be on time, overall that appointment with Quincey there and all went extremely smoothly and we were out of there by 9:30 a.m. So far she seems to be doing better with her ears. We have now been referred to an ENT for possible tubes, because right now it seems as though she is having back to back ear infections so we may wind up needing tubes to help solve the problem.
We had a great Thanksgiving with the family. I feel like I could explode with how thankful I am for everything God has blessed us with. A year ago we were told that our baby girl wouldn’t survive until birth or she would die shortly after she was born. We are quickly approaching the eighth month of her survival. She is such a remarkable person; I could honestly hold her all the time. She is so strong and such an easy going baby, unless she feels bad she doesn’t hardly fuss. Her big sister loves her so much that it’s unbelievable. God is still in control and still showing how he is shaping Isabelle into the person he intended from the beginning. Thank God for all of his blessings.
I will leave you there, I’ve got a few things that I need to get the information together on that I will put in the next post, which I promise won’t be as lengthy or so long since the last post.
May God Bless You!
4 years ago
