Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Phil 4:6-7



Monday, August 01, 2011

Daybook...Strep Throat edition

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Outside my window...
...hot and hot and very sunny. Urg. Not talkin' about it anymore.


I am thinking... 
...about my sick child. Faith has strep throat, as confirmed by the doctor this morning. She doesn't usually get strep, just tonsillitis, so this is unusual for her. She's in pain, poor thing, and doesn't want to eat or drink. Her sore throat has prompted a lot of talk in our house (and between my oldest and his dad and I) about having tonsils out. The doctor confirmed that Faith should have hers out -- her tonsils are really big, even when they are not inflamed and red -- and that Geoff should probably have had his out when he was younger. Ouch! He's a very conservative doctor and I've always had a great appreciation for not jumping the gun on treatment. But Geoff now has large, scarred tonsils and I think he should have them out now before he is in a job where he has to worry about time off and insurance. That will be an ongoing debate with him, because he's not in favor at this point. Faith, however, will be seeing an ENT and plans will be made for tonsillectomy. She was very upset over the weekend when the subject came up, but the doctor talked to her (I love that he delivers the bad and the good -- he never leaves something negative to someone else, even shots!) and she's pretty o.k. right now. She's especially o.k. about not having to take nasty-tasting medicine. If you have a child who has had tonsils removed in the last, say, 10 years, I'd love for you to tell me how it's done these days. I had mine out 44 years ago -- I think the procedure might be a bit different now. 

I am thankful for... 
 
...air conditioning

...no wait at our doctor's office (ever -- I know... unheard of), and antibiotics

...prayers

...hot, (strong) black coffee, always


From the lesson plans...
...nada...but starting to think. I need to send in my letter to our city requesting for Faith to be excused from compulsory attendance. Along with that I need to send in CAT results or evaluation and at this point I think I might just contact someone about evaluation.


From the kitchen...
...Sausage calzones for dinner with a big Caesar salad. Trying to eat from the pantry and what's on-hand this week. To much food in storage!

I am wearing...
...khaki crops, a blue top, Miraculous Medal earrings, and sandals

I am creating...
...I have fabric for a dress for Faith and a nightgown for myself. The baby quilts are finished and they are so very sweet. I can't wait to deliver them to the twins next door. One is still in the hospital so I will have to wait.

I am reading...
...The Distant Hours by Kate Morton the author of The Forgotten Garden. Almost finished! I also started Dr. Ray's book on parenting teens. Love that Dr. Ray!

I am hoping...
...for a healthy girl for a while. It seems she's been down more than up!

I am hearing...
...cartoons on Nick Jr. Because I won't let Faith watch Disney and Cartoon Network, she settles for Nick Jr. I'm glad she doesn't think she's too big for it.

Around the house...
...laundry, ironing, painting -- we have two basement walls finished and two to go.

I am going...
...no place at all.


One of my favorite things...
...a new month

...planning

...looking ahead to new things -- new school clothes and supplies for Noah (unfortunately along with that comes a huge tuition bill, ugh)

...Our Blessed Mother. Always.



I am praying for...
...my children, especially Noah who is giving me a lot of angst these days, and Faith for healing, and my husband
 
...our next door neighbors' new twin girls. They were born a week ago but one is still in the hospital.

...our priests and all religious (include our new baby priest)

...several soldiers

...all of the babies whose mothers are contemplating abortion this week



A few plans for the rest of the week...
...working on the chore charts. They are still helping quite a bit.

...finish painting the basement and then think about carpet tiles. Just thinking at this point.


Thought for the day...
 
"He who trusts himself is lost. He who trusts God can do all things."
— St. Alphonsus Liguori ...feast day today


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17 comments:

  1. My daughter had her tonsils out a couple of years ago. She was 9, I think. Her surgery was a combination surgery (tonsils, adenoids (again!!), sinus, and ear stuff), but I would be glad to tell you all I know. Don't promise her ice cream - no dairy allowed at first. She can have all the popsicles she wants. :) Basically, our ENT did a great job of reassuring my daughter and making it easy. He had DVD's for the kids to watch while waiting on surgery, and they actually helped her to sleep with gas and only then put the IV in. As far as recovery goes, she's not going to feel great, but I'm guessing no worse and certainly no more pain than she is in with strep right now. My daighter felt yucky, and had a little issue with nausea (maybe more related to sinus surgery and some swallowed blood), but really not too much pain, which is amazing given how much they did to her in that one surgery. I suspect that Maisie's tonsils affected her more than we realized, as she has just been overall more healthy since they were removed, and I wouldn't be surprised if you find the same is true with Faith. Feel free to email or call (I'll email my #) me if you have specific questions. I think you will be glad you did it.

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  2. Yum calzones!!

    You're so lucky that you don't have a wait at the doctor. I took my three by myself on Friday and we waited and waited and waited - finally saw the doctor well after an hour. Ugh.

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  3. Prayers for Faith. Hope she gets better soon. No one here has lost their tonsils so I have no advice or information. Many prayers. ;)

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  4. Thank you, Sheila. You are a treasure trove of information! ;-) We have an appointment with an ENT on Weds already. Our doctor did say he thought Faith would gain some weight after the tonsils come out. She's string bean of a girl!

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  5. Anne,
    I really do mean it when I say I am thankful for our doctor's office. We never wait at all, and today they called Faith's name before we finished checking in. I mean that is fast! We've been with this pediatrician since my 21-yo was born. He is family (which is a bonus), but he runs his office so well I wouldn't go anywhere else! Today I took him two bags of granola -- I'm always grateful for him and he loves treats!

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  6. Thanks for the prayers, Sarah. They are JUST as good as advice!

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  7. Praying for you and Faith. I had my tonsils and adenoids out many years ago (at the age of 11). In the past 15 years, they have grown back! I think there has been a move toward laser surgery, and cauterizing (instead of surgery) in recent years, but I don't know much about either. None of my grandchildren has had a tonsillectomy, so I can't help much there.--- Rosemary

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  8. Barbara...my Olivia had her tonsils/adenoids out last year! She did great! I don't really know the particulars of HOW they did it, all I know is that it took him about 10 minutes total!
    She snored horribly before the surgery. Now, no more snoring. She had little to no pain (at least that she complained about). The only think I will warn you about is...her voiced changed. She just sounds different.

    My 21 year old niece had hers out a couple of years ago. She had a bit of a rougher time....lots of pain. It took a good week or two before she was feeling more like herself. Her voice changed too!

    I'm sure Faith will do fine! Lots of milkshakes and popsicles!

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  9. My neighbor's kiddo just had hers out in May. She is 7. Any specific questions you have, let me know and I'll ask. Best of luck, Faith!!

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  10. Poor Faith.

    I, too, am trying to get rid of pantry and freezer food. Looking ahead to a likely move in 6 months, and I want to pack and/or waste as little as possible.

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  11. Thanks, Rosemary. I can't believe they grew back! Those are some stubborn tonsils!

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  12. Nancy,
    Was iit an out-patient surgery? I hate the thought that Olivia's voice changed! For good?

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  13. Barb, I guess I am mostly curious as to whether the procedure is out-patient or in. When I had mine out (a million years ago) I was in for several days. But now you have to be in pretty bad shape to stay.

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  14. Michelle, let me know if you come up with any new ways to use pasta, rice, beans, salmon, bulgar and more pasta. ;-)

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  15. My neighbor's daughter was outpatient. She needed a few days of TLC at home, but responded well to pampering by the family! You mentioned voice changing. For this little girl, the only thing we noticed was that she doesn't sound so "nasal" anymore (she had adenoids out as well). But the pitch was the same. I hear her voice a lot, as she plays with Little Brother often :)

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  16. Barbara...outpatient! Her recovery took the longest. They have to eat something and keep it down. Olivia did throw up her first popsicle, but I think they gave it to her too soon. After about another hour...she ate one another one as was fine. Her voice changed....I guess for good. It's strange because, after a month or so, she sounded like our Olivia. I don't know if it's because her voice actually changed back or if we just got used to the new sound.
    Oh...I also wanted to mention that Olivia had ear tubes placed at the same time as her tonils/adenoid removal. She hasn't had an ear infection since!

    Here are couple of posts I did...

    http://benotafraidnancy.blogspot.com/2010/02/olivias-day-in-pictures.html
    http://benotafraidnancy.blogspot.com/2010/02/olivia-update.html

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  17. Meg has huge tonsils, too, even when she's well. She's not sick as much as Faith, but we also have a referral to an ENT. I don't know when I'll have time to make an appt., let alone go.

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I appreciate your comments -- sometimes I feel like I'm talking to myself!