Sunday Evening

Lazy day around here today. We layed in the pool for most of the afternoon. I just checked on Steff's grades online. Mission accomplished! A's and 1 B+ Not too shabby for missing the entire 4th quarter. She'll be happy.
She has put herself back into the knee brace. She pops and locks her knees when she walks. Not sure if she has always done this, but we noticed it at the hospital in Feb. The knee giving her trouble is the one she had surgery on, they removed the plica. Her PT seemed to think that there is a piece left in her knee, it catches on her knee cap when she walks. I'll call and get an appointment tomorrow. She missed that follow up appointment, b/c she was in the hospital.
When she went in for acupuncture on Friday, I mentioned her hips still hurting. He put pins in each hip, along with the same ones in her back. He asked her if her back was still hurting ~ she had to think about it, then said no. This is good. The fact that she had to think about it alone, was good. Hips and knee and perhaps we are there! She has a dentist appointment on Tuesday about her wisdom teeth, then Wed she sees Dr. F, the rheumotologist (sp) and has acupuncture on Friday.
Busy week. Sometimes I wonder if she has been uncomfortable with pain for so long, that she can't let it go. I don't think she is faking anything, but she has had joint and muscle pain for almost a year now. Of course, my goal is to have it all fixed and be done with it. I HATED seeing her put that knee brace back on. But if it helps and she needs it...... but I wish she didn't. I am SO over dealing with all these DRs and appointments. Yeah, I know, I'm a roller coaster rider. I really thought we were so close to being done. Bottom line ~ I just want her to enjoy her life, w/o worrying about her knees, hips or back. The teeth thing can be resolved easily. Well, compared to everything else. LOL I'm off to bed, time has gotten away from me, and I can't sleep in tomorrow!! : ( Have a good week!

IT"S FRI-DAY!! My last day.

It's Friday! I thought I had to work today. YAY! I"m off until Monday. : ) One more day and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful one! The sun is shining and so is our pool. As cloudy as it was when we opened it, today it is sparkling clean. This is GREAT! I hate fighting to clear it up. It pretty much happened on it's own, with a little help from me. I plan on enjoying it this week end, sounds like the weather is going to allow it. Then work on Monday. Can't wait!

Steff is still sleeping, shocker I know. She has come a long way from Feb 2, to a twitch in her neck and back. AND it must not be too bad, b/c I haven't noticed. But then again, I have stopped examining her every move like I was. She's going to be okay. She even did 2 loads of her wash yesterday! AND all the way through, out of the dryer and all! LOL She hasn't done her wash since Jan. We all know she has a ton of clothes, but yes, I have done it for her while she was sick. I was waiting .... and it worked. I'm glad to see her doing things w/o me hounding her. She has acupuncture today. We took another walk last night, she complains that her knees, back and hips hurt quite a bit. She comes home while I keep walking. I know you prob are surprised I don't quit as well! LOL We'll mention this to her Dr. next week when she goes in. I'm curious to see what they will do about her tossing and turning all night. The nurse said she tore that bed up the night of the study. SO, what will they do? Tie her down so she will lay in one spot?? ha Other than drugs, I'm not sure what the answer will be. Joking aside, I'm serious. I am curious as to what the answer will be. OH! and speaking of drugs, she is off all of them now. She is only taking Aleve 2X a day for inflammation. This is good.

She stopped by her job one day this week and she starts back on June 7, with quite a few hours. She's happy. I'm glad too, it keeps her busy. I believe that's about all I know. : ) Enjoy the nice day!!

Mark one more medical test off the list

Steff had her sleep study last night. Someone cancelled and we took their spot. Fine with me, I want to be finished with appointments ASAP. I keep saying I'm ready to close this chapter of our life. WELL!! I learned a couple of interesting things last night while Steff and I were chatting at the hospital. She is still having a few issues that I was not aware of. Dave says of course she isn't going to volunteer the information, she is starting to get her freedom back. He's right. I learned that she is still having twitches in her neck if she sits for an extended time. She is still twitching in her low back. Okay. Seems she has it under control. I had just started to relax and breathe when she is out of my sight. Guess I will rethink that! That puts a different spin on my going back to work! I was feeling pretty secure about going, thinking we were finished, BUT oh wait, I'm the one that rides the emotional roller coaster!! Seriously, though, I really thought she was through this. It takes me a bit to process new information, I'll be better later. So, I guess we are not ready to close this chapter just yet. It will be okay. We will get through this.
On a little lighter note. Steff finished her Stats final yesterday. Last day of home studying! She was very glad to be done. I'll check on her final grades this weekend. I don't think they will be on the parent site until after Friday. THEY were busy busy busy finishing up! Mission accomplished! I am SO glad they suggested the home bound studying! : ) Besides not having to try to sit all day, it kept her from being thrown into the classroom while she was so far behind. ~ Def a fantastic program. Not to mention that she was blessed with one of her favorite teachers to work with her. AND that we got to enjoy Megan and Morgan during this time! CUTE ~ CUTE girls!
Steff got in the pool yesterday with the girls! They were giggling and laughing hard. I love to hear kids having fun like that, it makes me smile. I know the water was cold. They built a raft and were floating around without getting wet ~ UNTIL they bounced each other into the water!
Then we all took a walk before Steff had to be at the hospital. Life is Good.
They woke her up this morning at 5:30!! She already showered to get that glue smell out of hair and face and is now relaxing on the couch. Wonder how long it will be before she falls to sleep! I think I might go in and join her! Have a good day!!!

and now it's Tuesday

Nothing but smiles and good news here. Steff had another good weekend. She went to graduation and was up late both nights. She seemed to maintain the strong body. : ) I don't like to watch her push it to the limit, but I am the mom. She has probably 2 more days of home study to finish up her year. She called her job at Justice and asked them to put her on the summer schedule. They were glad to hear from her, so I'm guessing she will get some hours. Limited Too became Justice, if you didn't know. She's back on the road again. OH! And Saturday, she actually cleaned her room w/o me asking or yelling. This is def a step in the right direction. You can now walk through her room and see the carpet!!! This is good.
I think we are there. I just read a paper she had to write for school. It states that "the walls are no longer closing in on me" ~ It's about her last 5 months. It brought tears to my eyes, but was well written. She is a very smart girl, with a good attitude about life. Here's to one day at a time.
I'll touch base with the finishing of school. : ) All she has left is Stats, I think. Finals.

It's already Friday??

Hard to believe school is out. But today was the last day for Hallsville kids. Steff was very tired again this morning, but she got up at 8:30, 1/2 day, had to be there early to get her hours in. She made it, came home to study for her Statistics test. She had acupuncture at 2. He isn't finding much difference in her right side. Today when he did the acup. he added more needles (??? are they needles?? pins??) to her right ankle and her calf. She goes back on Wednesday of next week. She was pretty chill when we left. She had home study after that. She took the Stats test. Becky's kids were playing in the pool while she took it. I KNOW Steff was dying to be out there playing with them. She admitted it after they left. They get to come back next week, b/c Steff has to do a review, then take 2 finals for Stats, then they are finally finished. Not sure what we will do with our evenings then!! : ) I've enjoyed hanging out with Ms. Turner's girls! Cute kids.
Steffanee Kaitlin is a Senior. She kept telling me that today. And kept asking what kind of a life will I have when she leaves for college? She honestly thinks I will be lost w/o her. At first I probably will, but I'm not going to shut down and die. I told her that Dave & I will prob go to Hawaii, Cancun, and travel quite a bit. HA. She didn't think that was funny. I told her we would have a no clothing house when she leaves. She grossed out. I'm sure we will miss her and have that empty nest sadness for a while. But we will think of something to do while she's gone, I"M SURE!! Besides, do they ever REALLY leave? Seems to me that they keep coming back for a while! LOL For food, to wash clothes or ask you to do it, $$, I could go on. : ) A Spoiled child to say the least!! ~ Life is Good.
We obviously opened the pool last night. UGH! The water is clean, but the bottom of the pool is pretty nasty. That's high on my list tomorrow. Summer is here. Enjoy your holiday!! RWB!!

Testing that body.. for sure

Seems Ms. Steff is testing that body of hers. She was up very late last night doing homework, then had to cadet teach this morning. Well, not morning to most of us, but getting up before ten is morning to her. She had a couple of time consuming projects she finished last night. I know they are trying to wrap things up, and I also know she is testing that body. She didn't take time to do the sauna last night. Got to bed late, but did drink most of the allocated water. : ) She is now down to only 1/2 Keppra with 2 Aleve each day. Tomorrow will be her last day of cadet teaching, if her hours are all finished. If not, she will have to do a few days of it for summer school. Knowing her, it's done. We'll see. Here's to her bod holding on without as much rest. : )
Yep, she just walked in the door, complaining about how tired and hungry she is, should be a fun evening! ha.

Life Is Good..

It seems we are SO getting "there." Life is Good. She is doing fine with the cadet teaching, but of course, doesn't have to sit those hours. She & Ms. Turner are moving through her classes. I believe they finished up 2 last night. She does fine with sitting through her studying, but is able to move around if she needs to. We'll see. Hopefully this back will be completely in sync with her body before she has to sit for school in the fall. I certainly will be working toward harmony for that little body! Cheer camp is in July, looks like right now, she will be fine to do that. Life if Good.
Me, I'll be heading back to work soon. That's a good thing. I think we have her in a place that I feel okay leaving her. When I went back to work in April, I was a nervous wreck every day, just waiting for my phone to ring. AND it did, several times. I didn't want to do that again. But it's a bummer that I will be going back to work when we open the pool and the sun starts shining! But... life goes on. Sun damage or a pay check? I believe the $$ wins. LOL
Hope everyone enjoys the day, looks like a nice one!

Mondays are good

Hey. Steff slept most of the day yesterday, then crashed as she was reading her book. Sleep is good. She had acupuncture today. He usually does ultrasound on both sides of her low back. Today, after feeling around on her "knots" he only did it on the right side. He said the left side felt pretty good. He did the acupuncture like he has each time. She then went off to school for her cadet teaching, came home for her homebound and just finished her homework. She is in bed reading her book for English. She and Becky felt like they wrapped up quite a bit tonight. Tomorrow night will be another late night. Cramming 7-8 hours of school into 4 is difficult, I'm sure. They are knocking it out though. : )
Nothing much new to report. She goes back for Acup on Friday. I get my long over due hair cut on Thursday. : ) Last h/c I had was with Steff having those eyeballs rolling into the back of her head and quivering all over her eyes. Bad memory! Yep, it's been quite the experience.
Hard to believe that school is out this week. Time flies. Going to be time to open the pool! THAT's good relaxing news. : ) I love the sun & water. : )

Senior Pic #5

I am so bad at this> yep, it's two of the same!! LOL

Senior proofs & Prom Pix

This is not the picture I wanted from prom> will try again later. There is still one at the bottom that is prom! This is the " smart " girl!!!! : )

Here are a few of Steff's Senior Pictures from Lucas. I'm missing one, and have repeated 2! LOL I'm new at this ~ and don't know how to take them off, so decided I would just leave them on! I'll try to tackle the last one later!! Didn't want to keep repeating! LOL Then there are a couple from prom on the bottom> just for a smile or two!! It is now 4:15 and the girl is STILL sleeping!

Repeat!!

I know it's a repeat!! : )

Sam, Paige, Steff & Sadie ~ PROM!

Sunday & a beautiful day!

The sun is shining! Looks like we are in for a nice day without RAIN! We let Steffanee spend the weekend with Laney to celebrate her graduation. She said she did good. She's sound asleep now. I'm sure w/o me hounding her to go to bed, that rest wasn't high on her list. ha. SO, we will let her catch up today. If things are good tonight, then that means we have REALLY made progress. We hesitated on the leaving for the weekend for Washington thing. BUT she does every single thing we, I, ask of her. Sauna, Epsom salt bath, the water, you've heard it all, several times. She does it. Sometimes she growls, but does it. SO, for me, this weekend was a test on her body. So far, it's looking good. Bed time will be the test. Hope it goes smooth. It will!!
I didn't post b/c I didn't want to set myself up to have to take words back. : ) We touched base with her more than usual. We both missed her, since we have all been together so much. Dave & I went to Erika's (niece) dance recital, which was good, then out to eat with the family. We both enjoyed it, then came home and chilled out! I watched my favorite show... Medical Mystery! It has been a fav of mine for several years, it isn't anything new! I also like Untold Stories of the ER. Strange, I know. Dave caught up on Survivor so we can watch the final show tonight.
That's about it. Boring, I know. But, boring is good.
Steff did get her Senior Pix and they are good. Going to be hard to make choices.
OH! And Dr. Fosenlogan (sp) called. I know you know I'm going to say... the tests were normal. Surprise surprise!! X-ray & blood were the only results she had. Since things are better, I'm okay with normal. I asked to get her sleep study moved up, couldn't, so we are on call. If they get a cancellation, we're in. If not, we will wait.
I go back to work on May 29. Hoping to finish up some of the Dr visits by then. She will continue acupuncture at least 2 more weeks. June 2, she gets her wisdom teeth looked at, they keep coming up & going down. June 3 is her follow up with Dr. F. Hoping things just keep getting better! Prayers are still good!! : ) Life is good!

I was thinking.....

Today I was thinking...scary! Steff is getting better, seems that even her pain in her back has lightened up. I was wondering if it was the acupuncture. When I asked her, she reminded me that we did several things all together. She's right.

• Acupuncture



• Aleve 2X day



• Taking her off the brain meds



• She is now going to school for 3 hours, daily
  

So, not sure which one to give the credit to, but will take it! And will continue the acupuncture. We just returned from another visit. He said her "knots" in her back were not as prominent, and feels they are making progress. Another good thing! The sauna, water, rest has been an ongoing thing and will continue. But these things have made a difference in the last two weeks. Perhaps it's the motivation to get to school and the interaction with the students. Perhaps this "thing" has finally taken it's toll and is out of her system. The acupuncture might be helping her back/hips, along with the aleve for the inflammation. AND you know coming off all those meds HAS to make a difference. I felt bad just laying all of them out for her twice a day. Tonight she will drop to 1/2 & 1/2 Keppra. This is good, very good.

Still haven't heard from the Xrays, blood, or echo. I am assuming no news is good news. I am going to call her today for the results and to see if she can move the sleep test up. I really hate to start the new school year doing medical tests! I would really like to wrap this up and put it to bed FOREVER! This journey we have been on since Feb 2nd has def been a challenge and won't hurt my feelings at all when it ends ~ trust me! What started out as emails, moved to a blog and WHO ever thought I would still need to get my therapy through this STILL on May 15??? I do have to admit, I have learned a lot though. Not only do we have GREAT friends, but live in a GREAT community with a LOT of support for our family. It warmed my heart at prom, all the moms and families that grabbed Steff and were glad to see her!! She was touched by it as well. I didn't mean to get all mushy, but I cannot say enough about the people in our lives ~ how the prayers, support, hugs, looks of understanding, encouragement, the fundraiser, cards, flowers, everything ~ has helped us through this tough time. Hopefully we are on the tail end of it and almost finished! THANKS TO ALL!!

Short & Sweet

Ah.. a nice short and boring post. Life is good here. Haircut yesterday, which is really cute! Sports banquet last night, which went well. Home to rest, read and have a peaceful night of sleep. She does toss and turn a LOT, but at this point, that is improvement. Her sleep study is not scheduled until July & August. Must have SEVERAL people not sleeping well. LOL
Acupuncture on Friday, that's it. LIFE IS GOOD.........

It's Wednesday...

It's Wednesday and life is good. Steff was in bed and asleep earlier than she has been for quite a while. She did her 3 hours of cadet teaching, came home and had about 1 1/2 hours to rest. Then her teacher came and they hit it hard for over 3 hours! She hit the sauna before bed and life is good. I think she read herself to sleep ~ which makes me smile. SO, not much going on here!
Me. I FINALLY went into town and made prints from Spring Break, Easter, Prom ~ I had a LOT. I pick those up today. I also remembered to pick up frontline for the cats! Maybe my memory is coming back, or the notepads are doing their job! lol Either way, I got stuff done and that is what matters.
I love these short posts ~ live is good! : ) BTW, she is still asleep.

1 comment on Busy Monday

Please take time to read the one comment on Busy Monday.
Crystal, please contact me through email at R0br1ch24@aol.com even if you just send me your email address. You are the only story I have read where symptoms lighten up. Thanks SO much for commenting and sharing your information! I would like to ask a few questions, if you don't mind. I will keep your daughter in my prayers.
Here is a video I received today in my email. It is from Health Science Institute and is worth taking a few minutes to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msoyRYSoSJk&o=1672350&u=53438825&l=1608440&g=6810

Busy Monday

Steff had an appointment at 10 this morning for acupuncture> we barely made it. Seems 10:30 works best for us. It is hard to get her up and moving! She had a good night> but still couldn't get up and go. We made it. She also had the echocardiogram (sp) ha! or WHATEVER it's called today. We had to walk through the adolescent floor at the hospital where she stayed ~ saw some her favorite nurses there, which made her smile. : ) They must have been at shift change b/c there were several there. We laughed as we went in for her test. Not sure exactly why we did that test, but I'm trusting the DR. ~ guessing she knows why. I know what she's checking for, but ..... ............. Okay ~ I'll ask when she calls with the results, then I'll know. : )

Her home bound teacher came over, Steff took her biology test and studied with her for a while. She is working on homework now. That's our day! Somewhere in there, I did take a walk! Not much going on here.
I did find out that her sleep study will be in the summer> seems that is the soonest they could work her in ~ guess that's fine, she won't have to miss her cadet teaching.
Another reason I KNOW that girl is feeling better> she was on top of her game with the boys yesterday. They didn't get anything over on her!

Happy Mothers Day...

Ah.. today is my day. Breakfast at Jack's with Josh & Steff. Phil & Datyn were cleaning the house while we were gone. All the kids are working on a BBQ for dinner. Life is good. To add to all that joy, the medical money girl slept very good last night. Sounded like she hardly moved all night.
She's kicking it on the couch now, resting.
Tomorrow we have a full day. She has acupuncture at 10, that echo thing for her heart at 1:30, home bound study at 4 ~ most of the day won't require much physical activity for her, but will for me, running her here and there. I won't know what to do when all these DR visits are over. Oh yeah, it's called work. ha. Baby steps, but things seem to be getting much better. 15 minute episodes are much better than those that lasted more than an hour! I KNOW she's getting better, because she is taking the time to fix her hair again, and taking 4-ever to put her makeup on. She had been just throwing her hair up and skipping the make up, unless she put it on in the car. There's my Mother's Day Present! A healthy girl would be good! Actually they got me an Ipod, and Josh is putting music on it for me! : ) Yep, life is good. Have a GREAT day ~ each and every one of you!!!

Friday/Saturday....

Friday was a full day for Steff. She slept late (surprise surprise!), got ready for school and did her cadet teaching for 3 hours. Came home, had her homebound studies for a while. We went to CJ's for hot wings. Then chilled for a while. To bed around 12. I heard her struggling for air and coughing around 1:15, came up to check on her. Yeah, well, it lasted about 15 minutes and was very minor, except for the breathing part. I HATE that part. I gave her 2 IB's when I first came up. Sometimes when I have a hard time falling asleep, it helps me. She drank water and took them. She tossed and turned most of the night. Yep, I was back in her bed. I'm not sure how much water she drank yesterday, since we both got freedom from each other! LOL Hard to keep track when you're not with her. I know she drank quite a bit today and took an Epsom Salt bath. She left for the movies a bit ago, then to a bon fire. She has had another busy day today. We got up and went to the "Art in the Park" in Arrow Rock. It was pretty cool. Then we took my mom out for dinner for Mothers Day. Came home and chilled. Probably doesn't sound busy to you, but going from nothing to this ... sounds busy to me. I do have to say I enjoyed my Friday. I went to Hobby Lobby and didn't have to worry about getting home, Dave was here. I must say the freedom felt good. She said hers did too!! : ) Life is good. Let's hope for an uneventful night tonight! Tomorrow is Mother's Day ~ Have a good one!!

Friday AM ~ lots of smiles

It's Friday morning and she is still knocked out. Typical day. I don't want to speed by on that roller coaster, but I do have good things to post. She had another good night of sleep last night. No episodes in how many days? I don't count, b/c then she has one. I do think this is the longest we have gone. YAY!! She kicked me out of her bed last night! Again, YAY!!! This means she is starting to feel safe again, and it's okay to be by herself. This also means I will get a full night of sleep!! Ah, the memory of my own bed. It also means I slept later than usual this morning! Must have been tired! LOL

I let her drive to school yesterday to talk to the counselor. She was excited and happy. Seems that someone realized she HAS to finish up her cadet teaching hours or she will lose her credit. I am so glad they caught this. I think this will motivate her to get there! On Monday or Tuesday, as I was trying to get her to go, she stated, "What's the point?" But now, there is a point. I know she gets frustrated, believe me! But doing things she used to do would help her feel normal again. Besides, she doesn't have to sit during those 3 hours of cadet teaching. She can move around and keep that back loose. Let's all hope she can do it without any set backs and that it raises her morale. She seemed excited about it yesterday. Getting out of bed to do it, though is another thing. Lucky for her, it can be the last 3 hours of the day! I'm glad.

We went yesterday to view her proofs from Lucas Photography. They were REALLY good! It will be hard to choose when we go order. Senior Pictures.... ... .. doesn't seem like we should be there yet!!

I had to reschedule her acupuncture appointment from today to Monday AM. She also has that Echo (sp) on her heart on Monday at 1:30. I can't reschedule that ~ so she will have to miss school on Monday. They still need to call and set up the appointment for the sleep study. Hoping that one is overnight and she can still do her 3 hours.

Okay. I have gotten several questions on email about Steff. I'll try to answer a few. Is she better? Yes. Is she back to normal? No. Do I still think it is the Gardasil? Yes I do. I don't think the Gardasil was the only thing going on here, but I do think it made things worse and complicated everything.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/drug-information/DR602017/DSECTION=side-effects

If you read the adverse effects on the Mayo Link, she has SEVERAL of those listed. IF you continue to read on that link, it also states that: These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. I am holding onto that. Perhaps her body has quit fighting and is adjusting to the medicine. Who knows? All the detoxing she has done could have helped, or maybe not. All the distilled water she drinks could help or maybe not. All the vitamins and minerals she takes could be helping or maybe not. It could be all the prayers. I really don't know why she is getting better, really don't care WHY. I'm just glad to see it happening. I would like to put this DUCK to sleep and never have it visit again. It has been a very LONG four months for me. I am sure it has been even LONGER for her. Okay. Sounds like I need to get off that darn roller coaster before it drops down. I really hope we are making progress as it appears. We will continue all the things we are currently doing with her. We will still keep our thumbs on her head ~ making sure she gets plenty of rest, water, vitamins, etc. We are NOT there yet, but it looks to me like we are going in the right direction. Don't put her out of your prayers just yet. : )
One more thing about the Gardasil adverse effects (don't roll your eyes!) If I had this list from Mayo when we went for the shots, I would not have gotten her shot # 2 & 3. So, please share this information. I just would like other moms to be more educated than I was. Muscle and Joint pain was a BIG complaint of Steffanees from the very first shot! I didn't know to watch for it.

Okay, I completely got off track on the questions. LOL I'll try to answer a few more tomorrow. Probably need to start trying to get her up ~ it's a job!

Today was a New Day...

Steff had a restful night of sleep, but difficult time getting up for her appt at 10:30. We made it. The Dr was very nice and talked with Steffanee quite a bit. She also read through all the testing that we have had done. (I took that FULL folder) Someone was listening to me somewhere, b/c she informed me that almost all auto-immune testing had been done and was good. I smiled. That makes me happy. NO, not that they were listening, but that it was all neg. : ) She also poked and prodded on her a LOT. Her hips and low back are the worse of all the pain. The Dr suspects Bursa in her hips (I still need to look that one up). She again addressed the inflammation in her joints. She's going to take aleve 2X a day for a while to see if it helps. The DR. ordered a few tests, naturally Steff's favorite..... blood work. X-rays of her knees and hips. Echo (sp) of her heart, checking for Mitral Valve Prolapse, she said why, but didn't alarm me, so don't remember why. Plus she ordered a sleep test, to check if Steff is getting into a deep enough sleep. She seems to think she is fatigued b/c she isn't sleeping "deep". Steff has a hard time falling asleep b/c of the pain in her hips and back. Seems to me that once she's out---she's out. The test will tell. She did the blood and xrays today. As we left, I told Steff I felt that roller coaster going up.............she told me to get off the roller coaster. How can you stay positive and not be on a roller coaster? Perhaps I need to learn. So, that was our day.
OH! and the receptionist at the Dr office ran us coupons for KFC grilled chicken dinner, FREE.
So, we had free lunches. How often does that happen? : ) It was good.
She plans on staying home tonight to get her homework done and work on her dad so she can start driving again. AGH!! Yep, I told her to talk to him. I get tired of being the bad news bear.
Here's to hoping my prayers were answered today. I really hope it is that simple! I mean that they can fix these things. Dr also said this is typical of someone that is extremely flexible. Yep, that would be our girl. SO> let's hope this will bring some comfort to this child in her back, hips and knees, then the rest will follow. You know, like sitting for school. : )

It was a Rough Tuesday

Today was a rough day. I kept trying to get her up, she kept sleeping, sound. When she finally got up, she decided not to go to school. She was still tired. We chatted for a while, I guess that is the nice way to put it. She is very frustrated, angry, and sad with the situation. She feels like she has no control over her life. And she's right. I stated that maybe the DR tomorrow can help. She told me to stop getting excited, she is tired of being dragged to DRs and no one can figure it out and get her better. She's right. How can I argue? She didn't have too many positive thoughts today ~ let me tell you! On top of all her not feeling good, frustration with the Drs., she learned yesterday that she cannot attend cheer practices. Since she isn't well enough to attend school, she can't do the extra activities. A part of me understands it, the other part watches her with hurt feelings ~ and it's hard. This has been very hard on her and she has handled it like a little trooper, until today. I hope all the venting she did today released some of the frustration she has had built up inside. Holding it in cannot be healthy. A VERY long day. A very long day. When Dave got home, they chatted and she seemed more mellow. Then Ms. Turner came and the studying seemed to go well. She has plenty of homework to finish before Thursday, when Ms. Turner comes back. She seems happy at the moment. : I
I have prayed very hard that this Dr tomorrow can open a door to figure this out and help her to feel better. She did tell me today that she just puts a smile on her face and acts happy so that everyone will think she's getting better. I really hope we can get her feeling better. She thinks I don't understand. When she's a mom, much later in life, she will know that not only do I understand, but I hurt with her every minute of the day. Here's to a great tomorrow and a door opening with the new DR. ~ please!!!

Another Tuesday

Steff went to the chiro yesterday. He did ultrasound and a little acupuncture. She did fine with it. He plans to do more on Friday. It was kind of cool to watch. She said it didn't hurt and she fell asleep during her 15 minutes. I then took her to cheer leading practice, to sit, watch and learn. I assumed it would be okay for her to attend. She has an appt tomorrow with the rheumotologist (sp), hope we can get some help there.
She had a restless night last night. Mild compared to where we started. Sometimes I feel we are really making progress, other times, I'm not sure. We talked about getting her back on a schedule last night. Up by 8, down by 10. She could work on her homework and see how her body tolerates less rest. Attend school for a couple of afternoon hours, then study with Ms. Turner. It sounded like a plan. She is still sound asleep. I have tried several times to get her up. I guess she thought tomorrow! LOL
Hope today is a good day and she gets to bed early tonight. It seems to me that 12 hours of sleep is excessive. BUT she has always been a sleeper. Rest is good, but DANG!! So is life. : )

Shutterfly picture

Steff & Tyler
NO need to click on it. This is the only pic of the two. Clicking on it opens the album, you are welcome to check out the album ~ just thought you might want to be informed!! : )

Click here to view these pictures larger

Another good night

Okay, we are three good nights in a row! This is good. I let her sleep until she wakes on her own, her body knows what it needs. She complained about her back and knees hurting really bad yesterday. I'm thinking she must have REALLY danced to be complaining about her knees OR there is still inflammation. I gave her IBs and iced them~hope they are better today. She has an appointment at 1:30 with the new chiro that does acupuncture. I believe that was the hour she was planning on going to school. I will suggest she touch base when she starts moving around.
I sent out an email THANK YOU for the fundraiser. I cannot say it enough. We appreciate all the time & energy put into it, along with all the support and prayers coming our way. I do believe this is helping her get better. I know it helps to keep me in better spirits~ it helps me to stay positive. Words of encouragement and hugs have helped us through this.
I need to get a few things done and tackle this upstairs ~ ugh!! I'm here and it needs to be done.
A good night of sleep certainly helps!! : )

and it WAS a good night

Steff had a good time at prom! She didn't make it to a party, instead a few kids came over here. We have a mess this morning, but at least she was within reach. : ) Everyone was happy and sometimes that's all that matters. Harmony ~ ahhh.
She actually thought we could make the recital today. I really would have enjoyed it, BUT a. she didn't get enough rest b. I KNOW she could not have sat that long. c. I'm really tired d. the house is a total wreck ~ and she's down for the count right now.
She plans to go to school tomorrow for a while. Not sure of the details yet, but she still hasn't made it in to talk to the counselor yet. Monday she said. : )
She had fun last night, no episodes and laughed a lot. I would call that a good night for her. I hope tonight is just as good. Sleep is good, for all of us.
I'm off to get at least the kitchen cleaned up. I fixed breakfast!!

Prom is Happening

Hey! GREAT day after all. We were expecting rain, but had good weather for Prom Pix at Shelter Gardens. Steffanee looked fabulous, all the girls did!! We have watched almost all of these kids from kindergarten, now blossoming into beautiful ladies. Same for the handsome boys. I like seeing all the kids, how they've changed, even if they are all in different crowds. Elks Lodge was decorated very nice and the "grand March" was really nice this year. Fantastic job on the planning!! Steff was excited to see everyone ~ and it seemed like they were glad to see her!
We have decided to let her go to the party, but not sure just how long she will get to stay. We will be touching base every hour. I'm just scared for her and for everyone else. Quite frankly, it is kind of scary to watch. One hour at a time. That's the best I can do.
SO, I will post tomorrow about how much fun she had and what a GOOD evening she had!! Here's to positive thoughts!!! : ) I'm going in to rest, b/c either way, it's going to be a long night for me ~ I'm the mom!!! : )

Prom Morning!!

Well! I am very glad to say Ms. Steffanee did have a full restfull night of sleep last night!! She's up and ready to get moving today. Of course, Prom is a big day. I glad she's excited and I hope the sun stays out for pictures, or at least the rain stays away. Have a good day> just wanted to brag that I got a full nights sleep!! LOL

Prom place is ready.........

Steff had yet another BAD night. Of course, again, as she was falling asleep. We are still fighting over the after prom party. I really don't feel good sending her off still having these episodes. We'll see. We went to help decorate for prom tonight. LOTS of help showed up from the JR class. Looked like they all worked good together. The place was looking good when we left! She's headed to bed now. Hope tonight we get some sleep. Here's to hoping tomorrow is a nice mellow day and evening. Little, if any rain. Prom pictures work out, and prom is fun for everyone!

I'll try to post a couple of prom pix, if I can figure it out! LOL