We have a surgery date!

[Laura P]

Cheryl
Thank you that is so sweet. A friend is riding with me and we are going up early to get the rooms for the kids and also the tickets at the convention center. We should have a little free time before the kids arrive if I have time we can stop by. Thanks for the info. Sorry to hear about your husbands uncle. Gatlinburg is a big mess right now we were there a couple of weeks ago and the sidewalks are all tore up. Should be fun with so many teens. Jamie is refusing any help other than getting her in the back door because of the crowds. I am anxious to see how she does this weekend. She will probably do fine, or at least never admit it to me.

Kris hope your feeling better. Do you have sinus problems? Alot of times this causes vertigo when it goes down and blocks eustation tubes. I guess you know if you have had before. I have had and it is no fun. We are seeing alot of sinus and bronchitis right now. The weather had been 60 and 70 the last two days. That is probably not helping everyones sickness right now.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Talk with ya Mon.

Laura P.

[KRIS ATKINSON]

Laura, I had sinus surgery 5 years ago. My sinuses have been going nuts for 2 days now. I am on Mucinex, and take Mucinex DM when necessary. I am debating WHEN I am supposed to take which. Are you a nurse? You sound like you work in a medical environment as you talk. I looked at my Mucinex DM this morning as I tried to hold the sniffles and debated switching to it, but I'm not sure exactly what it will do, as a doctor described that DM basically tells the throat not to cough?! My vertigo is probably partly from sinuses, but also from stress, including what Erica is going through. Maybe it is 2 15 year old twins and a 13 year old !!! Or being 50 years old???
Cheryl M, I love Starbucks! How are things doing regarding the rib hump issue?
Kris

[cherylplinder]

Kris,
I picked up your question this morning and don't have time to search back to see if you have listed the reason for theses symptoms before, but I am a pharmacist and can tell you some really basic information on these OTC's(over the counter meds).
Mucinex is a new dosage form of an old standby (Robitussin) that is in a gel cap, I believe, and is extended release(you don'e have to take it every 4 hours like Robitussin). Robitussin and Mucinex are brand names of guafinesin(the active ingredient) which thins mucus and secretions in the upper and lower respiratory tract.
The "DM" is dextromethorphan, which inhibits your cough reflex in response to these secretions.
Most of the time the secretions are either an allergic response, a viral infection (both would have fairly clear secretions) or bacterial infection(thcker generally yellow or green secretions which may need an antibiotic). In these cases an antihistamine can help. Some OTC's are loratadine(Brand name Claratin and Alavert), brompheniramine, chlorphineramine(both older antihistamines which can cause drowsiness in some people, but also have a stronger drying effect).The antihistamines inhibit histamine which is the chemical released in an allergic, viral , or bacterial response that causes the blood vessels in the responsive area to swell and release more mucus and cause stuffiness. When the blood vessels swell, they are more permeable to the fluids in your blood. Your body is trying to wash out the offenders. Hope this information helps. Hope you feel better soon! Sounds like you need all your strength!

[KRIS ATKINSON]

Cherylplinder, (now I remember why I used Cheryl M's whole name, there are two of you out there!) Thank you for your explanation. Now I have it in writing, what the pharmacists/doctors have been trying to explain. So DM basically is needed if my system can't handle the extra secretions at times when I am overloaded with thin mucus, I guess that is what you mean. If my cough gets worse due to all the mucus at some times, I should temporarily switch to DM, correct? I have a feeling this past week has been high alergy season or something, since I notice others commenting on their alergies. Of course, allergies also react to emotional issues, as well. My husband "challenged" my daughter to some basketball shooting yesterday afternoon, when it was around 60-70 degrees here in NC. She took the bait and had a good time with him. I noticed she jumped to shoot baskets, like she used to before surgery. She told us later she had no pain this time. We both encouraged her that she was improving, although she didn't want to praise. You know, she's a teenager!!! I was thrilled to realize jumping no longer causes pain, even if she wants to make light of it publicly. She also said she "forgot" and jumped forward in class at school. She acted as though she had disobeyed doctor's orders, and expressed guilt for forgetting. She said there was no pain, I think. We again encouraged her that she is showing the ability to handle more activities without pain or risk to the spine. Maybe I can relax more (yeah, right, I'm a MOM) and be less afraid of her falling. Yesterday she also got on a scooter and scared me. I was afraid she would lose her balance and fall. Then again, she can't go very fast on a scooter, so the fall shouldn't be too bad. I am fortunate it is still winter in our case, as her year restrictions will almost be up when people start playing outside alot in the next few months. Kris

[dancermom]

Good morning everyone. We have a coating of ice on the ground and it is sleeting more. We have been so unseasonally warm here in Oklahoma that I hadn't even thought of Elizabeth falling or anything like that, but now that the ground is icy, I am so nervous about her walking on this stuff. How exciting that Erica can jump and move now without the pain and fear of something happening. I know you will have that check inside of you for quite a while as our kids have been through so much and we just don't want anything jeopardizing their healing.

Laura, the conference sounds like a lot of fun and very uplifting. You will have to write and let us know how it went. I hope Jamie has a great time and doesn't even have to think about her back. You mentioned that you guys have had a lot of sinus and bronchial stuff there, and we have had it here too with both me and my husband on antibiotics for it. So far Elizabeth and our son has stayed pretty healthy.

Cheryl, by this summer Briann will be able to do just about anything she wants to and that will help her not feel so frustrated and different. Elizabeth gets frustrated too with having to worry about her back, but she does know it is only for a period of time. This next weekend our youth group is playing laser tag and doing some different things. She knows that she can't do that stuff yet and is kind of bummed, but hopefully her friends will hang around and she won't be alone.

Ann, how is Lizzie doing? Has she been able to stay the whole day at school yet? Elizabeth uses the elevator pass to go up to the second floor but I think she uses the stairs most of the time coming down. I am amazed at how well she is doing and I try not to worry. Her shoulders are sore quite a bit though and I wondered if Lizzie or Briann had that problem too.

Marie, I hope Carrie is continuing to get stronger every day. I still can't believe how well she handled all of this and kept her mental attitude so strong and determined.

Just wanted to check in with everyone. I am so thankful to be this far out and now I am not even coounting weeks - just realized that. I guess we are pretty much at 3 months though.

Love, Connie

[Marieokc]

Hi everyone:

Just wanted to write a note to let everyone know that Carrie is doing incredibly well! I know everyone kept telling me that these young kids heal so fast, but I would have never believed it. I is truly amazing what they can do in a short period of time.

Carrie is planning to go back to school on a trial basis this Tuesday (Monday is a holiday). Tomorrow will be four weeks since her surgery. She will continue to be on homebound instruction until we officially take her off. We want to make sure she is able to handle everything that goes along with just attending classes--the walking, sitting, standing, etc. They have made special arrangements for her as far as riding the elevator, leaving class early/or coming in late, having a student help her with notebooks, and a set of books at home and a set in each classroom. But, I know she will get tired during the day and may need to lie down for just a few minutes in the office so she can finish the day. Of course, I will be available to pick her up if she finds she just can't make it.

As of right now, she is totally caught up with all of the work that was assigned while she was gone. She basicially did 4 weeks worth of work in two weeks. She has been working hard to get caught up in trig, physics and English. Her homebound instructor has really been a joke because Carrie's dad and I have been doing the teaching and this homebound teacher has just been bringing her work here and taking her homework back to the other teachers. She told us up front that she wasn't qualified to teach any of the classes that Carrie is taking this semester. Luckily, my husband is an engineer so the math and science were a breeze for him to teach; and I have been doing my best with the English. Another good thing is that Carrie is such a good student, that the subjects weren't too hard for her. Mostly, she just needed the time to do the work since those first two weeks she was out of school, she was really out of it. haha

I cannot believe all of the things that she can do and how far she can walk--two miles a day! She can get herself up and down from any chair or couch in the house, and from the floor. She is eating well and sleeping well and hasn't taken any pain medication for more than a week now. She can get dressed by herself and usually only needs help if she drops something on the floor. But, even then she is learning how to pick things up.

She was having some difficulties last weekend when she had some neck strain from doing a lot of homework and looking down without bending her back or hips or anything. But, she has since figured out a way to make that more comfortable and she doesn't strain her neck anymore. She seems to be in good spirits and I think she is just ready to get back to school and see her friends and especially get back into band and get ready for their state contest and solo contests coming up in a couple of weeks.

She said she doesn't even think about her back much anymore. She is so glad that she doesn't have to worry about the curve progressing from now on and she is just thrilled with the way it all looks. It is nice and straight and the scar is going to be very nice when it fades. I know she will be thrilled when she can tell that most if not all of the pain is gone when she is doing school work and/or marching in band. She does carry a little squishy pillow around with her everywhere she goes, and leans back on it in chairs.

I appreciate everyone still thinking about us and I hope some of my words can help the next person coming up on surgery. The other side is a wonderful place to be, and I know Carrie is so glad that this is all over with. She told us the other day that even though she had to go through the actual surgery, she thought we as her family had it rougher than she did. She said she was asleep and/or can't remember most of the stuff at the hospital, but she knows it was pretty rough on us. I am still in awe of her and what she has gone through, and I want to thank everyone out there who had kind words for us during this tough time. Yall helped me so much.

Take care,
Marie

[dancermom]

Hi everyone. Just had a strange day with Elizabeth and wanted to share. We had a youth retreat this weekend and it went from Friday night through this morning. The first night Elizabeth and a friend came back here to sleep as she can't comfortably sleep on the floor with her sleeping bag yet. Then last night she got a bed at the host home and they all stayed together. She didn't participate in the laser tag or the bowling although she pushed hard to do the laser tag. I felt like the mean monster saying no, but she did not need to wear a backpack with laser equipment and run through a dark maze. No way. Anyway, this morning at church one of the leaders came and found me because Elizabeth was crying with her lower back hurting her really badly. This is the area where she has the lumbar curve, although she can use her stomach muscles and hold herself pretty straight. I guess because she was really worn out, her body was not holding itself very well and her back really started to ache.

This little episode just reminded me that we are not even close to being out of the woods on recovery. She looks and seems to feel so normal, but this was just a wake up call that she still has quite a long ways to go in the healing process. She took a nap this afternoon and seems to be better tonight. It was just hard having her cry with her back hurting after all she has been through.

I have to remind myself that we have come a long ways but still have quite a ways to go. Thanks for all the support and encouragement that each one of you give when our kids are going through tough times. They will all get through this and so will we, but it sure does help to talk to people who are also going through these same trials.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Love,
Connie

[Cheryl M]

Connie,

Briann has a big youth thing this weekend too. We call is d-now and she will be sleeping at someone else's house Friday and Saturday night. I'm really worried. She doesn't want me to request a bed. I just hope she doens't over-do it. Thanks for letting us know about Elizabeth. I'm definitely going to call her "host" parents and make sure they at least let her know that a bed is available.

Glad Elizabeth is doing better. I think Briann has strep. She definitely has a sinus infection so the antibiotic will take care of strep if she does. They didn't do a test since she was going on antibiotics anyway.

This is our first major illness since....I can't remember. She's been pretty healthy except for a few sniffles here and there.

Hope everyone is doing well.

Cheryl

[Laura P]

Hello everyone,

So sorry it has been so long. It is just crazy around here with me being back at work and Jamie is now driving and back to her schedule. She will officially be back at school full time next Wed. 3/9. This has def. been worth her being homebound this 9 weeks just to help with getting her full schedule back.
The only bad thing about being homebound was she lost her parking space at school. They are at a big HS and have a waiting list and none of us thought to alert security that she would be back and actually has been there part time for 4 weeks. So long story short we got her a handicap placard and they are letting her park there. Otherwise I would have to drive her again. She would have loved that. So we learned a lesson and most people would have gone to this student and explained there had been a mix up but the lady in charge loves power and was a real toot about it. So we just got the placard and are done with it. This kid only had the spot for one day. Anyway that was the only draw back about homebound.

Thanks to all of you for your support. I know we have a long way to go as I read and get caught up on all of your posts. Jamie is back to her normal self. Sweet most of the time but still acts likea teen sometimes.
She will be off of restriction this Fri. but on a more limited basis. I think she def. learned a lesson.

She did great in Gatlingburg a week ago. It was alot of fun and uplifting but
it wore me out. I am getting to old.She did come to me on that Sat. night requesting something for her back. She said it wasn't hurting just would not relax. She was very, very busy all that day. We did get to see snow and it was beautiful The good thing was it didn't stick to the road. Cheryl the traffic was so bad that we did not have time to go by Krispy Kreme. My hips didn't need it anyway. I found the fudge and peanut brittle stores though. Ha.

Kris, I sure hope you are doing better. Looks like CHerylP helped you with alot better knowlege then I could have. Pharmacists know alot more then us nurses do. I always recommend our patients to talk to the pharmacist about OTC meds asthey are even confusing for me. The sinus junk is still lingering here in AL. It is suppose to be 70 deg this Thurs so hopefully Spring is almost here. The March flowers are in full bloom here and are beautiful. THe bradford pears are starting to bloom.

Cheryl hope Briann is feeling better. The good thing about strep is you know they usually bounce back pretty fast. We have had several cases in our office too.

Connie Jamie had a weird pain a couple of weeks ago and I was here. It took her breath away but went away pretty quick but she had to lay down. Hasn't had again and we can't think f anything she did to aggravate it but anyway we are with you on still knowing she is healing.

Marie, glad Carrie is doing so good. I hope she continues. Jamie's dad has had to help her with Math because her homeschool teacher told us up front she didn't do Pre=Cal. So they know not to come to me. He is a engineer also.

Well, believe it or not we are letting Jamie go to the beach spring break with a family from church. They know her situation and said plans are to lay around the beach all week and they will be glad to stop when Jamie needs to. I know I have to let go but I just pray she does good because she dosn't like to ask for things from others. The big thing is the sun screen. I told her if she didn't put enough sun screen on that scar she is was in big trouble. She isn't a big sun worshiper anyway so hopefully she will behave. We go back for our recheck when she gets back so he can fuss also if she dosn't behave.

Good to get caught up. Enjoy this beautiful week. I think I am going to wash my car.

Laura P

[AnnLF]

Hi All,

I've been out of touch lately -- I'm back to work and not spending as much time on the computer -- and we started a big redecorating job in our house, so we're torn apart and the computer is not as accessible as it normally is.

Tried to read everyone's posts and catch up. Sounds like all is going well, so we can all count our abundant blessings! For those of us who were among the "November girls," can you just believe we are already 3 months on the other side? For us, we knew Lizzie was going to have the surgery way back when she was a freshman and we kept putting it off, putting it off, putting it off (to allow her to do high school sports). So, it hung over us a good four years and it's amazing that it's now part of her history. We were at the doctor yesterday and everything looks great. She doesn't have to return for 3 months, so that's a tangible sign life is returning to normal! He even cleared her to start easily hitting a few tennis balls and for that she was extremely grateful. Tennis has been such a huge part of her life, that I actually worried about her sinking into depression over it coming to a halt. She probably will never resume the competitive side of it, but that's the beauty of tennis -- it's a life-long sport she can play forever.

I think you're so right Connie -- our girls have come such a long way, but they still have a way to go. It's the strength re-building that is going to take time. When I asked, our doctor told us yesterday to expect the fatigue to last another good 3 months. Liz comes home from school pretty wiped out.

As far as the "misdeeds" of our surgery girls, from our end, we've seen a more disrepectful, sassy side of Liz. Normally, she is very sweet and loving -- certainly not perfect, she's a teenager after all! But frequently during her homebound time, she would erupt over the smallest things. For much of it, I tried to write it off as her frustration over everything, but it did get to the point where ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I also think part of it is due to the fact that leading up to the surgery, and through the whole ordeal, she was the QUEEN BEE. So much attention is focused on these kids, that maybe they get carried away with the royalty bit. We moved a TV into her room during her recuperation, and moved it out after another sass episode. As her life returns to normal, the smart-mouth girl is disappearing!

She's back to school full time now and she, too, lost her parking pass Laura. Such a drag for seniors -- Oh, the humiliation of having mom drive you to school!!! I'll find out today if the problem has been solved. Her doctor gave her a note yesterday, requesting that she be allowed a parking pass. Hope it works.

Oh, here's our big news. Lizzie decided on college. She'll be attending Indiana University in Bloomington next fall. So, she'll be a Hoosier! It's a gorgeous campus and we're thrilled for her.

Did I tell you that she and I are going on a cruise for spring break? It's a mother-daughter trip with a bunch of other girls and their moms. They all started planning this back in the fall -- who know how important senior year spring break is, right?!?!? At the time, I couldn't even think about it with the surgery looming, but about a month ago, I checked and we were able to get on the ship. So, I'm looking forward to that. It should be a special trip -- Lizzie is our youngest and I just can't believe she will be headed to college in the fall. And we'll be empty nesters! Yikes.

Hope everyone continues to mend and get stronger. And that they don't get the bugs going around the schools -- they certainly don't need that on top of everything else! Happy March! Love, Ann

[Cheryl M]

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to get an update on how everyone is progressing.

Briann is doing great but she still gets so very tired. Are you seeing this too. Homework sometimes nearly kills her and I've asked the school to cut back on some of her assignments. Anybody else having to do this? Also, has your school contacted you about the 504 plan and readjusting it. Are you still using it? Briann's school has been giving us a fit, especially one teacher and the school called today about revising the 504.

We go back to the doctor on the 30th. Just praying that everything is healing like its supposed to.

Our spring break starts the 24th and we're heading to Cancun. It's a trip I promised Briann when she was having a bad day. Her dad said, "you did what!" We're excited and hoping it's not too torn up from the hurricane.

My continued prayers for all of you.

Cheryl

[Laura P]

Hello to all,

Just a quick update.What was the “P” short for, in J.P. Morgan?
e everyone has a good springbreak. Ours is next week also. Cheryl, hope youall have a great time. We were in cozumel last year the week before it hit. Jamie had her recheck this past Fri and everything is going great. He dosn't want to see her again for 3 months. So all is well here. We are letting her go to the beach next week so hopefully all will be well. Glad everyone is doing good.

Laura P.

[AnnLF]

Hi,

Happy Spring! Isn't it wonderful that we're out of those dark days of autumn when all we could think of was "surgery" and now we're talking of spring break? Cheryl, Lizzie and I will be in Cozumel for a day on this cruise we're taking. What a shame we couldn't connect -- so close, yet so far.

Lizzie, too, still gets very tired at the end of a day. Over the weekend, we were out shopping and after about an hour or so, she'd had enough and desparately wanted to go home. This from the girl who could last hours at the mall, pre-surgery! But, all very normal, I'm told. I asked the doctor about it the last time we were there and he said to expect it for another few months. I just needed to hear that, since I had been worried she wasn't progressing the way she should.

As far as school, Lizzie assures me that she is almost all caught up. I guess I'm not as involved as I would be if she was Briann's age. As a senior, Liz is handling it on her own, now that the homebound stuff is over with. I hope that's wise and I'm not making a mistake letting her be in charge! What is the teacher hassling you about? Maybe a good, strongly-worded letter from Briann's doctor that explains all that she's been through would help. (That's how Liz got her parking pass -- hurray!)

Hope all is well with everyone and the promise of spring is a tonic for all of our kids who've had such a long, long winter. Ann

[Cheryl M]

Ann,

I too wish we could connect in Mexico. I can't wait for warm weather. It sleeted here in NC today.

Briann's school is an IB School (international bacculareate). I doubt I spelled that right. Anyway, it's pretty strenuous. Lots of projects, etc. On a typical day she gets at least 2 hours of homework and when the projects hit, it can be 5 or 6 hours. I just asked that projects be trimmed for her and they are giving me a fit. 2 hours per day, she can handle but not much more than this. Before they agreed to trim the projects, they asked me if she had extra curricular activites such as youth group. I was floored. They think unless she is chained to a desk and doing nothing but school work that they shouldn't trim her projects. She shouldn't even be allowed to go to church. Of course I'm probably exxagerating but I have been furious with them. They were so good when she was out but now......they think she's 100% and ready to go.

Thanks for letting me vent and glad to hear Lizzie is doing so well. Have fun on your cruise.

Cheryl

[dancermom]

Hi ladies,

It is always good to see both of you writing and sharing. We are still dealing with Elizabeth getting tired and her back bothering her. She called me from school yesterday and I went to pick her up. It seems like when she is overly tired or has done something a little different (like a long car ride or sleeping in a different bed) then sometimes her back bothers her and she feels like it is hard to support it. After she took some ibuprofen and rested then she was fine yesterday. I guess this is just part of the recovery processs. We don't go back to see the doctor until April 21. At that time he may let her start some physical therapy. Will Briann or Lizzie be doing any physical therapy or have they already?


Cheryl, sounds like Briann is pretty busy and consumed with the school work. I don't think I have heard of that kind of school before, but it may be similar to some of the charter schools or centers we have here in Oklahoma. Hang in there and keep sticking up for Briann. It is amazing how quickly people forget that our girls have been through such a major surgery and that recovery takes quite a while.

Ann, I hope you and Lizzie had fun on the cruise. Glad she is getting caught up on everything for school. My son is also a senior this year, so I know how busy things are starting to get with graduation not far off.

Laura, I'm so glad that Jamie had a good recheck and doesn't have to go back for 3 months. Is she worried about what kind of bathing suit to wear this year or worried about her scar? Elizabeth doesn't seem to mind people seeing her scar, but I know she is wondering about a bathing suit.

Take care everyone.

Love,
Connie