This Angers Me! Vital Safety Info!

This morning while getting dressed, my ears caught the mother's voice on this piece on the Today Show....(please watch, and then read on; I'd like to hear your thoughts)

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If you're not angry after watching this piece, then I don't know what would make you angry.  I am angry, not only as a human being, but as a mother.  I'm angry that this mother had to sit there being told repeatedly to calm down....and she was offered no help or advice at all!  I'm angry that the 911 operator didn't pick up the manual that each one should have with step by step instructions to walk people through the motions of CPR and child safety.  I'm angry that the city of Murphy, Texas denies any wrongdoing!  Shame on you, Murphy, Texas!  In fact shame on all of the states who don't require their 911 operators to have any kind of training.  Did you notice the list above in the video?  

Does human life mean nothing anymore?  The city tries to defend themselves, saying that they had to calm the mother down, that she needed to calm down, as if she were wrong for being upset.  What mother is going to calm down when she's holding her lifeless, still child within her arms, begging and pleading for the operator to just tell her something she can do, just to tell her the necessary steps to take to conduct CPR?!  She even asked for help....how can the operator deny this?

Ok, I'm calming down.  With that being said, I truly believe that we as moms need to step up to the plate here.  It's time for you to write your state representative, write to Congress, write to your local cities and municipalities.  It's time for a change to be made.  I believe that all 911 operators should be trained; it may not be feasible to completely train them medically, but if they at least knew basic first aid skills and CPR, it could save lives.  These people need to have background checks and references.  They are responsible for lives; sometimes it's mere seconds that count.  They need to be trained to deal with mothers and fathers who are holding their babies in their arms and just begging for some kind of advice or help.  Not only that, but for the operator in another scenario to tell the little boy who was calling in, on behalf of his collapsed mother, to hang up or he'd be in trouble....what is up with that?!  That just gives me great peace of mind with all of the 911 bits I've been teaching Jacob.  I can understand being tired of prank calls, but these operators need to be trained to assess the situation and to not dismiss so lightly what may be a true emergency.

Are you angry yet?  Channel that energy into something good, and step up....let's band together, Moms.  Mama bears defend their children....and protect them.... 

I urge all of you mothers to get CPR training; it only takes an afternoon of your time.  Learn how to perform basic first aid, in case something should happen to your children.  My heart breaks for this mother, but let this be a call to action, Moms!  If we don't change this, noone will....

(Disclosure: If you don't agree with this post, that's fine....this is simply my opinion and call to action.)

Gratituesday- Good Doctors

Well, I figured it was time to spill on the news with Jacob and what is going on with him. First, though, I just have to say how grateful I am for good doctors. Before we even took him to his appointment, Dr. Hayes and Dr. Hoerning had discussed his case, and Dr. Hoerning had done some research on this condition. We were really encouraged by that. Dr. Hoerning said that he has no doubt that this conditon is real; and Dr. Hayes has actually seen cases of it.
When he first came into the room, I guess Jacob was jumping around in his seat and tapping his feet and just really fidgeting (which has been the case with him). He noticed that right away and instantly said that, "Yeah, Jacob had definitely changed from what he used to be;" it was that noticeable). He agreed with us on what the condition is; it's a condition called PANDAS (Info 1; Info 2; Info 3).

Basically, what had happened, was that Jacob caught a Strep infection (hence the fever and rash he had had a few weeks ago; I could kick myself for not catching it), and that strep infection had brought on an autoimmune neuro disorder that causes sudden symptoms of OCD. Now we are talking sudden, as in overnight here....that was the scary part with all of this. He woke up a changed boy; he was suddenly worried about germs, washing his hands several times a day, and he became super hyper compared to what he was before (can't sit still, can't focus on any one thing, has a hard time focusing on anything because he's too worried he might have touched something or got into something, sleeping a lot, separation anxiety, irritability, complained of tremors in his arm, etc.). This has made certain activities really hard; for example, we were doing a little bit of school one day, and just to copy down something that really before would have only taken him maybe fifteen minutes to do, took about an hour and a half. Vacuuming the kitchen the other day took him thirty minutes; just the kitchen! I have to say, though, that he did an excellent job (I feel like we are, in essence, raising Adrian Monk; not to make light of it, but that's how it feels). All of this happened, literally, in the blink of an eye, which was what clued me in that something wasn't right; the Mama Bear began to emerge. (I will be honest here and say that I've struggled on my own with a form of OCD, but since Jaden was born, I've really been able to fight a lot of it off and have changed so much from the way I used to be; you can ask Dan.:)) From what I've read, if the family history shows OCD in it too, then this condition is also more of a possibility if a strep infection occurs. He has also been putting off going to the bathroom because he doesn't want to deal with it, but he has to go a lot and will sometimes have little accidents. It has been a nightmare, and I don't think that explaining it in words here can really make you see what has been going on with him.

Anyway, the doctor put him on antibiotics for two weeks, and in that two weeks, we are to watch him and see if he improves....his symptoms should get better over time, but if he does get another strep infection, he can relapse. He may struggle with this for the rest of his life, but on a lesser basis, once treated with the antibiotics. Dr. Hoerning said that we caught this pretty early, so treatment should go well.

The scary part with PANDAS is, that if not caught right away, it may go on untreated for the rest of that person's life. A lot of doctors will only do a throat culture to test for strep, which will come out negative if done way after the symptoms have abated. Strep can go away on its own within about a week's time. Jacob's was negative, which was why the first doctor thought we were crazy (obviously, if she were really a good doctor, she would have known this). If you think your child has this, then you should ask for the strep antibody titer test, which they have to send to a lab. It will test for antibodies in his blood. Jacob's antibody test did come back negative, but again, it has been quite a while since his infection....

I say all of this and bear this all out on the table just to say that I'm grateful to Dr. Hoerning for giving us a chance....and I also want to caution other parents. I know that there have to be kids out there who the doctors have misdiagnosed and just signed them up for therapy right away; there may be something else underneath the surface going on; a real medical condition causing their problems or symptoms. Don't be afraid, as a parent, to pick that baseball bat up, and fight for your child. If one doctor won't listen, find one who will.

So far, Jacob has shown an inkling of improvement since being on the meds. He has actually been able to get through, at least, half a day without asking us if he needs to go wash his hands or if he did such and such.....my hope is that he will continue to improve. I just have to remember that God is in control, especially on those difficult days, where I am about to pull my hair out with it all.

For more Gratituesday, link up with Heavenly Homemakers.

Motivate Me Monday- Be the Advocate

After dealing with a situation for a couple of weeks now with our son Jacob, I just have to remind all mothers to be the advocates for your children. I can't discuss every detail right now; we're waiting until we can get a definitive diagnosis with Jacob, but I would just like to share a little bit of what has been going on. This is quite personal, so I hesitate in sharing everything just yet. Jacob had been sick a couple of weeks ago, and we just didn't realize how sick he was; he basically had a rash and a low-grade fever.....we ended up not taking him to the doctor, but overnight he changed, and he has not been our same Jacob. Oh, sure, he is still our boy, and there are times where we can see the old Jacob in there, but he's struggling with some pretty heavy things right now. Anyway, I just had this gut feeling that I needed to do something, that something wasn't right....you know, that instinctive feeling we mothers get when we know something is definitely wrong with our children. I did some research (hours of research, in fact), and I found what I truly believe with all my heart is wrong with Jacob. All of the symptoms fit Jacob down to the last details. We ended up taking him to a local walk-in clinic here (definitely don't recommend), and the doctor basically brushed us off as crazy parents....what would we, as outsiders to the medical profession, know (although I am a nurse, but still not a doctor)? I mean, we've only raised Jacob for 7 1/2 years now. Seriously, what could we know? (Only a wee bit of bitterness there).

Anyway, in dealing with that doctor, I cannot explain the feelings that rose up in me; it was as if the Mama Bear in me was being unleashed, and she was going to fight for her child, no matter what it took to get someone to listen. We ended up calling a friend of Dan's, who is married to one of the doctors where we used to take the kids, where we lived before. Dan was able to talk to his wife, the doctor, and she has actually seen cases of this before. I can't even begin to explain the relief that washed over us. Finally, someone was listening to us. She wants Jacob in there ASAP tomorrow morning for tests and not sure what else. She also told us that when you go to the doctor nowadays, you have to do what it takes for that doctor to listen to you, whether you have to stomp your feet or carry a baseball bat! So, I'm just writing all of this to emphasize how important it is for you to listen to your Mommy-gut; follow those instincts, you know, those instincts that won't leave you alone until you've done something about them. Those instincts are there for a reason....and if you don't fight for your child, who else will? Do the research; be willing to take a stand when necessary. Carry that baseball bat with you wherever you go! After all, we are all the "Mamas in the trenches," fighting the battle for our kids and families, day in and day out.

As we find out more from the doctors, I will be writing more in the days to come....especially, since I know there are other parents out there whose children are having these same problems, and their doctors may have misdiagnosed them.....so stay tuned.

For more Motivate Me Monday, link up with Composing Hallelujahs.

Don't Get Discouraged!

This is what I'm telling myself right now, "Don't get discouraged!" I am two weeks into my more aggressive weight loss/exercise routines with my friend, Nancy, who by the way, lives in Ohio, but we are keeping this up long-distance. This week, I gained back two pounds. Now, I know that I'm building muscle because I'm so sore in places that I never even knew existed on my body....and my pants are becoming a little looser....so why did I gain back two pounds? Could it be that my body is building muscle right now; could it be that I haven't honestly been drinking enough water; or could it be that I've been limiting my calories so intensely that maybe it's been a bit too much in the beginning? See, there go my perfectionistic tendencies again; I

think in my head, "If I'm going to lose weight, then I have to go all out; I have to do this and watch that and not eat that and work out here and blah blah blah blah blah, until I feel like I'm just going in circles, and my head is spinning. Have you ever been to this point? Well, that's where I'm at right now. I'm trying to force myself to look at the bigger picture.....what do I really want? Sure, I want to lose weight and look smokin' great in my clothes....but what I want most of all is to be a healthy mom to my kids. That's what I most want. In order to get from where I'm at now to the picture I have in my head of that healthy mom, I have to listen to my body, which has been telling me to drink more water, eat when I'm hungry, not starve myself because it may be 100 calories more than I should have, maybe give in to one treat every day instead of just binging on them on the weekends (oh yeah, been there done that last weekend). I have to find that "balance" in my life (which reminds me of the last episode of The Biggest Loser).

So, that's where I'm at right now, just telling myself not to get discouraged, to keep on keeping on. It's such a great feeling after a workout, that feeling of having sweated, having pushed through, having worked every muscle and strained to keep going. I feel on top of the world after working out....how about you? Are you listening to your body? Or are you a "reforming" perfectionist like me? Take my advice: don't give up; keep going....but find that middle ground that's just right for you....you can do it!

Time For A Little Honesty

Well, so far 2009 is turning out to be a year of changes and turnarounds. We are working on some things as a family; there are some Big changes in the works for us in the near future. Good changes, though; nothing to get worried about. Just pray for us that we will keep our trust in God. I am so excited!
As for me, it's time for me to get down to the nitty-gritty and just be honest. I set some goals for myself at the beginning of the year, and did I follow through with them? Not so far. So, I'm taking a step back and re-evaluating and becoming more realistic about them.
First of all, I have not been able to keep up with my One Year Bible plan; in fact, I'm so far behind, that it's become a little overwhelming to me, ok, so very overwhelming. So, I sat down this morning and decided to do a two year plan. I'm also writing in a journal things that I glean from the Scriptures, as well as things I am doing and learning each and every day. Sometimes I just expect too much of not only myself, but other people too, and this was one aspect of my life where I expected to just change habits overnight, and it didn't happen, which further overwhelmed me; but this morning as I stayed home with a sick baby, I had a chance to talk to God and set some things on a better path, one that is feasible and realistic for me and my family's situation right now. Life is so very busy, but I realized that without my time with God, my life was sorely lacking. God doesn't expect quantity so much as He expects quality. (Ruth, I'm hoping you can help keep me accountable to doing my devotions every day.)
One other thing I have "failed" in is physical fitness and exercise/proper nutrition. Yes, we've been eating good, but I eat way too many sweets, and I've just let my body go. So, I've decided to sign up for free at Livestrong.com so that I can count my calories and stay accountable to exercising and keeping myself and my family healthy. My ultimate goal in keeping myself healthy is keeping my family healthy. My boys need to be taught what "healthy" truly means, and God expects me to take care of my body, for it is His temple. I can feel the unhealthiness oozing from me; it's just evident by the squeezing tightness of my waistlines and the guilt I feel after polishing off another bag of M&M's.:) Ugh....exercise can be so boring, but my husband said last night that he would exercise with me daily, and I have a friend that I will also be going to the gym with twice weekly, Jenn.

So, I'm hoping that by posting this, I can stay accountable, and I will keep you all up to date on my journey. I have a spiritual goal to read the Bible in 2 years, as well as a physical goal to lose 35 pounds before summer.

Well, there's some honesty for you. Keepin' it real.....
Melissa

One More Thing

One more thing, and I am done posting for today.:) Last night, I was watching an old Oprah we had on the dvr, and it had Dr. Oz (who has to be one of the most amazing docs ever, and I would love to work with him some day or just watch a surgery he is performing). Anyway, he was traveling to the "Blue Zones" as they called them; they are 4 (there are 5 now), hotspots in the world where people tend to live longer and live to be over 100 years old, sometimes over 105. These people not only live longer, but they have such an amazing quality of life for their age. One place that struck me was the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. It wasn't just their longevity that struck me, though. It was that the women found such great joy and peace in how they prepared food for their families and how they cared for their families. How many times do I complain, yet I have so much? How many times do I feel like a maid or housekeeper or nanny, when really, I have the most amazing and wonderful job on the planet?! I really do! I have a family who I love and cherish! It just really convicted me today, as I was going about the dreaded chores of dusting and vacuuming, to remember why I was doing those chores, to give my family a better quality of life and to care for them, to show them I love them by giving them a clean place to live, a meal on the table. Thank you, Costa Rica, for opening my eyes, and thank you, God, for everything You have given me.

Exercise.....Who Needs It? Well.....

Apparently, we all do. We all need exercise. As busy wives and moms, though, it's sometimes (for me most of the time) hard to find the time to actually do it. I will tell myself that I'm going to start an actual routine for exercise, but when it comes down to it, something else either comes up, or I make some lame excuse not to do it. Like right now, my lame excuse is that I'm waiting on my husband to finish switching my tae bo tapes to dvd, since our vcr quit. Anyway, exercise is sooooo important. Why? Well....
As a nurse, I used to see all kinds of heart patients come in with so many health problems, and a lot of it stemmed from not eating right and not exercising, and it just "added up" over the years. We used to dread the holidays because after a huge holiday like Thanksgiving, patients would call in with so many problems, due to their eating habits, and there were so many more heart attacks. The doctors could anticipate being very busy. What you think may not hurt you now can actually build up until you have a serious problem on your hands. (Believe me, I'm telling myself all of this right now because I need to hear it) We may think that a heart attack or even cancer or a stroke couldn't affect us, but did you know this.... Incidence — 1,200,000 new and recurrent coronary attacks per year. (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Atherosclerotic Risk in Communities [ARIC] Study and Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). About 38 percent of people who experience a coronary attack in a given year die from it. (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4591)

That's pretty scary. And not just that, but studies are showing that our children are going to suffer the effects of our bad health habits; heart disease is making a debut in many children's lives as we speak and is going to get worse if we don't do something about it. So, what can we do?
Eat right? Many people think that we can just eat right and forget the exercise part, but exercise is so vital to even our everyday health. Exercise can actually give us more energy, it can make a huge difference in our mental and emotional health and moods, it can help to prevent cancer, it can help to build up our immune system, and it can help us get better sleep, as well as reduce our stress levels.
But how do we find the time, and what do we do to exercise? Well, we have to make the time. We have to realize that this is not just for us, but for our families as well, so that we can be around for a long time to still do their dirty laundry and pick up after them, etc. No, I'm just kidding. You're doing this for them so that you can be around for your little girl's wedding, so that you can be there when your son graduates from high school and college and when he has his first child. By exercising, we're not only helping ourselves by all of the aforementioned positive effects, but we are helping our families, and we're setting an example to our children.
To exercise, you can do any number of things. You don't have to run out and join a gym, which can be quite expensive. You can get a video; you can get out for a power walk or even a run, you can ride a bike, you can get involved in either a sport or some kind of activity that you love that involves fitness (for example, my husband and I were doing ballet for a while, and yes, I know, that's hilarious to picture, but it was truly a workout). You can even get outside with your kids and just move! I myself love Tae Bo; it works about every part of my body, but for now, I'm kinda stuck on what to do. I am still going to commit to do something at least 4-5 days per week, though. Whether it's situps, walking, whatever, I will commit to it. If you read this, share a comment and tell us what ideas you have for exercise. Keeping each other accountable is always good too. For now, have a great day!