Snow and an attack

The children are all recovering from pneumonia.  The boys just have a little coughing here and there and still want to go to bed at night earlier than usual. Tabby's lungs still hurt and she is spending most of the day laying on the couch.  But she has been up and about some, which is progress.  And she's gained back 4 lbs.  Yay!  (I'm flashing back to when I used to triumphantly post that Lilly had gained another pound.)

The weather has been quite cold which means taking hot water out often to the animals.  We had some snow, then some sleet, and last night a little more snow.  Not much of an accumulation but the boys have been enjoying playing outside.  I just came back inside from taking pictures and thought I would post some.

our sweet rooster and hens enjoying the wood box

Tabby's Silkies like to hang out under the bird feeder so that they can eat the birdseed that the birds drop

"Hello" from Sundrop! (the goats seem to like the snow way better than all the rain and mud we had recently)

the Guinea fowl - a close knit group always marching together

deer track!  we have lots of tracks all over the yard.

trampoline fun

snowball fight!

view from the road

a wagon??!!  where's the sled??

frozen camellia buds/flowers - love the icicle effect

smile for the camera!

pneumonia girl, watching from safe inside

If you are squeamish about animals, then stop reading now.

The other night, I could not find Exhaust Pipe.  When it's cold, we bring the dogs into our enclosed porch so they will be comfortable.  I had a bad feeling because this was not like him to be gone, and especially to miss supper!

The next morning while doing the animal chores, I was calling him and praying.  I got a strong feeling that I needed to look in the woodshed.  I did and there he was.  Curled up and bloody!  I was horrified.  He had bite marks scattered over his body.  One leg in particular was quite bloody.  I picked him up but he was so heavy I couldn't carry him far.  Luckily he could limp along.

I got him to the enclosed porch and cleaned up his wounds.  The were big, deep bite marks.  I am thinking he got into a fight with a coyote.  (Exhaust Pipe most likely has a good fighting instinct - he is a mix of German Shepherd/Collie/Pit Bull.)  The wounds were fresh but cleaned up very nicely.  I only had to wrap the one on his leg that was still bleeding some.  I gave him a dose of silver, which is an antibiotic, and have continued with aggressive doses.

I covered him in warm towels and blankets and turned on the heat lamp to make sure he was extra toasty.  Then I gave him some chicken soup.  He drank it very nicely and even ate some dog food.

Just like the kids, he is slowly but surely recovering. (Thank God because everything is shut down around here because of the ice and snow.)  His wounds are there, but looking better.  He is drinking and eating.  And getting lots of rest.  I think I am annoying him at times by covering him with the blanket because when I check him a few minutes later, he's taken it back off.  He's limped outside a few times too.

Man.  As I was treating him (and then consulting a book to make sure I did everything right) I was thinking "I never wanted to be a vet!"  Then I thought about my kids and how hard I've been working to get them well.  "I never wanted to be a nurse!"  And that nurse thing - I sure was forced to have a crash course on that one when Lilly was alive.

You know what I wanted to be "when I grew up?"  Something safe and sensible.  First it was a detective.  Then a writer.  Then a probation officer.  I ended up being a paralegal.  And I tell you - working full-time as a paralegal was SOOOOO much easier than what I do now.

But I wouldn't change it.  :)

To the hospital and back again - Tabby's unexpected adventure

Last Thursday evening, I decided that Tabby needed to go to the doctor.  She just couldn't keep food down with the persistent coughing.  She had lost about 10 lbs. and didn't need to lose more.  Then Hunter started coughing until his supper came up - third night in a row.  I told him he would go to the doctor too.  Then Solomon had a rough night of coughing.  So Friday morning I called the pediatrician and got all three kids a mid-morning appointment.

After I made the appointment, Tabby announced that she had lost more than 10 lbs. - it was now 26 lbs.  Oh my goodness.

Before long I learned that all three kids had pneumonia!  Their doctor said it is rampant in this area right now.  And highly contagious.  Soon we were headed to the pharmacy for two antibiotics per child and medicine for the nebulizer.  (Thankfully I still had Lilly's nebulizer.)

By evening, Tabby's breathing wasn't good and her lungs hurt her very badly.  She and I headed to the hospital.  I figured they would give her a more powerful breathing treatment and send her home.

The breathing treatment didn't really work. 
 

Tabby kept having what I called breathing spasms.  Her throat would close up and she couldn't breath well.  It was scary.

Soon she was on oxygen.

The hospital we were at did not have a pediatric unit.  So we were transferred to the big hospital in Raleigh that Lilly spent time at.  We rode in style - Tabby on a bed on wheels in the back, and me as a passenger in the front.

We arrived at 11:00 p.m. and the check in and initial examination took awhile.  Tabby was on oxygen and an IV and pulse ox.  Finally, after midnight, we were alone.

We ended up talking about Lilly a bit.  This happened so much like her hospitalization in Jan./Feb. 2011 for a virus.  (Honestly I had a fear of coming back to this hospital.  But this helped me work through that.)  Tabby knew I was really worried about her.  She said "I'm not Lilly.  I'm not going to die."  Then she said "You have bad luck with daughters."  My response was "God gave me the exact children He wanted me to have."

Saturday Tabby did a good job eating and keeping her food down.  Even though it was just "hospital food."

The doctors were all really concerned about her loss of 26 lbs.  And Tabby's lungs hurt her really bad.  She found a good distraction - watching FOX News and HGTV.  We don't have cable TV at home so this was a treat for both of us.  Tabby's actually a politics junkie and was really excited that we got to watch some of the Republican candidate debates that night.

There was a Ronald McDonald room down the hall where I was able to go and eat some food for free: Hot Pockets, chips, applesauce, and pudding.  It wasn't Trim Healthy Mama but oh it was good!  The volunteer in there asked me to please pick out a little homemade stuffed animal from a basket for Tabby.  I picked a little green dog.  She really liked it!  She named it Barkdogeïphontes from the character Argeïphontes (Hermes)  from The Odyssey. 

Later that day, Tabby ended up with an Xbox.  This was her first time playing one.  She played several Lego games:  Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Lord of the Rings.  It helped her stay quiet and distracted from her discomfort.

Sunday morning she was off the oxygen.  And we were so surprised to look outside our wonderful big window and see SNOW!  It snowed pretty hard for a bit but didn't stick.  It was so pretty.

One of the nurse assistants came in for a bit and played Lego Star Wars with Tabby.  His name was Russ and he was really kind.  After he left, Barkdogeïphontes ended up with a nickname:  Russ.  We really liked all of the nurses Tabby had.  Some were more personable, but all were kind, gentle, and seemed to really care.

Sunday night Tabby was back on oxygen.  Sleeping was just harder without it.

Monday morning, Tabby was off oxygen, but still having some of the "breathing spasms."  Painful and exhausting.

When doctors made their rounds, they decided that Tabby would recover better at home.  So she got her discharge papers that afternoon and we got ready to leave.

Frank and the boys came to pick us up and off we went.  After a nap and supper, Tabby began to perk up a little.

The kids all finished one of their antibiotics today.  They will be on the other for several more days.  (I'm stuffing as many probiotics and yogurt into them as they will let me to help their upset from the antibiotics tummies.)  And the boys are continuing to use the nebulizer some.

Hunter and Solomon are doing much better.  They still tire easier than normal and still cough.  But they are much more active.  Tabby is having a good day resting on the couch and eating huge meals.  She has a lot of weight to gain back.  Her lungs still hurt, but not as terribly as they did.

We can not do nebulizer treatments around here without thinking of Lilly.  It makes me smile.  She had high opinions about that nebulizer and thought they were most annoying!

 

Solomon and I just loaded the above grumpy Lilly pictures.  We did find another one where she looked pretty calm that he wanted me to post:

What a wild ride January has been so far.  Good thing I didn't make any new years resolutions or goals to accomplish in January because the month is almost over.  We will continue to take it slow and encourage complete recovery around here for a bit.

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." - Lamentations 3:22-23

Of flu and washing machines

We've been hit by the all nasty flu bug here.  As it has made its slow torturous way through the ranks, we've been "enjoying" it's visit for over a week now.  Thankfully Mamma (me) only had the really bad part for 4 days.  So hard to take care of the littles when Mamma is down and out.

sick kid pile up aka tic-tac-toe 3 sick kids in a row

It seems the boys just had a cough - which I've now dubbed "The Cough" because of how violent it is, at first.  Then I got The Cough with the flu followed by Tabby the next day.  Then the boys joined us in flu land.  (I think Frank has only had The Cough - which has lasted over a month for him.)

On a positive note, we've gotten lots of reading done.  In between coughing fits, I've read most of By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the boys.  Hunter has also immersed himself in wiring and plumbing books in between naps.  Solomon has wanted to mainly sit in my lap.

Tuesday the scene was still:

But yesterday we had progress!  We had a whole day with no fevers.  And ... Hunter felt well enough to convert an old toolbox into a pump.  Solomon actually had a terrible day but he is much better today. 

Still, we're moving more slowly than normal and having to take lots of breaks.  And I've got to get more food into Tabby - she's lost 10 lbs. and sure didn't need to.

It's a good think I didn't have a bunch of New Year's resolutions planned or I would have been crushed as it feels like the month is almost over and I have nothing productive to show for it.

I've taken over animal care while Tabby has been sick.  It's really quite nice being out in the early morning, in the quiet, breathing the fresh air and seeing the sun coming up.

Last week I was so surprised to see that the daffodils were coming up already!  This is pretty early but the weather has been bizarre this winter.  Really warm temps alternating with really cold temps.  Our camellias have hardly bloomed because of the warmer weather and now the daffodils think they are supposed to start.

Back to the flu, I've been treating us with mostly natural remedies.  Started out with Elderberry syrup.  (See my post last year on this wonderful syrup.)  And lots of vitamin C.  The syrup usually knocks anything right out.  But not this time ...

I remembered when we had swine flu 2 years ago, my friend that was staying with us had made a garlic salve - something she called "GOOT."  (Imagine 6 kids all lying sick across the living room and 2 mammas trying to take care of them while alternating being sick themselves.)  Garlic has been shown scientifically to kill influenza viruses.  It boosts the immune system and fights complications like bronchitis. 

I couldn't remember C's exact recipe so I got out one of my most useful books:  Be Your Own "Doctor" by Rachel Weaver.  The author says garlic salve can clear up coughs, colds, and even pneumonia and RSV!   Here is my summary of the author's garlic salve recipe (p. 94):

Blend at high speed in your blender:  1/3 cup coconut oil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 8 cloves peeled garlic, and 5 drops of lavender essential oil.  Then strain through sieve.  Store in refrigerator.

Put on the bottoms of your feet at least 4 times a day.  (Pull socks on so that you don't slip and fall all over the place!)  It will work even faster if you put it on your chest and back.  Frank did this and it knocked the worst of his cough out in less than a day!

The children seem to be "cursed" with my ultra sensitive nose though, and we simply couldn't tolerate the garlic salve on anything but our feet.

Since we chickened out about using the garlic salve on our chests, we used Beeyoutiful's Winter Breeze Vapor Rub, which I think smells wonderful, on our chests and necks.

I have a cool mist diffuser that I have been running an essential oil blend called RC by Young Living along with lavender essential oil (for respiratory).  I alternate that with Young Living Thieves essential oil (for germ killing).

When Frank felt he was relapsing, I gave him a tincture by Mountain Meadow Herbs called Olive Leaf Extract.  This is a really good immune booster.  He thought it helped a lot.

The kids and I are also on heavy rounds of Sovereign Silver which is a natural antibiotic.  I even read that you can use a little in a nebulizer to treat breathing issues.  I almost had to use this with Tabby.  But she ended up being OK with a mix of almond oil with lavender essential oil rubbed on her neck/throat.

Finally, apple cider vinegar (with the mother - like Braggs brand) is great for fighting the germs/detoxing the system.  Tabby likes her's in tea form:  8 oz. hot water, 1-2 tbls. apple cider vinegar, and honey to taste.  I've been drinking the Trim Healthy Mama's "Good Girl Moonshine" which has it in it, along with ginger which is also helpful, so I just keep drinking that.  (I did have to cut the ginger in half though, because I felt it was making me cough more.)

We've done some other things too, but I think that's enough of that stuff for this post.

the goats waiting to be fed and milked

On another note, on December 20 our new-only-2-months-old washing machine stopped working!  Oh how disappointing!  And here it is ... January 14 and it STILL NOT WORKING.

Briefly - it is a Samsung front loading washing machine.  (When working, I love it.)  But because it's under warranty, we decided to follow up with customer service to get it fixed.  It has been about impossible to get anyone out here to fix it.  One repair company said they could come January 21.  (Which back in December that seemed really far away.)  The other repair company that Samsung referred us to insists that we are not in their service area.  Samsung insists that we are.  How about a duel to decide?

Finally Samsung decided to just get Lowes to bring out a replacement washing machine and take the broken one.  Well of course that takes processing and whatever else. (Papers must sit on people's desk for long periods of time I assume.)  Samsung should finish their part by the end of this week.  Then Lowes has 5 days next week to get the washing machine to us.

Painfully long agonizing lesson learned:  do not buy ANY brand of appliance unless you know for sure that it is pretty easy to get quick warranty service in that area!

Thankfully we've got a laundromat about 10 minutes away which we've gotten to know way too well.  Because we have a ton of laundry - especially with the flu.  Frank's been having to stop after work to do it.  (Just for the washing machine - our dryer still works so we can do that part at home.)

Right before I got sick, the boys and I enjoyed a field trip to the laundromat.  We were the only ones there so Hunter had plenty of time and space to thoroughly study all the machines.  (He's loved washing machines since he was only a few months old.)

Sure hope the broken washing machine - and all traces of illness - both leave this house asap!

Solomon's pathology results

I took Solomon to the doctor (his surgeon) this morning and he got all 7 stitches removed from his cheek.  I must say he was very brave!  It was obvious that some of the stitches were hurting as they came out, but he screwed his eyes up tight and kept silent.  The doctor marveled he had never had a young child handle that procedure without crying before.  Yay Solomon!  A stoic warrior in the making!

The pathology report came back and nothing malignant was found, thank God.  The cyst was a "ruptured cyst" which is explains the second cyst that was found.  The doctor hopes that he removed everything and there was nothing he couldn't see that had spread, so that Solomon doesn't have to go through this again.

Healing should take about 6 months and Solomon will have a very cool/tough looking little scar.  He can said it's from when he was a pirate doing all that sword fighting!  (He's actually quite vicious with a play sword.) 

The doctor told me to be sure to put sunscreen on the area, before Solomon goes outside.  Because the UV rays can slow healing and make the scar more pronounced. 

Solomon has a little bandage on his face now, but after it comes off, we don't need to put anything back on.  He has a follow up appointment in 6 weeks, but the doctor said that if the area looked really good, then I could just cancel the appointment.

So ... now back to our regularly scheduled program ...  (Hahahaha - and what would that be?!  Life is a roller coaster for sure ...)

The Eye of Tabby - Photography for the week of December 27

Happy new year!  Here are Tabby's photos for the week.  The fire one is my favorite - especially right now because it's so chilly!  I also really like #5 - the one with the tree and all the fog.  (She took that at my mother-in-laws house.)