Family Update: Another ER Visit and A Different Diagnosis

Some people know what's been going on with us lately, some know only parts, and others probably have just wondered why I've been a bit absent lately on the blog and other social media (and I apologize for any non-answered emails). I figured an update here was appropriate and I could then easily share the story with anyone who has been wondering about us.

The short story is that after two trips to the ER and one hospital stay in a month, we have a child with asthma. That doesn't really explain a whole lot, so here's the longer version.

In mid-July Peter started not feeling well and we ended up at a doctor appointment, then the ER, and then admitted to the hospital. I mentioned this in a 7 Quick Takes post shortly after it all happened. you can read about it in Take #6 on this post HERE.

So the diagnosis then was pneumonia. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.

Fast forward to August 17, almost exactly one month from his hospital stay, and his breathing seemed very labored again. He woke up that morning seeming a little off, so we gave him an albuterol treatment (the nebulizer) before leaving for Mass that morning. By the time we got home he was sounding bad again, so we did another one. But his breathing wasn't improving much and he was starting to get that grunting sound back. So I called the Twilight Clinic to find out if we should bother with them or go straight to the ER (told them we had dealt with this the month previous) and they said go to the ER. So, Hubby and Peter headed out. It was probably around 1:30, maybe 2:00, that afternoon.

I got updates from Hubby here and there and it sounded like Peter was responding well to some breathing treatments. It was looking like he was going to be sent home. During one of our phone conversations was when I first heard mention of possible asthma. Eventually I heard around 8 that evening that they were going to be sent home. They pulled in around 10:30 and I told Peter I'd get him anything he wanted for dinner. He chose yogurt, applesauce, and cinnamon-sugar toast, so that's what he got.

That was a Sunday. I made a follow-up with the pediatrician for Tuesday where we discussed asthma some, did some more nebulizer treatments, and got a new prescription to fill (someone in the ER didn't write one of the prescriptions they gave us correctly and I thought it looked odd when I got it filled so I waited until we saw the pediatrician and she agreed with me). We were also given an appointment for Thursday with the Pediatric Pulmonology Department.

As a side note, I went to the pharmacy on that Sunday to fill a prescription I had from July for more albuterol. I ended up getting the big box which was HUGE! 60 vials huge!! Then I went back on Monday with the two prescriptions from the ER. I went again on Tuesday with the prescription I got from the pediatrician and then again on Thursday (drop off) and Friday (pick up). I've spent a lot of money there recently. AND ... I now recognize the pharmacy's phone number on my phone when I get the automated "your prescriptions are ready" call. Hopefully we are done for a while.

Thursday's Pulmonology appointment was really good. The doctor was very nice and took time with me. We discussed asthma, what it means, a plan for treatment, allergies, and his nurse went over the treatment plan in detail with me as well. Plus they gave me a bunch of information to read. And we go back in three months for a follow-up.

So for now, we have an inhaler that he uses every four hours (albuterol, and I can use either the inhaler or the nebulizer; same medication, just different methods of distribution). Then he has a second inhaler that contains a steroid that is used twice a day, morning and night. Currently we are supposed to do 4 puffs of that one and then wean him down to two. He was on a prednisone for four days which we just finished up on Saturday. And finally he has some Singulair he takes just before bed.

I was taking in so much information this past week that I was starting to feel overwhelmed. It's hard enough to get things done on the weekends and also spend time with my kids without running a bunch more errands and trying to clean the house from top to bottom. I went to work on Thursday afternoon and just could not concentrate! So I made a very last minute decision on Friday morning and took a vacation day. I went and bought impermeable mattress and pillow case encasements for the boys' room, I washed all the sheets from their room (and Silas' room), dusted the furniture, and vacuumed everything, including moving the bed to get under it. I got the encasements all on and remade beds. I haven't yet done much else in the rest of the house, but luckily we had recently had guests so I had cleaned most of the house earlier in the week.

Now I just have to plan to actually change sheets once a week and figure out how to vacuum twice a week. I can vacuum and dust once over the weekend, but how in the world I'm going to find a way to do it once during the week is beyond me. Especially since Peter can not be in the room that is being vacuumed and he can't go into the room for 30 minutes after it is vacuumed. Normally we have about two hours between when we get home and when we start getting kids to bed, and those two hours are pretty packed.

There are a number of other things I hope to do and a few things that won't be happening (like replacing carpet with flooring or switching out our furniture, just can't do those things right now). But I need to get rid of some curtains that we have left hanging up from the previous owners of the house (which won't be sad at all, there are some horribly ugly curtains in our family room that I've been dying to get rid of) and I want to try and wash as many parts of the couches as I can. I've toyed with the idea of getting a cleaning service, even just once a year to do things like blinds and ceiling fans and all those things that are a pain and don't necessarily need to be done frequently, but now I'm seriously considering it. It'd be nice to know that we can get a good deep clean 1-2 times a year while I handle regular maintenance as much as possible.

I'm sure we'll be learning a lot more about asthma and allergies and who knows what as we go forward in the months and years to come. For now, Peter is doing great! He's running around, playing with his brothers, getting into trouble, and just being 3 years old. His breathing is excellent at the moment, I have't heard much coughing at all and definitely no grunting. So we're pleased.

Only thing we need now is tips on how to teach a 3 year old to take a sip of water, keep it in his mouth, swish it around, and spit it out. He needs to do this after the steroid inhaler and he doesn't yet get it. It's so hard to explain something that seems to intuitive to us.

If you've read this whole long story, thank you for sticking it out with me. As a reward, I give you a recent testosterone pile:

Yep, that's all four of my boys piled up there.

For Pro-Choicers: What Does the Texas Bill REALLY Say

Courtesy of Designs by Birgit

I want to take a moment to address any pro-choice family, friends or other readers who may stumble across this blog post. I doubt many read my blog due to the pro-life nature of many of my posts, but on the off chance that someone does read this, I want to take a moment to share what the "Abortion Bill" in Texas is really about. I've been trying to read about it on both sides of the issue and I'm amazed at how completely misunderstood this bill is by the main stream media.

Quick Background
In a recent special session of the Texas legislature Senate Bill 5 came up for a vote on June 25, the last day of the session. Sen. Wendy Davis (D) took the day to give an 11 hour filibuster to stop voting on the bill. Voting took place at the last second, unfortunately it was ruled to have taken place just past midnight on June 26. So the vote to pass the bill was declared null. Pro-lifers took the phones and Gov. Perry called for a second special session to begin on July 1. The bill, commonly referred to now as the "abortion bill" will be refiled for this second special session along with other bills that still needed to be discussed, etc. The bill will be filed under a new number (I believe House Bill 2, initially) when the new session starts.

So now we're all up to speed.

The question is, though, what does the bill say?

On the Pro-abortion side, people are saying that this bill will close all abortion facilities in the state of Texas. They claim that this bill is bad for women, takes away their right to abortion and forces women to have babies they do not want.

On the Pro-life side, people are saying that this bill will not close abortion clinics. They claim that the bill is good for women and all who care about the safety and health of women should be in favor of this bill.

So who is right? Why the discrepancy in perspective on this bill?  What does the bill actually SAY?

You can read the complete text of Senate Bill 5 (the one that caused all the ruckus this past Tuesday) here. Remember the bill will get a new number in the new session and there is always the chance of language being changed, edited, amended, etc. during committee hearings. For simplicity sake I will refer to the bill as SB5

My son, Zachary,
born at 22 weeks.

SB5 is intended, first of all, the protect unborn children who are 20 weeks post-fertilization. At this point in pregnancy, medical evidence has shown, a baby can feel pain and therefore is in extreme pain when killed during an abortion procedure. So that's the first part.

While this isn't entirely what the pro-life side would like to see, it is a step in the right direction. A small step.

The second part of SB5 is the requirements for physicians who perform abortions. This is the aspect of the bill, I believe, that is raising the alarm for the pro-choice side. But why?

SECTION 2.  Subchapter A, Chapter 171, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Section 171.0031 to read as follows:

Sec. 171.0031.  REQUIREMENTS OF PHYSICIAN; OFFENSE.  (a)  A physician performing or inducing an abortion:

(1)  must, on the date the abortion is performed, have active admitting privileges at a hospital that:

(A)  is located not further than 30 miles from the location at which the abortion is performed or induced; and

(B)  provides obstetrical or gynecological health care services; and

(2)  shall provide the pregnant woman with:

(A)  a telephone number by which the pregnant woman may reach the physician, or other health care personnel employed by the physician or by the facility at which the abortion was performed with access to the woman's relevant medical records, 24 hours a day to request assistance for any complications that arise from the performance of the abortion or ask health-related questions regarding the abortion; and

(B)  the name and telephone number of the nearest hospital to the home of the pregnant woman at which an emergency arising from the abortion would be treated.

(b)  A physician who violates Subsection (a) commits an offense.  An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine only, not to exceed $4,000. (Senate Bill 5, 2013)

So basically, the physician must be able to go to a local hospital with the patient having the abortion if an emergency arises. This helps doctors at the hospital to better understand the situation (because the abortionist is right there) so they know how to help the woman in distress. The way things are now, if faced with an emergency, the woman goes to a hospital and the doctors have to guess at what may have happened in order to properly treat her. I don't think it is an unreasonable requirement for abortionists. It's a safety measure for the patients.

Secondly the above part of SB5 asks that physicians performing abortions provide a phone number and/or other contact information to the patient in the event that she experiences complications after she has left the facility. Again, I think this is a very reasonable stipulation.

Section 171.063 of the bill reiterates some of the above quoted passage. It also stipulates that the person performing the abortion, dispensing or selling drugs for an abortion, and so forth, be a physician. This is a medical procedure. I don't know about you, but I don't want to undergo any sort of medical procedure without being under the care of a properly licensed, medical physician. Why should abortion be any different?

To quote further from section 171.063:

(d)  The physician who gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes the abortion-inducing drug, or the physician's agent, must schedule a follow-up visit for the woman to occur not more than 14 days after the administration or use of the drug.  At the follow-up visit, the physician must:

(1)  confirm that the pregnancy is completely terminated; and

(2)  assess the degree of bleeding.

(e)  The physician who gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes the abortion-inducing drug, or the physician's agent, shall make a reasonable effort to ensure that the woman returns for the scheduled follow-up visit under Subsection (d).  The physician or the physician's agent shall document a brief description of any effort made to comply with this subsection, including the date, time, and name of the person making the effort, in the woman's medical record.

(f)  If a physician gives, sells, dispenses, administers, provides, or prescribes an abortion-inducing drug to a pregnant woman for the purpose of inducing an abortion as authorized by this section and the physician knows that the woman experiences a serious adverse event, as defined by the MedWatch Reporting System, during or after the administration or use of the drug, the physician shall report the event to the United States Food and Drug Administration through the MedWatch Reporting System not later than the third day after the date the physician learns that the event occurred. (Senate Bill 5, 2013)

Basically a follow-up visit is required and any adverse effects must be reported (as is true with any medical procedure). Again, why is this a problem?

One myth I've seen is that all these requirements will cause abortion clinics to close immediately. This is not true.  Under Section 171.064, Section 4:

(a)  The rules must contain minimum standards to protect the health and safety of a patient of an abortion facility and must contain provisions requiring compliance with the requirements of Subchapter B, Chapter 171.  On and after September 1, 2014, the minimum standards for an abortion facility must be equivalent to the minimum standards adopted under Section 243.010 for ambulatory surgical centers. (Senate Bill 5, 2013)

Abortion clinics are being given a little more than year to come into full compliance with this law. If the bill passes this July, we're looking at about 14 months before these clinics need to be in full compliance by September 1, 2014. Will these provisions close some abortion clinics? Probably yes. Will it close all? Most likely not. Personally, if abortion is going to be available to women, it needs to be as safe as possible for women. These requirements put the regulations of abortion clinics in lines with the "minimum standards adopted ... for ambulatory surgical centers."

Just as with any medical procedure and any medical center, abortion clinics need to be held to the same standards. Otherwise, patient health is put at risk. As pro-choice people, don't you want women to be safe and in the best medical situation possible? That is the real point of this bill.

I will admit, that as a pro-life person I would like to see Roe v. Wade overturned and abortion made illegal in this country. This bill is far from perfect from a pro-life perspective, but it is a step in at least making abortion safer for the women who feel like it is their only option.

Wrapping Up
As a Kentuckian, why am I bothering to get into the details of this bill?? This bill could have a massive effect all across the country. If Texas passes this (and they are expected to) then we can see other states following suit. But they can only be successful if the bill is completely understood. This bill is about making abortion safer for women, not about prohibiting abortion out right.

In a world where "agreeing to disagree" is all the rage, certainly those on both the pro-choice side and the pro-life side of the abortion debate can agree that making abortion conditions safe for women is important. We may disagree on the necessity of abortion or whether or not it should be legal or illegal, but I see no reason why we can't agree that as long as it is available, women should be safe and not have to fear for their lives when they enter an abortion clinic.

For more about this topic and to see how you can get involved in supporting women in Texas, I recommend the post "Protect Babies and Women - Stand with Texas" by Designs by Birgit. She summarizes the bill and the reasoning behind it very succinctly and provides many ways to help and show your support.

I hope that pro-choice women can join with us in passage of this bill, recognizing that this is a way to provide safe conditions in line with all other medical facilities in the state of Texas for the women of Texas. Because women deserve to be cared for in the best possible way.

Note: I apologize if there is any weird formatting in the quoted texts. It was a long process trying to copy and paste from a legislative document, into a separate document, and reformat it to get proper display on this page. Thank you for understanding.

Two Stats at Two

Yesterday was the two year old well-visit for my two two-year-olds. Enough "twos" for you?

I'm pleased to report that the boys are holding steady in the 10th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for length. No wonder I have such a hard time finding pants for them that stay up!! One pieces and overalls are the best!

Despite their position on the percentile charts for weight and length, they still have big heads, comparatively speaking. Both are holding steady in the 75th percentile there. They take after my family in that respect. Not me specifically, but there happen to be a lot of big mouths heads in my family. ;)

One thing Hubby and I have always joked about was our hope that our children all get my eyes (no glasses) and his teeth (no braces). So at their appointment the doctor noted that that the boys didn't have much room in their mouths and some of their teeth looked a little crowded already. I meant to ask if that meant their mouths were on the small side (mine is, I still need the children's bit at the dentist when they do x-rays). But before I could ask she added that their bottom front teeth were turning in a little. I laughed and pointed to mine. "Like this?" I asked her. She laughed and said, "Okay, so we know where they get that from."

Maybe we should start saving up for braces now.

Unfortunately we also learned that our doctor is leaving. Her husband got a job out in the eastern part of the state and apparently both their families live in that area too. So they are moving, she's going to spend some time home with her kids and then maybe find some part-time work once they start going to school. I wish her luck but we'll miss her.

Now I have the unfortunate task of finding a new doctor. I could just stay in the same office and see another pediatrician, but I want to take some time to cover all my options. I've talked to at least one friend who is in the same insurance group I am and I've started polling co-workers. I have a feeling it is going to be a long process. At one point yesterday afternoon I was talking to someone about it and said I had a year before the boys had their next well visit so I had some time, except for sick visits, of course. Later I realized that, no, I had to find someone before Baby comes in December. Duh!!

Yeah, I still forget sometimes. Just smack me over the head every now and then.

Natural Family Planning: Evangelizing to My Doctor

One year and 6 weeks ago

One year ago today I had my 6-week check-up with my doctor following the birth of my two precious babies. Believe it or not, I still remember that appointment.

Just to clarify, I like my doctor a lot, she's super nice and compassionate but also gets down to business. We do chat a little, but not a lot. I feel like she gives me the time I need but she also gets to the point. She's busy, it's a busy practice, but I never feel rushed. Because she also had a baby last year and was on maternity leave and because of the high risk status of my pregnancy I actually did not have her as my doctor for the last three months of my pregnancy and someone else did the delivery. But my doctor did my follow-up appointments.

At that last follow-up I had with her we talked a bit about when I would see her again. "Don't need to come back for another year," was the consensus. But then she added, "unless you get pregnant before then."

She and I have gone round and round on the whole NFP thing. I have issues, I can see it in my chart; someone I know who is a former OB/GYN can also see it in my chart. But my doctor, as much as I like her, has no clue. She obviously puts no stock in using NFP as a way to avoid pregnancy for a period of time.

I know she respects my decision (mine and my husband's) but she doesn't trust it. Which is fine, I'm not asking her to use it and I appreciate that she does respect my choice. I also appreciate that she no longer asks me about birth control. In a city that has very few choices for NFP-friendly doctors and no NFP-only doctors (OB/GYNs, anyway), that's all I want. Respect and no one asking me repeatedly about something I have clearly stated I morally object to, more than once.

I know her final statement was made in light of her distrust of anything NFP. It doesn't bother me (I know it would bother some), it actually kind of makes me laugh. My husband and I have talked about adding to our family, but we have discerned that we need more time; not just because we have twins and that by itself is a lot of work, but also for my health.

Funnily enough, I do need to call and make an appointment since it has been a year now. I have the desire to point out to her that it has been a year and we have successfully avoided conception for now. But I most likely won't do that, probably not polite to do so.

I prefer for her to put the pieces together herself and recognize that maybe, just maybe, there is something to this whole NFP thing. I prefer evangelizing through my actions rather than my words; plant the seeds and let them take root where they may. In this case especially, I can witness to my doctor what using NFP is really like and maybe she'd be more open to it when the next NFP patient comes along.

I can dream!

P.S. Speaking of NFP, NFP Awareness Week is coming up July 22-28. I'm sure many bloggers will be posting NFP-themed posts and I'll probably add my voice to the mix as well. Something to look forward to!