Kaitlynn's swelling has gone down a great deal. To look at her, you may not even know anything has happened - if she doesn't open her mouth. She was starting to have a cough the same day the accident happened, and I figured that the antibiotic for the injury would help keep her from getting any worse.
Over the last couple of days, the cough and congestion have gotten much worse, and this morning her nose was bleeding from all of the pressure.
The oral surgeon's office said that the antibiotic she is on promotes mouth healing, but may not be effective for lung issues. So, I'm taking her (and Evan) to the pediatrician this afternoon. They will probably switch her to something stronger.
Please pray that she will start eating more and that the new treatments won't interfere with the healing in her mouth.
Some of her friends have had the stomach flu this week. Please pray that this does not come her way. I can't imagine what it would be to have her throwing up along with the rest of this! She is to get her stitches out Friday morning, and then hopefully we will know more.
Thanks!
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
October Catch-Up Con't.
Whew...finally getting to the end of October! It seems like it just ended yesterday - I'm not sure how we are into December already!
Our kids were able to spend a long weekend with Grandma and Grandpa Burley in MI. I don't have any pics of their time together, but they had so much fun! Allison was so excited to go...this was her first time to stay there for 4 days without her parents. Since Grandma and Grandpa leave for Florida right after the New Year's reunion, this was the last time the kids would get to do this for awhile!
Greg and I were both plagued with sinus/allergy problems, so we didn't plan an extravagant weekend. We ended up going to Indy (stayed in Carmel), and relaxing for 3 days. We hit a suburban mall, as well as Circle Centre Mall downtown, and did a lot of driving.
The highlight of the trip was an intimate concert at Anderson's Paramount Theatre. It was put on by Woody Wright's Good News Music Radio. Buddy Greene, Reggie & Ladye Love Smith (my favorites), and Russ Taff were all there, and did a Homecoming style performance. We were introduced to two new-to-us artists, and wow...were they amazing!
Rachel West Cramer and Jairo Arvizu are an incredible duo...you can hear them here.
Greg and I were both plagued with sinus/allergy problems, so we didn't plan an extravagant weekend. We ended up going to Indy (stayed in Carmel), and relaxing for 3 days. We hit a suburban mall, as well as Circle Centre Mall downtown, and did a lot of driving.
The highlight of the trip was an intimate concert at Anderson's Paramount Theatre. It was put on by Woody Wright's Good News Music Radio. Buddy Greene, Reggie & Ladye Love Smith (my favorites), and Russ Taff were all there, and did a Homecoming style performance. We were introduced to two new-to-us artists, and wow...were they amazing!
Rachel West Cramer and Jairo Arvizu are an incredible duo...you can hear them here.
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| This was our first time at this theater. It was recently renovated, and is spectacular. Very comfortable seating. |
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| Enchanting... |
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| Russ, Buddy, Reggie, Ladye Love, and Woody |
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| Buddy introduces "Jethro" |
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| This guys is amazing! He can play almost anything... |
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| Vonnie (Gaither) and Woody Wright...they are so in love...it's cute to watch their chemistry and listen to their luv songs. :-) |
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| A great evening spent with my favorite person. Thanks, Greg! |
Monday, December 5, 2011
And Now...
this one has bronchitis,
and this one is down right grumpy!
But she looks like a million bucks compared to last Thursday and Friday! She started eating more soft foods (mashed potatoes, soft egg, etc.) yesterday, but today has been back to almost nothing.
So that's today's report!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Progress
Kaitlynn was still very swollen last night, but had more energy and was able to play for a few minutes before calling it a night. Just as we were going to try to get some sleep, I realized she was spiking temp. It scared me...she dehydrates easily...and although it wasn't super high (101.5) I decided to sleep on couch recliner with her head in my lap. We did the normal things to lower the temp, and were successful.
She had a very fitful night (she tosses, turns, and talks a lot in her sleep anyway), but seemed to relax more toward morning. I went to work for a couple of hours, then came back home to get everyone through the routines (rinses, breathing treatments, antibiotics, etc.). Her swelling had decreased so much in just those two hours! They were all ready to be back at school, and Kaitlynn was ready to see her friends, etc. She gathered some of her toys, blankets, etc. and we went to school. Her friends were so concerned about her and so glad to see her! I heard one little girl say, "Kaitlynn's lucky...she gets Polly Pockets and smoothies!" I laughed and told her that I didn't think she would want to endure everything Kaitlynn had to for a doll and a smoothie. :-)
The nurse called to follow up, and she checked with the dr about her temp. He said it was perfectly normal for that to happen, and to call his cell if anything happens throughout the weekend. Gotta love that kind of customer service!
By the time her daddy came, about three hours later, she was more than ready to get home. I am still at school (just taking a few minutes to be off my feet), and it feels weird not to be by her side, but I know she is ready for "normal," whatever that is/will be.
Thanks so much for all of your prayers. I've had so many asking about her. It's hard to tell it over and over because I'm still emotional, and I always break down somewhere in the conversation. It's just me, and I can't help it. :-)
I hope everyone has a great weekend! We had tentatively planned to attend Jonathon and Jalena's wedding in Noblesville tonight, but the events of the week changed all of that. We wish them all the best as they "tie the knot" here in about an hour! We hope to be able to attend our church Christmas dinner tomorrow evening, and worship with our church family on Sunday!
If there are any changes in Kait's condition over the weekend, I will update. Otherwise, I will try to catch up some of last month's events that haven't been blogged.
Well, I'd better get back to work...
She had a very fitful night (she tosses, turns, and talks a lot in her sleep anyway), but seemed to relax more toward morning. I went to work for a couple of hours, then came back home to get everyone through the routines (rinses, breathing treatments, antibiotics, etc.). Her swelling had decreased so much in just those two hours! They were all ready to be back at school, and Kaitlynn was ready to see her friends, etc. She gathered some of her toys, blankets, etc. and we went to school. Her friends were so concerned about her and so glad to see her! I heard one little girl say, "Kaitlynn's lucky...she gets Polly Pockets and smoothies!" I laughed and told her that I didn't think she would want to endure everything Kaitlynn had to for a doll and a smoothie. :-)
The nurse called to follow up, and she checked with the dr about her temp. He said it was perfectly normal for that to happen, and to call his cell if anything happens throughout the weekend. Gotta love that kind of customer service!
By the time her daddy came, about three hours later, she was more than ready to get home. I am still at school (just taking a few minutes to be off my feet), and it feels weird not to be by her side, but I know she is ready for "normal," whatever that is/will be.
Thanks so much for all of your prayers. I've had so many asking about her. It's hard to tell it over and over because I'm still emotional, and I always break down somewhere in the conversation. It's just me, and I can't help it. :-)
I hope everyone has a great weekend! We had tentatively planned to attend Jonathon and Jalena's wedding in Noblesville tonight, but the events of the week changed all of that. We wish them all the best as they "tie the knot" here in about an hour! We hope to be able to attend our church Christmas dinner tomorrow evening, and worship with our church family on Sunday!
If there are any changes in Kait's condition over the weekend, I will update. Otherwise, I will try to catch up some of last month's events that haven't been blogged.
Well, I'd better get back to work...
TGIF!!!!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
New Information on Kaitlynn...
After a very long day today, we are home and trying to make Kaitlynn comfortable. I didn't include details in the first post because I was in a hurry and using my phone. So, going back to last night...
The accident happened around 5, when all of the dentists are closed, and all I knew to do was take her to the ER. After sitting there for an hour and realizing that no one really knew what to do, I went to the desk to ask if we could leave and follow up with the dentist in the a.m. They said that would be fine, and that they would have a PA take a quick look.
The PA was kind, but there was nothing she could do, so she told us to head on out and not to stop at the desk. This meant that they weren't charging us anything. Whew. It wasn't like they had done anything helpful, but you know how it is with ER bills...
Kait's office called me at about 6:50 this a.m. and wanted us to be in there by 7:40. We left as fast as we could, and were there by 7:30. I was so ready for someone to help us!
It just so happens that Kait's dentist was doing surgeries, and she had to be seen by another dentist. They took a basic x-ray of just the two misplaced teeth, and said we needed to see an oral surgeon. The teeth were only about 2/3 in, so they roots were not totally developed. Small roots don't give them much to work with.
They gave me a list of surgeons, and I had to pick. I felt like I was making such uniformed decisions because I hadn't heard of most of them, and didn't know any of them.
To further complicate things, I found out that our insurance didn't cover any of the O.S.'s in Lima. We would have to travel at least 45 min. It became worse from there...it just so happens that there is a O.S. conference this week and every one I called was out of town!
We found one 45 minutes north of us who was in, but was working out of a satellite office another hour north of that. Having no choice, I took it.
We left her dentist around 9:30 and came home. I did some quick cleaning, and fixed breakfast for the other kids (one still recovering from pneumonia and the other from a head cold).
Kait and I left about 11 to see the O.S. God gave us a safe, comfortable trip, and I'm so thankful for that. I had never been to the town before, and had no difficulty finding the office.
I won't go into the details of my first impressions, etc. When I have more energy, I may post them at Simply Stephanie. It's worth describing, trust me, I'm just tired!
The o.s. had two options, try to save the teeth (he said there was 30% chance it would take) or pull them the rest of the way and be on to a retainer with false teeth until she is developed enough to have implants. I told him I wanted him to give it a shot, and he did.
Because I hadn't looked at the inside of her mouth, I didn't realize what all was going on. When they went in, there was a large flap of skin pushed back on the roof of her mouth. From the front on back. She also fractured the bone in the roof of her mouth. The dr manipulated that bone a bit and stitched the roof of the mouth. Then the took a chain link type material and wrapped the teeth and anchored them to the back teeth that are sturdy. They also removed the baby tooth opposite the one that fell out last night. It was loose, and they needed to get it out of the way.
She had to have 5 shots in the roof of her mouth front top gums and up in toward the nose. The dr told her it would hurt really bad, and that she would have to be strong. Her dentist uses gas, so she has never had to feel an oral injection like that. She cried at the thought of it, and I prayed in her ear and encouraged her to be strong before I left the room.
A couple of times during the procedure, staff members came out and told me that she was amazing...better than some adults they had seen. I know that was God helping her...
Within just over an hour, they were finished, and we were getting instructions before heading home. I picked up her antibiotic in Findlay on the way through, and we pulled into the garage sometime after 5 this evening.
She will be getting her stitches out a week from tomorrow. I assume he will assess her at that time, but I don't know how long they will leave the apparatus on her teeth. We are accepting the fact that the chances of this working are slim, but we are praying that God's will be done. He knows what is best.
In the meantime, if you see her, she might try to hide. I told her that people will probably make comments about it but it won't be in a negative way because people are concerned and are praying for her. So please understand if she doesn't want to talk about it or whatever. It all depends on how she is feeling about it at the moment.
I don't want her to quit smiling. I don't want her to feel ugly. I want her to know nothing has changed about who she is. And that's what matters most.
Thanks for your continued prayers...and I might post a pic tomorrow.
The accident happened around 5, when all of the dentists are closed, and all I knew to do was take her to the ER. After sitting there for an hour and realizing that no one really knew what to do, I went to the desk to ask if we could leave and follow up with the dentist in the a.m. They said that would be fine, and that they would have a PA take a quick look.
The PA was kind, but there was nothing she could do, so she told us to head on out and not to stop at the desk. This meant that they weren't charging us anything. Whew. It wasn't like they had done anything helpful, but you know how it is with ER bills...
Kait's office called me at about 6:50 this a.m. and wanted us to be in there by 7:40. We left as fast as we could, and were there by 7:30. I was so ready for someone to help us!
It just so happens that Kait's dentist was doing surgeries, and she had to be seen by another dentist. They took a basic x-ray of just the two misplaced teeth, and said we needed to see an oral surgeon. The teeth were only about 2/3 in, so they roots were not totally developed. Small roots don't give them much to work with.
They gave me a list of surgeons, and I had to pick. I felt like I was making such uniformed decisions because I hadn't heard of most of them, and didn't know any of them.
To further complicate things, I found out that our insurance didn't cover any of the O.S.'s in Lima. We would have to travel at least 45 min. It became worse from there...it just so happens that there is a O.S. conference this week and every one I called was out of town!
We found one 45 minutes north of us who was in, but was working out of a satellite office another hour north of that. Having no choice, I took it.
We left her dentist around 9:30 and came home. I did some quick cleaning, and fixed breakfast for the other kids (one still recovering from pneumonia and the other from a head cold).
Kait and I left about 11 to see the O.S. God gave us a safe, comfortable trip, and I'm so thankful for that. I had never been to the town before, and had no difficulty finding the office.
I won't go into the details of my first impressions, etc. When I have more energy, I may post them at Simply Stephanie. It's worth describing, trust me, I'm just tired!
The o.s. had two options, try to save the teeth (he said there was 30% chance it would take) or pull them the rest of the way and be on to a retainer with false teeth until she is developed enough to have implants. I told him I wanted him to give it a shot, and he did.
Because I hadn't looked at the inside of her mouth, I didn't realize what all was going on. When they went in, there was a large flap of skin pushed back on the roof of her mouth. From the front on back. She also fractured the bone in the roof of her mouth. The dr manipulated that bone a bit and stitched the roof of the mouth. Then the took a chain link type material and wrapped the teeth and anchored them to the back teeth that are sturdy. They also removed the baby tooth opposite the one that fell out last night. It was loose, and they needed to get it out of the way.
She had to have 5 shots in the roof of her mouth front top gums and up in toward the nose. The dr told her it would hurt really bad, and that she would have to be strong. Her dentist uses gas, so she has never had to feel an oral injection like that. She cried at the thought of it, and I prayed in her ear and encouraged her to be strong before I left the room.
A couple of times during the procedure, staff members came out and told me that she was amazing...better than some adults they had seen. I know that was God helping her...
Within just over an hour, they were finished, and we were getting instructions before heading home. I picked up her antibiotic in Findlay on the way through, and we pulled into the garage sometime after 5 this evening.
She will be getting her stitches out a week from tomorrow. I assume he will assess her at that time, but I don't know how long they will leave the apparatus on her teeth. We are accepting the fact that the chances of this working are slim, but we are praying that God's will be done. He knows what is best.
In the meantime, if you see her, she might try to hide. I told her that people will probably make comments about it but it won't be in a negative way because people are concerned and are praying for her. So please understand if she doesn't want to talk about it or whatever. It all depends on how she is feeling about it at the moment.
I don't want her to quit smiling. I don't want her to feel ugly. I want her to know nothing has changed about who she is. And that's what matters most.
Thanks for your continued prayers...and I might post a pic tomorrow.
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