HSP Updates

Kayanna is still dealing with HSP.  Now, apparently, Sarah is having a flare-up as well.  I am now tracking this on a separate page.  So if you want the latest updates on them and their condition, you can click on the page "Living with HSP" in the right sidebar.

Thanks for your concern and prayers on their behalf.

Kayanna and how everything spiraled from there

This has been a tough week for our family.  About 10 days ago, Kayanna had what looked like a spider bite on her ankle.  We watched it for a few days before taking her to the doctor.  Our preferred pediatrician was out of the office, so we saw her partner.  She looked at the "bite," and then she looked at the rash going up Kayanna's leg.  It was pretty minor, and I thought it was an allergic reaction to the cream she had been putting on her eczema.

"It looks like HSP," she said.  At first I disagreed.  Sunny had HSP (Henoch-Schonlein Purpura) when she was three or four, and the spots looked different than I remembered.  The doctor ordered blood work, so I took Kayanna to the lab and then took her back to school.

On Saturday, she was blessed to go to the Saturday morning session of General Conference with her grandparents.  Upon returning, she complained of pain in her feet, and they were indeed very swollen.  Her rash was worse, too.  At this point, I agreed with the diagnosis.  As the weekend progressed, she could hardly walk on her feet, and she spent much time doubled up with stomach pain.

Tuesday Ben took her back to the doctor.  Her kidneys are now affected, and they seriously considered admitting her to the hospital.  She was allowed to come home, however, provided she can continue to eat and drink enough to stay hydrated.  She was also prescribed some pain meds.  With HSP, all they can really do is support care.  Nothing can be done to shorten the duration or reduce the severity of the symptoms.  (More about HSP here, if you're curious.)  I took her to Primary Children's  Outpatient today for more lab tests.

It's so hard to watch a child in so much pain and feel so powerless to help.

Having a very sick child makes even normal life stresses tougher, but this is where it gets even more crazy.  On Monday, I picked up the younger children from the bus.  They have complained of bullying on the bus in the past, but it escalated to new levels on Monday.  Things were bad enough that we submitted a written complaint to the principal and the transportation department.  On Tuesday, they contacted us, and changes are being implemented to improve the situation.  I'm glad they took it seriously!

On Tuesday, a small thing happened.  By itself, it's not huge, but it made me laugh because it was just one more thing--Sunny called from school to say her glasses were broken.  I told her to sit in the front and we'd fix them later.  After we found out Kayanna would not be admitted to the hospital, I did take Sunny in to get them fixed.

Today (Wednesday) I found chicken feathers outside our back door.  Apparently raccoons or something caught our chicken, Merida, last night.  Sunny was quite devastated.  I'm annoyed and frustrated (especially at the timing), but at least I can now get rid of our ramshackle chicken coop.  I'd like chickens again sometime, but only if we can have a better coop.

And remember, through all of this I still have a broken foot.  I have been relying tons on Kayanna's help around the house.  Oh, and Ben left on an overnight business trip this morning.  Molly, for whom everything is going very well, joked this morning that because things are going well for her, things no longer are going well because she is now the most able-bodied big person in the house until Ben gets home.

Through all of this, I am so grateful for my wonderful family and their support.  How blessed we are that we have not had chronic illness or disability among our children.  How blessed we are that I have very flexible work that enables me to be with Kayanna as much as she needs me.  Ben can also work from home much of the time, so if I do have an appointment, he can be here with her. (Well, unless he's out of town, of course.)

I'll try to keep things updated on Kayanna's condition.

Flanders Fields--The German Trenches

We have been back in Utah for over a month, but there are still just a few Belgian adventures to blog about.

Today our post is another visit to a historical site.  100 years ago, World War I was being fought in trenches up and down Belgium.  We had the opportunity to visit a German trench.  This trench was originally filled in, but one day, a farmer found the ruins in his field and worked to excavate and restore them.

There were poppies everywhere in June.  These were in the median as we drove to
the trenches.  The poppies are still a symbol of the sacrifices of the Great War.

Sarah and Robin in the trenches.  Notice how my head comes up over the top.
To stay out of sight, a soldier my height would have to crouch through this portion of the trench.

Kayanna

This is inside a bunker.  The Germans specifically designed their bunkers to be
uncomfortably short.  The soldiers only sheltered in them occasionally.  The Allied bunkers
were generally higher and could be used as offices and places of respite.  This bunker could hold
about 10 men, if I remember right.

Ben and Abraham

As you can see, this was a lovely sunny day in June.  In Belgium, it was rarely super warm.  Even on this lovely day, the ground was damp and marshy in the trenches.  The wooden planks on the bottom would have helped little to keep feet dry on a rainy winter day.  What horrific conditions the soldiers had to put up with!

La Roche-en-Ardenne Castle

On Saturday the 23 of May, after Robin and I went to the American Cemetery for the ceremony of the previous post, we gathered the children together, ignoring their grumbling that we were taking them to some other dumb place. We took them to a ruined castle at Roche en Ardenne. This Castle had quite a few intact sections. We enjoyed the awesome falconry show that they had there. Everyone did have a lot of fun. The kids grumble that we roust them from the house, but always have fun when we do it. Why the complaining?

The girls at the entrance to the castle

The boys up on a defensive wall, ready to defend the castle.

Ben and the kids down in the lower courtyard where the craftspeople worked.

The whole family

View from the castle across the church and river. A wonderful view of the valley. We noticed that the windows on this church were all new. (Not the pictorial stained glass we see in other churches of it's age)  It is likely that this town saw heavy fighting during WWII. It was recaptured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.

The view from across the valley up to the castle.

Memorial Day Ceremony at the Cemetery des Ardennes

I love Memorial Day!  In Utah, we have a big family picnic and party.  As a kid, I anticipated it almost as much as Christmas.  This year it was special in a very different way.

As I have mentioned before, we live rather close to an American Cemetery where lie many of the fallen from World War II.  At 1000 hours on the Saturday before Memorial Day, Ben and I went to the memorial ceremony.  The kids had gone to the ceremony for Veteran's Day, and they didn't want to go to another one.  (Also, we overslept a little and would have had a hard time getting all five kids out the door on time!)  At the cemetery, we ran into the senior missionary couple here in Liège and sat with them.

This ceremony was very well-attended!  There were lots of chairs and visiting dignitaries, including a representative of the King of the Belgians.

For me, the most moving moments were National Anthem.  School children from Rotheux, where the kids would have gone to school, sang the anthems of both Belgium and the United States.  At the end, the American band played the National Anthem again.  Hearing that music while looking over the crosses and stars of the cemetery was an experience I cannot describe and never want to forget.  Hearing Belgian children honor Americans who died for their freedom was powerful, too.  I wish the girls could have come, but I was glad that I could concentrate and appreciate the event without wrangling the boys.

Lots of Belgian flags.  In front, there are school children from Rotheux,
the larger town near us.

Beautiful wreaths, American military band, and Belgian soldiers

In the back, you can see some of the veterans who came

The band was very good.

Ben and Robin after the ceremony

In other news, we are now counting down the days until we return to Utah.  We have just over 2 weeks!