No more homebound instruction

Today Sarah was "released" from the hospital homebound program. Why? Two reasons: first, she actually tried to go to school for a couple of days but couldn't last more than a couple of hours; second, they need a new doctor's note saying how long this is expected to go on to renew for the program. Well, duh, they tell us HSP lasts 4-6 weeks and it's already been 8! We have no idea how long it will go on!!! I'm thinking I'll just have to pull her out of school now until she's better and do homeschool or something online. This program seemed so great at first, but now I'm pretty annoyed with it. And HSP. Definitely annoyed with HSP. It's so hard to see her in so much pain every day.

Roller coaster

I just have to post and say I'm sick of this roller coaster ride. I took Sunny to school to see her teacher for a few minutes this afternoon. She was so pitifully happy to see her and the few classmates that were there. She hasn't been back to school since Christmas break. Can't wait for this to be over...for a while, at least. We're really hoping she can feel well enough to go to the Valentine's party on Friday.

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!