Who Broke the Mirror?? (Part 3)

Ok, so I had to finish this series. I couldn't wait much longer to tell my fabulous story of how I hurt my knee and to find the silver lining.  If you haven't been reading along...be sure to catch up on part 1 and part 2.

I was a little wordy with my last post so I left out the silver lining I found with the boys being sick. Even though sicknesses are not fun, we got to take a break from the daily grind and just hang out together.  I spent a lot of one on one time with both boys cuddled on the couch watching Camp Rock and Toy Story more times that I can count!  But I loved it.  There were frustrating times where they wouldn't take their medicine but after a time out for both of us, they would.  And then there was the constant need for only their mom which was very taxing on me but now looking back, there will not be many years left for that. So I  will stop and cherish every cry for "Momma" from now on and all the outreached arms screaming pick me up and remember that my boys will be grown before I know it.

My knee accident comes 1 day after Pearson's pneumonia diagnosis - like we needed more drama. I really wish I had this fabulous story about how I was training for my first marathon (yet I don't even run even though ironically we were looking at treadmills just days before this accident!) or how I was climbing Mt. Everest (yeah, not even) when I hurt my knee.  Something totally fabulous but no, just quite the opposite - the dog did it.  Yes, Lucy our 8-month old Golden Retriever took me out.  She was playing with a neighbor's dog and was just running full throttle when she hit me at my knee on the outside.  I felt a pop and then it went back in and I fell to the ground, holding Pearson (he never touched the ground - that could be the fabulous part!) Luckily my neighbor was with me and she helped me get everyone inside including myself. She was also able to get me a quick appointment for the next day with a wonderful orthopedist.

The diagnosis - sprained/torn MCL.  The best ligament in your knee to mess up if you are going to mess one up.  So I had that going for me. However the treatment was to take it easy for 2 weeks and see him back in a month.  I will admit I had a slight smile as I visioned laying around for the next 2 weeks while everyone waited on me for a change.  That vision was rudely interrupted when Dave told me he would be going back to work that afternoon - ahh reality - I'm a stay at home mom with 2 young kids and 2 crazy dogs - there is no laying around for anyone, much less me.  But over the last week, we've made it work.

So the silver lining in this is God has a funny way of making sure we take care of ourselves too.  I was forced to slow down and rely on friends and family to help me.  And boy do I have some great friends and family members!  I didn't even have to ask for help. They were all there waiting.  Words can't tell you how thankful I am for all of them.  Dave has been awesome.  He has really made sure I take it easy as much as possible and Owen has been a tremendous help.  He's been going up and down the stairs to get things for me a lot and helping with Pearson a lot too.   1 more week of taking it easy and I should be walking less like Frankenstein!

Who Broke the Mirror?? (Part 2)

So if you didn't read part 1, be sure to check that post out first.  And now for the exciting part 2....While we were with Bill at the hospital, Dave got a voicemail from Owen.  It said, "Momma, I think I need to go to the doctor. I have a cough. Call me back. Bye."  I'm used to Owen's dramatic take on things so I didn't think much about it.  But Dave was pretty worried. So I called mom who was watching the boys (don't know what I would do without her help!) and asked what Owen's message was all about and sure enough, he was coughing pretty bad and running a low grade fever.  I told her to just keep him home from school and we would be home later that afternoon.  That was on a Wednesday.  Thursday we decided to take him to the doctor and they determined he had a virus (I pretty much knew that since many of the other preschool friends had that too.) and they sent us home with instructions that pretty much went like this...."tylenol, nose spray, motrin, nose spray, tylenol, nose spray..." you get the drift.  We did that the rest of the week and all into the weekend.  Meanwhile, Pearson started showing the same symptoms over the weekend and we performed the same protocol with him too.  By Sunday, all I knew was tylenol, nose spray, motrin.  I had to write it all down to keep up with who got what when!

Neither boy was getting better so on Monday I decided to take both boys to the doctor.  Turns out Owen had a double ear infection and the doctor ordered the good old "pink medicine" for him and Pearson had well, a virus!  Owen was feeling much better by Wednesday and was back at school. Pearson was alot worse.  You could look at him and you knew he didn't feel good - so off to the doctor.  Diagnosis - pneumonia.  I had a mommie's intuition that that was what it was.  I had gone through so many different sicknesses with Owen and none of them fit Pearson at that moment. So pneumonia was completely new and we had just dealt with Dave's step-mom being in the hospitial on a ventilator for pneumonia and the flu.  So needless to say, we were stressing.  But our wonderful pediatrician gave Pearson a strong antibiotic shot and a breathing treatment using an inhaler.  We were to continue at home with the inhaler along with another antibiotic and motrin for fever.  Thursday he was feeling a little better and I wasn't totally convinced he was on the mend but I just kept him relaxing (watched Toy Story 3 about 4 times in one day - please don't judge my use of TV!) and doped up on his medicine.  He perked up that afternoon.   Thank GOODNESS!! We are still on antibiotics for both boys but my little white basket full of medicines has been retired to the medicine closet and now I can think beyond tylenol, nose spray, motrin! So Thursday was looking like the black cloud was lifting from the Yates household...and then it happened....

Who Broke the Mirror?? (Part 1)

So I have resisted blogging for the fear of totally sounding like "Debbie Downer." However, I'm going to blog and find the silver lining in everything.  The Yates family has had a lot going on. I mean, when it rains, it pours.  I believe we have had 7 years of bad luck within the last 2 weeks.  But seriously, being the firm believer in Christ that I am, I know that God has had his hand in all of this and is helping us grow in ways that we may never know.  I also remind myself during situations like this that he never gives us more than we can handle. 

So to start off - my stepmother-in-law Donna was hospitalized 2 weeks ago on a Friday.  Having previously gone to the doctor for a sinus infection earlier that week, they thought she had just became dehydrated and was having problems with her blood pressure. So they sent her to the ER.  Little did we know what was really going on.  The first diagnosis was septic shock and pneumonia.  She was treated with several antibiotics but they weren't working effectively.  Dave and I got down to Morehead City on Monday afternoon. After several scares over the course of the next couple of days, we found out she had H1N1 which turned into pneumonia and then lead to the septic shock.  They placed her on a ventilator.  Dave's dad and I battled to have her moved to a larger hospital in hopes that more specialists would help her get better faster and finally a fabulous doctor came on board and really helped us get her moved.  He was like an angel. He was very thorough and made everything better, especially since he reminded me of Matthew McConaughey!!   She got moved to Wilmington and Dave and I decided she was stable enough so we came home.  They had predicted she would be on the ventilator for at least 2 weeks.  Over the course of the week, she got stronger and stronger and really surprised the doctors. She was able to come off the ventilator after only 6 days.  And came home 1 day shy of being in the hospital 2 weeks.  She's doing great now. What a miracle!!  

So where is the silver lining in all this??  Well I feel that God brought me closer to this side of the family.  I really was able to spend alot of time with Donna's daughter Angie as well as Dave's dad Bill.  I also was given strength that I didn't know I had.  I was constantly in contact with all the doctors and nurses and asked lots of questions.  I fully believe the knowledgable questions I was able to ask could only have came from God.  The family was struggling with everything so God had me there to be there for them and ask tons of questions.  We prayed a lot together and even with the "angel" doctor and had lots of people praying for her all around as well.  I truly believe it was a miracle through God that she is here today and got better as fast as she did. 

Stay tuned for Part II ......