Raising Chickens and Special Needs Kids

[Blooie]

I sure like Richard!!

 

[3goodeggs]

Cynthia, I still refer to my boy as 'kid' and then catch myself and refer to him as a 'young man', but my mother in law still calls her son 'A good kid"
so I think you are in good company with a good 'kid'.
He is your kid, so I think it is allowable.

 

[TexasLisa]

I believe (hope) that is normal. There are 7 of us in my family. The two youngest were boys. The rest of us still call them the 'little boys' even though they are in their 50's!! You just say it without thinking....

 

[sourland]

The plain and simple fact is that 'kids' get older all of the time - trust me on that.

 

[donrae]

Oh goodness, look at how long Kendra's hair is getting! I didn't notice that in the other pics.

Eggsy--I consider myself an optimist, but I love this quote "I'd rather be a disappointed pessimist than a horrified optimist". Sounds like you and your Honey, no?

 

[Blooie]

Back from almost 2 weeks vacation and I'm glad to be home - I'm tired!

When we were driving up from Cheyenne, north on interstate 25, the kids were headed down to Denver, south on I-25. As it turned out we'd be in Douglas about the same time, so we hooked up for lunch. Worked out perfectly - they got there about 5 minutes before we did! We didn't tell Katie, though. Wanted to surprise her. She hadn't seen her mom, dad, and Kendra for that whole 2 weeks. So we walked into McDonald's in Douglas and she saw her dad first. She stopped, cocked her head to one side, then took off running to him. It was so cool! Kendra was in her wheelchair flapping her arms like a 2 week old chick and squealing, "Sissy, Sissy!" Yeah, it was really fun!



On Monday Kendra had her 3 week post-op visit. The doctor took out the indwelling catheter, then showed the kids how to cath her using the Mitrofanoff. The Foley came out, then he slipped in the same size catheter. He pulled it out and then had Jenny do it. She said it slid right in, just slick as you please, and she raved about how easy it was going to be to cath Kendra that way. Since now Kendra has to be cathed every 3 hours like clockwork, easy is GOOD.

But it didn't go so well back in the hotel room when Jenny had to do the first one alone. Kendra screamed and cried, and Jenny could NOT get the catheter in. Kenny tried, and he couldn't either. So Jen cathed her the old way, figuring Kendra was just sensitive because of the site being messed with. Three hours passed, and the next attempt was no better than the first. So she called the hospital and left a message. She was so upset. She told me that they'd put Kendra through all of this, and then she somehow messed it up. She left another message at 8 that evening.

The next morning they were supposed to be on their way home, but instead they checked out of the hotel and headed straight for the hospital. Kenny said they weren't coming home until this issue was fixed. As they were driving to the hospital, Kendra's doctor called and asked if they could bring Kendra right in. Jenny told her they were already on their way, and when they got there the doctor was leaning against the reception desk waiting for them. They took Kendra right back, and the doctor couldn't get the catheter in either. By now, of course, Kendra was OVER this entire adventure.

Finally the decision was made to get the Foley indwelling back in. Doctor said this happens with about 1 out of a 100 kids. What happened was that when they first took out the Foley, they immediately slipped the same size catheter in to show Jenny how it works. Then Jenny used the same sized catheter and tried it herself. However, in the 3 hours from the time they left that first appointment until it was time for Jen to do the first one unassisted, swelling set in. So the size 12 catheter couldn't be forced in. Jen even tried a size 10, then a size 8, out of the sample pack they gave her, but none of them worked. After a little effort, with Kendra screaming and thrashing the whole time, the got the size 12 Foley in. She's not connected to the bag again, though - this cath has a cap on it and it just sorta hangs out of her belly button. There's a small balloon on the end that's filled with saline to keep it from pulling out. So she's not tethered to her wheelchair anymore.

In two weeks Jenny is to call the doctor, and they'll walk her through drawing the fluid out of the balloon and slipping the Foley out. At that point, after a little more healing time, we should be able to pull the Foley out and go back to using the Mitrofanoff as it was intended. They'll walk Jenny through taking out the Foley over the phone.

That's where we stand right now.

 

[TexasLisa]

WELCOME HOME BLOOIE!

Thank you for the update on Kendra. Kendra, Jenny, and Kenny must have nerves of steel! Poor little thing!

Praying Kendra continues to heal.

 

[Cynthia12]

I remember taking my daughter in for an X-ray..they needed to cath her for it. The nurse couldn't do it. I said, here, let me. Now mind you, I had been cathing a boy, but I knew I could do this. I told her, there will be a bump, then you gently push it in further. In it went. She was glad I could do it.
I don't recall Richard having a lot of swelling after having had a Foley in for a long period of time. Poor Kendra. If the doc couldn't get it in, it had to be pretty swollen. What these kids have to go through. :/ Hope things go better next time around. Precious little ones.

 

[Kiki]

Thanks for the update!!

 

[Jessimom]

Thanks for the update Blooie!! Welcome back! I am SO sorry about being "lucky" enough to be 1 in 100. That is great in a lottery, not so much when it's in regards to side effects. I'm glad there is a work around until things settle down.

The surprise meeting sounds so exciting. I"m glad that worked out!!!

I hope that the worst is behind, and that Kendra has an easy road ahead.