Doug and Isaac have both contracted the same bug I have.
Ike's fever was well over 103* last night.
We'd really appreciate your prayers for all of us.
If Ike gets sicker and needs to go to the doctor, AND if Doug is too sick to take him (which is not the case right now, praise the Lord!), we would be in real trouble! I cannot lift Isaac or his wheelchair!
So thanks for praying for us, especially for both of them. We really need it! 😉
Alesha
If you have decided to give to the relief effort in Japan, I would like to recommend my friend Laura's blog. If you send supplies to Laura and Jerry, I personally GUARANTEE you the supplies will get to the people who were hardest hit by this tragedy. The best part is that along with the supplies, they will be taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of Japan, as well!
I will be getting detailed instructions from Laura, probably this evening when she wakes up (they are sleeping right now – it is already Saturday night there.) :) So if you have any questions, let me know, and I will do my best to find out the answers for you.
Some things seem really important to me today:
Yeah…I have caught a cold or a sinus infection or something! I woke up hardly able to swallow. That has gotten better as I have been on fluids this morning, and so I will keep hydrating and hope that helps.
My special honey/vinegar drink is fabulous for a sore throat. Here's the recipe:
Mix that all together and sip on it through the day. It tastes great and makes a sore throat feel so much better.
Our choir cantata is on Sunday night. I would really love to feel all better by then. 🙂
If you think to pray for me, thank you!
Alesha
Hmph!
I did not do much "managing" yesterday…the day sort of just ran away from me!
And it was Monday…
All. Day. Long.
(Eventually I headed to bed – out of sheer self-preservation.)
~~~~~
Today is looking a little better.
I am hopeful, any way! 🙂
~~~~~
I would appreciate your prayers: yesterday, our truck died. My dad tried to resurrect it, but was unsuccessful. Today it was towed to Johnny's Automotive and Tire Service where we are hoping they can perform their usual miracles.
The real issue at hand, though, is that we are in need of a "new" vehicle. Isaac is almost too big for Doug to get him into his special carseat in the backseat of our Explorer. He's just so long now, and of course, can't help with the process at all.
We could use a vehicle that we can roll Isaac's wheelchair up into, with him safely strapped in the chair. That would be a real blessing to us.
We have felt for months now that our getting a new vehicle was a true "need." However, since God has promised to supply our needs, and He has not yet supplied a new vehicle, I guess it really isn't a true need…Yet!
However, since the towtruck arrived this morning to take Bessie to the truck hospital, I do believe that day is fast approaching!
If you think of it, we would really appreciate your prayers for a vehicle for Isaac.
Blessings to you today,
Alesha
P.S. It is super cold here today! We actually had to bring in the plants last night, so they wouldn't freeze! It actually feels like Christmas outside! Yay!
We've had a sick little boy at our house since last Friday night.
Isaac spiked a fever Friday night, so we treated him with a fever reducer. But Saturday evening, we allowed the medicine to wear off, and his fever hit an absolutely frightening 104.4*.
He had ibuprofen in his system for about 30 minutes when we took his temperature, so we immediately gave him acetomenaphine as well. After waiting about 20 minutes more, his temperature had not come down at all.
Needless to say, we rushed him immediately to the emergency room.
The staff did every test imaginable: flu test, strep test, urine test, blood gases, blood cultures, all the basic levels, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and of course his temp.
It took about 2 hours for his temp to come down under 101*. Poor baby was so miserable that he actually slept through most of our stay in the ER, and he didn't even cry through all the blood sticks or the cath they had to do to get a urine sample.
The ER doctor's final diagnosis was something "viral", since all tests came back normal/negative.
While we were there, Ike started coughing up phlegm and so the doctor ordered i.v. antibiotics, since he was already hooked up to a saline drip. Then gave us another antibiotic to get filled on the way home.
She also prescribed asthma treatments every 4 hours for his cough. We don't quite keep to that schedule. We allow his cough and his breathing to dictate his treatments. After all these years, we know what we're doing, and we prefer to give as few treatments as possible.
We took him to see his pediatrician yesterday, and he also diagnosed an ear infection and gave us medicated ear drops.
We thought that his fever was gone by this morning. We had kept him on ibuporfen since Friday, and prefer to let it wear off on day #4 or so. However, this morning, after about 4 hours with no fever reducer in his system, his temp jumped back up to 101.7*!
So, back on more meds, poor baby! He slept some this morning and now Mrs. Julie is here to see that he stays comfortable the rest of the afternoon. He is very lethargic and more than happy to listen to his "hallelujah" videos today.
If you could pray for Isaac today, I would really appreciate it.
Thank you. It really means a lot.
Alesha
Blueberry and peach, respectively.
🙂
(This story is the truth…at 8:45 this morning, I let the dog out and looked at the thermometer that had been in the direct morning sunlight since the sun had come up, and it read 102*!!! Granted, it did fall after the sun was further up in the sky, but still…whew!!! That is just TOO hot!)
So, while you're thinking about how hot it is in Florida, and looking at those yummy frosty smoothies, please pray for our church's teen camp this week. Even in the middle of the Florida jungle, it can get pretty hot! Pray for overcast skies, safety for campers and counselors, and most importantly, that God would do a mighty work in all who are there.
Thanks…
and stay cool!!!
Alesha
The weekend has been incredibly busy for us, and it was not because we were celebrating the birthday of this great country of ours, unfortunately.
On Saturday, we realized that Isaac's shunt need to be re-adjusted. He started trying to vomit after sitting upright in his chair for just a little while. We made an appointment for him to be seen on Sunday at the children's hospital by the neurosurgeon.
They did x-rays and a CAT scan just to check everything out. The shunt is fine, as is the tubing leading from it. However, the shunt had been pulling so much fluid from his brain that his ventricles had completely collapsed! His test, however, looked ok.
I've done some research this morning on over drainage, and it can apparently lead to a subdermal hematoma, so we are really grateful that did not happen.
I asked him this morning if his head felt better, and he smiled for me. That was really good to see!
Also, on Saturday, my mom gave us quite a scare. She was fixing lunch, and suddenly felt the room going dark, and her jaws began to hurt. She managed to call out to my dad, and sit on a stool in the kitchen. He was able to hold her up there, but she was completely unresponsive for a little while. He called us for Doug to come over, then they called 911.
By the time the EMTs got there, she had come to, but was obviously a little confused and very upset. The EKG they did at the house showed no problems, but of course she went to the hospital.
They did every test known to man, I think. Several EKGs, echocardiagram, CAT scan on brain, chest x-ray, ultrasound of neck, MRI of brain, tons of blood work and blood pressure checks – laying, sitting and standing.
They found nothing wrong.
Incredible, yes?
They "suspect" she had a TIA or mini-stroke, which they said was completely self-healing, which is why they feel they could find no evidence of it. She will follow up with her doctor later, because, of course, he was out of town for the holidays.
So, I headed home last night, and she came home this afternoon. She is feeling much better today, although she is still having problems with vertigo. She has been having issues with that for several weeks, and had already been to her doctor where they had done extensive blood work the week before last.
Of course, this rattled us all pretty thoroughly – my dad especially. Although she is feeling better, I know we are all wondering if everything is really ok. We'll see what her doctor says.
Also on Saturday, Doug's mom had to call 911 for his grandma. She was feeling very poorly. (Remember she just came home last Monday after having open heart surgery.) They felt she was ok, and did not feel the need to take her to the hospital. She was feeling better when Doug talked to her yesterday.
I am so thankful for those who were praying for us…I was able to get a status up on Facebook, but only had my phone, so could not manage to blog. If the Lord lays our family on your heart, we would really appreciate continued prayer for her recovery, for Doug's grandma's complete recovery and that Isaac's shunt would do it's job properly so that he is feeling much better soon.
It's really been a time around here…maybe we can all get a little rest this afternoon. I am SO SO thankful that Doug was home before all of this happened. Even the timing of the "bad" things is in the hand of the Lord, and we continue to trust Him.
Blessings,
Alesha
Obtaining Mercy 