Hello Faithful Readers -
This is very long, but I wanted to update you why I haven't been bringing you any tips since 8/27.
First off on Sunday, 8/28 we were off to FIRE 2005.
Here's a great family vacation tip #1 - plan your next family vacation around FIRE 2006! My 15 yo son and 17 yo daughter both said they wished it was two weeks long. Truthfully, I haven't had the chance to really ask my 13 yo daughter about it yet. All four of our kids and I enjoyed it so very much.
Oh, another tip #2 - if you are camping, bring a large tarp to put over your tent and tie off to make an overhang, if you don't have a separate screened tent as many do, to cover your table and supplies.
Tip #3 A small shovel would be great.
Tuesday, it started to rain. Thankfully my wonderful 15 yo son had listened to my dear hero husband and put the tarp over our tent. Did I say it rained? One of the other children at camp gave up on his umbrella as the rain was horizontal! As soon as we realized it was going to rain, we flew back to camp and shoved everything in the van or tent then proceeded to tie up the tarp to have some shelter.
All done... Oh, No! a river of water was going right under the corner of the tent. Make do - we grabbed our axe, a plastic camp cup and a serving spoon and dug a trench to guide the water down the hill.
Family Vacation Tip #4 - do remember to have your doctor's phone number with you and your insurance cards. And know where they are - much easier to find.
Family Vaction Tip #5 - Make sure you have a powerful battery in your flashlight. As I was trying to gather stuff at 4 am to take to the ER my flashlight died. Then I turned on my wonderfully bright propane lantern. That is, I tried, puuffffssss. It just ran out of fuel.
Family Vacation Tip #6 - ask at the camp where the nearest ER is, just in case, before you have to rush out. At 4 am I had to ask at the gas station and ended up at a hospital much farther than the closest one. But, thank God, even though it was small, it was an excellent one.
Family Vacation Tip #7 - take the time to print out a detailed medical history for each family member - keep it in the glove compartment. Try answering medical questions after 1 hour of sleep, spending 2 hours in the campground showers since it was the only place clean where she could throw up. Try spending 9/1 until now, except for a few hours, in the hospital with a sick daughter and answering question after question. Certain dates, things you just can't remember by the forth child and years later.
So what is up?
Early, very early Thurs. 9/1 Gina woke up and was sick outside of the tent, and sick, and sick, and sick. Not a great thing in the dark, in the dirt, while camping. Thus the move to the showers - light, cleanable, no bugs, a chair to sit in. Every move of her head - violently sick.
Who do you wake up at a campground to ask for directions? Off to the nearest gas station.
Family Vacation Tip #8 - make sure you have a local map of the area - and get the ER noted on it. I didn't have a map -accidently put Missouri instead of Michigan's in our stuff. Thankfully, even though it was maybe a 20 mile ride, I only had 2 turns to make.
Bad ear infection. Given anti-nausea meds. Nothing. Move, sick. Second dose. Same. CT scan showed her infection had gone into the mastoid bone behind her ear, and the vertigo showed it was in the inner ear.
Transfered to hospital #2 - no pediatrics unit at the first.
On Sat. 9/3 I was able to transfer her to our hospital in town. We were there until 11 pm Monday 9/5. Tuesday am the nurse came to show me how to give her IV antibiotics. In the afternoon off to her doctor to get referrals for physical therapy - she couldn't walk without help, and to see all of her follow up doctors.
He looked at her, talked to the head doctor/administrator and said he didn't think this inability to walk was due to the infection of her bone and wanted her checked out by a pediatric ENT specialist at the University Medical Center.
Ran home, grabbed a bag of stuff and off to the University Hospital.
Problem - didn't get a detailed map. There's at least 5 hospitals in a few blocks here - I went to the wrong hospital's ER.
They evaluated her said she needed to see a neurologist. They called our dr and thus realized I was at the wrong one. So off to this hospital.
That was 9/6 - today is 9/9.
Gina has a double ear infection, her left just mild. In the right ear it went into the mastoid bone, into the inner ear - thus the vertigo. It's also gone into the brain lining. The doctors said it was inflimation of the brain lining. My husband looked it up - I had to push to get them to acknowledge - it's menengitis.
Here I am up early in the am - I slept very light and finally got up to let all know what was up.
She goes in for surgery this am for a tube in her ear so they can drain it and culture it.
That's not all that is wrong. Here is a child who at FIRE climbed through the high ropes challenge course, way up on the air, as if it were in our living room. She now can not do a leg lift more than 3 times without total fatigue in her legs. She's in a wheelchair and a walker. She can not stand more than a few seconds without support.
'Mama, I want to run and go fast but my legs just won't work, they are so tired.'
Yesterday the doctors told us we will be here at least until Monday 9/12.
So, you see why I don't post daily? I lost count at 15 specialist / drs / residents coming in to check her out. It seems everytime my husband calls I have to go, a new doctor has come in and I am questioned and questioned, she is examined and examined. She's had 3 CT's, 2 MRI's, physical therapy, occupational therapy, blood work, a PICC iv line on one arm, a regular iv on the other.
I'm supposed to be writing a book on Family Vacation Tips. I'm actually surprised that I can type this am - though no - I've had to tell this story over and over and over.
Oh, Family Vacation Tip #8 - if you do end up in the ER or hospital, have them give a curtousy call to your own doctor to keep him up to date in case you need to be followed up. He knows what to ask, what he needs to know. And get copies of the medical reports and any tests. The second hospital, I hope we never go there again, lost the first hospital CT scans. I asked - don't I need them to take to our home hospital? No, just take the write up.
Today, my husband is bringing the films that were Fedexed to our house - the doctors need a comparison.
This computer is for the kids here - thus the middle of the night trip for me. Plus, I can't concentrate on typing out tips with all of the specialists that need to talk to me.
I thank you for your prayers.
I will update this as I can, but it won't be very often.
In God's arms,
Christine Pusateri
