What a week!

This week started off like any other....on Monday, I dropped the boys off at school and went grocery shopping. I wasn't feeling 100%, but well enough to be out and getting some things done. I came home from grocery shopping, started to prep for meals for the week, and started to feel a little worse. I went upstairs to lay down. Next thing I knew, I woke up on my bedroom floor and began to get sick. I clearly had passed out, but had no idea how long I was down for. I passed out again, and when I woke up, I found my phone and texted Stephen, "I need help." He came home and ended up calling 911. The ambulance came and took me to the hospital. I passed out and got sick again while laying on a gurney in the hallway. Once that happened, they finally started an IV, took some blood, and started some fluids. So, an EKG, some anti-nausea meds, 3 bags of fluids, and 7 hours later, I finally went home. Gastroenteritis, syncope, and dehydration....welcome to the flu of 2017! I know it's hitting everyone's house and I'm sorry if it's hit yours too. It's terrible and I cannot wait to be able to open my windows to air out this house! It's now Friday, and I'm still feeling out of it. Fun!

On a much brighter note, these boys have been fabulous while I've been down for the count. I couldn't be more proud of them! Benjamin has slept through the night (through the night means at least until 5:15 am) for 9 nights straight!! What??!!! This is amazing. I know he's just as proud of himself too and that means the world to me. He's even made it to 6:00 five of those nights! It's a miracle. ;)

Yesterday, our area was hit with a snowstorm. I'm guessing maybe about 16" of snow or so. Nate had his dental appointment for his first attempt with gas at 8:00. We had been prepping him all week for how brave he was going to be and boy, was he! The kid is simply amazing. He was able to stay mostly still, and handled the gas well. He kept the "elephant" nose on the entire time. She was able to remove most of one cavity, seal it, and cap it. But, she did not feel comfortable moving forward with the tooth right next to it. The tooth she did work on still needs more work done to it, but knowing his tonsils need to come out in April (praying for sooner!), she decided it was best to delay the rest of the work for the complete surgery in May. A little disappointing, but I trust her opinion and want what's best for him, even if it has to wait. She was comfortable in saying that what she did bought him time to safely get to May, which made us feel better.  He was champion all day, biting on a towel until the Novocaine wore off, watching the movie Trolls (thank God it came out on Tuesday!), and staying low key for the rest of the day.

This week was yet another reminder that it takes a village to raise children and I am thankful that family and friends stepped in to help us while I was sick and when Nate and Ben needed some attention.

poor kid!

watching Trolls with that silly numb smile

snow!

Surgery updates

Life. It can really stink sometimes. I can't stand when things are up in the air; honestly, I hate it.

For those of you that have been keeping up with Nate's story, you know that he had an appointment with his ENT in Boston on Wednesday. Things didn't necessarily go the way we would've liked, but since then, we have a plan of action. Like his pediatrician, his ENT was uncomfortable with allowing the dental surgery to happen with full sedation. The size of his tonsils are extremely large and it was decided that he needs to have a tonsillotomy, which is the shaving down of the tonsils instead of completely removing them. It has an easier recovery and less risk for bleeding post-surgery, both things that I'm happy about. If his adenoids have grown back, she'll remove those as well. The surgery is now scheduled for April 20 in Boston.

When we returned from Boston, the dentist had already called to check on the situation. I love doctors/dentists that follow through! Nathan is surrounded by such a great team ensuring that his health is their top priority. We cancelled the surgery and re-scheduled the date for May 17. This date makes me and his dentist uncomfortable with everything that is going on with his teeth. So, we decided that we would attempt to fix 2 teeth at a time using gas in the office. This clearly isn't our first choice due to the amount of work that needs to be done, the pain, recovery, and his tolerance for going to the doctor. But, it's our best attempt to not cause any further damage to his baby teeth, his adult teeth, and his current overall health.  If this is successful, he'll have to go three more times and the full sedation surgery won't have to happen.

For those of you that are wondering how his teeth got so bad, here's the lowdown....his diet is quite restrictive. He is currently eating: the whites of hard boiled eggs (sometimes up to 12 a day), blueberries (sometimes up to 36 ounces a day), strawberries, Ritz crackers, peanut butter sandwiches (sparingly), cereal, waffles, grapes, apples, and for treats: mini Oreos, mini chocolate chip cookies, chocolate ice cream and chocolate frosted doughnuts. He only drinks water. Yes, he brushes his teeth twice a day; he starts, I finish them. He also flosses twice a day too! The amount of fruit that he eats has caused the decay in his teeth. Eight of his teeth are affected. They are hoping to be able to save all eight teeth, but that remains to be seen.

So, there it is! The amount of love and support we've gotten for Nate this week is unbelievable. It truly gets us through these tough times. Please continue to think positive thoughts, especially next Thursday!