Laser #6

We are moving right along with Cameron's laser treatments.  He has #6 on Sept 14.  And the end is in sight!  at least the end for this phase.   Dr. says 3 or 4 more and then by summer he will be done.  With 'touch-ups' once a year or every other year.  His next one is scheduled for November and then his doctor is going on maternity leave (what? you can't be a mom! you are our doctor! you don't have another life do you?) and won't be back until March so maybe he will have a laser by her colleague why she is gone or we will wait until March.

What I want to tell you about is the anesthesia.   He has been waking up crazy and crying the last three times. Emergence delirium they call it. Common in children, especially with short surgeries, and repeated procedures.  He is inconsolable, crying and thrashing until they give him a sedative so he will fall back asleep   Then he sleeps it off and wakes up fine. The first time it happened the nurses came and got me right away and I held him while he cried and kicked for ½ hour until the drugs took effect and he fell back asleep.  They say the kids don't remember it and they are in half-awake half-asleep state and don't know what is going on.  But it is hard on Mom.  The next two times they did not come to get me until he was sleeping again.  I noticed the last time the delirium must have been worse because all the vaseline the doctor goops him up with was all rubbed off his face.  I was in the waiting room longer and it took longer for him to wake up.  It was our longest hospital visit of almost 5 hours.

So this time I spoke up.  If we know he is going to wake up with emergence delirium that seems to get worse every time, than can't something be done about it?  When the hospital called the day before the procedure to give us a time to come in, I requested an anesthesiologist.  I gave them two different names actually.  When I got there neither were working but I got the second in command.  She listened well and had all his records in front of her. Of course she told me this is common.  And I am thinking "I don't care how common it is. Do something about it."  I told her I wanted to be there when he woke up, isntead of the waiting room.

The anesthesiologist came out into the waiting room and got me.  I wasn't just paged at the front desk by the nurses. She was letting him wake up on his own. Usually they reverse the med to wake him up. And she gave him anesthesia through IV instead of a gas. a different med I guess. Usually I don't see the anesthesiologist after surgery, except sometimes to discharge him, so I guess I got special treatment. And he woke up just fine. It pays to speak up.

Here is a pic of him sleeping in the car on the way home.  He was more sleepy this time and fell asleep again as soon as I started driving, so we didn't eat lunch right after we left the hospital like usual, but instead drove about an hour and a half (half way home) before stopping to eat. (He may have slept the whole way home but I was hungry...)

not the best quality, but what do you expect?  I was driving at the time.  he looked so cute cuddled up with his blanket and pj's.  He wanted to wear his pajamas to the hospital.  and he is a 'tough guy' handling everything so well.

In the Band

Marching Band is not for wimps.  At least at Farmington High School.  I have two boys in the band--percussionists.  Brennen is in the drumline this year and Dustin is (drum roll please!) the Drum Major!  the leader of the band.  I am a little proud, or probably a lot.

These band kids put in tons of hours.  They go to school an hour early to practice and then have band as their 1st hour class.  That equals 2 hours of marching/playing in the morning.

There are sectionals for an hour or two after school once or twice a week.

On Tuesday nights of a home football game there is practice from 6-8.  For home football games they are at the school at 4:00 until after the game, around 10:00.

And there are several band competitions coming up.  And fundraisers like car washes.
amazingly Dustin somehow balanced band and soccer last year

Pictures from the homecoming game:

getting ready for half-time performance

Leading 

Brennen chillin in the stands 

Marching off the field (hubby having fun with the camera)

Construction Zone

"And this mess is so big
And so deep and so tall,
We can not pick it up!
There is no way at all!"
(Dr. Suess--The Cat in the Hat)  

We are well underway with our kitchen remodel.  And I am trying to be a good sport.  Because I know the result will be FABULOUS!

but there is so much dust! but that part--the drywall sanding--is over so I can actually get down to business and dust and clean the floors (instead of blogging about it).  I know there will be more but not so much.

and the disorganization of the stuff that came out of the kitchen.  My husband actually did a great job of pre-planinng and cleared his computers and such out of the office that is next to the kitchen, made his office downstairs, and then we put the kitchen stuff in the office.  but it is still challenging finding things, like the box of oatmeal I wanted to cook today.

And then there is the 'pile stuff' that has no counter to 'pile on', like school papers and mail, and whatever else.  so it gets piled on the table with other things that don't have a home and trying to sit down and use the table to eat at is, well, frustrating!  I just feel like screaming sometimes "AAAHHHH".  And did I mention the dust?

I realize next week it will all end and I will have brand new cupboards to put all the 'stuff' in.  but right now this mess seems so big, and so deep and so tall...


pictures coming soon...maybe next Thursday!

And thank you to my husband for all your hard work making a new kitchen a reality!