Ethan's arm is NOT broken!! Yay!
We saw the Orthopedic doctor and he did more x-rays and he didn't see any sign of a fracture or the fat pad that the hospital saw. So no more splints or slings for us! Well, at least until the next possible broke bone.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Home from camping with just one broken bone.
We made it home from camping but we had an ER run in the middle.
I went and picked Ethan up from school on Friday and his teacher said he had a great day until he fell off the monkey bars. He cried and said his arm was sore but she was able to move it without much complaining from him. We noticed that he was favoring it but we went ahead with our camping trip. All day Friday and into Saturday morning, Ethan would barely use his arm. We decided to take him to the ER to get it checked out. They did X-rays but couldn't see a clear cut break but did see a fat pad which could mean there was a break on the other side. So they fitted him for a temporary cast and a sling. Ethan did great up until he realized he was getting a cast. I think he realized he wouldn't be able to use this arm for a while. Nothing a trip to "the little store" (the small camp store) couldn't cure. We have orders to see an orthopedic to see what they suggest. I am hoping to get an appointment Tuesday or Wednesday.
But, we still had a great time camping. Ethan got used to the sling very quickly and didn't let it get in the way of having fun.
Here are some pics:
I went and picked Ethan up from school on Friday and his teacher said he had a great day until he fell off the monkey bars. He cried and said his arm was sore but she was able to move it without much complaining from him. We noticed that he was favoring it but we went ahead with our camping trip. All day Friday and into Saturday morning, Ethan would barely use his arm. We decided to take him to the ER to get it checked out. They did X-rays but couldn't see a clear cut break but did see a fat pad which could mean there was a break on the other side. So they fitted him for a temporary cast and a sling. Ethan did great up until he realized he was getting a cast. I think he realized he wouldn't be able to use this arm for a while. Nothing a trip to "the little store" (the small camp store) couldn't cure. We have orders to see an orthopedic to see what they suggest. I am hoping to get an appointment Tuesday or Wednesday.
But, we still had a great time camping. Ethan got used to the sling very quickly and didn't let it get in the way of having fun.
Here are some pics:
Friday, May 23, 2008
Pictures!
A very good friend met us at the park and took some pictures of the boys. Here is the sneak peak. I love them and can't wait to see the rest!! Thank you so much, Jessi!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
A Better Understanding....
I came across this article & short video (thanks, Carrie!) and thought it might give you all a better understanding of what Ryan goes through on a daily basis. Ryan had a lot of the same issues as this little boy. Gagged on foods, hated grass & sand, and now he hates tags on his clothing. He has come a long way but we still have a long road ahead of us.
Insurance really sucks sometimes.
Last week, I got a bill from Children's Autism clinic for $212. Wondering what was going on, I made some phone calls. It turns out that our insurance denied the claim because it was billed under "family psychotherapy" which falls under mental health that is applied to our deductible. This particular bill was for the last appointment that Greg and I went to, without Ryan. We were to get the results from all of the testing they did on Ryan to determine whether or not he was on the Autism spectrum and to see where he was developmentally. We met with the psychologist for about an hour to discuss his findings and to discuss our concerns.
So after many phone calls to our insurance company, it was determined that the doctor's office would need to re bill the appointment using a different code. They didn't see any reason why it shouldn't be covered since the doctor only gave us the results on the previous appointments that were covered in full. So I called patient accounts who then told me that it was up to the doctor. It took many calls, over several days, to get to the right person to relay the message onto the doctor. He called me back and explained the situation and said they had run into this a couple of times and he would work on it and see if he could bill it under a different code. He did say it could take a while for it go to through but he or his secretary would be in touch.
He also asked about Ryan and how his progress was coming. It hasn't been good. When we first started speech, we noticed a huge improvement in Ryan and then it was like he hit a brick wall and his tantrums have become more frequent and longer in length. And I am not talking about typical 2 year old tantrums. Those I can deal with. It is the sometimes hour long tantrums that result in Ryan going to his crib, until he calms down. He kicks, bangs his head, sometimes for no apparent reason. Sometimes, it is because we can't seem to figure out what he wants in time before the meltdown. When he starts to get fussy, we ask him what he wants and I still feel like he doesn't always know how to answer that question. We have to go down the list of things....Ryan do you want to eat, play, drink, outside, etc. He won't just come out and tell us what he wants and that is all very frustrating for all of us. One step forward, 2 steps back.
The good news is that Ryan's teacher through MRDD noticed his tantrums and how hard it is to get him back down. She is bringing a behavior therapist with her next month and she will be able to come once a month. I am hoping she can give us some suggestions on how to deal with his tantrums. Right now, we ignore it as much as we can and put him in a safe place (crib) when he is in full on meltdown mode.
So after many phone calls to our insurance company, it was determined that the doctor's office would need to re bill the appointment using a different code. They didn't see any reason why it shouldn't be covered since the doctor only gave us the results on the previous appointments that were covered in full. So I called patient accounts who then told me that it was up to the doctor. It took many calls, over several days, to get to the right person to relay the message onto the doctor. He called me back and explained the situation and said they had run into this a couple of times and he would work on it and see if he could bill it under a different code. He did say it could take a while for it go to through but he or his secretary would be in touch.
He also asked about Ryan and how his progress was coming. It hasn't been good. When we first started speech, we noticed a huge improvement in Ryan and then it was like he hit a brick wall and his tantrums have become more frequent and longer in length. And I am not talking about typical 2 year old tantrums. Those I can deal with. It is the sometimes hour long tantrums that result in Ryan going to his crib, until he calms down. He kicks, bangs his head, sometimes for no apparent reason. Sometimes, it is because we can't seem to figure out what he wants in time before the meltdown. When he starts to get fussy, we ask him what he wants and I still feel like he doesn't always know how to answer that question. We have to go down the list of things....Ryan do you want to eat, play, drink, outside, etc. He won't just come out and tell us what he wants and that is all very frustrating for all of us. One step forward, 2 steps back.
The good news is that Ryan's teacher through MRDD noticed his tantrums and how hard it is to get him back down. She is bringing a behavior therapist with her next month and she will be able to come once a month. I am hoping she can give us some suggestions on how to deal with his tantrums. Right now, we ignore it as much as we can and put him in a safe place (crib) when he is in full on meltdown mode.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Party in Ryan's crib
Ryan decided he didn't want to nap yesterday. I tried for an hour and half with no luck. He was, surprisingly, in a good mood the rest of the night (except for the moment he plowed into my head with his). I put him to bed at 8 and he was up at midnight, 2 & 4. At 2, he decided to scream and cry and kept throwing his binkie out of his crib for 30 minutes. Once he realized I wasn't going to keep coming back in, he decided he would go to sleep. He was really mad about something. Now it is 7:50 and I will have to wake him soon so we can get ready to take Ethan to school. Coffee anyone?
Greg was out of town last night so he must have realized daddy wasn't going to be around.
Greg was out of town last night so he must have realized daddy wasn't going to be around.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
It's been a long 10 days....
So, you all know I was diagnosed with the shingles. The good news is they are better! I had some mild pain and lots of itching, but for the most part, I had an extremely mild case. Thank goodness!
Thursday night, I started with a headache. That got worse. Friday, I had to call Greg home early. Saturday morning, I was in urgent care where they gave me a shot of Toridol and some Midrin for at home. The dose for the Midrin was as follows: 2 pills the first dose, then one pill every hour but take no more then 5 pills in a 12 hour period. By hour 4, I had taken all 5 pills with zero relief. By 9pm, we were in the ER. The pain & tension was now throughout the left side of my head, left side of my face through to my neck. I couldn't function because it was so bad. By 9:10, I was hooked up to an IV with some more pain meds that left me feeling very loopy and not in a good way. I actually refused a second dose even though the pain was not completely gone because it made me feel that out of control. We came home around midnight where I slept for 12 hours. Woke up, sent Greg out for my prescription of Hydrocodone and was back in bed an hour later. By 5pm, I was feeling a bit better. I could at least function and took the kids outside. Monday came around and I at least felt good enough to take care of my boys by myself. I was still a bit dizzy and still had some pain but it was manageable. So I went to my family doctor and he thinks I had a combination migraine & tension headache. The meds that I received in urgent care & the ER were migraine specific so they weren't going to touch my tension that was in my head. He, of course, asked about my stress level, just like he did when I went in for the shingles. So I need do something about my stress level. Still trying to figure that one out though. I am still not totally convinced that I might have TMJ or something along those lines since it was only on one side. So I will be getting that checked out at some time too.
And poor Greg. He has been such a trooper but I felt terrible because Saturday was his birthday. The big 3-5. I really wanted to throw him a huge party but he said he didn't want it and I guess it was a good thing I didn't plan a party since I have been so sick. I did get him a kick ass birthday present though. A brand spankin new Nintendo Wii. The boys love it. Greg loves it and I love it too! I can see us spending a lot of time playing it.
Ryan had OT today where we introduced his new feeding program. He had some transition issues, at first, as he always does with something new but to say it was a success would be an understatement. He ate yogurt. YOGURT! Now, yogurt might not be such a big deal to some of us but this is HUGE for Ryan. He has never touched or even looked at, anything wet or mushy, since his wee days. This is huge progress! I was so proud of him!
Thursday night, I started with a headache. That got worse. Friday, I had to call Greg home early. Saturday morning, I was in urgent care where they gave me a shot of Toridol and some Midrin for at home. The dose for the Midrin was as follows: 2 pills the first dose, then one pill every hour but take no more then 5 pills in a 12 hour period. By hour 4, I had taken all 5 pills with zero relief. By 9pm, we were in the ER. The pain & tension was now throughout the left side of my head, left side of my face through to my neck. I couldn't function because it was so bad. By 9:10, I was hooked up to an IV with some more pain meds that left me feeling very loopy and not in a good way. I actually refused a second dose even though the pain was not completely gone because it made me feel that out of control. We came home around midnight where I slept for 12 hours. Woke up, sent Greg out for my prescription of Hydrocodone and was back in bed an hour later. By 5pm, I was feeling a bit better. I could at least function and took the kids outside. Monday came around and I at least felt good enough to take care of my boys by myself. I was still a bit dizzy and still had some pain but it was manageable. So I went to my family doctor and he thinks I had a combination migraine & tension headache. The meds that I received in urgent care & the ER were migraine specific so they weren't going to touch my tension that was in my head. He, of course, asked about my stress level, just like he did when I went in for the shingles. So I need do something about my stress level. Still trying to figure that one out though. I am still not totally convinced that I might have TMJ or something along those lines since it was only on one side. So I will be getting that checked out at some time too.
And poor Greg. He has been such a trooper but I felt terrible because Saturday was his birthday. The big 3-5. I really wanted to throw him a huge party but he said he didn't want it and I guess it was a good thing I didn't plan a party since I have been so sick. I did get him a kick ass birthday present though. A brand spankin new Nintendo Wii. The boys love it. Greg loves it and I love it too! I can see us spending a lot of time playing it.
Ryan had OT today where we introduced his new feeding program. He had some transition issues, at first, as he always does with something new but to say it was a success would be an understatement. He ate yogurt. YOGURT! Now, yogurt might not be such a big deal to some of us but this is HUGE for Ryan. He has never touched or even looked at, anything wet or mushy, since his wee days. This is huge progress! I was so proud of him!
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