The Last Mohican

So…I decided I hated the comb-over haircut they gave Steffanie and went with a #2 guard with the clippers…it was at least even and I figured it couldn’t get any shorter and it’d also grow out even…boy was I wrong…You see, Ryan shaves his head because he figures his receding hairline is enough in itself and he’s not going to let it get him down. He had just shaved his head and walked away for less than two minutes; which is more than enough time for any child to cause severe mayhem and that is exactly what happened. Steff went into the bathroom-along with Sadie and discovered the still plugged-in clippers. From what I can deduce she attempted to shave Sadie’s head first and got the one little section when Sadie, being the timid child she is-bolted…She then resorted to her own hair…From the picture you can clearly see she looks like an actor from The Last of the Mohicans, we’ve left her hair this way and she’s been quite embarrassed by it and that is justice enough for Ryan and I. Not to mention it absolutely hilarious to walk away and come back to see her all over again with a reverse Mohawk.
Kieran is doing what Kieran does, preparing to drive his parent’s completely insane…I’m thinking it’s a teenage thing and I pray to our Dear Lord he grows out of it. He’s at least trying in school and his lying seems to have taken a curve for the better. I’m not sure if that’s because he’s sick of the discipline or that fact that I can tell when he’s lying and trick him into saying things that implicate himself? It looks like baseball for the Junior High team is out but maybe that will help him see the consequences we all face for our actions. He’s a great kid and super helpful so I pray I’m not painting him a bad light.
Ryan and I are doing much better. He’s been on days and we now have dinner as a family and time together. I can’t believe the improvement.
As for me personally…Well, I’m sure most of you have heard I have again herniated my L5-S1 disc and will be going in for another microdiscectomy. I had an appointment with Dr. Welling on the 8th and he wanted to do the surgery the 10th…I told him that would be great but my husband had to give some advanced notice of his absence. So he scheduled me for the 17th. I’m actually looking forward to this surgery because the nerve down the back of my leg that is being affected is so painful that I have a hard time taking care of myself, let alone my family. I can’t stand for more than a minute without feeling like my leg is going to give out and sitting and lying are not any better. I’m really looking forward to the relief. Welling showed me the MRI of my disc and compared it to the first one, the disc is half the size it was less than a year ago and anymore herniation and it will be bone on bone and I’ll need a fusion. He said he’d just do the fusion now but he really wants to avoid that and for the best since I’m still quite young. Lucky me….

Sinead and the Grades

Where to start…? Well, it has been absolutely wonderful having Ryan on day shift. He has been getting out of bed easier and over-all he seems happier. I personally couldn’t be more thrilled-unless he where to get his truck registered so I could have my van back…but all in good time and if that is the only thing I have to sacrifice to have him home in the evenings it’s well worth it.

Kieran has really made progress in school. He’s pulled most of his F’s to C’s. My brother, Travis has been staying with us and he’s given Kieran great direction on the right way to get his assignments done. I know that raising his grades has really helped raise his self-confidence to heights it hasn’t been since his dad passed away 3 years ago. I’m really proud of him and more pleased to see him be proud of himself.

Steff pulled one of the more devastating stunts of her near 5 years on this planet. You see, she found or hid some scissors and decided she wanted to be a hair stylist and who needs to go to school -right? She not only butchered her hair but she also did a number on Sadie’s as well. I seriously just wanted to cry, instead I called Ryan and informed him I needed to take the girls to Great Clips in hopes that they could salvage anything or at the very least even it all out. Thus, Sadie has a boy haircut and it’s been discovered she looks like her brother. Steff’s didn’t turn out so well. The lady that cut it did a horrible job and I’m so completely dissatisfied that I will be taking her back in for it to be fixed-let’s put it this way…she has a mullet with a bald spot on the right side of her head. I’ve tried styling it but her bald spot is so obvious she probably looked more ridiculous than she would have if I hadn’t done anything. Sadie looked very much like a little boy until I put a cute headband in her hair.

9-1-1 Good or Bad?

So, yesterday I have a doctors appointment and decided to shower, who doesn't want to be clean for a visit to the doctor? So I jumped in the shower with my brother Travis and my son Kieran to hold down the fort-or better yet keep the house standing. Steff and Sadie discovered Kieran's cell phone and thought they'd call the only number they know know(read Steffanie)...Yep, 9-1-1! While I'm in the shower Steff's being extremely persistent about getting my attention( I lock the door so I don't have to worry what they are in to). She does this a good 5 times. Once I shut the water off I hear her telling me someone is on the phone. Thinking they dialed a wrong number or possibly out of the US I come flying out dripping wet...
Just as Steff informs it's 9-1-1 my heart sinks and I want to crawl in a hole. I got on with the dispatcher and she informed me that Steff was banging on the door so much at her direction and that Steff has informed her there is a fire. None of which is true but I have to appologize in saucy amounts to this lady and advise her that she had plenty of supervision available although they had fallen back to sleep. She was nice and shortly let me go but that was an experiencd I'll never forget.
I've always wondered if Steff knew how to dial for emergency services. I have to say that I'm proud of her but admitt the timing was less than ideal.

Excitement with a Challenge

Ryan has left us...He's taken a flight to Hartford CT and we dearly miss him. It's only been one day but everyone feels the impact. We can't wait til the week is over so that we can see him again. Did I get ya there fo a second?
Ryan went to Hartford to train to be a programer at JD Machine. Something he's really excited about. We all are actually ecstatic because this means he'll be home in the evenings to help with the kids and spend more time with them, not mention it's a step up in the company.
Exciting things...
As for the challenging stuff, it's just a little more work without him home...But, short term pain for long term gain.
He said his first day went well. It was over before he knew it and he was eshausted as well. I'm praying the whole week flies by the same way. If you'd like to talk to him you can still reach him by his phone and I'm sure he'd love to hear from anyone.

Complete 2009 Udate

Ryan has been doing pretty well, he’s been very helpful and ultra supportive and patient with regards to my healing and nerve damage. Of course, there is nothing like having chronic pain yourself to help you see how debilitating it truly is. I’m in no way saying that I’m glad he’s in the same boat because I wouldn’t wish this on Hitler. You see, Ryan has been having severe pain in his upper back and neck for well over a year now. Nothing seems to give him relief for any mentionable length of time. He’s been to Dr. Ericksen many times and tried various treatment options he’s suggested. Dr. E’s diagnoses? Ryan has an abnormal curvature of his upper back. According to various sites on the net he has the lame man’s term for Hunchback Syndrome. I have my own personal Quasimodo; at least he’s a cute character. …Hehehe.
Money has been tight but not as tight as always, in-spite of that Ryan is still working overtime each weekend. I know he’s looking forward to the nearly two weeks off he gets for Christmas. Between you and me and the rest of the world though, the kids are gonna drive him certifiably mad in 3 days.
He’s also been staying busy at work. He was quite excited to be offered a position as a programmer. He’ll be going to Connecticut for a week to train he’s mentioned that he’s nervous, we’ve never even spent a whole 24 hours away from each other in the 7 years we’ve been together. He just has wait until the 3rd for his flight. I’m sure going to miss him.
As for me, this year has bas been chock full ups & downs. It was discovered that my L5/S1 disc had herniated almost straight back (which is rare). It showed that it was causing significant pressure on my S1 nerve root thus causing wretched pain down both sides of my legs. In May I underwent a microdiscectomy in hopes of relieving that nerve pressure. Surgery went without a hitch; however, Dr. Welling told Ryan that the nerves associated with the herniation were the most swollen he’d ever seen in all the surgeries he’d done. Matter of fact, he scared the crap out of Ryan by coming out of the operating room and stating, “That was bad.” He quickly realized the error of his statement and reassured Ryan the surgery went well. The surgery helped immensely but it’s believed there is permanent nerve damage, this is permanent. I also continue to experience slightly severe pain but some days are worse than others. Dr. Ericksen has been doing all he can to alleviate as much of it as possible. He has me on quite few regimens: I receive regular cortisone injects, Toradol shots about every 10 days, regular back adjustments, wearing a back brace (both for this issue and the slight case of Scoliosis I have), I also have a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator (aka a TENS unit). The tens unit is pretty interesting. It literally sends electricity charges into the pain sights to confuse the nerves. There’s a silver lining to grey clouds, I’ve been able to watch our children grow and mature daily due to orders of taking it easy and remaining stress free.
Kieran has finished sixth grade and moved on to bigger and better things-Junior High School. Summers are intended to be carefree and school free but for Kieran they seem to be his greatest time of loss. 3 years ago he lost his dad and this summer he lost his Gramps. I know all this loss has weighed heavily on him and it hasn’t made starting a new school, a new grade system and class load increase any better. One of the great things he’s discovered is his great musical abilities. For reasons his completely tone deaf mom can only credit our Lord he’s somehow able to pass off pieces he’s only practiced during class alone. During a parent, guardian (his Gram) and teacher meeting this teacher was impressed, she assumed he was bringing his kit home and practicing. An amazing proof of his talent, he’s able to convert the music he’s learned on an x-lyphone directly to a piano without having sheet music.
Steff has been learning by large leaps and bounds. She’s been making the change from using a toddler’s mind and verbal skills to a young child’s. This inevitably brings the word, “why” into the mainstream of each and everything she says or you say to her. Oh…the curious mind of a child. Sitting here and thinking about it has brought thoughts of hilarity to it but in the midst of explaining everything is simply enough to drive Job to the brink of hair loss. I know one day this will be a great and wonderfully fond and priceless memory of her younger years.
She’s a little artist also, I call her Michelangelo since she’s ever drawing on every little and big thing(!!!). Nothing is exempt from her desire to redecorate; Sadie and Rexxie included-they often fall victim to having her art taped to them and drawn on them. Sadie thinks it awesome to be colored and Rexxie is nothing shy of stupid and sits there and takes it…My walls are an ever tempting source for her creativity. Another way we’ve found to help her in expressing her right brain is the computer. She plays about 4 or 5 educational games that provide an adequate amount of entertainment for about 10-20 minutes. Ryan is thrilled that his little girl is beginning to use computers; he’s all about the kids learning technology.

Sadie, our little Peanut is quickly losing the infamous “baby look” she’s really looking like a little girl now and yet, we have not quite figured out which of us she resembles most. She’s developed and learned so many amazing things this last year. She started Early Intervention shortly after her 2nd birthday. She had a Speech and Language Pathologist and an Occupational Therapist who visited our home bi-weekly to work with her delays and give us ideas to help her learn more skills. Over the course of the last year she has learned to communicate in the form of sign language. She’s now starting to communicate verbally. Not great, but pretty clear, it’s an exciting start. I’ve always been curious of how her voice would sound since she squawks at pitches the dog just about covers his ears and whines due to it. She’s been known to be dubbed a teradactal. This last October, she began Preschool and has really shown a major improvement in her creativity and verbal skills. Her teachers have made many comments in regards to her intelligence. In spite of her communication delay, she clearly shows her complete understanding of things asked of her and problem solving. One example…she was looking a book of a hyena which her teacher was drawing a blank of the sign for it, so Sadie went and retrieved a book they had been looking at days before and found the page with a dog on it. Her teacher was amazed that she put together that they are a type of dog-parse and how she remembered a specific book and picture that depicted a dog. One of the sweetest things we’ve heard was stated at school was how the other kids told their teachers how they were going to help her learn to talk.
Pease feel free to check our blog at:
http://www.krazyfamily.blogspot.com/
Ryan & I both have emails… kdogg76@comcast.net & tkelstrom@comcast.net

A Mute Point/Surgery Discoveries

Well, I was going to blog about all the new and great things our family has been up to but I read my previous post and it's a mute point since nothings really changed. Only thing new is that indeed I did get my surgery!!! Things went well and I was complemented on my quick recovery from anesthesia...Of course 40 mgs of Morphine sure helps...When the procedure was complete Dr. Welling came to report to Ryan how things went and he informed Ryan that the nerve roots where extremely enflamed, something he has claimed to see very rarely. He made a comment that I must have been in an absolute amount of pain....and ya know, I still am...It's different but just as debilitating. I know it's just a matter of time for it to fade but with the swollen nerves repair rate being so slow, I'll have to deal their mending for up to 6-12 months....Not so fun but I know it will have been worth it down the road...I can begin physical therapy 3 months post op and that I'm really looking forward to....

Thus Far A "GO"

I just wanted to update you all and let you know that so far it's looking like I will actually be getting my surgery done on the 28th. Of course, this could all change very quickly depending on how Dr. Welling's wife is doing. Please keep us all in your prayers. I wouldn't want him to do my surgery unless his head is totally there and not worried about his wife but I'd also like to get it done so I can move forward with my life.
The kids are doing well...Sadie is still using sign language and her usual screechy sounds as a way of communication but she has also added a sound that is close to "da-da" although she doesn't use it for any particular thing-she can just say it when you prompt her-.
Steff is really enjoying the weather and we've had her pool filled up most of the time already. She's made a little friend from across the street but I'm not so sure that's a good thing-she now believes it's okay to cross the street when she wants to. Please keep her in your prayers as well...
Kieran is doing some great things and some not so great things lately. He's doing well in baseball and his coach has given him the opportunity to give pitching a shot. He'll be great at it once he gets his accuracy down a little better. He's also been taking things that he wants...It's like he believes that everything is available for his taking as he sees fit...What's his/hers is mine kind of thinking...\
Ryan is doing great...still working his tail off but we've had to prepare for him to take some time off for my recovery and he's had to work more to make up for that.
Today is our fifth wedding anniversary...And, I'm more in-love with him now than I was the day I married him. I pray it's always that way.
Take care of you,
Tricia

All Things New

It's really been uneventful since the last time I blogged but there have been a few changes...
For one, I was suppost to being having my microdiscectomy on the Weds. the 13th but Dr. Wellings wife is very sick and he's been out of the office quite a bit I'm sure to be with her. So, they moved my surgery to the 28th of May. I sure hope they don't have to change it again. But, I honestly believe the Lord is in complete control and I most certainly want to make sure his head is in the game(per se) when he does my surgery.
Kieran is doing well in baseball...not that he's doesn't have an exteme talent anyway. He's been pitching this year and he's doing quite well. It's exciting to see his coach give him this opportnity.
Mother's Day was simple and lovely. We went to my dad's for breakfast and when we came home we did yard work. I actually mowed the lawn and despite some sore stomach muscles I faired pretty well. Later in the evening we went to Ryan's mom's for some wonderful pie that Brad and Lindsey has so generously made...I was a wonderful day.
I guess that sums up all I have to really report as of now...Take care and God bless.

Sugery and the Fam...

Hello Again...
I just wanted to take a moment to update everyone on what is the latest with my back...I have surgery on the 13th of May...It's a pretty simple surgery, it's called a microdiscectomy. It only requires a few centimeters of incision and the recovery time is quite short compared to a macrodiscectomy. There are some risks but doesn't everything have risks..? The risks are that my disc could collapse once the herniation is removed but the chances of that are only 1 in 10. I may also suffer from massive headaches for 2 to 3 days should the spinal nerve be ruptured which will ultimately cause my spinal fluid to leak. I'm not sure of the statistics on that but I'm praying the disc hasn't fused to the spinal nerve...
Enough about me...
Kieran is doing quite well...He's been much happier and more productive in the past couple weeks. He can now play soccer and baseball as his foot has healed. He still has a little limp which I suppose is due to having his foot isolated for a few weeks..? It's wonderful to have be happy and the great kid that we all know he is.
Steffanie has been quite the sweetheart this week. She has been being very playful with Sadie and they both laugh at her antics. She's been very loving...today she gave me a few hugs and each time she did she told me she loved me.
Sadie is really picking up sigh language and she uses it all the time. She seems to love learning new signs and it doesn't take her long at all to pick up a new one. We figured she knows about 30 signs that she uses regularly. I'm the only one who really knows what she is saying so I have to translate. It's funny, but, I enjoy being able to talk to her.
Ryan is stressed out as usually. I think he takes on too much of the problems of our family and remains the sole financial support. To me, that's a recipe for disaster. I try to stay very supportive and be a good girl so he doesn't have to worry what his crazy wife is doing. I continually pray for him to have peace and I know the Lord will give it to him...in time.

Okay, so I realize it's just after 4 in the morning but I've had this wonderful if not unnerving epiphany...Here it is...The Lord has given me a couple slaps in the face and it's very obvious that His desire for my life is to quite smoking. You see, I was diagnosed with Reactive Lung Disease just over a year ago and I remember at the time being in shock and then the harsh realization that my habit of smoking was not helping the situation in the least.
We'll things have been pretty bad with my back for about the last 2-3 years. You know, constantly hurting and rarely finding relief...? Which also reminds me that I went in for some spinal root nerve injections two weeks ago and received instant relief from the severe pain that runs along my low back and down into my legs. This, however, did not last longer that 10 to 11 days. And, the bill was just over a grand...And, for what? A week and half of relief..? That works out to be just over $100 dollars a day...Yikes! Especially since I met with a well known Neuro-surgeon in the Ogden area on Monday. He took a very brief look at my MRI and I advised him who my father was because had done a back fusion for him this past June. He basically told me that I was an exact replica of my father in terms of the issues that have been presented in my life. He advised me that the most effect option to get rid of the shooting hip and leg pain was to have a Microdiscectomy. It would be out-patient surgery and the risks of something going wrong with a scope and laser are very minimal. He advised me that if I didn't get this taken care of now that I would eventually turn into a much more complicated case like my dad. He wasn't pressing, he simply told me the facts, answered my questions and told me that I should go home and discuss this opportunity with my husband and should we chose this as an option, to give his office a call and set a date for a surgery.
Dr. Welling also very kindly said that I really should consider quiting smoking which I knew he was going to say something about but I never expected how nice and informative he'd be about it. He said that a lot of attention is given to the heart, lungs and vascular system with regards to very damaging effects of smoking on these vital, life determining organs but what doesn't get said is that the damage your bones and joints suffer is actually just as bad. When you smoke you decrease the level of oxygen in your blood stream and it's particularly bad on the white blood cells in consideration of the fact that are largely made up of oxygen. Your bones and joints severely need white blood cells to maintain their elasticity and pliability and strength. When you take away their main source of "food" they starve and therefor begin degenerating. The difference? You can live life in pain but you can't live without your heart, lungs and vascular system working correctly.
Ryan and I have in the previous months been looking into what could possibly be the evil entity that is the culprit for much of our back issues and time and again smoking is very near the top of the lists. Ryan has been suffering upper back and neck pain pretty regularly without any relief for at least a good year. He only finds relief from pain medication and icy-hot patches. I believe this is due to the decade of his life he spent doing dry-wall. But, I'm not a doctor and we haven't been able to find out the exact reason he's suffered from this for so long. Of course, I believe and MRI would answer a lot of questions but you can't just call the radiology department and schedule your own appointment on a whim.
So, now that you've informed of my latest attempts at getting relief and the new options that have been laid out before me...you'll most likely agree that I disastrously need to quit smoking...This is where your love and continued support comes in...I know God is on my side and that through it all He'll be there to hold me and should I have an accident, He'll pick me back up and put me on my feet after dusting me off. But, the special people in my life can help too...all I ask is that some time in one of your prayer sessions you mention my name along with Ryan's.
The effects of this pain are hard to deal with for one person but it's affecting our whole family. We rarely have days when doing anything more than providing for our children's daily needs is ever possible. We are both still very young and we sincerely desire to play with all of our kids. Kieran is starting baseball soon and he's really wanting to give pitching a shot this year but he needs parents that are capable of playing catch with him and helping him hone his skills. Steffanie is a very active 4 year old who just wants to run and play along with you. Sadie is taking on a new life as a social being and she's gained a love for being outside as well. The weather is soon to be wonderful and we want our kids to remember their parents willingness and ability to play with them. So, I'm sure you see how this is very depressing for us. Having the desire and intentions to do things aren't going to get things done but some days it's all we can do to go through the normal motions of the day....depressing.
On an up note...in spite of all this pain garbage we are doing well. It's seems that our family has found a new pattern for our combined lives and each of us plays their own role uniquely. We feel connected a lot more these days. The kids' health is good. Kieran seems to be getting his emotions under some sort of control...We switched his medication and he's seems to be responding to it quite well. We pray that these next few years as he grows toward adulthood aren't too hard for him and that he's able to stay focused on the things that are important in life and have fun in the meantime.