The Puddles

“Go be a normal kid. ”
After the crazy summer that we had. . . Open heart surgery, hospital stay, weird fever, hospital stay, weird fever that wouldn’t go away, hospital stay, bizarre rash, no hospital stay, ambulance ride for mom, broken elbow, surgery for a new bionic elbow, long summer of convalescence. . . We don’t expect good news. We hope for good news, but we don’t expect it. Then no one is disappointed.

Today was a day of awesome news. The echo of his heart showed trivial and minor leaking in his aorta,  mitral, and pulmonary valves. His blood pressure is good. His inflammatory markers are now within normal range. His kidney function is good. He still has a fistula but it hasn’t changed and is not currently causing problems.

So Dr. Altman said . . . 

1. No more heat restrictions.
2. As soon as your 12 weeks post surgery is up, go to PE. When you’re not in PE go exercise.
3. Be active. 
4. Go play.
5. Have fun.
6. And most importantly. . . Go and live a normal life.

He still has to be careful. He can’t lift weights, or play contact sports. He still has to drink plenty of water. He still has to take 20+ pills a day. He still has lots of doctor visits to go to. He is still under the careful watch of  cardiology, renal, and GI departments. He just went to school yesterday wearing a 24 hour blood pressure monitor, and it’s hard to be normal walking around sixth  grade wearing medical equipment. But the reality is he is as close to normal then he ever has been.

As long as the results of the 24 hour blood pressure monitor are also good, then we are steady as she goes in regards to medication. No changes for a while. She feels our family has had enough medical intervention in the last three months that we need to take a break. So we don’t have to see her until December!

So the day was good. Papa Lake drove us to the medical center that day. So Papa Lake, Ben and I joined aunt Sarah, uncle Dave and Megan at IHOP for a celebratory pancake dinner. We are so thrilled with the good news.

Our next medical appointment is for my arm. So we hope the good news continues and I will be able to drive again!

My . . .  how time has flown. 

First day of school 2015. Madie is in eighth grade. Ben is in sixth grade. Ainsley is in fifth grade.  
 Way back in 2009.  
Ben’s first day of kindergarten and Madie’s first day of second grade.

  
Ainsley’s first day of preschool.

I have a love-hate relationship with school. I love the schedule and routine that school provides. But I really miss my kids.
This was a crazy summer. This was the first summer in years when I wasn’t working. So despite everything that went on this summer the kids and I got to spend a lot of time together. And since we couldn’t go anywhere (due to Ben’s Quarantine and my broken arm), most of that time was spent at home. Usually when The kids and I have time together at home, I like to organize and purge. The kids loved the fact that my broken arm and lack of stamina shortly after my surgery prevented us from doing anything productive. They loved telling me to go sit back down and bringing me ice packs or drinks, anything to keep me sitting and not cleaning/purging/organizing. Crazy kids! They are pretty dang smart at avoiding heavy work. They prefer to do it on their own then have mom with them directing their work. I have no idea what that’s all about😉. And frankly I was too tired to argue! 

Now they are back at school, and I miss them tremendously. 

Madie is at Peet Junior High in eighth grade. She’s taking all pre-AP classes, is in chamber Orchestra playing the violin, is in theater troupe again this year, is taking algebra I, and has signed up to do peer tutoring as well. Plus she is still in Girl Scouts where they’re working on their big trip to Washington DC this summer. And of course all of her church activities. She is pretty booked solid. So when she came to me yesterday asking to sign up for Christian youth theater and private violin lessons in the evenings, I think I about died. Of course, she can handle it but I’m not sure that I can!!

Ben is in sixth grade at Bozman intermediate school. He has an awesome teacher and we are hoping for a really great year. Ben was so sick last year at school that he didn’t participate in any of the extracurricular activities at school. We were doing good just to get all of his work done. But this year we told him he had to join one club. So we will see how that goes. He is also doing Boy Scouts and this is his first year as an official Boy Scout versus a Cub Scout. And he is also starting confirmation at church this year, so that will be a whole new experience for him. 

Ainsley is in fifth grade at Bozman Intermediate. She actually has a male homeroom teacher which will be a new experience for her. She has already told us that she wants to sign up for a ton of activities at school this year. In this case, she is a lot like her sister. She has decided to quit gymnastics in order to try new things this year. She is in Girl Scouts still and of course she also has all of her church activities. And I almost forgot her weekly art classes. She loves to paint and create!

So we are no longer in elementary. They are all growing up so fast. I don’t think that I am quite ready. But the truth is we are closer to Madie  graduating from high school than we are from her starting kindergarten. Yikes. 

“Mom, you didn’t post a quote of the day today, “says Ainsley. “It’s not a quote of the day if you don’t post one every day.”

OK, Ainsley. Now that I know you’re checking up on me, I will work harder to post more.

“What do you mean plaid and plaid don’t go together?” Ben protests. 

“I mean . . . You can’t wear a plaid shirt and plaid shorts just because they are both a plaid pattern.”

Howdy! 
First of all, this isn’t Kath. It’s her beloved younger (yet taller) look-a-like sister Deb(ra). With a little investigative work, I was able to hack into Kath’s account here. I can not reveal my source but just trust me, everything can be bought in that house. You can rule out one being though, Rosie. That cat has some fierce loyalty to her human momma. She wouldn’t budge on any secrets.
The reason for my hack is to update you faithful blog followers from around the country (and I would even guess world) about a fund set up to help the Lake family. 
As you might know by now, they have had several medical emergencies this summer. If you are now just reading Kath’s blog, I will give a very brief synopsis. In June Ben had open heart surgery, had extended hospital stay, went home, had fever of unknown origin, had another hospital stay, went home, fever again, weird rash, hospital stay, went home. Whew. That was just Ben! Kath was with Ben through all of that THEN the day after Ben came home the final time Kath tripped and broke her elbow. A week later, she had surgery to repair it. So there is the extremely short version of Lake Summer 2015. Sounds a little tiring! 
A member of their church set up a GoFundMe account to help them with medical expenses and those costs associated with having major medical events. Kath never asks for help. She broke her elbow and wanted to drive herself because she didn’t want to ask for help. (Shame on her and she totally got in trouble for even THINKING that was a smart idea.) 
As the baby sister (37 going on 9 here), I keep things a little light hearted around the dinner table during tough times but in all seriousness the Lake Family is loved by many members of multiple communities. Kath would help you without asking if she saw the need. She is there in the blink of an eye and it is killing her to rely on others for so much help. Chris is the same way. On many occasions he has been there for my family without a second thought. 
Many have asked what they can do to help but you love too far away to make dinner or mow their yard.. So if you feel inclined to donate, here is the link:
http://www.gofundme.com/benhatesgreenbeans
BTW, Ben LOVES green beans! He is the master of food! I don’t know what that kid won’t eat!
I do know that the entire Lake family appreciates all of the support this summer with cards, letters, phone calls, emails, and prayers. They are forever grateful for the love and support they have received. On behalf of the Lake family, 
Thank you.

Over the last few weeks, life has been a little crazy. I finally had surgery on my elbow. And what we thought would hopefully be a surgery to screw the broken bones together ended up being a total replacement of The radial head of my radius. We haven’t seen the x-rays yet. I go in next week to the doctor and I have requested to see the before and after x-rays. Chris and I are in a contest to see who has more metal in their right arm. I never wanted to be in this contest, but since I am, I really want to win.
Ben and I have been hanging out a lot together. I can’t drive so I don’t get to go anywhere. And he can’t leave and be with groups of people, so he doesn’t get to go anywhere. We are two peas in a pod. The sweet thing has been that he has taken to sleeping in the living room with me just in case I need someone. Like Chris after his accident, I have been regulated to the La-Z-Boy to sleep at night. One, so I keep my arm elevated. And two, so that I don’t rollover on my arm at night. Ben has been doing a great job of taking care of me. My other children have done a great job too! When Ainsley and Chris went to church camp, Maddie was home and took pride in taking charge. I was very proud of her. When Ainsley got home from church camp, she didn’t want to feel left out so she would come and sit on my good side and snuggle with me. Instant medicine! 

I am finally at the point in my recovery where I feel really good. So good, that I think I can get back to regular routine. I think, “I don’t need medicine. I’m OK to not elevate my arm. “Of course then I pay for it later that evening. My arm swells up, I am in a lot of pain, and it takes several hours of patience, ice, and propping up my arm to finally get on top of the pain. I need a new mantra. Instead of “suck it up! “I need to say, “slow and steady! ” Remember it is a marathon, And not a sprint. 

Poor Chris, he can’t wait for life to get normal again. Trying to work, be a chauffeur, and take care of his family, is a huge burden. But he is doing an excellent job.

 The positives of me being down and out is the following:

1. Maddie is learning to do the laundry. I have been reluctant for years to allow her to do this, but she has been wanting to learn for a long time.
2. Ainsley is learning how to braid and fix her own hair. 
3. She is also learning how to unload the dishwasher and put all the dishes away. It requires her to climb on top of the counter due to her small stature, but she’s doing great!
4. Ben has learned how to dose out his medicine. Since I can’t unscrew the lids, he puts all his medicine in a cup and then I check it. He is also learning how to help me take his blood pressure. Since this is a two handed job, he puts the stethoscope in my ears and holds it in place while I pump the blood pressure cuff. We are certainly a sight!
5. All of the kids are learning to be independent at fixing their own lunches and snacks. 
6. We are cutting down on our outside activities, allowing the kids and I to spend more time together.

I think we will look back on The summer of 2015 as a time where we as parents let go of a little and allowed our children to grow up a lot. Of course, I will look forward to the time a year from now where I will get to reflect on this summer as a memory and that I will pray to never repeat it!!!

The morning started early with Chrisand Ben heading off to TCH for a follow-up visit to his cardiologist. Since last weeks visit to the cardiologist was spent talking about rashes,this visit was to talk about his heart.
   
According to the cardiologist everything looks good. The leaking in his mitral and aortic valve is still the same as the last echo. There is a leak in his coronary that has been there since the surgery. She doesn’t seem concerned about it and thinks it will resolve on its own. But she would still like to see him in a month to check on it. He took additional labs as well and we will find out those results on Wednesday. Dad says he was a stud when it came to the blood draw. He walked in. Sat down. Told the tech to count to three. And then BAM he got it done on the first try. He was a rock star. 

Meanwhile back at the ranch . . . Papa and grandma Grace came to Conroe to take me for testing at the hospital this morning. This not being able to drive sucks! And Chris has absolutely no sympathy for me. I think that he is giving me payback for how hard I was on him when he broke his arm.😉 he must be loving this.  

Of course my mom and I make a sorry lot. Mom just had surgery on her foot so she’s here at the house helping us out this morning with a bummed foot and a walker. It seems wrong for me to sit in a chair with my arm raised while my mom hobbles around in a walker loading my dishwasher. But I wasn’t about to argue with my mother when she tells me to sit down. Instead I grabbed the 13-year-old and a 10-year-old and sent them to help grandma so that she could sit down too. 

I do have a buddy who’s been sitting with me keeping my feet warm. I think she’s trying to make up for the cat toy I tripped on. 

 The day ended with a lovely dinner provided by the Finkes. It was Ben’s favorite. Meatloaf. 

  
Thank you for the wonderful dinner. Madie has started to organize the house. She started doing laundry. Laundry has been so low on the to do list that everyone was desperate. She put together a grocery list. Went online to try to find some meals that she thought that she could cook. She is a very impressive 13-year-old. I don’t know where she gets this Type A Personality!  

After spending three weeks theater camp, Madie was part of the cast for Snow White Goes West. It was a cute musical and a lot of fun to watch. You can tell Madie had so much fun putting it on. She met a lot of new friends and they all seem like sweet girls.  In fact she inspired Ainsley to want to go to the theater camp next year. That should be interesting! Both girls at the same camp? Poor grandma. 

I think Madie has definitely found her niche. We are so proud of her!   
 

Last Sunday Ben and I were sitting in the hospital hoping that we are going to get sent home on Monday. Now today I look back on the past week and I can’t believe the chain of events that have taken place. We came home Monday in a flurry of drama and tears. On Tuesday we spent the day celebrating Ainsley’s 10th birthday. On Wednesday Ben broke out in a mysterious rash which caused us to spend the entire day seeking medical help. On Thursday Ben and I went down to Texas Children’s Hospital and spent half the day testing, and meeting with doctors to deal with the mysterious rash. On Thursday night we confused and scared our neighbors when we had an ambulance pull up to our front door to take me to the hospital (they thought it was for Ben. ). On Friday morning we find out that my broken arm is going to take more than a pretty cast to fix and now it’s my turn to be helped by the medical system. Because next Wednesday I will have surgery to put my arm back together.

I have gone from being my son’s nurse to my son being my nurse this morning.  And he is doing an excellent job. Of course, he has been trained by the best. And unfortunately he is had to be a medic and a nurse for his parents before (he was also there when daddy broke his arm at Christmas), so he has learned to be calm under fire.  

If you know me at all, you know that I have a hard time accepting help from others. I like to take care of things myself and not be a burden on others. And although our family motto “suck it up, buttercup” can be seen to support not asking others for help and learning to do it yourself. It can also teach us that it is OK to accept help when that offer of help is genuinely given out of love.

Chris keeps reminding me that I need to take care of myself so that I will heal faster and we can get back to normalcy as soon as possible. I feel most sorry for Chris right now. He has to try to take care of both Ben’s medical needs and doctor visits as well as mine. Plus try to take care of her other children, the house, the meals, and oh yeah  . . . working a full-time job. Nothing to it. 

Despite of all of this drama there are blessings. At least this is happening in the summer when school is out. We have a great support system of family and friends. Our children are older and can help themselves and each other. I am learning to be more patient and more accepting of imperfection. There are families in a lot worse situations than ours. At least it’s my arm and not my leg. 

So we have many things to be grateful for. And I know that a year from now we’ll look back on this summer and laugh. And we will also thank God that he brought us through it all with our sense of humor and our love for each other intact.