The Angel Forever

Two febrile seizures in less than 30 hours

Posted on March 24, 2009 8:29 am by TheAngelForever

Yes, you read the subject line correct. Life here at Chez Angel has been turned upside down since early Saturday evening. When we left the ER Saturday night with no answers and over 24 hours to go before seeing our doctor I was beyond nervous. As the parent of two children that have had febrile seizures, I know that the following 48 hours are the most common for a repeat.

NHL had his febrile seizure when he was 11 months old and is now almost six years old. Finally getting out of the danger zone. When I was little I had three, but none were back-to-back. JL had two as a child and to my knowledge both were seperated by time.

JSL apparently had to be different.

Everything from Sunday night is a blur. I went to sit in bed with my computer and got tired, so I turned off the light. The little guy was next to me to make it easier to medicate him during the night. At 10:30 we opted to let him sleep, rather than wake him for the fever reducers. This decision would soon come to bite us in the you know what.

The next thing I remember is it being midnight and SCREAMING for JL to come quickly. I do not even recall waking up. I just remember pulling JSL to me as he was once again rigid, thrashing/shaking and frothing from the mouth.

After a few seconds (not that I actually timed it), he was done with the seizure. He was burning up. I got Motrin for him and called my parents to come over. I thought that we would be going to the hospital for sure and needed someone to be with NHL. Next I called the doctor at about 12:30 and waited to hear from him. He called back after everyone else was here. He did not want us to go to the ER. Instead our main goal was to give JSL fever reducing medications every two hours the rest of the night.

We did just that and brought him to see the doctor yesterday morning. We believe that he has a sinus infection and may have a hidden ear infection. JSL is now on an antibiotic to try to kick this in the butt. Of course the fever is still hanging in there. Every two hours we are dosing up one fever reducer or another. Here is the little guy after he returned home from seeing the doctor.

To add to the excite, NHL has been on a steroid for his breathing troubles the last three days. He finishes this up today. Then yesterday, his allergist called back with more detailed results of his adenoid/sinus x-rays from Wednesday. The adenoids still look great, but he did not like the way the sinuses looked. Given that he was still very stuffy and actively blowing mucus out of his nose, he is now on an antibiotic as well.

This is medicine chart central and our own personal mini pharmacy.

This morning JSL’s temperature started to go way up again. So, it will be another day of fever reducers every two hours and the second dose of antibiotic later this afternoon. With any luck we can kick this thing and stop worrying about more nightmare moments. Of course you know that I will forever worry given how quickly these last two febrile seizures came out of no where.

Categories:
bad news doctor jsl nhl photos sick kid vent

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canisters – Review & Giveaway

Posted on March 23, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a mom of two little boys, quick clean ups are frequently required. Whether it is wiping up the messes by the bathroom sink, cleaning up misses by the potty, or getting pasta sauce off the stove top. We always have disinfecting wipe containers in the house for just these types of occassions. Hubby and I would always get frustrated with them because of the dispensing container. The small round hole at the top always managed to rip the sheets (and hurt our fingers), rendering the wipe useless.

Thanks to Family Review Network, my family recently had the opportunity to try the new Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canisters. I must admit, I was skeptical at first. I figured that they would be exactly like the other Clorox wipes I had used in the past at home and in the classrooms when I was teaching. Boy was I wrong!

My Review:

When I opened up the box of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canisters, I noted several items. Of course, the size and shape of the canister was quite different. Then the opening within was much different. Unlike the other wipes I had used in the past, these wipes were easy to get out. The opening was wide enough for adult fingers to comfortable get into and not get cut on the plastic side. I never wasted one thanks to it shredding while removing it from the container. I also noticed the texture on the wipes. The wipe itself had a textured area and seemed a lot thicker and more durable. When I used the wipe to clean my stove top the first time, it held up beautifully to the test. It lasted for the entire job, did not dry out and the texture on the wipe really helped to remove the dried on sauce.

Here is a view inside the container and of the textured wipes themselves:

A bonus to me was the pretty canister that I could pick to match the room. We liked the wipes so much, we actually went out to purchase another container for the bathroom. Here are all eight of the different decorative canisters that are available:

Important Facts about Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canisters:

Combining both fashion and function, the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes new Décor canisters will make the days of hiding cleaning products under the sink a distant memory.

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes new Décor canisters:

Come in eight unique color palettes to match any home décor
Feature a sleek new shape and wider mouth
Have a new effortless single sheet dispensing system
Has the same disinfecting power of their namesake wipes
Are fashionable enough to be left on the countertop
Available at retailers nationwide this month
Better cleaning in a thick, textured wipe
Low-streak formula for use on shiny surfaces like glass and mirrors
Effective against common bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (Staph.), Salmonella enterica, and E. coli*
Pre-moistened disinfecting wipes that kill 99.9% of germs including viruses that cause colds and flu (Rhinovirus and Influenza A2)*

A Chance for you to win!

Thanks to The Clorox Company, 3 lucky winners (US addresses only) have a chance to win a coupon for their own free Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canister.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Visit the Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canister page and then come back and leave a comment telling me which design you would pick and what room you would put it in.
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1-2 Bonus Entries – Stumble this post and/or my main blog page and leave your Stumble name in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TheAngelForever and tweet the line below and leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment.
Win your own Clorox Disinfecting Wipes Decor Canister from @TheAngelForever http://tinyurl.com/dl9omd
1 Bonus Entry – Add TheAngelForever to your blog roll and leave a separate comment.
3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra credit.

To enter, just follow the rules above within the comment section. Be sure that I have an e-mail address that I can contact you for a mailing address once the giveaway is over. All entries must be received by 11:59pm on Tuesday March 31, 2009. I will pick the winners using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, another winner will be selected.

Enjoy and happy cleaning!

Categories:
giveaway photos Product review

13 Months later – the nightmare returns

Posted on March 22, 2009 11:15 am by TheAngelForever

My body is completely numb and my mind is still racing. Just before sitting down to eat dinner last night my worst nightmare came true again. Almost thirteen months after it happened before, JSL stopped breathing and turned blue.

One minute he was chasing after his big brother, the next he slumped over on the floor next to my legs. It all happened so quickly it seems like a blur to me.

JL and I were helping NHL to try on a new bike helmet. JSL was sitting on the floor behind my legs watching Sesame Street. Suddenly we heard JSL grunting. We thought he was a little constipated and doing his business. Then I looked a little closer and his head slumped forward. I picked him up and honestly thought he was gagging on something. I tried to do back blows and other things to get something out of his mouth. When I tried to reach into his mouth I could not open it.

This should have been a light bulb moment. Of course I was not thinking. I was in a panic. My 22 month old son was rapidly turning blue. First his face and second later his hands. His life flashed before my eyes as we prayed that the emergency personel would arrive soon. O could not get his mouth open. His jaws were clenched down on my fingers as I tried with all my might to get into his mouth. Then I noticed his entire body was rigid.

By the time everyone arrived, I was pretty sure he was not choking on something. I was positive he had another serizure. When the EMT came in he seemed a little warm, but nothing too alarming. Problem was, he was unresponsive. His eyes were glazed over and he was not respnding to my voice. The lights were barely on and nobody was home. We quickly determind that he had to go via ambulance to the ER. I sat on the stretcher with him in my arms.

The ride to the hospital was awful. Nobody said anything to me. They worked on their papers as I sat there talking to JSL. He was starting to respond some. If I asked where Mama was he was able to move his hand to point in my direction. He would also point to the lights inside the ambulance when I asked. Slowly he was showing signs of my little boy.

After we arrived in the ER and were taken to a room they did a rectal temperature. It may sound horrible, but I was relieved to see that he was extremely feverish. At that point his temperatuer was 103.5. JL and my mother were there with me as we waitied to see the resident. She came in and looked in his ears and checked him out.

Two hours after we arrived we were told it was time to go home. His temperature was down to 100.8 with Motrin. The part that leaves me freaked out – we do not know what caused the sudden, freak spike in temperaure. Actually, we do not know what continues to keep his temperature up. This morning it was up to 102. So today we are staying home, keeping him cool and rotating different fever reducing mediations to the little guy. Tomorrow we will follow up with our doctor to see if anything is suddenly visible in his ears or elsewhere.

Categories:
bad news doctor jsl sick kid vent

Grilling Goodness – Take 10

Posted on March 21, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

1. Are you competitive? – Not really. That is probably the reason I do not really like WiiFit. So looking forward to the new game that is coming out to use with it. Looks more like a real workout with a trainer.

2. What do you most often eat for breakfast? – Oatmeal these days. Very filling and keeps me going. Sometimes I put raisins in, but not always worth the points.

3. Do you have a ‘raggidy’ piece of furniture? – We have some older hand-me-down pieces, but nothing that is too bad.

4. What do you wash your face with? – Before having kids I used to use a whole series of things. Now I just wash my face in the shower. No time to bother with anything exciting.

5. What colors does Spring make you want to wear? – More bright and colorful things like green and turquoise.

6. Do you like working your flower beds? – NO! I hate getting into the dirt and deal with bugs and other critters.

7. What is something you want that you’ve never had? – A new house. It would be so nice not to have to worry about all of the problems that crop up with an older house. Not only are there things that get old and stop working, but you have to deal with fixing mistakes that previous owners have done. *sigh*

8. How many miles do you have on your car? – We have had my car for just under six years and it has a little over 44K. Hubby’s new car has about 500 miles!

Head over to Golden Goodness to play along!

Categories:
Grilling Goodness me moments web fun

What if it rained food from the sky?

Posted on March 20, 2009 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

One of my favorite classes in college was Children’s Literature. It took a lot of time reading picture and chapter books, but it brought back a lot of childhood memories. One memory was when I was in elementary school and heard the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett for the first time. There was just something special about the story and characters thanks to the amazing illustrations by Ron Barrett. I recall dreams of being swept into the world of Chewandswallow where the days meals rained down from the sky onto the land below. How neat it would be to have food prepared for you without cooking. I can not wait to see this book come to life in the movies this fall.

Reading books with my boys allows all of our imaginations to run wild. In the upcoming weeks, I plan on reading some new books with NHL. I want to hear what he thinks and learns from the books. Hopefully this will be a fun experience that I can share with everyone and NHL will remember for years to come.

So my question for this week:

If you lived in the town of Chewandswallow, what would you like to rain from the sky to eat and why?

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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the Mr. Linky there if you are participating.