Hello 2011

As we welcome in the new year of 2011, I wonder if I should say good riddance to 2010? We had our ups and downs here and I am hopeful for a great new year.

Christmas break was anything but a break for us most days. We had several Christmas gatherings nearby and one that was 3 hrs away. Brock could have done without the traveling. He is such a creature of habit and hates to get off his schedule.

I had yet another birthday that came and went. (I celebrated by getting diagnosed with Strep the day before, but did get to go out for dinner for "my day"). Cora had an infection that required a couple trips to the dr. and 2 different medications.... And, Brock also acquired an infection after a Mic-key button change. It was the strangest series of events..... His tube site was leaking and I noticed it was time for a replacement. Typically, this is a smooth process and Brock doesn't even skip a beat with the change out. This time, he screamed in pain with the placement of the new Mic-key and had to be consoled for awhile after! In the days that followed, I noticed increasing redness around his site. Even more concerning was how Brock was guarding that area and wincing in pain every time I tried to put antibiotic ointment around his Mic-key or touch it to feed him. We had to wait several days, due to the holidays, to get in to our pediatrician. She deemed Brock to have an infection, of course, and prescribed Keflex. With just a few doses, Brock didn't have pain and the redness had disappeared. However, he had a seizure after just having one the previous day! Those 2 seizures I brushed off as a result of his body reacting to the infection. But-----he continued to have 2 a day in the days that followed. I became so concerned that the Keflex was somehow causing his seizures. His pediatrician and neurologist hadn't known of any interaction, but the pediatrician was willing to let me stop the Keflex and see what happened.

The seizures stopped when the Keflex stopped! At least that was for about 4 days...... Then yesterday, Brock blows my theory virtually out of the water when he wakes up to a small seizure, then has yet a 2nd one before lunch! Ugh. Both were small and were not as intense as the seizures he had while on the antibiotic, so I am still sticking to the thought Brock can't tolerate Keflex. Now I have to continue to scratch my head as to why the seizures are presenting again after we had been going weeks in between.

First thing Saturday morning I plan on taking Brock to get labs drawn. He still could have a hidden infection somewhere or his AED levels could be low? We did switch to crushing tablets of his Topamax rather than getting that med compounded. That change was made in early December so I don't know if that is a culprit?

Always a guessing game with my boy......

Hopefully I can get back in to the swing of things and begin posting more regularly. We are still under construction here with our house renovations and it is completely trying my patience. I have days where I hate the contractors in my home, but am really angry when they don't even show! Grrrrrrr. I hope one day to post pictures of Brock's new bedroom, roll in shower, and our bedroom on the main level.

Happy 2011 ABC fans! Here's to a great year to come!