Tag Archives: health

Got Dental Insurance?

I know that going to the dentist can be a very, very expensive trip.
I have unfortunately been in the position before when I did not have dental insurance and had to pay completely out of my own pocket for dental work. It was far from cheap.
After that trip to the dentist I picked up private dental insurance to help curb the costs of any future work I would need done.
Thanks to this alternative coverage I was able to save over 50%!
Places like DentalPlans.com offer you over 30+ discount dental plans to choose from at an affordable cost and allow you to save on all of your dental work.
I kept my private dental plan for over a year until I married the Alex and was able to be added to his dental insurance through his employer but was grateful that I had picked up the alternative dental coverage to help me while I needed it.
I know there are a lot of people out there who are in the same boat that I was and do not realize there are other options out there and they are affordable. DentalPlans.com is a great source to search for the coverage you need and even allows you to find both a plan and a dentist in your area and helps you find the best plan to suit your needs!

2 Weeks Post-Op

I am happy to report that Zack had his 2 week post-op appointment this week and so far everything is healing very well.  He still needs to use both his crutches and wheel chair until he sees the good Dr. S again on December 27th.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that at that appointment he will be allowed to try and put some weight on his leg/hip.  He has been doing extremely well at staying off of it but cannot wait to be able to walk again.

Since being discharged from the hospital, he has only had 2 accidents and his foot touched down slightly but after seeing the x-rays this week, we are thankful that those 2 little touches did not move anything!  He was also happy to have the ends of his stitches clipped finally because they kept getting caught on his clothes.

I am amazed at how well he has been doing adjusting to being in the wheel chair and on crutches and having to miss out on so many things.  I am extremely thankful for a child who knows that he needs to get better and he will have the opportunity to do the things he is currently missing out on once again.

We would appreciate it if you could continue to keep him in your thoughts and send good vibes his way.  The quicker he heals the sooner he will be able to get back out there and be his 12year old self all over again!

The crazy busy emotional week from hell

It’s hard to believe that week ago today our family spent the day up north with the Alex’s parents, grandma and 2 uncles to enjoy an early Thanksgiving together before my in-laws departs for their 3 week Trans Atlantic cruise. We had a great time, shared some wonderful conversation, there was laughing and playing, kids running to and fro and even nap time for those who had indulged in too much turkey.

24 hours after that wonderful family celebration, we found ourselves in mourning.
One of the uncles that we had enjoyed the holiday with had passed away very unexpectedly.
There we were, in shock, tears flowing and our hearts breaking.

24 hours after learning of the news of Uncle Chet’s passing, we learned that Zack would need to have surgery and have screwed placed in his right hip to stabilize a growth plate that had slipped causing him pain.

24 hours later, I was sitting in a hospital room with Zack helping to comfort him and get through the pain from his surgery.

Less than 24 hours later we were leaving the hospital and bringing Zack hope to start his 8 week recovery.

Yesterday we attended the funeral for Uncle Chet. We shared stories that made us laugh and cry and we remembered a great man. We talked with other family members about what needs to be done, who needs to do what, right down to shipping furniture here and there to ensure that everyone in the family has something to remember Uncle Chet.

In the past week, I have shed more tears than I have in the last 6 months. It has been crazy, busy and emotional but it is a week to give thanks and I will be forever grateful that we spent last Sunday celebrating Thanksgiving early allowing us that last chance to spend time with Uncle Chet before he made his way to heaven.

Pregnancy now versus the last 3 times

I was 19 when I was pregnant with my first child, 20 at delivery.
My second pregnancy occurred while I was 20 and I delivered 7 months after turning 21.
With Alexander, I became pregnant at 28 and delivered him at 29.
This time around….I’m 32. By the time the baby arrives I will be 33.
Pregnancy in my 20’s was a cake walk compared to pregnancy in my 30’s.

My first 2 pregnancies I was booming with energy and was always on the go.
With Alexander I had spurts of energy and was active.
This pregnancy…..this one is kicking my ass!

I have been in bed before midnight for the last few weeks, which if you know me, you know how odd that type of behavior is.
I have also experienced more sickness this time as well.
I feel like I spend way to much time praying to the porcelain god.
Oh, and the food and smell aversions are unbelievable.
I can’t stand the small of BBQ sauce right now or rotisserie chicken.
These are 2 things I usually enjoy…..A LOT!
And sloppy joes…..they are off limits too.

And did I mention the part that if I do not make a mad dash to the bathroom first thing every morning I have been known to pee myself??
It’s RIDICULOUS!!!

I go in next Thursday the 26th for my first Dr. appointment and ultrasound and am super excited.
It’s time to put an end to everyone saying I’m having twins!
More to come next week!

Live from my hospital bed….

That’s right folks.
I’m coming to you live from room 154 where I am currently sitting in bed, wearing my standard hospital issued gown and hooked up to my IV delivering me fluids, antibiotics, pain killers and other meds.

Lovely, no?

When I said I needed a vacation, this was NOT what I had in mind!

Remember that little trip I took earlier in the month?

Well, I’m pretty sure that was just the precursor to all of this.

For the last week, I’ve been having abdominal pain.
The only way I can describe it is that it feels like a contraction that hits its peak and never starts to descend. It’s just constantly there.
And for those of you out there who have experienced child birth, you know what I mean.
It’s so uncomfortable.
It hurts to yawn.
It hurts to eat.
It hurts to move around.
It just hurts.

So, for most of the week….I dealt with the pain.
I fed it a variety of over the counter pain meds in hopes of making it go away.

That didn’t happen.

Friday night, the pain got so unbearable, I told the Alex I had enough and that I needed to go to the ER.

He obliged.

I was immediately given an IV and some AMAZING narcotics that made the pain go away. For the first time in days, I felt like myself except I was really, really high.
Seriously, I’m not high in my real life.

After some blood work, peeing in a cup, 93 ultra sound pictures of my insides, a bunch of x-rays and a chest CT to rule out a blood clot in my lung since my blood work showed that I do have a blood clot somewhere.
I was sent home with some meds and a prescription to poop.
Yes, the ER doc said my pain was the cause of being constipated.

So, I went home, took my drugs and a stool softener and took advantage of the narcotics and got some much needed sleep.

When I woke up 5 hours later, I was still feeling pretty good and was getting ready to head out to do some errands and prep for Alexander’s 3rd birthday party.

The Alex and I went to the store, gathered the items we needed and headed home.

As we were making our way home…..the pain was slowly making it’s appearance. Apparently the narcotics and 800mg of Ibuprofen had decided it was time to stop hiding the pain.

Within an hour, I was doubled over in pain and dry heaving.

Needless to say, we quickly made our way back to the hospital.

That was Saturday at 2:30pm.
I’m still at the hospital and it is now Sunday at 11:40pm.

Since I arrived a lot has happened and it hasn’t been fun.
They still don’t know what is wrong with me, I haven’t had any food since 6am Friday morning other than a piece of toast I tried to eat today, I’ve had a hida scan to see if my gall bladder is the issue….it’s not and now tomorrow morning, I am having an endoscopy.

On the plus side……I’m no longer constipated!