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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

A Rough Night!

so, yesterday i brought the 3 younger kids to their occupational therapy appt. they all did well, and kelsey actually went in all by herself. we were all quit shocked, but she did well with it. while kaylee was having her turn and jordan was in speech, i had kelsey in the waiting room. i was doing puzzles with her and we were counting objects. imagine my surprise whe she started counting in spanish. i knew she could count pretty high (13 i think) in english, but had no idea she could even count to one in spanish. she counted all the way to 5! i was shocked! see, t.v. is not that bad, they do learn things. obviously she got it from dora and diego, their favorite shows. kaylee can do it too, but not as well. she has all the names, but is all over the place. here is the video of kelsey:







onto the title of the post. after their appt., we went to visit doug's aunt, pat. all of the kids did well and we enjoyed our visit. we left to go do our usual, eat supper at applebee's). by the time our food came, jordan was not hungry. he said he felt full and he hadn't eaten anything. right before we finished eating, he started crying that his tummy was hurting. needless to say, we rushed out because i knew how bad it could get and how fast it usually happened. he cried the whole way out and doug carried him. i think most people thought he was being carried away crying because he was being bad. he was in pain the whole way home and i couldn't give him anything. i ran him a warm bath and let him lay in it for about an hour. that seemed to help a little, but it was only temporary. they went to bed at 8, when he got another dose of ib prophen. he woke up at midnight with severe stomach pain again. i was told i could give him doses every 4 hours, so i did. it didn't help. he was up EVERY hour. they would last about 10-15 min. with him in unbearable pain for that amount of time and then is would stop for the next 45, only to start again. this went on till about 9am. i got a dr. appt. for him for 9:30. his dr. did a urine sample which came back clear. he was a little concerned that 2 weeks later he is still showing new symptoms. we have decided to give the steroids a shot. i am not happy about it, but i am not willing to let him go through all that pain again. he said we can use tylenol with the steroids if needed, but i really hope to avoid that as well. the prescription is only for 5 days, and they hope that will be all it takes to get him over this. he just takes it once a day. he has been much better since taking it, so i am praying that this will do the trick.well, that is all for tonight. i will keep everyone updated on jordan's progress. latoya is walking on her foot again and went to school today without needing it wrapped, so i think she is healing quit nicely. my mom and i tried out a gym this week and will probably be joining by the end of this week. i actually do look forward to it. i hope everyone has a great week!

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Guess Where We Went Today?

i'll give you a hint, it's the same place we have been three times last week! did you get it?? ok, i'll tell you. we ended up in the ER again tonight. no, not for jordan, but for latoya. while we were cleaning the church this afternoon, latoya was watching the girls. another family was there with their kids, and one of the little girls came in and said "mrs. fournier, latoya broke her foot, she's sitting in the playhouse (on the playground) crying!" i went and checked on her, but didn't really see too much (just a small bump on the side), so i told her to walk around for a bit and see how it felt. i was almost done cleaning, so i went and finished it up and came back out to get them and leave, and she still couldn't walk on it. i brought all the kids to grammy's and had her sit down and elevate it and put ice on it and then i told my mom to call me in an hour and if she still couldn't walk, then i would call the dr.s office and see what they said. wouldn't you know that an hour later, she still was crying when trying to walk on it. i called the dr.s office and they said she needed to be seen and have x-rays. so, i loaded her in the van. jordan insisted on coming too, which i had a feeling was not going to work out, but i took him anyway. we got there at about 7:30 pm. we got to the room at around 8:30 and were taken almost immediately to x-ray. they didn't find a break, but said it was a pretty good sprain. they wrapped it and we were ready to go. of course, by the time we left, jordan's legs were starting to hurt as well. so, i had toya in a wheelchair and hop along walking behind us. i'm sure we looked pretty funny. i thought about just stacking jordan on top of toya, but he was able to make it to the van. so, that being said, i have lost my major helper for a little while. hopefully she heals quickly too. i hope everyone else has a great weekend. please pray for recovery for both of them as well as sanity for me :) by the way, i did all of this on my night off!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Thank You!

not much else to be said, thanks to all who left comments od encouragement.to say the least, i was having a bad night. tonight went much smoother and jordan was not in as much pain as he has been. i don't know whether it is because things were not as painful or if it was because i yelled at him yesterday. i hope it was just because he wasn't in as much pain, because i want him to feel like he can scream and cry if he is in so much pain. i still had to carry him up the stairs and he is still peeing in a cup (it's too hard to hold him up while he aims for the toilet). we didn't go to church because his legs started to hurt about 20 min. before we were to leave. his teacher said she could tell his legs were hurting a little today. when they start to hurt, he walks on his tip toes and limps. i'm not sure why this makes it easier to walk, but it usually does the job for about an hour before he cannot walk at all, so this is our sign that the pain is coming. thanks to those who offered to watch the girls, while i am not against it, it would not be the same without them here. i am stable most days, last night just got the best of me. i was able to go to bed at 9:30 last night so today was better. i wanted to write to all of you individually (i put notes to all of you below), but am too tired to do so. just know that your comments meant ALOT to me. words cannot express what it meant to me. i realized i had more "true" friends than i thought i did, ALL of your are great (even those i have not actually met). i hope that i am an encouragement to many of you when you need it as well. i know that i try to be. so, that is all for tonight. jordan does not have school tomorrow so he will be "resting" as will i (as much as we can with the twins here). besides, 5 yr. old boys don't rest well! i'm glad that many of you got the fact that i didn't want you to feel sorry for me, but for jordan. yes, it is hard on me, but i cannot even fathom being in that much pain at 5. i know i am probably going to have ALOT more days like yesterday, so don't be surprised if you see another post like it. once again, i am only human!

ellen, thanks so much for thinking of me. i knew you would be one of the first to respond. that is just you! you are a very sweet and kind person! thank you!

amber, you have got to be one of the strongest women i know right now. thanks for sending some of that strength to me. honestly after reading your comment and knowing what your going through and you are making it, made me realize that i too will get through this! you are a great encouragment! thanks for being my friend.

laura, one of my internet friends. i consider you a great friend even though we have never really met. we have so much in common, including the ages and sexes of our children. it really is quit strange. i do wish we lived closer because i think we would be great friends. thanks for the encouragement!

angie, another internet friend. thanks for the hugs, you also are a great inspiration to me and i love reading your blog!

sue, thanks for the prayers and for stopping by the other day and just talking. adult conversation is hard to come by when your a stay at home mom.

joleene, i would love to see that card sometime. i think it's hilarious that you still have it. we did use to be very close. :)

miranda, thanks for being a good friend. i'm so glad we have started hanging out again. thanks for the prayers and supprt. i hope we can become closer like we once were.

erin (E), you hit the nail on the head with the insult to injury comment. i think that was one of the strongest points i wanted to get across. you read my mind even through all the mumbo jumbo! thank you!

cassie, you are one of my newest friends and have really turned out to be a true friend. i know we don't get to hang out much, but hopefully we can get together soon. thanks for offering to take the girls, i know they would be alright, but it wouldn't be the same without them here. it would probably make things more stressful on me. i am just used to having my kids with me. i wouldn't know what to do if they were not here with me. your a great friend.

aunt joan, your comment just made me cry. we have been so close to you and my kids love their aunt joan. we would be more than happy to come have supper with you guys sometime. thanks for letting me know you care. even though we know it, sometimes it is just nice to hear it too.

debra, another one of my fellow twin internet friends. thanks for your prayers as well. thank you for the encouragement. you have a good suggestion and i actually do get a break on saturday nights, i just need to learn to rest instead of clean my house during that time! :)

jenn, thanks for the prayers and commenting. when i redid my blog a while ago, i lost all my links. yours was one i never found until now. you will be back on my blog read list now. thanks again!

so anyway, that is all for tonight. thanks again, you are all great!!! i hope you all have a great week!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Just Mad!

just in case i offend anyone, i just want people to know that this is indeed written out of anger. i am mad. i just carried my little 5 year old boy up to bed with him SCREAMING in pain, i'm mad!!! i'm mad at this stupid disease that has made my once loveable, huggable little boy into a boy that cannot be touched. a boy that is in alot of pain. a boy who cries when i try to help him by carrying him up the stairs because he can't walk. i'm mad at myself for losing my temper with him because he is screaming and i can no longer think. i'm mad at people for not taking this seriously and thinking because he is walking one day that he is fine *by the way, the only way he is functioning at all is because he is on ib prophen every 6 hours with no break). i feel like videotaping what my life is like from 4 pm (the time this normally gets worse) till bedtime, and showing everyone. this has taken a huge toll on me. we have been to the emergency room 3 times since this disease has come and to the dr.s office 3 times as well. all of this in 9 days! my husband works 80+ hours a week, i do this by myself and i am getting stressed out. i'm mad that my kids have to see their mom cry and yell because she is exhausted from getting up in the middle if the night to administer more medicine to her 5 year old boy, then has to get up and get kids ready for school, bring them to school, do laundry, dishes, pick the kids up from school, help with homework, make supper, do dishes, do more laundry, give baths, and get the kids to bed. although i do all of things on an everyday basis, from the homework part on is literally done while listening to my son scream and cry because he is in pain. the ib prophen is no longer working on the pain and he is having ALOT more stomach pains (and they are much more severe), whether it is because he has become immune to it or the pain is getting more intense, i do not know. i will be making a call to his dr. tomorrow and they will have to move on to steroids. his dr.s and i were hoping to avoid them, but i can't see him in pain like he has been anymore. i can't handle it. please do not message me telling me how much worse it can be, i know it can be worse, i have a friend who is going through something worse with her son, this is not what i need to hear right now. sorry for venting, but i just want our lives to be back to normal. if you got this far, thanks for listening. if this makes me a bad mom or a bad christian, i'm sorry. i'm only human. please do not try to call, i won't answer, i just don't feel like talking right now.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

A Very Busy & Fun Day!

i'll start with friday's news. on friday, jordan actually went to school. i changed his dr. appt. to friday instead of monday, so he went to school till about 11:00. he had alot of fun and his classmates were VERY excited to see him. they actually ran up to him and said "jordan your back" and he said they all gave him hugs, but not his teacher. :) he said it was very squishy! when we went to the dr.s, i had a list of questions for him. i wanted a urine test done at the lab, the blood test for dr. streeter, asked him about the ib prophen again, and asked about seeing a kidney specialist. well, he agreed to the urine test at the lab and after giving me a hard time, he also agreed to do the blood test. he informed me that my insurance probably won't cover it (i think it will, he was just trying to get me to not have it done), he also agreed to call the kidney specialist and talk to them about jordan. we did our normal shopping and out to eat on friday evening and everything went well, until we sat down to eat. jordan all of a sudden couldn't walk. he made grammy carry him out to the van when we were done and he had to ride up front since he can't climb out back if he can't walk. he was in severe pain for the rest of the night. we got home and i carried him upstairs and sat him in the shower (we have a shower chair we are borrowing). his legs were once again VERY swollen. after he was done, i had the girls go in and give him a kiss goodnight, kaylee kissed him and said "i make jordan all better?" she knows we kiss her booboos to make her all better, so she thought it would work for jordan's legs. how sweet is she? :) when i got home, i had a message from the dr.s office.

this morning started out with a call to the dr.s office to find out the new info he had for me. basically it was just to tell me that he got in contact with the kidney specialist who said as of right now he does not need a specialist, but they will check his urine every 2 weeks and i am to look for blood in his urine. so, that is it for now.

after, i took the 3 younger kids and dropped them off at grammy's while toya and i went to clean the church. when we got there, one of toya's classmates was helping her mom clean too, so they got to play for a little bit. when we left, i offered to take her friend with us as we had some fun things planned. her mom said she could come, so that is who you will see in all of the pictures from today.

after we left the church, we went to pick up the younger 3 and grammy. we then headed down town and to a local firestation where they were having a open house and lots of things for the kids. they gave out hotdogs, popcorn, cookies, and drinks. the kids also got to tour sit in the firetruck and get their faces painted, then they made bracelets. they had alot of fun. here are some pics and a slideshow:

enjoying their hot dogs and popcorn
with sparky
making bracelets
kelsey loved sparky and kept finding him to give him hugs :)



after they were done at the firestation, we headed to a local bowling alley where they were having a kids day too. everyone got one free game of bowling and free shoe rentals. they also got to color a picture and when they turned it in, they got a certificate for another free game of bowling at a later date. they were doing face painting and finger painting there as well as raffles. we didn't do any of that, we just let them color and then played a game of bowling. there were quit a few people there, so we had to put our name on a waiting list to wait for a lane to open up. while we were waiting, jordan started getting the severe stomache cramps they were hoping he would not get. he was miserable off and on as his stomache would cramp up. the kids all enjoyed bowling. we haven't done it in a year. the twins LOVED it at first and every time someone would take their turn, the girls would clap and cheer and then give you high fives! it was actually quit funny. i went to get a pitcher of soda (figured the carbonated stuff would make jordan feel better), and a pitcher of water. i also got a large order of curly fries. jordan started to feel a little better, so i think it worked a little bit. here are some pics and a slideshow of the kids bowling:

kaylee

kelsey

jordan

toya

abby




after we left, there was a bounce house outside, so the kids went in for a few minutes. we headed back to church and dropped abby off. we then went apple picking. we weren' there very long, but the kids had a blast doing that. kelsey kept pulling hte apples off and falling when she did, of course when i got the camera out to video it, she didn't do it again. :) so, here are some pics and a video of them apple picking (kinda long):

kaylee

kelsey

jordan

toya








well, that is all for tonight. i will definitely keep the blog updated with info about jordan. we do appreciate your prayers. have a great weekend!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Another visit to the ER!

well, once again as i was getting jordan ready for his shower, i noticed something on his leg. this really scared me because of the size of it:




i put him to bed and then called his dr. office. because they couldn't see it, they wanted me to take him to the ER again. i was more than happy too oblige since i was very worried. my first thought was a blood clot since there was soo much blood pooled into one area. after waiting almost 3 hours, we were assured that he thinks it is normal. this is one word you never want to hear your dr. say......think! shouldn't they know? he did say it didn't really fit the symptoms of a clot because the area was not hot and there were no lines coming from it. i was also told when i called his dr. that the reason the protein may not have showed up on the dr. office test is because they do not test it as good as the hospital, so he probably in fact still has protein in his urine. well, thanks for letting me know that AFTER i had been giving him motrin again for a couple of days! honestly, what is wrong with these dr.s??? to be honest, i LOVE the kids dr.s office. because this is farely rare, i am giving them the benefit of the doubt. i am at a dead end right now as to if i still look for answers or do i just wait to see if it actually does go away on it's own. i think i definitely want to see if i can get a referral for a neuphrologist, just so they can keep an eye on his kidneys, but we'll see if they will give me one. to me they seem to be acting like it's not a big deal, but this is my child and there are some very serious things that can go on with this.

something neat happened today though, we have a bunch of kids out at hyles anderson college in hammond in. i know my sister put in a prayer request for him there. one of the girls works in the clinic and mentioned to a dr. there about jordan. dr. streeter took a look at my blog and a description that was sent to him and he sent a fax with some things to get for him and a blood test he says jordan should have done. i looked up the items he said he should take which is mediberry & aloe gold (for the joints), but it is just too expensive for us ($65.00 for both). the blood test i plan on asking about when i go back to the dr. on monday. i think he will allow jordan to get it done, but i'm not sure. we'll see. i was so excited that dr. streeter took an interest in jordan's case. i know he is a busy man and i'm sure he has lots of patients, so this was really neat. when i get the results of the blood test, i am supposed to fax the results to dr. streeter, which i will definitely do.

on to other news, jordan went and got tutored today. he seems to be doing a little better, but it really is a day by day thing. you just never know. so far it has been every other day that he cannot walk. it tends to hit him more at night and through the night and early morning. he will be getting tutored tomorrow and friday assuming he is still feeling good enough. i am hoping that maybe next week we can atleast let him go half days. they do most of the teaching during the mornings, so if i let him go during the morning, he should not miss much. we'll see, worse comes to worse then we will continue getting him tutored. it really is a strange disease, on some days you would see him and he will be runnning around and playing just like normal, and the next day he will be laying down and crying out in pain. it honestly is the strangest thing i've ever seen. i think people tend not to take it seriously because of this, anyway, that is all for tonight. please continue to keep jordan in your prayers.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Jordan's Dr. Appt.

this morning i called his dr. office to get an appt. the dr. he was supposed to see is not working today, go figure! so, we got to see his dr. that he sees for his physicals which is fine by me. me and the nurse figured that out of the three we had to choose from, he has been there the longest and would know about it. turns out, he didn't really know too much about it. he had seen a couple of teenagers who had it when he was in a different practice, but their symptoms where a rash and the abdominal pain. i brought the pictures in and he couldn't beleive how big his knees were and i'm glad i brought them because although he still couldn't walk, the swelling had gone down. his dr. decided to get one of the new dr.s to come see it so he could see it for future reference, and it turns out that this dr.s son had had it. i was happy to have someone who knew first hand about what he was dealing with. his son had more of the stomach pain as well, and not the joint issues, but it was still nice to have him there. they did a urine sample and the protein is gone! so, although there is some things they can give him for the swelling, they want to hold off on the steroids as they are very addicting. they did say that since the protein is gone for now, that he can take ib prophen and motrin and that should help alot with the joint issues. they said to put him on a very strict regimen of motrin. he needs it every 4 hours without fail (not sure how that will go through the night though). he has had a few stomach cramps, but they have not been too bad, so hopefully we can avoid that part of it. he should be more comfortable now though. he needs to go back next monday to have his urine checked and for them to look at his joints again. he will need to be out of school for this week atleast, and they will take it week by week. the dr, found it quit ironic that he got this exactly when it should of ~ it most commonly strikes boys ages 2-10 (with 5-7 being the most common age), and in the fall. wouldn't you know that he is a 5 year old boy and it is fall! anyway, that is it for now. i hope you all have a great week. once again, nadia, if you are reading this or someone knows who she is, could you please contact me. i would love to talk to her. my email address again is: ds4nier@megalink.net

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Not a great day & Nadia please contact me!

nadia (or someone who knows her), you left a comment on my blog, but i have no way of contacting you, could you please email me? i would love to talk about some of the things that have gone on with your son and maybe some things that have helped him. it's nice to know that someone knows what you are going to and to have someone to talk to about it. my email address is ds4nier@megalink.net.

jordan did not have a great day today. we went to church and he went to his sunday school class and then to junior church. his teacher in junior church brought him to my mom because he was starting to complain of leg pain again. he did ok, but was starting to limp a little and walk on his tip toes so i knew eventually it was going to get to the point where he couldn't walk again. we went and had lunch at my mom's after church and then i laid down with the girls for their nap. around 4:15 i heard him crying as my mom was trying to bring him potty. sure enough, he could no longer walk. i know people i have talked probably think i seem like it's no big deal and i'm not too worried about it, but this is a face that i put on. i don't like people to see the vulnerable side of me. i have cried with him several times because there is nothing i can do for him. i bring him to the potty and he cries, he literally cannot move without crying out in pain. there's nothing like watching your child cry out every time you touch him or try to help him. i also know that things could be alot worse, i completely understand that. so, all that being said, please just keep him in your prayers, that the pain is not too unbearable, and the rest of the family as we try to deal with this. i am very worried about jordan and school. he seems to have made great strides and now it looks as though he will miss alot of school. his preschool teacher has offered to tutor him in her free time. this means alot to us, and will help out tremendously so that maybe he won't get too far behind. anyway, please keep him in your prayers. here are some pictures i took of his knees tonight (notice how huge his knees are from the swelling):




i wanted to add a cute story that happened with jordan tonight. he was sitting down and i saw him move without crying out in pain and jokingly, i said "wow, it's a miracle, your healed". he looked at me and said God can heal people, he did it with the man in the river. it was very cute. we told him there were lots of people praying for him to be healed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

now, something completely unrelated but i definitely wanted to mention. the other night when we were in the emergency room till 4 am, all 3 girls were up at 8 am. neither jordan nor i were ready to get up at that time and doug was at work, so latoya got the girls down and got the three of them breakfast and played with them while we slept for a couple more hours! what a great help she is, i know i don't brag on her enough. she really goes above and beyond with her sisters. i also wanted to mention that latoyas fundraiser for cheering went awesome, she was the top seller. here is a picture of her in her uniform:


well, that is all for tonight. please keep everyone in your prayers, and have a great week!

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Jordan's ER Visit ~ Please Pray for him!

well, everything started happening on tuesday afternoon. he first started complaining of a mild headache when we went to the dr.s office for their referral for his and latoyas feet. we went to eat after and all of a sudden the little headache turned into a huge headache. he was crying and definitely in ALOT of pain. all of a sudden he cried out that his leg and foot was hurting too. as quicklt as it came on, the pain in his leg and foot went away. the headache remained and he spiked a fever. i was very perplexed by this, i gave him some pain medicine when we got home and he rested comfortably. for the next two days, he seemed to be fine, he would spike a fever and mention that his leg or legs were hurting, and then it would go away on it's own. i felt it was probably the flu (and he was haviing body aches). he continued to go to school and even went on a field trip on friday. we did the normal friday night shopping and he was fine then too. we got home at around 8 pm, and i gave him a shower. when he took of his clothes to get in is when i noticed the spots:

at first, i thought he had chicken pox. he stayed in the shower for about 30 min., and then when he got out, he could not walk, AT ALL.it was literally like a light switch, one minute he was fine and the next he couldn't walk at all. i immediately sat him on the toilet and got him dressed and in bed. i then went and did research for chicken pox with leg pain and headaches. all of what i found was saying these were serious side effects. i called the dr.s office and they said to go to the ER. i had to wait for my hubby to get home from work and woke jordan up to go to the ER at about 11:30 p.m. we got there and i had to get a wheelchair as he was still in too much pain and was unable to walk, and i could not carry him (he weighs 50 lbs.). anyway, we got in and got through the paper work and waited for the dr. he came in about 2 hours later. as soon as he looked at it, he knew what it was. it is not chicken pox, but rather: Henoch Schoenlein Purpura. they did lots of blood work and a urine sample. this is something that is caused by a viral infection and spreads throughout the body, but especially the joints in the legs and feet (hence not being able to walk), attacking the liver and bowels. most of the time it goes away on it's own without affecting these things, but obviously in jordan it is already affecting the joints, and he was found to be spilling protein in his urine, a sign that something is going on with his kidneys. we were released, but have to see his dr. on monday and he will be followed VERY closely for the next 2 months atleast. because he is showing some of the serious signs, they want to make sure it does not progress, we need to watch for blood in his urine and stools and major abdonimal pain. they say in the article that it is fairly common, yet the dr. we saw said he maybe sees it 1-2 time a year. here is some info i found on this, please read it so you know what we are facing, i cannot explain it the way it needs to be explained:

Henoch-Schonlein Purpura

No one knows what causes it. We do know that it often follows a viral respiratory infection. It seems to be some kind of allergic reaction to the virus. It has also been seen following Strep throat, prescription medicines, bee stings, chemical toxins, cold exposure, and food allergies. It can occur in epidemics. In the Northern Hemisphere it occurs most commonly between November and February. It is often accompanied by a low-grade fever, and just not feeling well. It most often affects children ages 2 through 10, boys more often than girls. The older the child (or adult), the more likely it is to be serious. We know that it can be life-threatening, but that most children recover. "It" is Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP).

HSP is a type of vasculitis -- an inflammation of blood vessels -- that was named for Drs. Henoch and Schonlein, who each discovered it independently more than 30 years after it was discovered by Dr. Heberden, who got no credit.

Tiny blood vessels in the skin swell and then hemorrhage, giving rise to the characteristic rash of HSP. The rash usually begins with small hives, or red patches, or red bumps, which can appear anywhere on the body, but especially on the legs and buttocks. This rash represents swollen blood vessels, and the spots blanch with pressure, since pressure moves the blood along the vessel. The allergic nature of the rash often makes it itch. As time passes, blood leaks from the swollen vessels, the rash changes from red to a bruised, purple color (hence the name purpura), and the rash no longer blanches when pressed. As the tiny bruises heal they turn to a rust color, and then fade. Each spot lasts for about five days. Often the rash comes in several crops, and a single child may have a rash of a variety of different colors. All children with HSP have the skin rash (by definition). The rash resolves without trace. ("A savvy mom named Beth Anderson wrote and suggested that when her son had HSP, "the term "blood blisters" was the key to describing the rash for those who couldn't see it in person. Most people have had a blood blister and can relate to the term better than bruises.")

The skin rash is the most obvious, and most common, finding in HSP -- but by no means the most serious. Blood vessels in other parts of the body can also be involved --most frequently in the joints, the intestines, and the kidneys. Rarely, vessels in the muscles, eyes, testicles, lungs, heart, and brain have become inflamed, sometimes leading to serious consequences.

Joint involvement occurs in two thirds of the children. The knees and ankles, particularly, often become swollen, tender, and painful with movement. This arthritis can be quite debilitating, but usually resolves in just a few days. No permanent deformity results, even with the most severe arthritis.

Inflammation of the blood vessels of the GI tract occurs in more than half of the children. Most of these experience abdominal pain, often quite severe. They will often vomit -- sometimes vomiting blood. More than half of the children with HSP will have bloody stools. Serious short-term complications most often come from the GI involvement.

Kidney involvement affects between one-fourth and one-half of the children with HSP. They may have blood and/or protein in the urine. They may even have kidney failure. Serious long-term complications most often come from the kidney involvement.

Full-blown HSP may appear suddenly, or different symptoms may appear gradually over several weeks. The order in which the symptoms appear varies. A child might have unexplained abdominal pain, or knee pain, or bloody stools, or blood in the urine for a week before other symptoms appear to bring the correct diagnosis into focus. The diagnosis is usually made when the rash turns purple.

Most children recover fully. The disease may be quite mild and last only 2 or 3 days. For those with moderate to severe symptoms, though, the disease lasts an average of 4 to 6 weeks, with relapses occurring up to a year later (particularly after the child gets another cold or is re-exposed to the offending agent).

Rarely, children die from complications experienced near the time of diagnosis (bowel perforation, hemorrhage, seizure, stroke, etc.). Having made it through the acute crisis, the long-term outcome depends on the extent of kidney involvement. With no kidney involvement, full recovery is the rule. One-fourth of the children with kidney problems will still have detectable problems years later. By 8 years after onset, however, only 2% will still have any kidney problems (Primary Pediatric Care, Mosby, 1992). Unfortunately, up to half of those will ultimately die from chronic renal failure. The long-term prognosis can often be determined from a renal biopsy early on.

There is no specific treatment for HSP. If the initiating trigger is identified for an individual child, everything possible should be done to remove it. If the cause is thought to be a bacterial infection, such as Strep throat, prophylactic antibiotics are often given once the infection is eliminated, to prevent recurrence. Anti-inflammatory drugs, and sometimes immunosuppresive drugs, are used to provide much-needed symptomatic relief. Steroids may cause dramatic reversal of GI or brain involvement, but have not been shown to be very effective for the kidneys.

HSP is a very serious disease. Thankfully, it is also very uncommon. The odds are that your dear little friend will recover from this with nothing to show for it except some bad memories.


So, that being said, please keep jordan in your prayers. the pain in his legs has subsided for now, he is up and wlaking around and playing, but i expect that won't be the last run in for us. i will keep everyone updated after we go to the dr. on monday.

on to a different note, here are the girls in their new, fitting duck costumes. aren't they adorable:


Thursday, October 04, 2007

The Fryeburg Fair


well, monday morning started very early for us. we planned on leaving at around 8 am. we actually left at around 8:30. caleb's mom was due to be induced to have her baby girl at 4 pm, so we took caleb with us. he was very excited to be going with us. my parents followed us. all went well till about 4-5 miles before the fair. we ran into some major traffic. seems everyone had the same idea that we did. we got the kids ride bracelets and then went through a few barns. we then went to a little restaurant on the fairgrounds and had some lunch. we go to this same restaurant every year. it isn't very big, but the service is FAST! we had turkey dinners and were done within 45 min. we then went through a couple more barns and then to the rides. the kids got to go on every ride once. they really enjoyed them. by the time we were done the rides, it was time for us to head home. my parents stayed behind, but seeing as we had three 2 year olds, we decided we should get home at a reasonable hour. i don't know how many times we got "are they triplets?" they would see my twins and then spot caleb. we were asked a thousand times if they were all ours. and we would say "all but one". so, for the day, i saw what parents of triplets would go through. i told my hubby we should have charged a viewing fee even though they really weren't triplets. we would have made some serious money! when we left, we had traffic for about 30 min. we stopped at burger king on the way home and got supper. we got home at around 8 pm, got all 5 kids bathed and in their pj's and in bed by 9. we brought the loveseat cushions up and put them beside jordan's bed, and that is where caleb slept. everyone went right to sleep without issues, and more importantly, they all slept all night!. here is the slideshow of the fair (kelsey is always wearing the pink sweatshirt, kaylee in the blue one, and caleb is in the light blue gap one):



i got a call at about 2:15 am. saying that caleb had a new baby sister. her name is jocelyn and she weighed in at 9 lbs. 14 oz. and was 20 1/2 in. long. i brought caleb down in the morning to see his sister for about an hour. i then took all three of the little ones back to my house and they took a nap. after the older two got out of school, i took them to the dr.s so we could get a referral to have their feet looked at. we got the referral, but cannot get in till the end of this month. i will keep everyone updated about that. here is a picture of baby jocelyn, and then one with caleb and jocelyn: