My Life Could Be A Grey's Anatomy Episode

We got some good and bad news this week. Good news is that there is a very slight improvement in my blood clot compared to about 2 months ago. Bad news is the doctor had the interventional radiologist study the films and they have determined that it has been too long for the procedure we were hoping for to be affective. There is nothing the hematologist or interventional radiologist can do to help treat me. The next step, the doctor is referring me to a vascular surgeon. Hopefully, they will have an answer to take care of me. Otherwise, there is no telling how long this very large blood clot will take to resolve.

In other health news, Monday, the doctor sent me to the emergency room for some tests. For the last several days I have been having severe chest pains, and tightness. Making it hard and painful to breath. I have also had a lot of swelling in my arms and hands. At first it was an immediate worry that part of the clot may have broken off and traveled to my lungs causing a Pulmonary embolism. However that is not the case, thankfully. The doctor says I have a pleurisy. And the doctor says I probably have a blood clot in my arms. However, since my treatment would be the same as the treatment I am already receiving for the leg clot, they did not scan my arms. There is no treatment for pleurisy. You just treat the pain. I'm already on heavy pain medications so there was no reason to keep me in the hospital. They sent me home and I'm back to resting. I was told it takes anywhere from a few days to two weeks for the pleurisy to go away.

"What is pleurisy?

Pleurisy is swelling (inflammation) of the thin layers of tissue (pleura) covering the lungs and the chest wall.

The outer layer of the pleura lines the inside of the chest wall, and the inner layer covers the lungs. The tiny space between the two layers is called the pleural cavity. This cavity normally contains a small amount of lubricating fluid that allows the two layers to slide over each other when you breathe.

When the pleura becomes inflamed, the layers rub together, causing chest pain. This is known as pleuritic pain.

Pleurisy is sometimes called pleuritis.

What causes pleurisy?

In young, healthy people, an infection of the lower respiratory system by a virusor bacteria may cause pleurisy. Pleurisy usually lasts a few days to 1 or 2 weeks. In very rare cases, the virus or bacteria may spread and cause pleurisy in others.

Other causes of pleurisy include air leaking into the pleural cavity from a lung (pneumothorax), injury to the chest (such as a broken rib), tuberculosis or other infections, or a tumor in the pleura.

Other conditions may also cause pleurisy. These include rheumatoid arthritis,lupus, sickle cell crisis, pulmonary embolism, or pancreatitis. Pleurisy may also develop as a complication of heart surgery.

What are the symptoms of pleurisy?

The symptoms of pleurisy are chest pain and difficulty breathing. The chest pain usually starts suddenly. People often describe it as a stabbing pain and it usually gets worse with breathing. The pain:

• May always be present, but it usually gets worse when you breathe in. You may avoid breathing deeply to prevent the pain.
• Usually is on only one side of the chest.
• May extend to a shoulder or the belly.
• Is usually worse when you cough, sneeze, or suddenly move.
• May ease when you hold your breath or press on the painful area." (www.webmd.com)

Latest with Liz...

After seeing the Hematologist yesterday the doctor has ordered another scan. I will be going to the hospital this morning for this sonogram. Pray that they can see everything clearly as they need to make decisions on what to do next. The doctor is going to discuss it with the interventional radiologists to determine what procedures would be possible to clear out the clot. He discussed one option he was thinking of, but was unsure if too much time had lapsed already, for it to be an option. It would however require me to be in the hospital a couple days. Monday, I will go back to the doctor and we will discuss the findings, results, what my option/s are and decide what we will do now.

Surgery, Blood Clot & Bedrest

I have yet to explain what happened since my bile duct procedure. Turned out that after the first procedure to put the stint in I had a very bad reaction to the anesthesia. I had seizure like episodes and ended up in the Intensive Care Unit. Once I was stable and everything seemed to resolve they decided to wait three days and then take the stint back out and do the second procedure where they opened it up. So they kept me in the hospital and I was going to get to go home after the second procedure. Everything went great with the procedure and my stomach was feeling GREAT. Unfortunately, I got a very large clot in leg. Ended up in the hospital a few more days. Went home, and instead of things getting better with the clot..they got worse. This point I could barely walk, and was in tremendous constant pain. Doctor saw me, sent me immediately to the emergency room. The blood flow in my leg was 100% blocked off. I was admitted to the hospital that day and spent a couple weeks there, getting all sorts of medications and treatments for the clot and pain.

Finally, I was discharged to go home two weeks ago. I have been on bed rest. I have a walker to use when I do get up, but the only place I am suppose to go is to the doctors office. So really I'm just getting up to go the bathroom. And I cant lift over 10lbs. So that limits me a lot. The medicine makes me very tired, so I take a lot of naps. And to anyone who thinks I am lucky, think again. Being on bed rest like this is far from fun. But the wonderful part it, is I'm able to be home with Donny and the kids instead of being stuck by myself in a hospital bed. Before I was discharged I was told that it could be a matter of months and even up to a year before this all resolved. So I am being treated by a pain management doctor to control my pain the best possible, the hematologist and cardiologist to watch and treat the clot.

Latest Update: Saw the doctor today. They tested my heart and it is great. The Doppler on my leg showed no change in the blood clot. It has not gotten any smaller, nor has it grown or moved. My INR levels were pretty high today. All in all, the doctor wants to see things are in a month, and if there is not much change, he wants to see about taking another look, seeing if another approach to treat the clot may be more advisable. Great news is the procedure on my bile duct seems to have been a huge success. I have had little to no pain or attacks in my stomach like I was all the time, before the surgery. I am so thankful it worked!

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Do you have a Twitter account?! If so, leave me your username. I'd love to follow you! For daily updates on the Dixon 7, follow me @QuadMommy. So what are you waiting for...Go TWEET away!!

Huddy Got His Special Bracelet!!

Hudson had a great appointment at the orthopedic doctor yesterday. He got his leg brace, and it fits perfect! He was such a trooper and did so well wearing it all day, and did not complain. We are so proud of you Huddy! We tried to make it a very special thing, so we told him and his siblings that it is his special bracelet he gets to wear. Of course, the girls are all wanting to know when they are going to get one. Haha! :) I can already tell it is going to be a huge help in his walking and running! Yeppie! 

Blood Clot Update

I have been experiencing a great deal more pain in my leg since I have been home from the hospital. Especially, in the last couple days. To the point where sitting is painful and walking is just plain baaddd. Hard to walk anyway, but the more I'm upright, the more intense the pain is. If I'm laying with my leg propped it helps, but any other position is not fun. I had another ultrasound yesterday, and they found that the clot has gotten worse, and is also up into my abdomen, so only makes sense that the pain has increased and not gotten better.

Thankfully, at this point this change does not mean much, just continue on my blood thinning medicines and shots as I have been. My INR was still way low yesterday, so need that to go up asap, so no other clots form. With my history you just never know. Nothing ever seems to go the way any doctor says should be expected. So pray that the clot begins to dissolve, and the pain lessons, so I can get back to being super mommy. Daddy Donny has been filling in the gaps for me, and am so grateful for how he always steps up and takes charge and takes care of our family so well.

The kids had another great day at school! Logan even got to ride home on his scooter with Daddy. Good times!!

Home From The Hospital!

So my procedure for my bile duct turned up to be a big stay in the hospital. That was defiantly not what we had thought or had planned for. If you have kept up with Donny's blog and Facebook status, then you know how crazy this last week in a half has been. Instead of coming home after the first procedure, I ended up, staying for what ended up being a total of nine days in the hospital. 

The procedure itself went very well. However, immediately afterwards I ended up in ICU after having what they concluded as a negative reaction coming out of the anesthesia. I had several (seizure like) episodes, they could not stop, so ended up putting me back under. Later doing all sorts of tests. Scaring the heck out of my husband. All along I was unaware any of this was happening. I still have very little memory of my stay in ICU.

Couple days later, had the second procedure, and all went well. I was then going to be able to go home, but that all changed when it was discovered that I had developed a blood clot in my leg. Thus the treatment to dissolve the blood clot began. 

I'm home now! My stomach has never been better! I was laying in bed tonight, and realized, WOW, my stomach does not hurt. I can't remember the last time I did not have stomach pain. It has been something I have lived with for soooo long. I am not getting around much. My leg is still in pain, and walking is difficult due to the blood clot. Thankfully, we caught it in time before something tragic happened. Overall, I am doing well, all things considered. Thankful to be home in the warmth and comfort of my home!!

GI Procedure

Next Tuesday, I will be having a endoscopic procedure. The doctor will be placing a stent in my bile duct. If successful the following week I will go back in, and he will remove the stent. At that time he will correct the problem fully. If the stent does not correct the problem, the doctor will remove the stent the following week and leave everything be. We are hoping and praying that this will be our answer.

"The ERCP procedure involves passing a flexible tube (endoscope) through the mouth, esophagus, and stomach into the first part of the small intestine (the duodenum) where the drainage opening for the bile and pancreatic ducts is located.  The doctor then passes a small plastic tube (catheter) through a channel in the endoscope and out into view in the duodenum and inserts it into this small opening.  A contrast solution (dye) is then injected through the catheter into the bile and pancreatic duct system(s), and x-rays are taken. These can be viewed immediately so that the doctor can make a diagnosis.

The doctor may take specimen samples for analysis if the x-rays (and any previous tests) suggest the possibility of cancer.  Tiny wire brushes are used to scrape the duct lining and retrieve cells for microscopic examination.  Small pinching biopsy forceps can be used to take larger pieces of tissue.  Bile or pancreatic juice can be retrieved and sent to the laboratory to check whether there is any infection or to look for disturbance of the normal digestive constituents."

These are the treatments that will be used for this ERCP...

• Papillary stenosis and sphincter dysfunction. "Sphincterotomy (of the bile duct and/or pancreatic orifice) is used also when there is scarring of the papilla (papillary stenosis) or evidence of overactivity (spasm) of the muscular valve. This is called sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. Sphincterotomy is more hazardous in this context than when used for stones.
  
• Duct dilatation and stenting. ERCP x-rays may show partial blockage or narrowing of the bile duct or pancreatic duct. This narrowing can be stretched (dilated) using a sausage shaped balloon catheter. Often a small tube (stent) is left behind to maintain the stretch, and allows the duct to drain more easily." (www.digestivehealthnetwork.com)

On The Road To Success

Today, I met with Logan's current Pre-K teacher for his Parent Teacher conference. Overall he got a wonderful report and is doing very well in school and has showed tremendous progress during the year. As in the words of his teacher, "Logan continues to do an awesome job during phonics and reading groups." This was something new that they started during this semester. His spoken language skills are performed most the time. He has mastered all the reading and phonics skills, except reading a complete sentence. He is writing very well, although he has been able to write his full name since day one. So he was already ahead of the game on that one. What can I say, my kid is a genius! Hehe! That's what all parents say, right?! What I can't believe is that his mathematics skills are almost all mastered. Now I have to say he does not get his mathematics skills from his mother, nor his father. All the credit there goes to good ole G-Pa! He's always teaching him counting skills etc. when they are together. Way to go G-Pa!!

In regards to his social developmental you really can't get any better than he is right now. Well, I guess there is always room for improvement right. But seriously. This boy has the social skills of his father. His daily living and motor skills are almost mastered completely. His classroom behavior overall is very well. His talking in class has improved greatly since last semester, and his misbehavior seems to occur when he does not know what is going on, and there is not enough to do or focus on.

This brings me to Kindergarten talk. His teacher is encouraging us to observe all the classes soon before he is placed in a classroom, so he can be matched up with the best fit for a teacher. Because Logan needs constant activity and likes to be aware of everything that is going on throughout the day. His teacher is conference that he will have major behavior problems if he does not get a teacher that works more in that manner. So I will defiantly be speaking with the elementary school soon and meeting with them and speaking with the principal to make sure they understand his situation.

Overall though, he is doing fantastic! He has the ability to do any and all work that is presented to him. He has proved that. He just has to be focused or determined enough to do it.

Candice's Day In The Emergency Room: UPDATED 02/12/09

For those of you that may have have been keeping up with us on Twitter, or Facebook, know that today was a rough day. For all those that have not heard. I took Candice to the doctor first thing this morning, her ENT said her lungs did not sound good at all, she had some stridor and was dehydrated. She spent all morning throwing up. More like day..cause it totaled up to 16 times. The doctor sent her down to the Emergency Room for a work up. She got fluids, electrolytes, blood work, breathing treatments, nausea meds and steroids. Turns out they think the respiratory infection she was diagnosed with about 2-3 weeks ago, caused some narrowing in her airway. You just never know with our little Candi-cane. Even though she has had reconstructive airway surgery, due to the subglottic stenosis that she got after the prolonged intubation while she was in the NICU for five months, her airway does have a more likely chance of becoming compromised when she is sick. So an illness that our other kids get, can affect her in a more serious way. Thankfully, we have been really lucky up to this point and she has done really well. But we still have so much to be thankful for, because Candice was released from the hospital and is home tonight in her own bed. Hopefully she will have a good night, and can keep from throwing up. Soon as we left the hospital she threw up all over the car. But, hopefully tomorrow will be a much better day. Great news though, her ears look great, tubes are functioning perfectly and her hearing test today was completely normal. Yeah! She will be with me for the day tomorrow, while the other kiddos go to school. Mommy's gotta take care of her baby!

Update: Candice had a good night at home. She threw up first thing this morning, but has been fine since, Been able to eat small amounts and actually using the restroom today. So great sign that she is back to being hydrated and feeling better. :) She stayed home from school today, which I think she was way to excited about. She sounds way better, not perfect and still has the cough but breathing fine and that's what counts. Hehe!

Kuddos To The Kiddos!

The Quads have and continue to enjoy there three hours of school Monday-Friday. They have come so far. It is amazing! The other day we got progress reports/evaluations of them in regards to there speech therapy. They all were said to of mastered 70% of almost every goal and step stone that was tested. Except for one, that they all received 80% on, in regards to recognizing names of things, people, etc.

Hudson is the only one receiving physical therapy now, and he scored 50% on each goal. Although, he continues to do well and plays well with the others and can keep his own, he does continue to have a consistent difficulty physically because he is not able to use his left arm/hand normally, and though his leg is much better since his heal toe cord surgery, it is still not normal. Not that it needs to be or ever will be, but of course as his parents, we want to do whatever we can for all of our kids to have the best possible life they can have. So we are looking into other options and seeking other opinions of what is the best plan of action to help him along, as much as we can.

Back In The Swing Of Things

Yes, I know..It's been a while since I last posted and I'm sure I left some of you hanging wondering about how my surgery went and all. Well, I'm back in business now. The overnight stay I was suppose to have after the surgery, turned into a six day stay instead. The surgery itself went very well, they did everything just as they needed to do, and from what they tell me anyway..it was about 5 hrs. Much easier being the one on the other side of it I know, not having a clue to time or anything for that matter. The doctors were wonderful and were so nice to call Donny to give him updates and let him know how everything went, since he had to be on the job (it was his second day at the new job, little to early to ask off..haha). The next day when I was suppose to be released, instead of the doctor coming in to send me off, she was ordering tests and scans to determine what was going on with me. My blood pressure shot up way high, and I had significant pressure and heaviness and pain in my chest. They were very worried that I had a pulmonary embolism, similar to three years ago. Turns out there was no PE, thankfully. But there was fluid in my lungs, which from what I was later told is common with the procedure I had done. My blood pressure remained very high for a few days, and then one day it just finally went down. I really don't remember much of the time I was in the hospital. So much that, I know I talked to my husband on the phone and I know I saw him in person, but the details are not there. But I think that's a good thing. Cause I do know that after the surgery I was in a lot of pain and the simplest of things was almost impossible. After a few days of being at home, and virtually doing nothing, I began to come around. And here I am now, doing very well. The major surgical pains, numbness and tingling that were due to the surgery, finally went away a couple days ago, and I've gone the last three days with no pain meds. Only at night to sleep, cause by the end of the day I'm pretty sore from doing normal activities. Sleeping is really the hardest thing right now, because it's hard to get comfortable and I don't have many options how I can lay. But hey, I can deal with that! I'm feeling really good at this point about the surgery. Hopefully the relief I am feeling from my symptoms before surgery will continue to stay away or be very minimal. For those who are wondering..I have no further surgeries on the agenda. Haha!

Thoracic Thursday

Tomorrow morning, I will be undergoing the surgery I spoke of recently. It is called thoracic outlet surgery.

"Thoracic Outlet Syndrome is a complex condition involving compression,
irritation or direct injury of major structures within the thoracic outlet such
as the subclavian vein, subclavian artery and the Brachial Plexus. TOS can be
very painful, debilitating and sometimes life and limb threatening."

I'll be in the hospital overnight and then be home recovering. Overall, recovery is a month. I won't be able to lift my arms up for a whole month. That's the crazy part. Wondering how I'm going to figure out to do simple things like wash my hair, dry my hair, etc. Hmm! The hardest part will be fighting the urge to lift of my hands in church during worship. Makes me
very thankful for my arms. I'm sure I'll be back on the blog, but It will be a bit difficult typing with one hand. Well, slower anyway. :) HEHE!



Thank you for your prayers!

In The Midst Of It

Here again, we are faced with another fire. Thankfully it has nothing to do with any health issues. This time it is financial. Donny was let go from his job Friday, due to downsizing throughout the company, and economic hard times facing the company as a whole. Here I thought he was getting out to talk to his buddies from work and enjoy the company Christmas party and having a nice day and then he returns with this news…boy was I wrong. Being a man of much sarcasm and a love of joking around, I did not know he was being serious when he first shared with me this news. After a few minutes of him repeating it, I realized this was far from a joke. Of course I was speechless, and emotional and upset. To go from everything being great for 7 years and then losing the only career he has ever had…all we have known…where do you go? What do you do? Unfortunately, they did not take our five children in consideration when choosing to let my husband go from his job. Don’t they know we have five little mouths to feed.? Our Christmas has taken a sudden twist, and wont be what we had originally planned. But we will still do everything possible to make Christmas day fun for the kids, and make them feel special. We don’t want the kids to feel our worry or problems, so we will do our best to make like everything is ok. Although, we do not know what the weeks and months to come have in store. All we can do now Is be in prayer for God’s direction, and provisions. We are waiting to see where God is going to take us and how is going to provide. We are scared and uncertain and feeling all kinds of emotions but we can only do so much and let God do the rest. Your prayers and job leads are most welcome and appreiciated.

Candice's Praise Report & The Troll

Wonderful news!! Candice had her ABR (sedated hearing test) yesterday and she did great. Everything went very well, and best news of all, the test showed absolutely no hearing loss. In fact she has perfect hearing! So now we know everything from this point is developmentally, or vocal cord related. Thanks for your prayers!

(I had every intention on posting this update last night, but as I got online I was taken back by messages I had received. There is someone out on the Internet posing as the mother of our children. She has stolen pictures of our kids and is living in a pretend world of her own lies. Apparently, this troll has been up to no good for some time now and has taken advantage of many multiple birth families. I am working with some others to get her shut down).

Candice's ABR Test

On Monday, Candice is having a sedated hearing test. This will determine if Candice has any hearing loss. She has failed all her previous hearing tests and due to her age and still not having a clear answers, she will undergo this test and we will be able to determine if there is a hearing loss. She was suppose to have this test done earlier in the year, but due to sickness and conflicts that occured with the hospital, we are getting it in right before the end of the year.

It is called an Auditory brainstem response (ABR) test.

"An infant is sleeping or sedated for the ABR. An infant may be sleeping naturally or may have to be sedated for this test. Additionally, older, cooperative kids may be tested in a silent environment while they're visually occupied. Tiny earphones are placed in the ear canals. Usually, click-type sounds are introduced through the earphones, and electrodes measure the hearing nerve's response to the sounds. A computer averages these responses and displays waveforms. Because there are characteristic waveforms for normal hearing in portions of the speech range, a normal ABR can predict fairly well that a baby's hearing is normal in that part of the range. An abnormal ABR may be due to hearing loss, but it may also be due to some medical problems or measurement difficulties."

We should have answers that day, so come back and visit for updates.

Check out My Newest Blog: Jesus Take The Wheel

You may have read some of my personal blog, Mommy Time. Well, I have been inspired to make some changes and start fresh. I will no longer be posting on that site. As a part of purpose to reach out to others, and to let my story be known, I am introduucing a new blog. You can find me at Jesus Take The Wheel. Or just type www.mommyofmultiples.blogspot.com into your browser. Please note: The Dixon Seven Blog will still remain here, so for all family updates, and pictures keep coming back toThe Dixon Seven. To see what Donny is thinking, see Dixon Staduim.

Germs, Germs, Everywhere!!

This is a long weekend for us. The quads were out of school on Friday and there is no school on Monday for Fair day. Unfortunately, we are unable to enjoy the extra family time, cause we have a house full of sick people. All five kids are sick. Logan is the better of the five, for now anyway, but the quads have some nasty bug. It is not pretty in no shape or form. I've had a lot of trouble sleeping at night the last several nights. Sorry Donny! Between recovering from surgical pains, my body reacting the medicines that I'm on, and an ear infection (well, it's not really an infection, but I really don't know any other easy way to say it). There's an problem with my ear that's causing major ear pain, as if I had an infection. In order to not bother Donny any more than I already have, I decided to go lay in the other room for a while. Soon as I got up I heard crying from the upstairs, and I listened and heard a cry for mommy. Then more crying. I went upstairs, Sam and Maddy were both in bed asleep, crying and Sam was the one calling my name. It was so sad. But yet so precious. I got them out of bed one at a time and held them for a while, wiped their tears, gave them so medicine and put them back down. I feel so bad when my babies don't feel good. :( Poor munchkins! Logan came home from a friends birthday party yesterday not feeling well...and the quads were, let's just say, a mess yesterday. Not much has changed. We are not going far. We are stuck in this germ infested house.

The Quads First Year In School

Today was our first ever parent teacher conference. It was for the Quads. I'm just proud of their teacher for learning so much about them, and remembering little details about each one. Some people have trouble telling them apart much less, recognizing detailed information. She is a great teacher. She is super sweet and is very good with them. She has fallen in love with each one of them and adores them. Although, it is very hard to spend much time with the quads and not fall in love with them. :P They are each so special, and have their own little cute and loving qualities about them. I know, I'm their mom, so It's easy for me to say these things. But they are so true!! :)

So how are the quads doing in school? Let's see... Madison is eager to participate in all school activities. She is learning colors and speaking and playing well with her peers. She seems to enjoy school and always has a positive attitude. Samantha is playing cooperatively with her peers. She is adjusting well to the classroom routines, and beginning to participate in group time. Her fine motor skills (as far as coloring goes) are age appropriate. Candice is confident playing independently or with peers. She enjoys patterning activities and excels at them. Candi also enjoys sorting by color and working puzzles. Hudson always has a smile on his face and seems to enjoy school. He is talking more in class to peers and adults. (This is a good thing, cause he was to shy to talk at the beginning of the year). He really enjoys the water table, sandbox and tricycles during outside play. We will continue working on all the goals discussed in the ARD yesterday, along with working on some of the fine motor skills and verbal skills at home. But they are all off to a great start for the year and I am very proud of how far each one my little preemies have come. GOD is GOOD!!

Have I told you that the quads are riding the bus again this semester. It is wonderful. They LOVE it and makes things much easier for mom and dad. "The Wheels On The Bus" has to be their favortie song right now becuase of it. The bus driver is such a sweet and loving woman. The kids adore her and I'm always confident that she is taking good care of them and keeping them safe. I'm so thankful for such wonderful people, caring for, and watching over our children each day. I never have to worry cause I know they are doing everything they can to teach, love, and protect our kiddos. :) What a refreshing thought, there are good people out there in this evil world. Praise God!!

Tomorrow Is Surgery Day

It's already been a long day. Mostly cause I barely slept last night. And spent the entire morning in the doctors office. It's official. I am having surgery tomorrow. I will be going in for a laparotomy at 1pm Wednesday. My options were either to wait a couple more weeks, then have the surgery or go ahead and get it done. I'm choosing to not wait for the inevitable and get it done asap so I can be as pain free as possible and well as soon as I can, so I can go back to my normal life with quads plus one. :) There's nothing I hate more than being here but not being well enough to do things with my kids. It makes me sad. I wanna be the superhero mom that everyone talks about.

Please pray for my family while I am in the hospital. Pray that they are well taken care of and for all my babies to know how much I love them. (That includes my Big baby, Donny). I hope to be back and at very soon. So stay tuned for more blogs soon as I can get home and type. Until then I'm sure that my hubby with keep you posted about our family at http://dixonstadium.wordpress.com/.