UPDATES...again.

WELL, Andrew is still in the hospital!!

He had a cortisone shot epidural and it didn't touch the pain. So, the herniated disc is not causing the pelvic pain.  He is being discharged today. They are having him go right to the primary doctor across the street so he can get that doctor up to speed, and so he will be able to prescribe pain medicine and we can "manage the pain at home".  Also, the pcp will be the dr to refer us for 2nd opinions.  I hate to be negative, but the pain meds they are giving him for home are not like what he has been getting in the hospital, so I'm not optimistic that we will be able to manage much at home.  The hospital is saying studies show managing pain at home is better for patients.  I told the hospitalist that I know we will just be in another hospital soon. He said his recommendation is to keep him out of the hospital because he just gets frustrated there. REally? You dont think he will be frustrated at home?
He is currently at Concord Hospital. I didnt write the name before out of our privacy, but at this point, I  want people to know. The doctors prefer text book cases and Andrew is not text book, so they are just throwing their arms up.  I believe the hospitalist still thinks it a urology issue, but the urologists in Concord have washed their hands of if. 
Yesterday they talked about having a psych evaluation but I dont think that ever happened. They also stopped his pain meds and only gave him Tylenol and he ended up in tears. YES, my grown ass husband- who I have almost never seen cry.  THIS hurts my heart.
I guess I will see what the primary is willing to do.  IF he wont refer him right away, then I might just bring him in through the ER at either Dartmouth or B.I in Boston.  I am getting all his records today so I will have those on hand.

This was one of the days we went to visit dada.
By the way, I have been so caught up in Andrew that I forgot to tell you that Anika has been calling me Mum Mum. She also loves to say Uh oh. She drops things all the time and says "Uh Oh"  She also points and says dada when we walk by the hall of photos at our house. There are pictures of Andrew but also I think it is because he always stops and shows her all the pictures and points to who people are. She went to a parent teacher conference with Miss B the other day (For Miss B's son) and she sat in Miss b's lap eating her blueberries and when she dropped the cover she said "Uh oh" and miss b said she was showing off putting on quite a show.
She has been Such a sweetie pie lately. Just melts my cold heart. hahaha 

These are all Iphone photos. Oh yes, I jumped over to the dark side. My blackberry was shitting the bed and it needed to be restarted SEVERAL times a day.  When I went to verizon to look at my options, an Iphone came up and I could get it for $100 so I just got it. I still cant really use it and I hate the touch pad still. I miss a keyboard.  Also it is different with emails and how that all works.  People say I will love it soon.  We had to wait FOREVER at Verizon as well.  Anika just ran around the store and I just followed her around.  I also brought a book and kept reading that.  There was another Little boy there (2 years old) and his mother kept yelling his first and middle name and yelling at him. Like "Brandon Michal- GET OVER here NOW!"  I was so happy that I had the patience to deal with Anika in JUST the way I wanted to.  In fact, I even told Andrew when we got to the hospital that I used to look at some parents and think "WOW, that is exactly the calm, soft spoken mom I want to be" and voila. That was totally me that day.

I was so proud of it because I really try to do positive discipline with Anika. So, when she was just playing at the store well, I kept telling her and kissing her and saying "Anika, you are such a good girl. I really appreciate how patient you are being. I am so proud of you"  AND, having books and toys there in my purse was KEY!
Lets fast forward a few days. I had to go BACK to Verizon because they gave me the "courtesy" option to put the iphone and accessories all on my next bill instead of paying then. I said sure. Then I got my bill and the surcharges and fees were up by FORTY percent. So I assumed that they taxed the additional costs of the phone and such.   There is NO sales tax in NH by the way, so I never pay tax on goods. Come to find out- they didn't. THe government mandates the surcharge fees and they did go up! But it went up by a lot for me also because We had $80 in overage charges! We NEVER go over.  I tried disputing the whole thing and I got no where.  We had to wait for 40 minutes on Sunday in the store and this time Anika had 2 Tantrums. Back arching and screaming when I took the boxes away she picked up off the shelves. I gave her my box and I tried reading to her. it worked a few times but she was done.   Finally, someone called my name to help me at customer service and Anika was over it.  A Stranger came over and said "Hi, do you want me to read to her or walk around with her while you talk to customer service?" I looked at her and she looked like a girl from one of my mom groups, but she wasn't and I knew that.  She seemed nice. At this point I had given Anika my wallet to shut her up and she was pulling all the cards and check book out. I didn't even care because it was keeping her quiet.  I remember very distinctly a few years ago being at my friend's house and the contents of her wallet were all over the floor. I was horrified. She told me her son did it. I was like- oh hell no. I'm too anal. I would be pissed if my kid disorganized my wallet and I wouldn't let it happen.  OH yes, foot in mouth. Granted I would NEVER allow her do it at home but in a public crowded store to keep her still and quiet, I sure did.  The stranger was trying to help....and I eventually just handed her a screaming Anika and turned around and went back to talking to customer service. I was also returning a car charger because I thought they charged too much for it. lol.  When I was all done and got nowhere, I turned around looking for Anika. OH SHIT. WHERE WAS SHE?  The stranger's boyfriend looked at me and said "They are over looking at the Ipads" And i said oh, phew, I thought she took her and the boyfriend said laughing "Oh no, I wouldn't let that happen" haha.

ANika just needed some entertainment and I thanked the girl so much. I still cant believe I did that. Haha.  AND, there was a very made up heavily perfumed older lady who had come over to help before that.  I mean, ANika wasn't being loud- she just wouldn't sit still. ANd, I bet it was all over me that I was a mess. Driving back and forth to the hospital every day, caring for an active little girl, and trying to keep my life together...it puts a toll on me.  I stress a lot about money and Andrew not being able to work.  LET ME SAY, THANK GOD for savings.  THIS is one of those times, Im SOOo happy Andrew doesn't like to spend money.  I mean, its not taking a huge hit yet, but I think it will if he continues to be the way he is.   And the medical bills- I cant even think about those right now.

So, ANika- THis is the problem with a young walker- they don't understand consequences...or bribes yet.   I left that store sweaty and near tears because of getting no where with Verizon and then about to head to the hospital.

This is just a picture I took out my sky light bedroom window of the full moon. haha. IT doesn't really make sense in this post.

Kale chips I love to make with coconut oil. SO healthy and delicious. Coconut oil is SOO healthy and has so many wonderful purposes.  AND making kale chips is super easy. I dont even take off the stems.

Anika visiting dada

 She loves to escape his room and run down the halls. Luckily he is in the orthopedic section so people are not sick. Also that floor is really quite empty! She just does laps around the wing.  I have to let her to burn energy. Luckily she doesn't touch too much.

My friends went and visited Andrew last Friday. They brought him that big balloon that says "I love you" ...I wonder what the nurses thought when I got there as the wife! lol. My friend K and C (and C brought her 14 week old son) all visited ANdrew for 3 hours. ANd brought him TONS of goodies. When I got there Friday night, his spirits were SOO high.  He even told me he had no idea that visitors could distract him from his pain so much.  It was so nice to see him happy. Also on Friday we THOUGHT we had some answers, but come to find out- we dont.

Saturday, I had a ski race. I almost had to miss another one, but my parents finally got back and my dad rode up to the mountain (1.5 hours north) with me and my friend I race with. We took Andrew's truck.   My dad cant watch Anika alone at the house, but said he would watch her while I took my runs. He is a wonderful grandfather and loves to be around Anika,  but he has probably never changed a diaper in his life.  He does more with kids when they get older, but he loves to have Anika with him...as long as my mom or me are around to help! haha  My mom had a race with my niece at another mountain so she couldn't watch Anika.  I brought the sled for him to pull her around.

He said people kept stopping them to talk to Anika. When I got ready to head out, my dad said "What if she poops? If she poops, Im calling 911"

LOL. Luckily she didn't poop....and he probably wouldn't have even known if she did!

She was admiring her Mum Mum who got FIRST Place!

It was nice to race and let some of my frustrations out. We only stayed for my run and were back home by noon. Anika and I went to the dump and did some laundry and then went down to see Dada.

And, I'm off to pick Andrew up. I Just got off the phone with the hospital social services!
This is such a friggen mess and so upsetting.
Ill keep you posted.

WHAT a way to spend Valentine's Day, huh?