On to the next thing

Mastitis seems to be fully thwarted. I feel great. I'm so glad it came on slowly enough that I was able to treat it myself. Warm compresses of heated rice in a cloth bag was definitely the winner for me. I kept that compress on almost around the clock, as hot as I could stand it.

When I wasn't using the compress, I used cabbage leaves as a method of drawing out the infection. I'm not sure whether or not it helped.

The crowning moment of it all was yesterday morning when, just as I was really confident that I'd kicked mastitis, I realized I am battling thrush.

Yeah, you read that right.

(Not the same side so, no, I don't think there is any connection.)

For the past 24 hours I've been treating it myself, and so far it's not gotten much worse. I'm hopeful about it, which is a big deal for me since just the mention of thrush is historically enough to make me curl up in the fetal position and cry.

Maybe I'm just optimistic because it's been *so long* since I last had it and I can't remember how brutal it gets. (Hey! Seven months is, like, a record or something for me!) Or maybe it's that I've been faithfully taking a great probiotic I know has made a huge difference in my body's bacteria-yeast balance. Or maybe it's that I'm encouraged by recent home remedy triumphs. Or maybe it's just that I'm finally secure enough to know that a prescription anti-fungal cream isn't the end of the world or even a sign of incapability as a mom.

At any rate, I'm moving onward and upward.

I think.

Doctors are like mechanics

I'm afraid to tally up the number of trips to doctors and hospitals that members of our family have made in the past year. I think it would frighten me. I mean, you know it's bad when a week without a doctor's appointment is novel.

This afternoon was my turn to see the doctor. I had a mole removed from my knee.

Holy moley, the excitement never ends around here!

If it's not an echocardiogram, it's an open biopsy. Or strep tests. Or blood draws. At the very least, somebody needs to be weighed or measured.

I think seeing a doctor is kind of like bringing your car to the mechanic. You bring your perfectly fine car in for inspection. When you pick it up, your bill is $1000 because of all the needed repairs and you have to bring it back in to have something else checked.

My point: you have no idea how many things could be working better than they currently are until a professional opens the hood.

P.S. I write this all very tongue in cheek. I'm thankful for doctors, I really and truly and from the bottom of my heart am. I don't resent their efforts to keep my and my family healthy one bit!

Unpleasant

So I've been battling the initial stages of mastitis yesterday and today. I'm not in the full-blown infection stages-- no fever or chills-- which is allowing me time to try home remedies before resorting to the antibiotic that's sitting in my kitchen, just in case.

Last time I had mastitis, the cause was transitioning from pumping bottles for Aubrey to actually nursing her and all the readjusting my body had to do with milk supply. This time, I think the cause was the combined lack of sleep, stress and exhaustion of the past several weeks. Just the other day, Daniel was commenting on how tired I am, how long it's been since I got a good night's sleep. Truth be told I don't really mind these infant stages of interrupted rest, but right about now it's definitely a bummer.

My "treatment" so far today has been lots of rest (thanks to Daniel during the day and now my dad tonight, who's hosting a sleepover for Gabriel, Bronwyn, and Jackson), hot compresses, cabbage leaves, hot showers, and tons of breastfeeding. These efforts have kept the infection at bay, but haven't seemed to reduce the symptoms either, which is what I'm really hoping for.

Any bits of wisdom or advice on other simple home remedies I can try?

Free Cloth Diapers

Check it out!

On The Move

As of Saturday evening, Aubrey is officially crawling.
(Which is when Daniel got this video clip.)

Tonight, she crawled from our family room to the dining room without stopping.

Now the fun really begins!

Bronwyn's Adventure, Part 4

We're home.

*sigh of relief*

It was a long day that began at 4:45am for us. Bronwyn really did very well, both physically and emotionally, but it was still a tough day for her. I guess there's simply no way to adequately prepare an almost-4-year-old for an operating room, masks being held to her face while her hands are restrained, etc. Yes, there were lots and lots of tears.   Overall, though, it wasn't too bad.

The surgeon confirmed that the lumps are what he originally thought they were: juvenile rheumatoid nodules (or granuloma annulares). That's great news, since it means that they're nothing serious. I'm still not totally sure of what exactly they are and how they come to be since this particular doctor isn't the sort that "teaches" the way many will take the time to do, but the knowledge that they're harmless and will eventually go away is enough for me right now.

Bronwyn woke up about 30 minutes after arriving in the recovery room. She hasn't felt at all queasy or seemed particularly tired since then. She also hasn't had any pain medication since whatever it was they administered in the OR-- and every time I ask if she needs some, she tells me no. Since arriving home an hour ago, she's even hobbled around a bit and put pressure on her foot, so she must be feeling OK.

To say she's happy to be home is an understatement!

Daniel and I are pretty happy to be back, too. I wasn't prepared for how stressful it would all feel. It's good to have it [mostly] behind us. In two weeks, we'll have to see someone to check on her incision. Hopefully that will be our official conclusion to this adventure!

Bronwyn's Adventure, Part 3

We're off for the next installment of Bronwyn's adventure this evening. She's scheduled for a 7:30am open biopsy on her foot tomorrow morning, and since we have to be at the hospital at 5:30am, we figured we'd drive the 140 miles today and spend the night (again!) with friends.

Here are things I'm praying for, in case you'd care to join me:

1. no hospital scheduling hiccups
2. peace for Bronwyn as she undergoes unfamiliar procedures
3. wisdom regarding anesthesia (we won't make our final decision about local vs. general until meeting with the anesthesiologist tomorrow morning)
4. no bad effects from the anesthesia for Bronwyn
5. totally benign and problem-free findings

The boys will stay here with aunts. Daniel and I are both going. Aubrey is our default breastfeeding travel companion, so we'll be a foursome.

I'll update as I can.