Happenings of Harvest, Home and Hospital

So nice to be home and partake of normal activities, like laundry, school, and discovering Melinda has asthma.

She had a wheezing episode several years ago and was prescribed a little inhaler. With the return of wheezing and realization the inhaler was out of date, I decided to take advantage of a few days home from the hospital and take Melinda in to see a doctor. I didn't get my FIRST choice in docs, but, I felt compelled to settle. He took a listen, asked questions about history, and prescribed the old inhaler, plus a steroidal one. So, now she takes two puffs on one, four times a day, and one puff on the new one, two times a day. I put up a chart of times and am leaving it up to her. She is pretty responsible when it comes to breathing. Have to go back in a month. The hope is that she will only need therapy (eventually) at this time of year when allergies trigger symptoms.

When we returned home and the other kids heard of the steroid medicine, their immediate reaction was, "Well, she can't play baseball with us, now!" (oh BROTHER)

Jason's little stint up on the roof yesterday was to affix a ground wire. That way, if the antenna is hit by lightning, it won't hurt the house. But, it could very well fry my ferns on the north side.

It is harvest time. The corn field 'round our "acreage" has been cut, processed and driven to bins or market. I wish y'all could have seen the three little boys this morning, standing at the window in their jammies, watching the auger fill the wagons. Nolan in quiet observation, Ethan scooping Cocoa Wheats into his mouth while keeping his eyes peeled on Mr. and Mrs. F, and Trevor standing agog with Pooky Bear clutched in a death grip.

As to Loren, he is just getting along. They've brought in an exercise bicycle and they want him to ride it and do exercises 3-5 times a day, so his muscles don't atrophy. I think he might be up to two times. Every time he exercises it wipes him out for a while. Then too, the medications do their part in bringing on fatigue. So, it's a bit of a tricky business to find the right balance. Plus, Loren just needs more time to adjust to all the new medications. His heart still goes a little wacky every once in a while. But if he tells the nurse, they usually don't see too much. This morning, however, the transplant doctor happened to be in the room and observed what was going on. The doc said if it doesn't calm down soon, they will increase the Sotolol. That's one of the meds that makes him especially tired.

Back on the homefront, Trevor somehow got ahold of the potty chair that was stashed in the closet. He set it all up, with some help from Melinda, (thanks a LOT, honey) became disenfranchised from his diaper and proceeded to sit. By the time I got a look at him he was sitting there happy as a lark, perusing a Monster Truck book balanced in front of him on a wastebasket. Having become bored with that, he is now scooting around the house, still seated on the potty chair. (sigh)

I think I need a shot of that steroid stuff.....

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