Feel the awesome.
12
Nov 2011
October
We made it. October seriously kicks our booty every year with straight up busyness. Lots of fun stuff mixed with lots of medical stuff, and we’re all a little happy when the calendar month takes a turn.
Asher endured another round of all his yearly testing (5 vials of blood, chest xrays, flu shot, regular 4 year old shots, pediatrician appointments, Tuberculosis test, and his massive yearly clinic appointment). All in all, Asher is doing really great! We increased his zantac dosage 5 times the dose he was getting, in hopes it will help him put on some weight, and decrease the acid he’s been dealing with – he labels it as a “frog in his throat”. Chest xrays are clear, and since we’re on eight months of no Pseudomonas, his doctor said we could take a break from Tobi…J and I literally fist pumped. Tobi is so extremely tiring for all of us, and we’re thankful to have a break, especially going into the holidays. Now we pray this stupid bacteria will not flare up again for a very long time.
My friend, Tiffany, posted this on her blog, and I thought it was a great illustration of why this bacteria freaks the crap out of us…Pseudomonas aeruginosa settles into the thick mucus trapped in the airways. Once it sets up house in the respiratory tract, Pseudomonas aeruginosa is hard to get rid of. Respiratory failure caused by the infection is often the ultimate cause of death in many people with CF. Here is a illustration that gives a clearer picture of how it transforms and really and truly turns into a monster!
The first picture is where the dr.’s try to catch PA. Once it reaches phase 3/4 it goes crazy! And, by phase 5 it is sending new feeders out voraciously trying to acquire new territory in the lungs and destroying every part it can. There are currently only a couple of antibiotics that work against it. The CF person’s PA is very likely to become resistant at some point to these antibiotics because of high use (every other month). The problem for a CF person is not only becoming resistant to the drugs, but the antibiotics are so harsh that it also ends up destroying the liver, kidneys, and/or the heart.
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Grandpa and Grandma Olimb came for a quick weekend visit, and we packed a lot in while they were here. Continued birthday celebrations, bowling, two baseball games, and a hot air balloon festival. As usual, we had a great time and made lots of new memories together!
His little cheer, and crusty food on his mouth make me smile…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6fa0uWnga4&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
Why does he look about 26 years old here?!
Krista and I threw our 2nd Annual Halloween Festivus for the Rest of Us party! It was a rockin’ time, and I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I did get this one of Asher taking care of a baby doll. Big brother in training :). And, all the kiddos saying Happy Halloween!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nibKhZnb_3Y&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]
Another total blog worthy moment…Shannon and I took the boys to the park, and sat back and watched them play for 3 hours. It was bliss. So thankful for family, and beautiful weather :).
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The teamASHER Silent Auction
A Slice of Yesterday
Wow the hot air balloons are pretty awesome! I am so glad Asher is off Tobio and I hope for a long time too! I am glad you had a fun month and that all the doctor visits are over for now!
What a great post…loved all the pics! I agree with Erin – so thankful for no Tobi!!! Especially during the holidays…hooray!! And honestly sat and watched them play for THREE hours??? Sounds heavenly!
I’m worn out just reading this post!!! Hooray for no Tobi, long playdates and birthday fun. He is looking so grown up all of the sudden. So glad that he’s doing so well and we all KNOW he’s going to be a great big brother.